What we learned today, Friday 26 June
We’re wrapping up today’s blog. Thanks for joining us and have a wonderful weekend.
Here’s a reminder of today’s top stories:
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The Socceroos secured a place in the World Cup knockout phase for the third time in their history after a 0-0 draw with Paraguay, with fans celebrating at sites across the country;
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Karl Stefanovic will leave Nine immediately, with the axed broadcaster declaring in an online video he is now “free” and “truly independent”;
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Liberal MP Andrew Hastie has declared political war with One Nation and rebuked party figures who are advocating a preference deal with its leader, Pauline Hanson, claiming it “signals weakness”;
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A woman with Islamic State (IS) links will walk from court after winning her bid for bail;
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Beaches across Sydney’s eastern suburbs have been closed for the fourth consecutive day after a shark sighting;
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The Western Australian government has announced a new suspected case of the deadly H5 bird flu in a migratory giant petrel on the state’s west coast;
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Victorian Liberal MP Matthew Guy is demanding an apology from his colleague Moira Deeming after police closed their investigation into an allegation he assaulted her, finding there was “no offence detected”;
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A new report finds that if fire ants are allowed to spread across Australia, thousands of pets could be killed and households could be forced to spend upwards of $1bn a year.
Updated
SA Liberal senator says debating multiculturalism could damage Australia’s image
Liberal senator Andrew McLachlan says debating multiculturalism could hurt Australia on an the international stage.
One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson, last week shared her vision for Australia to become a monoculture, sparking a political debate about multiculturalism.
McLachlan, a South Australian senator, likened discussions about whether the country should be multicultural or monocultural to “debating, effectively, whether Australia should exist or not”. Speaking to the ABC, he said:
Monoculturalism is a horrible concept which is very dictatorial, which suggests that one group of people should dictate how the rest live.
I think it is not a productive debate and may hurt us on the international stage … I don’t think it’s edifying that a country needs to debate its fundamental principle.
Angus Taylor this week attempted to clarify his comments about multiculturalism after his five non-answers on Tuesday, which left colleagues dumbfounded and questioning the opposition leader’s approach to One Nation.
Asked about Taylor’s response, McLachlan said:
Angus is attempting to bring to the fore of the public debate our collective values. There hasn’t ever been a leader, in my memory, of the Liberal party, that doesn’t fully commit to multiculturalism.
We are very interested in supporting multiculturalism in the Liberal party.
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Hastie declares political war on One Nation, criticises talk of preference swaps with Hanson
Liberal MP Andrew Hastie has declared political war with One Nation and rebuked party figures who are advocating a preference deal with its leader Pauline Hanson, claiming it “signals weakness”.
In an email to supporters on Friday afternoon, the Liberal frontbencher confirmed comments to the Coalition party room earlier this week in which vowed “I would rather get taken out in a box than bend the knee to One Nation”.
Hastie had told colleagues that he had been identified for extra security upgrades, which he suspected was due to a One Nation-fuelled campaign against him.
In the email, Hastie said Hanson and her chief-of-staff James Ashby were targeting his Western Australian seat of Canning and running a “relentless” campaign online.
“One Nation has declared war on me, so they shall have war. I won’t be pushed around by One Nation. Nor will I bow the knee to them.”
For the record, One Nation has denied that it was behind any campaigns targeting Hastie.
The shadow industry minister went on to criticise talk about potential preference deals with One Nation.
The comments serve as a rebuke to the former prime minister and party president, Tony Abbott, who has advocated a preference swap, and to a lesser extent opposition leader Angus Taylor, who has left the door open to one.
In the email, Hastie said:
“It signals weakness. We should only act from a position of strength. If One Nation really wants to make peace, then come to the table. But it will be on our terms.”
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Sophie Scamps says her electorate supports her maybe joining new political party
Independent MP Sophie Scamps says her electorate is “overwhelmingly” supportive of the possibility of her joining a new political party launched by her fellow cross-bench MPs.
Teal MPs Zali Steggall and Allegra Spender this week launched a new political party called Community Strong Australia, with the stated aim of providing a centrist alternative for voters amid the rise of One Nation and turmoil inside the Coalition.
