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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Cait Kelly and Emily Wind (earlier)

Seven boss departs – as it happened

Daniel Andrews Australia Russia Sydney Ben Carroll Stephen Mullighan Susan Close Tim Pallas Labor
Seven Network logo
Seven West chairman Kerry Stokes thanked James Warburton for his contribution to the business in an announcement to the ASX. Photograph: AAP

And with that, we are going to put the blog to bed. Before we go, let’s recap the big headlines:

Thank you for spending part of your day with us - we will be back tomorrow to do it all again.

Until then - Cait

Updated

Senate inquiry recommends more action against invasive fire ants

Australia must consider more funding for the eradication of fire ants and boost efforts into research on how to exterminate the pests, a Senate inquiry has recommended.

There should be more effort in communication and awareness programs in problem hotspots, as well as a national awareness campaign, states the report from the Senate’s rural and regional affairs committee.

In its report out this afternoon, the committee – chaired by Nationals senator Matt Canavan – calls on the government to “establish and fund a Cooperative Research Centre encompassing independent researchers and academics, private business, industry representatives and governments to bring together the necessary diverse expertise for understanding red imported fire ants in Australia.”

Imported red fire ants are a major problem in parts of Queensland, with concerns the pests could spread more widely into other parts of the country.

The committee urged the federal government and all states and territories to “commit to further investment in research, development, and innovation to improve understanding of red imported fire ants in the Australian context and improve efficiencies through implementation of new technologies and techniques”.

Updated

Meanwhile, on the other side of the fence, the Greens questioned why the policy’s impact on housing prices hadn’t been modelled by Treasury.

The minor party’s housing spokesperson, Max Chandler-Mather, said the scheme would result in a “terrible housing lottery” where only a few can get into the private housing market with the federal government’s help.

Chandler-Mather said:

“A scheme that will push up house prices in the middle of a housing affordability crisis, even if these effects are marginal, is a step in the wrong direction.”

To pass the laws, Labor will need the support of the Coalition or the Greens plus two other crossbenchers.

The Greens have previously warned they will not cooperate with Labor unless it budges on weakening negative gearing and capital gains tax discounts.

2/2

The Senate report on the Help to Buy scheme came with two dissenting reports from the opposition and the Greens.

In the opposition’s remarks, Liberal senators Andrew Bragg and Dean Smith boldly declared Labor had “given up on home ownership” in its “utterly underwhelming” and “entirely warped” approach to increasing home ownership.

The senators pointed to evidence from inquiry witnesses, such as the Grattan Institute and the Housing Industry Association, who said around 240,000 homes would have to be built to meet the supply challenge, and bring down soaring costs.

“This scheme is tiny compared with the 240,000 new houses required every year if the government is to fulfil its 1.2 million homes target by 2029 ... The scheme is largely trivial, and as it applies also to existing homes, it is not a supply-side policy.”

They also took issue with the idea of the federal government owning a stake in houses purchased.

“This legislation is all about helping the government buy your home, not you, which is an entirely warped approach.”

1/2

Zoe Daniel says social media ‘more of a vehicle to distress … than to inform’

The member for Goldstein said the issues on social media around the Sydney stabbings “demonstrate that current efforts to contain misinformation and disinformation are not up to the job” – but has also questioned whether the government’s planned misinformation bill will do enough.

“Social media has become more of a vehicle to distress, outrage and defame than to inform,” she said.

“The question is whether the legislation being considered by the government will cure the disease.”

In a statement to Guardian Australia, Daniel suggested whether Australia should “consider introducing an overarching and enforceable duty of dare, just as is commonplace for work health and safety law,” and whether the responsibility for harmful content should be placed on digital platforms and the algorithms they operate.

“These systems amplify and prioritise content based on how many clicks it gets, not what is in the best interests of individual wellbeing and well-informed political discourse,” she said.

Updated

ACT senator, David Pocock, said he was broadly supportive of the bills but wanted to see some tweaks.

Those changes would include increasing the cap of 10,000 eligible households per year to a floor of 30,000 households. Pocock also recommended a third of the scheme’s houses be quarantined for historically disadvantaged cohorts, such as older women and First Nations peoples.

Pocock said: “Commonwealth resources should always be put to the best possible use and I’ve put forward a series of sensible recommendations based on expert evidence to better do that.”

