What we learned today, Friday 29 September
We will wrap up the live blog here for the night.
Here’s a recap of what made the news:
The long-awaited disability royal commission report was released in 13 volumes, comprising 5,000 pages and 222 recommendations, including the creation of a disability rights act. The government said it would not be responding to any specific findings or recommendations, but would undertake a process to consider the report in whole, including with a new taskforce.
The defence minister, Richard Marles, announced that the Taipan helicopters would be permanently grounded after a fatal crash in July.
The Tasmanian attorney general, Elise Archer, resigned from cabinet and the parliament after the premier, Jeremy Rockliff, asked for her resignation amid bullying allegations.
Extinction Rebellion protesters glued themselves to the road to disrupt the AFL grand final parade in Melbourne.
White House officials said they were disappointed that the Solomon Islands prime minister declined to attend a summit between the US president, Joe Biden, and Pacific leaders in Washington.
Until tomorrow, enjoy your evening.
Updated
ANZ banking services restored after outage
ANZ banking services were restored around 5pm after an almost four-hour outage across the country.
The bank’s spokesperson said in a statement that a software issue affected a number of its core systems from 1.37pm AEST, which made the ANZ app, internet banking, credit and debit card transactions, ATMs, contact centres and branch services stop working.
The spokesperson said by 5pm most services were back online but there is some instability around Visa credit card transactions, and recommended customers use cash or debit cards until the issue is resolved.
The spokesperson said:
We apologise for any disruption or inconvenience caused to our customers.
Updated
Timor-Leste president says upgrade of diplomatic relations with China is nothing to worry about
Australian intelligence agencies “know very well” that Timor-Leste’s decision to upgrade diplomatic relations with China is nothing to worry about, the country’s president has said, in an apparent reference to the 2004 spying scandal.
José Ramos-Horta has sought to ease any concerns among Timor-Leste’s neighbours about the country’s new comprehensive strategic partnership with China, despite the agreement flagging plans to expand military exchanges.
In an interview with the Guardian on Friday, Ramos-Horta said Australia would remain Timor-Leste’s “preferred defence and security partner”.
Read more below:
Updated
Release of documents relating to Qatar Airways decision ‘not in the public interest’, Wong says
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has claimed public interest immunity over documents relating to her involvement in the Qatar Airways decision.
The transport minister, Catherine King, rejected the Qatari carrier’s bid to double the number of its flights it sends to major Australian cities in July, six months after the department provided her with a briefing on it.
The Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie, who is also chair of the committee probing the issue, requested through the Senate copies of all advice, briefings or submissions provided by the department of foreign affairs and trade to Wong relating to the decision.
Officials on Thursday morning had revealed a brief had been given to Wong’s office on the Qatar matter on 24 January at her request. Wong claimed public interest immunity in a response to the Senate on Thursday, saying there were documents but their release would “prejudice Australia’s international relations”:
Disclosure of such documents would not be in the public interest as it would harm Australia’s ability to negotiate international agreements between governments by undermining the trust and confidence in which such agreements are negotiated.
Qatar and Australia’s relationship was strained in 2020 after a number of women were escorted off Qatar Airways fights by gunpoint and subjected to invasive body searches at Doha airport.
King has previously admitted the Doha incident was “a factor” in the decision to block extra flights but it “certainly it wasn’t the only factor”.
Alas, the mystery over the decision continues.
Updated
The campaign against the voice will be supported by millions of dollars from mining magnate Clive Palmer, who will reportedly launch an ad blitz against the referendum in the final fortnight.
Both the yes and no campaigns are preparing for a final sprint to the 14 October polling day, with major ad buys to target key states in the referendum.
Read more below:
Newcrest pleads guilty to breaching clean air regulations
Mining company Newcrest has pleaded guilty to breaching clean air regulations in the operation of its Cadia goldmine.
The plea was entered at a directions hearing in the New South Wales Land and Environment Court on Friday.
The NSW Environmental Protection Authority commenced proceedings against Newcrest’s Cadia Holdings Pty Ltd in August, alleging it had breached section 128 of the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 by exceeding the allowable standard of concentration for solid air pollution particles in March 2022, “as a result of operating surface exhaust fans attached to Ventilation Rise 8”.
The company previously stated it had complied with all regulations.
In a statement, the NSW EPA said it “welcomes the guilty plea”.
A sentencing hearing will be held on 28 March 2024.
Updated
SA MP Rebekha Sharkie to fight allegations she bullied a staffer
South Australian MP Rebekha Sharkie will fight bullying allegations levelled against her by a staffer in what will mark the second high-profile case allegedly caused by the Albanese government’s staffer cuts.
Gaynor Slaughter, a former electorate officer, filed the Fair Work case in August, accusing the finance department and Sharkie of taking “adverse action” against her by cutting the number of hours she worked, altering her duties and changing who she reported to.
Slaughter also accused the Centre Alliance MP of directing a “course of bullying behaviour” towards her between July and December 2022.
The commonwealth’s response, filed 19 September and released to Guardian Australia on Friday, shows Sharkie and the finance department will deny all the allegations, and call for the case to be dismissed.
