What we learned today, Friday 3 July
That’s where we’ll leave things for today. Have a lovely weekend, wherever you are. The live news blog will be back on Sunday. Until then, here were our top stories:
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New South Wales recorded its first suspected case of the deadly H5 bird flu in a giant petrel that was found near Hawks Nest, north of Newcastle, on the state’s coast.
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The leader of the opposition in the NSW upper house, Damien Tudehope, announced he would step aside for the duration of a watchdog inquiry into allegations of Liberal corruption, after revealing he had been called as a witness.
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Court documents revealed the Christian Brothers has deliberately kept nine convicted child abusers, one who is currently behind bars, as members of its religious order because it says it has a “Gospel imperative” to “care for all Brothers” and “the needy”.
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New government estimates showed that Australia’s giant LNG exporters are set to enjoy a $27bn boost to their revenues due to the Middle East conflict, amid calls for higher gas taxes.
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The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, admitted that criminals have infiltrated some of Victoria’s largest construction projects – but again rejected growing calls for a royal commission.
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Also in Victoria, the MP Moira Deeming won a temporary reprieve against being ejected from the Liberal party, which postponed a decision on on her future.
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And the details of an assault against Senator Lidia Thorpe in 2024 outside the MCG were revealed after a court lifted a suppression order on the case.
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Overseas, the Socceroos were preparing to face Egypt in Dallas, where they are hoping to secure their first ever victory in a World Cup knockout match.
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Meanwhile, Egyptian Australians were grappling with the “bittersweet” dilemma of who to support in the potentially history-making match.
Labor MP says new KPMG chair has backed firm instead the truth
Labor has joined condemnation of KPMG’s new chair, Michael Ebeid, with federal West Australian MP Tania Lawrence accusing him of prioritising the firm over the truth.
Ebeid was appointed to lead the embattled firm on Thursday, prompting a parliamentary committee to publish an email from March where Ebeid dismissed allegations its staff leaked confidential client information.
KPMG later admitted some of the claimed leaks had occurred and Ebeid has apologised for the email.
Lawrence, a member of the parliamentary committee, said today that Ebeid’s email showed a pattern of questioning parliamentary scrutiny. She said:
Every time Mr Ebeid had a choice, he chose to protect the institution over the truth. An apology might explain the email. It doesn’t explain the pattern.
Ebeid was appointed to replace Martin Sheppard, who fell on his sword after drawing the ire of the committee during a fiery day of hearings. But Lawrence signalled the committee was not satisfied. She said:
Our job on this committee isn’t to relitigate one appointment, rather it’s to establish whether the firm changes, not just its Chair. We’ll test that with evidence, not statements.
Ebeid in a statement on Thursday said he was not aware of “the full range of facts” at the time he sent the email. He said:
“I recognise the gravity of the whistleblower’s allegations and the shortcomings in the firm’s approach at the time...
“From what I now know … I would not have written that email and am sorry for sending it.”
Lawrence’s comments are the first explicit criticism of Ebeid from the Labor side, after the Greens’ Barbara Pocock moved quickly to condemn him on Thursday, indicating a growing political consensus against the new chair.
You can read more here:
Updated
NSW shadow upper house leader steps aside during Icac Liberals inquiry
The leader of the opposition in the NSW upper house, Damien Tudehope, has stepped aside for the duration of a watchdog inquiry into allegations of Liberal corruption after revealing he has been called as a witness.
As we reported on Wednesday, the Independent Commission against Corruption (Icac) has announced it will hold a wide-ranging public inquiry from 27 July into allegations, including that Liberal figures “solicited or accepted” illegal donations to recruit or renew members to the party – a practice known as branch stacking.
In a statement this afternoon, Tudehope, the shadow attorney general and most senior Liberal in the NSW upper house, said the opposition leader, Kellie Sloane, had accepted his offer to step aside during the public inquiry which “involves several people with whom I have had close relations during my political career”.
He said:
There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by myself nor am I under investigation.
However, as I have been called as a witness to the inquiry, something I am more than happy to comply with, I am concerned that, while the public hearings are under way my position ... could become an unnecessary distraction for Kellie Sloane and my parliamentary colleagues as they need to focus on holding the Minns Labor government to account and defeating Labor at the March 2027 election.
I reiterate that I have made this decision freely because I believe it to be the right course of action and I look forward to resuming my position ... once the scheduled hearings have concluded.