Speaking to the ABC, Scamps said she had conducted a survey within her electorate to gauge her constituents’ views about the possibility of her joining the party:
Overwhelmingly people are supportive of the idea, because they’re very aware of what’s been happening, the changes that have been happening in our political landscape, and particularly the backroom deal that the major parties did to try and shut independence out of our democracy,
They’re aware that … we have to consider these things, we have to have this conversation, but I think they really appreciate being a part of that conversation
Scamps describes Steggall and Spender’s move as “bold” and “really exciting”:
It’s not about creating the party and it gets started right now, it’s about how people run at the next election. So, there is a two-year lead into that process.
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Lock it in, Eddie: McGuire scores Stefanovic tell-all
Nine’s recently axed star broadcaster Karl Stefanovic is set to sit down with Eddie McGuire next week to discuss the fallout from his abrupt job loss, AAP reports.
After days of crisis talks, the network confirmed on Friday morning Stefanovic had left its flagship breakfast program, Today, as a host, effective immediately.
Guardian Australia reported on Thursday that Stefanovic would not appear on his scheduled Friday afternoon radio show (on ARN Media’s Gold FM) with McGuire after widespread criticism of his podcast interview with UK far-right activist Tommy Robinson.
But McGuire announced today he has invited Stefanovic on his sports podcast, which is carried by ARN.
At the top of his Gold FM show he said:
Next week (Stefanovic) will speak to me exclusively on The Long Weekend about the most tumultuous few days of his career.
Karl asked to take leave because of the intense negotiations and reactions to his controversial podcast with Tommy Robinson on his independent podcast.
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Housing and immigration triggered threat against PM and Minns, court hears
A lack of housing and Australia’s immigration policies prompted a young man to threaten to kill the prime minister and the NSW premier on social media, a WA court has heard.
Will James King, 20, was sentenced today to seven months’ imprisonment, conditionally suspended for 12 months, for sending the threat in a direct message to Chris Minns’ Instagram account in January, AAP reports. King had previously pleaded guilty.
“You’re a Jew, not a real Semite,” the message read out in Mandurah magistrates court on Friday said.
“You’re an Ashkenazi Jew. Antisemitism does not apply to you or to any other Jews. You’re the Gentiles.
“I’ll assassinate you and Albo, and the country will be a better place.”
Defence lawyer Tendayi Chivunga said King was triggered by the state of housing and immigration issues, and had been reading political articles and online comments before he sent the messages.
Magistrate Clare Cullen said King had engaged in antisemitic hate speech, and his words had historically been used to spread hostility, prejudice and discrimination against Jewish people.
Detectives from WA’s State Security Investigations team went to King’s Mandurah home, about 70km south of Perth, soon after he made the post and arrested him.
King told them he didn’t mean the message to be a threat.
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IS-linked woman to walk from court after bail win
A woman with Islamic State (IS) links will walk from court after winning her bid for bail, AAP reports.
Kawsar Ahmad, 54, looked relieved and her supporters gasped as Chief Magistrate Lisa Hannan granted her bail in Melbourne magistrates court on Friday afternoon.
It comes a week after her daughter Zeinab Ahmad, 31, lost her bid for bail in the same court.
In May, the two women were charged with slavery offences after they both returned to Australia with other family members of former IS fighters.
Prosecutors allege Kawsar Ahmad migrated to Syria with her husband, Mohammed, and their children to join IS around January 2015.
It’s alleged while in Syria in 2017, Mohammed bought a teenage girl as a slave and repeatedly raped and assaulted the girl.
Ahmad allegedly agreed to the purchase and treated the girl badly, allegedly threatening her with beatings although she is not alleged to have assaulted the girl herself.
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David Pocock says the Socceroos represent what’s so great about Australia – multiculturalism.
The popular independent senator from Canberra spoke to Guardian Australia at half-time in the city’s main square as the Socceroos took on Paraguay at the World Cup. Australia will go through to the knock-out round of 32 teams after the match ended in a draw.
The country’s diversity has been a hot topic this week after One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson, shared her vision for Australia to become a monoculture. The senator later clarified that she saw the Socceroos as an example of monoculture – one team united under one flag.
The ACT senator, who once captained Australia’s national rugby union team the Wallabies, said seeing so many people from diverse backgrounds come together to support the national team “resonates across the country”.
