What we learned; Thursday 9 November
And with that, we are going to put the blog to bed. Before we go, let’s recap the big headlines:
Optus is facing a Senate inquiry and separate government review as well as calls for compensation after its 14-hour network outage on Wednesday.
The phone and internet provider late on Thursday said a “network event triggered a cascading failure” to cause the blackout, and that it will be offering free data to eligible customers.
The Albanese government faces a standoff with David Pocock and Jacqui Lambie over its IR legislation after the two crossbenchers successfully passed four private members’ bills in the Senate.
The stateless Rohingya man who won a high court ruling that indefinite immigration detention is unlawful was released on “strict conditions”, Penny Wong said.
Two men were arrested following a large-scale manhunt after shots were fired at multiple cars travelling on the Pacific Highway in NSW.
Australia women’s cricket captain Meg Lanning retired from internationals, saying she has lost the “spark” required to compete at elite level.
And Anthony Albanese’s dance moves made a big impression on the Pacific Islands Forum.
Thank you so much for spending part of your day with us - we will be back tomorrow to do it all again.
Updated
Four-day weeks and shorter days possible for school students under new Queensland policy
Schools looking to adopt flexible hours have been given new guidelines in Queensland, governing everything from starting and finishing times to four-day weeks, AAP has reported.
Four-day weeks and shorter days will be possible for Queensland students next year under a new flexible school schedule policy.
Public school principals around the state this week received a framework to change their operating hours from 2024 under the updated policy.
The education minister, Grace Grace, said it did not mean automatic approval for schools to adopt four-day weeks:
It’s an upgrade to the policy. It is definitely not a green light for a four-day week.
In fact, schools are expected to operate over the five days per week.
Under the new policy, reasons for schools making changes include teacher or resources availability, school community need or student and staff wellbeing and engagement.
Updated
Two men arrested after alleged spate of shootings on NSW mid-north coast
NSW police have released a bit more information in relation to the two men in custody after an alleged spate of shootings on the state’s mid-north coast.
In a statement, police said:
A large-scale police operation was established by the Mid North Coast Police District – assisted by officers from Manning-Great Lakes Police District, and several NSW Police specialist units, including PolAir, the Tactical Operations Unit, the Police Dog Unit, Traffic and Highway Patrol, and other Northern Region resources – to locate those involved.
About 3.15pm, two men – aged 26 and 32 – were arrested behind Geoffrey Debenham Street, Kempsey, and have been taken to Kempsey Police Station.
As inquiries continue, police urge anyone with information or dashcam footage to contact police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Updated
Greens fear a Labor-Liberal deal to avoid ‘genuine reform’ on donations
The Greens say they are concerned the Labor government will do a deal with the opposition to avoid implementing any “genuine reform” for federal elections.
The government has issued its response to an interim report from the joint standing committee on electoral matters, which offered recommendations including the introduction of real-time donation disclosures, lowering the disclosure threshold to $1,000 and bringing in political donation caps for federal elections.
The government said electoral reform should be “undertaken in a consultative and bipartisan manner”, suggesting it was important the major parties reach agreement on the new standards.
But the response also said the government looked forward to working with colleagues “across the parliament”, indicating it would listen to crossbenchers too.
However, the Greens senator Larissa Waters said the reference to reform needing bipartisanship was “concerning” for any hope of “genuine change”.
“Now that shouts Labor-Liberal deal to me and it’s not surprising one of the few things they can agree on is rigging the system to secure their flailing political support. If it seeks to lock in bipartisan power, and lock the Greens and the independents out, then it won’t be genuine reform. There will be a rort.”
The committee’s final report will be delivered before the end of the year.
Updated
Human Rights Commission welcomes indefinite detention ruling
The Australian Human Rights Commission has welcomed yesterday’s high court ruling which determined that Australia’s system of indefinite immigration detention is unlawful.
The Australian Human Rights Commission president, Emeritus Prof Rosalind Croucher, said:
For decades, Australia’s system of mandatory and indefinite immigration detention has imposed an enormous burden on thousands of vulnerable people and their families.
It has separated families and friends, it has caused significant physical and mental health problems, it has deprived people of hope, and it has taken away from them one of the most fundamental of human rights: the right to liberty.
Along with many community and civil society organisations, the Australian Human Rights Commission has long campaigned to overturn the Al-Kateb ruling and the terrible consequences that decision had for so many people and families.
This is a truly historic decision in terms of human rights and social justice in this country, and I thank all the people and organisations who have contributed in their own ways to bringing this about.
Updated
Optus outage: 'network event triggered a cascading failure', telco says
Optus also included some information on the outage, saying in the statement:
In common with major global telecommunication networks, the Optus network is designed with multiple layers of fall back and redundancy. At the heart of this is a modern intelligent router network developed with the world’s leading vendors.
Despite this, a network event yesterday triggered a cascading failure which resulted in the shutdown of services to our customers.
Our engineers are investigating thoroughly and we will learn from this outage and continue to improve. We welcome, and intend to cooperate fully with, the Government investigations.
Updated
Optus to offer customers some free data as compensation for outage
Optus has announced “eligible” customers will be able to apply for some free data, as compensation for the outage yesterday.
In a statement, the Optus CEO, Kelly Bayer Rosmarin, said:
We’re deeply sorry for yesterday’s outage. We know how important connectivity is to all our customers, and that we let you down.
We truly appreciate our customers’ patience and understanding as we worked to restore our operations yesterday.
We know that there is nothing we can do to make up for yesterday and what customers want most is for our network to work all the time – which is our number one priority – but we also want to acknowledge their patience and loyalty by giving them additional data to help during the holidays, when so many people consume more data with friends and family.
From Monday 13 November eligible postpaid customers, both small businesses and consumers, will be able to access 200GB of extra data, and customers have until the end of the year to activate. Eligible prepaid customers will be able to access unlimited data on weekends until the end of the year.
From Monday, customers can go to optus.com.au for more details on how to add the offer to their plans.
Updated
PM busts a move at Pacific Islands Forum gift-giving ceremony
Anthony Albanese has done a little dance during a gift-presentation ceremony on the island of Aitutaki in the Cook Islands.
Members of the Pacific Islands Forum travelled from the island of Rarotonga to Aitutaki this afternoon for an overnight leaders’ retreat.
More than 100 members of the Aitutaki community, including children lining the streets, came to Orongo Park to welcome representatives from around the Pacific.
One by one, each leader was called to the front to receive two gifts, including a large quilt.
Maybe it was the fresh air, maybe it was the energetic drumbeat or maybe it was the person presenting him with the gift who induced him to dance. But we can report that Albanese was by no means the first leader to do a little jig. They did seem to become a more frequent phenomenon in the second half of the leader roll call.
A couple of Australians who happened to be holidaying in Aitutaki stopped Albanese for a selfie after the event.
Albanese and other Pacific leaders are due to hold private talks on a boat on a lagoon tomorrow and are expected to discuss a range of topics including the climate crisis, nuclear issues and managing rivalry between major powers including the US and China.
