The day that was, Sunday 2 April
That’s where we will wrap up the live blog for Sunday.
Here’s what made the news today:
In the wake of Labor’s historic byelection win in the Victorian seat of Aston, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese praised incoming MP Mary Doyle for winning a seat from the opposition for the first time in 100 years.
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, said he accepts responsibility for the loss, but will remain the leader. He said the party will need to examine its policies as part of the rebuilding process before the next election.
The Victorian premier Daniel Andrews labelled the Liberal party a “nasty, bigoted outfit” focused on their own “insipid, nasty little version of bigotry” following the Aston loss. He said the party had been too focused on the persecution of trans people and not on the cost of living.
Victorian Liberal leader John Pesutto said it is necessary for the party to become a “broad, welcoming and inclusive voice” and the rebuild starts today.
Andrews also held a lengthy press conference where he defended his visit to China last week without media accompanying him. He said it was a successful trip to a country that holds a significant relationship with Victoria.
Independent MP Zali Steggall, who supports an Indigenous voice to parliament, says she could benefit from the voice offering independent advice to parliamentarians on legislation affecting Indigenous communities.
Adelaide’s train and tram services will return to public hands after the South Australian government signed a deal to transition them back to state ownership.
Thanks for following along. We’ll be back on Monday with all the latest. Until then, I hope you have a good evening.
Updated
Sydney’s Kings Cross on notice after police blitz
Five businesses were audited and dozens of people handed infringement notices in a police blitz of Sydney’s King Cross area.
AAP reports the police operation targeted antisocial behaviour, bikie gangs and organised crime, with officers patrolling the area between 8pm on Saturday and 3.30am on Sunday.
Police said they inspected 24 businesses and audited five licensed venues, handing out eight court attendance notices for outstanding warrants and drug and offensive behaviour offences.
Twelve people were moved on while 25 infringement notices were issued for traffic and parking offences.
“The message is clear,” Superintendent Jonathon Beard said:
We want people to come to Kings Cross and enjoy all that the area has to offer without worrying about any violent or antisocial behaviour.
These high-visibility operations are our way of letting the community know that we will not tolerate violence or criminal behaviour.
Kings Cross police would continue to conduct similar high-visibility proactive patrols in the area, Beard said.
Updated
In the UK, £8m has been set aside for public institutions to get a portrait of King Charles III at the coronation in May.
In Australia, any citizen can request a portrait of the monarch from their MP. This previously little-known right was reported in 2018 and led to MPs getting a rush of request for portraits of Queen Elizabeth II. When she died last year, MPs again getting requests for their remaining stock of portraits of the late queen.
Australians will be able to request portraits of Charles III once the portrait is unveiled.
Tasmanian government refers potential data breach to police
A cyber breach that may affect the Tasmanian government has been referred to police and the Australian Cyber Security Centre.
Science and technology minister Madeleine Ogilvie on Friday confirmed a third-party file transfer service used by the government had been compromised.
GoAnywhere MFT informed users its service may have been exploited because of a vulnerability in its software.
The Tasmanian government is concerned some of its data could be lost as a result of the breach.
Ogilvie said in a statement on Sunday that the matter has now been referred to relevant authorities including Tasmania police and the Australian Cyber Security Centre.
We are taking swift action to investigate this breach and ascertain if any information has been compromised
We will continue to provide updated information as it becomes available.
Our government reiterates that if the investigation reveals any personal information has been compromised we will work with anyone affected and ensure support is available.
- AAP
Updated
Man dies after fall at Cradle Mountain in Tasmania
Tasmanian police have confirmed the death of a man who fell from a height on Sunday near Weindorfers Tower at Cradle Mountain in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair national park.
In a statement, police said he was one one of four people climbing from the Saddle to Weindorfer Tower when he fell about 11am today.
Search and rescue personnel located the man a short time ago and sadly confirmed he was deceased.
Our thoughts are with the man’s family and loved ones at this difficult time.
A report will be prepared for the coroner.
Police said more information would be released “when appropriate”.
Updated
Hundreds rally in Sydney in support of trans rights
Hundreds of protesters have turned out in Newtown, Sydney to rally in support of trans rights for International Transgender Day of Visibility.
Despite the rain, hundreds of people gathered for the march with the crowd spilling out of Pride Square.
The rally follows another in Melbourne on Friday where thousands of people marched through the CBD to “reclaim the streets” after confrontations with far-right groups who performed the Nazi salute on the steps of parliament.
Newtown trans visibility protest before the rain started coming down (good on all the soggy folks who toughed it out!) pic.twitter.com/RTcEuKiQrH
— Andy 💙💜💖 (@darkwhite_tiger) April 2, 2023
Updated
Two people rescued from Sydney flood waters as city braces for a wet week
The NSW State Emergency Services say two people had to be rescued from vehicles that had driven into flood waters in Sydney on Sunday morning, as the city gears up for a wet week.
A spokesperson for NSW SES told Guardian Australia the two rescues occurred around 7am in Alexandria and Waterloo in Sydney after drivers had driven into the flood waters.
Although there were fears that storms may develop in Sydney over the course of Sunday, they so far have not eventuated, and the NSW SES has only had around 50 calls for minor residential issues such as a leaking roof as a result of the rain.
Sydney is expected to have a fairly wet week, with up to 20mm of rain forecast for Sunday, with the next highest estimate at 15mm on Tuesday, with the chance of a possible thunderstorm.
It is expected to clear up by Good Friday, with Saturday of the long weekend currently forecast to be sunny and 28C.
⚠️Severe Thunderstorm Warning update: heavy rainfall is forecast to affect some northern parts of #Sydney in the next hour. The heavy rainfall cells are forecast to affect Maroota by 9:50 am. Flash flooding is possible. Warning details: https://t.co/x4x4Dam9Ro pic.twitter.com/JpATJoofeo
— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) April 1, 2023
Updated
Albanese speaks in Perth about national reconstruction plan
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is speaking for the second time on Sunday, this time from Perth where he is making an announcement about the national reconstruction plan.
The PM has been spruiking his government’s efforts to revive manufacturing, particularly around electric vehicles and the infrastructure needed to transition the country’s vehicle grid.