You can read more about Icac’s investigation here:
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Behrouz Boochani, Yekta’s former roommate in the Manus Island detention centre, said it was likely his friend would die without transfer and that:
Living in limbo in an unsafe place with no future has deeply impacted him and other men.
Clearly, the Australian government is responsible for this tragedy and they cannot get away with this violation of human rights.
I don’t understand what is the Australian government’s motivation to keep these men in this difficult inhuman situation. I just find it sadistic.
A spokesperson for the department of home affairs said:
The Papua New Guinea government is responsible for the management of individuals remaining in PNG who were formerly under regional processing arrangements.
The Australian Government does not have any role in the ongoing management for individuals remaining in PNG.
The Australian government has a deal - the details of which it has not revealed - with the PNG government financing the continuing custody and welfare of refugees and asylum seekers sent offshore to PNG.
Ian Rintoul, spokesperson for the Refugee Action Coalition said the Australian government had the power to intervene to help Yetka, but “time is running out” and that:
Without the treatment Hatam needs, he does not have long to live.
Dangerously ill asylum seeker sparks refugee protest outside Australian consulate
A group of refugees formerly held by Australia on Manus Island and Nauru held a protest outside the Australian consulate in Auckland yesterday, demanding a dangerously ill asylum seeker still held in Port Moresby be transferred to Australia for critical medical treatment.
Hatam Yetka has been held in PNG by Australia’s offshore detention arrangement with that country for more than 12 years.
Several of those who participated in the Auckland protest were detained with Yetka inside the Manus Island detention centre, and have since been resettled.
Yetka is currently in a Port Moresby hospital, and dangerously unwell, according to friends who have visited him.
Yekta, formerly a bodybuilder, is emaciated – weighing only about 45 or 46kgs - weakened and unable to care for himself. He is also acutely mentally unwell and unable to engage in any resettlement process.
He is one of several dozen refugees and asylum seekers who remain held in Papua New Guinea, a decade after Australia’s illegal offshore detention centre on Manus Island was ordered shut by PNG’s supreme court.
Yetka was approved for evacuation to Australia in 2019 but the medevac legislation was repealed by the Morrison government in December 2019 before he could be transferred. He has remained in PNG since.
Pictures of Yetka are reproduced with the permission of his family.
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‘Turning point’: one in five new cars sold is electric
Thousands more motorists are buying electric vehicles in what one automotive expert has called a “turning point” and permanent shift for the industry, AAP reports.
Electric cars made up more than one in every five new vehicles sold during June, according to figures released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries on Friday, during a month of record automotive sales.
Tesla’s Model Y electric car also claimed the title of Australia’s best-selling vehicle, overtaking strong competition from the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux utes.
The result is the fourth record-breaking month in a row for electric cars in Australia, and follows rising petrol and diesel prices caused by conflict in the Middle East.
While motorists may have initially investigated electric and hybrid vehicles to avoid fuel costs, the chamber’s chief executive, Tony Weber, said their widespread adoption would change the market for good.
Weber said:
While these factors have had a short-term impact, part of the EV growth would appear to be a permanent structural shift.
This year is likely to represent a significant turning point for the Australian automotive industry.
Australian motorists purchased more than 140,000 new vehicles during June - the highest number recorded to date.
More than 32,500 of those sales were for electric vehicles, according to statistics from the chamber and the Electric Vehicle Council, making up 23.3 per cent of all sales, up from 8.4 per cent in January.
Combined with hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicle sales, low-emission vehicles represented 49.5 per cent of vehicles sold during the month.
Petrol and diesel vehicles continued to fall in popularity during June – with sales down by 29 and 18 per cent respectively — even though they remained the most popular fuel types.
Hi, thanks for reading so far. I’ll take you through the rest of the news this afternoon.
That’s all from me. Catie McLeod will take things from here. Have a nice weekend.
History beckons for Socceroos as they enter knockouts with a fighting chance
Australia’s coach Tony Popovic is aware of the stakes before the Socceroos’ game tomorrow.
“If we perform very well, we have a chance to make history, that’s what we’re working towards,” he said at the pre-match press conference. “The players are ready, they’re relaxed. Tomorrow, we put on a top performance and it gives us a chance to make that history as a side.”
Read more here:
Seven people charged after alleged protest action to stop a coal train in Newcastle
Seven people have been charged after they were arrested in Newcastle last month on allegations they attempted to stop a coal train as part of a protest.
