What happened on Friday 14 April 2023
With that, we’ll wrap up our live coverage of the day’s news.
Here’s a summary of the day’s main news:
Federal police charged an Australian man with a foreign interference offence as part of an investigation initiated by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation.
A New South Wales paramedic had stopped at McDonald’s during an early morning shift break before he was fatally stabbed outside the fast-food restaurant in Sydney’s south-west on Friday morning. Police say the 29-year-old father was grabbing a bite to eat with a colleague after finishing a job nearby.
Swimming Australia is searching for another new chief executive after the shock resignation of Eugenie Buckley with immediate effect on Friday.
Queensland police officers will be banned from using chokehold restraints immediately, bringing the state into line with other jurisdictions.
NSW premier, Chris Minns, has announced sweeping changes to the NSW public service less than a month after he led Labor to victory at the election, which he says are needed to support the state through significant budgetary woes.
Prominent Australian journalist Kerry O’Brien has delivered a passionate defence of the Indigenous voice to parliament, during the first day of hearings of the joint select committee on the wording of the voice referendum.
Communities in the path of Tropical Cyclone Ilsa are being warned to brace for dangerous weather, as it works its way inland.
Former NRL player Jarryd Hayne has been jailed ahead of his sentencing hearing after being found guilty on two counts of rape.
The acting prime minister, Richard Marles, says students’ leadership qualities shouldn’t be tied to their sexuality as a major church group calls for the right to exclude gay pupils from roles like school captain.
Have a pleasant evening.
Updated
Australian arrested and charged over alleged foreign interference
Federal police have charged an Australian man with a foreign interference offence, after he returned from overseas to Sydney on Friday.
The Australian federal police (AFP) will allege the man, who normally lives overseas, was contacted by “an individual, purporting to be from a think tank” via social media “while he was offshore and made arrangements for him to meet with their representatives”.
In a statement, the AFP said:
It is alleged that on a number of occasions the man met with two individuals, known to him as “Ken” and “Evelyn”, who offered the man money to obtain information about Australian defence, economic and national security arrangements, plus matters relating to other countries.
It is alleged the Australian man compiled a number of reports for the individuals and received payment for those reports.
The AFP will allege “Ken” and “Evelyn” work for a foreign intelligence service and are undertaking intelligence collection activities.
The AFP believes other Australian citizens and residents may have been approached by “Ken” and “Evelyn” and is urging those individuals to provide information.
The 55-year-old man was arrested at a home in Sydney’s Bondi on Friday. He will face Parramatta local court on Saturday to face one count of reckless foreign interference, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years’ imprisonment.
Updated
National Art Gallery director responds to media criticism
National Art Gallery director, Nick Mitzevich, was given a timely opportunity to respond in parliament this afternoon to a scathing comment piece published in today’s The Australian.
The paper’s art critic, Christopher Allen, suggested Mitzevich was among a group of “sub-intellectual” public gallery directors “who know little about art and are visibly more concerned with politics, fashion, money and ideological self-positioning than with the serious cultural role that they should be playing”.
When asked by Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young during a parliamentary inquiry into the government’s new national cultural policy to respond to what she called the Australian’s “hit job”, Mitzevich said he believed he had history on his side.
“It’s not a popularity contest, it’s a science,” he told the inquiry. “History shows it is art critics and journalists who get it wrong. We get it right which is why our institutions continue to flourish.”
Earlier this week the NGA said it would launch an inquiry into allegations made by The Australian that non-Indigenous assistants were painting works signed by First Nations artists from the APY Land for a forthcoming NGA exhibition in June.
The APYACC has denied the allegations.
Last week the gallery was one of nine national collecting institutions to share in a half billion dollar rescue package announced by the Albanese government, to help fix, among other things, the national gallery’s leaky building problem.
Updated
Wayne Swan re-elected as Labor party national president
ALP national secretary, Paul Erickson, announced the results late on Friday, which also included the election of Susan Close MP as national vice-president and re-election of Mich-Elle Myers as the other vice-president.
Swan, treasurer under the Rudd and Gillard governments, was first elected as ALP national president in 2018.
Close is an MP for Port Adelaide in the South Australian government as is also the deputy premier of the state.
Myers is prominent in the union movement – she is the campaigns director and elected national divisional women’s representative of the Maritime Union of Australia division of the Construction Forestry Maritime Mining and Energy Union.
The term of office for all three positions will commence when the ALP’s three-day national conference begins on 17 August.
Updated
More victims of Tasmanian education department data breach
A further 14,000 people could be affected by a cyber attack from which hackers have released over 16,000 education department documents.
The Tasmanian government on 7 April revealed that financial statements and invoices, containing names and addresses of school students and their parents, had been released onto the dark web.
The documents were gained through a hack on third-party file transfer service GoAnywhere MFT.
Earlier this week, the department for education, children and young people contacted about 150,000 people and businesses whose data was potentially at risk.
Science and technology minister Madeleine Ogilvie said:
Through extensive investigations by our cyber team, we have now identified approximately 14,000 additional individuals whose data may have been compromised.
Out of an abundance of caution, those identified will be contacted (on Friday).”
Ogilvie said there was no evidence further data had been released but the state government was prepared for the possibility of it occurring.
The state government has set up a dedicated webpage and phone hotline to assist with enquiries and provide information Tasmania Police has reached out specifically to domestic violence survivors to offer additional support if they have privacy concerns.
-AAP
Updated
French says voice doesn’t divide by race, but provides recognition
The Joint Select Committee into the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice referendum has wrapped up for the day, including a late exchange between the Labor MP Shayne Neumann and French where he confirmed making representations to parliament and the executive was in the same “conceptual basket” as providing advice.
Asked about words being thrown around that the body would have a “de facto veto role” to change public holidays, French was stumped on the logic.
I don’t know what a de facto veto role is but national days are days which presumably are proclaimed by some sort of delegated instrument … ultimately an executive act. That would be no more than advice and it certainly wouldn’t bind anybody and it wouldn’t be a veto.
What is a de facto veto? ... I’m still at a bit of a loss. I don’t think it’s got anything much to do with this act.
He also emphasised the voice doesn’t divide Australians by race, but provides recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples not as a race but as the first peoples of Australia – “which goes back up to 65,000 years before the enactment of our constitution”.
The basis of the creation of the voice is their status as First Peoples.
Updated
French says he wouldn’t add any words to referendum question
Murphy wraps up questioning with French. She asks him for his perspective on an earlier suggestion to add new words to subsection three making it clear there is no obligation for the body to be consulted with on all matters.
He says he wouldn’t add anything, and there’s always a risk with inserting words in the pursuit of precision, though “that doesn’t mean … there might not be some political utility in inserting those words” to ensure greater support.
Asked about suggestions the body will exercise power over the governor general and the reserve bank and effectively have a veto over public holidays, he replies:
No substance in it. I’ll be polite about it.
The voice does … provide us the opportunity for a mechanism that will enable us to develop more coherent and finely tuned policies and practices as well as laws in trying to deal with one of the most important and difficult areas in government that we have. If I were confronted with this provision as a judge … it’s a big thing, to draw a constitutional implication and the implications which have been suggested are not supported by the text and will be inconsistent with it.
Updated
French confirms voice body not obliged to advise government
The Labor MP Peta Murphy asks French to weigh in on concerns the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander body “must” make representations to the government:
Given the proposed words say the voice may make representations to the parliament and executive parliament, it can’t be implied that it either must make representations?
French replies:
Absolutely not. That’s why the word may is used.
To say that somebody is empowered to do something and that a facility or mechanism is created by which they can do it does not then engender a whole lot of ancillary implied constitutional obligations.