Their response denies any of the alleged adverse action, that it failed to consult Slaughter or that “the applicant suffered loss as a result of any or all of the above”.
As revealed in August, Slaughter is seeking compensation for medical expenses and lost earnings since December 2022 along with civil penalties for the alleged “adverse action” and a failure to consult her about major changes, as required by staffers’ workplace agreement.
Sharkie declined to comment as the case is before the courts.
The first court hearing is set for 14 December.
Updated
Calls for Qantas chairman, Richard Goyder, to ‘read the room’ and resign
Pilots and shareholders are unmoved by the Qantas chairman’s performance at a public hearing and are doubling down on calls for him to “read the room” and resign, AAP reports.
The Australian Shareholders Association was not swayed by Richard Goyder’s evidence to a Senate committee that he retained the backing of the embattled airline’s biggest owners and insisted it needs new executives.
“This inability to read the room when government, the media, the business community, investors and the public are calling for change, is concerning, and it will hamper any efforts by Qantas to revive its flagging reputation,” the association’s CEO Rachel Waterhouse said in a statement.
“It is clear from our members that he does not have the support of the retail investors who own 10% of the company.”
The pilots association declined to comment on Goyder’s evidence, apart from stating it had done nothing to change their belief his position was no longer tenable.
Updated
The Tasmanian premier, Jeremy Rockliff says the deputy premier, Michael Ferguson, will act as the state’s attorney general until a replacement is appointed following the resignation of Elise Archer.
Pending permanent arrangements being announced in coming days, Deputy Premier @fergusonmichael will be the acting Attorney General, and I will undertake the remaining portfolio responsibilities.
— Jeremy Rockliff (@jeremyrockliff) September 29, 2023
At the same time ANZ was suffering an outage some Woolworths supermarkets were also having issues with their Eftpos systems.
A Woolworths spokesperson did not confirm whether the two issues were related, but said the issue had been resolved:
We’d like to thank customers for their patience with an IT outage affecting Eftpos in a small number of stores.
Stores remained open with cash still being able to be used.
The cause has been identified and Eftpos has been resolved
Again we thank everyone for bearing with us this morning.
Updated
The Australian Human Rights Commission president, Rosalind Croucher, tells ABC’s Afternoon Briefing that going further than the disability royal commission’s report recommendation for a disability rights act, she says it reinforces the AHRC’s long call for a human rights act.
She said:
I see this as a wonderful acknowledgement of the work of the Human Rights Commission for a proper, legislative protection of rights and for people with disability, this is a huge step forward and for us as the Human Rights Commission with a wider mandate, we see this providing the way in to one affirmation at the highest level of these important components of legislative protection.
If you’d clicked through a story on the Australian Financial Review’s power list yesterday and saw a bunch of AI deepfakes of famous people or politicians, it turns out that was a deliberate move to draw attention to the rapid development of the technology, not a plan to replace their graphic designers and photographers, Amanda Meade reports in Weekly Beast.
WA prison guards get 3% wage bump
West Australian prison guards will be paid $60 more each week and receive a $3,000 cost-of-living payment after accepting a wage offer from the state government, AAP reports.
Almost 95% of the WA Prison Officers Union membership voted to accept the deal on Friday, although secretary Andy Smith said the decision wasn’t taken lightly.
“The high response rate should not be mistaken to be an endorsement of the government’s wage offer or that this is a good offer,” he said.
“It is a clear message that the … attack on conditions such as personal leave, public holidays, paid parental leave, and the constant wage theft has to stop.”
The 3% pay bump comes alongside new compassionate leave entitlements for early pregnancy loss and foster carers.
A regional incentive allowance has been accepted as the WA government attempts to retain staff in regional prisons.
Most WA public sector pay negotiations have wrapped up in recent months with firefighters and police also endorsing new arrangements.
Close to 90% of public sector workers are now on new industrial agreements, though WA nurses are still locked in negotiations.
The industrial relations minister, Bill Johnston, commended the prison officers’ union for reaching the outcome.
“We continue to engage positively with unions and are working towards settlement of all outstanding negotiations,” he said.
Updated
Some more context on the ministerial resignation in Tasmania from AAP.
Senior MP Elise Archer announced her departure from both the party and politics on Friday afternoon.
“It has been my deep honour and privilege to serve my constituents in Clark and the people of Tasmania as attorney-general and in all my portfolios,” she said in a statement.
“It is also my intention to notify her excellency of my resignation from the parliament of Tasmania as a member for Clark.”
It was revealed on Thursday night Archer was facing an independent investigation into workplace bullying allegations.
Tasmania’s government has been in minority since May, when two MPs quit the party to become independents.
Updated
ANZ has confirmed it is currently in the midst of an outage affecting its banking app, online banking, credit and debit card transactions, ATM and branch service.
Here’s the statement from a spokesperson:
We are aware of an issue that is currently impacting our ANZ App, Internet Banking, Credit/Debit Card transactions, ATM and Branch services. A team of experts is working to resolve this as quickly as possible. We apologise for any disruption or inconvenience this is causing and want to reassure customers it is our absolute priority to resolve this.