Earlier today, in Rarotonga, Albanese defended Australia’s climate policies amid growing pressure to curb fossil fuels.
Albanese said he had received an “extremely positive reception” at the events in the Cook Islands, given “there is a recognition” that since the change of government Australia was taking climate change seriously, “not only domestically but also helping in the Pacific”.
Updated
Large thunderstorm hits parts of NSW
There is a large thunderstorm moving over parts of NSW including St Albans, Wisemans Ferry and Maroota with damaging winds, large hail and heavy rainfall possible. Residents can check warnings on the Bureau of Meteorology site:
Detailed Severe Thunderstorm Warning update. DAMAGING WINDS, LARGE HAIL & HEAVY RAINFALL now possible. Cells moving slowly east may affect #StAlbans #WisemansFerry & #Maroota by 3:30 pm, & #Glenorie by 4:00 pm. Warning updates:https://t.co/uQ9F1lRjZj ☔⚡ pic.twitter.com/zWrCbPnEk0
— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) November 9, 2023
Updated
Jerry Seinfeld announces comedy tour of Australia
In case you missed the announcement earlier today, Jerry Seinfeld is coming to Australia next year.
The 69-year-old comedian, who on his 1998 tour called Melbourne “the anus of the world”, is heading to Perth, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and the anus of the world in June. (He did later clarify that it was a geography joke and that he “love[d] Melbourne”.)
He will also head to Auckland and Christchurch.
Seinfeld last toured Australia in 2017, when tickets sold out in minutes and many were later listed for thousands of dollars online.
Presales start on 16 November, followed by general sales from 12pm local time on 17 November.
Updated
‘A fundamental human right’: lawyers in indefinite detention case issue statement
NZYQ, the stateless Rohingya man who overturned the legality of indefinite immigration detention in the high court, was represented by solicitors at Allens and a team of barristers led by Craig Lenehan.
Allens has released this statement on the decision:
The High Court held yesterday that refugees who do not have visas, but who have no prospect of removal to another country in the reasonably foreseeable future, may not be held in detention indefinitely.
It is a fundamental human right, acknowledged by Magna Carta and confirmed by the separation of powers in our constitution, that people should not be imprisoned unless they have been found by a court to have committed a crime. The High Court has confirmed that, although there are some limited exceptions to this principle, those exceptions do not include the indefinite detention of refugees who do not have visas and who cannot be removed to another country. Although the High Court has not yet delivered reasons for its decision, it is expected that those reasons will apply its earlier judgment in Lim, rather than its conflicting judgment in Al Kateb.
Allens acted pro bono for the plaintiff in this case and is very pleased to have played a role, together with a team of leading barristers, in enabling the High Court to confirm the importance of this crucial human right.
Updated
Two people arrested after shootings on NSW mid-north coast
Police have arrested two people at Kempsey after shots were allegedly fired at multiple cars on a major NSW highway.
There will be a police media briefing at 4.30pm and we will bring you that as it comes.
Updated
Scammers send text messages pretending to be Optus
Scammers are already sending out text messages pretending to be Optus and apologising for yesterday’s outage.
The National Anti-Scam Centre has posted that the text message claims compensation is on offer for customers, and includes a malicious link.
“If you receive a message like this, it’s a scam. There’s no compensation on offer. Don’t click the link,” the centre posted on X (formerly Twitter).
If you receive a message like this, it's a #scam. There's no compensation on offer. Don't click the link. Ignore & delete. Report scams here https://t.co/sWWNpuqeg1 pic.twitter.com/7j5vwBEC98
— NASC Scamwatch (@Scamwatch_gov) November 9, 2023
Updated
Wong says Greens seeking to make ‘political point’ with Gaza demonstration
The foreign minister, Penny Wong, said the Greens were seeking to make a “political point” with their demonstration in the Senate calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Wong, responding to Jordon Steele-John’s speech, again made the point that she believed Israel had the right to defend itself – but stressed the way Israel does that matters.
Wong said it was important for Israel to listen to the concerns raised by “friends” like Australia, and that “the international community won’t accept civilian deaths”. The minister said it was a “deeply distressing” issue to many in Australia, raising concerns about social cohesion in Australia.
Simon Birmingham, the opposition Senate leader and shadow foreign minister, called for a “more sombre, considered response” than what he called the “childish ... pathetic” response from the Greens. Birmingham questioned how a ceasefire would work in Gaza.
The Senate is now dividing on the question of supporting the Greens motion.
Updated
Vodafone and other brands report ‘fourfold’ increase in sales activity on day of Optus outage
Vodafone and its related brands experienced a “fourfold” increase in sales activity on the day of the Optus outage, a spokesperson has confirmed.
A TPG spokesperson said:
Over the last 24 hours, we’ve seen more than a four-fold increase in activity across all our brands including Vodafone, TPG, iiNet, felix and Lebara, making it our busiest sales day in the last year – and it’s not slowing down.
Our store and online support teams are ready to help customers connect and have been providing temporary numbers in instances where slight delays have occurred when porting numbers from other carriers.
Guardian Australia understands that during the outage, customers were unable to port their existing phone numbers from Optus to other telcos, requiring temporary numbers in the meantime.
Some customers had reported not being able to activate new sim cards for existing services, and difficulty porting on Thursday. Optus’s online customer support advised people to wait a few hours and try again.
Analysts already expect the 14-hour outage on Wednesday will lead customers to “churn” and move to another provider.
A spokesperson for Optus said in a response to questions about porting:
We will answer your queries and provide more information as it becomes available. We appreciate your patience during this time.
Boost Mobile also reported a five-times increase in sales for the day. It is understood other telcos also experienced an increase in sales.
Updated
Greens call on Senate to support a Gaza ceasefire
The Greens are calling on the Senate to support a ceasefire in Gaza. Senator Jordon Steele-John moved a motion immediately after Senate question time on Thursday, leading a chant of “ceasefire now” among his fellow Greens senators.
“The Australian government can’t wait a moment longer to support a ceasefire,” he told the chamber.
Steele-John noted reported death figures of more than 10,000 civilians in Gaza after Israel’s targeting of Hamas in Palestine, including a large number of children. The senator called it a “humanitarian catastrophe”, alleging Israel was committing “war crimes”.
The Labor government has been under pressure from the Greens, and growing numbers of the Labor movement of rank-and-file members and unions, to take stronger language on the situation in Gaza.
Finishing his speech, Steele-John began chanting “ceasefire now” as other Greens colleagues joined in, holding up printed signs with the same message.
Updated
WA to offer incentives to Airbnb owners who rent to long-term tenants
Airbnb owners and other short-term rental accommodation providers will be offered nation-leading incentives of $10,000 to make their properties available to long-term tenants in Western Australia, AAP is reporting.
The scheme is part of a slew of changes introduced by the Labor government to boost housing supply and regulate the growing short-term rental market.
The premier, Roger Cook, said short-term rentals had made some local neighbourhoods and communities less desirable places for people to live.
