What we learned today, Thursday 6 July
That’s about all we’ve got time for today. Here’s a bit of what we learned:
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said opposition leader, Peter Dutton, was “more interested in culture wars than he is in helping on issues of the economy” after being asked to respond to Dutton’s accusation that Albanese is so “obsessed” with the voice that he is taking his eye off the economy.
Liberal MP Matt Kean slammed the “no” campaign over what he called “the racist trope of Thomas Mayo” in an ad run in the Australian Financial Review this morning. Nine, the publisher of AFR, later issued an apology for the advertisement, saying it should not have run.
Independent senator Lidia Thorpe says she expects to be shut out of contributing to the “no” essay in the official referendum pamphlet, despite opposing the Indigenous voice and campaigning against its success.
The home affairs minister, Clare O’Neil, slammed Donald Trump Jr on Twitter - in tweets she has since deleted - as “a bit of a sore loser” and “a big baby” after his tour to Australia was postponed.
Australia should stand up for the “fair go” by recognising Palestine as a state, according to the head of the Palestinian delegation in Australia, Izzat Abdulhadi.
The chief of the defence force, Gen Angus Campbell, said thorough action in response to allegations of war crimes in Afghanistan was “utterly critical” to restoring Australia’s moral authority, both at home and with allies.
The Australian government’s detention of a refugee in Melbourne hotels was legal, a court has ruled, in a blow to humanitarian campaigners who argued it was cruel and unnecessary.
Delays hit international flights out of Australia due to a technical outage of the system processing passengers, leaving airlines forced to process passengers manually.
Fire and Rescue NSW crews have extinguished the fire at a detention centre at Villawood in Sydney’s west today, during which detainees on the top floor had to smash windows and jump onto mattresses below to escape the smoke.
A fire has erupted from a building in the inner Melbourne suburb of Southbank, with smoke pouring over the city.
And Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta has launched its rival to Twitter – Threads – claiming five million people signed up for it in the four hours after its launch on Thursday.
Thanks so much for your company. See you tomorrow.
Updated
Protesters arrested as bulldozing begins at NT Gouldian finch habitat site
Traditional owners in Darwin have made an emergency application urging the federal environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, to order that bulldozing of native forest near the NT capital be stopped on cultural heritage grounds.
Video posted on social media shows bulldozers clearing savanna woodlands at Lee Point, less than 20km from Darwin city, to make way for a defence housing development.
Binburra/ Lee Point, right now. pic.twitter.com/1TBqo0Z2G2
— Martine Maron (@martine_maron) July 6, 2023
Plibersek approved the clearing last month, but acknowledged there was a significant risk to more than 100 endangered Gouldian finches spotted in the area. She said it could go ahead with some changes to the original proposal, including a 50 metre buffer around the known finch habitat near a waterhole.
Ten people were arrested in a protest at the site today and dozens of scientists attending an ecology conference in Darwin were headed to the site late this afternoon.
Traditional owners said the area, also known as Binybara, had trees that dated back to 1759. They said they feared the site’s history and culture could be lost in the next few days.
The organisation Environmental Justice Australia lodged the application with the minister to halt the clearing under section 9 of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act.
Larrakia Danggalaba elder Tibby Quall said her people had been living off the Binybara land “since time immemorial”:
I’m 74 and I’ve been living here and taking family to Binburra my whole life. It’s a sacred place.
Why are they building in a place where thousands of people enjoy fishing, hunting and exercising every day of the week?
Plibersek’s office has been asked for its response.
Updated
Here are some images of the scene of that factory fire at Melbourne’s Southbank this afternoon.
Updated
Former ministerial staffer suing NSW Liberal party
Despite being aware of serious allegations of misconduct, the Liberal party was able to sit on its hands and do nothing because it did not have to face the legal consequences, a court has heard.
Former ministerial staffer Natalie Baini is suing the New South Wales division of the Liberal party, alleging she was unfairly blocked from being preselected for the inner west Sydney seat of Reid at the 2019 federal election.
On Thursday, Baini acknowledged that the party’s status as an unincorporated association meant it could not actually be pursued in the lawsuit.
She told the NSW supreme court that this status should not be misused as a “shield” that prevented accountability.
Read the full story here:
Updated
Lidia Thorpe says she has been ‘excluded’ from writing voice no pamphlet
Independent senator Lidia Thorpe says she expects to be shut out of contributing to the “no” essay in the official referendum pamphlet, despite opposing the Indigenous voice and campaigning against its success.
However, the Victorian politician has flagged sending her own literature to voters, even if it isn’t included in the pamphlet.
Thorpe said in a statement today:
The Coalition has made it clear to my office that they are the ones writing the No pamphlet and that they are only interested in my contribution if it aligns with their priorities. They will decide what goes in the pamphlet.
As we have reported, the Coalition has the majority on the “no” committee and will therefore basically be able to decide on their own what goes in the “no” essay that will be distributed to all voters.
Pauline Hanson, another “no” voter, has complained about her views potentially being excluded.
Thorpe, the left-wing former Greens senator backing a so-called “progressive no” vote, has aired similar concerns:
I’ve been excluded from the writing of the no pamphlet as there are no processes in place to provide a fair discussion of what should be in it or to ensure that my analysis of the voice will be shared with the Australian people.
Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, shadow Indigenous Australians minister and leader of the “no” campaign, declined to answer numerous requests for comment from Guardian Australia in recent days about whether Thorpe’s views would be included.
Thorpe said she would be “putting out a statement on the voice with a focus on providing information to those voting on the referendum that is factual, [that] explains how the voice is just another advisory body that can be ignored by government and [which] was not informed by self-determination.”
Updated
Here’s a screengrab from some of the footage of the Melbourne fire this afternoon.
Updated
Southbank, Melbourne, fire update
More on that fire in Melbourne’s Southbank: a Fire Rescue Victoria statement says the fire involves two small factories and that there are no reported occupants in the buildings.
Police officers and paramedics are also at the scene.
Updated
Earlier, we brought you the news that a fire had broken out in the Villawood detention centre.
Here is some footage of the detainees trying to escape from upstairs rooms.
Updated
Melbourne city building on fire
A fire has erupted from a Melbourne city building, with smoke pouring over the city.
Social media footage shows the building in Southbank engulfed in flames.
Fire Rescue Victoria says there is no threat to the community but residents should remain indoors and monitor conditions. Fire Rescue Victoria crews are attending the scene on Clarendon Street.
Updated
AFR says voice 'no' ad ‘should not have run’
Nine, the publisher of the Australian Financial Review, has just issued an apology for the “no” campaign advertisement published this morning.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the company said:
The political advertisement about The Voice Referendum placed into today’s Financial Review should not have run and we apologise for that. We want to encourage a mature debate from both sides and avoid personal and/or inappropriate attacks.
Updated
Sydney public transport delays on T1, T2 and T5
There is public transport chaos brewing in Sydney this afternoon with a number of train services out of action due to “operational issues” and “staffing and resourcing issues”.
Various Sydney train lines – including the T1, T2 and T5 lines – are reporting services not running and at least an extra hour of travel time for those that are.
At about 3pm, Sydney Trains’ T1 twitter account posted:
Most Cumberland Line trains are not running due to a staff resourcing issue. T1 Western Line trains are not running between Parramatta and St Marys and between Parramatta and Blacktown/Richmond.
A later update suggested trains were running again but that there were delays and possible changes to stops.
Commuters were urged to allow extra time, delay their trips or consider alternative transport options.
Updated
Marcus Stewart from the Referendum Working Group has been speaking on ABC TV this afternoon about the “no” campaign’s advertisement today (which you can read more about here).
He said he “felt sick” when he saw the ad:
How can you sit comfortable in portraying our people like that? It’s offensive, it’s upsetting and I think we’re better than that. Let’s argue this on its merits on the reform, let’s not get personal, let’s not actually portray people and belittle people, we’re better than that.
To look at the picture and think it anything but racist is insane.
Updated
International flights leaving Australia set to be delayed after IT outage
Delays are expected to hit international flights out of Australia due to a technical outage of the system processing passengers.
There were queues at international check-in counters at Melbourne airport on Thursday, after the system relied on by the Australian Border Force (ABF) stopped working.
An ABF spokesperson told Guardian Australia that check-in staff at all international check-in points across the country have had to revert to manual processing of passengers where applicable.
Manual processing has meant queues are moving “very very slowly” according to those on the ground at Melbourne airport, and Guardian Australia understands the outage will likely lead to delays to international flights later on Thursday.
Disruptions are understood to be less severe in Sydney and Brisbane, with manual processing numbers so far proving more manageable due to the number of flights and passengers at those airports throughout the first half of Thursday.
The outage has meant the ABF’s passenger screening information is not being communicated to desks where airlines are checking in passengers, forcing checks to be done manually.
Guardian Australia understands additional ABF staff are working in response to the outage.
The ABF spokesperson said the force “can confirm our service provider who manages the Advanced Passenger Processing systems (APP) is experiencing an IT outage”:
The system outage is affecting the APP in all international check-in points. We are working with the service provider to assist with resolving the matter urgently.
Updated
Looking ahead to the robodebt royal commission, one woman wants answers
The same questions still consume Colleen Taylor.
They have persisted in her mind, unanswered, in the half a decade since she quit Centrelink, despondent that her efforts to raise the alarm about robodebt were being ignored at the highest levels.
Now, in little more than 24 hours, the robodebt royal commission may finally give her some answers.
Read the full story here:
Updated
James Paterson calls Clare O’Neil’s tweets ‘childish’
Liberal senator James Paterson has continued to attack the home affairs minister, Clare O’Neil, for her now-deleted tweets calling Donald Trump Jr a “big baby”.
Paterson wrote on Twitter:
It’s good to see these childish tweets have now been deleted. The minister should leave the woke tweets to Labor backbenchers and get back to focusing on the serious national security challenges facing Australia.
Updated
Thank you for sticking with me through a long day of news.
I am now off to prod around Threads. Handing the blog over to Stephanie Convery, who will roll your breaking news through the evening.