Tasmanian attorney general Elise Archer quits cabinet and parliament
At a snap press conference this afternoon, Tasmanian premier Jeremy Rockliff has said he asked for and received attorney general Elise Archer’s resignation following bullying allegations.
Rockliff said he understood that Archer would be resigning from parliament, and that would result in a recount under Tasmanian electoral law to determine the new member for Clark.
Rockliff said he was made aware of previously unreported comments that said were “unacceptable by any standard” and “unequivocally fall short of expectations”.
He said:
I said this week, that culture and [a] changing in culture in Tasmania is absolutely paramount. And if culture in this state is to change it requires leadership and accountability. And I intend, of course, [to] demonstrate that and that accountability starts at the top with myself as premier.
Asked if the government is falling apart, Rockliff says no, and he will announce a new minister in the coming days.
Saudi oil group to invest in gas company with interests in Australian LNG projects
The world’s biggest corporate emitter, Saudi Aramco, has said it will make a $500m investment in gas company MidOcean Energy, which is acquiring interests in four Australian liquefied natural gas projects.
The oil group said it had agreed to acquire a minority stake in the company with an option to increase the size of the shareholding.
MidOcean Energy last year agreed to acquire Tokyo Gas’ interests in the Gorgon, Ichthys, Pluto and Curtis LNG facilities.
MidOcean is also part of a consortium with Brookfield that is trying to buy Origin Energy.
Aramco already had an Australian connection in board member Andrew Liveris, who was one of the business architects of the former Morrison government’s “gas-fired recovery” and a co-chair of the Northern Territory’s economic reconstruction commission.
In a statement, Aramco’s chief executive and president Amin H Nasser said the agreement marked the oil company’s first international investment in LNG.
“We see significant opportunities in this market, which is positioned for structural, long-term growth,” Nasser said.
“MidOcean Energy is well-equipped to capitalise on rising LNG demand, and this strategic partnership reflects our willingness to work with leading international players to identify and unlock new opportunities at a global level.”
Mark Ogge, principal adviser at the Australia Institute, said the acquisition came at a time when fossil fuels needed to be phased out – not “doubled down on”.
“We’re all aware of the human rights issues in Saudi Arabia,” he added.
“Is it really in Australia’s interest to have a company like this buying a stake in Origin Energy and several LNG terminals?”
Updated
A number of users across X and Facebook reported ANZ’s banking services to be unavailable just after 2pm today. Some are reporting it is back up now.
There’s been no statement from the bank about the outage, and no responses on social media at this stage but we will advise if there’s new information.
National Disability Services says the Disability Royal Commission report brought to light deeply distressing instances of abuse, violence, exploitation and neglect, and it is important that the views of people with disability, their representative groups, providers and government are all taken into account in implementing the recommendations.
CEO Laurie Leigh said:
NDS is fully committed to working collaboratively with both government, people with disability, advocates and sector to ensure that all Australians with disabilities have access to the safe, quality and culturally appropriate services they deserve.
From a provider perspective, given the current state of the sector, off the back of chronic workforce shortages exacerbated by the pandemic, it is critical that service providers have appropriate time and support for changes to be delivered correctly.
A skilled, capable, diverse and sustainable provider landscape is a desirable outcome for people with disability, so we need to be mindful of how we match the timetabling of reforms with the capacity of the sector to respond.
It is our absolute goal and vision to have an inclusive Australia where all people with disability live safely and equitably and we look forward to working with all members of the disability community to see this future realised.
Welcome new Victorian Premier @JacintaAllanMP .
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) September 29, 2023
We met today to talk about getting things done together, starting with building more homes. pic.twitter.com/zIL4IAfLCF
Tabcorp fined by court over gambling inducements
A NSW court has fined gambling company Tabcorp $15,000 for trying to recruit new gamblers with inducements, which is an offence under state laws.
According to Liquor & Gaming NSW, a magistrate in the Downing Centre local court “found Tabcorp advertised a promotion via its website which included an inducement to participate in a gambling activity”.
It is an offence to send inducements to people who do not have registered gambling accounts in NSW. According to the regulator, Tabcorp said the inducement was “inadvertently” shown on its website due to a system error.
Liquor & Gaming NSW’s executive director of regulatory operations, Jane Lin, said the regulator would continue to take a zero-tolerance approach to inducements:
Tabcorp is a large corporation and it is our expectation that an operator of this scale has strong internal controls and demonstrates greater vigilance to prevent members of the public being exposed to gambling inducements.
In many cases gambling promotions can be legally offered to betting account holders who, unlike the general public, have made a conscious decision to open an account and have expressly consented to receive this information.
However, wagering operators can’t advertise or promote inducements such as offers of increased odds or bonus bets to entice people to open a betting account or to gamble more frequently.”
Tabcorp was contacted for comment.
Updated
Penny Wong names Australia’s new ambassador to China
A senior official involved in Aukus negotiations, Scott Dewar, has been named as Australia’s next ambassador to China.
Dewar will take over from Graham Fletcher, who has been Australia’s top diplomat in Beijing since 2019, after a series of steps to “stabilise” the rocky relationship.