They (also) have an impact upon the availability of long-term rental accommodation.
So it’s important that we bring this back into balance.
Cook said the new rules struck a balance between the rights of people who wanted to be able to put their properties on the short-term rental accommodation market and the needs of the broader community, including the tourism and hotel industry and local government areas.
Updated
Optus owner commends telco for financial performance
Optus owner Singtel has lauded the performance of its Australian business in financial results released on Thursday, even as the local telco starts to grapple with the fallout from yesterday’s damaging outage.
The Singapore-based parent company cited increased revenue from Optus’s mobile business, as well as an increase in customer numbers, in its half-year financial results.
The financials are based on results for the six months to 30 September, which do not take into account the outage that has raised questions over Optus’s operations and sparked a parliamentary probe.
Analysts expect the problems will cause a “churn event”, whereby customers switch providers, forcing Optus to cut prices to lure clients back.
In a press release accompanying Singtel’s results, Optus acknowledged the outage that froze payments systems, disrupted train services and affected hospital phone lines across the country.
“Our customer-centric approach has continued to drive positive engagement,” the Optus chief executive, Kelly Bayer Rosmarin, said in the statement.
“However, we recognise that yesterday’s outage has let down our customers and for that we are truly sorry.”
Updated
Senate QT continues with question about robodebt
Senate QT continues with a question to Don Farrell about robodebt. Farrell talks about the government services minister, Bill Shorten, announcing a new taskforce advisory group into MyGov.
“An advisory group, ooh,” one Liberal senator (we didn’t see who) interjects mockingly.
Farrell shoots back: “Yes, experts – not like what you were using.”
Labor’s Helen Polley, asking a supplementary question, adds: “It’s unfortunate those opposite didn’t learn anything from that debacle [robodebt].”
It’s that kind of day in the red place.
Updated
High court plaintiff released on 'strict conditions': Penny Wong
The Coalition has asked about the high court’s decision to release a stateless Rohingya man and find that indefinite immigration detention is unlawful, after the opposition labelled the decision “very disturbing”.
The government leader in the Senate, Penny Wong, said:
Obviously the government notes the ruling of the high court yesterday. We are considering the implications of the judgment carefully and we’ll continue to work with authorities to ensure community safety is upheld. I am advised that the decision of the high court does overturn a 20-year precedent and could trigger the release of a number of people in detention ...
The individual, I am advised, has been released following the decision of the high court and has been placed on a visa arrangement with strict conditions. As you are aware, they may, they include various requirements in relation to reporting and personal details and other strict requirements.
Updated
Wong back for final Senate question time of the week
Senate question time is back on today for the last time of the week, and government leader, Penny Wong, is back in the big chair after returning from China – meaning it’s a regretful end to the Don Farrell and Murray Watt double act that we’ve seen all week, as the only two ministers in the chamber.
But even with a new leader, we’re back on the same gear as yesterday, with the opposition seeking to trip up Farrell. Yesterday there were bizarre scenes when Farrell either couldn’t or wouldn’t give a definition of mortgage stress (the context being that the Coalition asked some questions in a bid to expose the government for only having a few ministers in the chamber, and Farrell and Watt therefore covering numerous portfolios they don’t normally cover).
Those scenes included the Liberal Senate leader, Simon Birmingham, flinging a piece of paper, which he said included the definition of mortgage stress, across the table at Farrell.
So the first question of QT, from Liberal Paul Scarr, again asked Farrell for the definition. And again, Farrell didn’t or couldn’t name it.
The Coalition opposition loudly interjected all through Farrell’s answer, as he detailed how “many” people were experiencing mortgage stress, but didn’t name a number of how many people.
Birmingham, interrupting, said it was “inconceivable” Farrell didn’t have the details in front of him.
It’s the last QT of this Senate-only sitting week. It’s nearly over.
Updated
Government continues to play hardball on splitting IR bill
Despite Labor not opposing the crossbench push to pass four industrial relations bills in the Senate, it will not necessarily help pass them in the lower house.
The workplace relations minister and leader of the house, Tony Burke, is still playing hardball.
He said:
These provisions are already contained within government legislation that is currently before the house. The government will continue to pursue its own legislation to protect workers and lift wages. It’s strange the Senate passed these provisions without waiting for its own committee to report on them – particularly given the same senators who voted for them have repeatedly stressed the sanctity of the committee process. What’s even more bewildering is in its very next vote the Senate voted to further delay that committee process. The government has never voted to delay any of these measures. We want them all passed as soon as possible. The government remains committed to delivering on our election promise to close the loopholes that are undermining wages.
Updated
Icac finds Canada Bay mayor Angelo Tsirekas engaged in serious corrupt conduct
A long-time mayor of Canada Bay in Sydney has been found by the state’s corruption watchdog to have engaged in serious corrupt conduct when he helped developers in exchange for thousands of dollars’ worth of benefits.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption handed down its findings from its investigation into Canada Bay mayor Angelo Tsirekas on Thursday and recommended he promptly be removed from office.
The commission’s Operation Tolosa found Tsirekas engaged in serious corrupt conduct by seeking or accepting benefits between 2015 and 2019 from developer I-Prosperity and its agent Joseph Chidiac, who was one of the mayor’s friends.
These benefits included overseas flights and accommodation to the value of at least $18,800 as an “inducement or reward”for Tsirekas using his position on the council to favour I-Prosperity’s property interests.
Tsirekas temporarily left the council to unsuccessfully contest the seat of Reid for Labor in 2016.
Icac said Tsikeras received $30,000 in donations from three people associated with-Prosperity while he was a federal candidate.
The watchdog has referred the matter to the director of public prosecutions to consider whether criminal charges should be laid against Tsirekas and Chidiac.
Guardian Australia has contacted Tsirekas for comment.
Updated
UN refugee agency welcomes verdict on indefinite immigration detention
The United Nations’ refugee agency has welcomed the Australian high court’s decision on Wednesday ruling that indefinite immigration detention is unlawful.
Adrian Edwards, the UN high commissioner for refugees’ (UNHCR’s) representative for Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific, said in a statement:
While we must wait for the judgement to determine its full implications, the decision has the potential to begin to align Australia’s immigration detention practices with international law.
UNHCR has expressed grave concerns over the last decades about arbitrary and indefinite detention in Australia. Only this week, we have visited detention centres and observed the dire effects that detention can have on refugees and stateless persons, some of whom have been detained in excess of 10 years.
Regardless of whether someone has committed a crime in the past and for which they have served their sentence, the high court has now made clear that immigration detention must not be punitive.UNHCR will continue to advocate for those under our mandate who remain in detention. UNHCR hopes this is the first step in creating a system of detention in which people are only deprived of their liberty as a measure of last resort and when absolutely necessary.
Updated
Pro-Palestine rally outside Israeli embassy in Canberra set for tomorrow
A peaceful protest opposing Israel’s siege and bombardment of Gaza will be held on Friday night outside the Israeli embassy in Canberra.