“That was my experience of sport, when you have that bigger purpose and something that brings you together,” he said.
We’ve never been a monoculture, we never will be. This is multiculturalism, whether it’s looking at the Socceroos or just looking around in the crowd, and that is a strength.
What [Hanson is] getting at, and what people are feeling, is how do we have a more unified common purpose as a country, and we see that in the Socceroos and I think that’s what we want.
And I think that’s the task. How do we talk about democratic values and what it means to be Australian? You do that by having a discussion as a country, and not wanting everyone to be the same …
Having a shared identity and set of values, it’s not the same as [everyone] all being the same.
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Results of earlier suspected H5 case pending, say WA government
The Western Australian government says the results of an earlier suspected case of H5 bird flu, in a giant petrel at Quindalup in the state’s south-west, is pending.
The state’s two previously confirmed cases of H5 were in migratory seabirds – a brown skua and giant petrel.
Since 19 June, there have been 375 reports to the state’s Emergency Animal Disease hotline, the government said. Of these, 43 have been prioritised for further investigation and testing based on the risk of H5 bird flu.
There is no suggestion any of these additional reports will be H5 bird flu, the statement said.
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New suspected case of H5 bird flu in giant petrel near Esperance, Western Australia
The Western Australian government has announced a new suspected case of the deadly H5 bird flu in a migratory giant petrel on the state’s west coast, about 30 kms west of Esperance.
The number of confirmed cases in the state remains at two.
In a statement, WA’s Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development said:
Samples from five deceased petrels were submitted to the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) laboratory with one returning a suspect positive result for H5 influenza in preliminary testing. The remaining four were all negative.Samples have been sent to CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness to confirm the results and determine if it is the H5 bird flu strain of concern.
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That’s all from me. Adeshola Ore will take the reins from here. Enjoy the weekend!
‘It’s a beautiful day’ Craig Foster says after Socceroos advance
Craig Foster maintained he thought the Socceroos played a “near-perfect game” in their draw with Paraguay.
Foster spoke with the Guardian’s Matilda Boseley just after the match ended:
Brilliant campaign, managed the game well today, and that’s important in World Cups.
So what’s next for Australia?
They managed this game perfectly, they’re learning. You’ve gotta learn how to be at World Cups, you’ve gotta learn how to get yourself through, you’ve got to learn how to manage games, how to get the right points at the right time.
… And it’s a beautiful day any time the Socceroos get through to the knockout rounds. You know how difficult that is.
There are fantastic, big football teams that are going to be going home after the group stage, and Australia is not. … There’s nothing better in life.
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More deepfake AI platforms shut down
Three more AI “nudifying” platforms have been taken down in Australia as the federal government flags plans to strengthen its world-first social media age restrictions, AAP reports.
The nation’s online watchdog said the services, which use existing images to generate nude pictures of real people, had withdrawn from Australia under the threat of legal action.
Such platforms would be blurred online until they introduced age verification in a bid to prevent children accessing them, eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said:
Age assurance is by no means a silver bullet, but it is a critical safeguard that will help stop children accessing these services and reduce the creation of deeply harmful and non-consensual material.
Seven “nufidying” apps – which the government plans to eventually outlaw – have now withdrawn access in Australia or introduced age verification.
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Socceroos secure place in World Cup last 32 after nerve-shredding draw with Paraguay
You can read my colleague Jack Snape’s report here:
For Australian football, it was far from the best advertisement for the game, even as millions watched on TVs, live sites and in bars, with the match lacking the intensity and jeopardy of the Socceroos’ opening two World Cup matches. But Tony Popovic’s team will not mind, as they secured second place in Group D.
Read his full debrief here:
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Socceroos draw with Paraguay
That’s it. It’s 0-0. If you want to relive everything that game had to offer, check out our sports blog:
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Sydney crowd hopeful but nervous
After a goalless 80 minutes in San Fransisco, the mood at the Vic on the Park in Sydney’s inner west is a mixture of jubilation and fear. A few “Aussie Aussie Aussies” have rung out, and more than a few spurring cries when the ball has reached Australia’s final third.
Sophie and her year 11 son Orson were also here when Australia went down 2-0 to the USA early last Saturday morning. He’s ditching school for the last day of term, and she’s quietly working away from her phone.