Dewar, who has previous diplomatic experience in China, has recently served as deputy secretary (international and security) at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Dewar was previously involved in sensitive talks before the Aukus security partnership was announced in 2021.
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, announced a series of diplomatic appointments this afternoon, saying the new heads of mission and consuls-general would “reinforce our diplomatic capability, build influence and advance Australia’s national interests around the globe”.
Wong said she was “pleased to appoint highly qualified individuals to lead Australia’s posts in Bali, China, Colombia, Estonia, Hong Kong, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, Russia and Sweden”.
The appointments are:
Jo Stevens as Australia’s next consul general in Bali.
Scott Dewar as Australia’s next ambassador to China.
Anna Chrisp as Australia’s next ambassador to Colombia.
Sri Ayyalaraju as Australia’s next ambassador to Estonia.
Gareth Williams as Australia’s next consul general in Hong Kong.
Paul Wilson as Australia’s next ambassador to the Marshall Islands.
John Feakes as Australia’s next high commissioner to Papua New Guinea.
John Geering as Australia’s next ambassador to Russia.
Frances Sagala as Australia’s next ambassador to Sweden.
Updated
And with that I leave the blog with Josh Taylor, thanks for reading.
Ice-cream company Ben & Jerry’s backs Indigenous voice to parliament
Ice-cream chain Ben & Jerrys is the latest company backing the Indigenous voice referendum, calling the vote “an important step towards self determination and a more fair future” – but saying more should be done.
The company, which has advocated loudly for progressive causes in the past, hadn’t made major statements on the referendum until now – an issue Guardian Australia understands had troubled some employees. On Friday, Ben & Jerrys put out a statement saying it backed “an unequivocal ‘Yes’ vote at the upcoming referendum and see this as an important step towards self determination and a more fair future”:
While the Voice is a critical step, the Voice cannot be the final destination – it is clear that on its own, it is entirely inadequate to address the impacts of centuries of colonisation, unfair policies and racism.
If we are going to have a more fair future, these fundamental outcomes must come next and happen on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples’ terms. It’s critical we all see ourselves as allies to this, and hold the Government to account to make this a reality.
Updated
Bird of the year race still wide open – get your votes in!
There have already been some high-profile birds knocked out of Guardian Australia’s bird of the year vote, including my person favourite, the white ibis (for its resilience).
The race is still pretty wide open, with heavy hitters the gang-gang cockatoo, tawny frogmouth and peregrine falcon leading the way so far, but just like with any high stakes competition, anything can change in an instant.
So make sure you get your votes in here:
You can also read our latest bird profile, on the bar-tailed godwit here:
Updated
Refugees in PNG to be evicted after Australia fails to pay housing bills for more than a year
Meanwhile, refugees in PNG have been told they will be evicted after Australian-sponsored housing bills not paid.
In an exclusive from my colleagues Ben Doherty and Daisy Dumas, former Manus Island detainees are facing a loss of accommodation after bills were not paid for more than a year.
But the Australian government claims it is no longer responsible for their welfare, but it continues to provide an undisclosed amount of money to PNG for accommodation and welfare.
The refugees and asylum seekers were formerly detained within Australia’s Manus Island detention centre before it was ruled unlawful and ordered shut by PNG’s supreme court. About 70 men remain held in PNG, most in rented accommodation in Port Moresby.
You can read more on the story below:
Updated
Questions over timing of government action on disability royal commission recommendations
Initial questions at this press conference have been focused on timing, considering the report took four years to pull together and found such stark examples of violence under the current system.
Rishworth and Shorten are asked whether the issues raised by the report will be allowed to continue in the short term, while the services and organisation wait another six to eight months for a taskforce.
Rishworth said:
But we have already taken action as a government. We have had, I think, eight or nine joint ministerial meetings with our state and territory colleagues where we’ve been addressing some of the issues that have been raised in the royal commission.
We have made a commitment and we’re already [taking] action on a more inclusive disability employment service, where quality of the disability service will now be evaluated of those services. We’ve committed funding in the budget to involve supported employment to make sure there is open employment opportunities.
And Shorten said:
Let’s just put some context. This royal commission is genuinely a historical moment and it does remind Australians that for too many people with disability they’re subject to violence, abuse, exploitation, neglect and exclusion. But the proposition that somehow the government is not moving on some of these issues about keeping people safe is not correct.
Shorten goes on to rattle off the many anti-fraud measures implemented by Labor so far, but doesn’t directly address the question.
Updated
New taskforce to coordinate government response to disability inquiry
Returning to the disability royal commission report, the social services minister, Amanda Rishworth, and the NDIS minister, Bill Shorten, have been addressing reporters in Adelaide, where they are reflecting on the release.
They reiterated that the government will not be responding to any specific findings or recommendations, just that the government will instead undertake a process to consider the report in whole.
Risworth also announced a commonwealth disability royal commission taskforce, which will coordinate the government’s response. She said a progress report is due early next year:
The taskforce will coordinate the Australian government’s response, particularly focused on the recommendations that are directed towards the commonwealth.
The taskforce will be critical in assessing how the individual recommendations are linked together, understanding the broader implications of these recommendations and sequencing the government’s response. This work will be done in close consultation with the disability community and stakeholders.