Updated
High public interest in AFL private images according to Google data
Looks like the search for “AFL nude” is even higher than “AFL nudes,” according to Google Trends.
can confirm search for 'AFL nude' is even higher https://t.co/icc58laQSy pic.twitter.com/EfDJsCT8DR
— Dave Earley (@earleyedition) July 6, 2023
Updated
Storms forecast for Victorian coastline this weekend
A big storm surge is forecast for the weekend across the Victorian coast, with sea levels over a foot above the normal tide, bringing stronger winds, ocean waves to 6m and high tides.
Big storm surge forecast for the weekend, with over a foot of extra sea level above the normal tide, maybe comparable to the 2014 event (which flooded Nepean Hwy at Frankston!).
— Andrew B. Watkins (@windjunky) July 6, 2023
Winds with a long fetch of over 30knots, ocean waves to 6m, and high tides. https://t.co/nnohWg5OyL pic.twitter.com/TEwkT6VVkA
Updated
New sex discrimination commissioner announced
Attorney general Mark Dreyfus announced Prof Anna Cody as the Australian Human Rights Commission’s new sex discrimination commissioner today.
Cody’s position will start on 4 September. She is currently dean of the school of law at Western Sydney University.
We welcome the appointment of Professor Anna Cody as our new Sex Discrimination Commissioner, announced today by Federal Attorney-General @MarkDreyfusKCMP. Prof. Cody will start in the position on 4 September. https://t.co/IcyBmaHIjG pic.twitter.com/aGUEUf3Xog
— Australian Human Rights Commission (@AusHumanRights) July 6, 2023
Updated
World record broken in Birdsville for number of people dancing to Nutbush City Limits
A little break from lots of heavy news today: 5,838 people have broken the world record for the largest Nutbush City Limits dance at the Birdsville Big Red Bash.
News from Queensland - 5,838 revellers have boot-scooted their way to a world record for the largest Nutbush City Limits Dance at the Birdsville Big Red Bash. The previous record was 4,084 set at the 2022 event
— Kristie Sullivan (@kristiesulliv) July 6, 2023
The previous record was 4,084, set in 2022.
Updated
Dutton ‘more interested in culture wars’ than economy, Albanese says
Prime minister Anthony Albanese has said opposition leader Peter Dutton is “more interested in culture wars than he is in helping on issues of the economy,” after being asked to respond to Dutton’s accusation that he is so “obsessed” with the voice that he is taking his eye off the economy. The comments came during a press conference today in Newcastle, NSW.
It was the Coalition that were asking every question about the voice. We’ve been talking about the economy and putting things in place about the economy. The coalition, under Peter Dutton, have nothing to say except no. No to every initiative that’s put forward.
And just over a week ago on July 1, you had new initiatives begin … This is a government that’s been concerned with our economy and assisting to take pressure off cost of living whilst not putting pressure on inflation.
Peter Dutton is more interested in culture wars than he is in helping on issues of the economy. He just says no to everything, and that’s a matter for him to explain.
Updated
Fire extinguished at Villawood detention centre
Fire and Rescue NSW crews have extinguished the fire at a detention centre at Villawood, in Sydney’s west today, according to a statement.
“More than 40 firefighters were called in to attack the ‘4th alarm’ blaze,” the statement reads.
The blaze broke out in the two-level facility on Birmingham Avenue around 11:20am.
Three aerial pumpers, specialist hazmat and rescue crews were deployed.
During the early stages of the fire, three detainees on the top floor smashed windows and jumped onto mattresses below to escape the smoke, the statement said.
They were assessed at the scene alongside 12 staff who sustained smoke inhalation by NSW Ambulance paramedics.
FRNSW firefighters managed to quickly contain and extinguish the fire.
They are now pulling apart the ceiling within the compound to ensure it has not spread into the roof void.
Updated
Spike in online searches for ‘AFL nudes’ after leak of private images
There has been a spike in searches for “AFL nudes” according to Google Trends, despite the league and clubs pleading with people not to seek them out.
Google trends showing a spike in searches for 'AFL nudes' (despite the league and clubs pleading that people don't seek them out). pic.twitter.com/mAfkGLxs8k
— Rafqa Touma (@At_Raf_) July 6, 2023
The online leaking of private images featuring AFL players has been labelled “nasty, appalling and disgusting”, AAP reports.
St Kilda coach Ross Lyon said:
It’s a weird world we live in, isn’t it?
I don’t like to see anyone injured, anywhere – particularly AFL players, which is my community.
So I wish all the best for those players and for the authorities to take care of it.
The Players Association and the AFL have asked the public not to share the images.
“This is an appalling and disgusting act and a likely unlawful breach of privacy that is unacceptable,” the association said.
Here is the full story:
Updated
James Paterson criticises Clare O’Neil for now-deleted tweet
The shadow minister for home affairs, James Patterson, has taken to Twitter condemning minister for home affairs Clare O’Neil – suggesting her criticism of Donald Trump Jr could sabotage diplomatic projects like AUKUS.
“Like it or not, Trump could be elected president again in less than 18 months,” he says. “If that happens, I hope for the sake of the AUKUS agreement that cabinet ministers in national security portfolios are able to restrain themselves from juvenile tweets like these.”
O’Neil’s tweet – which has now been deleted – called Trump Jr “a bit of a sore loser,” confirming he had received a visa amid his tour to Australia being post-poned.