She tells Guardian Australia:
I’ve been on my Slack channel just checking things, but this is of national importance. It’s important to be here. I really want Oscar to hear a goal in the pub, just to hear us lift.”
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Legal challenge to NT fracking dismissed by federal court
A legal challenge to a fracking project in the Northern Territory has been dismissed by the federal court.
Lock the Gate sought to have Tamboran’s Shenandoah pilot project in the Beetaloo basin assessed under federal environmental laws. Five wells have been drilled for the appraisal project with more planned.
Lock the Gate argued the project should have been assessed under the federal water trigger to consider its impacts on water resources including groundwater.
The water trigger was expanded in 2023 from large coal mining and coal seam gas projects to include all unconventional gas projects.
Before Friday’s judgment, Lock the Gate said the outcome of the case would have significant implications for future fracking approvals in the NT and around the country.
Justice Nicholas Owens dismissed the case with costs.
Pocock hopeful for a goal
We are goalless just after half-time but David Pocock is hopeful the Socceroos star Nestory Irankunda will put the ball in the back of the net.
The ACT senator came to Canberra’s main city square to watch the match set-up on two screens that are far too small and low for the space.
Pocock said he was an Irankunda fan and hoped the Socceroos would clinch the match with a 2-0 win at full-time.
Time will only tell.
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‘Near-perfect start’ to Socceroos match, Craig Foster says
Craig Foster had some thoughts a moment ago in Melbourne’s Federation Square just before the end of the first half of the Socceroo’s game.
Here’s what he had to say to the Guardian’s Matilda Boseley:
So thrilled, I’m just delighted. A brilliant start to the game … couldn’t be more perfect. …
They’re very respectful. It looks that as thought the Paraguay coach is more desperate for a point maybe than we are even. They’ve been the one to say, OK, we don’t need to take too much risk. And that’s so good for us, because we’re comfortable at the back.
So far, fingers crossed, it’s been a near-perfect start.
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Woman faces 403 charges over allegations of $2m in improper strata transfers
A woman is facing 403 charges after she allegedly transferred more than $2m from strata trust accounts into a personal bank account and used the money to buy luxury goods.
Police said in a statement released a short time ago that a former employee of a strata business in the Coffs Harbour area tipped them off in January last year about alleged fraudulent activity at the business.
Police said in a statement:
Following extensive inquiries, police established that a woman had allegedly transferred more than $2 million from strata trust accounts into a personal bank account.
Police will allege in court that the funds were used for personal expenditure including cryptocurrency investments, luxury goods, and an SUV.
Police arrested the 30-year-old woman yesterday and charged her with 403 counts of dishonestly obtain financial advantage etc by deception.
She was due to appear before bail court today.
Canberra catches World Cup fever
The nation’s capital is not immune from World Cup fever with about 500 heading to Canberra’s main city square to watch the Socceroos take on Paraguay.
Two screens have been set up for the midday match after local politicians, including the ACT senator David Pocock, lobbied the ACT government to hold a public viewing event.
Spirits are high and there’s been the usual chants and cheers so far. At least one flare has been let off but it’s otherwise a family friendly event.
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Police arrest woman believed to be known to elderly woman found dead at Rooty Hill aged care home
An elderly woman has been found dead at an aged care facility in Sydney’s west, with police arresting a woman believed to be known to her.
Emergency services were called to the aged care home on Evans Road in Rooty Hill at about 11.45pm on Thursday after reports a woman’s body had been found, NSW police said.
An investigation is under way after the body of a woman was found at an aged care facility in Sydney’s west overnight.
In a statement, police said:
Officers attached to Mount Druitt Police Area Command attended and located the body of an 84-year-old woman inside the building.
Police have established a crime scene, and detectives have commenced an investigation into the incident.
Police arrested a 53-year-old woman, believed to be known to the elderly woman, at the scene, the statement said. She was taken to Mount Druitt hospital for an assessment.
Police will prepare a report for the coroner.
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Beef-up looms for world-first teen social media ban
Australia’s world-first teen social media ban will be strengthened to deal with potential legal challenges and improve the powers of the online watchdog, AAP reports.
Nearly eight months since the federal government barred children under 16 from apps such as Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Reddit and Facebook, Labor is planning further changes to hold tech companies accountable.