We’ve got a plan for new industries, driven by cheaper greener energy.
During questions, the PM was asked about the voice to parliament. He congratulated South Australia on legislating a state-based voice to parliament but says the national referendum will make a significant difference.
A voice to parliament won’t have an impact on most Australians lives but what it will do is have an impact on some of the most disadvantage people in Australia, on their lives. By giving them a say, by allowing them to be heard. That’s why it’s such a sincere act of generosity which is why I hope Australians vote yes.
Updated
Good news, everybody!
No #tsunami threat to Australia from #earthquake felt in Mount Barker, South Australia (magnitude 3.0). See https://t.co/Tynv3ZQpEq. pic.twitter.com/xpMBWETKCQ
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) April 2, 2023
Rugby league legend Sam Backo in critical condition
Former Australia rugby league front-rower Sam Backo is in a critical condition after suffering a heart attack on Saturday.
The 62-year-old, who played for Canberra and Brisbane between 1983 and 1990, remains in a Cairns hospital.
The Raiders issued a statement on Sunday on the family’s behalf, calling for their privacy to be respected.
Sam had a heart attack yesterday morning and at this stage remains in a critical condition.
Backo, who played 114 games for the Raiders and 20 for the Broncos, was named in the Indigenous Australian team of the century.
He created history by becoming the first Australian forward to score tries in all three Tests of an Ashes series in 1988.
Known as ‘Slammin Sam’, Backo also made seven appearances for Queensland in State of Origin.
He was forced into retirement in 1990 by a knee injury.
- AAP
Updated
Adelaide’s train and tram services to return to public ownership
Adelaide’s train and tram services will return to public hands after the South Australian government signed a deal to transition them back to state ownership.
The agreement will result in train operator Keolis Downer Adelaide and tram operator Torrens Connect handing back operational functions by January 2025 and July 2025 respectively.
Premier Peter Malinauskas says unnecessary privatisation of a state asset has been consigned to history.
Labor went to last year’s election with a clear policy to end the former Marshall Liberal government’s failed privatisation of train and tram services.
We are delivering on that election commitment with a deal to return train and tram operations to public ownership.
Train customer service and security management functions will be returned to government control by June 2027 and Keolis Downer Adelaide will continue to provide fleet and infrastructure maintenance services under contract until 2035.
Malinauskas said passengers would not be affected during the transition period and Adelaide Metro operations will continue to run as normal.
About $30m will be invested over the next two years as the government prepares to take operational control of the train fleet, along with about $3m in transitional arrangements for the tram services.
Under the tram deal, Torrens Connect will return operations, including drivers, operations control, customer service, network and timetable planning to government hands by August 2025.
The former Marshall government privatised tram services in 2020 and train services in 2021 under separate contracts, each for an initial eight-year term with an option to extend to 10 and 12 years, respectively.
No penalty fee will be paid to the operators for ending those contracts.
Rail, Tram and Bus Union SA branch secretary Darren Phillips said the agreement was a huge win for local commuters and transport workers.
This announcement means that taxpayers’ money that is budgeted for public transport will actually go into public transport – without a private company clipping the ticket on the way through.
And it means that transport workers will be able to negotiate with an employer that cares about South Australians, and cares about more than just maximising profits.
- AAP
Updated
Australia’s soaring interest rates have trapped ‘mortgage prisoners’ into crushing repayments
A growing number of Australian have become “mortgage prisoners” – trapped by crippling mortgages they are unable to renegotiate.
This growing cohort of pandemic-era homebuyers are unable to refinance because they no longer meet lenders’ standards after recent rate increases.
“There is without a doubt a big challenge for new mortgage holders over the past three years,” the executive director and head of research at K2 Asset Management, George Boubouras, said.
Many are mortgage prisoners and a mortgage prisoner is unable to refinance because of the serviceability buffers.
A serviceability buffer, used to help determine borrowing capacity, is the rate a lender assesses a customer’s ability to meet repayments.
Home loans written between 2019 and 2021, when rates were at historic lows, were tested on an applicant’s ability to make repayments at 2.5 percentage points above the lending rate. That buffer was then increased to 3 percentage points.
For more on this story, read the full report by the Guardian’s senior business reporter Jonathan Barrett.
Hope builds for hold on interest rate rises
Mortgage holders will be crossing their fingers for a pause in interest rate hikes as the RBA board members meet for the April cash rate decision.
Ten increases in a row have added hundreds of dollars to the cost of servicing a home loan and there are now early signs households are reining in their spending in response.
While painful, the slowdown in consumer spending will be viewed by the central bank as evidence its strategy is working to counteract high inflation and give its board confidence to end the tightening cycle sometime soon.
Cooler-than-expected monthly inflation data – coming in at 6.8% in the 12 months to February – and moderating retail spending has fuelled the case for a pause.
On the other hand, the jobs report revealed persistent strength in the labour market and surveys pointed to resilience in the business sphere.
In the event the RBA pulls the trigger on another 25 basis point hike, RateCity analysis shows the average borrower with a $500,000 loan could soon be paying a total of $1,059 more a month on their mortgage compared to May last year.
Either way, the RBA governor Philip Lowe will still have to front the media on Wednesday.
Due to speak at the National Press Club in Sydney, Lowe will probably field questions on his aggressive interest rate-hiking cycle as well as the future of the RBA as an independent review wrapped up last week.
On Thursday, the RBA will release its financial stability review, which will shed some light on the health of the Australian banking system amid concerns of financial instability overseas.
- AAP
Updated
A historian whose research confirmed a celebrated Wollongong resident worked for the Nazi intelligence apparatus and may have been involved in war crimes says he is confident in his identification but unsure about the extent of his crimes.
Bronius “Bob” Sredersas donated 141 artworks, including paintings, wood carvings and ceramics to the Wollongong Art Gallery before his death 1982.
In April last year research by Sydney Jewish Museum’s resident historian Emeritus Professor Konrad Kwiet validated previous work by councillor Michael Samaras which identified Sredersas as a Nazi collaborator in Lithuania.
