What we learned today, Saturday 4 March
We are closing this news blog for now. Here’s a recap of the day’s headlines:
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said Labor has “the balance right” on superannuation tax concessions as the Greens push for a lower threshold of $1.9m.
The Greens leader, Adam Bandt, said the party could support the Albanese government’s changes to the safeguard mechanism if Labor agreed to pause new fossil fuel developments until the parliament has dealt with planned changes to national environment laws.
Tanya Plibersek has urged survivors of assault to reach out for help, after her daughter Anna revealed her own story of sexual and domestic violence.
NSW police have confirmed an “unauthorised protest” took place in Sydney on Friday night, after videos circulating on social media showed a Christian march taking place in Newtown.
Ed Sheeran broke the Australian record for ticketed concert attendance, with 109,600 tickets sold to his second Melbourne performance at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday night.
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The fight over brumbies in the Barmah-Millewa forest
In the Barmah-Millewa forest, the largest river red gum forest in the world, tensions over feral horses and their fate have reached boiling point.
Guardian Australia has spoken to more than a dozen residents, business owners, farmers, community volunteers and government employees, most of whom disagree with brumbies being culled. Those who do support the eradication of the invasive species declined to be quoted, even anonymously. In a growing number of regional towns, speaking out against the brumbies is to become a social pariah.
Most of the brumbies live in the Barmah national park, on the Victorian side of the border. It is jointly managed by Parks Victoria and the traditional owners, the Yorta Yorta nation. A Parks Victoria spokesperson said:
Parks Victoria has an obligation to control invasive species in Victoria’s national parks, including feral horses, which cause long-term and large-scale damage to native plants and animals, many of which occur nowhere else in the world.
Read the full story here:
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⚠️🌧️Severe Weather Warning for heavy rainfall continues in the North West and Gulf Country. Rainfall totals over 100mm were recorded in the last 24 hours, with riverine flooding occurring throughout the region. https://t.co/FBmpsInT9o pic.twitter.com/vxpZfMoYpK
— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) March 4, 2023
Using Queensland’s own laws to highlight the government’s youth justice failings does not make judges soft – analysis
Queensland has set new records for child imprisonment. More kids than ever before are in the state’s youth detention system, with prisons so crowded that up to 100 a night are being housed in adult police watch houses.
Yet of course the prevailing community view remains that the courts are too soft on crime.
The tired old myth about soft judges is littered through submissions to the Queensland government’s new youth justice laws, which experts say will result in the detention of even more children for breaching their bail.
One rails about “judges with extreme views”. Another says “often there is no sentence imposed for youth crimes”.
It’s little wonder these views prevail when politicians, like the deputy premier, Steven Miles, accuse courts of “media stunts” and claim the community is being “held to ransom by rogue courts and rogue justices”.
Read Ben Smee’s full analysis here:
Coalmining must not be allowed to pollute at rising rate, environmentalists say
The Lock the Gate Alliance has responded to the NSW government’s latest greenhouse gas emissions projections, which it says shows emissions from coalmining are predicted to increase 29% by 2030 from 2021 levels.
Lock the Gate’s NSW coordinator, Nic Clyde, said in a statement:
The coal mining industry in NSW must not be allowed to pollute at an increasing rate while other industries like transport and manufacturing do the hard yards to reduce emissions …
We know there needs to be no new coal or gas if we’re to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change, but that’s only part of the picture.
We also need existing coal mines to up their game, reduce their onsite emissions, and work with other industries to make NSW’s, and Australia’s, contribution to global warming as low as possible.
The terrifying impacts of climate change are already here in the form of unprecedented droughts, bushfires, and floods. Every tonne of greenhouse gas these coal mines send into the atmosphere leads to more dangerous warming.
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Leave concussion calls to clubs, not independent doctor, NRL coach Bennett says
The rugby league coach Wayne Bennett has called for the NRL to scrap the independent doctor in the bunker and to put the onus for identifying possible concussions back solely on the clubs, with fines and points penalties used to reinforce it.
It comes days after the NRL chief medical officer, Sharron Flahive, told a Senate committee hearing that the league accepted the association between repeated head trauma and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, an irreversible neurodegenerative disease.
AAP has the story:
The NRL’s concussions protocols were thrown back into the spotlight on Friday night after Kalyn Ponga was removed from the field late in the Newcastle Knights’ loss to the New Zealand Warriors.
Ponga claimed afterwards he was fine and did not know what incident had prompted the intervention of the independent doctor with the Knights down 14-12 before losing 20-12.