We will not be providing a government response to any specific recommendations today, but as I’ve outlined, we have a process that will start today, where our government will carefully consider the final report and give it the attention it deserves. The royal commission report proposes a vision for an inclusive Australia in which people with disability live free from harm and where human rights are protected and individuals live with dignity, equality and respect.
Updated
We have some pics of the Extinction Rebellion disruptions to the AFL grand final parade below:
Updated
US disappointed by Solomons snub
White House officials say they are disappointed that the prime minister of Solomon Islands declined to attend a summit between the US president, Joe Biden, and Pacific leaders in Washington.
But they have insisted that the US is in listening mode, not lecturing mode, amid intense competition for influence across the region.
The prime minister of Solomon Islands, Manasseh Sogavare, who struck a security agreement with China last year, said earlier this week that the US should stop “lecturing” Pacific leaders.
Sogavare was a notable absence from this week’s summit at the White House. The prime minister of Vanuatu, Sato Kilman, also did not attend but that was because he had to return to face a parliamentary vote of no confidence.
Mira Rapp-Hooper, the senior director for east Asia and Oceania at the White House’s national security council, told a media briefing today:
We were disappointed that Prime Minister Sogavare was unable to attend the summit in Washington.
We did reach out, including at the very highest levels, to encourage him to join us for this terrific conversation … this opportunity to engage amongst friends, and we’re disappointed that he declined to do so.
Rapp-Hooper said she didn’t “have much to say” about Sogavare’s recent comments about US lecturing, except to say all of the conversations with Pacific leaders this week were “collaborative, constructive, forward looking”.
She said the talks “involved an incredible amount of listening by US government officials to continue to refine their understanding of what our Pacific Island Forum friends are most looking for from us”. She added:
So that’s the approach that we’re going to continue to take. We continue to believe that it’s the right approach.
Updated
Extinction Rebellion protesters disrupt AFL grand final parade
Extinction Rebellion is claiming it has disrupted the AFL grand final parade by “gluing themselves to the road”.
In a statement, they claimed that three protesters glued themselves to the road in front of the cars carrying AFL players after four banner-holders halted the vehicles.
The activists were wearing shirts reading “Climate breakdown has begun”, with the other side of their shirts reading “No footy in 50 degrees C” a reference to the hot weather expected across grand final weekend.
Security removed the protesters after they glued themselves to the ground, with the parade continuing soon after.
Updated
Inquiry calls for establishment of disability support worker registry
The recommendations for the disability commission also called on the Australian government to establish a national disability support worker registration scheme by 1 July 2028.
The registration would include a code of conduct and minimum standards for registered disability support workers, including support coordinators.
The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission should create an independent investigators panel, it stated. Where the panel decides NDIS participants experienced violence, abuse, neglect or exploitation they should be entitled to redress.
A dedicated First Nations Unit should also be established to develop its engagement with and understanding of the issues facing First Nations participants
States and territories should each establish or maintain an independent ‘one-stop shop’ complaint reporting, referral and support mechanism to receive reports of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of people with disabilities.
The report called on the federal government to set up a 1800 number and website, to direct people to their jurisdiction complaint.
Updated
Overrepresentation of people with disability in criminal justice settings must be addressed, inquiry report says
The recommendations from the royal commission into disability also included overhauls to the criminal system, including prohibiting solitary confinement in youth detention and raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility to age 14 in states and territories that haven’t done so.
It said the overrepresentation of people with disability in criminal justice settings and children with disability in youth detention settings needed to be addressed.
The report called on the Western Australian government to immediately cease confinement practices at youth detention centres amounting to the solitary confinement of children with disabilities and addresses high staff attrition rates in youth detention.
It said the New South Wales government should review existing policy regarding the use of seclusion for adults with cognitive disabilities.
The report also suggested increasing culturally safe disability services and supports for First Nations people with disabilities, and removing barriers to the NDIS in remote and very remote communities.
Updated
Phase-out of group homes recommended by disability inquiry
Another key recommendation from the report is to phase out group homes.
In Australia, 17,000 people live in group homes. The commissioners agreed that group homes should be phased out, though there are differing opinions on the timeframe.
Commissioners Bennett, Galbally, Mason and McEwin recommended governments develop and implement a comprehensive roadmap to phase out group homes within the next 15 years.
They recommended governments should cease the construction of new group homes within two years, stop placing residents in group homes within five years and develop a timeframe for transitioning residents within the next 15 years.
Updated
Disability inquiry recommends immediate action to limit use of restrictive practices such as restraints
There are 222 recommendations from the royal disability commission, which are aimed at improving the rights of the 4.4 million of Australians with disabilities.
Some more of the key recommendations include:
Taking immediate action to make sure restrictive practices, such as restraint, neck holds or seclusion, are not used as punishments or threats.
Establish specific disability employment target (of 7% by 2025 and 9% by 2030) for new public service hires in agencies and departments
The commissions were decided about the future of the Australian Disability Enterprises – after hearing last year that the lowest wage an hour for a supported employee at one large ADE was $2.27 an hour.