Kwiet worked as the chief historian with a special investigations unit set up under the Hawke government to prosecute suspected war criminals in Australia.
During a speech at the Wollongong Art Gallery on Saturday, Kwiet said the passage of time, fragmented documents spread between archives across Europe and an attempt to cover up the truth will make connecting Sredersas to a war crime difficult.
The Australian legislation prescribes a criminal proceeding of murder.
So someone must have murdered and for that you need a living witness to testify he or she committed murder.
We don’t have that in his case.
Kwiet said he was confident in his identification of Sredersas but on the available evidence, were he alive today, would likely face prosecution as an accessory to murder.
NSW Jewish Board of Deputies chief executive Darren Bark said on Sunday that Kwiet’s latest findings “come at a time of rising right-wing extremism and neo-Nazi presence across our country”.
In recent weeks we have seen shocking neo-Nazi displays on the steps of Victoria’s parliament, as well as reports of students continuing to perform the Hitler salute in Sydney schools.
The Bob Sredersas story is a unique opportunity to inform the Wollongong and border community about the horrors of the Holocaust and where racism, hate speech and discrimination can ultimately lead.
Sredersas’ background was first uncovered by Wollongong councillor Michael Samaras, but his concerns were initially ignored. Paul Daley, writing in Guardian Australia, brought attention to the claims.
For more on this story, read the Guardian’s previous reporting.
Updated
'Recovery of the Liberal party starts here': John Pesutto
Pesutto says it is necessary for the party to become a “broad, welcoming and inclusive voice” and that he is aware the party has not won an election in Victoria since 1996.
If we are to restore our standing with the Victorian people and indeed to the Australian people we have to take action.
Pesutto says he has spoken to his federal colleagues about what needs to change.
We’re in this collectively and the recovery of the Liberal party, not just here but federally and in the other states, starts here.
Updated
Pesutto says he knows the path to rebuilding will be hard but he is “determined to get us there”.
Pesutto says he does not know what is being said by his colleagues, but reform of the party is necessary.
What I will say is that every bit of information that came to me about Aston was that it was a federal byelection, on local issues.
Updated
Victorian Liberal opposition leader John Pesutto is speaking live in Melbourne now and says that he is “well aware” that the party must reform in order to secure its future.
I’m reaching out to diverse communities across Victoria, I’m travelling to various parts of the state that haven’t seen a Liberal MP in years and I’m saying we’re here for you.
For me, I’m past talking about it. I’m here for you.
Pesutto says the Liberal candidate in Aston was a “good candidate” and he hopes to see her in government “some day”.
Updated
'I would like to be able to access impartial advice': Steggall backs voice
One independent MP pushing for an Indigenous voice to parliament says a body giving impartial advice is needed to help close the gap.
Warringah MP Zali Steggall told Sky News on Sunday that the consultative body was about righting past wrongs.
As a member of parliament, I need to form a view in relation to many pieces of legislation that I know will impact Indigenous communities.
I would like to be able to access impartial advice from such a body.
Steggall said public money in the past had gone to too many programs that failed because they had been torn apart by politicking.
We know from Closing the Gap reports time and time again, that we are failing.
It would be absolutely negligent for us to continue down the same path, we simply must do better.
We can’t undo the wrongs of the past but we very much can decide what nation we are in the future.
The independent also criticised opposition leader Peter Dutton for trying to sow doubt by maintaining there wasn’t enough detail on the proposed constitutional change.
Steggall said there was “absolutely” enough detail out there.
I really reject the scaremongering that’s been happening from Peter Dutton about this.
It does come down to the conscience of every Australian of whether they feel the status quo is working. I would argue that every Close the Gap report says it is not.
- AAP
Updated
Victorian government will ‘try and support’ those affected by collapse of Porter Davis
Premier Daniel Andrews spoke to the media earlier and was asked about the collapse of Australia’s largest home builder, Porter Davis. Having just arrived back from China he says he’s yet to be briefed on the situation but acknowledged it would be a tough time for families who have been left in the lurch:
What we have to do is be very careful not to be providing false hope to people. I expect that I’ll be getting some briefings about this tomorrow morning when I’m back in the office and the number that I’ve been given is about 1,400 [families are affected] … The most important message to send today is that we know and acknowledge that this is a really tough time for those people who’ve got a house that hasn’t been finished, or indeed some that haven’t even started yet. We’ll work with them to try and support them in any way that we can.
Andrews also said he was confident affected workers will be able to find work because of the strong jobs market:
The good news, I suppose out of a really difficult set of circumstances, is that it’s a pretty strong job market and those skills I think will be snapped up really, really fast because those people are highly skilled, highly committed and we know that there are significant skill shortages in a number of those trade areas … if there’s any practical support we can provide through Jobs Victoria, then of course we stand ready to do that. On the broader issue of insurance, there might be a role for the VMIA [Victorian Managed Insurance Authority] in providing advice. We’re not the financier of last resort. I don’t think Victorian taxpayers would necessarily want us to be but if there are things we can do, then, of course we stand ready to do that.
Updated
Study subsidy for nurses, rural doctors to stay in NSW
Young doctors in the NSW regions will be among thousands of healthcare students eligible for a $12,000 scholarship if they commit to working in the state’s public health system for five years.
With 2,000 scholarships a year, the government initiative is aimed at slowing the number of young graduates dropping out of the NSW healthcare workforce.
The program will support up to 850 nurses; 400 doctors, with a focus on regional and rural interns; 150 midwives and a host of other workers including paramedics and physiotherapists, the NSW government announced on Sunday.
Those who have already begun their studies will also be recognised under a transitionary arrangement. Some 2,000 students will be eligible for a one-off payment of $8,000 upon their graduation.
Premier Chris Minns said in a statement that he had “spoke to paramedics and nurses”.
I’ve spoken to paramedics and nurses about what it is really like in our emergency wards – every day, every night and on every shift – they’re not just tired, they’re exhausted and they’re leaving. I’m determined to turn that around.
The scholarships begin in 2024.
– AAP
Updated
Labor’s $10bn housing fund revived
Labor’s flagship multibillion dollar housing fund could be revived later this year after a federal government minister vowed to push on with negotiations.