NSW police said officers were contacted regarding a group who were allegedly trespassing and participating in unauthorized protest activity on 26 June. Security guards intercepted the group, and they were arrested at various locations around the area in the subsequent hours.
The seven, ranging in age from 18 to 66, have since been charged with various crimes, including causing an obstruction to a railway locomotive and entering non-agricultural lands to interfere with business.
They are all set to appear in court in the coming weeks.
Anthony Albanese’s favourite bands beg PM to stop AI companies from stealing their work
The Albanese government has insisted it has no plans to weaken copyright protections, after ruling out the potential text and data mining exemption last year – but creatives are sounding the alarm. Loudest among them this week are musicians, some of whom discovered last month that their work was already being scraped.
Albanese is known for his love of Australian music. Guardian Australia spoke to some of his favourite bands to hear what they had to say to him.
Here’s a bit from Bernard Fanning of Powderfinger:
It feels like a violation. We have always been very careful about where our music is placed, and this upends that consideration. Aside from that, it’s bad manners. A robot could never write Flame Trees, Highway to Hell, Took The Children Away or Am I Not Pretty Enough?
Read more here:
WA’s fifth suspected H5 case recorded in bird found on Perth beach
The Western Australian government says it has a fifth suspected case of deadly bird flu in a migratory seabird found on a beach in Perth’s northern suburbs.
Agriculture minister Jackie Jarvis said the dead giant petrel was found at Mullaloo and the government was increasing its H5 surveillance at metropolitan beaches.
Test samples have been sent to the CSIRO’s Centre for Disease Preparedness for confirmation it is the highly pathogenic strain of H5 bird flu that has killed millions of birds and thousands of marine mammals globally.
There have been five confirmed detections in Australia so far, four in WA and one in South Australia. Two more suspected cases were announced on Friday, including the bird found at Mullaloo and another at Hawks Nest in NSW.
All of the cases so far have been in migratory subantarctic species and all but one have been giant petrels.
Jarvis said:
I reiterate that we are still in the surveillance phase. This is another single migratory bird. There is no evidence of transmission to WA wildlife or the poultry industry.
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University of Wollongong chancellor steps down, effective immediately
Michael Still, the chancellor of the University of Wollongong, has resigned from his position, effective immediately.
The university said Still had made he decision “with the best interest” of staff, students and the school’s community in mind.
Greg West will serve as acting chancellor.
Still’s term was set to end in 2027. But he said he did not want his involvement in a NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) to detract from UoW’s operations. Still said in a statement:
In order to best serve the interests of the University, its staff and students, and to ensure that leadership renewal can occur without interruption, I have decided that I should resign from council effective immediately so that the next Chancellor can be sought.
The university will begin the process of appointing a new chancellor.
My colleague, Graham Readfearn, has a great read on how bird flu finally made its way to Australian shores. You can take a look here:
Australia has prepared for incursion of bird flu, minister says
Agriculture minister says Australia has prepared for incursion of bird flu: ‘no evidence of mass mortalities’
Julie Collins, the federal agriculture minster, is speaking now in Hobart.
She said the government has been preparing for the H5 bird flu, including work with the egg and poultry industries to “do everything we can do to mitigate” against any incursions:
It is certainly disappointing we have had further suspected migratory birds that have suspect positives. What I can say is that this is not unexpected, given of course that we do know that these migratory birds have can travel long distances.
But I do want to reiterate that at this point in time they are single migratory birds and we have no evidence of any mass mortalities in any other birds or animals in Australia at this point in time.
Tara Moriarty, the NSW agriculture minister, said at an earlier press conference there was no need for panic buying of eggs or poultry products.
Keep buying eggs, keep buying chicken. There is no spreading to our poultry in New South Wales.
One bird that we are currently testing through the national lab to see what a strain of H5 it is stop we will continue to work with the federal government. This is of course a national problem with most of the birds testing positive so far in Western Australia, a couple in South Australia and now one … in New South Wales.
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Julie Collins, the agriculture minister, will hold a press conference in Hobart at the top of the hour after New South Wales recorded the first suspected case of H5 bird flu.
We’ll bring you live updates from the event in a few minutes.
Michelle Grattan and Melissa Clarke on the political year so far - Australian Politics podcast
The 2026 political year has already been surprising. Labor passed changes to negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount, which they had previously ruled out. The Liberals changed leaders again, and One Nation has seen a surge of support in multiple polls.