Government sources have confirmed Anthony Albanese plans to announce a beefing-up of the ban within weeks.
“This is leading the world, we should be proud of this,” the prime minister told Nine’s Today Show on Friday.
“What we’re looking at doing is any way that we can further strengthen the laws … if there are legal challenges,” he said.
The eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, has previously raised concerns about the “thin scaffolding” of the ban and described it as a “very blunt force approach”.
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‘Popovic is going to do it for us,’ says an optimistic Socceroos fan in Sydney’s inner west
At the Golden Barley hotel in Sydney’s Enmore, some Australians are newer to football, continuing to call it soccer or turning out only during World Cups.
Not so for Nick, Robyn, Alan and Jim, who have been sitting right in front of the television at the pub since it opened, Guinnesses in hand.
Nick is fitted out in an authentic 1974 Socceroos jersey – marking the historic first year the Aussies qualified for a World Cup and scored their first ever point.
His friend Jim has been to three World Cups, including in West Germany in 1974.
Paradoxically, Nick and his partner Robyn actually miss the age-old tradition for Australians of waking up at ungodly hours of the night with their kids to watch the Socceroos play, thanks to punishing timezones.
“I miss the 2am games,” Nick says with a laugh.
“We were just saying this morning, we used to wake up in the middle of the night, it used to be really good … it’s a unique experience. A family experience.”
Alan is confident that the Socceroos will be victorious today.
“We have realistic expectations, we’re not world leaders but Popovic is going to do it for us.”
Updated
Sydney pubs already heaving ahead of Socceroos match
At 11am on a wet Friday morning, pubs in Sydney’s inner west would usually be shut, or home to a couple of stragglers. Not so today, as hundreds of Socceroos fans pack in front of TV screens ahead of Australia’s crucial game against Paraguay.
It’s the first time in history a Socceroos World Cup game is being played entirely within AEST working hours, and there are a few punters drinking pints with their laptops out at the Golden Barley in Enmore in a sea of yellow and green, for what some are calling the “Great Socceroos Sickie”.
Small business owners Jamie Hayman and his brother Rick Hayman are among them. Rick owns HXD Built construction in the inner west and is plugging away on his laptop at 11am with his staff.
Rick says he’s been supporting the Socceroos “forever”.
It unites the community. That’s what you notice. Pubs get filled up, there’s all the talk around town, it’s really good to see.
Jamie says this is the first time he and his brother have come out early to a pub to support the Socceroos, and says he can “definitely see more support” for the team.
Asked what time they’ll shut the laptops, he replies: “Probably kickoff”.
Updated
Palestinian human rights groups score strategic victory on Israel-bound defence exports
A trio of Palestinian human rights groups have scored a victory in the federal courts after reaching agreement with the defence minister to obtain a list of any decision-making documents related to Israel-bound export permits.
The groups – the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, Al-Haq and Al Mezan Center for Human Rights – made the discovery application in federal court for arms export documents in April but on Wednesday reached agreement that the defence minister would produce the list by 17 July.
The Palestinian groups, represented by the Australian Centre for International Justice, will now need to request access for those documents, which could still be subject to public interest immunity claims.
The groups are seeking to determine whether any permits were erroneously granted due to a failure to properly assess the possibility the exports could be used to facilitate serious human rights abuses in Gaza.
The ruling shows an export permit still in effect remains under scrutiny, according to the government’s affidavit which has not been made public.
Shawan Jabarin, the general director of Al-Haq, said:
We should not have to go to court to understand who is arming the Israeli settler-colonial apartheid regime. Palestinians are not speaking about arms exports in the abstract. We are speaking about bombs falling on families, homes, hospitals, schools, refugee camps and entire communities. When states refuse to disclose what they are exporting, they are also refusing to confront the human consequences of the weapons systems they help sustain.
Read more:
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Labor’s tax deal with the Greens will close a superannuation ‘loophole’. What is changing and who is affected?
The government has legislated its changes to capital gains tax and negative gearing, after winning support from the Greens.
Getting the deal over the line involved Labor agreeing to close a relatively obscure “loophole” in superannuation legislation that let funds borrow to invest in housing.
There have been some loud complaints of another attack on property investors and that “aspiration is under assault” – again.