Legislation to set up the fund was rejected by the Senate crossbench, forcing the government to back away from its plan to get it passed during last week’s parliamentary session.
Industry minister Ed Husic is adamant the government has not given up and is still focused on tackling housing affordability.
Making homes available to low-income earners, being able to help others secure accommodation … the housing affordability future fund is a big part of that.
We will work with other parliamentarians, with the Greens and the crossbench, if they are willing to do so.
Husic declined to make predictions about the future of the fund.
I’d actually wait until we get close to putting it (before the Senate) before seeing what the actual result is.
The $10bn Housing Australia Future Fund would finance the construction of 30,000 social and affordable rental homes over five years.
The Greens withheld their vote, arguing it didn’t go far enough to alleviate soaring rents and the party is pushing for a national rent freeze.
Anthony Albanese said last week a national rent freeze was impossible, branding the idea as “pixie dust”.
Independent ACT senator David Pocock is also holding out for a larger commitment from Labor.
Jacqui Lambie Network senator Tammy Tyrrell said the sticking point for her vote was the lack of a commitment from Labor that 1,200 of the new homes would be built in Tasmania.
The government needed the support of the Greens plus two crossbenchers for the housing fund legislation to pass.
The opposition says the fund will be inflationary and put pressure on the budget when restraint is needed.
Parliament will next sit in May for the federal budget.
– AAP
Updated
With the NSW Labor government looking to be elected on a minority, they will need to negotiate with the 12 members of the crossbench.
Here are the key policies of NSW Labor, Greens and independents on climate:
NSW Labor:
Jihad Dib expected to be named NSW minister for energy and climate change and says the No 1 priority is to “keep the lights on”.
Clean energy target of 50% renewable energy by 2030 and close as possible to 100% by 2050.
Pass new laws for carbon emissions reduction targets of 50% by 2030, net zero by 2050.
Set up Net Zero Commission to monitor and review energy prices, progress and impact on jobs and industry.
Create state-owned NSW Energy Security Corporation, a $1bn body to attract private investors to bankroll renewables projects.
Continue the Coalition’s $1.2bn transmission acceleration fund.
New $25m hydrogen vocational training centre in Glenwood to reskill workers and train new apprentices.
NSW Greens:
NSW Energy Transition Authority with at least $500m annually to support communities and workers.
Establish PowerNSW, a publicly-owned nonprofit electricity company to reduce power bills.
Invest in publicly-owned renewable energy generation projects.
Tackle energy poverty with a rollout of household efficiency upgrades.
Get 1m homes off gas over six years and ban gas connections on new builds from 1 July 2024.
Increase coal royalties to share industry profits.
Phase out existing coal and gas projects, along with coal-fired power stations, by 2030 to avoid worst climate outcomes.
Ban new coal and gas projects, including Santos Narrabri gas project.
Independents:
Stop coal seam gas development on Liverpool Plains, including Narrabri.
Require climate impact statement for every new coal and gas project or expansion.
All projects must have climate impacts considered before approval.
Give communities the right to test merits of projects in land and environment court.
Reduce cost of living by accelerating transition to renewable energy and permanently cheaper power bills.
– AAP
Updated
Continuing vote counting in NSW hands two wins to Liberal party
Ongoing vote counting in the New South Wales election has handed two wins to the Liberal party on Saturday dashing Labor’s hopes of reaching a 47-seat majority.
Projections show the Liberal party will retain the Central Coast electorate of Terrigal and the south-west Sydney seat of Holsworthy, while Liberal Jordan Lane has eked out a 0.25% margin in the north-west Sydney seat of Ryde.
Should Lane hold on in Ryde, the Coalition will claim 36 seats and Labor 45 – a reversal of what each side held going into the March election.
Meanwhile in the federal byelection for Aston, a bump in the postal votes for the Liberals hasn’t been enough to close the lead held by Labor.
8,000 postal votes added for #aston by-election this morning but Labor remains well ahead after preferences leading 53.7% to Liberal 46.3% - results at https://t.co/spQI3nIQRB
— Antony Green - elections (@AntonyGreenElec) April 1, 2023
Updated
'Nasty, bigoted outfit': Andrews says Coalition out of touch after Aston loss
Andrews says Aston voters have “worked out” the Liberal party is a “nasty, bigoted outfit” focused on their own “insipid, nasty little version of bigotry”.
The Liberal party are a nasty, bigoted outfit and people have worked them out. That might be why they keep losing. They don’t want people focused on the persecution of trans people. They want people focused on the cost of living.
Andrews says he watched opposition leader Peter Dutton on ABC Insiders this morning discuss the result in Aston and said he believed the Coalition had fundamentally misread the electorate.
I saw Mr Dutton this morning, give an interview and frankly, some of the most extraordinary commentary I’ve heard for a long time. This notion that families in the suburbs are up in arms about trans issues.
Andrews said he believed that voters in Aston “might remember what happened last year where in the state election, the Liberal party cuddled up with racists”.
Don’t pretend that you’ve got anything to offer other than your own insipid, nasty little version of bigotry.
[…]
To sit there on Insiders this morning and say in his judgment, his finely tuned political judgment, families in the suburbs are out about and are fundamentally concerned about transphobia.
No. It tells you everything you need to know.
Updated
Things are getting tense – essentially this all comes down to very different views of accountability and transparency. Andrews is attempting to argue that his decision was pragmatic and based on what he thought the media ought to see – for instance he is suggesting that reporters want to interview Chinese officials, which is a bit of sleight of hand.
For the reporters, on the other hand, the issue is one of principle: this isn’t about interviewing Chinese officials, this is about whether there were witnesses on the trip to answer basic questions. Were their meetings on the sidelines? Who was Andrews actually meeting with? What were people in the delegation saying? Why does a premier get to decide what is newsworthy for the media?
And then there is also some of the usual nonsense when it comes to Daniel Andrews that’s been flying around corners of the internet – suggestions that somehow Andrews may have divided loyalties – which has been turbocharged by geopolitical events.
Naturally, they get muddled up. Andrews is trying to hose down the conspiracy theories, but it’s also a look at how the Victorian premier views the media.
