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National
Cait Kelly and Emily Wind (earlier)

Greens and academics criticise appointment of antisemitism envoy – as it happened

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Jillian Segal
Jillian Segal was on Tuesday announced by Anthony Albanese as Australia’s special envoy to combat antisemitism. Photograph: Dean Lewins/AAP

What we learned; Wednesday 10 July

And with that, we are going to put the blog to bed. Before we go, let’s recap the big headlines.

Thank you for spending part of your day with us – we will be back tomorrow. Until then, stay safe.

Updated

No injuries to staff or emergency services in Melbourne factory blaze: Fire Rescue Victoria

Fire Rescue Victoria Deputy Commissioner North & West Michelle Cowling said crews would probably remain on site over coming days to fully extinguish the Derrimut fire.

Major arterial roads are starting to reopen.

Cowling said:

Our crews have been working around the clock since 11.20am this morning and have brought this significant fire under control.

There have been no reports of any injuries to staff or to any of the emergency services on site.

The cause of this fire will be fully investigated by WorkSafe, FRV, Victoria police and other agencies.

The factory contained a range of chemicals, including kerosene, fuel, methylated spirits and ethanol.

We cannot leave any smouldering embers.

It has been a huge fire and Fire Rescue Victoria firefighters have done an amazing job, relying on their training and professionalism to bring this fire under control in such a short amount of time.

Updated

This photo EPA Vic has just shared of the fire is incredible …

Updated

From AAP:

Australia’s environment ministers are dangerously unprepared for the arrival of a virus that’s wiping out wildlife around the world, critics say.

A deadly strain of bird flu has been sweeping the globe killing legions of poultry and wild birds but also mammals including seals and sea lions. Domestic animals including dogs, cats and farm animals are also at risk.

Experts fear it could reach Australia within months as migratory birds arrive for spring. But the issue wasn’t on the agenda when Tanya Plibersek met with state and territory environment ministers three weeks ago.

Invasive Species Council campaigner Jack Gough says response plans are needed for places such as Kangaroo Island, which has the third largest breeding colony of Australian sea lions.

This is probably the biggest immediate threat to wildlife we have. This will be on the scale of the black summer bushfires in terms of impact if it turns up. And yet no real preparedness has occurred.

Environment departments have washed their hands of the issue because they see it as an agriculture department issue – that is the fundamental problem.

Updated

From AAP:

The local bourse has lost ground, with overnight testimony by Fed chairman Jerome Powell proving insufficient to break the market out of its trading range.

After being down as many as 47.7 points, or 0.6%, in the first hour of trading on Wednesday, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index clawed its way to finish 12.9 points lower at 7,816.8, a loss of 0.16%.

The broader All Ordinaries dropped 16.9 points, or 0.21%, at 8,058.3.

The Australian dollar was buying 67.43 US cents, from 67.46 US cents at Tuesday’s ASX close.

Updated

Tens of thousands more truckers needed to keep up with freight demands

About 26,000 more drivers are needed to fill gaps in the trucking industry as the sector faces shortfalls across all business sizes and types, according to the National Road Transport Association.

With NSW road freight requirements projected to increase 57% by 2040, the association’s chief executive Warren Clark has urged national cabinet to act now:

This is not just a crisis for the trucking industry, it’s a crisis for the national economy.

The supply chain is the backbone of our economy, and without enough drivers, the entire system is at risk.

– AAP

Updated

Melbourne factory fire deemed under control

The large factory fire at Swann Drive in Derrimut is under control, Fire Rescue Victoria has said.

The blaze is still expected to rage for days as tens of thousands of residents are told to stay inside.

A watch and act alert was issued for residents and workers in Derrimut, Laverton North, Sunshine West and Truganina, with residents near the smoke told to stay inside.

More than 180 firefighters have been responding to the fire.

FRV’s specialist hazmat and scientific advisers are on site, as well as the Environment Protection Authority.

Updated

Academics criticise appointment of antisemitism envoy

Academics have expressed their anger at the appointment of Jillian Segal to special envoy to combat antisemitism, pointing to her lobbying for vice-chancellors to bring disciplinary action against pro-Palestine student protesters.

In May, a media release from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry that followed a meeting with Group of Eight vice-chancellors, convened by the department of education, quoted Segal who “stressed the importance of universities upholding their respective codes of conduct and bringing disciplinary action against those found to be in breach”.

ECAJ welcomed the commonwealth’s decision to appoint its past president, Segal, to the position, saying in a statement she would bring “deep knowledge of the issues and immense energy to the role”.

But Dr Ben Eltham, president of the NTEU Monash branch, said the appointment of a former lobbyist raised “some troubling questions for university staff and students”.

“We know that Ms Segal personally lobbied vice-chancellors to take disciplinary action against peacefully protesting students. That was a bad faith intervention, which mischaracterised what students were actually protesting about … we don’t need an envoy: we need university leaders to listen to their students and staff calling for ceasefire and divestment from military research.”

Dr Jordana Silverstein, a senior research fellow at the University of Melbourne’s Law School, labelled the appointment “unacceptable”, adding “everyone involved … needs to be condemned”.

Segal was approached for comment.

Updated

Murder trial begins for Toowoomba Saints religious sect

The trial of 14 members of the Toowoomba Saints religious sect for the alleged murder of 8-year-old Elizabeth Struhs has begun.

It’s been more than two years since the young girl died as a result of her type one diabetes.

Parents Kerrie Elizabeth Struhs and Jason Richard Struhs and others allegedly denied her insulin for several days and instead prayed for her health. Elizabeth died on January 7, 2022.

Religious leader Brendan Stevens and Jason Struhs face charges of murder, on the basis they denied her insulin in the knowledge that doing so would probably cause her death.

Kerrie Struhs faces a charge of manslaughter on the same basis.

Dozens of journalists and others turned up to watch today’s hearing. As a result, the main courtroom is completely full and the overflow room is also near full. Today’s hearing is expected to run until about 4.15pm this afternoon.

Zachary Struhs is charged with manslaughter on the basis that by his words and actions, he counselled, aided or procured Elizabeth’s parents to unlawfully kill her. Loretta Stevens, Therese Stevens, Andrea Stevens, Acacia Stevens, Camellia Stevens, Alexander Stevens, Sebastian Stevens, Keita Martin, Lachlan Schoenfisch and Samantha Schoenfisch face the same charge, as heard during indictment.

All 14 defendants refused to plead guilty or not guilty. The trial begun by having indictments by a court officer who then asked the group to enter a plea.

They all responded with slight variations of “I enter no plea your honour” or “I enter no plea”.

Queensland Supreme Court Justice Martin Burns ordered that a plea of not guilty be entered for all 14.

Updated

Anna Meares says Australia’s Olympians will be safe in Paris amid political turmoil

Head of Australia’s Olympic team Anna Meares says she is not worried about recent political turmoil in Paris, with the additional security anticipated in the French capital enough to allay any safety concerns.

Sixteen days out from the start of the Games, as Australia formally finalised its team on Wednesday, the team’s chef de mission pointed to last year’s Rugby World Cup as an example of how France has delivered a major event with minimal disruption.

Meares said:

We know that there’s been unrest and riots and protests in Paris. This is normal. This is how they express themselves.

We have great faith in the French authorities and in the security that they’re putting in place. We’ve got our own plans in place.

You can read the full story here:

Updated

Many thanks for joining me on the blog today. Cait Kelly will be here to take you through the rest of our rolling coverage. Take care.

Updated

Labor ‘trying to reinvent the wheel’ by appointing special envoy on antisemitism, Greens say

The Greens have accused Labor of “trying to reinvent the wheel instead of backing the solution they already have”, after the appointment of a special envoy on antisemitism.

In a statement, the deputy leader of the Greens, Mehreen Faruqi, called on the government to urgently implement a national anti-racism strategy and fully fund the race discrimination commissioner to “ensure all forms of racism are combated”.