He reiterates the voice won’t lead to substantial litigation or delay in any decision-making, and given the “immense range of matters” that may impact Indigenous people it’s illogical to imply there’s a duty to consult across everything.
I don’t think there is any reasonable basis for a constitutional implication that representation by the voice is a mandatory relevant consideration for the exercise of any particular executive power … that wouldn’t stop parliament from saying certain classes of decision would require a representation to be taken into account before the decision was made but that would be a matter for the parliament.
Updated
French warns against adding extra words to referendum question
Wolahan raises a “risk” submitted to the joint committee that the wording in the voice referendum implies there is an “obligation” to consult with the body:
The explanatory memorandum seeks to address in its last line by saying ‘the constitutional amendment would not oblige the parliament or executive govt to consult the voice’. If the draft wording was crafted to better reflect that intent do you see any risk in that occurring?
French says “the problem with adding words is you can always generate a new argument with any additional word that you add”.
People tried to make the migration act and all its regulations more precise with a plethora of words and every new word was a jurisdictional error waiting to happen.
I understand the … political utility of giving comfort to people by adding words to make that explicit. I don’t have an argument against that but I suspect that the position is already covered … but to say it’s unnecessary doesn’t mean it might not be useful in terms of political support for the amendment. I wouldn’t want to make a clear cut statement that it creates a legal problem.
Updated
Robert French on law as art or science
The Liberal MP Keith Wolahan asks French for his perspective on the argument that “law is an art, not a science”, and that reasonable minds can and do passionately disagree.
French says he doubts that Wolahan, in his former life as a barrister, ever said “we will certainly win”.
Law involves evaluative judgements upon which reasonable minds can differ you’re quite right. When somebody gives a legal opinion … when you in your formal life as a barrister gave legal advice, I doubt you ever said we will certainly win.
What you’re doing is predicting how some other person or group of persons will respond to your arguments. When we get to legal texts be they contracts, statutes or constitutional provisions there’s never absolute precision – there’s always a boundary area of choice.
When you say art – if I accept that as meaning evaluative judgements upon which fine legal minds may differ – then you’re right.
Updated
Robert French: ‘Very substantial’ cohort of Indigenous leaders to compose voice
The Hon Robert French AC is appearing now at the joint select committee on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice referendum. French is on the board of the Polly Farma Foundation, which provides enrichment programs for First Nations secondary students.
He says there’s been a “tendency to view the debate [on the voice] through the prism of longstanding social and economic problems”, reflected in the ongoing narrative to close the gap.
There is inspiration and hope to be derived from the plethora of good things happening in the area of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs. This is to be derived from the extraordinary resources of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership … I’ve had in my professional life the privilege of engaging in a number of different ways with some of those people.
French says there is, across the country, a “very substantial” cohort of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders who can compose the voice, backed by local rural and remote bodies.
Those stories tell us what is possible and in my opinion the voice offers an opportunity to develop a mechanism which can inform parliament’s law making so far as it impacts on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Updated
Voice will have no veto power, former judge says
The former high court justice, Kenneth Hayne, has told the voice inquiry that the voice would not have any veto power.
“I cannot see anything in those drafts that comes anywhere near providing anything like a veto,” he said.
On the idea of who the voice could speak to, he said “the voice will not waste its social or political capital by exploring the outer range of its scope of representation”.
That is “an unreal case or distorting possibility or extreme example”, he said.
Updated
Tobacco vending machines could contribute to smoking relapse, inquiry hears
Tobacco vending machines in Queensland pubs and clubs are either “anonymous, drab units” or potential contributors to smoking relapse, a state parliamentary inquiry has been told.
Purchases from the machines account for a tiny fraction of total tobacco sales, but a state government proposal to limit access has prompted calls to go further with reform, as well as calls to back off, AAP reports.
Under a bill tabled by the state government last month, venue staff would have to retrieve cigarettes from a vending machine housed in an area not accessible by patrons.
The ACT bans vending machines entirely, Tasmania has a similar restriction and tobacco vending machines in NSW and South Australia must have a staff intervention mechanism.
There’s evidence to suggest the presence of vending machines can trigger unplanned purchases of tobacco and undermine attempts to quit, committee members were told on Friday.
“A prohibition on vending machines will help to further de-normalise the use of smoking products and eliminate a strong visual cue which has the potential to trigger smoking relapse,” Sharyn Chin Fat, senior manager at Cancer Council senior manager, said.
A ban was supported by a number of health groups appearing at Friday’s hearing, but there was significant pushback from the hospitality industry.
AAP
Updated
Kerry O’Brien labels voice ‘simple’ and ‘unthreatening’
The prominent Australian journalist Kerry O’Brien has delivered a passionate defence of the Indigenous voice to parliament, saying the nation is at an “absolutely pivotal moment” in demonstrating “our ability to learn the lessons of the past”.
O’Brien was speaking at the first day of hearings of the joint select committee on the wording of the voice referendum.
O’Brien, who said he has been “sitting in the box seat of history for more than 50 years” as a journalist and government adviser, said the voice was a “simple and unambitious and unthreatening” proposal that should have the chance “to mature and grow and evolve, just as the parliament of Australia did.”
Read more:
Updated
NSW minister labels frontline workers ‘heroes’ after paramedic death
The New South Wales health minister, Ryan Park, has thanked frontline workers following the death of a paramedic this morning.
He said the circumstances of the death were “simply beyond comprehension” and extended his condolences to the young man’s family.
He said:
Our paramedics have been some of the heroes of the pandemic over the last few years.
To have one of their own lose their life in this way is without a doubt a heavy burden for all of them to carry and my thoughts are with our paramedics and emergency call responders across NSW.
Updated
Neck restraint technique discontinued by Queensland police
The controversial Lateral Vascular Neck Restraint (LVNR) technique has been discontinued as a use of force option for all Queensland police officers effective immediately.
In a statement, the Queensland police service said a “final decision by the commissioner was made today following a 12-month organisational review into the technique used by officers when applying force in high-risk situations”.
The ban follows the formation of a working group last year to examine a range of considerations surrounding the use of the LVNR for officers.
Commissioner Katarina Carroll said “the QPS is committed to enhancing our practices to ensure we are delivering high quality policing services to the community we proudly serve”.
She said:
While it has been available to officers for a long time in Queensland, the options for officers to apply force in challenging and life-threatening situations have increased and broadened since its introduction over 30 years ago.
The decision aligns Queensland with all other Australian policing jurisdictions who no longer use the technique.
Updated
That’s it from me today, I pass the baton onto Elias Visontay. Have a great weekend!
Legal experts fend off voice criticisms at inquiry
The constitutional barrister Bret Walker tells the voice inquiry it’s “bizarre” to suggest the inclusion of a reference to “executive government” will mean people bringing lots of high court cases. The 10 year review litigation won’t reveal litigators have been “run ragged keeping up with a deluge of cases”, he said, calling such an idea “doomsaying”.
The constitutional lawyer Anne Twomey said the high court was “not in the business of trying to destroy government” and mentioned a soon-to-be published piece on the Australian Public Law website that shows executive government means minister and government departments but does not include all statutory bodies (meaning the voice being able to make representations to executive government doesn’t mean they can do that to everyone in the public service).
(Yet another constitutional lawyer), George Williams, said the voice would go some way towards finishing the “unfinished business” of the 1967 referendum that recognised Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. He said the constitution is a document that does not reflect the people “who have been the custodians of these lands and waters” for tens of thousands of years.
Updated
Lawyer says voice will squander resources if spread ‘too thin’
The constitutional lawyer Anne Twomey has told the inquiry she is confident the voice will stay focussed on core issues facing First Nations people. She said it would squander its resources and influences “by seeking to spread itself too thin over a wide area of matters”.