Canberra Muslims for Palestine will begin at the Israeli embassy in Yarralumla at 5.30pm before marching to the nearby US embassy in a show of opposition against the “horror of Israel’s war and terrorism”.
The group says the rally will bring together members of Canberra’s Palestinian, Jewish, Muslim and Christian communities to “condemn the genocidal actions and war crimes of the Israeli regime”.
More than 10,000 people have been killed within the Gaza Strip as a result of the Israeli government’s continued bombardments.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has so far resisted calls for a ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid and supplies into the territory and to allow those displaced by the bombing to leave.
The conflict was sparked after the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a brutal attack on 7 October, killing 1,400 across southern Israel and capturing more than 200 as hostages.
It’s expected a number of pro-Palestine groups will converge on Parliament House on Monday as the full sitting week begins to speak out against Israel’s attacks on the besieged strip.
Updated
Greens happy with Senate response to Hanson’s language on Faruqi
Greens senator Larissa Waters said the party was pleased with the Senate’s response to Pauline Hanson’s comments to Mehreen Faruqi yesterday.
Waters said her party “will not stand by” such language being used in the parliament, saying politicians needed to “set the standard”.
“If we don’t stand up and call it out, it sends a message that it’s tolerated,” she said.
I’m pleased the Senate president and deputy president gave a really strong joint statement urging the chamber to uphold proper behaviour standards.
It is not the first time Hanson has used such language about Faruqi, and One Nation last night sent an email to supporters asking for donations after they claimed “the Greens are trying to shut Pauline Hanson down again”.
Waters said she hoped the Senate would make similar responses in future against similar incidents.
Updated
Inquiry will force Optus to ‘front up and explain’ outage, Sarah Hanson-Young says
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young is pleased that the parliament will probe the Optus outage, saying the embattled company’s management will be forced to “front up” to answer questions on the latest scandal.
Hanson-Young said the day-long outage yesterday was “just not good enough”. She didn’t rule out the inquiry looking at issues around compensation for individuals and businesses, but wouldn’t say what those options could include - though she had strong words for Optus’ much-maligned response, or lack thereof, to the issues.
“Optus’ failure yesterday was compounded by their attempt to phone it in,” Hanson-Young said.
This Senate inquiry will now force Optus to front up. After failing the people, they will be forced to front up and explain.
Did Optus put profits ahead of the public interest? That’s what Australians are asking and that’s what they deserve answers to.
She suggested there should be new and improved protocols and a “safety net” for such incidents in future, citing emergency issues raised by a lack of phone service.
Updated
Hanson withdraws any ‘unparliamentary’ comments in Senate
Hello from dreary and grey Canberra, where the Senate-only sitting is in its second last day.
You may remember that Pauline Hanson was temporarily gagged by the Senate0 president yesterday, after the One Nation leader refused to withdraw ‘unparliamentary’ language.
That language was telling Greens senator Mehreen Farqui she would drive her to the airport and wave her off – which are very similar to the comments Hanson made in a tweet earlier this year, which Faruqi has taken legal action over.
Faruqi’s colleague Larissa Waters had asked Senate president Sue Lines to review Hanson’s comments and ask her to withdraw them, while making a wider point about the standard of debate in the Senate.
Hanson repeated the comments in the subsequent debate. When ordered to withdraw, she instead said she would have to “think about it”, offered Faruqi a tissue and said she was speaking for “millions” of Australians.
Lines responded by using her discretion to gag Hanson from speaking until she had reviewed the comments.
Moments later, One Nation sent out an email to subscribers claiming the Greens were attempting to “shut Pauline Hanson down again” and were seeking to have Hanson “banned from the parliament”, while asking for donations “to keep Pauline in the Senate”.
Hanson’s position in the Senate was never under threat. There is no way under the constitution Hanson could be removed from the Senate for something she said in the chamber.
Just before 7.15pm, Hanson returned to the Senate to make a one-sentence statement, telling the almost empty chamber:
I withdraw any remarks considered unparliamentary this week.
That sentence meant she had complied with the Senate president’s order to withdraw her comments, which halted any further censure action.
Updated
Senate crossbenchers split government’s IR bill
The crossbench senators David Pocock and Jacqui Lambie have successfully split Labor’s closing loopholes industrial relations bill, to allow four sections to be dealt with as a priority.
These include banning discrimination against employees experiencing family and domestic violence, and workers’ compensation changes to help first responders with post-traumatic stress disorder in the ACT.
Labor and the unions had resisted efforts to split the bill, insisting the whole bill is urgent. In September we reported the senators planned private members bills in response to this refusal, a move welcomed by employer groups and the Coalition.
Today, the Senate has voted unanimously to pass the four private bills on small business redundancy, asbestos eradication, discrimination, and first responders. Labor evidently sniffed the wind and saw the independents had the numbers, and there was no point standing in the way of changes they support.
Labor’s Murray Watt criticised the Coalition for “crocodile tears” over the urgency of measures they failed to enact during nine years in government.
Lambie told reporters in Canberra that Labor should never have put all the measures in one bill that covers same job same pay in the labour hire industry, minimum standards in the gig economy and other contentious changes.
Lambie and Pocock both suggested the bills passing the lower house was a formality. Would Labor “really be that stupid to play politics” with the measures, Lambie asked. “Surely they’re not dumb, dumber and dumber?”
Pocock said it would be “extraordinary” if Labor stood in the way of its own legislation. On the prospects of the main bill, Pocock said there was still a “huge amount of work” that needed to be done, with Senate inquiry hearings to run into January and government amendments expected in the lower house.
Labor will need the Greens and either Pocock and Lidia Thorpe or Lambie and Tammy Tyrrell to pass the bill.
Updated
Nine’s metro TV revenue drops amid ‘tougher economic conditions’
From AAP:
Nine network’s metro television revenues have fallen about 12% since the end of June, chief executive Mike Sneesby has told the company’s annual general meeting.
In September, Nine arrested the rate of revenue decline it had seen in July and August, but there’s been no improvement into the December quarter, he told shareholders in Sydney.
It’s been a disappointing time for media companies: in August Nine reported a dive in profits of 38% for the 2022-23 financial year amid falling ad revenue.
But its full-year net profit after tax of $195m came off a record result of $315m the year prior and is still the second strongest result on record.
Sneesby said:
Whilst we have faced tougher economic conditions which have impacted the broader industry, Nine has risen to the challenge, continuing to drive audience and revenue share and invest in the future of the business.
Updated
Tasmanian bush track combed in new search for man missing six years
From AAP:
Fresh searches of a remote bush track area in southern Tasmania are being conducted as police probe the disappearance of a 66-year-old man six years ago.
Avid bushwalker Bruce Fairfax was reported missing from the Duckhole Lake track area in October 2017, with extensive searches finding no trace of him.
Tasmania Police in late October revealed the disappearance of the former teacher was being treated as a criminal matter.
Police and search and rescue personnel started combing the track area on Thursday and will continue on Friday.
Fairfax was reported missing after he and his wife became separated while the couple was on a walk with their dog.