We already have a race discrimination commissioner which is empowered to fight all forms of racism. Labor is trying to reinvent the wheel instead of backing the solution they already have.

Faruqi accused the government of failing to consult the Islamophobia Register ahead of yesterday’s announcement, and “hastily” adding the announcement of an anti-Islamophobia envoy “without even a candidate”.

Muslims facing Islamophobia in this country should not be an afterthought.

We need a united effort to defeat racism in this country, which is so pervasive and deep seated, especially against First Nations people. The best way to dismantle antisemitism, Islamophobia or any other type of racism is by working in solidarity with groups facing hate and racism.

Updated

Organisations fear young people in regional Australia risk being cut off from community support if ban is enacted

Continuing from our last post: Dolly’s Dream advisory board member, Genevieve Fraser, said kids in regional Australia – particularly LGBTQ kids – face being cut off and isolated from support networks on social media if a ban is put in place.

Alannah and Madeline foundation CEO Sarah Davies said age assurance was a red herring and would give a false sense of security to parents:

I think the challenge with ... the News Corp campaign ... running, is that it feels good to anxious parents and grandparents, and it’ll feel good for about five minutes, like a sugar hit, until we realise it’s not actually changing anything. It is highly likely to make things worse.

Social media and tech is hugely positive if it is safe to use and age appropriate to use because it gives children and young people access to people like them, tribes, community support.

She said the tech needed to be age-appropriate and built safely by design.

Organisations divided on effectiveness of age assurance tech for social media

Organisations focused on child safety, eating disorders, and women’s rights are divided on whether age assurance for social media will be effective, and whether access should be restricted to those 16 and over.

Collective Shout, Eating Disorders Families Australia and the Daniel Morcombe Foundation speaking to the federal parliament’s social media inquiry all supported the move to ban children under 16 from accessing social media, but the Butterfly Foundation, the Alannah and Madeline Foundation and Dolly’s Dream all expressed reservations about whether it would be effective and not cause more harm.

Collective Shout movement director, Melinda Tankard Reist, said it was risk reduction and that bringing it in would incentivise the technology sector to invest and make it work:

We believe that if we implement age assurance technologies and if we can delay access to these social media platforms, you’ll have less children being exposed to porn, to predators, to harmful online content, to bullying, [and] every year of delay means more cognitive development, more maturity and more ability to withstand the harmful elements of these products, which has been shown, are not safe for children in their current form.

Updated

What is a seventh alarm fire?

Just circling back to the factory fire in Derrimut, in Melbourne’s west:

At a press conference, Fire Rescue Victoria firefighter Michelle Cowling said the fire had been upgraded to a seventh alarm (you can read more on this earlier in the blog here).

Fire Rescue Victoria said there are different types of alarms, with a seventh alarm signalling a “very significant fire”.

Fires are given an alarm rating based on how many resources are required to put the fire out. Because this fire was a chemical fire, additional resources were deployed, hence the seventh alarm rating.

Updated

Ten thousand vapes seized in first week of restrictions, says NSW health minister

At the press conference, the NSW health minister, Ryan Park, added that his government was “tracking this literally every day”.

He said in the first week of the new restrictions, NSW had seized 10,000 vapes from more than 60 locations:

Between illegal tobacco and vapes, we seized over a million dollars’ worth of product. NSW, working with TGA officials together, we’re starting to put a dent in this.

Now it’s going to take time, I’ve said that from the very beginning. The reality is, this type of product got ahead of everybody … what we’re focused on is making sure that we reduce the supply, reduce the availability, and reduce the impacts particularly for young people.

Updated

Vape stores closing down amid new regulations, health minister says

The health minister, Mark Butler, says vape stores are closing down and convenience stores are dumping their stock of the products after the government’s latest round of anti-vaping regulations came in last week.

Non-therapeutic vapes (that is, ones for recreational use) are now banned from sale and can only be legally bought through pharmacies, in a bid to cut out the products. Asked at a press conference today in Sydney about the regulations, Butler said the government was “working in close cooperation with state and territory governments to ramp up an enforcement program”.

We’re getting very significant reports across the country of vape stores starting to close down and of convenience stores, clearing their shelves, and their drawers, frankly, of vapes.

Butler added that authorities had seized “more than 3 million vapes just in the last six months, so we’re already starting to choke off supply”:

But, of course, we will ramp up these efforts over the coming weeks, the TGA and its equivalent authorities, including particularly here in New South Wales have been working hard to get the arrangements in place to ramp up those enforcement arrangements.

Updated

Michelle Cowling told reporters there was a fatal fire “in the vicinity” last year.

Updated

Fire Rescue Victoria said how the fire actually began was still being investigated:

Fire Rescue Victoria initially responded to an explosion, so that will be investigated by both Victoria Police’s fire investigation unit and Fire and Rescue Victoria’s fire investigation unit.

Updated

‘We can’t get in close enough to cool this fire down’: firefighter

At this stage the fire had not spread to nearby properties, firefighter Michelle Cowling told reporters.

Asked what goes into fighting a fire over numerous days, Cowling said:

Until we can get close enough … we can’t get in close enough to cool this fire down. It will have to be pulled apart [and] gone through [to] make sure everything is out. We’ve got lots of water run-off so that has to be drained, we have to do a whole overall of this site to make sure it’s safe for people that work around this area, obviously for the owner/occupiers to come back in, and the public that traverse this road every day.

She said “everyone” in the factories in surrounding areas had been evacuated.

Smoke is the biggest threat to firefighters and the public at this stage, she said.

[The smoke plume] is going to continue to be in the area while it’s burning.

Updated

Firefighters could be battling factory blaze for days

Fire Rescue Victoria firefighter Michelle Cowling said the fire is still burning out of control.

We estimate we’re going to be here a couple of days because of the fuel load in this factory.

Updated

Fire in Melbourne’s west upgraded to ‘seventh alarm’ severity

Fire Rescue Victoria has been providing an update on the factory fire at Derrimut, in Melbourne’s west.

Firefighter Michelle Cowling said the fire was “immediately” upgraded to a fifth alarm fire, and is now a seventh alarm, with about 180 firefighters and 66 appliances on the scene fighting an “aggressive fire attack”.

She said since Fire Rescue was launched four years ago, there have been a couple of fifth alarms but “nothing exceeding that”.

There’s been no injuries that have been reported for either the public or firefighters at this time, but we do encourage people not to come near this area.

Asked what is actually burning, Carling responded:

Chemicals, as we understand. It’s still being investigated as to what type of fuel products are on fire, but there are 44-gallon drums, multiple- there’s a B-double that has been impinged on fire, but multiple types of fuel.

Updated

More from AAP on council-led plan to cut speed limits in Sydney CBD

In announcing the change yesterday, the Sydney mayor, Clover Moore, said speed limits of 40km/h or lower would drastically improve survival rates for people hit by a vehicle.

Not only will our streets be safer as a result of these important changes, they’ll be quieter and have less exhaust emissions.

Business Sydney executive director Paul Nicolaou said more consultation was needed on the council’s pursuit of a 30km/h speed limit.

Unreasonably low speed limits run the risk of stifling the commercial life of the city, which is already struggling to recover. The lack of consultation about this latest change and the apparent wider agenda are a serious concern.

The business lobby group called on the roads minister, John Graham, to intervene, asking for a suspension of speed-limit changes to allow for more consultation. The premier, Chris Minns, said he would speak to Graham about “commonsense laws” for the city.

Updated

State intervention flagged in ‘over the top’ Sydney speed drop

The NSW government could block a council-led plan to further cut speed limits in Sydney’s centre, AAP reports, in a move the premier says could reduce metropolitan traffic to walking speed.

All roads in the City of Sydney council area – which covers the main business district and several inner-city suburbs – will be limited to maximum speeds of 40km/h in the coming weeks.

