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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Mostafa Rachwani (now) and Natasha May (earlier)

Severe weather warning for NSW and Victoria – as it happened

Labor Australia Lidia Thorpe
A group of young men prepare sandbags in Cumeroongunja, on the NSW border with Victoria.
A group of young men prepare sandbags in Cumeroongunja, on the NSW border with Victoria. Photograph: Joel Carrett/EPA

What we learned today, Friday 21 October

And that’s where we’ll leave you this evening. Here’s what we learned:

  • The Liberals’ Senate leader, Simon Birmingham, has said that Greens senator Lidia Thorpe has “serious questions” to answer about her undisclosed relationship with a former bikie boss while she sat on parliament’s law enforcement committee.

  • Victorian towns along the Murray River are expected to experience the worst of expected flooding from Sunday.

  • The chair of the joint law enforcement committee, Helen Polley, has called for an investigation into Lidia Thorpe’s potential conflict of interest by sitting on the committee while in a relationship with a former bikie.

  • A coroner has concluded Belgian backpacker Theo Hayez is dead but was unable to determine the cause or manner of his death.

  • Energy Australia announced it has been the target of a “cyber incident” that has resulted in 323 customer accounts being breached.

  • The Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) said they “warmly” welcomed the government’s announcement of an additional $375m for aid and development to Pacific countries.

  • Treasurer Jim Chalmers said floods would have an impact on GDP growth in next quarter, adding that fruit and veg prices will likely increase by 8%.

  • A toddler and three adults were taken to hospital after a car crashed into a childcare centre in Melbourne’s north.

  • The Albanese government will commit an additional $204m to protect, manage and restore the Great Barrier Reef, bringing the total spend on the reef to $1.2bn.

Updated

Energy Australia hacked

Energy Australia has announced it has been the target of a “cyber incident” that has resulted in 323 customer accounts being breached.

Those included in the breach include residential and small business accounts, with the company now forcing customers to implement a 12-character password for their accounts.

The data gathered include name, address, email address, electricity and gas bills, phone number, and the first six and last three digits of credit cards.

In a statement, Energy Australia says there is no evidence customer information was transferred outside its systems, and that information regarding sensitive documentation such as driver’s licences or passports, and banking information, have remained secure.

Energy Australia’s chief customer officer, Mark Brownfield, apologised for the situation:

We apologise for the concern that this issue may have caused our customers.

While this incident was limited in terms of customers affected, we take the security of customer information seriously and have been working hard to put in place additional layers of security to ensure the protection of all customer information.

Updated

Australia must be better prepared for cyber crime, says O’Neil

Earlier this morning, the home affairs minister, Clare O’Neil, said Australia has to “muscle up'” against cybercrime, after a series of data breaches rocked major companies including Optus and Medibank.

O’Neil was on Sunrise when she said cybercriminals were the “bag snatchers of the 21st century,” before assuring people that some of “Australia’s smartest people” are working to improve Australia’s cybersecurity:

I understand for Australians this looks very much like an Australian problem. But Interpol, the global police organisation, this week released a statement saying that cybercrime is their major crime concern around the world at the moment.

The truth is, this is the future for us. These cyber thugs are the bag snatchers of the 21st century and the Australian government and citizens have got to muscle up and understand that this is our future. Our job is to [make sure] that our country is better prepared when things like this happen.

I want Australians to understand the smartest people in Australia are working on this problem at the moment. They work in cyber security for the Australian government and they are fully occupied in this problem.

If you’re a Medibank customer, be careful at the moment. Don’t click on any links that look in any way suspicious.

Updated

AFP arrest

The AFP have released a statement announcing they have arrested a man in Melbourne for allegedly threatening a senator online.

AFP say they arrested a 27-year-old at his Brunswick West home, while executing a search warrant and seizing electronic devices, including a laptop and a desktop computer.

Investigators say the man was responsible for make online threats, including threats to kill, towards a senator, via a social media platform in September and October 2022.

The man faced two charges at the Melbourne magistrates court today, including two counts of use a carriage service to make a threat to kill, and one count of using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence.

Updated

Hume opposes Covid inquiry

Earlier today, the opposition finance spokesperson, Senator Jane Hume, told Sky News she was opposed to a royal commission into Australia’s Covid response, adding that she thought Australia had fared “comparatively well”.

This comes after a damning independent review that found many of the pandemic policies hurt underprivileged communities.

Can we learn some things from this? Absolutely – and in fact a government that doesn’t reflect, risks making the same mistakes twice.

But Australia had some of the best health and economic outcomes compared to other developed nations – so is a royal commission the right way to do this? I don’t think so.

Updated

Palaszczuk pleased work will start on coalmine

The Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, has told reporters she is “very pleased” that work can start on a thermal coal mine expansion west of Brisbane.

New Hope Group’s proposed expansion of the New Acland coal mine near Toowoomba was granted a water license on Thursday, the final obstacle before work could begin.

This has come after a long battle to prevent the mine from expanding, and after the state government said it would phase out coal-fire plants by 2035.

Palaszczuk said she backed the project, which will produce up to 7.5m tonnes of coal annually for 12 years.

I’m very pleased to see that all of those approvals now have been given.

The project ... means a lot of jobs to the Toowoomba economy, and as my government said, we would wait for the outcome of the court cases.

Those court cases have been closed and those approvals have now been finalised.

Countries still need coal, we are still using coal in our coal-fired power plants.

Updated

Mihailuk resignation fallout

Earlier today, NSW Labor leader Chris Minns held a press conference, where he was asked about Bankstown MP Tania Mihailuk’s resignation from the party.

Mihailuk announced yesterday she was walking away from the ALP, where she said the party had not “cleaned up its act” and was “not ready to govern”.

Minns gave a typically defensive answer, but added that Canterbury-Bankstown council has appointed an independent investigator to look into the claims Mihailuk’s made:

Look, at the end of the day, he’s going to make political statements about the Labor party and his own political position as we head into March 2023. And we have to and we’re determined to make this election about the people of NSW and that means tackling the big issues, whether it’s environmental protection, or the huge impost and cost of tolls on the people of NSW. And I would say this, if Dominic Perrottet believes that somebody is corrupt, he’s got an obligation to produce evidence.

As it stands Canterbury Bankstown council has appointed an independent investigator, indeed the former president of the Bar Association, Arthur Moses to investigate the claims that have been made. The Icac reportedly has already looked at the matter and called the accusations baseless and there is all ready integrity agenciesc, auditor general as well as the NSW Police for anyone and everybody to make an allegation or to pursue a line of inquiry. In fact, you’re positively bound to do it if you’re a public official, and you know of corruption.

Updated

Lidia Thorpe should not remain Greens’ Indigenous spokesperson, Marcia Langton says

Langton went on to say she did not think it was appropriate that Thorpe remains the Green’s spokesperson for Indigenous Australians, adding Thorpe had shown a “significant lack of judgement” and that the Greens should largely ditch their current set of policies:

I think the portfolio should be taken away from her.

I have to draw the conclusion she does not have the judgement to handle the Indigenous affairs portfolio which anyone must surely understand consists of a range of extremely complex matters such as Closing the Gap, the referendum on the Voice and so many other issues.