The Knights coach, Adam O’Brien, also fumed at the call, claiming the doctor was “jumping at shadows” after Ponga slid into the hip of Addin Fonua-Blake.
Ponga’s head knock was deemed serious enough by the independent doctor – who was at the game in Wellington due to its remote nature – to be a category two, requiring him to leave the field for 15 minutes to be checked.
O’Brien’s criticism comes after independent doctors were put in front of TVs at the start of last year, allowing them to review several angles of incidents quickly.
The NRL has said the positioning away from the field also helps ensure decisions are not impacted by the emotion of the game, and its independence takes the pressure off the club doctors.
But Bennett said on Saturday:
The clubs have got to own it. The game, when they had a few moments in the last couple of years, didn’t punish the clubs enough … if you make clubs more accountable you don’t need an independent doctor.”
He said the solution was for the NRL to punish clubs with heavy fines and points deductions if they left players on the field when indicators showed the need for an off-field check.
AAP was told the move to use an independent doctor was heavily supported by club medical staff.
In the role, the independent doctor works with the club doctors, with both having the power to remove players from the field.
The NRL’s head of football, Graham Annesley, hit back at coaches critical of decisions by the independent doctor last year, adamant such calls were a medical decision and not a football one.
Bennett is the NRL’s most experienced coach, but the league’s second-most experienced mentor, Tim Sheens, backed the independent doctor role on Saturday. Sheen said:
It was a fair knock and Kalyn was stunned by it, but that’s the doctor’s role.
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Mary Doyle is a true champion of working people – and will be a champion for the people of Aston.
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) March 4, 2023
As a working mum living in the outer-eastern suburbs, she understands the pressures families are under. And as a cancer survivor, she knows the true meaning of Medicare. pic.twitter.com/MWRTRTeAo4
Plibersek hopes daughter sharing her story of sexual violence 'might help someone else'
The environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, has voiced support for her daughter Anna, who on Saturday revealed she was a survivor of sexual and domestic violence.
Plibersek said on Twitter that her daughter had chosen to share her story “because it might help someone else”.
There’s a story in today’s papers about my daughter, Anna. A few years ago she was the victim of serious crime. Like any parent, I was devastated when I found out.
— Tanya Plibersek (@tanya_plibersek) March 3, 2023
She has chosen to share her story because it might help someone else. I’m so proud of her. pic.twitter.com/riSAcnuRdK
In an extract from Margaret Simons’ book Tanya Plibersek: On Her Own Terms, published in Good Weekend today, the minister said:
You ask yourself whether you could have or should have done more to protect your child. It’s not an easy question to ask yourself.
In 2021, Anna co-founded the non-profit group, The Survivor Hub, to provide support for survivors through social media and in-person meetings.
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A year on from the Lismore floods, the history of the region sits hidden
The loss and damage to artefacts and art due to natural disasters is leading to a push for governments to do more to protect works, reports my colleague Tamsin Rose.
Historical artefacts – including furniture and clothing, paper records and an extensive First Nations collection – were fortunately spared when floods tore through the Lismore Regional Museum about a year ago. But the damp and the mould found them quickly, climbing the stairs along the carpet.
Museums and Galleries of NSW wants more to be done to protect cultural institutions from natural disasters.
In a recent submission to the federal government’s committee on disaster resilience, the organisation recommended the establishment of a national fund, managed at a state level, to respond more quickly during major weather events.
It also wants to see the creation of a national insurance scheme to cover the collections at smaller organisations, like the Eugowra Historical Museum and Bushranger Centre that was almost destroyed by floods in November.
Read Tasmin’s full story here:
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Australian embassies across the world are showcasing their pride as we celebrate @SydWorldPride.
— Senator Penny Wong (@SenatorWong) March 4, 2023
Cultural exchanges and events help us learn from each other and show the world who we are.
We seek to shape the world for the better, including by advancing human rights. pic.twitter.com/NoS1DQGdS8
A timely reminder ahead of a heat wave that is set to hit parts of the east coast from tomorrow.
In 2020 and 2021, 50 children were treated for severe sunburn by @childhealthqld doctors and nurses. About a quarter of these children were babies under the age of one.
— Queensland Health (@qldhealth) March 4, 2023
Here's a reminder to parents to protect your little ones from the sun — all day, every day. ☀️#QldHealth https://t.co/eqZcUmTuUm
PM takes a dig at Dutton on Aston byelection campaign trail
Albanese voices his support for Labor’s Aston byelection candidate, Mary Doyle, and wraps up questions with a dig at the opposition leader, Peter Dutton:
Mary Doyle is a great candidate and she’s been a friend of mine for a while. I look forward to … campaigning.