Roads outside council control, like motorways and major thoroughfares, will remain above the speed limit. But the council has flagged working with state officials to lower speeds on those roads as well.

The council also wants to limit traffic to 30km/h on more roads in the city centre and other high-pedestrian areas.

The premier, Chris Minns, said increasing the number of 30km/h roads was over the top, adding: “You could walk quicker than that.”

The centre of Australia’s most populous city shouldn’t be treated as if it were a country town, he told reporters today.

It’s got broader obligations than just those people that live and pay rates within its boundaries … it’s a major international city.

Updated

Cold front to hit south-east tonight and tomorrow, BoM says

In some weather news, the Bureau of Meteorology says a cold front is heading towards south-east Australia tonight and tomorrow, after passing through Western Australia.

The Bureau has published a midweek weather update, which you can watch below:

Updated

Here are some more photos of the factory fire, coming through from AAP:

Updated

Footage captured by 7News of the Derrimut factory fire shows a drum flying through the air, which reporter Paul Dowsley said was “one of many sent sky-high”.

Fire Rescue Victoria issues alerts after factory fire

Fire Rescue Victoria has issued a new watch and act alert for the communities of Derrimut, Laverton North, Sunshine West and Truganina amid the factory fire, urging them to stay indoors.

It says the wind is blowing toxic smoke towards the east across Derrimut and “anyone located in the area affected by smoke should take shelter indoors immediately”.

The advice for the communities of Brooklyn, Laverton North, Sunshine and Sunshine West is at advice level, with smoke visible from nearby roads and communities.

There is currently no threat to the community but you should continue to stay informed and monitor conditions.

Updated

VicTraffic says the Western Freeway (Deer Park Bypass) is now closed in both directions between the M80 Ring Road and Robinsons Road, amid the factory fire.

Use Ballarat Road or Fitzgerald Road to connect with the M80 Ring Road. Allow plenty of extra travel time.

Updated

Watch and act alert issued for Derrimut factory fire as wind blows toxic smoke

VicEmergency has now issued a watch and act alert for the Derrimuit factory fire.

It says wind is blowing toxic smoke towards the east across Derrimut, and anyone located in the area affected by smoke should take shelter indoors “immediately”.

Close all exterior doors and windows. Close vents and ensure heating and cooling systems are turned off.

If you are away from home, do not return.

Affected areas include Albion, Braybrook, Brooklyn, Derrimut, Laverton North, Sunshine, Sunshine West, Tottenham and Truganina.

Updated

Another social media user, Kate Case, has captured these images of the factory fire from inside an aeroplane as they came in to land at Melbourne airport. Case wrote on X:

We flew right next to the smoke plume.

Updated

One social media user has shared a video from driving near the Derrimut factory fire, stating “we felt the fire heat inside the car”.

The traffic lights are out at an intersection nearby the Derrimut factory fire.

VicTraffic says the traffic lights are out at the intersection of Mt Derrimut and Australis Drive “due to a fault”.

Technicians are working to rectify the issue. Please obey the rules of an intersection with a Stop or Give Way sign.

Australis Drive is about 2km from Swann Drive, where the factory fire continues to burn and send plumes of dark smoke into the air.

Meanwhile, all outbound lanes of the Western Freeway are now closed between the M80 Ring Road and Robinsons Road. VicTraffic said inbound lanes remain open for now but with heavy delays.

Updated

New report finds governments at all levels across Australia failing on racism

A new report has found that governments across Australia are failing to adequately identify and address racism, and that there is a lack of coordination between governments, agencies and sectors.

The report – produced for the Australian Human Rights Commission by PwC Indigenous Consulting and the Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research at UTS – identified a lack of political bipartisanship as an obstacle to action.

It outlined how negatively racialised communities are “forced to compete with one another for funding to support affected communities” and that there is little focus on addressing racism against First Nations communities.

The race discrimination commissioner, Giridharan Sivaraman, said:

If some areas of government are reluctant to use the term ‘racism’, how can they tackle it?

Australia needs a national plan to address racism and this plan needs to be a whole-of-society approach, which coordinates efforts at all levels of government and across all sectors. It needs to set benchmarks and measure outcomes and, importantly, it needs to centre those impacted by racism.

Recent ruptures in our society have seen dramatic rises in racism towards First Nations peoples, antisemitism, anti-Asian racism, anti-Arab racism and Islamophobia. This shows systemic failures to deal with racism.

Australia has national plans to tackle problems like mental health, child abuse and domestic violence. Our current ad-hoc approach towards racism is not good enough.

He said the commission would soon release a proposal for a national framework to tackle racism.

Updated

No reports of injuries amid Derrimut factory fire, police say

Victoria police confirmed its officers have responded to an explosion and subsequent fire at a commercial property in Derrimut, in Melbourne’s west.

In a statement, police say emergency services were called to reports of the incident at Swann Drive at about 11.20am:

Firefighters are working to bring the significant blaze under control.

Police said there were no reports of injuries:

It is believed everyone inside the premises [was] evacuated safely.

Traffic in the area is expected to be impacted for some time with Swann Drive closed as well as westbound traffic on the Deer Park bypass being stopped for safety.

Updated

A spokesperson with Melbourne airport has confirmed that, at this stage, there are no impacts to operations at the airport from the Derrimut factory fire and subsequent smoke.

Updated

Residents urged to avoid Derrimut chemical factory fire

Victoria’s Environment Protection Authority says its officers are on the way to the chemical factory fire in Derrimut, Melbourne, which we flagged earlier.

VicTraffic says the fire is continuing to spread “thick black smoke across the western suburbs.” People are being urged to avoid the industrial estate south of the Western Freeway, keep their car ventilation on recirculate and their windows up.

Here are some images of the smoke that have been shared to social media:

Updated

Alleged university stabber committed to stand trial

The man accused of stabbing two women and attacking other students on a university campus will stand trial after pleading not guilty due to mental impairment, AAP reports.

Alex Ophel has been charged with two counts of attempted murder, two of common assault and one of possessing an object with the intent to kill or cause grievous bodily harm.

Ophel has been remanded in custody and will appear before the ACT supreme court on 17 July after a mental health assessment was conducted for the magistrates court.

He was accused of repeatedly stabbing two women and bashing other students over the head with a frying pan during a September 2023 attack at the Australian National University in Canberra.

Fiona Coffey, the mother of student Ilysha Perry who Ophel allegedly stabbed, has said her daughter would have serious long-term issues and would not be the same.

Updated

NSW premier open to awarding bravery medals to Lalor Park residents

The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, is open to awarding bravery medals to neighbours who tried to save children from a burning home in Sydney’s west over the weekend.

Speaking outside the state parliament today, he said:

It’s not a lot of relief when you see such a horrifying alleged crime but there is, even in these terrible, terrible events, an opportunity to see regular people doing extraordinary things.

It’s a reminder that, for every terrible act out there, there are wonderful people in our community that will put themselves second and a complete stranger first if they’re in trouble.

Updated

Google says ‘majority’ of Australian news outlets it has supported in last three years are regional or local

Earlier in the blog, we quoted Broadsheet founder Nick Shelton before the parliamentary inquiry on social media saying Google had given the city guide publication a “take it or leave it” $60,000 offer for payment for content, which had a content requirement well above what the company could pay for with that offer, and that Google and Meta were not interested in negotiating with independent publications.

Google has disputed Shelton’s claim. Google’s director of government affairs and public policy, Lucinda Longcroft, said in response:

We’ve been partnering with Australian news companies to strengthen quality journalism for two decades through our products, programs and commercial partnerships. Over the past three years, we’ve furthered our significant contribution to the Australian news industry by signing commercial agreements with more than 80 Australian news businesses, representing more than 200 outlets across the country. The majority of these outlets are regional or local.