I would like the Greens to totally ditch their present set of policies which look like they were written on the back of a bar tab and seem to amount to about $7m for reparations. There are no policies as such. The resistance to the Voice that the Greens have shown, taking Senator Thorpe’s lead, has been a nonsense and destructive.

Langton was also asked if the Greens were displaying a “particular form of racism” by keeping Thorpe in her position as Indigenous affairs spokesperson:

They have chosen a person with apparently no common sense or an inability to understand the rules and a willingness to break the rules. I despair that because people like Adam Bandt must surely be thinking or perhaps trying to give the impression that all Aboriginal people are like Senator Thorpe and that’s simply not the case.

Updated

Adam Bandt’s decision to strip Thorpe of deputy senate leadership doesn’t go far enough: Indigenous leader

Indigenous leader Marcia Langton was just on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing, and was asked extensively her thoughts on Lidia Thorpe and her undisclosed relationship with a former bikie boss.

Headshot of Indigenous leader Marcia Langton with her hand gesturing
‘It must be embarrassing to all of the members of the parliamentary committee on law enforcement,’ Marcia Langton says. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

Langton was first asked if Greens leader Adam Bandt had gone far enough by stripping Thorpe of her deputy senate leadership, to which Langton gave a frank answer:

No. This is, I would have thought, an extremely embarrassing thing for him as the leader of the Greens.

It must be embarrassing to all of the members of the parliamentary committee on law enforcement, to other parliamentarians and constituents like myself who live in the state of Victoria and are represented by her in the Senate, in as much as she is a senator.

Updated

Pressure to undo stage-three tax cuts doesn’t have best interest of the Albanese government at heart: Turnbull

Former PM Malcolm Turnbull has told the Tax Summit that any potential tax reform would be political suicide.

Turnbull gave wide-ranging answers on the topic, saying the Labor party had “boxed itself in” by pursuing a small-target strategy, and that any push for tax reform would face a “fevered” debate amid pressure from the media.

Turnbull added that he believed pressure to undo the stage-three tax cuts didn’t have the best interest of the Albanese government at heart:

The problem Albanese has is that he’s been elected to office in large part on the issue of integrity and morals. They won a narrow majority and a lot of it hinged around Morrison’s, and by extension, his government’s perceived untrustworthiness – telling lies, gaslighting, that sort of stuff.

So those people on the left who are encouraging Albanese to break his election promise to not undo the stage-three tax cuts don’t have his best interests at heart … in politics, your friends can get you in as much trouble as your enemies.

Turnbull went on to describe how and why it is so difficult to have a conversation on tax reform, adding a barbed criticism of how his treasurer (and successor) dealt with the media:

It should be possible but historically, it has proved [difficult] ... Governments should be able to consider options but they get pressured [by the media] to rule things in or out.

One of the problems I used to have with Scott Morrison when he was treasurer was that Scott used to front-run things in the media, ideas for tax changes, economic changes … this was more briefing than leaking … I’m happy to accept he genuinely thought this was a way of, you know, floating ideas and flying kites. [But] it was catastrophic for us. Because if you float something you have to provide an answer – are you going to do it or not going to do it? You get into a terrible tangle.

Updated

David Pocock calls for more transparency amid ‘troubling’ Thorpe revelations

Independent senator David Pocock has called for greater transparency from MPs, after it emerged Greens senator Lidia Thorpe had been in an undisclosed relationship with a former bikie boss.

Pocock was speaking at the Transport, Aviation and Transport Summit earlier today, and said the revelation was “troubling”:

Not declaring things is an issue.

I’ve been shocked at just how little you actually have to declare as a politician.

I don’t have to declare who I’m giving lobbying passes to, I don’t have to declare any of my spouse’s interests.

I don’t see the downside of having more transparency when it comes to these sorts of things.

I guess the really troubling thing with senator Thorpe is not disclosing that, when you are on that sort of committee.

It’s such a privilege to be in there and represent your state or territory or your electorate. And with that privilege comes responsibilities.

I see that she has apologised … but I think it’s something that I would like to see the standard sort of raised in the parliament and MPs and senators taking responsibility when it comes to that.

Updated

States agree to work with Labor to protect Australia’s landmass and marine areas

State and territory environment ministers have agreed to work with the Albanese government to achieve its target of protecting 30% of Australia’s landmass and marine areas by 2030.

The agreement was included in a communique released after the first meeting of environment ministers since Labor won the May federal election. It will raise questions about what qualifies as a protected area. Scientists have estimated about 22% of Australian land is currently protected, leaving an area more than double the size of Victoria still to be conserved.

The joint communique noted the federal government’s plan to establish a “national nature repair market” – previously described as a biodiversity market – and said governments from across the country would work together to “make nature positive investments easier”.

It also said they would work with the private sector to achieve a circular economy by 2030, a process that would “design out waste and pollution”.

The federal environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, declared the “environment is back” under Labor.

There’s always more to do – but we’re getting on with it as fast as we can.

Updated

North-west NSW facing severe storms and flash flooding

I wanted to begin with the flood situation in NSW, where communities in the north-west are currently facing severe storms and flash flooding.

Earlier, chief superintendent of the New South Wales SES, Ken Murphy, was on the ABC and said areas around Moree have already faced rainfall totals in excess of 100mm:

We currently do have some issues in Moree, the north-west of the state, regarding some severe storms that impacted there overnight and early this morning. Rainfall totals in excess of 100mm have caused a lot of flash flooding in those areas there, they have caused us to do some evacuations and have done a number of flood rescues in those areas.

Given the weather events over this weekend and the continuing forecast for storms in those areas and broadly across the state then [we] will be strategically moving our resources around to address those issues.

What we do ask is communities heed our warnings and if they are asked to evacuate, please evacuate immediately. And make sure that you take some time today to ensure that you have an evacuation plan.

Updated

Good afternoon, and as always a quick thanks to Natasha May for her stellar job this morning, Mostafa Rachwani with you this afternoon to take you through the day’s news.

It’s time for me to say goodbye and hand you over to the wonderful Mostafa Rachwani. Have a good weekend!

‘We are just all holding our breath’: Echuca bracing for flood waters to peak

Across the road, locals trickle into Echuca Camping. They’re buying bottles of Bushman’s – a mosquito repellent.

Des, whose run the store for 30 years said most of the locals were “not too worried”.

Anna Wright has also kept her cafe Johnny & Lyle’s open – they are keeping the town caffeinated and well-fed. Wright said:

It’s been eerie.

The town has been on edge for the last few days we’re all just holding our breath waiting to see what happens.

It’s tricky, the goalposts keep getting moved.

In the last week, Wright has received $7,000 worth of donations to hand out free coffee to the ambos, paramedics, SES and locals who are helping out.

We’re a bit higher than the port of Echuca, so we thought we’ll stick it out.

We’ll just wait till the last minute. We’ve likened ourselves to the violinists on the Titanic, we’ll just do one more song and then we’ll go down together.

We are just all holding our breath.

Updated

Flood update from Echuca

On the main road of Echuca, Brett Thomas has fired up the barbie. With his brother Mark and wife Anna, they are feeding the town – yesterday they had 200 people for lunch.