I like Victoria and I like Victorians, unlike the federal opposition leader.
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Albanese asked about Plibersek comment on Labor leadership
The prime minister is also asked about Tanya Plibersek’s comment, published in Nine papers today, that she would have won the Labor leadership if she had run in 2019.
Albanese responds:
Tanya Plibersek is doing a great job as the environment minister. She has been a friend of mine for a very long time.
I was elected unopposed after the 2019 election; I won in 2022 and I’m very proud of the amazing team that I have.
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Putin should stop Ukraine war now, Albanese says
There is a question about the war in Ukraine.
Albanese says:
I again repeat my call to Putin to withdraw. This war can stop today – Putin has it within his power to do it. It is hurting the people of Ukraine but it is also hurting the Russian soldiers who are being sent into this war as well.
It is damaging the global economy and Vladimir Putin should stop this exercise now. The people of Ukraine have made it very clear that they will continue to defend their national sovereignty and they have Australia’s support in doing that.
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King Charles is welcome in Australia at any time, PM says
A journalist asks the prime minister if he is disappointed that “Prince Charles” has overlooked Australia as part of his planned international tour.
Albanese:
King Charles! I’m disappointed at your refusal to acknowledge the change.
Cue laughter.
Albanese continues:
King Charles will be a welcome visitor here in this country whenever he decides to visit. It was a great honour for me to have an audience with King Charles.
I have been invited to his coronation on the first Saturday in May. I will attend along with the governor general and with other guests as well who have been invited by the palace …
King Charles is the head of state and he would be welcome here, as would other members of the royal family, at any time.
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PM says Labor has ‘balance right’ on super tax concessions after Greens push for lower threshold
Anthony Albanese has been answering questions in Aston, where the Labor candidate, Mary Doyle, has launched her campaign for the byelection.
The prime minister is asked why Labor won’t lower the threshold of proposed superannuation changes to $1.9m, as the Greens have suggested, instead of Labor’s proposed threshold of $3m.
Albanese says:
In terms of super changes we are proposing, the impact on people in Aston will be less than one-tenth of 1% of superannuation invested …
We have got the balance right, making a difference. It will come in after the next election in 2025.
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Museum IT contractor charged over alleged $90,000 theft
A man has faced court for allegedly stealing $90,000 from the Australian National Maritime Museum, other businesses and individuals, AAP reports.
It is alleged the Macquarie Park man accessed the museum’s accounts payable system through his work as a contracted IT support worker to a third-party provider.
The 23-year-old is accused of changing bank account details in the system to his own.
He also allegedly made a series of unauthorised credit card purchases after stealing financial information regarding several other businesses and individuals.
The alarm was raised in November when the museum noticed anomalies in the financial details for contracted companies.
The man has been charged with 11 offences after law enforcement allegedly linked him to unauthorised access of several systems and servers.
A laptop, hard drives and a mobile phone were taken from his home for further forensic testing and could lead to fresh charges.
The total amount of money involved is about $90,000, according to Australian federal police detective leading senior constable Clare Yammine.
Yammine said:
We will allege the motivation for this activity was greed, and it came at the expense of hard working Australians who are already feeling the impacts of everyday living expenses.
These men and women were innocently impacted while one individual reaps the rewards.
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Scammers take advantage of tight rental market
This is a concerning look, from my colleague Cait Kelly (who will join us on the blog later today), at how scammers are taking advantage of Australia’s tight rental market to dupe people who are desperately looking for housing.
The ACCC received more than 658 reports about rental and accommodation scams last year, with a reported loss of $544,846.
Cait spoke to Aven, at 21-year-old who was scammed out of thousands of dollars and left with only $400 in the bank.
Read the full story here:
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Ed Sheeran breaks Australian record for ticketed concert attendance
Pop sensation Ed Sheeran’s second gig at the Melbourne Cricket Ground last night has reportedly broken the record for the highest ticketed attendance at an Australian concert.
Samantha Clode, a communications director at Frontier Touring, confirmed to Guardian Australia that 109,600 tickets had been sold for the Friday night concert. With additional attendees such as invited guests, Frontier puts the figure at 110,000.
Sheeran wrote on Instagram:
This really is a dream come true, what an incredible venue.
Sheeran broke his own previous record, set on Thursday night, with 108,000 in attendance.