Updated
Andrews is asked about his counterpart, WA premier Mark McGowan who is planning his own trip to China and how he is, notably, bringing media along.
When you travel to China, you don’t get to interview any of the people I would meet with. That’s just how it works. I’m not saying it was a good thing, or not. I’ve done more press conferences then most. Some of them can be very, very lengthy. I try to answer any questions you have for me.
The notion that if you’d been there you’d be able to have a long chat or a long chat with the people I met with, that’s never happened.
Follow-up questions about the decision not to bring media that would be able to report who Andrews met with and how it went.
This is not about me. It’s not about you. It’s about Victoria.
Andrews says it was his call to make to bring media and that he felt it was not appropriate. It was “back to back meetings” and “we weren’t signing deals”.
Updated
More questions now about the message or “edicts” Chinese officials may have sent, via Andrews, about relations with Australia.
Andrews says he can’t answer that – he didn’t meet the foreign minister or anyone who would have authority and he won’t comment on trade matters before the WTO.
But Andrews says that if he is being asked about how he thinks the Chinese view Australia, he says it’s positive.
There is a degree of trust, a degree of respect and we’re in a good place to do business with.
You heard it here first: Daniel Andrews is all business.
Updated
Australia ‘very highly regarded by Chinese consumer’, Andrews says
Andrews is now being asked about what, exactly, he was doing talking with the Chinese government – and he points out that defence and national security is a federal issue.
He says his government had a “deep engagement” with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade before he left.
Andrews is asked about what the Chinese view of Australia is right now.
Our conversations were very much about the Victoria-China relationship and didn’t really stray beyond that.
Australia is very highly regarded by Chinese consumer. When it comes to Victoria, Victoria is very highly valued by parents and families when they send their children to study overseas.
I think our brand is very, very strong but you should never rest on your laurels, particularly in a very competitive world.
Andrews says that unlike other states that “dig iron ore out of the ground” – a reference to WA whose premier who is embarking on his own trade mission shortly – Victoria “has to pedal faster”.
Updated
It turns out: nope.
More questions now about what was discussed: Andrews is spending a bit of time talking about how the message was about ensuring that Chinese officials still keep the state of Victoria in their mind.
They want to see this relationship deepen and they want to see this relationship and partnership grow. That’s the message we want to send.
Andrews is asked about why there were no publications about the meetings on social media as they were being undertaken that would normally be used.
They were back to back meetings.
This was about sending a message that after a terribly disruptive event, a tragic event, we still value them.
Andrews going to questions now – and the first is about why he travelled to China without media.
No I’ve travelled to China before without media.
He says he had also previously travelled to India without media and suggested that it may not have been possible for journalists travelling with the delegation to obtain visas.
Obviously there’ll be other travel that we do and we’ll make our announcements accordingly.
That’s, that. Right?
Updated
Andrews is providing details of the trip and the various arrangements that were struck and says the trade mission was important as China opens up after strict restrictions were put in place with the pandemic.
It’s sending that reminder that not only do we have a strong relationship and a strong partnership, but it’s growing.
So a very, very successful trip.
That’s an extra “very” that’s been added since we started.
Daniel Andrews speaks to media after China trip
The Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, has begun what will no doubt prove to be a sensible and dull press conference about his recent trip to China by declaring the visit “very successful”.
Andrews says members of the state’s university sector met with Chinese officials to find ways to work together.
He says arrangements were made for students to not only travel to Australia to study but for Victorian students to spend time in China.
Those linkages are important for all the relationships we have and China is one of those.
Andrews said China was “not the only” relationship, but it is a significant one for the state.
Updated
Latham to be frozen out in new NSW parliament
NSW’s Labor government will not work with One Nation leader Mark Latham at all and will begin a process that could again ban independent MP Gareth Ward from parliament.
With vote counting all but ensuring Premier Chris Minns will rule in minority, attention has turned to how the new NSW parliament will manage the re-elected pair.
Minns told Sky News on Sunday said he would not support any claim by Latham to chair an upper house committee and would not work with One Nation, which holds another two seats in that chamber.
It comes after Mr Latham refused to apologise for posting a homophobic and graphic tweet about independent MP Alex Greenwich that drew widespread condemnation, including from conservative commentators and One Nation matriarch Pauline Hanson.
We’re not going to work with him.
I’m not sure who’s going to lead the Liberal Party in the next few months, but I’ll call on their organisation to make a similar commitment.
Latham was trying to import a “US-style Trump-style approach” into NSW politics but was having much less success, Minns said.
The party slightly grew its vote in lower house contests but went backwards from its 2019 result in the upper house, its main avenue to influence.
The parliament was unable to discipline Latham as he had used a loophole allowing him to resign before the state election and run again for election, Labor’s upper house leader Penny Sharpe said on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Minns confirmed Labor would try to send the re-elected Gareth Ward to a parliamentary privileges committee, which considers matters of ethical standards.
Ward, a former Liberal minister, was re-elected as the independent MP for Kiama while fighting five sexual assault charges.
The committee would need to consider whether the parliament was brought into disrepute and the impact of voters choosing to again elect him, Minns said.
We believe that’s the due process and appropriate response, given what is a pretty unprecedented set of circumstances in NSW.
Ward could appeal any suspension to the Supreme Court, the premier said.
Ward was suspended from the last parliament after a motion was passed days after he was charged in March 2022.
He has since formally pleaded not guilty to all charges and is due to stand trial in the NSW District Court.
Ward has consistently maintained his innocence and said in a statement released last week he looks forward to getting back to work.
- AAP
WA premier to head to China on trade trip to reconnect after pandemic
Western Australian premier Mark McGowan will lead a five-day trade mission to China to reconnect with the state’s largest trading partner, and unlike his Victorian counterpart he’s taking the media.
McGowan said on Sunday that the 17 April trip will be the first trade mission since the start of the pandemic and will include high-level meetings with key central government and industry leaders in energy, resources, science and innovation, international education and aviation.
WA’s economic relationship with China is crucial to the strength of our local economy, supporting thousands and thousands of local WA jobs.
Developed over several decades, our economic relationship with China is a mutually fruitful one.