And last night probably about 50-60 people. We just thought anyone driving past can wheel in and have some, we’ll do it for the next couple of days.

The three of them run the Monkee & Co cafe on High Street. Like most of the buildings near the river, there’s a metre-high wall of sandbags in front of it – ready for flood the peak early next week.

Out the back, another wall protects the line of buildings from the Campaspe River, already ballooning from the recent rains.

They started sandbagging last Saturday, he said – but no one really knew what they were doing.

There was no direction at the start. The SES had nothing to do with it, it was just word of mouth and locals helping out.

I would have thought SES would have a plan, get your heights, get a route you’re going to do it.

We placed them wrong, so then the army came through and taught a couple of the boys how to do it. We had to pull it down and do it back up.

Along the main road, most of the shops are shut – their owners are either out sand-bagging or helping with the clean-up in Rochester.

Updated

Albanese’s press conference has finished. Back on the flood situation in Victoria, Guardian Australia has sent a second Cait to Echuca, with Cait Kelly relieving Caitlin Cassidy, who along with Guardian photographer Mike Bowers, have been bringing you really amazing stories from different flood affected communities all week.

Echuca’s flood peak has been pushed back and is now not expected until Tuesday. Cait Kelly has been speaking to locals about what the situation is like on the ground.

Updated

Budget needs to work with, not against, monetary policy: Albanese

Albanese also spoke about the upcoming budget, saying that fiscal policy will work with monetary policy:

We understand that people are under cost-of-living pressures … We have also seen the impact of the floods will have an impact on the cost of groceries, of fruit and vegetables and products, and today as well, I do want to say that my heart goes out to those communities who are facing flood events still.

With regard to inflation, what we know is that in terms of monetary policy, we have seen the most consistent tightening of monetary policy by central banks around the world in many decades. What you need to do is have fiscal policy – that is the budget – that works with monetary policy. Otherwise they are working against each other, you end up with sending the wrong message to central banks about what action you are taking.

We will have targeting cost-of-living support in areas that don’t feed into inflation, and that is why yesterday’s announcement about the National Broadband Network upgrade of $2.4bn dollars that we made in Albany yesterday … cheaper medicines aimed at providing that cost-of-living relief, that is what our cheaper childcare policy will do for families as well.

All of the measures are aimed at boosting productivity, boosting the economy so providing support for people while not adding any inflationary pressure.

Updated

Speaking of Liz Truss, my very funny colleague and predecessor as news blogger, Matilda Boseley has this quick video explainer if you’re struggling to keep up with all political turmoil in the UK…

Updated

Albanese not personally concerned about his own data as a Medibank customer being leaked

Reporter:

Just on Medibank, you have said you are a Medibank customer yourself. Are you personally concerned about this?

Albanese:

I am not terribly concerned about anything that I do being made public given the nature of the media in Australia, frankly. So I am not concerned about myself, personally.

Updated

‘My government is stable’, Albanese reflects on UK political turmoil

Next question from reporters is about the news out of the UK.

Albanese:

First, I would say to Liz Truss and to her family, on a personal level, I wish them well. I met with Liz Truss … met members of her family as well, and this will be a very difficult time. We need to remember that these are real people we are talking about. It would be very disappointing how her prime ministership has ended so soon. So on a personal level, I wish her well.

I am concerned about any delay that would occur to the Australia UK free trade agreement. I have discussed with prime minister Truss the fast tracking of that, we discussed trying to get it concluded before the end of this year to make sure that the appropriate parliamentary processes went through, our respective parliaments, and I will of course speak to whoever it is that will become the next prime minister of the United Kingdom about doing that.

I must say I’ve been in office for five months, I have met with two British prime ministers so far, and I obviously will have contact with a third, at some time, when those issues are concluded. Here in Australia, my government is stable, the adults are in charge, and I look forward to the handing down of our first budget by the treasury next Tuesday.

Updated

Greens ‘need to change their procedures’, PM says following Thorpe revelations

Albanese is taking questions and is asked about further steps in addressing the undisclosed relationship of Lidia Thorpe with a former bikie while on a law enforcement committee.

We will examine any proposals should they be moved. My understanding is that the committee of which the senator was a member is examining what details went before the committee to make sure that there has been no conflict there. It is appropriate that that action takes place.

And it is appropriate that Mr Bandt respond with a full explanation of the circumstances here, the fact that he apparently wasn’t aware of this information from senator Thorpe even though it was reported to his office, clearly shows that they need to change their procedures that are in place.

Updated

PM commits $50m to critical minerals initiative

The prime minister Anthony Albanese has stepped up to speak in Perth about a budget commitment to accelerate the critical minerals sector. He says one of the lessons of the pandemic is that Australia needs to be more self-sufficient and not “sit back at the end of the global supply chains”.

We have some of the world’s best reserves of critical minerals and it will set a new vision for the sector and complement other initiatives including the national battery strategy and the electric vehicle strategy which we are rolling out.

A major component of the election campaign where we were successful five months ago … the National Reconstruction fund. One of the lessons of the pandemic is that we need to be more self-reliant, we need to be more resilient, we cannot sit back at the end of global supply chains.

That we need to make more things here – not export minerals and import them back at much higher values. We have the capacity here, the capacity to create jobs. A national reconstruction fund will include $1m for the value adding resources fund and it will work alongside the $2m critical minerals facility and next week’s budget will include include $30.5m over five years for the Australian critical minerals research and development hub, combining expertise from agencies to work with industry to address challenges and support research.

$50m over three years to the critical minerals development program through grants for projects, building on the $50m that were recently committed to six projects around Australia.

Updated

New Australian record as kelpie sold at auction for $49,000

The record price paid for a working dog in Australia has been broken by Eve the kelpie.

The classic black and tan working dog, from Capree Stud at Newbridge in central-west NSW set a new Australian record for kelpies when she sold at auction for $49,000 yesterday.

The previous record was set last year by the sale of a two-year-old male kelpie for $35,200 at the Casterton Kelpie Association’s annual working dog auction in Victoria.

Eve’s breeder, Chris Stapleton said it appeared to be his lucky number as he celebrated 49 years of marriage to his wife Pauline on the same day, AAP reports.

She was no accident, she was bred to be as good as she is.

Eve’s bloodline goes back 50 years to some of Stapleton’s original dogs.

She’s a very nice dog to have around because she’s not hyperactive and when you need a job done, she’s willing and able to do it. She’s the perfect dog.

When the bids reached $46,000 from buyers onsite at Newbridge and online through AuctionsPlus, auctioneer Jason Pearce joked: “It’s fair to say she’s on the market.”

Pearce, from Elders in Mudgee, said working dogs were in high demand due to skills shortages across agriculture.

With demand comes increasing price, like any commodity. There’s more emphasis on there being fewer workers, less skills, so there’s a requirement for a dog to potentially do more.

Eve’s fit physique and her unique ability to work with cattle, sheep and goats attracted buyers.

She had pedigree bloodlines, the physical attributes, she was trained at 20 months, which is quite rare.

Eve’s new home will be at a sheep stud in nearby Oberon.