Political editor Tom McIlroy speaks to press gallery colleagues Michelle Grattan, the chief political correspondent at The Conversation, and Melissa Clarke, political correspondent with ABC Radio National. They discuss their report card on the year so far, and the political contests to watch in the second half of the year.
Court approves $23.5m fine and costs order against ASX
A federal court judge has ordered the ASX operator to pay $23.5m in penalties and costs after the company admitted to making a misleading statement about a troubled upgrade for technology required to run the stock exchange.
The decision, handed down this morning, confirms a settlement reached between the corporate regulator and the ASX last month and finalises the legal matter.
As a public company, the ASX trades on the same market it oversees.
The litigation pursued by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (Asic) focused on an ASX statement made to shareholders on 10 February 2022, when the company said that plans to replace its electronic clearing house facilities, used to settle trades, were “progressing well”.
The ASX has conceded that there were significant unresolved issues at the time. Later in 2022, the project was suspended.
Justice Brigitte Markovic said
The penalty to be imposed is to serve as a deterrent to all listed companies providing market announcements and releases about projects which are important to those companies.
The ASX has been fined $20.5m and will pay $3m towards Asic’s costs.
The ASX chair, David Clarke, apologised in a statement in June, conceding the market operator “fell short” and saying that:
We recognise the impact this has on trust and confidence, and we take responsibility for the lessons that must be learned from that experience.
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NSW records first suspected case of deadly H5 bird flu as virus reaches east coast
New South Wales has recorded the first suspected case of deadly H5 bird flu, officials have just confirmed.
Five cases have already been confirmed since late June – four in Western Australia and one in South Australia – all in migratory sub-Antarctic birds.
The NSW case is the first detected on Australia’s east coast.
My colleague, Lisa Cox, has more details here:
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Teenager to stand trial over allegations of attempted plane hijacking
A teen accused of trying to hijack a commercial plane has been committed to stand trial in Victoria’s supreme court, AAP reports.
The now-19-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared in a children’s court on Friday, formally pleading not guilty over the March 2025 incident.
It’s alleged the teen, dressed in hi-vis clothing and carrying a toolbox, sneaked his way on to the Jetstar flight at Avalon airport in Melbourne’s south-west.
The teen, who appeared sweaty and clammy, allegedly told cabin crew staff he had bombs in his bags and needed to go into the cockpit, court documents released to the media said.
The teen, who was 17 at the time, was charged with eight offences, including attempted hijacking and prejudicing the safe operation of an aircraft with intent to kill. The teen’s lawyers pushed for the case to remain in the children’s court but a magistrate in June determined it should be uplifted to a higher court.
On Friday, the teen formally pleaded not guilty to all of his eight charges and was committed to stand trial in the Victorian supreme court. He was remanded in custody to face a directions hearing on 21 July.
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Harmful online content? Not our problem, X says
When Elon Musk’s X Corp (formerly Twitter) was asked what sort of “harmful experiences or content” digital platforms should stop allowing Australian kids to see, it said “none”.
The federal infrastructure department put out a survey at the end of last year to gauge what people thought about having a digital duty of care, which would make social media platforms take steps to stop foreseeable harm.
At the royal commission into antisemitism this morning, counsel assisting Richard Lancaster asked the department’s first assistant secretary Sarah Vandenbroek about the survey:
The first question was: ‘Which of the following kinds of harmful experiences or content do you think digital platforms should take steps to prevent for young Australians under 18 years?’
And then there’s a series of harmful forms of online content.
And X Corp ticked the box ‘none of the above’?
“Yes,” Vandenbroek said.
Lancaster then took her to a similar question, but this one was about adults. He said.
This is again a series of boxes that are available to be checked for various types of online hate speech and violent pornography and content that promotes seriously harmful behaviour. And again, X Corp ticked ‘none of the above’.
It was a “disappointing” response, Vandenbroek said.
Earlier, Vandenbroek agreed with Lancaster there was a financial incentive for social platforms to “promote or acquiesce in the spread of harmful content online because it is likely to be or more likely to be controversial or shared or commented on” because they rely on eyeballs to attract advertising.
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Socceroos ‘prepared’ to face Egypt’s Mo Salah
The Socceroos are set to face Mo Salah in their last 32 match, though uncertainty hangs over whether the Egypt great will start the World Cup knockout in Dallas or come off the bench.