Updated
Senate to hold inquiry into Optus outage
The Senate will hold an inquiry into Wednesday’s Optus outage that left millions of Australians without coverage for most of the day.
The motion, moved by Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young, passed 39 to 20 after the minor party teamed up with crossbenchers and the opposition against the federal government.
The inquiry will centre around two main points, focusing on Optus’ handling of the incident and how it compensates its customers as well as what the federal government can do to ensure reliable coverage for Australians.
The committee is due to report back in a months’ time on 9 December.
The exact cause of the major outage, which also disrupted banking and transport services around the country, remains unknown but Optus reported services were back up and running again by 6pm on Wednesday.
Hanson-Young said:
This inquiry will be vested with the powers of the Senate to compel Optus bosses to appear publicly and provide the answers and the solutions that Australians deserve.
The lives and livelihoods of millions were acutely disrupted on November 8: phones were dead, the internet down, banking broken, childcare centres closed, schools impacted. The public deserves better.
Updated
Shots fired from ute near Port Macquarie
The body of a male was found on the side of Fernbank Creek Road by police after shots were heard coming from the area early this morning, though police do not know if the two incidents are linked.
Between 1.40am and 5.30am this morning shots were fired from a black Mercedes ute travelling along the M1 motorway, a Newcastle police spokesperson told media.
Four separate incidents along the major north-south artery were reported at various locations in the Manning-Great Lakes and Kempsey regions.
“One of those shots impacted with a police vehicle, which was to stop what we believe is the offending vehicle,” a police spokesperson says to press. Police say the vehicle is located in an area in Port Macquarie.
Another one of the incidents was on Fernbank Creek Road.
Police said:
At this stage it is a very active investigation, very active situation.
There was a male person found deceased on the side of the road at Fernbank Creek Road.
We don’t know whether it is linked with this incident and we are making inquiries to determine what has happened.
We have crime scene just arrived on scene and we are making those assessments.
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Demand for share housing spikes amid rental crisis
Australians are increasingly turning to share housing amid the cost of living crisis, according to new data from Flatmates.com.au
It recorded higher than usual growth in demand for October, with an 11.2% increase in members joining the platform in the past month, up from a busy September and 15.6% higher than October 2022.
The website’s community manager, Claudia Conley, said:
The volume of traffic we’ve seen in October we don’t usually see until December, indicating that demand for share accommodation is heating up well ahead of our peak season.
Read the full story here:
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Queensland student receives 2023 AMA Indigenous Medical scholarship
A Queensland student who hopes to establish his own healthcare service in the Torres Strait has received the 2023 AMA Indigenous Medical scholarship.
The scholarship has been running since 1994, providing $11,000 per year to enrolled Indigenous medical students for the remainder of their degree.
Torres Strait Islander man T’Kido Titasey grew up on Thursday Island, where he observed widespread health disparities due to a lack of access to culturally appropriate healthcare. He is planning to return to the Torres Strait to establish his own local health service or charitable foundation.
Titasey says:
As a child growing up on Thursday Island in the Torres Strait, the longstanding inequalities in access to culturally safe healthcare was normalised.
My drive is to go back to my community to address those health issues and hopefully make a difference.
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Victorian premier says Middle East situation should be navigated by ‘world leaders’, not local governments
Victorian premier Jacinta Allan has been asked if she condones the Merri-bek Council’s decision to fly the Palestinian flag above its civic centre.
She said:
The decision taken by the Merri-bek Council is very much a matter for them. But I will I will say this, the situation in the Middle East is an incredibly complex one. It’s an incredibly distressing one to for many, many Victorians who have lost loved ones who have families in the Middle East, who are being directly affected right now.
And this complex global situation is being negotiated right now by world leaders not by local governments here in Melbourne and that is where those arrangements should be. Those negotiations should be undertaken between world leaders engaging in this incredibly complex situation.
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Premier says Victorian contracts with Optus to be reviewed after 'distressing' outage
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, says it too early to know if yesterday’s Optus outage meant people were unable to access triple zero in the state. She told reporters in Docklands:
As we heard from the health minister this morning, she’s not been advised of any direct impact to health services here in Victoria.
In terms of people outside of the health system trying to reach in and access health services, we don’t have that information yet. That will start to emerge.
Allan said the state would hand that information over to the federal government inquiry. She said the outage and Optus’ communications during it was “deeply distressing” and “disappointing”:
What we saw yesterday was deeply distressing for many Victorians. Whether they were trying to access healthcare services or small businesses looking to operate their business as usual – all of that activity was severely disrupted for many Victorians yesterday as a result of the issues with the Optus service.
That’s deeply disappointing and we will work with the federal government as they undertake their review both into what happened and what the effect was … we will need to see further information in coming days and weeks [and will] feed [that] into that review. The government will be undertaking our own review of the processes and the responses of what undertaken yesterday because it was it was incredibly disappointing.
Allan also said the Department of Government Services will undertake a review of its contracts with Optus following the outage.
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The Daily Barker
The Australian Federal Police have made a very serious announcement: their dogs wear dog boots.
Did you know AFP Canines wear dog boots? They're worn when conducting searches to protect themselves & to also avoid damage & scratches on any vehicles or premises. Our canines and their handlers are highly skilled & we want to make sure they're both protected while on the job. pic.twitter.com/EZo09YhpYe
— AFP (@AusFedPolice) November 8, 2023
AFP explained on X:
They’re worn when conducting searches to protect themselves and to also avoid damage and scratches on any vehicles or premises. Our canines and their handlers are highly skilled and we want to make sure they’re both protected while on the job.
In other (more serious) doggy news, NSW sniffer dogs might not be offering the best bark for our bucks.
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Police return to Duckhole Lake in Bruce Fairfax investigation
Six years after Bruce Fairfax disappeared, Tasmania police will be investigating his case as a criminal matter.
State police will be conducting searches over the next two days as part of the investigation into the Launceston man’s disappearance. The 66-year-old was reported missing from the Duckhole Lake Track area at Strathblane in southern Tasmania on Saturday 14 October, 2017.
He was never found, despite extensive searches of the area at the time.
Kingston CIB announced last week his disappearance is now being investigated as a criminal matter. Police and search and rescue personnel will be searching the Duckhole Lake Track area today and tomorrow, a police media release outlines.
Police are urging anyone with information about Bruce’s disappearance to come forward, by contacting Kingston CIB on 131 444, or Crime Stoppers anonymously via crimestopperstas.com.au
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Analysis: Albanese plays it cool on inter-Pacific politics
Turning to two other issues raised in that press conference - rifts between Pacific countries and a key anti-nuclear treaty:
Albanese was asked about reports of fresh rumblings within the Pacific Islands Forum about the plan to appoint former Nauru president Baron Waqa as the next secretary general of Pif.
He tried to play a straight bat, not saying whether he endorsed the appointment:
Look, I’m not going to get into those issues. We will work through the issues at the Pacific Islands forum, what I have seen and what I have heard emphasised by all of the leaders who have spoken and every country has spoken this morning during the plenary session and informally as well, is a great deal of unity of purpose.