Updated

Call to investigate Thorpe handling of potential conflict on law enforcement committee

The chair of the joint law enforcement committee, Helen Polley, has called for an investigation into Lidia Thorpe’s potential conflict of interest by sitting on the committee while in a relationship with a former bikie.

Polley said:

As chair of the joint committee on law enforcement I am of the opinion that there should be an examination of senator Thorpe’s potential conflicts of interest to protect the integrity of the committee process.

This is an appropriate course of action and I won’t pre-empt what that investigation finds. The parliament has an independent committee system which plays a vital role in our democracy.

This committee deals with highly classified and sensitive material in relation to security information. Therefore the integrity of the committee must be upheld at all times.

As the prime minister said yesterday – this isn’t simply poor judgement by the Greens party senator. These are serious matters of disclosure and potential conflicts of interest that deserve to be looked into.

Updated

Severe thunderstorms moving into NSW

Queensland’s south-east has been cleared of the threat of thunderstorms, but the Queensland bureau of meteorology says severe thunderstorms are now moving into NSW.

Updated

‘I think what she did was so mad’: Turnbull on Truss

At a press conference in Sydney, former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has cut straight to the point on UK politics:

At the moment the place looks like a shambles. It is very sad.

“I think what she did was so mad,” Turnbull added in reference to Truss’s mini-budget that crashed the markets and triggered a domestic financial crisis.

I was just staggered. I knew Boris was wild and woolly but Liz Truss appeared to be a more sensible person…

Updated

‘Dog act’ if Medibank information made public: cybersecurity minister

The cybersecurity minister, Clare O’Neil, was on Sunrise news breakfast program this morning speaking about the latest cyberattack hitting Australians with Medibank revealing customers’ sensitive medical information has been stolen.

Yesterday Medibank revealed that the criminal claiming to have 200GB of data had shared a sample of the data with the private health provider for the purpose of verification.

This morning O’Neil said:

At the end of the day, you can replace a credit card. This is health information. It is private and personal information of people that has no place being put into the public realm.

It will be a dog act if any of these cyber thugs make a decision to make any of that information public.

Updated

Victoria announces $77.3m health and education recovery fund

Victorian minister for emergency services Jaclyn Symes has stepped up for a press conference to provide an update on the flooding in the state, beginning by announcing a $77.3m health and education recovery fund to support local infrastructure and services.

Approximately 320 schools and 28 health services have been affected by the floods, with Symes reminding residents of the support currently available to residents:

On the immediate emergency payments, we have received 22,000 applications for that support and as of this morning, we have processed over 8,000 of those.

This is more than $6m that has gone into the pockets of those people that have been displaced or impacted directly through inundation in their homes, so important additional payments ensuring they can go and buy necessities such as food, clothing, medication and the like and we have a lot of staff on hand to process those applications as quickly as possible.

I do want to remind everyone that there is a lot of support available.

Updated

Sussan Ley calls for Lidia Thorpe to resign from Senate

I just wanted to return to a press conference deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley held earlier today, where she called on Greens senator Lidia Thorpe to resign from the Senate.

It follows revelations yesterday that Thorpe did not disclose she was in a relationship with Dean Martin, a former president of the Rebels bikie gang. Martin, who has no criminal convictions, was associated with the Rebels but stepped down as Victorian chapter president in 2018.

Ley was scathing in her assessment, at one point saying it was inappropriate for Thorpe to be on law enforcement committees “by day” and “in bed with bikies at night”.

Lidia Thorpe is not fit to be in the Australian parliament. It’s pretty clear: you can’t vet law enforcement agencies by day and be in bed with bikies at night. Let’s remember this transgression is not an isolated incident for senator Lidia Thorpe.

Her rap sheet is pretty lengthy. Lidia Thorpe had to retake her oath of office because she used it as a stunt to insult the late Queen Elizabeth II. She’s insulted our national flag and she’s participated in protests where the flag has been defaced and burnt. While occupying a seat in our Senate, she said that Australia’s very system of government is illegitimate. She’s abused Indigenous elders.

She’s trashed our institutions every day and every day since entering the parliament. This is a serious test for Adam Bandt and the Greens. Adam Bandt must ask senator Thorpe to resign from parliament.

You can read Thorpe’s statement on yesterday’s blog.

Updated

In everybody’s interest for stability to return to UK: Chalmers

Reporter:

Liz Truss resigned as prime minister to the chancellor’s mini budget. Are you feeling any pressure about what you might be presenting and what it might flow to and how do you think markets will respond to your budget on Tuesday?

Chalmers:

I think every friend of the UK wants to see some stability there. We don’t comment on the domestic politics or internal machinations of parties in countries with which we have a great relationship and a great friendship.

I’m sure on a personal level, it’s very difficult for Liz Truss and when it comes to economic policies in the most recent times, I think it is a sign of the times, frankly, in the UK that I’ve only been the treasurer here for five months and I’ve already had four UK counterparts.

And I think it’s in everybody’s interest, not least of which the UK’s, that there is a semblance of order and stability in the UK.

Updated

‘Swings and roundabouts in the inflation figure’: Chalmers

Chalmers finishes his announcements and takes questions from reporters, including more on inflation.

When it comes to that inflation peak and I have to say more about that in the course of the next day or two is that there are swings and roundabouts in that inflation number. The big ongoing contributor to inflation increasingly will be the impact of these natural disasters and the impact of higher electricity prices.

But in the broader sense, what we are seeing in the economy when it comes to inflation is that some things are coming off quicker than what was anticipated earlier in the year and petrol is one of those.

So swings and roundabouts in the inflation figure. These natural disasters will have a big impact on inflation but that needs to be balanced out in the other pressures including petrol which has come off a bit faster than what was anticipated when we last forecast inflation number in the middle of the year.

Updated

Government commits $3bn to contingency reserve for disaster response

The meaning of the old adage to “save it for a rainy day” has taken on new meaning for the government, which has had to provide huge sums of support for flood-affected communities all along the eastern states in the past 12 months.

The treasurer says the government is now adding an extra $3bn aside in their reserves for disaster response.

Chalmers:

I’ve put $3bn in the contingency reserve for additional commonwealth spending for disaster response for remembering that already about $1.5bn or almost that has been spent on payments to those impacted by previous floods and disasters.

The additional money in the contingency reserve will go towards government payments and other kinds of support. We don’t know yet whether that $3bn will be sufficient but we consider it prudent, responsible to put some of that money into the contingency reserve on the expectation that the government bill for what we are seeing in these flood-affected communities will be substantial.

As I said, this is just an initial estimate that cost could be even more significant but the cost of responding to natural disasters and building resilience in our economy, will be absolutely central feature of the budget that I hand out next Tuesday night.

I will put a premium on what’s right and what’s responsible and we certainly won’t be turning our back on … those doing it tough and flood-affected communities.

Updated

Fruit and veg prices to increase 8% due to floods, treasurer says

Chalmers goes on to say how treasury believes agricultural commodities (and consequently our supermarket bills) will be affected by flooding:

They expect that the floods will cause for fruit and vegetable prices, for example, to be 8% higher than otherwise over the next two quarters, the last quarter of this calendar year, the first quarter of next calendar year and that’s based on the impact of previous flooding on some of our prime agricultural land.