Four commissioners recommended ADE should be phased out by 2034. All commissioners recommended the Australian government should introduce a scheme to ensure that employees with disabilities are paid at least half the minimum wage.
Housing was a big ticket time, with the commission recommending state and territory governments should commit to increasing the availability and supply of accessible and adaptive housing.
It called on state and territory governments to adopt the Australian Building Codes Board’s liveable housing design standard for all new dwellings.
More to come.
Updated
Disability royal commission recommends phasing out special/segregated education
One of the key recommendations from the royal commission into disabilities is a phasing out of special/segregated education.
The commissioners were split 3-3 on if schools should be phased out, with those in support recommending that:
No new special/segregated schools being built or new special/segregated classes or units being included within schools from 2025.
As part of this jurisdictions should offer equal access to mainstream education, by creating a legal entitlement for students with disabilities to enrol in a local mainstream school.
States and territories should establish an independent review process to enable a parent or supporter of a child or young person with disability to challenge a refusal to enrol a child in school.
Updated
PM praises Victorian Labor party’s swift resolution of leadership after Andrews resignation
The prime minister is speaking in Melbourne just after a Collingwood event, ahead of their grand final against Brisbane tomorrow.
He began by commenting on the resignation of Dan Andrews, saying he spoke to the now former Victorian premier earlier:
I spoke to Dan, and his intention is to take a bit of a break. Daniel Andrews has enormous capacity and he will be successful in whatever endeavour he now embarks on in his future life.
I am looking forward to meeting Jacinta Allan in a couple of hours as premier. I have known Jacinta for 25 years. She will make an extraordinary premier of Victoria and that will be a fantastic thing.
Asked if he was pleased to see the Victorian labor party resolve their leadership in one day, the PM said he was glad it went so smoothly:
It was good that it was worked through in such a smooth way. Jacinta Allan as premier, Ben Carroll as deputy, is a very good outcome. Vicky Ward, the new minister I have known for a long period of time. This is a very good government here in Victoria.
It is a government that makes the difference to the lives of Victorians. They are developing good policies to increase housing supply. They have led on so many social policy issues and I look forward to continuing to work with the Victorian government and Jacinta Allan as premier.
Updated
Disability royal commission recommends new anti-vilification law to ban insulting behaviour
The report includes over 220 recommendations and among the key recommendations are:
The government introduce a Disability Rights Act, which should include a set of guiding principles designed to promote and advance the rights of people with disabilities and eliminate disability discrimination, harassment and victimisation.
The Disability Discrimination Act should be amended to include behaviour that offends, insult, humiliate or intimidate another person or a group of people; and anti-vilification protections should be introduced.
For the financial years 2024–25 and 2025–26, the Australian government should commit additional funding of: $16.6m a year for the National Disability Advocacy Program and $20.3m a year for the National Disability Insurance Scheme Appeals Program.
The establishment of a national disability commission as an independent statutory body and a federal portfolio specifically for disability.
Updated
Disability royal commission calls for 'significant change' to end abuse and exploitation
And the final report from the disability royal commission is live.
We have a lot to get through – it’s huge, 13 volumes.
The commission has said:
Our inquiry has shown people with disability continue to experience high rates of violence and abuse, multiple forms of neglect, and sexual and financial exploitation. Violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation are occurring across settings and contexts and throughout different stages of people’s lives. Based on their disability, people with disability continue to be excluded from participating in many areas of life.
Significant change is required.
The disability royal commission has recommended the government enact a Disability Rights Act to advance the rights of people with disability.
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Disability royal commission fast facts: nearly 8,000 submissions, thousands of phone calls
Just some additional facts about the disability royal commission report expected today, with 7,944 submissions received.
There were 17,824 phone inquiries, 14 issues paper published, 710 responses to issue papers and 1,785 private sessions held.
The report has just been tabled and is available here.
Updated
Major recommendations expected with long-running disability commission report now tabled
Major reforms are expected to be recommended by the Disability Royal Commission today, with the final report tabled in parliament at 10am.
The commission has spent four and a half years investigating conditions for people with disabilities in schools, workplaces, jails, group homes, hospitals, and day programs.
Established in 2019 the royal commission heard evidence from almost 10,000 people through written submissions, private sessions and public hearings. It held 32 public hearings around the country.
It will be a big day - with responses from the government and major disability organisations. We will be blogging as it goes along.
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Opposition’s Paterson says Taipan helicopter decision ‘sensible’
The opposition has voiced its support for the government’s decision to ground the Taipan helicopters, with shadow home affairs spokesman James Paterson saying it was “expected.”
Speaking on Sky News earlier today, Paterson said it was a “sensible decision”:
I think it is a sensible decision by the Australian Defence Force and the Albanese government. There have been known performance and safety issues with the Taipan platform for some time.
For that reason the previous government initiated a process to acquire the Black Hawk helicopters.
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National Police Remembrance Day marks the loss of three young officers in past year
The families of police constables Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow have remembered the “evil” day their lives were shattered when both were gunned down, the AAP reports.
Friday marks National Police Remembrance Day when services are held across the country, with three officers killed on the job in the past 12 months.