She said:
The level of your influence only goes as far as the level of your expertise.
If the voice goes out and tries to make representations about what submarines Australia should buy or whatever, well it’s going to both dilute its influence because people will think it’s crazy, it’s going out doing things that aren’t within its area of expertise, but more to the point that its constituency of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will be awfully furious that it is not focussing on the things that are relevant and important to them.
She said the wording could always be more precise, but that there was always a balance between law and politics, so for the referendum the wording needed to be easily understood.
Updated
Kerry O’Brien has told the joint select committee on the voice referendum the voice is “unthreatening” and as an advisory body to the parliament and executive, it will have a chance to “mature and grow”.
Watch for yourself:
Updated
Barrister says voice wording ‘vaults over race’
At the voice inquiry, the constitutional barrister Bret Walker has responded to accusations the voice separates Australia by race and contributes to inequality. He said the proposed wording “vaults over race” to recognise people were “supplanted against their will” and who “have not been dealt with very generously ever since”.
He said:
I’m really sorry that there is anybody who, sharing my revulsion at race in the constitution, thinks that [the wording] does anything to make it worse.
The banner of equality is not one which is appropriately waved against 129. They’re not being given through the voice the possibility of making representations that other people can’t make. It’s the combination of recognition and a kind of reparation, which in my opinion cannot possibly, seriously or charitably be seen as an exercise of inequality.
Updated
Lawyer says ‘executive council’ should be removed from voice wording
Louise Clegg, a barrister from PG Hely Chambers, and the constitutional lawyer Prof Greg Craven are now fronting the voice referendum inquiry.
Clegg said the “executive council” part of the proposed wording should be removed “entirely”.
She said there was “no prescription” in the Uluru statement about what should be in the wording. She said:
It’s just a document. It’s a beautifully worded, very impressive document. But of course, of course it doesn’t prescribe what that should be. And certainly in the referendum council would have taken that into account in 2017 when it was considering it so to exclude the executive would still, in my opinion, satisfy the statement from the heart, but I’m not an indigenous person. And I don’t have as much standing on that fact.
Craven – who is opposed to the reference to executive government - said there had been “mission creep” by the working group in drafting the wording. He said after discussions on the actual wording the draft had gone into a “black box” and it was “very surprisingly different” to what he thought when it came back out.
Updated
Minor flooding expected from Cyclone Ilsa
Smith says minor flooding is expected as a result of the heavy rain brought by the cyclone’s system.
The De Grey river catchment received 150mm-200mm of rainfall, causing streams to rise rapidly, he said.
Smith warned there could be minor flooding at the Great Northern Highway and that road conditions would not be good.
A flood warning remains current for the De Grey River and the flood warning also extends into the Sandy Desert where the system is going to track during today.
Updated
Cyclone Ilsa expected to weaken
Smith says the bureau is expecting the system will be below cyclone intensity by tomorrow when it tracks into the Northern Territory.
The system has been downgraded to a category 2 cyclone and passed directly over Telfer in the last couple of hours. They had category 2 wind gusts there. Conditions are going to start to ease in Telfer over the coming hours.
But there’s still a cyclone warning out for Telfer and also for communities well inland through the great sandy desert. We have communities, Kirrakurra and others which are still in that warning zone … even though the system has crossed the coast, please remain vigilant. We are expecting damaging to destructive winds today and into this evening as the system continues to track towards the east.
As we go into tomorrow where we are expecting the system to be below cyclone intensity and tracking off into the Northern Territory.
Updated
Wind gusts from Cyclone Ilsa strongest on record
Todd Smith from the Bureau of Meteorology steps up after the minister. He says the 289km/h wind gusts recorded yesterday are likely the strongest ever recorded by the bureau in Australia:
Last night, severe Tropical Cyclone Ilsa crossed the coast as a category 5 cyclone close to the Pardoo Roadhouse, and at that time, it was packing wind gusts well in excess of 250km/h and we’ve seen some of the significant damage that’s come out of that part of the world this morning.
Yesterday afternoon when it tracked over the island, our automatic weather station recorded a wind gust of 289km/h. We’re going to do some checks on the data there, but it’s likely that that will go down as the strongest wind gusts ever recorded by the Bureau’s equipment in Australia.
The fact that the cyclone took a south-eastward shift in the track late yesterday afternoon really means that Port Hedland dodged a bullet last night. Most of the impacts as we’ve seen are further to the east, and the impacts in Port Hedland were really light with the system tracking about 150km further along the track.
Updated
Cyclone Ilsa downgraded to category 2 system
Western Australia’s acting emergency services minister, Sue Ellery, is providing an update on Tropical Cyclone Ilsa:
It crossed the coast near Pardoo, 150km north of Port Hedland at around midnight at a category 5 system. This is still a live cyclone and danger still exists for the communities in its path.
It’s the first category 5 system to make landfall in WA since 2009, and it’s brought very destructive winds and heavy rail to an area between De Grey and Pardoo Roadhouse.
Fortunately, major population centres like Port Hedland and Bidyadanga were spared the worst of the cyclone. And I’ve been told that early assessments in those areas show damage is fairly minimal.
However, as you have seen this morning, Pardoo Roadhouse copped the full impact of the cyclone. Its owners have confirmed significant damage. It would have been for them a terrifying night, and a distressing sight this morning.
It’s also important as I said to note that this situation is still developing. Ilsa is continuing to move eastward now as a category 2.
Updated
Liberals say ‘undefined’ voice could see changes to Australia Day
The deputy Liberal leader, Sussan Ley, is claiming that the “undefined” scope of the Indigenous voice to parliament could see changes to Australia Day and Anzac Day.
Ley told 3AW Mornings today:
The scope of the voice as described by the prime minister is deliberately undefined. So that means the prime minister can’t rule out that the voice has the de facto veto rule on, for example, our national days of commemoration such as Australia Day or Anzac Day.
The minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney, yesterday ruled out the possibility that the voice could make changes to Australia Day:
It won’t be about making changes to things like Australia Day. That is an act of desperation to start talking about things like that.
The acting prime minister, Richard Marles, earlier this morning called the speculation a distraction.
All of that is about trying to create distraction away from what should be the central issue here, and that is recognising our First Nations people in the constitution, which Australians want to see happen.
Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley now asking if the Voice would cancel Anzac Day
— Josh Butler (@JoshButler) April 14, 2023
(A reminder that the nation’s top constitutional experts and several High Court judges say it will have no veto power & the government won’t be obliged to follow its representations) pic.twitter.com/rwSXKuJKxP
Updated
Christian Lobby repays government $380,000 in Jobkeeker payments
The Australian Christian Lobby has voluntarily repaid $380,000 in Jobkeeper payments from the Covid-19 pandemic after the lobby group faced criticism of accepting the money while also reporting a jump in revenue.
When the Morrison government announced the $90bn Jobkeeper payments to businesses and charities to keep them afloat during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown period in 2020, businesses had to show they’d had a 50% decline in revenue, while not-for-profits and charities had to show a fall of at least 15%.
Businesses and charities that saw a turnaround in revenue were not forced to pay back the money, but many were publicly pressured.
One of those pressured was the ACL, which initially reported accepting $138,000 in Jobkeeper payments despite its revenue for the period increasing by over 12% to $5.8m.
The lobby group has quietly repaid the money taken, however. The group’s financial report for the last financial year shows $379,500 in Jobkeeper payments were repaid. It came as the group’s revenue rose to $10.2m for the financial year.
As of the end of 2021, Guardian Australia reported Australian companies listed on the stock exchange repaid 5.73% of the $4.2bn in jobkeeper they received.