At the end of another eventful week in parliament, let’s take a closer look at the tweak that helped pave the way for the biggest tax reforms this century.
Check it out here:
Music stars sing out against big AI song scrape
Paul Dempsey is among the big-name Australian musicians finding their original songs in datasets used to train artificial intelligence, AAP reports.
A dataset search tool recently created by US publication The Atlantic reveals millions of creative works have been scraped from the internet to train the disruptive technology.
It includes a vast catalogue of work by Australian artists, with tunes by Kylie Minogue, Powderfinger, Nick Cave and Jimmy Barnes, and novels by Thomas Keneally and Peter Carey.
Dempsey told AAP:
It’s frustrating this is happening. Every negotiated agreement and contract I’ve ever gone into in my career, with whatever entity or record label, is all just rendered useless.
An artist’s ability to negotiate fair terms for the use of their content is just being ripped away from them.
The Atlantic cautioned that AI companies might omit works when training their models, so the inclusion of songs in datasets is not definitive proof they have been used.
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Many Sydney beaches closed for fourth day after shark sighting
Beaches across Sydney’s eastern suburbs have been closed for the fourth consecutive day after a shark sighting.
The closures on Friday came after sharks were spotted at Bondi, Tamarama and Bronte beaches this morning, beginning around 8.30am.
Footage was posted to social media by the online platform Drone Shark App, which suggested the Bondi shark was a whaler.
Other beaches in the Waverley council area, including Tamarama and Bronte, have also been closed as lifeguards remain on alert.
Beaches in neighbouring Randwick, including Maroubra and Coogee, reopened this morning after being shut yesterday after drone patrols and visual inspections.
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What are your plans today for the Socceroos match?
“Working” for the arvo from the pub? A watch party in the park? Shoot me a message at nick.visser@theguardian.com and I’ll drop some of the best in the blog and pledge not to use them on the Guardian bosses …
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Can the Socceroos stop the nation?
The World Cup clash between the Socceroos and Paraguay represents a potential milestone for Australian football, as the team chase qualification for the knockout rounds for only the third time. For the broadcaster SBS, its significance may be even greater.
The match is the culmination of 11 straight men’s World Cup tournaments, and a commitment that stretches back to Mexico 1986. Its audience is expected to go close to – or exceed – the network’s record for any Socceroos match or World Cup fixture.
SBS director of sport Ken Shipp had this to say:
I hope this match stops the nation – there’s every chance it will, given the favourable timing, the unprecedented media coverage we’re seeing and the excitement around this young Australian team. If it does, then that will be the result of 40 years of dedicated work at SBS.
Read more here:
Thousands of pets could die if fire ants allowed to spread across Australia, report finds
A new report finds that if fire ants are allowed to spread across Australia, thousands of pets could be killed and households could be forced to spend upwards of $1bn a year.
The findings, published by the Australia Institute, come as invasive fire ants have been detected in several states, with Queensland hit the hardest so far. Almost all of Australia is suitable habitat for the insects.
The key findings from the report say state and federal funding to eradicate the ants is well below the $300m per year recommended by experts. If allowed to spread, stings could result in an extra 624,000 medical visits for humans and 2.3m visits to the vet for pets. Fire ant stings can cause allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis.
Those figures could see more than 30 people and thousands of pets die. Rod Campbell, the research director for the Australia Institute, said in a statement:
Fire ants are a potential economic and environmental disaster for Australia. If a murderer said that they planned to kill 30 random Australians each year, the response would be enormous.
That’s essentially what fire ants are doing – yet the response is minimal.
Updated
Unclear if Australians affected by Venezuelan earthquakes, Albanese says
Prime minister Anthony Albanese has said the government does not know yet if any Australians have been affected by the severe earthquakes in Venezuela, but it is a possibility as Australians are regular travellers to the region.
Albanese said the government would continue to monitor the situation, but “it’s not clear yet if Australians are caught up in this”. He told the ABC:
Australians are great travellers, of course, right around the world. Given the numbers that have been impacted, it certainly is possible that Australians are caught up in it …
Our heart goes out to anyone here who has relatives or friends in Venezuela, because this is one of the worst earthquakes that we’ve seen in recent times, with catastrophic human consequences with a massive loss of life, but also massive infrastructure damage, and real consequences for the people of Venezuela.