Salah was seen training with his teammates on Thursday and Egypt coach Hossam Hassan confirmed his “passionate” forward was fit enough to play.
“We look forward to him playing tomorrow, though we are not sure whether he is going to be in the starting lineup,” Hassan said, confirming the player himself was keen to play.
“[Salah] is looking forward to making his own contributions with his teammates tomorrow,” he said.
Australia coach Tony Popovic said his team will be prepared whether Salah is on the pitch or not.
Read more here:
Tens of thousands of Victorian drivers could get refunds after incorrect toll charges
Tens of thousands of Victorian drivers are set to get refunds from toll company Linkt after they were incorrectly charged on several toll roads.
Transurban, the company that runs Linkt, said the affected motorists may have had their vehicles wrongly classified on the CityLink and the West Gate Tunnel.
The company’s spokesperson told ABC Radio Melbourne this morning it had found about 90,000 vehicles that may have been incorrectly classified “to some degree”, encompassing about 1.4m trips.
“Customers don’t need to do anything. We’ll be in contact with them if they have been overcharged,” he told the ABC. “We will also be making an additional payment to customers to recognise the significant inconvenience that this has clearly caused.”
Linkt says on its website this morning:
We are working as quickly as possible to identify affected motorists, fix classifications and address any incorrect charges.
For affected customers, we will be providing toll credits or refunds that will cover the amount overcharged and recognise the inconvenience.
Updated
Australians have more negative view of Israel than of China, Guardian Essential poll finds
Australians have a more negative view of Israel than of China, the latest Guardian Essential poll has found, with women and middle-aged people exhibiting the least positive perception of Israel.
The poll also finds Australians’ perceptions of Donald Trump have tumbled since his re-election, with fewer than a third of voters having a positive response to the US president.
The poll of 1,017 people last week asked respondents for their attitudes towards a number of countries including the US, China, Iran, Russia, Ukraine, the UK, Palestine and Israel. The highest favourability rating was towards the UK, with 53% of voters having either a positive or very positive reaction, followed by “European nations” with 47% favourability and Ukraine with 41%.
Read more here:
Shadow arts minister says AI companies need to do what everyone else does: ‘ask permission and pay for it’
The shadow minister for the arts, Angie Bell, who was a professional musician for 35 years, has said strong copyright protections are essential to ensure Australian creators were “respected, rewarded and able to continue to produce world-class work”. She said:
If AI companies want to use Australian creative work, they should do what everyone else does: ask permission and pay for it. That’s how copyright works, and that’s how it should stay.
Australian creativity is one of our greatest national assets – not a free resource for multinational tech companies. The Coalition will always back the right of artists to control their work and be fairly compensated when others profit from it.
This is about consent, fairness and respect for Australian creativity.
Guardian Australia is among the media companies supporting the campaign to safeguard copyright laws.
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Coalition backs artists as Labor weighs AI plan
The federal Coalition has thrown its support behind creatives in their fight for fair compensation for their work, putting further pressure on the Albanese government as it weighs up a deal with big tech.
Musicians, artists and media companies are concerned the government could cave to pressure from artificial intelligence giants and weaken copyright laws in exchange for billions of dollars of promised investment in datacentres.
Guardian Australia this week reported that an industry proposal had been presented to ministers that would grant AI companies special exemptions to mine creative content.
In exchange, the companies would bankroll a $350m-per-year artists’ fund and commit more than $50bn worth of investment in datacentres.
The government has publicly and privately denied such a deal is on the table, insisting it has no plans to grant AI companies a so-called “text and data mining” exemption to copyright laws.
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Microsoft and Nine strike AI deal
Microsoft and Nine have reached a deal for the tech giant’s AI chatbot, Copilot, to use the media company’s journalism in its search results.
Nine said the deal, which will be formally announced today, will see its content used by the AI bot. Users will be directed to Nine journalism from the Sydney Morning Herald, the Age and the Australian Financial Review when they conduct searches.
Copilot will display “snippets, headlines and summaries” before “funneling them towards” Nine properties.
Matt Stanton, Nine’s chief executive, told the SMH in a statement today:
As AI continues to evolve, the role of verified, premium journalism in grounding these outputs is essential. This collaboration is a win-win, delivering for users of AI while respecting copyright and protecting the long-term value of our intellectual property.
The Herald said the deal would unlock “significant potential new revenue streams” for Nine and its publications.