Updated
‘We can’t get out’ heard in TikTok from those trying to flee Villawood fire
Here is a TikTok from inside the Villawood detention centre after a fire broke out.
Black smoke can be seen crowding halls and billowing from a window.
An alarm blares out with a call to “evacuate now”.
The people taking the video repeatedly yell to people outside the window: “we can’t get out” and “we can’t breathe”.
They attempt to leave through the window, which appears to be above ground level.
The fire comes after a man was found dead in Villawood last Friday.
Updated
Take five to improve your concentration and performance, USYD study finds
An Australian study shows having a short five-minute break can enhance concentration and improve performance, AAP reports.
A break between long stretches of concentration has gained popularity thanks to the Pomodoro Technique, a popular university practice.
It was named after the Italian word for tomato and created by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s.
Working for 25 minutes then taking a five-minute break is the ideal block.
Attention is finite without intervention, according to Paul Ginns, an expert in educational psychology at the University of Sydney.
The recent USYD study suggests that short breaks show promise under the right circumstances.
You need to be doing something different for five minutes.
We wanted to test how we can restore attention and it’s delightful that it can be as simple as a five-minute rest break.
It’s an easy productivity hack that is accessible to everyone.
Updated
Passport processing system crashes at all international check-in points
The service provider managing advanced passenger processing systems is experiencing an IT outage, an Australian Border Force spokesperson has confirmed among reports of chaos at airports nationwide.
All international check-in points are being impacted by the system outage.
“We are working with the service provider to assist with resolving the matter urgently,” the spokesperson says.
“The ABF will revert to manual processing of passengers where applicable.”
Updated
Fire at Villawood detention centre, detainees evacuating
A fire has broken out in the Villawood detention centre, refugee advocates say.
The Refugee Action Coalition say the fire started about 11.30am in the La Trobe building.
Immigration detainees could be seen evacuating the building, the group said, but it was believed there may still be people inside.
Updated
Clare O’Neil says Donald Trump Jr is ‘a bit of a sore loser’ after Australian tour postponed
The home affairs minister, Clare O’Neil, has slammed Donald Trump Jr on Twitter as “a bit of a sore loser” after his tour to Australia was postponed:
Geez, Donald Trump Jr is a bit of a sore loser. His dad lost an election fair and square – but he says it was stolen.
Now he’s trying to blame the Australian government for his poor ticket sales and cancelled tour.
Donald Trump Jr has been given a visa to come to Australia.
He didn’t get cancelled.
He’s just a big baby, who isn’t very popular.
Updated
‘No place’ for ‘racist’ ad in AFR: MPs
More MPs have responded to the Vote No campaign ad appearing in the AFR today.
Labor MP Alicia Payne says “there should be no place for this disgusting racist crap in Australia”:
There should be no place for this disgusting racist crap in Australia. The referendum is an important discussion for our nation that needs to had respectfully. https://t.co/xxYQQMRmxg
— Alicia Payne MP (@AliciaPayneMP) July 6, 2023
Independent MPs Monique Ryan and Zali Steggall also slam the ad as “racist”.
In a few small steps the No campaign has reduced a respectful and important national conversation to racist, sexist, insulting tropes.
— Dr Monique Ryan MP (@Mon4Kooyong) July 6, 2023
We are SO much better than this.
Australians are kind and compassionate people. That’s why they’re voting Yes. pic.twitter.com/nRsM5s6vmE
Steggall questions whether the “racist trope” reflects the AFR’s “values”.
“With media freedom comes responsibility and this is unacceptable”:
Does this racist trope reflect your values @FinancialReview? With media freedom comes responsibility and this is unacceptable. It highlights the deeply racist beliefs of Advance Australia & should never be accepted for publication. #auspol pic.twitter.com/06rULxT3Pe
— 🌏 Zali Steggall MP (@zalisteggall) July 6, 2023
Updated
Miniature Pomeranian stolen from vehicle in Melbourne
A miniature Pomeranian named Marbles is believed to have been stolen from an unlocked car in Brunswick East in Melbourne’s inner north.
Victoria police have released an image in the hope someone may be able to provide information on her current whereabouts:
Officers believe that an unknown offender has removed and stolen Marbles from an unlocked grey Kia Sportage, sometime between midday and 12.30pm yesterday. The car was parked on O’Connor Street near the intersection of Lygon Street.
The eight-year-old Pomeranian was secured inside a canvas crate on the front seat of the car at the time. Marble was wearing a red collar.
Investigations into the incident are ongoing.
Updated
PM pays tribute to West Australian police officer
The prime minister Anthony Albanese has released a statement mourning the death of constable Anthony Woods, who died after being dragged under a car during an arrest.
“Like all police officers, Constable Woods knew the risks his job entailed. Yet he bravely performed his duties, putting himself in harm’s way so others could be safe,” the statement reads.
Vale Constable Anthony Woods. pic.twitter.com/PuQSSyL3as
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) July 6, 2023
Updated
Matt Kean slams no campaign ad that contains ‘racist trope’
Liberal MP Matt Kean slams the no campaign over what he calls “the racist trope of Thomas Mayo” in the AFR today.