And lastly he was asked about the Treaty of Rarotonga. This is sensitive among some in the Pacific, including the Cook Islands PM Mark Brown, who has suggested Aukus is inconsistent with the spirit of that treaty.
Albanese said:
We support the Treaty of Rarotonga - all of our activity is consistent with it and what I do is speak up for Australia.
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Analysis: Albanese’s presser at the Pacific Island Forums
So let’s take stock of three issues from that press conference by the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, on the sidelines of the Pacific Islands Forum in Rarotonga.
First, on the critical issue of the climate crisis, Albanese was eager to present a picture of calm amid growing calls from the Pacific for a fossil fuel phase out. Albanese confirmed that he would have “further discussions and more announcements tomorrow, including specific programs that we have been asked to support”. He didn’t elaborate, but he is widely expected to announce a contribution to the Green Climate Fund, something that Australia backed away from under Scott Morrison.
Albanese said he had received an “extremely positive reception” at the events in the Cook Islands, given “there is a recognition” that since the change of government Australia was taking climate change seriously, “not only domestically but also helping in the Pacific”.
(In other words, that means there is an improvement compared with the bar set by Morrison.)
Asked if he had felt any pressure to curb coal and gas export, Albanese said:
I have had nothing but positive feedback about Australia’s position.
More in the next post.
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Albanese at Pacific Islands Forum
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, says further discussions and announcements are to come on “specific programs that we have been asked to support,” amid talks with Pacific leaders at the Pacific Islands Forum in Cook Islands.
Addressing press, he says:
It has been extremely positive reception Australia has received here, there is a recognition that my government is committed to climate action and we are playing a positive role, not just with our commitment to reduce our emissions by 43% by 2030 and to reach net zero by 2050, but that importantly we are playing a role in the region and indeed around the globe.
He says discussion has covered security issues, economic growth and labour mobility.
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The Australian Cricketers’ Association says Meg Lanning will have a “lasting impact on Australian cricket,” after the women’s cricket captain announced her retirement from international cricket.
An incredible 13-year career that will have a lasting impact on Australian cricket. Congratulations Meg pic.twitter.com/E2V5nHXiy5
— Australian Cricketers' Association (@ACA_Players) November 8, 2023
Updated
Meg Lanning retires from international cricket
Meg Lanning, the Australia’s women’s cricket captain, has announced her retirement from international cricket saying now is the right time to end one of the most successful careers in Australian sport to move onto “something new”.
Lanning calls time 13 years after making her debut for Australia and having lifted more World Cup trophies than any other captain in the history of the game.
Lanning won seven World Cups in total, the most recent coming earlier this year, and the three-time Belinda Clark medallist scored 8,352 runs from 241 international matches - including 17 centuries.
“The decision to step away from international cricket was a difficult one to make, but I feel now is the right time for me,” Lanning said in a statement.
I’ve been incredibly fortunate to enjoy a 13-year international career, but I know now is the right time for me to move on to something new.
Team success is why you play the game, I’m proud of what I have been able to achieve and will cherish the moments shared with teammates along the way.
Cricket Australia’s CEO, Nick Hockley, said Lanning had been “one of the best players in the world over a long period of time”.
Meg has made an immeasurable impact and led a generation which has helped revolutionise the game … Under Meg’s leadership, the Australian women’s cricket team has built a legacy of global dominance and has been at the forefront of growing the game and inspiring the next generation of cricketers all around the world.
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Asylum Seeker Resource Centre calls for immediate release of people in immigration detention after high court ruling
The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre is calling on the government to “immediately release people who have been subjected to years of inhumane treatment”, after the high court’s ruling that indefinite immigration detention is unlawful.
The decision overturns a 20-year-old precedent and could trigger the immediate release of 92 people, with major implications for the management of detention into the future, according to an ASRC media release.
708 days is the average amount of time the Australian government holds people in immigration detention for, and 124 people in detention today having been detained for over five years, according to the ASRC.
“These people include those who have fled violence and persecution, and are stateless or owed protection by Australia, meaning they cannot be returned to their countries of origin under international law,” the release says.
Hannah Dickinson, principal solicitor at ASRC, said:
Following the high court’s decision, the practice of indefinitely detaining people under the fiction of removal from Australia must finally end. This decision will have real, life-changing impacts for those who have been deprived of hope, liberty, and security for years on end.
The Australian government must now move swiftly to act on the high court’s decision, freeing those who have been unlawfully detained, restoring their dignity and futures.
Read more on the landmark decision here:
Updated
Miners’ tax bill rises after commodity boom
Australian miners were the country’s biggest corporate taxpayers after pandemic conditions eased and commodity prices boomed, according to the latest transparency report that also shows almost one-third of large corporate entities paid no income tax.
The tax office’s 2021-22 report found that large corporations paid $83.8bn in income tax, up more than 22% from the previous Covid-disrupted year. Miners paid more than all other sectors combined in a period marked by surging iron ore and coal prices that lifted profits at major companies including BHP, Rio Tinto and Fortescue.
The contribution of mining to the economy is hotly debated, given there is a high foreign ownership component of large miners and profits don’t necessarily fuel other parts of the economy.
The analysis covers public companies with total income of more than $100m, and private companies with in excess of $200m. The percentage of those entities that paid no income tax stands at 31%.
The ATO’s deputy commissioner, Rebecca Saint, said the fact that an entity pays no income tax does not necessarily mean that they are not meeting obligations. Saint said:
Tax is paid on profit not gross income … even entities with large revenue streams may not make a profit for a variety of reasons.
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Cook Islands PM: competition between US and China in Pacific ‘will not and should not dictate how we advance’
Further to the last post on the talks Anthony Albanese is attending in the Pacific:
The prime minister of the Cook Islands and chair of the summit, Mark Brown, mentioned that major powers such as the US and China were intensifying their contest for influence in the Pacific - but he was also clear in saying that the region’s leaders should not be pushed around.
In a plenary meeting, Brown said:
I would hope that when we leave from Rarotonga at the end of this week, we will leave with a deeper appreciation and shared understanding of what it means when we as a region speak about the importance of and the respect for our voices, our choices and our Pacific way.
Yes, the geostrategic interest in our region may be at an all time high, but it will not and it should not dictate how we advance and progress the priorities that we have determined through the 2050 strategy and its implementation plan.
It is important therefore that we are united in our purpose and commitment towards our collective vision for a resilient Pacific region of peace, harmony, security, social inclusion, and prosperity that ensures all our peoples lead free, healthy and productive lives.
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NAB profit rises to $7.7bn
National Australia Bank has recorded an 8.8% lift in full year cash profit to $7.7bn after taking advantage of rising interest rates to increase earnings.
The major lender’s chief gauge of profitability – net interest margins – expanded by nine basis points during the 12 months to September, matching results released earlier this week by rival Westpac.