Sheeran’s record seems to be distinct from crowd size, a record which was set by The Seekers in 1967. They performed to an estimated crowd of 200,000 people at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, with reports suggesting audience numbers stopped being counted at 100,000 people. (Are there any readers out there who attended this concert? I can’t find any information on whether it was ticketed!)
110,000 for #EdSheeran at the MCG looks like this pic.twitter.com/v5tsOfxb3c
— Jo Woods 🎧🎀 📻 (@jwo30) March 3, 2023
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I hadn’t twigged how quickly time had passed until I saw this tweet from Adam Gilchrist: today marks one year since the deaths of cricket greats Rod Marsh and Shane Warne.
To the man who inspired me to chase a dream and the bloke who was a dream to have on your side…may you both continue to #RIP 😔💔❤️ pic.twitter.com/CJVGr5kz1d
— Adam Gilchrist (@gilly381) March 3, 2023
Adam Bandt says Greens could support key Labor climate policy if fossil fuels developments paused
The Greens say they could support the Albanese government’s changes to the safeguard mechanism – a key climate policy – if it agreed to pause new fossil fuel developments until the parliament has dealt with planned changes to national environment laws.
The Greens’ leader, Adam Bandt, said he could be open to other ways of dealing with coal and gas other than the outright ban it has proposed, including a suggestion by the Climate Council that the government halt approvals until reform of the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act is worked through later this year.
The minor party is pushing for the EPBC Act to include a climate trigger, which would for the first time require the environment minister to consider the climate impact of a major development during the approval process.
Read the full story, from Katharine Murphy, our political editor, and Adam Morton, our climate and environment editor, here:
Important to also note this is Adani’s own water model that says no impact from open cut mining. The country’s best groundwater experts dispute there is enough data available to reach that conclusion. https://t.co/vzel5nnn9F
— Ben Smee (@BenSmee) March 3, 2023
NSW Labor pledges to keep Western Harbour Tunnel publicly-owned
With three weeks to go until state elections in NSW, Labor is vowing to keep the Western Harbour Tunnel in Sydney a public asset and cap tolls at $60 a week. AAP has the story:
The opposition, keen to distinguish itself from the government’s penchant for privatisation, says drivers are ultimately footing the bill and it wants a “fresh start”.
Labor claims drivers will pay $115bn in tolls over the life of existing contracts with nearly all of it going to private toll road operators, making “Sydney the most tolled city” in the world.
The Western Harbour tunnel, which is under construction, is projected to cut travel times from western Sydney to the city’s north by 20 minutes and significantly reduce traffic on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
It will be the second tunnel under the iconic landmark and around 6.5 kms long.
Chris Minns, who is neck and neck with premier Dominic Perrottet as preferred leader, said:
Under Labor - no more privatisation. We’ll build the tunnel but we won’t sell it.
Any revenue from tolls goes straight back into public hands to build for the future.
Labor says toll revenue has already paid for several major highways and tunnels including the M4, M5 East and Northconnex.
Meanwhile, Perrottet says he’ll make sure people have more say on developer contributions to local community use investments and infrastructure if re-elected.
Under the plan, government would work with councils to allow feedback via Service NSW on how local contributions are spent and the types of community projects built such as new parks and sports facilities.
Long-term critical growth and maintenance infrastructure would be excluded.
'Unauthorised protest' took place in Newtown, NSW police confirm
NSW police have confirmed an “unauthorised protest” took place in Newtown, Sydney, on Friday night, after videos circulating on social media showed a Christian march taking place on King Street.
Images show a group of men walking under police escort and chanting prayers.
Newtown is an LGBTQIA+ hub and has hosted many Pride Inner West events this month.
NSW Police said in a statement that around 8pm on Friday evening:
Officers attached to Inner West Police Area Command, along with specialist police resources attended King Street, Newtown, in relation to unauthorised protest activity.
Police spoke with a group of about 30 people who marched along the footpath on King Street, Newtown, before dispersing just before 9pm.
No arrests were made.
While we won’t comment on specific individuals, or groups, the community can be assured we continue to monitor activities and will take action where appropriate.
In a series of tweets, the Greens MP for Newton, Jenny Leong, denounced the march and said:
Our Newtown community wears with pride our diversity - and we celebrate difference … these incidents can be traumatic and make you feel violated.
Let’s keep flying the rainbow flag with pride.
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Alan Dare to be given posthumous bravery award
The family of the neighbour who was killed in a rural Queensland gunfight that resulted in the deaths of two police officers will accept a bravery award on his behalf, AAP reports.
Queensland man Alan Dare was murdered alongside the officers during a siege in the state’s west last December.