Updated
Taronga Zoo welcomes three new baby spider monkeys
The babies, born in Sydney across the space of a few months to mums Rosa, Hiccups and Jai, are playing an important role in the survival of the critically endangered species, AAP reports.
Habitat loss, hunting and the exotic pet trade have imperilled the South American apes, making Taronga’s breeding program all the more vital, the primate keeper Sasha Brook said.
The three young females are flourishing on the zoo’s primate island as they learn to eat, play and climb.
Brook said:
It’s really exciting to have three new babies and to see the whole troop pitching in. It’s a real family affair.
Hiccups has always been a really good aunty to the other babies we’ve had in the troop but hasn’t had offspring herself for a really long time, so it’s really nice to see her having a baby of her own.
Visitors eager to see the pint-sized primates during the Easter holidays are advised to come during feeding time, between 12.30pm and 1pm daily.
Updated
Government to seek national approach for school mobile phone ban
The education minister, Jason Clare, says the government will seek to implement a national approach to the banning or restriction of mobile phones in schools.
NSW joined Victoria, SA, WA and the NT in banning the devices at the beginning of April.
Speaking to Sky News, Clare said there was a “good argument” moving from a state-wide and school-based approach to the ban to a federal level.
If you’re focused on your phone, you’re not listening to the teacher. That’s the fundamental point. That’s what parents tell me ... but also at lunchtime, instead of looking at your phone, you’re talking to your friends or you’re playing sport.
Clare will next meet with his counterparts in the middle of the year. He said the upcoming meeting would also look at ChatGPT technology and its capacity for plagiarism.
Clare:
In some states, they’ve banned it in classrooms, in others they haven’t. That’s another example of where we’re looking to develop a national approach for use in all our schools.
Updated
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, has paid tribute to the paramedic who died after being stabbed at a McDonalds in Sydney’s south-west early this morning.
This morning we lost the life of a young paramedic who was killed while on duty.
— Chris Minns (@ChrisMinnsMP) April 14, 2023
He dedicated his professional life to helping others.
To all those mourning after hearing this news - my heart goes out to you.
And to every paramedic in our state - thank you for all that you do.
Photos show Cyclone Ilsa’s destructive power
The owner of the Pardoo Roadhouse, which was destroyed as Cyclone Ilsa ripped through the area in northern Western Australia, has posted these pictures on social media.
Kelly Anne said the damage would cost them $4m – but everyone was safe:
The team from Pardoo Roadhouse and Tavern wish to let everyone know that all staff are safe and well, and for that, we are truly grateful.
Pardoo Roadhouse is a family-run business; we are a close-knit team. This is not just where we work; this is our community and home.
Updated
Business group warns workplace reforms may stymie wages
The Business Council of Australia has raised concerns about the government’s proposed crackdown on insecure work, including its promise to nail down a definition of casual work and guarantee labour hire workers “same job, same pay”.
The BCA head, Jennifer Westacott, said the tranche of reforms could leave Australia with “rigid and outdated” workplace practices at a time of grave economic challenges.
She said:
At a time of global economic uncertainty, skyrocketing inflation and a global cost of living crisis, Australia has almost full employment and wages are beginning to strengthen.
Every time we want to make a change we should ask ourselves, what are we risking?
On the definition of casual work, the BCA says there’s no case for change as the number of casual employees is going backwards as a portion of the whole workforce.
But the government worries that too many employees are falling under the casual classification despite working regular, predictable hours like a permanent employee.
While casual employees do get paid more to compensate for sick leave and other entitlements enjoyed by permanent employees, the government believes job security is also important and says a definition will open a clearer pathway to permanent work.
But the BCA warns a definition that treats casuals as permanent if they work regular hours could be problematic and risk employees double dipping on their entitlements and getting both casual loading and paid leave.
- AAP
Updated
Queensland MPs criticise church’s call for right to exclude LBGTQ+ pupils from school leadership roles
A church’s comments that students should not be school captains if they are “actively” gay or having sex before marriage are inappropriate, two Queensland MPs have said.
The Presbyterian Church of Australia, which runs several Queensland colleges, told an anti-discrimination law review that those students would “not be able to give appropriate Christian leadership in a Christian school which requires modelling Christian living”.
The education minister, Grace Grace, said it was “not appropriate” for students to be denied opportunities “for the reasons given in the submission, which have no bearing on anybody’s leadership ability”.
She said the submission also “raises several issues around students’ right to privacy.”
The youth affairs minister, Meaghan Scanlon, said the Queensland government would not “tolerate” discriminatory views in a state school.
This is, however, a church running [private schools].
I do not think that students should be punished for their gender identity or whether they are sexually active … It sends a message of hate and division and that is not what Queensland is about.
Updated
Paramedic who died after stabbing attack ‘wanted nothing more than to serve his community’
New South Wales’ ambulance commissioner, Dominic Morgan, has spoken about the paramedic who died after he was stabbed at a fast food restaurant in Campbelltown Sydney’s south-west early on Friday.
Police arrested a 21-year-old man at the scene.
Morgan said:
This is a young man, who his father tells me, from the age of five years old, knew that he wanted to be a NSW Ambulance paramedic. He wanted nothing more than to serve his community.
He’d been with us a relatively short period of time, had recently found out that he was being posted back to south-west Sydney. I’m told he was just so pleased that he was going to be able to stay here with his family, bring up his children, and look forward to the area that he lived in and loved more than anything.
Deputy police commissioner, Mal Lanyon, said police were called to the fast food restaurant at about 5:30am on Friday after reports an ambulance paramedic had been stabbed.
On arrival, police were confronted by a 21-year-old man … who was armed with a knife. In order to render assistance to the ambulance paramedic police were forced to use a taser and subsequently arrested that 21-year-old male.
Lanyon said police “have received information very early in the investigation that the man that we have arrested may have been driving around the Ingleburn and Campbelltown areas” in a blue Honda Jazz, and asked for any member of the public who may have information or may have sighted the vehicle to contact Campbelltown police station.
NSW Health secretary, Susan Pearce, held back tears as she spoke about the incident. She said:
The health system is one big family and to lose someone in this way is incomprehensible to us.
Updated
Pat Anderson has told the voice parliamentary committee about the effort Indigenous leaders have to go to “every time there is a change in government; a change in minister … a new head of department”.
Watch here:
Updated
Paramedic dies after McDonald’s stabbing in Sydney
A New South Wales paramedic has died after being stabbed in Sydney’s south-west early this morning.
Police were called to the incident at the Campbelltown McDonald’s on Queen St about 5.30am.
The male paramedic was treated at the scene before being rushed to Liverpool hospital, where he later died.
Police arrested a 21-year-old man at the scene and he remains at the Campbelltown police station.
A crime scene has been established and specialist officers have been forensically examining the site.
Local detectives are working with the state crime command’s homicide squad to investigate the death.
Updated
Direct enrolment program expanded for Australians in remote communities
The electoral commission will expand its direct enrolment program after its success in raising enrolment numbers in remote communities through the program.
Trials led to more than 1,400 new enrolments across Western Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory.
Off the back of that success, electoral commissioner Tom Rogers said they were expanding the program making more remote communities eligible:
To directly enrol someone the law requires not just the verification of trusted data but also a notification – we’ve now established new methods for that following careful consideration and trials.
The use of community mailbags and email as methods of notification for people without mail delivery to their residence has proven to be effective in many cases with appropriate rules and processes built into when it can be applied.
These processes are now part of the AEC’s ongoing direct enrolment program for the next application to be processed soon across the country and will assist in further raising enrolment in remote communities.
Updated
Marcia Langton tells voice hearings ‘we’re sick of silence’
Prof Marcia Langton was co-author of the oft-quoted Calma-Langton report into how a voice would operate, commissioned by former Indigenous Australians minister Ken Wyatt for the Morrison government.