But that’s where the political goodwill ends because both the opposition and the Greens are firmly against it for very different reasons.

2/2

A Senate committee report into one of Labor’s main housing policies has been released and it’s got all the hallmarks of another political fight on housing.

Labor’s help-to-buy scheme, which it hopes will be up and running this year, would help 10,000 prospective buyers a year over four years by the government taking equity of 30% (for an existing build) or 40% (of a new build) in their homes, meaning smaller deposits and loans for the owner’s share.

Unsurprisingly, the majority report’s recommendations - chaired by Labor senator Jess Walsh - are supportive of the policy and recommend it be passed.

The Labor-led recommendations say the policy is a “practical step” toward to increasing access to homeownership:

“The committee welcomes the Help to Buy scheme as one of the government’s policies to get Australians into a home of their own. It does this by directly addressing the access and affordability hurdles of home ownership; reducing the upfront costs of purchasing a home via a lower deposit amount and reducing ongoing mortgage repayments for the life of the loan.”

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Seven chief executive leaves TV network

James Warburton, the chief executive and managing director of Seven West Media, will leave the company today, amid a tumultuous period for the broadcaster.

The prominent media executive was due to step down before the end of the financial year. It is unclear if the planned CEO transition was fast tracked.

Seven West, which operates the Seven Network and West Australian Newspapers, has been entangled in a number of recent controversies, which include allegations made during a defamation trial that the network reimbursed Bruce Lehrmann for money spent on cocaine and sex workers.

Seven West has denied the allegations.

Separately, a Sydney man who was wrongly named on air by Seven News as the Bondi Junction killer has hired a lawyer and is seeking damages from the network.

Seven West chairman Kerry Stokes thanked Warburton for his contribution to the business in an announcement to the stock exchange.

The company’s chief financial officer, Jeff Howard, will take over the chief executive role tomorrow.

Updated

Guardian Australia understand some parliamentary cross-benchers may have concerns about the government using the context of the Sydney stabbings to make the case for its bill – which, we hear, will be the same bill put out for exposure draft last year.

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young, the party’s communications spokesperson, said she would “wait to see the detail of the final bill” before coming to a position, but said “the corporate tech giants need to be held accountable for their business model which thrives on mis- and- disinformation.”

“Many of these digital platforms are now the only way people consume their news, and they need to be regulated and held to account for their behaviour … a “Fit and Proper Person Test” should be enforced for large media proprietors and social media giants,” she said.

Spender, the Member for Wentworth whose electorate takes in Bondi Junction, said she was seeking discussions with the government and online regulator the eSafety commission about what more could be done.

“I was already concerned about the impact of social media on social cohesion and the mental health of young people, and the events of the last week have heightened these concerns. We have seen the spread of traumatising violent imagery and misinformation that has deliberately stoked social unrest,” she said.

2/2

Updated

Government will seek to reanimate stalled bill on online misinformation

The move comes after the Sydney stabbing incidents, but it may still face pushback from those who opposed it the first time around.

“We need to recognise that our current controls are not protecting our kids or our social cohesion. I will work with the government on how to address this, while retaining the space for public debate,” said Allegra Spender, the local member representing Bondi Junction.

Communications minister, Michelle Rowland, told the Nine newspapers today “doing nothing is not an option for any responsible government”, adding “the events of the last few days highlight the importance of digital platforms having systems and processes in place to address seriously harmful misinformation and disinformation on their services.”

This was the bill that the government put up last year, but pulled in the face of concerns from political opposition and the Human Rights Commissioner, Lorraine Finlay, about its potential effect on freedom of expression.

1/2

Updated

Major report released on alcohol-related incidents in hospital emergency departments

The Australian College of Emergency Medicine’s latest report, ‘Alcohol-Related Harm in Australasian Emergency Departments‘ has just been published, and includes a survey of emergency specialists, trainees, nurses, doctors and other staff across Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia.

Key findings of the report include;

  • 43.5% of emergency department staff frequently or often experienced alcohol-related physical threats, intimidation, harassment, or violence, and 70.5% alcohol-related verbal or written abuse, threats, intimidation or harassment from patients.

  • 94.6% of staff reported that alcohol-affected patients had negative impacts on other patients in the waiting room and 86% said that alcohol-affected people cause other patients to wait longer for treatment.

  • 68.2% of staff believed that incidents of alcohol-related violence in emergency departments had worsened over the last five years.