We’ve already extended our agreements supporting public interest journalism with some of our earliest News Showcase partners, including Solstice Media, Times News Group, the Conversation, Women’s Agenda, and Independent Australia – all of which are regional and independent outlets.

Lisa Watts, the chief executive of the Conversation, told the inquiry earlier that it had been a “frustrating process” to deal with Meta, but Google “were respectful and easy to deal with”. The Conversation received funding from Google, but not Meta.

Updated

Large chemical explosion engulfs Victorian factory

Communities in Melbourne’s west are being warned to look out for smoke after a factory was engulfed in flames after a large chemical explosion, AAP reports.

Firefighters were called to the fire at the Swann Drive address in Derrimut, about 30km from the Melbourne CBD, about 11.20am.

A large chemical explosion at the factory has resulted in a large fire that is being tackled by several specialist fire crews including aerial equipment.

A community advice warning has been issued for Albion, Braybrook, Brooklyn, Derrimut, Laverton North, Sunshine, Sunshine West, Tottenham and Truganina.

There is no threat to the community, but people have been urged to monitor conditions. Drivers in the area have been told to keep their windows up and ventilation on recirculate. Paramedics are also on the scene.

Updated

A key focus of Jaclyn Symes’ is also aggravated burglaries committed by youth offenders.

She told reporters that she understands community concern about this type of offending:

Police are on the beat trying to prevent and deter this type of crime. But of course, people are scared [of] someone entering your home regardless of their age and regardless of the fact that, more often than not, [they are] just trying to get car keys.

Massive invasion of your personal space … creates fear, and it means that you feel unsafe and I want to send a strong message to the community that we want to ensure that the justice system is able to respond to, particularly that offence. That offence [is one] that most people are worried about.

Circling back to Victorian attorney general Jaclyn Symes’ press conference on youth crime

Jaclyn Symes was asked if the state is in a “youth crime crisis” or if it’s just a matter of perception. She responded:

As I’ve said, the stats have remained reasonably static in relation to the numbers of criminal offences committed by youth in Victoria. What we’re seeing is an increasing number of crimes committed by the same cohort. That’s the cohort I’m most concerned about.

As I’ve said, many of the programs, diversions, police programs are working for the vast majority of your average, naughty kid … I am very concerned, and the community is very concerned, about the group of repeat offenders where these programs haven’t worked.

Symes said most of these repeat offenders are known to police and child protection workers, and have very complex backgrounds:

Of course they have vulnerabilities that are not unique. They have come from trauma backgrounds, a lot of out-of-home care kids, [suffer] family violence, they have been victims themselves. There are a lot of characteristics that are common in this cohort, which in a sense, makes it very difficult to respond to. It makes it challenging.

These are kids that ordinarily, you put them in front of a police officer and they respond with respect … They don’t necessarily have people that care about them, and what happens to them, which is again, one of the issues that I’ve been asking the courts about having the same magistrate [for offenders]. If you’re a repeat offender, having someone tell you, ‘I don’t want to see you here again, I really want you to do well’.

Updated

Lock the Gate says NSW’s Net Zero Commission ‘comes just in the nick of time’

Lock the Gate Alliance (LTGA) has welcomed the official launch of the New South Wales Minns government’s Net Zero Commission and the appointment of senior officials and experts to the organisation.

Georgina Woods, Head of Research and Investigations at LTGA, says:

The establishment of the Net Zero Commission comes just in the nick of time so its independent experts can provide frank and fearless advice to the government about the role planned coalmine expansions would play in driving up direct and downstream greenhouse gas emissions.

We welcome the establishment of the commission and the independent expertise it will bring to the urgent and complex climate challenges facing New South Wales.

Right now, there are 19 coalmine expansions undergoing assessment in NSW.

Neither NSW nor the world can afford the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions from these projects – which would equate to more than 17 times NSW’s total annual emissions.

Updated

Symes says youth justice bill will address fears about youth crime, including recidivism

Victoria’s attorney-general, Jaclyn Symes, is holding a press conference amid debate about youth crime in the state. She says:

We know that the community is extremely concerned about youth crime. We know that a lot of our programs and diversionary efforts, police efforts go a long way to diverting many young people away from the justice system and a lot of those programs are very, very successful. However, we do have a cohort of young offenders, repeat offenders that are causing a lot of damage, a lot of concern and we know that there’s fear and we want to send a very strong message that the government is focused on this.

Symes said the youth justice bill she introduced to parliament before the winter break, which is yet to pass, addresses many concerns around youth recidivism.

We haven’t been sitting on our hands. We have been developing legislation that is targeted to responding to all levels of youth crime.

She says included in the bill is an additional magistrate for the children’s courts dedicated to repeat offenders, and a trial of electronic monitoring for youth on bail. Symes however reiterates:

Unfortunately, custodial settings and remand evidence does not necessarily support an outcome of community safety. It’s an appropriate response to serious offending and we have seen an uptick in the number of young people that are currently in our custodial settings. We know that that’s an appropriate mechanism or response in many situations but having a child on bail, ensuring that their family support their ability to connect with programs if they stay on bail … They’re more likely to not become an adult offender as opposed to short stints on remand, not meeting new people, recognising the kids that know how to be hardened criminals creates the effect that you create an unsafe community.

Updated

‘We will not stop’: Melbourne uni students attend misconduct hearings over pro-Palestine sit-in

Students at the University of Melbourne facing misconduct hearings today over a pro-Palestine sit-in have vowed they “will not stop” as pressure mounts on the university over the use of surveillance footage in mounting its cases.

About 20 students have been issued with misconduct notices from the university for their part in the sit-in, which included CCTV footage and wifi location data.

The Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner (Oviv) confirmed it had made preliminary inquiries with the university to determine whether an investigation proceeded over the use of tracking technology.

This morning, a crowd gathered on campus to demand the disciplinary action were dropped. In attendance was branch president of the university’s National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU), David Gonzalez.

He has sent correspondence to management raising a number of concerns about the misconduct allegations, and seeking urgent clarification on current data collection practices and a lack of informed consent of student and staff.

A spokesperson for the university said it was currently progressing a range of student conduct matters and would not be commenting on individual cases, adding it had been in communication with Ovic.

Updated

Circling back to the parliamentary inquiry on social media

City guide publisher Broadsheet has said Google offered just $60,000 for a year’s worth of content, arguing it did not have to offer more because they were not required under the news media bargaining code.

Broadsheet founder Nick Shelton told a parliamentary inquiry on social media that during the 2021 negotiation process between Google, Meta and news publishers over payment for news, both tech companies were less interested in dealing with independent publishers. He said Meta refused to engage entirely, while Google offered “an uncommercial deal we would have lost money on” and told the company to take it or leave it.

I’m happy to share that the example in Broadsheet’s perspective was they offered us $60,000 for 12 months, and with that, we had to create an enormous amount of content on their behalf.

We said we’d have to hire someone to do that – [it would] cost us more than $60,000 to hire that person. They said ‘well, that’s our offer. If you don’t want to deal with it, then tough. We’re not designated, so we don’t have to do anything’.

Comment has been sought from Google.

Broadsheet has estimated it would lose 52% of its revenue should Meta block news if forced to negotiate with publishers for payment for news. Shelton said much of that money was in advertising for videos that are published on Facebook and Instagram to the organisation’s 1.5m followers.

Mamamia’s CEO, Natalie Harvey, said if Meta does block news, state and federal governments should reduce or pull their advertising from the platforms and redirect the funding to local sources.

Killer crocodile shot after girl taken while swimming

A crocodile that snatched a child swimming in a creek in the Northern Territory has been destroyed, AAP reports.

The 12-year-old girl went missing on the evening of 2 July near the community of Palumpa, about 360km south-west of Darwin. She was last seen swimming at Mango Creek.

A 4.2m crocodile was shot by local rangers on Sunday and resurfaced yesterday. Police have confirmed it was the reptile that attacked the child and have notified her family.