Langton told the joint select committee on the voice referendum there was deep cynicism and despair in Aboriginal communities that any level of government would ever listen to them about having their essential needs met.
Langton said local people in consultations told her there was a lack of continuity in policies that affected their lives and wellbeing:
A new bureaucrat comes in, they only last for about two years on average. And the bureaucrat comes into a region, and people said to us, we have to start all over again. And so again, and again, and again, they’re raising urgent issues like housing or clinic issues … and so on.
And also they said, the older people especially … ‘We’re sick of silence’.
I got the distinct impression everywhere I went, that people want the voice to be enduring. And they believe that the proposal for a constitutional enshrinement of the voice is the right way to go about giving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people a say in matters that affect them.
And obviously huge support for the Uluru statement from the heart.
We went into communities where the situation is so dire that the feeling that people have governments have failed them is evident. The evidence is right in front of one’s eyes.
I think there’s a feeling of desperation in the communities. Will anybody ever listen to us about the housing situation? The sewerage?
The “Fifo bureaucracy probably spends more money on air fares than in the communities they’re consulting”, she added.
The committee is about to take a short break and will next hear from Uluru statement campaigner Thomas Mayo and distinguished journalist Kerry O’Brien, who have co-authored the forthcoming “voice to parliament handbook”.
Updated
Ley calls statistics on child abuse in NT a ‘national tragedy’
Dutton has been questioned about the source of his information that child sexual abuse is rampant. Ley finishes her speech providing these statistics:
Now, I’ve seen reports this morning that the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found in 2021 that when it comes to substantiated child abuse, the national average is 16.6 for 1000 kids, and in the Northern Territory, it is 63.8.
The report said that for children aged one to four years, the national average is 9.2, and in the Northern Territory, it is 26.6. And for children aged five to nine, the national average is a 8.2 and in the Northern Territory, it is 22.7.
And my great fear is that given the increase in alcohol-fuelled violence in Alice Springs, these numbers could very well be a floor, not a ceiling.
The devastation being wrought on children in Alice Springs and across the Northern Territory demands action because this is not about politics, this is about leadership.
There is a national tragedy unfolding in Alice Springs with women and children at risk of violence, and sexual assault. And there’s a crisis spiralling in aged care across this nation.
The prime minister needs to get off the beach and get back to work. It can’t be right that Australia’s national leader is kicking back on holidays while some of Australia’s most vulnerable are being kicked out of their homes.
Updated
Accusations against Dutton of playing politics with abuse claims in Alice Springs ‘frankly disgusting’: Ley
Ley finishes with remarks on the situation in Alice Springs, saying it is offensive and wrong to accuse Peter Dutton of playing politics with children.
Dutton has claimed rampant child sexual abuse is happening throughout Alice Springs but isn’t being addressed.
As a mother, as an Australian, as a human being – I cannot fathom how we are not seeing better, more urgent and more humane responses to the national tragedy in the Northern Territory from the Labor governments in both Canberra and Darwin.
Instead of demonstrating leadership, we are seeing political accusations levelled at Peter Dutton that are quite frankly disgusting. Peter Dutton started his working life as cop. It was his job to go into broken and damaged homes and save children.
This is what he did – day in and day out. He was there to protect kids who had no one to protect them. So, to accuse Peter Dutton of playing politics with children is so offensive and wrong.
To see the Northern Territory government seek to attack him for going to Alice Springs and listening to local communities is ridiculous.
Updated
Albanese must ‘cut his holiday short’ to address aged care ‘crisis’, Ley says
Ley said the changes to the aged care sector were rushed because Anthony Albanese and Anika Wells wanted to look impressive, and is calling on the government to take responsibility.
There were a lot of people out there who voted for Labor because they thought they would deliver better aged services.
Well, today, because of Anthony Albanese’s rushed changes, which went totally against the advice of the experts, aged care homes are closing across the country.
The sector said this would happen. The Coalition said this would happen. In recommending a timeline one year later, the royal commission said this would happen. The warnings have been clear for months.
Now the government says, ‘oh well, if providers need more time, we will try and make it work’. It’s a bit like saying after the train tracks need repair, we will look at doing work after a motor vehicle train crash occurs because of dodgy work on the tracks.
It is time for the Albanese government to put their hand up and accept responsibility for this and deal with the crisis that they have created here. The aged care minister is not up to it and she’s gone missing in action so the prime minister needs to cut his holiday short and come and deal with the crisis.
Updated
Sussan Ley blames Labor aged care policy for closure of nursing homes
The deputy opposition leader, Sussan Ley, is speaking in Sydney, criticising the Albanese government’s aged care policy for causing the closure of aged care homes. Wesley Mission yesterday announced it would close three aged care homes in Sydney.
Ley is calling for the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, to come back from leave to deal with the “crisis” she says his government has created:
It can’t be right that Australia’s national leader is kicking back on holidays while vulnerable older Australians are being kicked out of their homes.
Australia’s aged care system is in crisis today because of this Labor government. Just over a year ago, weeks out from the federal election, Anthony Albanese’s key promise in his 2022 budget reply, was to force every aged care home to have a nurse in the facility, 24/7 by July this year.
It was a political promise that he fought hard on and committed to time and time again. It was not in line with the timeline are set out by the royal commission. And it was not in line with the expert advise that we were working off when we were in government.
Anthony Albanese ignored the experts and listen to the pollsters. He weaponised and aged care for his own political advantage and he sowed the seeds of the crisis that is now unfolding across the nation.
Updated
‘People don’t want to be politicians’: Megan Davis says ‘Canberra voice’ term inaccurate
Prof Megan Davis said the term “Canberra voice” was “unfortunate”:
I think it was used in the republic referendum as well, to imply that it’s an elitist Canberra-based voice, but our mob understand the map of Australia, and they understand that the federal parliament sits in Canberra.
What they asked for was a voice to Canberra, not a Canberra voice.
What we heard in the dialogues was that people didn’t want reserved seats and designated parliamentary seats … because people don’t want to be politicians. They don’t belong to political parties. They don’t want to be going to Canberra and to be politicians, they want to serve their community. They want to live in their communities and serve their mob and their families, and they are extraordinary men and women.
So the Canberra voice is, just a term that’s deployed to imply that our people want to be politicians in Canberra when nothing could be further from the truth.
Prof Tom Calma and Prof Marcia Langton, authors of the report into how the voice could operate, are up next.
Updated
Prof Megan Davis and Pat Anderson speak of years of consultation leading to voice
Two of the key architects of the Uluru statement from the heart are speaking at the joint select committee on the voice referendum.
Prof Megan Davis and Pat Anderson AO have outlined the years of consultation processes that led to the statement in 2017.
Prof Davis said the hearings on Canberra on Friday would result in the 11th report on constitutional recognition, from the eighth process in 12 years.
Davis and Anderson were asked by Labor senator Jana Stewart for their views on claims that a voice to parliament would be a “Canberra voice” of elites.
Anderson said:
This is where all the decisions are made, and often we have been, over the generations been excluded. We’ve tried.
I’ve spent a lifetime working in this space. Aboriginal organisations, I’ve set them up, I set up so many things. And I’ve been in this space since I was 15. I’m a big number now, I’m not going to tell you that number. And I’ve been a taxpayer since I was 15, just for those that think we all bludgers. This is where all the decisions are made.
Updated
Simon Birmingham: ‘No concerns have been raised with me’ by Dutton about decision not to campaign against Indigenous voice
As we mentioned earlier, acting PM Richard Marles is the latest to speculate that opposition leader in the senate, Simon Birmingham, could follow Julian Leeser resigning from the frontbench after the opposition bound its frontbench to oppose the Indigenous voice to parliament.