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Teen charged with murder after boy, 15, found with fatal stab wounds outside medical centre
A teenager has been charged with murder after a 15-year-old boy was discovered with fatal stab wounds outside a community medical centre.
AAP reports the boy was found critically injured outside Craigieburn Community hospital in Melbourne’s north about 7.50pm on Wednesday. A staff member from the clinic rushed to his aid and delivered CPR but he died at the scene.
Police have made multiple arrests in the days since, beginning with the arrest of a boy, 16, and man, 20, early on Thursday. The 16-year-old has since been charged with murder and remanded to appear in a children’s court at a later date.
The 20-year-old man, from Beveridge, was charged with criminal damage by fire and bailed to appear at Broadmeadows magistrates court at a later date.
On Friday, police announced they had made further arrests as part of the same investigation. A 15-year-old girl was arrested overnight and charged with affray and theft of a motor vehicle. She was bailed to appear in a children’s court at a later date.
Meanwhile, a 15-year-old boy was arrested on Friday morning to be interviewed.
The investigation is ongoing.
Updated
Former Sydney childcare worker sentenced to 12 years in jail
Former childcare worker David William James, 28, has been sentenced to a maximum of 12 years in jail at Sydney’s Downing Centre district court after he pleaded guilty to 11 charges related to the production and possession of child abuse material, AAP reports.
James committed the crimes against children as young as five years old at six out-of-school centres across Sydney between April 2021 and May 2024.
“Childcare centres are of critical importance [and] young children depend upon their carers,” judge Guy Newton said on Thursday.
Childcare is often necessary for children to grow up in economic stability … it is vital parents can have trust in childcare facilities.
The judge imposed a non-parole period of seven years, meaning James, who has been in custody since October 2024, could first be eligible for release in October 2031.
“In each case, he was the child’s carer … the offender abused both a position of trust and authority,” Newton said. “That breach of trust was egregious.”
James worked casually at nearly 60 childcare centres during the period of offending, prompting police to notify 1,500 parents after he was charged.
Aged between 22 and 26 when offending, he worked as a probationary constable until he failed to pass probation, when he shifted to a civilian capacity until May 2023.
NSW police said it was unaware he was working in childcare simultaneously.
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Albanese defends gambling reforms, says he’s ‘not against someone having a punt’
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, defended the gambling reforms on ABC Radio Sydney this morning, saying they, in some ways, go “further” than those the Peta Murphy report called for.
He said the reforms are part of a “comprehensive approach”, tackling online gambling and overseas gambling among other issues, adding:
This has been worked through in a comprehensive way. It was only introduced yesterday morning. There was never any consideration of it passing yesterday, in a day. That’s not what happens. And there’ll be an inquiry, which is absolutely fine and normal process.
When asked about criticism the reforms don’t go far enough, Albanese had this to say:
I think we have gone far enough. I think we’ve got the balance right between … an absolute ban across the board.
I’m not against someone having a punt on a Saturday. What I’m against is problem gambling, which overwhelmingly, by the way, overwhelmingly is poker machines, which is of course regulated by the states.
You can read more about pokies revenue here:
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Pocock says it’s ‘tragic’ gambling reforms don’t go nearly far enough
Independent senator David Pocock had harsher words, saying the gambling reform bill was a “real opportunity for a prime minister to have a real legacy” but Albanese had “buckled” to the gambling lobby.
Pocock spoke to RN Breakfast, saying the Senate could strengthen the bill from a “pretty weak starting point”:
I just find the whole thing tragic. Labor voted against a Senate inquiry into their bill because they know it is so far off the mark.
As to compromises in the Senate, we’ve got Simon Kennedy and others in the Liberal party, Sarah Henderson, saying that it’s not strong enough. How is it that a Labor-chaired committee gave such strong recommendations and then the prime minister just buckles to the gambling lobby, introduces weak legislation and now we have the Liberal party saying that it’s not strong enough?
Pocock suggested some changes, including a regulator and tackling inducements.
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Liberals say Labor’s gambling reform bill ‘undercooked’
Sarah Henderson, the shadow communications minister, was also on RN this morning to speak about Labor’s reforms to gambling advertising, which have sparked frustration from the Liberals and Greens for not going far enough.
Henderson said:
We think this bill is undercooked. … We’ve got a lot of work to do to interrogate the bill. I am concerned and have a number of concerns that it’s not strong enough.