“This primarily reflects higher earnings on deposits and capital as a result of the rising interest rate environment, partially offset by home lending competition, deposit mix and higher wholesale funding costs,” Nab said.
The banking sector has lifted margins through the controversial practice of increasing borrowing rates at a faster pace than deposits throughout the inflationary period.
The bank’s credit impairment charge increased $677m across its lending portfolio during the year as borrowers grappled with a fast-paced series of rate rises since May last year. The bank’s chief executive, Ross McEwan, said inflationary pressures are increasingly “weighing on households and the economy”.
Updated
More Taylor Swift eras tour tickets on sale tomorrow
Breaking news for my fellow Swifties: additional tickets for Melbourne and Sydney Eras shows will be up for grabs tomorrow.
Tickets go on sale Friday 10 November, at 10am in Sydney and 4pm in Melbourne. Limited tickets will be available across all standard ticket price types, including new partially-obstructed side view tickets – but there will be no VIP packages available.
Ticket-purchase will be limited to 4 tickets per customer, per show.
Updated
Rowland flags expectation that companies will ‘do the right thing’ by Australians affected by Optus outage
Communications minister Michelle Rowland says it is “reasonable” to expect corporations “will do the right thing by” that Australians who suffered loss due to the Optus outage:
I think there is a reasonable expectation from Australians that if they are done wrong, if there is an outage of this nature that causes them to suffer loss in some way – be that economic or otherwise – that corporations will do the right thing by them. And certainly I urge that in every case from corporate Australia, including this one.
The ACMA has pointed out that some contracts may entitle customers for refunds or rebates and that also the Australian consumer law may operate here. The telecommunications industry Ombudsman operates its own complaints scheme, which includes compensation and enforcement of industry codes in that regard as well as. And I note that the TIO has urged customers, particularly businesses, to keep receipts to demonstrate where they may have suffered loss so there’s an evidentiary base there. Australians expect providers to compensate them when things go wrong and I think that’s reasonable.
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Rowland says ‘safety of our citizens’ primary matter in triple zero inquiry
Michelle Rowland says the Australian Communications and Media Authority is undertaking an independent inquiry into compliance with rules requiring emergency calls can get through during an outage. She tells ABC TV:
Most importantly for the government is the safety of our citizens.
Learning that there could have been impacts to the 000 service, having had briefings with the emergency call person which is operated by Telstra, and understanding those impacts, communicating that to Australians, was of the upmost importance.
The ACMA is undertaking its own independent inquiry into compliance there because this is fundamental. Australians need to have confidence in 000.
It is pleasing to see that the mobile arrangements were working by and large for Optus mobile customers. But, of course, it is concerning to see that landline calls from Optus to the 000 service were not getting through. It’s very important that we undertake an investigation into compliance here, but also, again, how improvements can be made into the future to ensure the safety of all Australians.
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Rowland: ‘consumers were clearly frustrated with lack of information’ over outage
Rowland says the key issue of the Optus outage was “getting some more understanding of the nature of the problem”. She tells ABC TV:
I made it clear from the outset that consumers were clearly frustrated with the lack of information. Australians are reasonable people. They understand that things need to be resolved and that may take some time, but the key issue here was getting some understanding of the nature of the problem, how long it may take and what the impacts would be.
And I think it goes to the issue of how reliant we are on our digital devices and connectivity overall, including for consuming messages and news media. And, in this case, the broadcasting platforms were there to be utilised and I did encourage Optus to do that as well.
It’s pleasing to see that it appears the fault has been rectified … but it’s important that we keep a watching on this and it’s important that this post-incident investigation continues ...
Updated
Communications minister says review important to understand how to avoid future outages
The communications minister, Michelle Rowland, says it is important the federal government’s review into yesterday’s nation-wide Optus outage is “thorough in scope” and “goes into the precise issues of what caused this”.
She tells ABC TV:
It’s important, I believe, to have a post-incident review that is both thorough in scope but also is completed expeditiously and goes to the precise issues of what has caused this, considering the considerable amount of disruption, the distress it has caused, but also the economic impact as well. And to understand what [can] be done in future by the sector as a whole to take the lesson and mitigate that going forward.
So this is important, because Australians expect that there will be follow-up, that there will be lessons learned. But, importantly for the sector as a whole, it’s important to understand how this can be certainly avoided in future.
Updated
Zionism Victoria says Marri-Bek council decision is ‘ignoring reality’
Zionism Victoria executive director Zeddy Lawrence says the Merri-Bek council decision to fly the Palestinian flag is a “completely one-sided motion fuelled by ignorance or malice,” and points to a lack of mention of Hamas or condemnation of last month’s terror attack.
He says the motion does not mention the creation of a Jewish State and an Arab State in 1947 that was “rejected by the Arab world”, rejection by Palestinian leadership of past “very generous peace proposals”, the Hamas charter “which calls for the eradication of Israel”, past Hamas rocket attacks against Israel, trauma experienced by Israeli civilians who have to “run to bomb shelters when sirens sound,” the “injuries and deaths inflicted on the Israeli population by rocket and terror attacks”, or the trauma of Australian members of Israeli and Jewish communities “who have family and friends who were slaughtered and kidnapped on 7th October”.
In short, there is no mention of anything of any sort that offers any kind of context to the current conflict. And those that support this motion ought to be ashamed of themselves for burying their heads in the sand and ignoring reality.
Updated
Inner-northern Melbourne suburbs to raise Palestinian flag
The Merri-bek council in Melbourne will fly the Palestinian flag and explore options for council to cancel contracts with businesses that “support Israel’s illegal occupation”.
The Palestinian flag will be raised at the council’s Coburg civic centre and Brunswick town hall “until a cease fire is declared in Gaza,” according to the agenda of yesterday’s council meeting notes.
The council is also commissioning “a report to explore options for council to cancel contracts with companies that support Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine or profit from it,” with a focus on companies that supply equipment to the Israeli Defence Force.
They noted that “boycotts, divestment and sanctions are legitimate, non-violent tactics used by individuals and organisations to pressure foreign governments over human rights”.
Sue Bolton, the councillor who moved the motion, told a local paper that council would need to conduct an audit of all contracts with suppliers to identify any with connections to Israel.
The motion was passed 6-4. Several hundred people rallied outside the council offices in support of Palestine.
The council “Recognises that the constant bombing and the total siege of Gaza is traumatising for many Merri-bek residents who have relatives in the region or have come from war-torn countries”.
The council is also urging the federal government to:
Strongly condemn the war crimes being carried out by Israel against the Palestinians in Gaza.
Call for an immediate ceasefire and end to Israel’s indiscriminate bombing.
Call for the immediate lifting of the siege on Gaza to allow Palestinians in Gaza to have unlimited access to food, water, fuel, electricity, medical supplies and construction materials to repair damaged homes and civilian infrastructure.
Advocate for all Palestinian and Israeli hostages to be released.
Advocate for a political resolution to the decades-long conflict which includes an end to Israel’s illegal Occupation of Palestine in order for there to be a just and sustainable peace.