The third name added to Canberra’s National Police Memorial this year will be that of 28-year-old Constable Anthony Woods who was run over and killed following a pursuit in June this year.
Constables Arnold, 26, and McCrow, 29, were following up a missing persons report on a remote Queensland property in December when they came under fire from a high-powered rifle.
Const Arnold was killed, while a wounded Const McCrow returned fire before she was also fatally shot.
In a statement the families said the pair epitomised what it meant to be a police officer, always putting others before themselves.
“Bright, brave, thoughtful and kind,” they said.
Outside of work, they were loyal friends, full of laughter, a devoted daughter and dedicated son - they impacted the lives of everyone around them.
Every day, our families deeply miss their presence, and our love and pride in both Matthew and Rachel will never waver.
Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll said this year’s observance will be especially personal as she stands with the fallen officers’ families.
“It’s the worst thing that can happen in your commissionership, to get that phone call where you’ve lost an officer,” she said.
“It is incredibly important to show that we will never forget them.”
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk expressed her gratitude, as annual candlelight vigils were held across the state overnight to honour fallen police officers.
“Each year we are reminded of the police who have lost their lives in the line of duty and this year’s vigil will be especially significant as we honour the lives of Constables Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow,” Palaszczuk said.
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Marles says military now focussing on getting Black Hawks into operation
Defence Minister Richard Marles was also on ABC News Breakfast this morning to discuss the decision to permanently ground the Taipan helicopters.
Marles said the decision to buy the choppers was made ‘a long time ago’ and that the military will focus on getting the Black Hawks into operation as quickly as possible.
There is now no world in which we would be flying the Taipans again.
Given that, we need to be getting the new capability, the Black Hawks, into operation as quickly as possible and that has to be our focus.
At the end of the day, we made the decision to move to Black Hawks, a decision that had been made before this tragedy occurred, but we needed to get more flying hours out of the platform
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Minns challenges Sydney mayor to allow more residential development
NSW Premier Chris Minns has declared he is willing to take on long-time City of Sydney Mayor, Clover Moore, over housing, but added he is willing to “give peace a chance”.
Minns was on 2GB earlier this morning, and said it was unfair that Sydney’s outer suburbs were bearing the brunt of imposed housing targets, and that inner city suburbs needed to do more.
Frankly, the City of Sydney’s decision to effectively outlaw residential development close to the city, where there [are] hospitals and public transport and amenities and open space, it’s just not fair when you consider how much a suburb like Penrith of Riverstone or Camden has to take.
I mean, it’s like the mayor of New York City saying ‘New York’s full, we can’t have any more buildings’. It’s clearly not sustainable.
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Heavenly trifecta tonight with a supermoon, Saturn and Jupiter all visible
The last supermoon of the year is due tonight, with the ideal time to see it around 6.30pm.
The supermoon happens when there is a full moon just as the moon is closest to Earth, since it doesn’t orbit Earth in a perfect circle.
Saturn and Jupiter should both also be visible tonight, with the best time to see them all just as the moon is rising.
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Rishworth won’t confirm adoption of any disability royal commission recommendations, ahead of report release
Families and Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth has refused to confirm if the government will be adopting any of the recommendations made in the disability royal commission report ahead of its public release today.
Rishworth, speaking to RN Breakfast, was asked about the $599m Royal Commission but did not go into any specifics on how the government would adopt any of the findings.
I’m not going to comment on any specific recommendations.
Obviously, we need to also make sure people with disability have choice and control.
These are some of the themes that came out of the disability royal commission. But certainly, how we build a more inclusive society so that people with disability don’t constantly have barriers to their participation in wider society is really important.
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Indigenous voice will change Australia for the better, Albanese declares
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has declared that the Voice will change Australia for the better.
The PM was on ABC Radio this morning, and repeated his claim that fear won’t change a country for the better:
You never change a country for the better through fear, you change it through hope and optimism and compassion and justice.
That’s what this referendum is about.
Albanese was also asked why the body would work when other advisory bodies hadn’t worked before:
This is a body that won’t provide funds, that won’t run programs, that will just give advice to the government, and that experience of past bodies, and issues that have arisen has been factored in by Indigenous Australians when they’ve made this request.
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Marles says Taipan helicopters won’t fly again following fatal crash
Defence Minister Richard Marles has announced that the Taipan helicopters will be permanently grounded after a fatal crash in July.
The crash resulted in the death of Aircrew Captain Lyon, Lieutenant Nugent, Warrant Officer Laycock and Corporal Naggs.
Marles told the Today Show there were four investigations into the crash that are ongoing, with one due to take 12 months to reach a conclusion.
It is ... really the only decision that makes sense.
We have made clear that we wouldn’t be flying these aircraft again until the investigations were completed, that we understood what happened and made any rectifications that needed to occur.
We were planning to retire the Taipans at the end of next year anyway and so there is no world in which we should be flying these helicopters again.
Marles said the government made the decision today, saying “in many ways it was inevitable”.
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Surf lifesavers ready for packed beaches over the hot, long weekend
Surf Lifesavers are on high alert as beaches are expected to be full amid a long weekend of very hot weather in Sydney.