The full page ad “has no place in Australian politics,” he says:
It’s a throwback to the Jim Crow era of the Deep South.
The No Campaign has every right to be heard but can do much better than this.
The racist trope of Thomas Mayo in today's full page AFR ad has no place in Australian politics. It's a throwback to the Jim Crow era of the Deep South. The No Campaign has every right to be heard but can do much better than this. pic.twitter.com/D6Hf4IhXE2
— Matt Kean MP (@Matt_KeanMP) July 6, 2023
Thomas Mayo – a signatory and advocate for the Uluru Statement from the Heart – is a Kaurareg Aboriginal and Kalkalgal, Erubamle Torres Strait Islander man. He is the assistant national secretary of the Maritime Union of Australia.
Updated
Threads app already flooded with users within two hours of launch
There have been 2 million sign ups in the first two hours of Meta’s Threads life, Mark Zuckerberg has announced.
⚠️ 2mil sign ups on Threads in the first 2hrs pic.twitter.com/EHnlaEUTHq
— Rafqa Touma (@At_Raf_) July 6, 2023
(But I had to post it on Twitter because Threads cannot be embedded into the liveblog.)
Updated
Australia should recognise state of Palestine, de facto ambassador says
Australia should stand up for the “fair go” by recognising Palestine as a state, according to the head of the Palestinian delegation in Australia, Izzat Abdulhadi.
Abdulhadi argues Israel’s “brutal” military operation in the city of Jenin only increases the urgency for bold steps.
He says the Israeli government was continuing to establish settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories and “we will not be left with any land to establish our own state”.
Read more from our foreign affairs and defence correspondent Daniel Hurst:
Updated
ADF must restore moral authority with thorough action in response to war crime allegations: Angus Campbell
The chief of the defence force, Gen Angus Campbell, says thorough action in response to allegations of war crimes in Afghanistan is “utterly critical” to restoring Australia’s moral authority, both at home and with allies.
Campbell made the comments in an interview with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s publication The Strategist, published online today.
Campbell said the response needed to include “not just the question of investigating but dealing more broadly with the breadth of the cultural professional issues that emerge as much as dealing with the investigations”.
Campbell argued the ADF’s operational capability relied “in large part” on Australia’s “capacity to win the friends and partners who will stand with us in conflict”. He told The Strategist:
We need to be a force that people want to serve in, but also to join with in partnership across nations. We have never fought alone. We never want to fight alone. What a tragedy if, because of real or perceived lapses in our military conduct, we found ourselves alone.
So, while there was never any suggestion that that would be the case in this particular circumstance, that’s the kind of impact an ill-considered approach to your own behaviour can have on building the kinds of partnerships we want if we are to deter and defend and to build that idea of a free, open, stable, prosperous community of nations in which Australia and Australians are secure.
Updated
Judge delivers scathing rebuke of hotel detention, despite ruling it legal
The judgment by federal court justice Bernard Murphy is a blow to humanitarian campaigners who argued the detention of refugees in hotels was cruel and unnecessary and hoped it might lead to hundreds of compensation payouts.
Mostafa “Moz” Azimitabar, who was detained for 15 months in two Melbourne hotels, unsuccessfully sought damages from the federal government for what he believed was an unlawful detention that left him “dreaming of sunlight”.
Murphy ruled the federal government did have the appropriate legal authorisation to detain Azimitabar in two Melbourne hotels, but delivered a scathing rebuke of the policy and said his judgment “should not be seen as an endorsement”:
I can only wonder of the lack of thought – indeed, the lack of care and humanity – in detaining a person with psychiatric and psychological problems in the hotels [for] 14 months, primarily in hotel rooms with windows that only opened 10cm and, for most of the time, without access to an outdoor area or to breathe fresh air or feel the sun on his face.
Anyone who endured even two weeks of hotel quarantine during the Covid-19 pandemic would surely understand how difficult it must have been. As a matter of ordinary human decency, the applicant should not have been detained for such a period of time in those conditions.
The decision in this case does not turn on the humanity of the applicant’s detention, it is about whether the minister had power under the act to approve hotels as places of immigration detention. The minister had, and has, the power to do so.
Updated
Court rules hotel detention of refugee in Melbourne hotel was legal
The Australian government’s detention of a refugee in Melbourne hotels was legal, a court has ruled, in a blow to humanitarian campaigners who argued it was cruel and unnecessary.
Mostafa “Moz” Azimitabar, who was detained for 15 months in two Melbourne hotels, sought damages from the federal government for what he believed was an unlawful detention that left him “dreaming of sunlight”.
On Thursday, Justice Bernard Murphy dismissed Azimitabar’s application and found the federal government did have the appropriate legal authorisation to detain him in two hotels.
But Murphy was clear that the decision should not be seen as an endorsement of hotel detention, telling the court he could “only wonder of the lack of thought, the lack of care and humanity” from those who introduced hotel detention.
Australia’s Department of Home Affairs used commandeered hotels as so-called alternative places of detention – known as Apods – for refugees and asylum seekers brought from offshore detention centres for medical treatment.
Azimitabar, a Kurdish musician, fled persecution in Iran and was held in Australia’s offshore detention regime in Papua New Guinea for more than six years. He was seriously ill and brought to Australia under the medevac laws for treatment in Melbourne.