Senior Sgt Erica Gibson said the family has requested privacy as they grieve:

The events of last week have had a huge impact on the family and local police are continuing to provide support to everyone impacted.

A report will be prepared for the coroner.

*This post was edited to clarify the gender of the child.

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The ABC is broadcasting vision from a ceremony in Canberra, marking the handover from general Angus Campbell to the incoming chief of the defence force, vice admiral David Johnston.

You can read more about the appointment, which was announced in April, below:

Age assurance tech has not proven it can solve issues with young people online, says Digital Rights Watch chair

Digital Rights Watch chair, Lizzie O’Shea, has told the parliamentary inquiry on social media that age verification or assurance technology has not proven it can be a solution to issues with young people on social media, risks making the internet worse for everyone, or harming young people.

I’m not sure it’s entirely clear that age verification can deliver on the promise that’s been made, let alone not be a harmful intervention for many young people who use online spaces to find friends, solace, express themselves, all sorts of things. So I would caution about seeing this too simplistically.

Liberal MP Andrew Wallace, who has been seeking age verification online since 2020, asked O’Shea how young people under 18 could be protected from accessing adult material.

O’Shea said there is complex and contradictory research about the link between the proposed initiatives on age assurance and the impact on things like gendered violence.

What I think is it’s a more complicated topic than is proposed by people who are treating age verification as the solution to the problem, I absolutely think online spaces are unsafe for young people in a variety of different ways, and that there’s a huge amount that can be done, both by regulators and in respect of platform design, which requires regulation in order for the best design to come to the fore to address some of those harms.

And I think on age verification, age assurance is a not solution to these problems … the promise will not be delivered upon, and it can’t be taken in isolation, because there are very serious impacts for everybody else who uses the internet.

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Wong declares Australia’s ongoing commitment to nuclear non-proliferation

Foreign minister Penny Wong has issued a statement marking 50 years since the creation of the Australian Safeguards and Non-Proliferation Office (Asno) and declaring Australia’s ongoing commitment to nuclear non-proliferation.

Wong says Asno is now working with the International Atomic Energy Agency and Aukus partners the US and the UK to develop a safeguards system for the nuclear-powered – but conventionally armed – submarines Australia will acquire under the tri-nation defence agreement.

Asno was established under the Whitlam government with the aim of working to prevent nuclear war and stop the spread of nuclear weapons.

The Albanese government has been keen to emphasise that the Aukus submarines will not carry nuclear weapons, insisting that Aukus does not breach the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty amid fears among some critics that other countries may seek to leverage it as a precedent to try to circumvent proliferation restrictions.

Wong said in a statement:

Australia has a proud history of advocating for non-proliferation and disarmament – and the Albanese Government is continuing this legacy.

Given that it is nuclear weapons that most risk catastrophe, we must work harder to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons. We will continue to work with others to strengthen the NPT and urge progress on a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty.

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As we flagged earlier, the CEO of Greyhound Racing NSW has resigned after a report alleging animal mistreatment was released and then removed.

You can now read our full story on the matter from Luca Ittimani and Stephanie Convery below:

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Richard Marles shared these images from Nato to social media, not too long ago:

Marles says Australia will ‘work with whoever the American people choose to lead it’

Continuing from our last post: asked about perceptions of strong leadership from America, Richard Marles said he was pleased to have met his American counterpart Lloyd Austin many times, saying that said “a lot about the way in which the Biden Administration has been engaging with the world, about the way in which the US and that Joe Biden has been managing its relationships with the world, and we could not be more pleased with that.”

We’re certainly very pleased about the focus that the Biden Administration has placed on the Indo-Pacific, on the issues which are front and centre for Australia.

Asked about Biden’s debate performance, where he appeared uncomfortable and lost at times, Marles said he wouldn’t provide commentary on American political affairs.

Asked whether the “instability” could lead to another Trump presidency, Marles responded:

America’s got a right to go through its political processes in an election year, and I’m going to let America do that themselves without providing a commentary on it. It’s part of the democratic process.

We will work with whoever the American people choose to lead it after the first Tuesday in November. Right now, we are working very closely with the Biden Administration and we’re very happy with the role that the Biden Administration is playing in terms of providing American leadership in a troubled world.

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Marles dodges questions about Biden and Trump during press conference in Washington

Deputy prime minister Richard Marles has dutifully dodged a number of questions about US president Joe Biden and Republican hopeful Donald Trump in a press conference in Washington DC this morning, saying “America has been providing strong leadership” and declining to weigh into the storm over Biden’s political future.

Marles is representing Australia at the Nato summit this week. The defence minister is fronting the conference after prime minister Anthony Albanese was criticised by some conservative voices for not attending himself.

In a doorstop interview, Marles was asked seven questions in a row about Biden, Trump and the looming US election – to which he played a dead bat to nearly all.

Asked if world leaders were looking at Biden’s performance at Nato, Marles said:

I think people are focused on the 75th anniversary of Nato and the challenges that are facing Nato and its allies in the contemporary world.

Penny Wong welcomes Tuvalu prime minister to Adelaide

The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has welcomed Tuvalu PM Feleti Teo to Adelaide.

As we flagged earlier, Australia will provide up to $40m in aviation and connectivity support to Tuvalu as the two nations progress a security pact.

Wong said she and Teo discussed “progress on the Falepili Union, our joint initiative to safeguard our collective peace, security and sovereignty.”

The visit is also an opportunity to showcase Australia’s rich culture and traditions.

To help grow our ties and boost connectivity, Australia is pleased to announce up to $40 million in aviation support for Tuvalu. This will help to build capacity and capability in Tuvalu’s aviation sector including people, processes and airport safety and quality.

Government to establish 12 new Indigenous protected areas

The Albanese government is set to establish 12 new Indigenous protected areas (IPAs) following a $14.6m investment.

IPAs are areas of land and sea country managed by First Nations groups. A statement from environment minister Tanya Plibersek and Indigenous Australians minister Linda Burney said that combined, the new projects will protect 7.5m hectares of land and 450,000 hectares of sea country – bigger than the size of Tasmania.

The new IPAs go towards the government’s commitment to protect 30% of land by 2030. Plibersek said:

Our investment to establish 12 new IPAs will not only protect our biodiversity and rehabilitate areas in need, but it will produce more local jobs and opportunities for regional and remote areas.

Burney said that “no one knows this country better than First Nations people who for time immemorial have cared for our land and sea.”

The new IPAs include:

  • Mount Willoughby IPA in South Australia

  • Yanyuwa Sea Country IPA in the Northern Territory

  • Bellinger Valley IPA consultation project in NSW

  • Bringing Jagun Together in NSW

  • Muunthiwarra, Alka Bawa and Kalpowar (MAK) IPA in Queensland

  • Wadja IPA consultation project in Queensland

  • Pormpuraaw Aboriginal Lands and Waters IPA in Queensland

  • Western Miyarrka IPA consultation project in the Northern Territory

  • Simpson Desert IPA in the Northern Territory

  • Nyamal IPA in Western Australia

  • Wudjari IPA in Western Australia

  • Yindjibarndi IPA in Western Australia

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Inquiry into claims of poor animal welfare practices in greyhound racing industry to be announced

Just circling back to news that the boss of NSW’s greyhound racing industry has quit:

Racing minister David Harris has been speaking with ABC News Breakfast following the announcement, and was asked whether the resignation offers any solution to the industry’s problems?

He responded:

I have been working with Greyhound Racing NSW since becoming minister, making sure that they understand they have to operate at the very highest standards. It’s a matter for the board about the CEO, but certainly I have put to them a number of issues which need resolution and we will continue to work with them to solve those particular issues.