NSW volunteer surf lifesavers and lifeguards are expecting to be under the pump as many people are expected to take Friday off in addition to the Monday public holiday to take advantage of the heat.
Day time temperatures are expected to be at least 10C above average across many locations on the east coast, and callout teams and Support Operations assets are on standby across the state, with jet skis, inflatable rescue boats and drones out in force.
Surf Life Saving NSW CEO, Steven Pearce said duty officers in each region will be performing enhanced surveillance activities in an attempt to mitigate risk to beachgoers:
The statistics show that public holiday weekends produce some of the busiest days of the year on our beaches and [are] always a big day for our volunteer surf lifesavers and lifeguards. With hot conditions forecast, we have a very simple message for anyone heading to the coast.
Enjoy the weekend but make sure that if you’re heading to the beach, visit a patrolled location and only swim between the red and yellow flags.
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Perth man faces firearm, drug charges after police seize homemade pen gun
Elsewhere, Western Australia police have arrested a man for various offences after a homemade pen gun and other items were seized in a raid.
Just after 8am on Wednesday, detectives who were attending a property on Brown Crescent on a warrant seized ammunition and a homemade operable pen gun, manufactured to resemble a marker.
A number of other items, including an electronic stun device, knuckle dusters and drugs and cash were also seized.
A 25-year-old man from Perth suburb Seville Grove was charged with various drug and firearm-related charges, and is next due to appear in the Armadale Magistrates Court on 3 October.
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Skateboarder killed in truck collision at Moe in Victoria
AAP is reporting that a man riding a skateboard has been hit by a truck and killed in Victoria’s Gippsland region.
Police say the rider, who is yet to be formally identified, was struck by the vehicle in the town of Moe just after 7pm on Thursday.
Both were travelling east along Narracan Drive at the time of the accident.
The skateboarder was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries and died a short time later.
The truck driver stopped at the scene and is assisting Major Collision Investigation Unit detectives with their inquiries.
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Good morning, Mostafa Rachwani with you for the day’s news.
Fans return to Melbourne’s sporting precinct ahead of the AFL grand final
It’s a public holiday in Victoria today, because nothing should interfere with the lead-up to the AFL grand final.
And what a day for it. Sunny, 25C, perfect for the grand final parade, which will see thousands of fans returning to the Melbourne sporting precinct instead of the Yarra River, AAP reports.
The motorcade procession is back on Friday morning after last year’s grand finalists were made to travel on boats as fans watched from the banks of the Yarra.
Many supporters canned the experiment, saying they couldn’t even see the players from popular vantage points.
“The boats had some great elements, but ultimately we wanted to bring the fans and players closer together,” AFL customer and commercial general manager Kylie Rogers said.
Collingwood and Brisbane players will depart Melbourne Park Oval on the back of utes at 10.30am, before travelling through Birrarung Marr park to the footy festival site outside the MCG.
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Long-awaited disability report to be published
Many Australians are in for a “massive shock” when the government unveils the long-awaited findings of the disability royal commission today, Australian Associated Press reports.
But People with Disability Australia board president, Nicole Lee, believes they will not surprise those living with disabilities.
“This report is going to come as a massive shock to people, but it’s not going to come as a shock to disabled people – we know what we’ve lived with,” she told AAP.
Through written submissions, private sessions and public hearings, commissioners have heard from about 10,000 Australians who shared their experiences of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation.
Disability worker and People with Disability Australia board member Clare Gibellini was one of them.
“I was incredibly nervous about possible repercussions, about reliving some of the things that I’ve seen and experienced,” she told AAP.
“I felt a really strong sense of empowerment from being able to tell my stories to someone who would listen.
“I was very aware of the weight of the responsibility of sharing the stories of others, so that’s why it means so much to me that it’s taken seriously, because it’s important - these stories and these experiences are happening right now.”
The lead-up to the release of the findings has made for an extremely emotional week for the disability community, compounded by an ABC Four Corners investigation that revealed children with autism and intellectual disabilities had been pinned to the ground during an NDIS-funded therapy.
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Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our rolling news coverage. I’m Martin Farrer and I’m bringing you some of our top stories before my colleague Mostafa Rachwani takes over.
Our top story this morning is that thousands of books from some of Australia’s most celebrated authors have allegedly been pirated by the US-based Books3 dataset and used to train generative AI for corporations such as Meta and Bloomberg. Richard Flanagan, who found 10 of his works had been used, said: “I felt as if my soul had been strip-mined and I was powerless to stop it.”
With temperatures hitting 35C in Sydney this weekend, Sunday’s NRL grand final is expected to be played in the hottest conditions ever recorded. The mercury is also soaring in Victoria and will hit 29C for the AFL Melbourne showpiece tomorrow. In the far west of Victoria and the south-west of NSW the temperature could be 12C above average, the Bureau of Meteorology’s senior meteorologist, Angus Hines, said.
Today is expected to see the release of the long-awaited report of the royal commission into disability. The commission heard from thousands of Australians through written submissions, private sessions and public hearings, with people sharing their experiences of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation. And the disability community is waiting with bated breath to see if any tangible, positive change will come out of the report.