This mission is a great opportunity to reconnect with Chinese leaders – from government to industry – and progress new trade and investment opportunities in a range of sectors.
Led by iron ore and other resources, WA accounted for more than half of Australia’s total trade in goods with China in 2021/22, worth $143.6bn.
A key feature of the WA mission will be the premier’s fifth annual WA-China Strategic Dialogue on 19 April, when up to 30 key business leaders from across Australia and China will gather in Beijing to discuss investment and trade opportunities.
Industries represented at the dialogue will include mining and resources, renewable energy, advanced manufacturing, financial services and banking as well as primary industries, the government said.
- AAP
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A few more snaps from the prime minister’s photo op in Aston this morning – Albanese is now reportedly on his way to Perth.
Fantastic to welcome Mary Doyle into the team. She will be a strong local representative for Aston. Today the work starts on delivering a better future for her community. pic.twitter.com/6O0OtyQurX
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) April 1, 2023
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Malcolm Turnbull weighs in on Liberals’ Aston byelection loss
Looks like former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull caught Peter Dutton’s interview on ABC Insiders this morning and has a few notes for the opposition leader.
jeez Peter - just tell the truth. Victoria is a small l liberal state and the Liberal Party egged on by the Murdoch media has moved further and further to the right. The last time the Liberal Party went ahead in Victoria was 2016 when Julia Banks won Chisholm #InsidersABC
— Malcolm Turnbull (@TurnbullMalcolm) April 1, 2023
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Coalition searches for answers after election loss
I’m hearing from a lot of Victorian Liberal MPs who are reeling following the party’s loss in Aston.
Federal Liberal leader Peter Dutton has put some of the blame on the Victorian division, which for years has been embroiled in factional infighting between socially progressive and more conservative members.
One state MP from the moderate camp said the loss proved the Liberal party needed to shift to the centre in an effort to grow its base.
Everyone is obsessed with keeping the base happy but the base is not reflective of the wider community. And let’s be frank, our definition of the centre is probably not reflective of the wider community either.
Victoria, whether we like it or not, is a progressive state so we need to consider that and reflect that in our policy offering. I don’t see how we will be able to pull that off though with some of the MPs and branch members we have in our party.
Another moderate MP said the party needed to get rid of “barnacles” in the state parliamentary party.
We did a bit of that at the election and brought in some great MPs but there’s more that need to go.
Others blamed Victorian Liberal leader John Pesutto’s failed push to expel MP Moira Deeming from the state parliamentary team after she attended an anti-trans rally that organisers say was gatecrashed by neo-Nazis. The saga dragged on for nine days and was raised by Dutton in the federal party room earlier this week as a distraction from the Aston campaign.
We were talking about ourselves and no one likes [that]. If I were Dutton I’d be ropeable that was what was on the front pages of the papers for two weeks leading up to the byelection.
However, one MP said the Aston result “vindicated” the move by Pesutto to expel Deeming.
Sooner or later she has to go. People with very fringe, extreme views are turning people off from our party.
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A final note on the proposed referendum before Dutton wraps:
We are happy for Australians to have a say, we have been very clear about that. We don’t hold the majority in the upper house or lower house. We will work with the government, despite all the rhetoric coming out of the prime minister, there are many bills we’ve supported the government, we will continue to do that, but when you are talking about constitutional change, you need to ensure that it does deliver to the community, particularly the Indigenous Australians, as the prime minister has said.
And that’s a wrap – what a doozy.
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There’s another tense exchange about the detail on the voice – I’m going to provide it here in full.
Speers: Would you back it if...
Dutton: In fact, the government has gone against the solicitor general’s advise on this issue.
Speers: No, they say the solicitor general supports where they’ve landed.
Dutton: The solicitor general and attorney general went into the committee with advice to take out “executive government”.
Speers: They deny that, Mr Dutton. I need to be straight with our viewers. They’ve denied that.
Dutton: That’s what happened,
Speers: How do you know?
Dutton: Well, I have a better understanding, I suspect David. than...
Speers: Were you in the room?
Dutton: No, but I have a very clear understanding. I think some of your panel and others have written on this, with multiple sources out of the room and it has been the advice to the government consistently.
Speers: Regardless if they took that words out, you still may not back it, right?
Dutton: Well, we will have a look at the wording, but the government has been clear they won’t take it out. It is a deal-breaker with them and the prime minister has sided with the committee over the solicitor general.
Speers: When will you make a decision?
Dutton: Well in due course. Our party room will meet to have a discussion...
Speers: You won’t stop the referendum going ahead, would you?
Dutton: Well, David, we will meet as a party room and look at the options on the table.
Again, this is the opposition leader “fronting up”.
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Dutton continues to express doubt about the Indigenous voice
Dutton will not confirm whether the Coalition will repeal the changes to the safeguard mechanism if re-elected – only that “in good time” his party will “go through the process to cost it properly”.
On the voice, Dutton again raises his concerns about the scope of the voice – before pointing to Alice Springs and saying “the women up there are screaming out for support. They have a voice now and it is not being listened to.”
Do I think that the voice is the panacea or it is going to create change for those people? Well, the prime minister needs to explain that.
Dutton is asked whether it is alarmist to say the voice will be “gumming up the works for the Reserve Bank or the defence force”.
David, this is the biggest change proposed to the Australian constitution since federation and the prime minister can’t answer basic questions as to how it will apply, ho you it will work. You can’t out legislate constitutional change. You need to ensure that it will be for the best, not a layer of bureaucracy, that the voice will reflect the views of people on the ground so we can get the outcomes we are talking about.
For the record, the RBA is an independent entity and the prime minister has repeatedly said the voice is not going to be advising on defence or national security issues.
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Speers and Dutton have heated exchange about the cement industry
Speers then pulls up Dutton on why he would say the cement industry is leaving – which leads to another exchange – I’ve reproduced it here as best I can.
Speers: Why do you say that?
Dutton: Because we’ve spoken very clearly with the industry.
Speers: And they are leaving, are they? They’ve told you they are going to go?
Dutton: They have grave concerns about their sector. There are issues around steel.
