ACTU will not push for spot on RBA board as review released – as it happened

The independent member for Kooyong, Monique Ryan, has added her voice to calls to lift the jobseeker allowance. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

9.37am BST

What we learned today, Thursday 20 April

Thanks for following along on the blog today. Here is a wrap of the day’s biggest stories:

• Treasurer Jim Chalmers announced the government will accept all 51 recommendations from a review to overhaul the Reserve Bank. Chalmers also named two new appointments to the RBA board, including former Fair Work Commission head Iain Ross and former ACTU official Elana Rubin.

• RBA governor Philip Lowe rejected comments by the review panel about the workings of his board and said he has no intention of stepping down.

• A hybrid solar eclipse reached totality in part of Australia today, with thousands of people gathering in WA’s Exmouth to witness it. We covered it live here.

• The governor general officially proclaimed that 1 July is the date that the National Anti-Corruption Commission will commence.

• The 90 leaders of the powerful Central Land Council issued an extraordinary joint statement rejecting the views of Northern Territory senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, saying she “needs to stop pretending we are her people”.

• The ACT has become the first Australian jurisdiction to offer free universal access to abortion services, prompting calls for the rest of the country to follow suit.

• People caught with a small amount of illicit drugs including cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine will likely avoid a court date under new laws passed in Queensland.

Updated at 9.39am BST

9.26am BST

Three-strike personal drug use rule expanded in Queensland

People caught with a small amount of illicit drugs including cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine will likely avoid a court date under new laws passed in Queensland.

A drug diversion program for cannabis that has existed in the state for decades has been expanded to include the full spectrum of illegal drugs and some pharmaceuticals.

The laws passed on Thursday mean first-time offenders will be given a warning, and those caught a second or third time will be offered a diversionary program instead of a court notice.

The police minister, Mark Ryan, says the shift in tactics from a police to a health response would bring the state into line with other Australian jurisdictions:

According to police, diversion programs result in the majority of those individuals never having contact with police again.

Updated at 9.36am BST