We are also about to announce an inquiry looking into some of the claims that have been made in the most recent reports, and also covering other allegations that have been made since we came to government …

I think it’s important for the public to know that we take these claims seriously and that we are acting to refer them to the appropriate body or, in this case, having an independent inquiry look at some of those issues.

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Age assurance technology distracting big tech from other regulation, organisation claims

Tech platforms research organisation Reset Tech Australia has said the focus on age assurance technology to keep young people off social media is a distraction used by the big tech companies to keep focus away from other forms of regulation.

The organisation’s director of research and policy, Dr Rys Farthing, told a federal parliamentary committee on social media that all the focus on age assurance tech to estimate or verify user ages was “a bit of a trap”.

It’s their playbook to start talking about age verification the moment we talk about any particular safety enhancements or safety standards that could be implemented for kids.

There are multiple regulatory reforms that we could put in place that would fundamentally transform the digital architecture for young people without requiring age assurance, but it’s the only thing tech wants us to talk about.

The federal government has funded an age assurance trial for $6.5m, while the opposition wants teens under 16 banned from social media. Facebook and Instagram’s parent company, Meta, previously told the inquiry that age assurance was best left to Apple and Google to do in the app stores or on devices.

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Greyhounds boss resigns after vet report made public

The boss of the NSW greyhound racing industry has quit after a scathing report made allegations of poor animal welfare practices in the industry, AAP reports.

Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) CEO Robert Macaulay resigned late yesterday after a report written by the organisation’s former chief veterinary officer Alex Brittan was made public.

The report included claims that greyhound deaths were being hidden, adoption rates were exaggerated and dogs were being pushed to race at levels that were causing injuries.

Racing minister David Harris received the report in June and referred it to the NSW Office of Racing for further scrutiny, while the government backed Animal Justice MP Emma Hurst’s bid for the document to be made public.

In a statement yesterday, the organisation’s board said it had accepted Macauley’s resignation.

[His] decision to resign was an amicable one and one he felt was best for the industry at this time. Macaulay helped reform the organisation, and the industry’s culture, during his tenure. GRNSW now looks forward to embarking on its next chapter of continual improvement and growth, for the benefits of all participants.

Then-NSW premier Mike Baird in 2016 announced a ban on greyhound races after evidence of extensive misconduct within the industry, but backflipped on the plans before they took effect.

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More from the parliament’s social media inquiry

Digital Rights Watch chair Lizzie O’Shea called on the government to legislate new privacy protections – with legislation due to hit parliament in August. She said:

It is quite clear now that our laws are four decades out of date. The result is that the data extractive business models that have been allowed to proliferate online have come at significant expense to Australian society … Micro targeting makes online life dangerous for many Australians, but these business models also allow for the monetisation of viral content, because that encourages ongoing engagement with the relevant digital media platform, and together with algorithmic amplification, this incentivises the creation of extremist content, as well as mis and disinformation.

Our information ecosystem is being polluted by content that is at best, low quality, and is at worst, deceptive and extremist, and that is because it is profitable, both on social media and other media platforms.

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Digital rights groups call on parliament to legislate social media companies

Digital rights groups have called on the parliament to get on with legislating social media companies, arguing change has been too slow, too dictated by the platforms, and split too much across government.

Speaking before the federal parliament’s social media inquiry, the founder of Per Capita’s Centre of the Public Square, Peter Lewis, said it was “incredibly frustrating to be presenting … another government inquiry dealing with the negative impacts of social media and the power of big tech”.

He called on the government to legislate the recommendations out of the five-year review of the digital platforms by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, and noted part of the issue was many of the facets of regulating platforms were split across portfolios including attorney general, communications, treasury, and industry. He said there should be one overarching senior minister responsible for platforms.

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Australian Health Workers for Palestine to hold day of action

Australian Health Workers for Palestine are set to hold a national day of action on Friday.

Themed “code blue”, the group says it is invoking a medical emergency to “emphasise the critical situation in Gaza as a direct result of Israel’s atrocities”.

The group says that to date, there are no fully functioning hospitals remaining in Gaza, while “at least 541 healthcare workers have been killed.”

The group is calling on the government to demand an “immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire”, to apply diplomatic and economic sanctions on Israel, demand the release of unlawfully detained Palestinians, provide humanitarian visas to Palestinian asylum seekers, and recognise a sovereign State of Palestine.

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Minns on NSW’s extended Anzac Day retail trading ban

The NSW premier, Chris Minns, is speaking to reporters in Sydney after earlier news that the state is extending its Anzac Day retail trading ban to cover the entire day.

(You can read more details earlier in the blog here).

Speaking on the decision, Minns said:

We believe there has been … a creeping commercialisation of Anzac Day over a prolonged period of time to the detriment of the importance of the day.

There is many things that divide up our community in NSW and Australia and the truth of the matter is the nation’s national day is Anzac Day, it is an opportunity for our community to come together, to recognise people that have given the ultimate sacrifice in the service of the country that we all live in and for the first time in a long time, acknowledge that it is a special day that should be set aside for commemoration of that important event.

I know that there will be some disruption and a bit of inconvenience for some members of the community but frankly, it is a small price to pay for ensuring that we place Anzac Day where it should be … as an important commemorative day on the nation’s calendar where we remembered those that gave their life for service for their country.

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Australia pledges $40m for Tuvalu during PM Feleti Teo’s visit

Australia will provide up to $40m in aviation and connectivity support to Tuvalu as the two nations progress a security pact, AAP reports.

Prime minister Feleti Teo will meet prime minister Anthony Albanese after meeting with foreign minister Penny Wong and pacific minister Pat Conroy yesterday. He will also meet opposition foreign affairs spokesperson Simon Birmingham during his Australian trip this week.

Australia provides the Pacific nation a defence guarantee under the Falepili Union treaty but it sparked controversy with concerns about Tuvalu’s sovereignty, as Canberra was given oversight of their security arrangements.

Senator Wong signed a subsequent agreement and memorandum of understanding during her visit to Tuvalu in May that outlined the nation’s sovereignty after Teo raised concerns when coming to office earlier this year.

Albanese welcomed the Tuvalu government’s plan to open a new diplomatic mission in Canberra, and said in a statement:

This is a clear demonstration of the growth of the bilateral relationship and will help support the growing Tuvaluan diaspora in Australia.

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Woman dies after being struck by a train in Sydney

A woman has died after being struck by a train in south-west Sydney, after she climbed on to the track to retrieve something she had dropped but was unable to get back on to the platform.

Emergency services were called to Punchbowl train station at about 3.30pm yesterday afternoon, and found the 52-year-old woman had died after being struck by a citybound train.

Police said they have spoken with a number of people at the scene and had viewed CCTV as part of inquiries. The train driver returned a negative breath test.

A report will be prepared for the coroner, and anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.

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Kevin Rudd attends Nato summit

Australia’s ambassador to the US, former prime minister Kevin Rudd, has shared some images to social media from the Nato summit in Washington.

He wrote to X:

Attending the 75th anniversary celebrations of the establishment of [Nato] here in Washington DC. With [Australian ambassador to the European Union] Caroline Millar, our permanent representative to Nato. And Deputy PM [Richard Marles] representing the PM.

Big anniversary for peace and security in the world in the face of Soviet and now Russian aggression.

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Community pressure builds over youth crime ‘crisis’ in Victoria

Victoria’s attorney-general Jaclyn Symes and police minister Anthony Carbines are set to meet with Victoria police, legal experts and youth workers today and tomorrow regarding youth crime.

As AAP reports, the meetings will focus on quick implementation of the government’s youth justice bill once it passes parliament and extra measures to respond to community safety concerns.

Government minister Colin Brooks told reporters yesterday that police were doing a good job, but called for courts to explain their decisions to the community.

The community expects politicians, their elected representatives, to explain the decisions that we’re making. Victorians understand that the courts have a difficult and complex job but they’d like to understand how they come to a decision.