Gunshots and smoke alerted him to trouble at a neighbouring property at Wieambilla and he followed his instinct to help.
In a show of public appreciation, a posthumous bravery medal will be presented to Dare’s family on Saturday.
The Queensland Police Bravery Medal is generally awarded to officers for their acts of bravery in the face of grave hazards, but it is also awarded to civilians who show great courage.
It is the highest-level Queensland Police Service medal a civilian may receive.
The ceremony will be held on Saturday at the Chinchilla Botanical Gardens, about 300 kilometres west of Brisbane.
Dare was killed alongside constables Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow in a premeditated attack carried out by family trio Nathaniel, Gareth and Stacey Train.
The three perpetrators, who were killed after police reinforcements arrived, were inspired by “Christian extremist ideology”, Queensland investigators have said.
Dare was given a hero’s send-off in December when hundreds of people lined the streets at his funeral in his hometown of Ipswich.
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NT gambling regulator failed to pass along identities of addicts who asked to be banned
Australia’s main sports gambling regulator has admitted the identities of almost 50 addicts who asked to be banned from betting were not sent to several bookmakers, in some cases for at least five years since they first asked for help.
The oversight, which has been described as “disgraceful” and “shameful” by harm reduction advocates, has added to calls for a new and better-resourced national regulator to oversee the $50bn sports gambling industry.
Almost all online betting companies in Australia are licensed in the Northern Territory for historical tax purposes, despite the bookmakers operating nationally and many having headquarters on the east coast.
On Tuesday, the Northern Territory Racing Commission wrote to several companies alerting them to a flaw in the territory’s self-exclusion register, which also allows people to ban themselves from receiving gambling advertisements.
Read the full story:
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In case you missed it yesterday, Luke Henriques-Gomes, our social affairs and inequality editor, has been covering the royal commission into robodebt.
A Department of Human Services official told the commission on Friday that she was verbally abused and threatened with losing her job by a senior public servant after raising concerns about the scheme.
You can read Luke’s story here:
The Aston byelection, triggered by the retirement of former minister Alan Tudge, is now less than a month away.
Anthony Albanese is set to speak later this morning at the campaign launch of Labor candidate Mary Doyle, who at the May election slashed Tudge’s margin in the seat from 10.1% to 2.8%.
The Prime Minister is in Melbourne today and will attend the Campaign Launch for Labor's Candidate for Aston, Mary Doyle. He will deliver a speech, 11AM #auspol
— Political Alert (@political_alert) March 3, 2023
Labor accused of ‘fiddling at the margins’ on super
Labor needs the Greens and at least two crossbench senators to agree to its legislative change to reduce the tax concession on earnings above $3m in super accounts, after the Coalition declared it a no-go area.
Labor’s policy to raise the concessional tax rate on super earnings above $3m from 15% to 30% from 1 July 2025 would impact 0.5% of the population.
The Greens’ treasury spokesperson, Nick McKim, argues Labor’s changes don’t go far enough and, by ending all tax concessions above the indexed $1.9m balance transfer rate, rent assistance could be immediately doubled.
McKim said it would be a small change that could have a big impact on the most financially vulnerable:
Fiddling at the margins on superannuation tax concessions while proceeding with stage-three tax cuts is just a money-go-round scheme for the rich.
Labor is basically proposing to rob Peter to pay Peter. If Labor gets real about tackling inequality, we can raise serious money to help address the cost of living crisis, like ending handouts to the top 1% to fund an increase in income support or doubling rent assistance.
Read the full story here:
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Welcome
Good morning and welcome to the live Saturday blog. I’m Donna Lu and I’ll be bringing you up to date with everything happening today.
Here’s a summary of the day’s top stories:
The Greens are urging the Australian government to go further on superannuation tax concessions in order to boost jobseeker payments and double commonwealth rent assistance.
Australia’s main sports gambling regulator has admitted the identities of almost 50 addicts who asked to be banned from betting were not sent to several bookmakers, in an oversight that has been described as “shameful” by advocates.
In an election promise, NSW Labor pledges to protect koala populations with a new national park in Sydney’s south-west.
Staying with NSW, the government has been called on by Labor, the Greens and independent politicians to explain how emissions projections square with its 2050 net zero goal, after its own data showed pollution extending out to mid-century.
Ed Sheeran broke his own record for the highest ticketed attendance at an Australian concert, with a reported 110,000 fans filling the MCG last night, according to Nine.
If you spot anything, please get in touch at Donna.Lu@theguardian.com or on Twitter @donnadlu.
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