Azimitabar had severe asthma and was struggling to breathe even before he was transferred to Australia.
Azimitabar wrote to the immigration minister seeking the written approvals establishing the Park and the Mantra hotels as places of detention, as required under the Migration Act. He did not receive a reply.
The statement of claim before the federal court argued that even if there was written ministerial approval, establishing a hotel as an Apod – “with the characteristics of a detention centre” – was still not within the minister’s power under the act.
Updated
‘Clear need for immediate action’ on rent freeze, says NSW Greens’ Jenny Leong
Record rent increases show an urgent need for a rent freeze, the Greens NSW spokesperson for renters’ rights and housing, Jenny Leong, has said.
Rental affordability is at its worst. There is a clear need for immediate action to address record-high, skyrocketing rents.
More and more people are experiencing severe rental stress, and there is a dire shortage of affordable rentals.
The Greens are calling for a freeze on rents for two years, and for making unlimited rent increases illegal:
There is a bill before the NSW parliament right now that would put a stop on out-of-control rent increases and give renters urgent relief from the stress of worrying about rent hikes or evictions – we could have this in place within the month if the NSW Labor government backed it in.
Every day that the government stands in the way of action to limit the cost of rents is another day that a renter will face eviction because of an unfair rent hike they cannot afford.
Updated
Kerry Chant urges flu shots for children before next school term begins
The NSW chief health officer, Kerry Chant, is urging parents to vaccinate their children against the flu before the school term starts up – warning in particular about influenza B affecting school-age children.
What we are seeing is that children under 16 years of age represented about half of all presentations for influenza-like illness and over a third of all influenza-like illness hospital admissions in the past week.
Updated
Threads app: Instagram owner launches Twitter rival in 100 countries
Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta has launched its rival to Twitter called Threads.
The app is trying to woo users from Elon Musk’s troubled platform. It bears a striking resemblance to Twitter visually, and with its functions (though some wording is changed … retweets are called reposts, and tweets are called threads).
Posts on Threads can be 500 characters long (almost double Twitter’s limit), up to five-minute long videos can be posted, and a post can be shared as a link on other platforms (it looks quite pretty on Instagram stories, with a swirly black background). Threads users do need an Instagram account to log in.
Apparently Shakira and Gordon Ramsay are backing the app.
Yes, I’m overwhelmed. Yes, I just joined two minutes ago.
You and I can both learn more here:
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PM asked whether he made ‘a cheeky phone call’ to RBA about pausing rate rises
Anthony Albanese tells Triple M Newcastle he did not “make a cheeky phone call to the Reserve Bank” to pause interest rate rises.
“I get that people are doing it quite tough, so many people, and it was good to see that happened,” he said, before being interrupted by Toto – AKA “the most vicious, killer cavoodle you’ve ever seen”.
Quite the exchange between the PM and Triple M Newcastle after a lengthy NRL and cricket chat. “The news team are after a grab.. did you make a cheeky phone call to the Reserve Bank on Tuesday….. “ Toto interrupts the flow. pic.twitter.com/CLOmTnVFba
— Karen Barlow (@KJBar) July 5, 2023
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Telcos’ responsibilities to offer hardship assistance to be enforced with new rules
The federal government is bringing telcos’ social responsibilities close to requirements of energy companies – they will have to offer financial hardship assistance to customers so they do not lose access to work, education and other critical services.
The communications minister, Michelle Rowland, has directed the Australian Communications and Media Authority to introduce enforceable standards for telcos by the start of next year, AAP reports.
Just two-thirds of telco customers experiencing financial difficulties were aware they could contact their provider for help.
More than one in 10 Australians have issues paying their telco bills, but just 0.03% of residential customers were in financial hardship programs.
Rowland said:
Given the current cost-of-living pressures that many Australians are facing, it’s important we have clear and enforceable rules so telcos give appropriate support to consumers doing it tough.
Updated
Minister tells Indigenous Australians to ‘stay strong’ after research reveals staggering workplace discrimination and harassment
The assistant Indigenous Australians minister, Malarndirri McCarthy, has urged Australia “stay strong” as damning research reveals the staggering rates of workplace discrimination Indigenous people experience, AAP reports.
The latest data from Diversity Council Australia shows 59% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees faced discrimination or harassment in the workplace this year.
“I would say to all Australians, but in particular First Nations people, you stay strong,” McCarthy told ABC TV this morning. Her words come off the back of the inflamed debate around the voice referendum:
We are going to get through this, it will be a much better Australia and I am confident … that ordinary Australians can see through all of the rubbish that’s being said that hurts and discriminates against people.
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Victorian Coalition calls for suburban rail loop funds to be reallocated to airport rail project
The Victorian opposition today are calling on the state government to pause works on its pet project – the suburban rail loop.
Sound familiar?
That’s because shelving the project was one of their key election promises at the November election. At the time, they called for the $9.6n in state funds allocated to the first stage of 90km underground railway – between Cheltenham and Box Hill – to be reallocated to the health system.
This time, they’re calling for the same cash to be reinvested into the delivery of the much-awaited airport rail project, which has been put on hold as the federal government conducts its infrastructure review.