Australian College of Emergency Medicine president Dr Stephen Gourley said he did not know any emergency clinicians without a story about alcohol-related aggression in the emergency department.

“Most staff surveyed said that alcohol-related presentations negatively impacted their personal mood, increased their workload, and caused them to experience frustration, sadness, and exhaustion. In a time of workforce crisis and shortages, this is an issue that cannot be ignored.”

Updated

As the dust settles on a plan to increase overall military spending, the Albanese government has also sent some significant signals on how it sees the future of the Indo-Pacific region, writes our foreign affairs and defence correspondent Daniel Hurst.

But that’s not exactly how Australia’s top security ally, the US, might see things. Read his analysis here:

Updated

Five staff terminated at University of Melbourne after findings of sexual misconduct in 2023

Five people have left the University of Melbourne following findings of sexual misconduct in 2023, its latest annual report has shown.

The university is one of the few in Australia that releases annual reports to promote transparency regarding its response to sexual misconduct.

The report revealed there had been six sexual misconduct complaints made about staff in 2023, compared with 11 in 202. All were in relation to sexual harassment, not assault, with four remaining in progress.

Of the five people that left the university, all had their employment terminated. Two were related to misconduct investigated and substantiated in 2023 and three complaints were received in 2022 and substantiated the following year.

The report also revealed eight students were found to have engaged in sexual misconduct in 2023, leading to the expulsion of one student and suspension of three with conditions placed on re-enrolment.

Combined penalties were applied to the remaining four students, including exclusion from specified locations, mandatory regular meetings, counselling and contact bans

In total, there were 25 complaints of alleged sexual misconduct against students in 2023, a 25% increase in 2022 (20).

Updated

Environment minister welcomes developer withdrawal

Tanya Plibersek, has welcomed Walker Corporation’s decision to formally withdraw its Toondah Harbour development proposal at the Ramsar-listed wetland at Moreton Bay in Queensland.

The company said it was withdrawing its application to give it time “to appropriately consider the federal government’s proposed decision” to reject the development.

Plibersek released a video statement welcoming the news:

This is great news for the animals that call his place home, particularly those migratory birds that fly up to 12,000 kilometers every year to roost to feed and fatten up in this really important wetland.

Updated

Developer walks away from Toondah Harbour plan

Walker Corporation has withdrawn its application for an apartment and retail development on an internationally important wetland at Queensland’s Moreton Bay.

The environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, was set to make a final decision after releasing her proposed decision to reject the Toondah Harbour development last week.

Plibersek proposed to reject the development because of the unacceptable impacts it would have on the Ramsar wetland and threatened species such as the eastern curlew.

Walker Corporation had 10 business days to provide feedback before Plibersek made a final decision.

In a media release on Thursday, a spokesperson from the company said its withdrawal of the application will allow the time it needs “to appropriately consider the federal government’s proposed decision recommendation report.”

The spokesperson said the company respected the minister’s opinion “that she does not believe the project in its current form provides the protections for the environment.”

“We need the appropriate amount of time to understand and address those concerns, to satisfy the government’s reasonable, high environmental standards.”

“We have been overwhelmed by calls and messages of support over the past week from the Redlands community as well as local, state and federal political and community leaders, who understand how critical this project is to the region’s future.”

Updated

A 10-year-old First Nations boy has died in an apparent suicide in state care in Western Australia, advocates for the family say.

Advocates for the family say the boy, who cannot be named, took his own life on Friday night, leaving his family “devastated” and triggering a coronial inquiry.

Megan Krakouer, director of the National Suicide Prevention and Trauma Recovery Project, said the family had other children in state care and had been trying for months to have them brought home. They had been promised overnight stays and unsupervised visits, but it didn’t happen.

Full story here:

In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Children, young adults, parents and teachers can contact the Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800. Help for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is available on 13YARN on 13 92 76.

Showers are moving across Southern QLD – you can check the forecast at bom.gov.au.

Protest at treasurer’s office

Antipoverty activists gathered at the treasurer Jim Chalmers’ office today to protest what they say is a lack of government action on the cost of living crisis. They say they were met with a heavy police presence and a note on the door saying the treasurer’s office has been closed for the day.