Birmingham insists he is not contemplating stepping down. Appearing on Sky News, he says the party leadership has no problem that he will not be actively campaigning against the Indigenous voice to parliament:
Peter and I continue to have our normal conversations as we have every single week. No concerns have been raised with me about expectations that somehow I’m out there addressing rallies.
I think my job as the shadow foreign affairs minister, first and foremost, is to hold the government to account in relation to foreign policy, to ensure we advance foreign policy in as bipartisan way as possible in Australia’s international interest.
But there’s plenty of other issues and if anybody in this country thinks it’s wise to drop everything for the next six, nine months, and focus exclusively on the voice or devote disproportionate time to campaigning on the voice when we face real global challenges, real economic challenges, real threats from other areas of policy that this government is implementing, such as industrial relations, then they are deluding themselves in terms of the importance and far greater importance and relevance, frankly, of so many of those other factors.
Laura Jayes:
So you’re not even contemplating stepping down from the frontbench?
Birmingham:
No, I have an important role to play continuing to work as the shadow foreign minister, continuing to uphold Liberal values as I see them within our leadership team, within a shadow cabinet.
And it is important that people do fight for liberal values to uphold the electoral prospects of our party as a broad church in the future as well defended and defined by John Howard over many years.
Updated
Victoria records 30 Covid deaths and 238 people in hospital
There were 5,811 new cases in the weekly reporting period, and nine people are in intensive care.
Those numbers are up on 5,772 cases and 25 deaths last week.
This week we reported 5,811 new cases with a daily average hospital occupancy of 238 and 11 patients in ICU.
— Victorian Department of Health (@VicGovDH) April 13, 2023
30 deaths were reported in the past 7 days.
Our thoughts are with those in hospital, and the families of people who have lost their lives. pic.twitter.com/pxOR9Dk96Y
NSW records 22 Covid deaths and 1,064 people in hospital
There were 9,646 new cases in the weekly reporting period, and 21 people are in intensive care.
Case numbers are staying high but have dipped slightly on last week’s 9,876. The 22 deaths are fewer than last week’s 36 deaths.
COVID-19 weekly update – Friday 14 April 2023
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) April 13, 2023
In the 7 days to 4pm Thursday 13 April:
- 9,646 new cases of COVID-19 have been recorded: 4,466 rapid antigen tests (RATs) and 5,180 PCR tests
- 22 lives lost pic.twitter.com/99VSJf5qu8
Updated
Albanese one of Time’s most influential people 2023
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has made it on to Time’s list of the world’s most influential people 2023.
Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada, writes that Albanese is a “symbol of hope and inspiration”.
Progressives around the world are united in the idea that we should leave no one behind. The idea that no matter who you are or where you come from, you should have every chance to succeed in life. Few politicians embody that journey as Anthony Albanese does.
From growing up in public housing to taking office last spring as Australia’s new Prime Minister, he is a symbol of hope and inspiration. He works to lift up and amplify the voices of those who need to be heard from, particularly Indigenous peoples.
His government supports those who need it most, believes that we need to take ambitious climate action, and unwaveringly supports democracy in the face of unprecedented threat.
In a world where people are increasingly uncertain about what the future holds for them and their families, it’s easy for politicians to sow fear and division. To choose the path of hope and opportunity takes immense courage, and that courage lives within Anthony Albanese.
Updated
Witness J sentencing remarks to be published by midday Monday
This morning the ACT supreme court’s chief justice, Lucy McCallum, held a hearing which we thought would result in the publication of the sentencing remarks in the Witness J/Alan Johns matter.
The man known by the pseudonym Alan Johns and also as Witness J, was jailed in complete secrecy after pleading guilty and being convicted for the disclosure of confidential information.
McCallum told the court there were a “couple of wrinkles” with release, including that the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor summary of the sentencing remarks “goes further than the redacted judgment”.
McCallum said she would distribute a document summarising the difference between the INSLM summary and the redacted sentencing remarks, for final comment from the parties, before releasing the sentencing remarks before midday Monday.
Updated
Dutton should support call for an ATSI children’s commissioner: Liddle
Liddle says Peter Dutton’s comments that child sexual abuse is rampant are “beyond fracturing” for Indigenous communities on the ground.
It becomes very, very confusing for people, it is very heartbreaking. But even worse for those children who are victims of child sexual abuse, or even adults who have been in have been victims of child sexual abuse, it is beyond fracturing.
There needs to be tighter controls on how we talk about these things. And they can’t just be political fodder.
You can’t just say there is rampant child sexual abuse in Alice Springs. You just can’t make those things up.
Karvelas:
Just to put Peter Dutton’s case to you: he says he’s not making it up, he’s been told that this is the case, and there needs to be a better intervention, he’s previously called for a royal commission.
Do we need to be escalating the response … when claims like this are being made, clearly, there needs to be a response – to not only test the claims – but to respond and deal with communities that are struggling?
Liddle:
Then I would say, look, wouldn’t it be awesome if he put his weight behind the call for an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children’s commissioner. That is an institution that can be stood up almost immediately, and can start those investigations.
And again, it is a call that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been screaming for for a very long time. It is a voice that has not been listened to. It was a recommendation of two royal commissions. And again, they were recommendations given to the past government that were ignored. Completely ignored.
Updated
Dutton did not meet with peak body for Indigenous children and families, CEO says
Liddle also said that Peter Dutton has not met with her organisation, Snaicc, the national peak body for Indigenous children and families.
We have invited Peter Dutton to meet with us before and we maintain that we’re more than happy to chat with him and talk to him about what is actually coming through from the sector.
Our understanding in Alice Springs, Mr Dutton didn’t meet with any of the Aboriginal community controlled organisations, not even Murujuga which is the Traditional Owners or Congress … or any of those organisations that have direct contact with Aboriginal children and Aboriginal families.
Updated
Indigenous voice would prevent communities being ‘hit by election cycles’: Liddle
Asked about both sides of the referendum debate pointing to Alice Springs as the reason we need or we don’t need a voice to parliament, Liddle says an Indigenous voice is exactly what is needed to avoid communities being at the whim of election cycles:
Alice Springs is the perfect example of why we actually need a voice. Because what we understand is that every time we come up with a solution and communities have been coming up with solutions for a very long time. And again, those solutions are the ones put forward to things like commissioners and royal commissioners. And that voice is not being listened to. Those solutions have been not listened to – or you might get a pilot here or a pilot there.
So when governments come in, they come in with their own platform and you know, those things they got elected on. Without a voice that is absolutely capturing the needs of communities and responding to the needs of communities, we’re always going to be hit by election cycles and whoever is in government.
Updated
Indigenous leader says Dutton legally obliged to report any allegations of sexual abuse in Alice Springs
Catherine Liddle, an Arrernte/Luritja woman and CEO of the national peak body for Indigenous children and families, Snaicc, says the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has a legal obligation to report any allegations of child sexual abuse he has heard.
Dutton has claimed rampant child sexual abuse is happening throughout Alice Springs but isn’t being addressed.
Liddle has told ABC Radio:
The legal requirement in the Northern Territory is that if you have heard an allegation of child sexual abuse, you must report it so that it can be investigated. Even if you’ve heard it from another party, you must report it.
Karvelas:
How about if you’ve been told that there’s a lot of this going on in the community by concerned community members, that’s all you know, and that’s all you’ve you’ve been able to ascertain.
Liddle:
You say this is where I was. This is who gave me this information. And this is what they said. It is a mandatory report, the moment you hear it. A legal obligation.
Updated
Marles speculates on possibility Simon Birmingham will resign from frontbench over Liberals’ voice policy
Marles also called speculation the Indigenous voice to parliament could be used to change the date of Australia Day a “distraction”.