We need to remember here, that we are talking about some of the best producing land in the world, producing a lot of groceries for domestic consumption but also, for exports.

And so, what’s happening here to these areas, particularly cruel, I think, given how close many of these farms were to producing what was expected to be a bumper crop.

Updated

Floods will have an impact on GDP growth in next quarter: treasurer

The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has stepped up to speak in Canberra providing more details about how the impact of flooding will be considered in the upcoming budget.

We are most focused on human costs of these natural disasters but it will have applications for the cost of living for the economy and for the budget as well.

It is too early for us to put very precise price tags on the flooding that we are seeing through such large swathes of Australia but we do know that there will be consequences for the economy and for the budget.

Treasury’s current assessment is that these floods will detract a quarter of a percentage point from GDP growth in the December quarter. That will be recovered in their estimation in the subsequent two quarters after that. It will add in their estimation, 0.1% percentage points to inflation the December quarter 2022 and again in the March quarter, 2023.

Updated

Toddler taken to hospital after car crashes into Melbourne childcare centre

A toddler and three adults were taken to hospital after a car crashed into a childcare centre in Melbourne’s north, AAP reports.

The car smashed through the front windows of the Broadmeadows building and ended up inside about 9am this morning.

A police spokesperson said a young child inside at the time was lucky to escape serious injury and was taken to hospital for observation.

Three adults were taken to hospital as a precaution.

Police said it appeared a woman was attempting to park her car when the crash occurred.

Debris was scattered across the strip of shops after the crash.

Updated

Risk of flash flooding in ACT

Severe storms are possible in the ACT, including Canberra. The Bureau of Meteorology is warning heavy rainfall could lead to flash flooding in the nation’s capital.

Updated

Victorian government promises more training for renewables sector

The Andrews government will inject $6m to train workers in Victoria’s offshore wind sector through a new purpose-built centre, if re-elected at next month’s state election.

The wind training centre will be based in Melbourne and the government will also commission a review into regulatory requirements in the sector to improve worker safety.

In March, the government announced Australia’s first offshore wind targets to generate enough energy to power to 1.5m homes by 2032.

Aid sector welcomes Pacific commitment in budget

The Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) say they “warmly” welcome the government’s announcement of an additional $375m for aid and development to Pacific countries.

ACFID has been calling for assistance to be increased to meet the rising needs in developing countries, particularly those within the region, in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, and as climate change events gather pace.

The chief executive of the council, Marc Purcell, said:

Human development went backwards due to the pandemic, and Australia should be providing more support. In challenging economic and geostrategic times, an increase to ODA [Overseas Development Assistance] is critical.

The needs of our regional partners are clear: investment in health systems strengthening, climate change adaptation, gender equality, economic livelihoods and social protections.

The aid budget is about $4.5bn a year, which represents 0.20% of Australia’s gross national income. The OECD average is 0.33%.

ACFID has been concerned about the prospect of temporary, targeted and supplementary measures ending over the next two years, which would see the ODA budget lose $460m. Purcell said:

The new funds would address this drop off.

Updated

Comedy Wildlife Photo finalists

If you’re in need of a Friday pick-me-up, I highly recommend taking a look at these comedy wildlife photo finalists.

Featuring sassy salmon and gentoo penguins, optical illusions of headless penguins and winged antelopes, as well as some of our very own native Australian animals.

Two gentoo penguins on a beach - one is seen from behind while the other is from the front and pointing a fin towards the other penguin
Talk To The Fin: Two gentoo penguins hanging out on the beach on the Falkland Islands. Photograph: Jennifer Hadley/Jennifer Hadley/Comedywildlifephoto.com

Updated

Severe thunderstorms predicted across Queensland

Coroner unable to determine cause of Belgian backpacker’s death

A coroner has concluded Belgian backpacker Theo Hayez is dead but she is unable to determine the cause or manner of his death, AAP reports.

New South Wales coroner, Teresa O’Sullivan, said suicide appeared to be highly unlikely and there was no reason for the 18-year-old to intentionally vanish.

But she could not make a finding on the two competing theories put forward at the inquest into his disappearance more than three years ago.

The competing theories were that he had a terrible accident as he tried to climb towards the lighthouse at Byron Bay or that one or more persons caused his death and disposed of his body.

She said:

Sadly, there is just insufficient evidence before me to substantiate or exclude either theory.

He was reportedly last seen about 11pm on 31 May 2019 when he was ejected from the Cheeky Monkeys bar in Byron Bay.

Police were alerted six days later, when he failed to return to his hostel and could not be found or contacted.

A large-scale search was launched, with only a hat believed to belong to Theo located.

Police in February announced a $500,000 reward for anyone with significant information about Theo’s case. The coroner said:

I hope if there is any further information to be known, the reward would provide a motivation to come forward and contact Crime Stoppers.

O’Sullivan acknowledged the sadness and loss experienced by Theo’s family and friends, some who travelled from Belgium to Byron Bay for the inquest.

It is obvious from the evidence he had a bright future ahead of him.

She concluded by making recommendations to cut the red tape involved in searching for missing persons.

Updated

Victoria proposes new standards to protect gig economy workers

The Andrews government has pledged to implement new minimum standards to better protect the state’s gig economy workers.

Under the standards – to initially be voluntary – gig economy companies would be required to consult with their workers about changes to work arrangements and tell workers how much they could expect to earn from each job. Workers would also be able to call on a dedicated support service.

The Victorian government said it would implement the standards if re-elected at next month’s election and aim to enshrine compliance with them in law next year. The reforms follow an independent review into the sector that was released in 2020.

Victoria’s industrial relations minister, Tim Pallas, said the standards would provide gig workers, who lack bargaining power, with clarity:

We know platforms want to do the right thing by the people they engage to do their work – we expect an enthusiastic response to these important reforms.

Earlier this month, New South Wales Labor proposed giving gig economy workers worker’s compensation and portable leave entitlements if the party wins next year’s state election.

Updated

Sussan Ley says treasurer was pushing to scrap tax cuts within Labor

Opposition spokesperson Sussan Ley has begun speaking at a media conference in Sydney. She’s voicing the coalition’s concerns ahead of the Labor government delivering their first budget on Tuesday next week.

Ley is accusing the government of leaving Australians behind and that the budget will do “little to change that.”

We hear complaints that the floods drove up prices and they’re powerless to stop it. That’s not good enough.

Ley went on to criticise the foreign minister, Penny Wong’s reversal of the Morrison government’s recognition of West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Anthony Albanese said he would improve foreign relations with Australia’s allies, but this week, having sided with terrorist groups, over the Biden administration in America, we see that was a lie too.

Ley goes on to claim there is widespread disagreement amongst government ministers, including on stage-three tax cuts, claiming it was the treasurer who pushed to have the controversial policy scrapped when it was in discussion.

The government service minister disagrees with the treasurer on tax policy. Let’s be clear what happened with tax relief. Jim Chalmers pushed hard inside the Labor party to have these tax cuts scrapped in next week’s budget.

Updated

More flood warnings for northern Victoria

It is now too late to leave Barmah, while people from Seymour to Shepparton have been warned by emergency services to watch and act.