Latest crime statistics show the number of offenders in the 15 to 17 age cohort in the 12 months to March rose by almost 25% to 15,495.

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Teen to face children’s court after alleged bail breach

A teenager who allegedly breached his bail after a crash that killed a 28-year-old man has been re-arrested and will face a children’s court, AAP reports.

The 17-year-old allegedly failed to comply with his bail conditions after officers were unable to locate him yesterday afternoon, police said.

He was arrested several hours later at his address and faced a hearing last night where he was remanded in custody. The teenager will appear before a children’s court today.

He initially faced a children’s court last Friday after being charged with culpable driving causing the death of Ashburton man William Taylor. He was released on bail after a judge found the case against him was weak.

Police allege the teenager was behind the wheel of a stolen Jeep speeding through the inner-Melbourne suburb of Burwood before colliding with a Toyota sedan on 2 July. Taylor died at the scene.

The boy’s lawyer said he had stable accommodation with his mother and was not on bail at the time of the alleged offending.

The judge found any risk the youth posed could be reduced through conditions, including a curfew.

Two 15-year-old girls were charged with car theft and three other males remain wanted over the collision.

Alice Springs residents wake up from second night under curfew

Residents of Alice Springs have woken up from their second night under curfew restrictions. A three-night stay-at-home order was issued on Monday after a spate of violent incidents, including a brawl involving 80 people and a knife attack on a 42-year-old woman.

Catherine Liddle, chief executive of the Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care (SMAICC), spoke with ABC News Breakfast just earlier about the matter.

She said her “initial reaction was surprise” when the curfew was declared because there hadn’t “been a sustained trajectory like what we saw [in April]”, when the first youth curfew was called.

This has been quite a sharp spike related to things like Territory Day, where we know that there is going to be an influx of people [and] there is going to be probably more alcohol-related crimes – those types of things that happen with really significant public holiday.

Liddle said the curfew is viewed as “nonsensical to most people, because there’s no evidence that they work,” while some don’t even know it is occurring:

I’m getting phone calls from people saying, ‘is there a curfew on, we didn’t know about it!’ …

What’s really hard is the rubber hitting the road and working with your community on sustainable solutions. And that’s what we really need in Alice Springs – sustainable solutions that invest in what is genuinely happening, what is genuinely needed, and what will genuinely make a difference.

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Biden’s future is a ‘matter for the US’, Thistlethwaite says

Matt Thistlethwaite, who has already been meeting with US political leaders ahead of the Nato summit, was asked what he is hearing from Democrats about president Joe Biden’s future?

He told ABC RN this was “obviously … a matter for the United States”, and that Biden had been “a strong supporter” of the Aukus alliance.

It’s encouraging to see that there’s across the aisle support for Aukus. It’s well known in congress, and both Democrats and Republicans are very supportive of the program.

We’re now starting to work through some of the details. We had a roundtable this morning, myself and the deputy prime minister [Richard Marles] and ambassador [Kevin] Rudd with defence industry here …

Circling back to Biden’s leadership: Thistlethwaite said: “at the end of the day, that’s a matter for the United States and its people.”

Regardless of who occupies the White House, the alliance that Australia has with the United States has been strong and has grown regardless of which party was in government here, and indeed the same in Australia.

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Australia’s support for Ukraine has been ‘appropriate’, says assistance defence minister

Assistant minister for defence, Matt Thistlethwaite, also spoke with ABC RN just a moment ago ahead of the Nato summit in Washington, where he is in attendance.

At the last Nato summit, the prime minister announced more Bushmaster military vehicles for Ukraine – will there be further announcements in aid this time?

He said the defence minister would announce “Australia’s next stage of support for Ukraine”.

We’ve already pledged over a billion dollars worth of support, most of that is in military equipment, Bushmasters, artillery, drones, communications, equipment, and … I think we’re on the sixth rotation of Australia troops visiting the UK and importantly, providing training for Ukrainian troops …

We think that Australia’s contribution is appropriate … We’ve got to balance Australia’s defence needs as well as being a good international partner, not only in our region – the Indo-Pacific – but more broadly in conflicts, such as in Ukraine.

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Queensland Greens’ plan to break up supermarket duopoly

It’s not often that the Greens and Peter Dutton are on the same page but today might be one of them, when the Queensland Greens announce a plan to break up the Coles and Woolworths “duopoly” – just like the Coalition leader hinted he was thinking the other week.

The plan is part of the Greens’ cost-of-living strategy and they also want to cap the price of 30 essentials such as bread, milk and nappies, with increases tied to wages.

More coming up as they make their announcement, but here’s our full story:

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What retail trading restrictions do other states have for Anzac Day?

As AAP reports, retail trading restrictions vary across Australia’s jurisdictions, with only Western Australia also imposing a total ban.

Victoria and Queensland allow trading from 1pm, Tasmania does from 12.30pm while South Australia only allows it in the Adelaide CBD between 12pm and 5pm.

The ACT and the Northern Territory have no restrictions.

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Anzac Day retail trading ban in NSW to respect veterans

NSW is extending its Anzac Day retail trading ban to cover the entire day, AAP reports, hoping it will help encourage more people to commemorate veterans.

Previously banned until 1pm, the restrictions on retailers including supermarkets now won’t be lifted until midnight.

Retailers who have exemptions – such as cafes, restaurants, chemists and news agencies – can continue to trade all day.

The NSW RSL and the retail workers union back the ban, which premier Chris Minns says is appropriate because of Anzac Day’s status as Australia’s most “solemn and significant” occasion.

[We] will extend our retail trading restrictions across Anzac Day, to make sure our veterans are recognised and free to take part in services throughout the day.

It might be inconvenient for a few hours, but closing our biggest corporate shops for a single day is a small price to pay for living in a free and open democracy.

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Chaney urges government to adopt gambling reform measures from Murphy inquiry

Independent MP for Curtin, Kate Chaney, was speaking with ABC RN earlier about the need for gambling reform, arguing that “we regulate gambling a bit like Swiss cheese” in Australia.

This comes as the Alliance for Gambling Reform blamed weak advertising and consumer protection laws for the promotion of “bonus bets” and cashback offers, which it says are luring Australians into problem gambling – carefully designed to make customers believe they are placing “safer” bets and that a win is more likely.

Chaney said that “partial bans don’t work” and “the clock is ticking” to implement the recommendations of the Murphy inquiry – of which she was a participant – more than one year since they were handed down.

Every week counts and … I think the government has to show some guts and implement those recommendations because it’s really what the community wants.

She said the Murphy inquiry was a “really great achievement and a good sign that there’s broad community support” for reform, especially given there was unanimous recommendations with no dissenting comments.

We regulate gambling a bit like Swiss cheese, there are just holes everywhere and we take the lowest common denominator approach across the country. So there’s still so much work that needs to be done.

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Murder charge after woman’s body found at rubbish tip

A man has been charged with murder after the discovery of a woman’s body at a tip in Melbourne’s north, AAP reports.

The 45-year-old, who police say was known to the alleged victim, was arrested and questioned by detectives throughout the day before being charged last night.

Workers found the woman while moving green waste at a facility in Epping on 3 July but investigators believe her body was originally inside a domestic bin picked up outside a property in a nearby suburb the previous day.

They identified the address as Hilgay Street in Coolaroo, which has rubbish collected each Tuesday. Forensic and uniformed officers were seen at a house on Hilgay Street surrounded by police tape on Saturday, when the discovery was made public.

The woman, who is still yet to be formally identified, is believed to be a 67-year-old from Coolaroo.

The accused man has been remanded to appear in Melbourne magistrates court today.

Detectives still want to speak to anyone who noticed any suspicious behaviour in Coolaroo from 23 June to 2 July.

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The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a road weather alert for Brisbane amid the widespread fog, warning:

Reduced visibility in fog will make road conditions dangerous during Wednesday in the Brisbane Area.