The Guardian has reached out to Dfat for comment.
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Nine news boss says Stefanovic episode ‘challenging’ and freedom of speech remains core to network’s mission
Fiona Dear, the director of news at Nine, wrote an email to staff today about the decision to part ways with Karl Stefanovic.
She said Nine had worked “tirelessly to build a news and current affairs brand built on trust and respect and we will always fight to uphold that”, adding:
Protecting freedom of speech is at the core of 9News and Current Affairs. We have a rich history of interviewing controversial figures, and journalists have an obligation to ask difficult questions. Part of what makes us tick is trying to understand why people are the way they are, or think the way they think. We welcome open debate and challenging norms with constructive, balanced arguments.
Dear went on to write that, as journalists, “we play a critical role in society to question, challenge, and hold people to account regardless of where they come from or which political party or views they represent”.
She acknowledged it had been a challenging episode for the broadcaster, with more information about future plans to come “very soon”.
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The National Anti-Corruption Commission is shrouded in privacy and complexity which could mean important investigations are not occurring, politicians are expected to be told, according to Australian Associated Press.
A parliamentary committee launched an inquiry into the NACC’s functions in March, following several conflict of interest accusations and scrutiny of its efficiency since it was established three years ago.
Many Australians referring potential corruption to the watchdog did not understand how to do so due to the privacy surrounding it, a submission to the committee from the Human Rights Law Centre said:
(The) high threshold for investigations can be difficult for a referrer to understand.
It can also be difficult for referrers to properly communicate the information in a way that makes it possible for the commission to understand if it meets the requisite threshold.
Chalmers says people will forget fuss over tax changes by the next election
The federal treasurer, Jim Chalmers, was on Radio National earlier spruiking the tax changes, which passed parliament last night.
He said the government sees the changes to the capital gains tax discount and negative gearing as a “win for workers, for first home buyers and for future generations”. Chalmers said negotiations with the Greens were par for the course as all legislation evolves before its final incarnation.
When asked if the tax changes would hang around Labor’s neck for two years until the next election, he had this to say:
I think the substance of what is changing here is more important. We are delivering cost of living help, we’re delivering real change via the tax system …
It is my view that every time there’s tax reform, people say the sky will fall in, people say that it is disastrous. But typically what happens, in time, is people look back on big tax reform and wonder what all of the fuss is about. I’m confident that will happen again.
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Albanese says Stefanovic saga ‘unfortunate’, but ‘words do matter’
The prime minister was asked by the ABC about Karl Stefanovic’s departure from Nine. He had this to say:
It’s a matter, of course, for Channel 9, but words do matter, and what people who are very prominent in our public discourse do, and how they conduct themselves, matters as well.
And it’s unfortunate, the way that what has been a very big career has ended in this way.
But that’s a matter for Karl Stefanovic, to think about his actions and the decisions that he’s made. And Nine have made a consequential decision.
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Albanese says employers should treat anyone watching the Socceroos today ‘kindly’
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, was just asked about lunchtime today, 12pm, when the nation will stop as the Socceroos take the pitch at the World Cup.
He said employers should treat anyone watching the game “kindly, and with thoughts of our national interest” in a lighthearted interview with the ABC. He went on:
It will be an important day.
The PM said a ministry meeting will end sharply at 11.30am “so people can get in front of their TV screens”, but he wasn’t “giving people instructions”:
It will be a great couple of hours. I’m sure the whole of Australia will cheer on the Socceroos. …
I know that Australian workers will be, of course, very passionate about the Socceroos, and I know that Australian employers will be generous in their approach to these things.
A bit of common sense should apply.
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‘Let’s work together’ to strengthen exclusion powers, shadow home affairs minister tells government
Jonno Duniam, the shadow minister for home affairs, has said the Coalition would be willing to work with the government to strengthen laws around temporary exclusion orders after an Australia woman with links to the Islamic State was given authorisation to return to Australia.
The decision, announced by the home affair minister, Tony Burke, came after the government was advised it could no longer enforce a criminal exclusion order.
Duniam told RN Breakfast that while the director of Asio said officials were prepared for the woman’s return, monitoring her was sure to cost the taxpayer “a lot of money” and questioned if more could have been done to keep her out of the country.