Updated

Government working to stop child abuse before it starts: Rishworth

The minister for social services, Amanda Rishworth, will mark the fourth anniversary of the national apology to victims of institutional child sexual abuse in a speech at a Relationships Australia event in Adelaide.

The apology followed the findings of the five-year royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse initiated by former prime minister Julia Gillard.

Here’s some of what Rishworth will say in her speech:

Four years ago, the Australian government and parliament unreservedly apologised to the victims and survivors of institutional child sexual abuse.It followed the longest royal commission in this country’s history and heard stories of the rights of children to be safe, nurtured and supported being ignored.

No apology can ever take away the trauma and pain, but all levels of government are committed to working towards repairing our communities and giving true and practical meaning to this apology.

Today, I recommit to working with urgency and ambition on this journey to stopping child abuse before it starts. We need to work together to keep children safe, to trust them and most of all respect their innocence. I’m pleased we are enshrining victim-survivor voices into the governance arrangements. This will ensure they are at the heart of government decision making.

• In Australia, children, young adults, parents and teachers can contact the Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, or Bravehearts on 1800 272 831, and adult survivors can contact Blue Knot Foundation on 1300 657 380

Updated

Voice of child sexual abuse survivors to be formalised in redress scheme

Victim/survivors of child sexual abuse will be involved in decision making over the future of the redress scheme, with the government committing to appoint a victim/survivor to the governance board.

The minister for social services, Amanda Rishworth, will mark the fourth anniversary of the national apology to victims of institutional child sexual abuse with a range of announcements at a Relationships Australia event in Adelaide:

  • A survivor voice will be appointed into governance arrangements for the ministers’ governance board to ensure victim-survivors are involved in decision making over the future of the redress scheme.

  • The five year strategy for the National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse draft will be released and open for public consultation alongside the appointment of the new chief executive, Dr Leanne Beagley, who was most recently the head of Mental Health Australia.

  • More than 600 non-government organisations have signed up to the redress scheme from charities to community groups, churches, schools and universities.

To date, the scheme has received more than 20,000 applications with 45 redress support services across the country aiming to improve access to practical and emotional support.

An independent review of the scheme was delivered in June last year. Efforts to improve the scheme are currently underway, but the Albanese government has committed to preparing a full transparent response to the review’s 38 recommendations by early 2023.

• In Australia, children, young adults, parents and teachers can contact the Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, or Bravehearts on 1800 272 831, and adult survivors can contact Blue Knot Foundation on 1300 657 380. In the UK, the NSPCC offers support to children on 0800 1111, and adults concerned about a child on 0808 800 5000. The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac) offers support for adult survivors on 0808 801 0331. In the US, call or text the Childhelp abuse hotline on 800-422-4453. Other sources of help can be found at Child Helplines International

Updated

Flood warnings for inland NSW rivers

Victorian opposition proposes Mildura to Melbourne flights for $100

The Victorian opposition has pledged, if elected in November, to cap return airfares from Mildura to Melbourne at $100.

Under the plan, those living within 150km of Mildura will be eligible for two $100 return flights to Melbourne in the next two years. If it proves successful, the Liberals and Nationals will extend the trial further.

Mildura is Victoria’s largest population centre without a passenger train, with residents facing travel times of up to nine hours one way to get to Melbourne via public transport or a six-hour drive.

There are up to eight plane flights a day between Mildura and Melbourne, which take a little over an hour one way but cost three times more than trains and coaches combined.

The opposition leader, Matthew Guy, said:

Part of Mildura’s beauty is its isolation, but that can come at a hefty price for those looking to get to Melbourne with return flights often costing more than $400. Our plan will make it easier and cheaper for locals to get to and from home, ensuring time spent with friends and family, or important appointments, aren’t missed.

Mildura is viewed as a must-win for the Coalition next month, with local police Sgt Paul Matheson running for the Liberals and former Swan Hill mayor Jade Benham running for the Nationals.

It is held by independent MP Ali Cupper, though an electoral redistribution ahead of the 26 November election would see it fall into National hands if the 2018 vote is repeated, albeit on a razor-thin 0.4% margin.

Updated

Liberals call to refer Lidia Thorpe to privileges committee

The Liberals’ Senate leader, Simon Birmingham, has said that Greens senator Lidia Thorpe has “serious questions” to answer about her undisclosed relationship with a former bikie boss while she sat on parliament’s law enforcement committee.

Birmingham told Sky News the conduct “may well give rise to a privileges investigation and inquiry, and we will be pursuing those in the Senate in next week”.

The Liberal leader, Peter Dutton, and deputy, Sussan Ley, have gone further in saying she is unfit to sit in parliament – but the significance of a privileges committee referral is that it could result in an investigation about who knew what when and why Thorpe didn’t disclose the relationship to the committee or her party leader.

Labor’s manager of government business in the Senate, Katy Gallagher, has also signalled that Adam Bandt’s explanation and Thorpe’s resignation as deputy Greens Senate leader is not the end of the matter.

Gallagher told Channel Nine:

Well, you know, we need to understand a bit more of what’s gone on here and who knew what when, but I think there’s a serious issue here. I think the Senate deserves an explanation. Certainly the committee that she sat on deserves an explanation. And I think there’s probably more to go but I don’t think it’s going to be that easy to just flick it off as a “serious error of judgment”.

In a statement, Thorpe said she accepts she “made mistakes” and had “not exercised good judgment”. Thorpe acknowledged she did not advise Bandt of her relationship with Dean Martin, but insisted that confidential committee documents on how the AFP monitors outlaw motorcycle gangs were “treated in confidence”.

Thorpe said Martin’s history with the Rebels was a “past connection”.

Obviously, I’m concerned about the criminal activities of outlaw motorcycle clubs in general. But when we met, Mr Martin was no longer involved with that world.

Updated

Sky News’s Laura Jayes says the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has sent Liz Truss a note wishing her well following her resignation after just 45 days in office.

Updated

‘Protecting the reef means investing in regional communities’: special envoy

We brought you the environment minister, Tanya Plibersek’s, comments about government funding for the Great Barrier Reef. Here is what the special envoy for the Great Barrier Reef, Nita Green, had to say:

The reef sustains 64,000 Australian jobs and contributes $6.4bn to the Australian economy.

From Cairns to Gladstone protecting the Reef means investing in regional communities.

As well as a crucial investment for our natural environment, this will support the entire Queensland – and Australian – economy.

It is another important step that this government is taking to protect and manage this amazing natural wonder and support the communities that rely on it, ensuring the reef’s viability for generations to come.

Updated

Who was the shortest-serving head of state ever?

Some more fact finding from our friends at the Australian Associated Press, which will make Liz Truss feel less bad about serving only 45 days in office.

Journalist Marty Silk says (according to his Wikipedia search) the shortest serving head of state was France’s King Louis XIX, who abdicated after about 20 minutes on the throne in 1830.

He came to throne at the revolution of 1830 when his father abdicated. However, after 20 minutes in the job he decided that it would be prudent for him to abdicate as well.

Updated

Inundated Victorian towns prepare for more rain

Victorian towns along the Murray River are expected to experience the worst of expected flooding from Sunday, AAP reports.

