What we learned: Thursday 19 March
That’s where we’ll leave it for today on the blog. Here are Thursday’s main stories:
Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle forecast to hit far north Queensland three hours earlier than expected, with wind gusts up to 285km/h and daily rainfalls of 500mm possible.
The cyclone is also expected to hit the Northern Territory on Saturday, where several waterways are already flooding.
Treasury has downgraded Australia’s growth prospects over the coming few years, compounding the near-term damage from a global energy shock that Jim Chalmers says will be “a defining influence” on the May budget.
Anthea Harris is appointed to head a national fuel supply taskforce, as the prime minister says national cabinet acknowledged that the longer the Middle East conflict goes, “the more significant impact will be for the global supply chain, fuel prices and the wider economy”.
The unemployment rate lifted to 4.3% in February, from 4.1% the month before, despite a solid 48,900 increase in the number of employed Australians.
Six cases of legionnaires’ disease have been detected in Melbourne’s outer north, prompting a warning from Victoria’s chief health officer.
Australia’s competition watchdog is investigating each of the nation’s major fuel suppliers over allegations of anti-competitive conduct.
Notorious outback killer Bradley John Murdoch yelled at police to “get out” as he lay dying in hospital, refusing to the last to reveal where he hid a backpacker he shot dead on a remote highway, an inquest heard.
We will see you here again for more news tomorrow.
Updated
Malinauskas steps up One Nation attack ahead of SA election
A day after an awkward run-in, the South Australian premier has dismissed Pauline Hanson as a hypocrite and pretender in response to One Nation’s “remarkable” surge ahead of the state election, AAP reports.
Peter Malinauskas on Thursday stepped up his criticism of Hanson, accusing her of flying around the country on the nation’s richest person’s plane while advocating for battlers.
The premier took aim at the One Nation leader ahead of Saturday’s SA election barely 24 hours after Hanson appeared to ambush him.
She confronted Malinauskas over his recent One Nation comments as he headed to the final leaders’ debate in Adelaide on Wednesday before their uncomfortable meeting ended with a handshake.
However the premier wasn’t as civil on Thursday as One Nation maintained its surge before the weekend poll.
“These hypocrites flying around on private planes … that’s one thing, but having no plan or policy for the future of the state … that’s unforgivable,” he said.
Updated