End all military, economic, political and diplomatic ties with the state of Israel until it complies with its obligations under international law.
Updated
Albanese at the Pacific Islands Forum
Good morning from Rarotonga in the Cook Islands, where the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is holding further talks with Pacific leaders.
Albanese arrived here yesterday and held bilateral meetings with three leaders – the prime ministers of Tuvalu and the Cook Islands and the president of Kiribati – with the climate crisis being one of the big topics on the agenda. Albanese last night presented the prime minister of the Cook Islands, Mark Brown, with a South Sydney Rabbitohs jersey and thanked him for his hospitality in hosting this year’s Pacific Islands Forum (Pif), the region’s most important annual political gathering.
Today Albanese is joining other Pif leaders in discussing how to implement the the region’s 2050 strategy for a blue Pacific continent. Albanese is expected to address the media at some point today before all of the leaders fly to the island of Aitutaki for an overnight retreat to thrash out key issues.
The secretary general of Pif, Henry Puna, said in opening remarks to the plenary meeting this morning that it was important to ensure “that each of you as foreign leaders have the time and the space to engage in and amongst yourselves on issues of critical importance to our collective aspirations and development as a forum family”.
Puna said the region would be acting more strongly if it settled on a strong collective position:
I respectfully encourage you to use your retreat session to have honest and frank conversations on the range of issues facing our region today.
As we all continue to witness on a daily basis, there are a multitude of opportunities and complexities before us as a region. But key to capitalise on these opportunities and overcoming shared complexity is our solidarity as a region.
Topics expected to be discussed today include climate change, fisheries, nuclear issues, trade and gender equality. Here’s our latest news wrap of the pressure Australia is facing on climate:
Updated
Thanks for joining us on the blog this morning – I’m Rafqa Touma and I’ll be rolling your live news updates. If you see something you don’t want us to miss, tweet it my way @At_Raf_
South Australia school shutdown as teachers go on strike
Hundreds of schools will close across South Australia during Year 12 exams as teachers walk off the job and march on parliament house to demand better pay and conditions, according to Australian Associated Press.
Today’s strike action comes despite the Malinauskas government presenting a revised pay offer to the Australian Education Union (AEU) on Monday. Martin Westwell, the chief executive for the state’s Department for Education, said it was disappointing the union had decided to take industrial action instead of sitting down at the negotiating table, but reassured parents and students the closures would not have an impact on the approximately 1,000 school leavers sitting their physics and accounting exams “even if the school is closed,” he said.
“Every school is making arrangements and making sure that, even if the school is closed, the exams will run as normal and not be disrupted at all,” he told ABC Radio on Wednesday.
Andrew Gohl, the AEU South Australia’s branch president, had given the government an ultimatum to provide a better pay offer by Monday to avert the strike, but said the latest $1.4m deal failed to make any improvement on the last.
“By taking the two $1,500 payments off the table and adding a meagre 0.5% to the overall increase, the latest offer would see most educators worse off,” he said.
South Australian teachers are currently the lowest-paid in the country, with graduates earning less than $75,000. Earlier this year their NSW counterparts won an historic wage increase, including a rise of more than 12% for teachers straight out of university.
The union also took umbrage with the government’s refusal to bring forward the seven-year delay to implement a reduction in teaching hours, arguing teachers are in desperate need of workload relief and cannot afford to wait that long.
“Every day in South Australia, thousands of students are without a consistent teacher and we are committed to reaching an agreement that helps to fix that,” Gohl said.
“[The government] choose to invest in university mergers and submarines that nobody asked for, so now it’s time they choose to invest in public education and recognise educators for what they’re worth.”
Greens call for Optus outage inquiry
The government’s announcement comes as the Greens are pushing for a federal parliamentary inquiry in the Senate to examine what led to a nationwide outage of the Optus network.
Millions of Australian were left without phone or internet services on Wednesday after an as-yet undiagnosed problem shut down the company’s whole network.
The failure also led to widespread disruption of health, transport and other key government services linked to the internet, prompting the federal communications minister, Michelle Rowland, to intervene and say that customers were seeing “a high level of anxiety and frustration”.
Now the Greens have taken the cudgels for consumers and are demanding the company be made to account for the loss of the key services.
“We need to make sure that all Australians have access to affordable and reliable internet and telecommunication, because otherwise life as we know it stops, and that’s what Australians right around the country experienced (yesterday) morning,” Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.
Services began to be restored by Wednesday afternoon and the network was fully up and running again by 6pm, but the exact cause of the outage was still not fully established.
One expert suggested it could have been caused by the same issue that brought down Facebook two years ago. Cloudflare, which tracks a range of activity on the internet, noticed a spike in border gateway protocol (BGP) announcements from Optus coinciding with the time the network went offline.
Read our full story here:
Plus, find out whether you might be able to claim compensation and whether this is a good time to switch providers.
Updated
Review announced of Optus outage
Optus is facing a government review into the 14-hour outage yesterday that left tens of millions of customers without phone or internet services for most of the day.
The communications minister, Michelle Rowland, said the review, to be conducted by the communications department, would look at potential lessons from the outage.
Guardian Australia reported yesterday the outage was likely caused by a misconfiguration in the company’s network, but Optus has yet to provide any detail on the cause. The CEO, Kelly Bayer Rosmarin, told Nine Entertainment that the outage was caused by a “technical network fault” but did not elaborate.
The terms of reference and next steps will be announced at a later date, the minister said. Rowland said:
It is critical that industry and governments take stock following large-scale outages, given no network is immune.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (Acma) is also separately conducting an investigation with Optus’s compliance with rules requiring emergency calls to fall over to other networks when the services are unavailable. Optus customers reported being unable to dial 000 from their mobile phones, despite the rules being in place.
Updated
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our rolling news coverage. I’m Martin Farrer with some of the best overnight breaking stories before my colleague Rafqa Touma logs on for the rest of the day.
It’s a company that has given Australia the World Cup streaming debacle, last year’s cyberattack, and now yesterday’s disastrous network-wide outage. It’s been a bad run for Optus, the telco that likes to say yes, and we’re looking today at what happens if consumers start saying no and moving their business elsewhere.
The Greens are saying they will push for a parliamentary inquiry into the incident so it doesn’t look as though the issue is going to be swept under the carpet quickly. Customers will be considering compensation claims today after yesterday’s network-wide outage caused disruption for households, businesses and public services.
It is still not completely certain what caused the problem although one expert pointed to the type of “configuration outage” that saw Facebook’s network crash in 2021.
Meanwhile, Australia is facing fresh pressure from its Pacific region partners to rein in fossil fuel subsidies, with new figures showing just a fraction of that spending could fully fund the shift to clean energy in eight island countries. The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, arrived in the Cook Islands on Tuesday local time (Wednesday Australian time) and acknowledged the climate crisis was “certainly felt most acutely in island states”.
And Australians are increasingly turning to share housing amid the cost of living crisis, according to new data from a share accommodation platform that says it’s also seen a rise in homeowners renting out a spare room.