Speers: The chief executive of Manufacturing Australia, the way the safeguard mechanism have been designed, they won’t have to pass on increases for steel, aluminium, bricks – are they telling you something different?
Dutton: If you have a company that has costs imposed on them, they will take a cut to the bottom line and pass cut the profit or pass it on to their consumers. There are a lot of consumers out there who are trying to build a house or renovate, realise that the costs are through the roof.
Speers: That is not what they’re saying publicly.
Dutton: Well, where we’ve spoken to people, it causes grave ...
Speers: They are telling you something different, are they?
Dutton: I think there are a lot of people in this country saying different things publicly than they are in private. Well,
Speers: Why?
Dutton: Social media...
Speers: So they are lying to the public.
This, by the way, is the opposition leader “fronting up”.
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Dutton says Coalition has been the ‘worst salespeople in terms of what we’ve done for the environment’
Speers and Dutton then have an exchange about whether the Coalition under his leadership is willing to change at all. Dutton says the party has to go back to its “fundamentals” but otherwise the answer appears to be no.
If we have policies to take to the election, David, we will do it in good time. We are not rushing out with policies at the 10-month mark that people will have no recollection [at the] three-year mark. It is about timing in this business and now is not the time to be putting out costed policies and changes to taxation policy or social policy or otherwise.
Speers then canvases various issues that are currently alive within Australian politics: climate change, the voice, the modest tax to super.
On climate change, Dutton says the Coalition have been the “worst salespeople in terms of what we’ve done for the environment” (a note there, that the opposition leader was asked about climate change, not the environment). He is then asked by Speers whether he accepts what the IPCC says:
I’m happy to accept it but we need to be realist why about what we can do as a country and driving businesses offshore will only increase emissions into the global environment and it will lose Australian jobs and lose productivity. The cement industry is one such industry that is at risk of leaving our shores.
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‘The Liberal party has allowed itself to be defined by our opponents’: Dutton
Speers asks Dutton what the Coalition stands for in 2023 which leads to an interesting exchange:
Dutton
Well, we stand for aspiration. We stand for entrepreneurialism, so small businesses, we stand for national security obviously, and we always stand for cleaning up a Labor mess when we get back into government so that people can make their own choices.
Speers:
So much the same thing as the Scott Morrison-led Liberal party.
Dutton:
Well this goes back to the tradition of Menzies. I grew up in the Liberal party under John Howard, assistant treasurer to Peter Costello. We make decisions that, for example, people can keep more of their own money, so they can support their own family and there is a lot that we can put together by way of policy before the next election, but we are not announcing that at the 10-month mark.
Speers:
But is there a need for philosophical renewal, given where you are at?
Dutton:
Again, some of the attributes of the Liberal party frankly are timeless and worth us re-prosecuting. I think in recent years the Liberal party has allowed itself to be defined by our opponents and I think it’s time for us to take that back.
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Dutton grilled on transgender rights stance
Dutton says he won’t tolerate discrimination on the basis of “their gender, sex, colour, anything” when asked where he stands on trans-rights issues.
I think I’ve demonstrated over my period of time in public life, I think people should have respect and the debate runs two ways. There are very strong views within many parts of Australian society, maybe not right here in inner city areas of our country, but in the outer metropolitan areas this is an issue in terms of women’s rights and the gender issue that has parents and others very worked up.
Dutton is asked whether he might have a problem with his MPs going to an anti-trans rally.
I don’t think MPs should be going to anti-anything rallies, to be honest.
There is one exception though, saying the only rallies his MPs should be going to “are anti-Labor rallies”.
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Dutton acknowledges Coalition has ‘a particular problem in Victoria’
Speers asks whether the loss is because Dutton needs to “appease” the Nats and conservatives in your ranks.
Dutton says “not at all”.
I have a leadership style which I believe they appreciate which is why people very strongly are expressing their support to me and no doubt to you in relation to the mood in the party room at the moment. But we have a particular problem in Victoria. There is no question about that. And we have to learn the lessons and we build.
Speers then shows Dutton a map of metropolitan Melbourne with the various federal electorates. It’s a sea of red. He asks Dutton to explain why his party only now holds two blue seats.
If you go back to 2013 when we had a landslide Victory tri-. Victoria was still held by the Labor party. It has been going backwards for us since 1996, before I got into the parliament. No Liberal Leader before me has been able to rectify the situation in Victoria at a state level.
Speers asks if he can explain why, Dutton says “this is what I need to assess”.
There is an exchange now where Speers presses Dutton to offer some kind of analysis or insight – about why this state of affairs exists, about two or three times. Dutton responds:
That’s what we need to assess.
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Peter Dutton says he is ‘determined to rebuild this party’
Dutton says “of course” he should stay as leader.
I can tell you it makes me more determined to rebuild this party and be in a winning position by 2025. I have been in a marginal seat the last two years, won by 22 votes, won by 9% and low and high-water marks. That is the nature of politics. Ours is now an opportunity to rebuild. We will do that over the course of the next couple of years and we will go into the next election in a position that will see us win it.
Dutton is asked about his comments at the byelection concession speech where he said the “one test of my leadership is whether we can keep the party together”. Dutton says that “parties always tear themselves apart in opposition”.
It is exactly what Mr Albanese was a part of when Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd lost the election, so we haven’t gone through that period of self-destruction.
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Dutton says he 'accepts responsibility' for loss of Aston
Dutton is asked a second time whether he failed his own test for the Liberal party leadership. He says that he “accepts responsibility” as leader of the party for the loss.
I was there last night to do that. I agreed to come on to the show this morning knowing that if you win, lose or draw, you need to front up.
Speers asks Dutton a third time whether he had failed his own test.
Again, by not winning the election, we’ve failed that test, have been set for us by the Victorian people. That’s the reality. Now, the question is how we rebuild from here, the policies that we have, the brand rebuilding that we need to do in Victoria and it is a very significant issue for us.
Note the shift from “I” to “we” in that answer.
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Byelection loss has ‘so many lessons, including for me and my party’: Dutton
Opposition leader Peter Dutton says “there were many messages out of last night.”.