Henderson was pressed on how she would want to see the bill changed but the senator said she would dig into those possibilities during an investigation of the bill.
I won’t prejudge where we might land on this bill other than to say we don’t think it’s good enough, we do have concerns, and we are very serious. The Coalition is very serious about combating the terrible harm caused to so many Australian families by gambling addiction.
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Butler says government takes extended NDIS inquiry ‘seriously’
Mark Butler, the federal health minister, was asked about the recommendations from the inquiry to improve the NDIS.
He told RN Breakfast this morning the government was considering them very carefully, saying there were “good suggestions”, some of which officials were already working on. He went on:
We’re very keen to work on registration schemes for workers across the care economy, not just in the NDIS but also in the aged care sector as well. … Our priority right now is to register providers. It doesn’t make much sense to have workers registered if they’re employed by providers who are not registered and whom we know nothing about.
We’re moving at a pace really to make sure that the few hundred thousand organisations and companies that are providing services are registered, that they tick a range of boxes around quality and we have a good line of sight of who they are and what their character is.
Butler said he does think there will be more to learn during an extended inquiry into the NDIS changes, negotiated with the Greens last week.
We’ll take this extended inquiry very seriously and treat it with the respect that all of those inquiries deserve.
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Greens claims government ‘politicising fraud’ to justify NDIS changes
The Coalition’s report identified the unregistered market of providers as being beyond the regulator’s reach and entry-point screenings that could assess qualifications but not always suitability.
Meanwhile, the Greens’ report said it saw fraud as a serious issue but shared concerns the government was “politicising fraud” to justify significant reductions in NDIS spending.
The minor party’s NDIS spokesperson, Jordon Steele-John, who is on the committee, said:
Disabled people deserve an NDIS that is both protected from fraud and designed around their rights, not one where they are treated with suspicion because governments have failed to crack down on those actually exploiting the system.
Updated
Committee recommends national NDIS worker register but others offer muted interest
A new national NDIS worker register would remove unsafe providers and carers and help participants make more informed decisions about their support and case, a parliamentary inquiry into integrity and fraud controls within the NDIS says.
The government-chaired inquiry also said improved information-sharing between government agencies and stronger regulatory powers were needed to address the “systemic” integrity issues.
During the hearings, the National Disability Insurance Agency’s deputy executive, John Dardo, said around 8.3%, or $3.7bn, of the NDIS’s $45bn in payments last financial year were affected by “integrity leakage” – a term which can include suspected fraud as well as mistakes or non-compliance.
But the inquiry’s non-government MPs and senators were critical of the committee marking its own homework, describing the final report as doing “little more than welcome the steps that responsible agencies already have in train”.
“The evidence pointed to an organised and systemic threat; the committee report answers a smaller and more individual one. A response calibrated to the latter will not meet the former,” opposition MPs said in an additional report.
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Moira Deeming launches court challenge as Victorian Liberals consider her fate
Victorian MP Moira Deeming has launched an 11th-hour court challenge against her own party before a meeting to decide her fate after she made an assault allegation against a former leader, AAP reports.
Deeming has lodged a legal action against the Liberal’s Victorian president, Brian Loughnane, which is listed to be heard in the state supreme court this morning. Loughnane and other Liberal executives are planning to meet on Friday evening to determine Deeming’s candidacy after she made a police complaint against Matthew Guy, the opposition’s public transport spokesperson, alleging he put her in a “headlock” at a gala dinner on 23 May.
Victoria police investigated the incident and found “there was no offence detected”. Guy has demanded a public apology from Deeming but she says she misunderstood the meaning of headlock and has refused to apologise.
She has been invited to the state executive meeting to tell her side of the story.
In a statement to AAP, Deeming’s lawyer said his client’s complaint was made “honestly, in good faith and only as a matter of last resort”.
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Good morning
Good morning, and happy Friday. Nick Visser here to wrap up the week after a busy stretch in parliament. Here’s what’s on deck:
Liberal MP Moira Deeming has lodged legal action against the party’s Victorian president, Brian Loughnane, which is set to be heard in the state’s supreme court this morning.
Microsoft has struck a deal with Nine to pay the media company for its content. Under the agreement, Nine’s journalism will play a “crucial role” in AI outputs generated for its Copilot service, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.
And it’s finally snowed significantly in New South Wales and alpine Victoria, in good news for skiers.
We’ll bring you more soon.
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