The Coalition’s transport infrastructure spokesperson, David Southwick, said the Andrews government’s record debt means Victoria “must prioritise the projects that are needed the most”:
Airport rail is one-third the cost of SRL East, has funding commitments and will genuinely benefit every Victorian – not just those in one part of Melbourne.
Recent infrastructure works and delays have exposed decades of underinvestment in the rail network across Melbourne’s west. These communities deserve a modern rail network and airport rail is the place to start.
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‘Quite a conundrum’: childcare fees higher in areas with more competition, says ACCC chair
Childcare fees in Australia are outpacing inflation with rises of up to 32%, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s interim report into childcare has found.
ACCC chair, Gina Cass-Gottlieb, says “we are trying see whether … it reflects an ability to charge the price because parents, having made a decision to take childcare … we can see that their first step is: can I afford it at all?” on ABC RN this morning:
In major metropolitan areas, there are, you would expect, more services per 1,000 children, so more competition.
But we find that the prices are somewhat higher in these areas, even though there’s more competition. So this is quite a conundrum for the competition regulator. What is happening here?
And this is potentially reflective – but in these areas where there is generally higher income and higher capacity to pay what the centres are charging, [it is potentially] reflective of the higher capacity to pay and less price sensitivity.
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Six children rescued after police bust alleged network of child abusers
Six children under the age of 10 have been rescued after police busted an alleged network of child abusers operating in Queensland and other states, AAP reports.
Six search warrants have been executed across Queensland and other jurisdictions in the past six months, by officers from the Queensland police Gateway child protection and investigation unit and the Whitsunday.
Seven people have been charged with a total of 44 child sexual abuse offences.
Those charged ranged in age from 26 to 44.
A 27-year-old Aspley man faces 17 charges – including grooming a parent or carer of a child, indecent treatment of a child, and using a carriage service to access child abuse material, as well as drug supply and buying restricted medicines.
A 44-year-old Hendra woman was charged with multiple drug offences, while a 26-year-old North Lakes woman and a 29-year-old Jubilee Pocket woman were each charged with indecent treatment of a child and being involved in making and distributing child exploitation material.
Gateway DI John Mison said the network stretched from central Queensland to the southern states:
An organised network of child sexual abusers has been dismantled through a series of complex investigative strategies, which has resulted in six children being rescued.
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Chalmers to announce whether Lowe will be reappointed by end of July
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, is expected to announce the decision on whether to continue the Reserve Bank of Australia governor Philip Lowe’s tenure or replace him by the end of this month, AAP reports.
Speculation about who the government could select to replace Lowe include the Treasury secretary, Stephen Kennedy, the finance department secretary, Jenny Wilkinson, the RBA deputy governor, Michele Bullock, and high-ranking former RBA officials David Gruen and Guy Debelle.
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'Poor old Philip Lowe': Jane Hume says RBA governor should be reappointed
The federal Coalition says the Reserve Bank of Australia’s governor, Philip Lowe, is “well-qualified” to remain in the job when his term expires in two months, AAP reports.
Lowe is widely expected to leave in September after instigating an interest rate tightening cycle in May last year.
But senior Liberal Jane Hume, chair of the Senate select committee on the cost of living, says Lowe should be reappointed on Nine’s Today show:
We’re in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis right now.
Consistency is very much the key to managing the economy.
He is certainly well-qualified to stay in the position.
Hume says Lowe had been unfairly demonised by the Labor government:
The government have pointed to high rates and said ‘see, that’s his fault’.
Poor old Philip Lowe is doing his job.
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Patricia Karvelas challenges Littleproud’s Covid reasoning behind the Murray-Darling Basin delays on ABC RN this morning.
“This isn’t a new problem … Your government was in power when a 2019 Productivity Commission report warned that there had been limited progress returning the water to the environment,” she says. “Why didn’t you change course?”
Littleproud’s response:
This is a very technical piece of legislation … The 450 is additional to the 2,750 gigalitres of water in the plan, the Productivity Commission looked at the 450 gigalitres, there’s only been 2 gigalitres recovered on the 450 …
Because the neutrality test on social and economic impact on rural communities have not been passed to get more water back out of it – that’s a test the Labor government put in place, that we adhere to that the states agreed to.
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Littleproud says PM’s voice proposal has ‘overreached’
David Littleproud agrees that mortgages are going up because the prime minister is “obsessed” with the voice, as put by opposition leader Peter Dutton.
Littleproud tells ABC RN:
He [is] going down a path that’s divided the country and meant that the attention has been taken away from managing people’s cost-of-living crisis, and focused on trying to win a referendum in which he has overreached in conflating a voice with constitutional recognition.
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Littleproud blames Murray-Darling plan delays on Covid
The shadow minister for agriculture, David Littleproud, says Covid is the reason for delays on the Murray-Darling Basin plan – which the minister for environment, Tanya Plibersek, said were either left to drift or actively sabotaged by the Liberals and Nationals a few days ago.
Littleproud says on ABC RN:
I think what we understand is that it actually was on track and still is on track. There’s this thing called Covid that actually put a dent in it.