Obviously the difficulties for us in Victoria haven’t been germinated in Aston over the course of the last five weeks. Even back to 2013, with all of my predecessors, Victoria is the one state that we have never held a majority of seats in and there are huge issues at a state level at well. For almost a quarter of a century, this has been a Labor government here in Victoria. So many lessons, including for me and my party.
He was actually asked about his previous comments that said the outcome would a “verdict on his leadership”. It was the first question.
Updated
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has just held a press conference on the ground in Aston where he has stopped for a photo op on Sunday morning.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton is about to appear on ABC Insiders this morning – two guesses what they will be discussing following the PM’s press conference.
Coming up on #Insiders with host David Speers:
— ABC News (@abcnews) April 1, 2023
• 🔎Opposition Leader Peter Dutton
• 📸 Alex Ellinghausen
• 🛋️Raf Epstein, Niki Savva, and Phillip Coorey
On ABC TV at 9am #auspol pic.twitter.com/S7qzGX8rxS
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is also expected to hold a press conference on Sunday to discuss his China trip.
We will bring you all the latest as it happens.
Albanese encourages Coalition to put forward ‘ a constructive idea’
The PM is asked about whether he thinks the next election will come down to him versus Peter Dutton – he says that he is running a government that prioritises consultation.
The other thing that I’m doing is reaching out. If the Liberals or the Nationals have a constructive idea, put it forward. Put forward an amendment. Engage in the political process. You get better outcomes. We have a majority in the House of Representatives. We don’t have to accept amendments in order to get legislation through from crossbench members but we treat them with respect.
A note on the timing of this presser on the ground in Aston – it has been scheduled for just before Insiders on ABC, on which Peter Dutton is supposed to appear.
Coincidence? I think not.
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Mary Doyle and Albanese continue speaking after byelection win
Doyle promises the people of Aston she will “do the best I can for this area” – whether they voted for her or not.
I promise, every single one of you this – whether you voted for me or not, I will always listen. I will always do the best I can for this area. And I will always put locals first.
First question now: was the prime minister genuinely surprised by the result in Aston? What was he feeling in that moment?
Albanese:
History tells us how difficult this is. It’s never happened before in a century. It’s been a lot of byelections in the last century, and on not a single occasion has the government won a seat from the opposition. So the feeling on the ground was always very positive.
The PM says the government “with its positive agenda” is being well-received.
You might say that’s something of a theme.
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The PM says his government will be focused on the future.
We’ll also always have our eye on - how do we create a better Australia in the future by dealing with climate change, dealing with skills shortages.
Albanese now introduces Mary Doyle – who is tearing up as she approaches the microphone – as the member for Aston.
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The PM is taking a swipe at the opposition by outlining what his government has been doing since it was elected:
In May last year, the people of Australia voted for a better future. They voted for change. They voted for action on climate change. They voted for action on cheaper childcare. On cheaper medicines. They voted to get wages moving again. And they voted to deal with housing affordability. An economy that works for people and not the other way around. They also voted for constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Since last May, we have concentrated on getting things done. Delivering on the commitments that we took to the Australian people and working with them. We wanted to, as I said, when I became Labor leader, move beyond conflict. Australians have conflict fatigue. They want things to get done.
The prime minister says he watched Peter Dutton’s speech following the result at the byelection on Saturday night and says he “thought it was a moment for honesty” when the opposition leader “said out loud that” that “his priority was just keeping the Liberal Party together”.
The Coalition are in a position of extreme weakness, Albanese knows that and he is doing everything he can to keep the pressure on.
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Anthony Albanese speaks after Aston byelection victory
Anthony Albanese is in Aston this morning following the historic byelection victory and is speaking to the press.
The prime minister says he is certain that Mary Doyle will “make a difference each and every day” for the people of Aston after her win.
The PM praised Doyle for her “compassion, dignity and just common decency”.
I very much look forward to welcoming Mary on budget day when she is sworn in. We should recognise the historic achievement that Mary has done being the first candidate from a government party to win a seat off the opposition in over one hundred years. And that is a great credit to her and to her campaign team.
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Wipeout beckons for Liberals after Aston byelection and the problem is not just Peter Dutton: Paul Karp
Before the Liberal MP Alan Tudge’s resignation setting up the byelection contest in Aston, the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, described the party’s vote in Victoria as at a “low-water mark”.
Now we know there is further to fall, and the Liberals’ brand under Dutton is underwater.
There is one caveat on the result: the fact that Tudge’s slim 2.8% margin was largely built on postals and pre-poll votes, which suggests the Liberal candidate, Roshena Campbell, could yet peel back some of Mary Doyle’s margin.
But Labor has won a good swing to it in a Liberal heartland seat, despite the fact that no government in more than 100 years has won a seat off the opposition at a byelection.
Despite higher inflation and 10 consecutive rate rises, the mortgage-belt seat in eastern Melbourne has not punished the Albanese government. It has taken up Labor’s invitation to send a message to the Liberal party that it can do better than Dutton.
For more on this story, read the full analysis by Guardian Australia’s chief political correspondent Paul Karp Political correspondent.
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Good morning
And welcome to another Sunday Guardian live blog.
Labor’s win in the byelection for the federal seat of Aston has marked a historic moment for the government – and a disaster for the federal Coalition with the loss of a Melbourne seat it previously held on a 2.8% margin. Mary Doyle’s success marks the first time in a century that a government has won a seat held by an opposition outside of a national election. And the campaign has been considered a test of Peter Dutton’s leadership.
Counting continues in the New South Wales state election, with Labor so far failing to take the seat of Ryde. Liberal candidate Jordan Lane leads the count with 232 votes, but even if Labor were to take the seat it would still be unable to reach the 47 seats needed to form government. The results have taken the sheen off the party’s election-night landslide. Labor currently holds 45 seats to the Coalition’s 35, meaning the party would need to negotiate with the 12 members of the crossbench to retain government and pass legislation.
I’m Royce Kurmelovs, taking the blog through the day. With so much going on out there, it’s easy to miss stuff, so if you spot something happening in Australia and think it should be on the blog, you can find me on Twitter at @RoyceRk2 where my DMs are open.
With that, let’s get started ...
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