The alert was issued just after 5am.

Significant delays out of Brisbane airport amid widespread fog

Flights have been cancelled or delayed out of Brisbane airport this morning as thick smoke blankets the city.

According to the Brisbane airport website, nine domestic flights and two international flights have been cancelled. On social media, the airport wrote that widespread fog across Brisbane was “slowing movements on ground and limiting visibility.”

Flights are still departing but there are delays due to the reduced visibility.

The Bureau of Meteorology shared these images of the fog from its office:

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Government to unveil scorecards to track disability employment services

The government will overhaul how it tracks disability employment services, with new scorecards to measure how providers are supporting jobseekers.

Social services minister Amanda Rishworth will unveil the new system today, in a bid to enhance transparency and accountability in the employment system.

Participants will be able to check accessible scorecards that will show what services DES providers offer and how they rate for quality and effectiveness, helping them make an informed choice when selecting their provider.

The new performance framework will measure service quality, how providers help participants find work, and complete training courses.

Participants will be given access to scorecards to help them choose providers, as will stakeholders.

The aim is to help people find quality providers and drive improvement of the system.

The unemployment rate for people with disability is 7.5% on the latest government statistics, which is down from 10.3% in 2018 but more than double the rate for people without a disability. Rishworth:

The new performance framework will give providers, employers and participants, as well as the general public, a very clear picture of what is expected of DES services and how providers are stacking up.

We want DES providers to be striving to ensure jobseekers with disability are informed, supported and getting the best services possible.

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We ‘need a strong US’, Birmingham says

Simon Birmingham was also asked if he believes US president Joe Biden is “capable” of being president for the next four years, if elected?

He responded that Nato and the world “need a strong United States” and that it would be “counterproductive” for him or “any Australian leader to offer that type of assessment”.

We have to work as a country with whoever the US people elect, and we have to respect their democratic systems and processes.

We expect them to respect us. We do need a strong America, one in which the leadership is engaged in international forum to do exactly the type of aims I’ve just been talking about. Strong levels of engagement, through strong levels of deterrence, to get the best chance of maintaining peace and prosperity in our region and around the world.

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If Nato was to have a bigger footprint in the Indo-Pacific, could that inflame tensions with China?

Simon Birmingham responded that Nato members have “managed to preserve peace throughout the last 75 years … by working with each other to create deterrence from conflict”.

And that’s precisely what we want for our region – a deterrence framework that ensures peace and for the Indo-Pacific region.

And what we should be asking China very clearly to do, and seeking as many countries it’s possible to do so, is for China to desist and stop the type of confrontational military activities that we see against the Philippines and elsewhere in the region, and that run the risk of miscalculation conflict.

And that’s why having not just Nato countries, but of course south-east Asian countries and other partners, all engaged clearly on upholding principles, of holding international rules, but also creating strong defence deterrence and is crucial to preserving the peace in our region.

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Shadow foreign minister weighs in ahead of Nato summit

The shadow foreign minister, Simon Birmingham, has weighed in on the Nato summit and what he believes Australia’s focus should be.

Speaking to ABC RN, he said:

It’s disappointing that Anthony Albanese has chosen not to go – with the leaders of Japan, South Korea and New Zealand there – because it’s crucial that we do try to forge stronger ties and Australia should be there, not just to attend with a plan for how we make Nato a more central partner in our regional security and in the peace we want for our region in the world.

As we flagged a moment ago, deputy prime minister Richard Marles is attending in Albanese’s place.

Birmingham said Australia should ask Nato to develop its Indo-Pacific strategy and seek to formalise the ties between Indo-Pacific nations and Nato, “so that we aren’t just invited each year but we’re embedded as part of these critical security talks”.

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Biden has done a ‘magnificent job’, Marles says

The event, which will be led by US President Joe Biden, will also be viewed as a test of his fitness as the octogenarian struggles to convince Americans that he is fit for a second term, AAP reports.

Asked about his confidence in the US leader, Richard Marles said Biden had done a “magnificent job”.

We really couldn’t be happier with the presence of his administration … the way in which he has played a leadership role in the Indo-Pacific but in fact throughout the world.

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Richard Marles in Washington for Nato summit

Australia’s relationship to Nato has never been more important, the deputy prime minister says, as concerns grow over Russia’s war in Ukraine and stability in the Indo-Pacific.

As AAP reports, Richard Marles has arrived in Washington DC and will soon begin rubbing shoulders with the world’s leaders as he attends the three-day Nato summit in place of prime minister Anthony Albanese.

Ahead of the summit, Marles said Australia deeply valued its partnership with Nato. He told reporters in Washington:

Our connection with Nato has never been more important.

The 75th anniversary of Nato reminds us that over that period of time, Nato has been a defender of peace in the world, in the post-World War order, in the cold war and now, today.

We see that the world is much more connected place, Ukraine puts that into stark relief, and the significance of that conflict on the Indo Pacific.

Albanese was expected to attend the summit himself but deferred to his second-in-command to focus on domestic matters.

Updated

Good morning

Thanks to Martin for kicking things off – I’m Emily Wind, and I’ll be with you on the blog this Wednesday.

See something that needs attention? You can get in touch via X, @emilywindwrites, or you can send me an email: emily.wind@theguardian.com.

Let’s go.

China hits back at cyber accusations

China’s foreign ministry has hit back at cybercrime accusations levelled by the Australian government and its close partners.

Australia published a technical report attributing malicious cyber activities to the group APT40, which it said was acting on behalf of China’s ministry of state security and had stolen “several hundred” usernames and passwords from an unnamed Australian entity in April 2022.

The Australian Signals Directorate’s report was backed by the US, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, Germany, South Korea and Japan.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Lin Jian, told reporters last night that Beijing was “firmly opposed to such repeated hypes about so-called Chinese cyber-attacks aimed to smear and frame China on cybersecurity”. He said the US was responsible for sweeping cyber surveillance and added:

We urge relevant parties to open their eyes and make the right judgment, rather than serving as the cat’s paw at their own expense.

Close followers of Beijing’s rhetoric may recognise the “cat’s paw” expression. The foreign ministry used it in July 2021 at the height of the trade dispute with Australia’s then Morrison government, saying at the time: “When a certain country acts as a cat’s paw for others, it is the people that pay for misguided government policies.”

Australia’s foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, said yesterday that the Albanese government was engaging with China “without compromising on what is important for Australia and to Australians”.

Updated

Welcome

Good morning and welcome to our rolling news coverage. I’m Martin Farrer and these are some of the top stories this morning before my colleague Emily Wind takes over.

China’s foreign ministry has hit back at cybercrime accusations levelled by the Australian government and its close partners.

Australia published a technical report attributing malicious cyber activities to the group APT40, which it said was acting on behalf of China’s ministry of state security and had stolen “several hundred” usernames and passwords from an unnamed Australian entity in April 2022.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Lin Jian, told reporters last night that Beijing was “firmly opposed to such repeated hypes about so-called Chinese cyber-attacks aimed to smear and frame China on cybersecurity”.

The cost of the national disability insurance scheme is on course to blow out to $90bn a year by the end of the decade and Labor is trying to reform the scheme. But it hasn’t helped that current popular focus on the NDIS concerns the question of whether or not clients should be able to claim for sex work services. The NDIS minister, Bill Shorten, says there were 228 requests for sexual activity support in the 12 months to April and, although none were granted, it has opened a debate about what’s reasonable and what isn’t. More coming up.

Questions about Joe Biden’s fitness to run for office again later this year continue to dog the president, but the Australian defence minister, Richard Marles, gave his backing to the leader of the free world as he landed in Washington overnight for this week’s Nato summit. The deputy prime minister was asked about Biden’s health and responded that he had done a “magnificent” job as president. He also said Australia’s relationahip with Nato had “never been more important” as the defence pact marks its 75th year.

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