So when I was water minister, one of the things that I apparently got through – and I gotta say, with the help of Tony Burke, as the shadow – was to get through parliament, what they call the sustainable diversion limits. And what that was, is … instead of doing buybacks, we could invest in infrastructure that gave the efficiency of water back to the environment without taking off the farmer. And states put projects up now.
That’s taken some time. Some of those are really big projects. And what’s happened is Covid slowed that down.
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NSW flu update
An update on influenza and its impact on children and young people is coming from NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant, NSW chief paediatrician Dr Matthew O’Meara and director of the National Centre for Immunisation, Research and Surveillance Prof Kristine Macartney today.
We will bring you more details at 10am.
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Rents still soaring
Rents are rising (again) across Australia – and Sydney is seeing the fastest rise in 20 years. A median unit now costs more to rent in Sydney than a median house in every other state capital.
Read the full story from our economics correspondent Peter Hannam here:
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Good morning
Thank you Martin Farrer for manning the blog this morning!
I’m Rafqa Touma, and I’ll be with you for the day. If you see anything you don’t want the blog to miss, let me know @At_Raf on Twitter.
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Data breach confirmed
Government agencies were affected by the cyber attack on law firm HWL Ebsworth and sensitive information was released, Australia’s cybersecurity co-ordinator has confirmed.
Air Vice-Marshal Darren Goldie said the firm, which has clients at government level in every state and territory, was working with the government to address impacts from the April breach. In a statement posed to Twitter yesterday he said:
“A number of Australian Government entities have been impacted by the HWL Ebsworth cyber incident, with sensitive personal and government information released.
I am actively engaging with HWL Ebsworth to understand the complete picture of this incident, including how their private industry clients have been impacted, as the data analysis continues.
Affected individuals were being notified about the impacts of the data breach, he added.
Hackers from Russia claimed last month to have published data from the HWL Ebsworth breach on the dark web. The firm confirmed then it was investigating the claim.
Along with government departments and agencies, HWL Ebsworth counts some of Australia’s biggest banks among its clients.
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PTSD investigated among asylum seekers
Detaining people seeking asylum in Australia more than doubles their odds of developing post-traumatic stress disorder, Australian Associated Press reports.
A national study published in the Journal of Traumatic Stress investigated the mental health impacts of immigration detention on 334 asylum seekers.
The researchers Walter Forrest and Zachary Steel drew on results of a long-term study by commonwealth officials, external stakeholders and refugee experts. They said:
We conservatively estimate that detention more than doubled the odds of having probable PTSD and likely increased the odds of developing probable PTSD more than seven times …
Even if most detainees recover from the distress of detention, its consequences may endure if the distress occurs during critical periods.
These periods included entering the workforce, enrolling in education and caring for young children.
The authors restricted their analysis to asylum seekers on the Australian mainland who were listed as the primary applicant on their visa forms.
Some 234 people came to Australia by boat and were classified as unauthorised maritime arrivals, while the remaining 100 asylum seekers arrived in Australia by other means.
Participants came from Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and Pakistan.
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NSW LGBTQI hate crimes inquiry to wrap up examination of possible police bias
The spotlight on NSW police investigative practices relating to LGBTQI hate crime homicides is due to be switched off today, Australian Associated Press reports.
The NSW special commission of inquiry, in its 13th block of hearings, is examining the police approach to suspected hate crimes against LGBTQI people between 1970 and 2010.
The inquiry’s chair, supreme court Justice John Sackar, has heard over two days about possible police bias against victims when handling investigations and unaccountable record-keeping practices.
The inquiry was also presented with information about police being unable to produce key physical evidence because it had been “lost or destroyed”.
The hearings will move to investigate evidence in the case of Robert Malcolm, which was delayed because police failed to produce records of the case.
The inquiry will also return to other delayed case studies. Sackar will deliver his final report in August.
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Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our rolling news coverage. I’m Martin Farrer and I’ll be bringing you some of the main breaking news this morning before my colleague Rafqa Touma takes the reins.
Australia’s rental “pressure cooker” continues to heat up as rents climbed again in the last three months, particularly in the biggest cities. Data from Domain today shows that a median unit now costs more to rent in Sydney than a median house in every other state capital. Median rental in Sydney now stands at $670 a week, a rise of 8.1% in the last quarter and an increase of 27.6% from a year earlier.
The data also reveals that rents on apartments in major urban centres are nearing the price of leasing an entire house, as migrants add to demand for inner-city living.
There is new scrutiny on consulting firms after the PwC scandal, and a former KPMG partner turned whistleblower has urged the federal government to consider a royal commission into the industry and to formally ban firms that breach legal and ethical standards.
There may be a row brewing today about the postponement of a speaking tour of Australia by Donald Trump Jr, son of the former US president. He was due to speak at events in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne, starting off this Sunday. But the promoter, Turning Point Australia, announced yesterday that “due to unforeseen circumstances” the appearances would be postponed, saying cryptically that the US “isn’t the only country that makes it difficult for the Trumps”.
And naked pictures of past and present AFL players have been posted online without their consent. The AFL has launched an investigation into the sharing of the images, and the players’ association has called the post “appalling and disgusting”. But it’s not clear why it’s been done or by whom.