If the government does believe that this individual should be excluded from the country for a longer period, then let’s work together to strengthen those laws. Of course, there may well be legal challenges, but we’re open to working with the government on that.
I’d rather the individual not be here. … This is a person who is not a friend of our country. This is a person who turned their back on Australia.
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‘I’m free, truly independent,’ Karl Stefanovic says
Karl Stefanovic just released a statement following the announcement he will leave Nine immediately.
In a YouTube video, Stefanovic says:
So I’m free. Truly independent. I didn’t get the chance to thank my free to air audience for 21 years, so thank you for riding the ups and downs.
It wasn’t easy this last couple of days, but we rolled on. So here’s what I believe in: the public deserve to hear perspectives. … so on my show I’ve spoken to people who have different perspectives, I know that winds some people up.
Sometimes I agree with everything a guest says, sometimes I don’t. But importantly you get to make up your mind. …
Freedom of speech, here and around the world, is what this show is about. You don’t have to listen to my show, you have the power.
At the end of the video, Stefanovic runs from the camera, jumps in the air, and clicked his heels together.
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Good morning, Nick Visser here to take the reins. Let’s see what Friday holds after a busy week in parliament.
Defence ‘hasn’t performed as well as it could’, minister says
Performance issues in the defence department have been found to be more widespread than expected with “congested” decision making, as Labor undertakes the biggest overhaul in five decades, Australian Associated Press reports.
The federal government in December announced an independent delivery agency would be set up to tackle cost blowouts and project delays, as Labor pours billions of extra dollars into defence over the decade.
Defence industry minister, Pat Conroy, said inaccurate cost estimation and a lack of discipline in project management were behind lacklustre delivery.
“The analysis we commissioned found that the problems were more widespread than I thought,” he told AAP.
The processes have been setting up people (to fail), so the system as a whole has meant that defence hasn’t performed as well as it could.
Parts of the department were spending too much time in meetings, which resulted in a lack of action and decision making at the top end becoming “too congested”, Conroy said.
What we’ve seen is fragmented accountability ... if everyone is accountable, that means no one’s accountable.
The defence industry minister will outline progress made on the reform in an address to the National Press Club next Thursday.
He will position Labor as the party of defence to tackle growing support for One Nation, as well as address discontent within his own party at the government’s approach.
“That intellectual framework is really important to flesh out, because we have to constantly make the case for why investing in defence is progressive,” Conroy said.
“It’s both about the rise of far-right populism, but also talking to the base of the Labor party about why this is important.
“You want to fight for a progressive Australia, but you also have to defend a progressive Australia.”
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‘Right time for Karl to move on from Today and from Nine,’ network CEO says
In an internal email sent to staff, seen by Guardian Australia, Nine’s chief executive officer, Matt Stanton, said “you would have seen a lot of media reporting around Karl Stefanovic and his future here at Nine”.
“We’ve … announced this morning that after more than 20 years it’s the right time for Karl to move on from Today and from Nine,” the email says.
Karl has been a fixture on our screens for over two decades, so we know this is a significant change for our viewers and all of us here at Nine, however it’s the right time to make it.
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Who is Tommy Robinson?
Here’s a hot-off-the-presses explainer of the controversy that appears to have cost Stefanovic his planned long and cruisey farewell from Nine:
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Karl Stefanovic to leave Nine immediately, network confirms
Karl Stefanovic is leaving Nine immediately, the network said in a statement this morning.
It follows days of controversy in which the highly paid Today presenter used his independent podcast series to interview British far-right activist Tommy Robinson.
“Nine Entertainment and Stefanovic have agreed that it is no longer possible for him to continue hosting Today at the same time as his independent podcast,” a Nine Entertainment spokesperson said.
“While Karl and Nine had previously agreed he would leave Today at the end of this year, they have subsequently decided he will leave the network immediately.
Updated
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Nick Visser with the main action.
Nine has confirmed this morning that Today host Karl Stefanovic is leaving the network “immediately” as it was “no longer possible” for him to both host Today and run his independent podcast. More on this soon.
We’re also kicking off with some rather frank comments from the defence industry minister, Pat Conroy, about his own department, which he says “hasn’t performed as well as it could” and spent too long in meetings without making decisions.
And there’s plenty of more news to come, stick with us.