All of that is about trying to create distraction away from what should be the central issue here, and that is recognising our First Nations people in the constitution, which Australians want to see happen.
Marles says that the voice can be an “uplifting moment for the nation” and speculated that the opposition leader in the Senate, Simon Birmingham, could follow Leeser resigning from the frontbench in order to not be bound to campaign no.
The step that Julian Leeser took this week is a step of real moral courage to follow his conscience. The question is whether Simon Birmingham will do the same. What we need to see is the whole country coming behind this because that is what Australians want to see.
Marles also repeated the language of the minister and assistant minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney and Malarndirri McCarthy, who have accused Dutton of using Alice Springs as a “political football” as he campaigns against the voice.
I think it’s really important that we’re not making Alice Springs a political football. A lot of work has gone on here to try and improve the situation in Alice Springs. And we’ve been very hands on in this regard. Linda Burney has been there a number of times and she’s going back there in the next couple of weeks.
Updated
Marles: ADF will provide assistance with Cyclone Ilsa if requested
More on what acting prime minister, Richard Marles had to say to Nine’s Today program.
The Australian Defence Force is prepared to help out in Western Australia facing Tropical Cyclone Ilsa if they are requested to, he says.
Updated
Church calls for ban on same-sex student leaders
The acting prime minister, Richard Marles, says students’ leadership qualities shouldn’t be tied to their sexuality as a major church group calls for the right to exclude gay pupils from roles like school captain.
In a submission to a review of anti-discrimination laws, the Presbyterian Church of Australia argued for the right to exclude students from leadership positions if they were in a same-sex relationship or having premarital sex.
The church said in its submission:
They would not be able to give appropriate Christian leadership in a Christian school which requires modelling Christian living.
Marles, the deputy prime minister, said while the government respected the views of people of faith, discriminating against children made him uncomfortable.
He told Nine’s Today program:
We can’t see a situation where we’re inadvertently discriminating against kids. Leadership and the qualities of leadership are not a function of people’s sexual orientation and we need to make sure we have the widest pool of people for leadership positions across our society.
Former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce said schools should be allowed to publicly put forward their views. He told Sky News:
It’s a messy one. I just think that parents have a right to say, ‘I had these values and I want the school to have these values because that’s why I’m putting my hands in my pocket to pay money’.
If you go to a public school, and there are great public schools, they won’t ask you those questions. There’s always alternatives.
The commission’s final report will be handed to the attorney-general on 21 April.
– AAP
Updated
Senator shares microwaved hard boiled egg hack on TikTok
Cooking hacks abound on TikTok and Senator Helen Polley has used the platform to share her own secret to a “fantastically well cooked hard boiled egg” – covering it in foil and microwaving submerged in water.
Polley shared the video from her electorate office yesterday:
I really enjoy hard boiled eggs.
So my secret is that I wrap it in foil. I then find a container that I can make sure that there’s enough water covering the egg that is wrapped in the foil. Yes, that’s right. It is foil and I make sure the water is actually covering the egg, six to seven minutes depending on the size of the egg.
It’s a really good way of making sure you’re keeping protein in your diet. The other thing that works for me is the cost of living. As grocery prices are going up, eggs are still affordable. They’re very good for you. This is an easy quick snack, or a meal.
Senator Helen Polley cooks eggs in her microwave by covering them in *foil* and submerging them in water pic.twitter.com/LLo8ik1OKn
— casey briggs (@CaseyBriggs) April 13, 2023
Disclosure – Guardian Australia has not independently verified how safe or effective this method of egg cooking is.
Updated
Consultation to begin on measuring Australians’ quality of life
Essentially, Treasury and Chalmers are trying to measure the nation’s wellbeing by looking at the quality of life of Australians. Economic indicators are one part of that picture, but certainly not the whole picture. So Treasury asked for submissions on what it should also be examining and measuring.
More than 160 submissions were sent in and you probably won’t be surprised to learn that the most common policy areas raised were: children, inequality and poverty, health, mental health, First Nations people, and environment and climate change. “Other common themes include housing and housing affordability, intergenerational and subjective wellbeing, community wellbeing, arts and culture, digital inclusion, and volunteering.”
So far, that has created five broad themes of wellbeing – prosperity, inclusion, sustainability, cohesion and health.
Will they be the final themes? Well, that is up to you.
The submissions will be made available on the Treasury website today (Friday) and soon, the second stage of consultation will begin, with feedback sessions.
The measuring what matters statement will be released mid-year. The budget will be handed down on the traditional second Tuesday in May – which this year, is 9 May.
Updated
The wellbeing budget is back
Good morning from Canberra.
It is budget season in the nation’s capital – the “Budget Tree” – a red maple in one of the Senate courtyards, is beginning to don its autumn dress, which is usually the indicator that the budget is just around the corner.
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, is in Washington for 18 meetings in 45 hours as he gets an overview of the global economic position (spoiler, it is not great) before finalising what will be Labor’s first major budget since winning government last May (the October budget was more of a mini update than anything).
But as part of doing things differently (you may or may not have read Chalmers’ Monthly essay where he spoke about “values based capitalism” and using the disruption caused by the pandemic to shake things up) the wellbeing budget is back.
The “measuring what matters statement” seeks to “assess progress on a broad range of social and environmental indicators”.
It will provide a more comprehensive picture of the experiences of Australians, including those from diverse backgrounds, and support a more informed and inclusive discussion about what needs to be done to improve outcomes.
Updated
Kerrynne Liddle wants constitutional recognition but regional voices
On the issue of the Indigenous voice to parliament, Liddle will be advocating for a no vote in the referendum. Asked why she’s made that decision, she says:
Well, I certainly didn’t make the decision last Wednesday when the party declared its position. It’s something I’ve been working through for a very long time.
… I have no doubt that Australians will vote for the recognition of Aboriginal interests and peoples in the constitution. Everywhere I’ve gone, people don’t seem to have an issue with that.
… The reason why I support our proposition, and that is the voice of local and regional people are a priority. That is where it’s really important … So [regional and remote areas] want to voice. The issue I have, it doesn’t need to be in the constitution.
… The focus now should be on a regional and local voices and the importance of getting nose up and running, working, demonstrating how they work, and then feeding into a national voice.
Updated
Kerrynne Liddle says ‘prove it’s not happening’ on child sexual abuse in Alice
Liberal senator Kerrynne Liddle, the first Indigenous senator from South Australia, and a name being touted as a contender for shadow minister for Indigenous Australians after Julian Leeser’s resignation.
Liddle is speaking to ABC Radio this morning about the debate that has emerged as opposition leader Peter Dutton has claimed sexual abuse is occurring around Alice Springs but isn’t being addressed.
The minister and assistant minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney and Malarndirri McCarthy, have both accused Dutton of using Alice Springs as a “political football” and making irresponsible accusations.
Liddle avoids giving her own opinion of whether her party’s leader is politicising the issue, but says she believes:
I think we have to be really careful about politicising this issue, because matters related to any form of assault are sensitive, but important to understand and respond to.
… I think what’s really important though, is it can’t ignore the issue of sexual abuse, but you must also tackle those issues, alongside other issues which include [service] delivery and decision dysfunction.
Breakfast host Patricia Karvelas:
Do you encourage your leader to temper his language given we haven’t yet seen evidence to say that there is a widespread phenomenon of this?
Liddle:
I say prove it’s not happening. And then we can have a conversation about the kind of language that we can actually use for this.
… You’ve got you’ve got the statistics, which everyone accepts are underreported and underrepresented. You’ve got to have relationships with communities to enable people to start talking about these safe spaces for young people to raise this issue of need to support people to have housing so that young people and older people are not at risk of this.