Water could rise to 94.8 metres above sea level in the next 48 hours, similar to levels experienced in 1993 floods, and could rise to 95 metres by Tuesday.

Rain and isolated thunderstorms could deliver up to 30mm of rain for already drenched parts of northern Victoria on Friday.

Tim Wiebusch from the State Emergency Service said already flooded towns downstream of Lake Eppalock, such as Rochester, could face a new threat if forecasted thunderstorms occur over the weekend.

It is now too late to leave the smaller towns of Barmah and Lower Moira along the Murray River.

Residents in Echuca who have not already evacuated have been told to limit water usage, which includes showers and washing machines, to reduce the amount of water sent to sewers while flood levels are high.

Locals there have spent days building a 2km makeshift flood levee through the town to protect thousands of homes and businesses. However, the sandbag wall may not be enough to stop the predicted flood waters, according to Wiebusch.

Up to 50 properties in Kerang in the state’s north could be inundated when the floods peak today. Residents there have been told it is too late to leave after a bridge connecting the town to a major highway was closed on Wednesday night.

Rochester and Murchison residents have been told it’s not safe to return.

About 200 hospital staff and 20 pharmacists will be sent to Victoria’s flood-ravaged regions for the next three months to help the worst-affected public health units.

Updated

Federal political reporter for AAP Andrew Brown says there have been four Australian PMs who’ve held the role for a shorter tenure than Liz Truss.

Arnott’s classic assorted pack discontinued

Now for some news that will bite offices around Australia, Arnott’s has discontinued its classic assorted pack.

The biscuit manufacturer has confirmed:

Due to ongoing low sales and limited shelf space in supermarkets, the difficult decision was made to stop production of this product.

2GB Radio listener Peter told the station that the classic assorted pack has been replaced with a smaller package that has much less variety at a higher price.

In 2019 Guardian Australia undertook a rigorous experiment regarding Arnott’s classic assorted:

Updated

Plibersek hopes new UK PM will be ambitious on climate change

Following Liz Truss’ resignation, there’s speculation Boris Johnson could be putting his hat in the ring again (there are reports he’s flying back early from a holiday to do so).

When Boris Johnson was prime minister, he was a strong advocate for a global effort to reduce carbon emissions. ABC Radio asks Plibersek if it would be a good thing for the environment if he were return to the leadership?

The thing to say about climate change ambition is the UK conservatives for a long time were well ahead of their Australian counterparts. It was disappointing when Liz Truss was elected, she signalled a bit of a change in that position.

I hope that whoever the new leader might be would return to that high ambition on climate action.

I think it’s very clear, both in the UK and here in Australia that there’s very strong support for taking real action to protect our natural environment from the effects of climate change.

Updated

Potential conflicts must be declared: Plibersek on Lidia Thorpe

Plibersek is asked about the revelation that emerged yesterday that Lidia Thorpe was in an undisclosed relationship with an ex-bikie boss while on a law enforcement committee. Thorpe has resigned as deputy leader in the Senate but retains her portfolio and position as a senator.

Plibersek said:

I think if you’ve got a conflict – a potential conflict – you need to declare that. It also seems that the leader of the Greens was notified about this conflict and it’s not clear what action was taken in response to that. I think that’s really the next set of questions that should be asked.

Plibersek is asked if this is something that the Greens should resolve internally or if she believes there is a role for the privileges committee or other elements of the parliament. She responds:

I think they need to be very clear about what steps were taken to deal with any potential conflicts. I think it is in the public interest to know that. The mechanism for making that clear, I don’t have a view about.

Updated

Including climate in the budget helps tell the whole economic story: Plibersek

The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, yesterday said that the cost of climate change will be accounted for in the budget this year for the first time.

Tanya Plibersek is asked how does the government count that cost? Will the destruction of our natural habitats be part of that accounting?

If you look at an indicator – a straight indicator like GDP – it doesn’t tell the whole story of what’s happening in the economy.

After bushfires when there’s a massive amount of reconstruction work going on. You measure economic activity increasing, you know, unemployment might go down because people are engaged in rebuilding. But nobody says a bushfire is good. The human misery, the natural destruction, obviously, that’s terrible.

So looking at more sophisticated measures, what’s happening nationally, so you can look at things like air quality, for example, what’s happening with threatened species that tells a more sophisticated or more sophisticated story of what’s happening in our economy.

Updated

Australia needs ‘strong credible pathway’ to net zero: Plibersek

ABC Radio asks Tanya Plibersek about the biggest threat to the reef which is, of course, climate change.

The Greens have indicated they will move to stop the government pushing forward with new coal and gas. Does Plibersek believe there needs to be a climate trigger?

I think that’s why we need a strong and legislated target to get to net zero emissions and a credible pathway to get there. Net zero emissions doesn’t mean that there’ll be no sector of the economy that pollutes again, it means that we have to compensate.

So if the transport sector still has carbon emissions, we need to make sure that we’re reducing emissions in other areas that we’re investing in carbon sinks, like trees, like mangroves, like seagrass meadows, but also have in many cases and additional environmental benefits.

I think you’ll always have extremes at either end of this argument. What we have to do as a nation is have a strong credible pathway to zero net emissions and work to get in a way that also benefits nature wherever we can.

Updated

Plibersek is asked to explain a little bit more about the funding. Labor pledged a similar amount before the election, so is this new money?

This is additional because it’s in our first budget, so it’s delivering on the promise we made.

And how does it relate to the $1bn for the Great Barrier Reef announced earlier in the year by the coalition government?

We agreed with that billion dollars of spending and we’re saying that’s not quite enough.

We need to spend $1.2bn over coming years and it’ll mean things like a new research centre in Gladstone, employing scientists to do really critical work on coastal ecosystems.

That means more investment in large scale restoration projects like reseeding seagrass meadows that animals are used to to breed and seed.

It means making sure that we’re getting our vessels – I’m launching a new reef vessel today as well, we’ve got two more in the works – those vessels get to the outer reaches of the reef and that we’ve got really good coverage being able to get our scientists and our workers out there who are doing reef restoration projects.

But also making sure that we’re staying up to date, making sure that the fisheries management is enforced, for example. So it’s it’s a very big extensive project to protect and restore the Great Barrier Reef.

Updated

‘These measures can start to turn around the health of the reef’: Plibersek

Tanya Plibersek has spoken to ABC Radio about what the government’s commitment of $1.2bn for the Great Barrier Reef will deliver.

Plibersek says the funding will not only protect the reef itself but also the river systems and animals that are part of the wider ecosystem, including a personal favourite of this blogger – the dugong.

Well, it means that we can do important projects like stabilising riverbanks, replanting mangroves, reed beds and seagrass meadows to improve the water quality that’s coming from the land into the reef.

It means that we can work with traditional owners who are controlling crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks.

That means we can work with commercial fishers to stop them, getting bycatch in their nets like do gongs and turtles.

It means that we can work on better research. We’re able now to rebrand coral to control spawning so that we can replant coral in the areas where it’s been degraded. So there’s a lot of exciting science going on, on the reef as well.

She says there is a “bit of breathing space” to turn the health of the reef around because of cooler weather in recent years.

Together we hope to these measures can start to turn around the health of the reef, it is a still a beautiful natural wonder of the world. We’ve got a little bit of a breathing space in the last couple of years. We’ve seen some of those corals come back because we’ve had cooler weather and we need to build on that to protect and restore.

Updated

Government outlines $1.2bn plan to protect Great Barrier Reef

The Albanese government will commit an additional $204m to protect, manage and restore the Great Barrier Reef, bringing the total spend on the reef to $1.2bn.

The environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, has today outlined the government’s vision for the future of the Reef, which includes replanting parts of the reef with new corals, catchment restoration, working with fisheries and a new research centre.

In a joint statement, Plibersek and the special envoy for the Great Barrier Reef, Nita Green, have released the following details:

The additional funding will immediately address critical gaps in the reef 2050 long-term sustainability plan and speed-up reef protection activities.

Catchment restoration programs will restore and remediate gully and stream banks to reduce sediment run-off into the reef and improve water quality.

Additional funding will also support targeted blue carbon ecosystem restoration projects. Mangroves, tidal marshes and seagrasses are critical in protecting the reef from run off but also provide important breeding and feeding habitats for marine life.

$20m will be dedicated to assist corals to evolve more quickly and adapt to their changing environment, as well as supporting natural restoration of damaged and degraded reefs.

New funding will deliver stronger fisheries management and protect threatened species on the Reef by working with commercial fishers to reduce by-catch through modifying and upgrading fishing equipment.

A grant of $15.3m will be provided to set up the new Coastal Marine Ecosystems Research Centre at the Central Queensland University in Gladstone. This will allow the hire of additional specialist staff and set up new research laboratories. The centre will undertake critical scientific work to improve Australia’s understanding of Reef ecosystems.

Together with the Queensland government, the new funding brings Australia’s total reef investment to more than $4.4bn from 2014-15 to 2029-30.

Updated

Next tranche of Ukrainian support will come after Bushmasters’ delivery: Marles

You’ll remember the government announced it was considering an offer to train Ukrainian troops earlier this month, but no announcements have been forthcoming.

ABC Radio asks Marles about what is happening with that support.

I’m not going to make the announcement now … We will make the announcement very soon. But I think the point I want to make about this is that the previous commitments that we’ve made in relation to Ukraine, we are still in the process of of delivering and that’s as was expected and intended when those announcements were made.

Getting the Bushmasters over to Ukraine involves a scheduled delivery. There’s a logistical task here and it was always understood that up it would take some time to get all those Bushmasters over there. And that is still happening.

So in that sense, the the next tranche of support that we provide to Ukraine will come into place when all of that has been delivered. We will make that announcement very soon. We see that it is critically important.

Updated

Marles ‘very concerned’ by reports China hired former western pilots to train military

Patricia Karvelas:

You’ve announced an investigation into allegations China hired former Western air force pilots to train its military. Is there any evidence Australians have been involved?

Richard Marles:

We’re very concerned by the reports, which is why I’ve asked for the department to come back to me as quickly as possible with a report about whether this is an issue which presents a material danger to Australia or not.

The point I would make really quickly to people who have helped me say read these reports is that Australians who work for the government in any capacity - but that very much includes the the military, that would include someone flying a fighter jet – who come into possession of the nation’s secrets have an obligation to maintain those secrets beyond their employment with, their engagement with the Commonwealth. That’s an enduring obligation and to reveal any of those secrets is a crime.

We’ve obviously read reports and they’re very concerning reports in the media… and we want to understand whether this is this is a real issue and obviously if there is an issue out there, we will deal with us.

Updated

‘There’s a lot of catch up’ on Pacific relationship, defence minister says

ABC Radio asks Richard Marles about the $900m the government has committed to the Pacific over the next four years, which represents 70% more than the $525m increase that Labor promised during the election campaign.

The investment comes amid intensifying competition with China for influence. RN Breakfast host, Patricia Karvelas, asks Marles if there’s a proviso in the agreement that countries like Kiribati (who didn’t attend the recent Pacific Island Forum) not engage with Beijing.

Marles:

We understand that countries in the Pacific have choices. What we need to be focusing on is Australia’s place and our engagement with the Pacific on our own terms and making sure that we are present, that we are there providing support, and that our focus and intent is on the development of the countries of the Pacific and that very much includes Kiribati.

But what we’ve seen over the last decade is a former Australian government which was not doing the work and that’s, that’s part of the issue here. There’s a lot of catch up that we need to do but we are intent on doing it. And we are here in a very present way and that it very much includes Kiribati.

Updated

UK political upheaval won’t affect Aukus: Marles

Morning! Natasha May on deck with you.

The deputy prime minister and defence minister, Richard Marles, has spoken with ABC Radio this morning from Fiji.

He’s responded to the big news this morning out of the UK that Liz Truss will resign after only 45 days in office. Marles says the UK government continues to function despite the political upheaval.

He said that the changes in leadership don’t affect Australia’s relationship with Britain, including on the important issues like the Aukus agreement.

Updated

Millennials v boomers: what does census data reveal?

Millennials have long known that they have been shortchanged economically in the lottery of life. They may be better educated than previous generations, but that hasn’t helped them gain economic security.

Now, after sifting through data released by the ABS, Amy Remeikis can finally settle some old debates between the generations. Here’s her fascinating story:

Liz Truss resigns as UK prime minister

Lidia Thorpe’s decision to stand down as the Greens’ deputy leader in the Senate is not the only political resignation making headlines this morning. Liz Truss’s departure as British prime minister after only 45 days in office will lead many of the news bulletins this morning but we have got comprehensive coverage over at our sister UK blog here.

There’s also this story about the front page of the Economist comparing Britain to Italy.

Good morning

Natasha May will be along shortly but one of the main developments this morning is that rain and thunderstorms are building over large parts of eastern Australia this morning, threatening to bring more misery to communities in northern Victoria and other regions already battling to hold back rising flood waters. Check out our excellent visual explainer to see why so much rain has fallen on the region.

The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, will announce a planned $900m aid boost for the Pacific during a speech in French Polynesia on Friday, arguing the budget will be “a major step toward the goal of making Australia stronger and more influential in the world”. The measure will form part of Tuesday’s budget.

Lidia Thorpe’s resignation as deputy leader of the Greens in the Senate will also make some headlines today, and we have the latest on that as Labor’s Anne Ally says she is “disappointed” that Thorpe did not declare her relationship with former bikie boss Dean Martin.

Updated

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My resolutions for 2025, from diets to zips to the swear jar
How can I be a better and more productive parent?
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Chevy Chase joked director Jason Reitman should be ‘embarrassed’ about ‘Saturday Night’ film
Decades after becoming one of the stapes on ‘Saturday Night Live’ in the 1970s, Chevy Chase has jokingly told director Jason Reitman he should be “embarrassed” about his ‘Saturday Night’ film.
BANG Premier
BANG Premier
Who were the internet's biggest crushes in 2024? From Luigi Mangione to Dua Lipa
Hot rodents? Anyone Irish? Be still, our beating hearts. A broad church formed the pin-ups and poster girls of 2024. Claudia Cockerell catalogues the most memorable of the bunch
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
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