Updated
Treasurer optimistic about Australia’s economic future
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, is in Washington for talks with G20 finance ministers and the International Monetary Fund.
Speaking to ABC Radio from the US, Chalmers says despite expectations that the economy will slow, he wants Australia to “grow out of this downturn” by investing in Australian industries.
It’s possible to be optimistic about Australia’s economic future, and to be realistic about a global slowdown.
Chalmers also said he wants to ensure other countries’ regulatory systems, especially banking, are up to scratch.
The difference between this downturn and 2008’s GFC, Chalmers says, is that the pace of problems emerging can be much quicker because of digitisation.
Updated
Chris Minns to reinstate NSW cabinet office
The New South Wales cabinet office will be reinstated by premier, Chris Minns, as part of major changes to the bureaucracy he says will be able to better deal with challenges facing the state.
The existing department of premier and cabinet (DPC) will be dissolved on 1 July and replaced by the cabinet office and a new premier’s department.
Minns said:
We have a strong team of ministers and I want them supported by excellent public service advice and high-quality cabinet decision-making processes.
The cabinet office will be made up of experts in legal, policy and governance, and support my ministers and I to meet community expectations and deliver for the people of NSW.
The premier’s department will still lead the public service and both agencies will report to the premier.
The DPC secretary, Michael Coutts-Trotter, has been appointed as acting Treasury secretary and will be replaced by Peter Duncan who will lead the establishment of the new offices.
The new government has also sacked a number of high profile heads of department including Treasury secretary Paul Grimes, education secretary Georgina Harrisson and transport secretary Rob Sharp.
Their roles will be temporarily filled before being advertised publicly through a “merit based” system.
Further changes are being considered.
The premier will speak to the media this morning.
Updated
Port Hedland and Bidyadanga appear to escape worst of Cyclone Ilsa
The regional centre of Port Hedland, west of the storm’s centre, was warned to shelter indoors under a red alert until the threat passed.
The mayor, Peter Carter, said the town of about 16,000 was still locked down but that he believed the community has been spared the worst.
Carter said he has been unable to assess the damage, but the winds sounded “like a freight train” as the cyclone passed during the night. He told ABC News:
We’re still on red alert at the moment so we can’t go outside and assess the damage but it was very eerie and a very, very unusual sound, that wind.
I think that we were very, very lucky. At the last point, the cyclone moved further north from us.
So I think that we were spared in our community what could have been really bad.
Supt Peter Sutton, from WA’s Department of Fire and Emergency Services, also said Port Hedland and Bidyadanga appear to have escaped the “brunt of the cyclone” at this stage.
Overnight we have received no calls for assistance. It appears the larger populated areas have escaped the damage.
Once we can get crews opt the ground and helicopters into the air when it is safe, we will move along the coast to check roads and other critical infrastructure to see the brunt of the impact.
– with AAP
Updated
Tributes paid to Kate Jenkins on last day as sex discrimination commissioner
The Albanese government is paying tribute to Kate Jenkins as an “extraordinary” sex discrimination commissioner on her final day in the role.
The attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, said Jenkins’ seven years in the role has left a legacy of making Australia a fairer place, especially for women in the workplace.
Kate Jenkins’ landmark Respect@Work inquiry exploded the myth that sexual harassment was an inevitability women had to accept at work by outlining reforms to make workplaces safer for everyone.
In 2022, the Albanese government legislated these Respect@Work laws creating a statutory duty for employers to provide workplaces free from sexual harassment.
Sexual harassment is not inevitable – it is preventable. Without the hard work of Kate Jenkins and the victim survivors who told her of their experiences, these laws would not exist.
When widespread reports of sexual assault, harassment and bullying were exposed in the nation’s parliament, it was Kate Jenkins’ Set the Standard review that once again laid down the path to a better, safer, and more respectful workplace.
Kate Jenkins has been an extraordinary sex discrimination commissioner who has worked tirelessly to combat discrimination and there is no doubt her work has significantly advanced gender equality in Australia. She ends her term with the sincere thanks of the Albanese Labor government for improving the lives of Australian women.
Dreyfus also noted Jenkins’ work into sexual harassment in Australian universities and Australian gymnastics, as well as cultural reform within defence, police and border force.
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Good morning! Natasha May on deck with you.
Pardoo Roadhouse owners shelter from cyclone in container
Despite being stuck inside a sea container after being smashed by the core of a huge storm, the owners of the Pardoo Roadhouse are still on Facebook. That’s the modern age for you.
About 4.30am AEST they sent a message thanking people for the comments, messages and emails of support, and reporting “great damage” to their roadhouse and tavern.
Then about an hour ago, they responded to a well-wisher who said “hopefully you can rebuild and be better than ever [love heart emoji]”.
“That is our plan,” the tavern messaged back.
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Cyclone Ilsa to move close to Telfer
The ABC reports that Ilsa will pass close to Telfer, where there are a lot of mining operations – they have shut down operations and evacuated most staff back down to Perth.
And there’s an update from Pardoo Roadhouse, which took the brunt of the storm as it crossed the coast. The Department of Fire and Emergency Services duty assistant commissioner, Jon Broomehill, told the ABC the owners were sheltering onsite in a sea container.
He warned them, and others taking refuge from the tempest, not to come out into the open until they were given an all-clear message by authorities.
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Cyclone Ilsa 150km inland
The latest “track map” of severe Tropical Cyclone Ilsa from the BoM was issued at 4am. It shows the eye of the storm – downgraded to category 3 – about 150km inland from where it crossed the coast over Pardoo Roadhouse, heading east-south-east.
At that time it was recording sustained winds near the centre of 155km/h, with wind gusts up to 220km/h.
The BoM warned of a “very destructive wind impact” that was occurring near the system centre, over the inland areas between De Grey and Pardoo Roadhouse, and to the east of Marble Bar.
It brings gale-force winds across a path that’s about 300km wide.
Ilsa was expected to weaken to category 2 by 10am, then category 1 by 10pm tonight. It will then weaken below tropical cyclone strength overnight Friday as it moves into the south of the NT.
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Welcome
Good morning, and welcome to our live blog which will bring you the breaking news of the day. Our morning blogger, Natasha May, will be along shortly: in the meantime, here is what’s going on.
In WA’s north-west, Severe Tropical Cyclone Ilsa has crossed the coast about 120km north-east of Port Hedland as a category 5 system – it later downgraded to category 4 as it moved inland, but is expected to pose danger for most of the day.
On its way, it set a new (preliminary) record for wind speed in Australia, with a sustained 10 minutes of 218 km/h at Bedout Island. The previous record, from Cyclone George in 2007 at the same location, was 194km/h.
The Pardoo Roadhouse, close to the centre of the storm, has reported “great damage” during a “stressful and challenging time”.
Severe Tropical #CycloneIlsa crossed the coast as a Category 5 system, about 120km ENE of #PortHedland around midnight on Thursday 13 April, with an estimated intensity of 213 kmh. Stay up to date with warnings at https://t.co/NikaX4QRKr and follow advice of @dfes_wa pic.twitter.com/SuiKcEU3Yf
— Bureau of Meteorology, Western Australia (@BOM_WA) April 13, 2023
Our blog will follow news as it develops from the path of the storm.
In other Australian news, the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has been accused of misrepresenting locals’ views on the Indigenous voice by claiming that discussions with residents of Leonora had led to his decision to oppose it.
A high court decision could have just made invalid tens of thousands of visa decisions by the previous government, as the court found that the then immigration minister had left decisions to their department that should have been made in person.
And the Reserve Bank has been accused of “dereliction of duty” for not properly considering the contribution that corporate profits have made to inflation, focusing too much on wages.
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