Antipoverty groups including Anti-Poverty Network Qld (APN Qld), Anti-Poverty Network SA (APN SA), the Australian Unemployed Workers’ Union and the Antipoverty Centre are calling for the government to increase the base rate of all Centrelink payments to at least the Henderson poverty line and stop payment suspensions for “mutual” obligations activities before the federal budget.

Anti-Poverty Network Queensland spokesperson Jayden Oxton-White said:

When Jim Chalmers was in opposition, we met with him and he said he appreciated our work and supported a raise to JobSeeker.

Now that he’s in power, there’s been a complete change in tune. I think his offices actions today are a pretty clear statement that Jim Chalmers doesn’t care about poverty, and he doesn’t care about people.

Updated

Many thanks for joining me on the blog today, Cait Kelly will be here to guide you through the rest of today’s rolling coverage. Take care.

My fellow Sydneysiders would have seen (or heard!) that sudden burst of rain just a short while ago.

There are showers about much of the east coast today, the Bureau of Meteorology says, with showers and storms making their way across southern Queensland and northern/eastern NSW.

Animal welfare organisations want end date for life sheep export legislated

Australia’s leading animal welfare organisations have called on the government to fulfil its election promise and legislate an end date for the live sheep export trade.

In an open letter to the PM, the organisations noted that Labor promised to phase out live sheep exports in May 2018, reiterated in 2022, but this is yet to happen.

On each occasion, these promises were applauded by the community. Australian’s know there’s a better way. They know that processing sheep here on Australian shores better protects animal welfare and value-adds to local economies at the same time.

There was also a deep sense of relief that finally a government would act, and we would no longer have to witness the litany of disasters and horrifying incidents of cruelty that have been synonymous with this trade.

The groups are calling for the phase out of the trade to commence and be enshrined within legislation this term of government.

Signatories include the RSPCA, Humane Society International, World Animal Protection, Vets Against Live Export and the Australian Alliance for Animals.

Taking questions, Det Supt Adrian Telfer from the AFP said they expect further arrests to come as investigations continue.

Obviously this is a very sophisticated syndicate operating out of Queensland and the investigation doesn’t stop today. So we will be pursuing everyone involved in this investigation.

Telfer said the individual, who was arrested yesterday, was being investigated by the AFP for over 12 months. He said the alleged offender attempted to run from police when being arrested, but was apprehended.

Telfer added that at this stage, 256kg of cocaine had been recovered across NSW which means “there is more out there”.

We believe the drugs were coming from all across the globe [on a cargo ship]… It’s a reminder like NSW [police] has said publicly, [you would be] facing very serious offences if you take possession of those drugs.

Telfer said “very adverse weather conditions” were the likely cause as to why the packages were not off-loaded as planned by the individual, and ended up in the ocean.

He said the covert investigation has involved “all agencies in this country just about”.

Updated

Man charged over alleged transnational drug scheme that allegedly caused cocaine bricks to wash ashore

The Australian Federal Police are speaking to the media about the cocaine packages that washed up along the country’s east coast since late last year.

The AFP have charged a man over an alleged transnational drug trafficking operation, and he will face court with seven commonwealth offences and numerous state-based offences this afternoon.

Det Supt Adrian Telfer told the media the AFP will allege that in November, the man coordinated the importation of 900kg of cocaine into waters off Brisbane. The AFP will allege the collection at sea was unsuccessful.

The AFP believe this is what has been washing ashore the eastern coast.

We have been engaged with New South Wales police since early December, concerning these drugs washing ashore.

The AFP will allege the man has attempted to import drugs into Australia on 20 separate occasions since November last year, totalling more than 20 tonnes of drugs.

Updated

Storms forecast about northern NSW today, Bureau says

Severe storms are possible for northeast NSW today, including the Hunter region.

The Bureau of Meteorology says severe storms are likely in the far northeast and adjacent ranges, bringing heavy rain, damaging winds and large hailstones.

Queensland emissions reduction targets ‘watershed moment’ for bipartisanship on climate change: WFF-Australia

The World Wide Fund for Nature-Australia has welcomed new emissions reduction targets passed by the Queensland government and labelled this is a “landmark moment”.

CEO Dermot O’Gorman said:

It is a significant step forward, legislating sensible emissions reduction targets, backed by a clear and credible plan to meet them.

This ambitious emissions reduction target and renewables plan is globally significant. Under Premier Steven Miles’ leadership, Queensland – historically a fossil fuel state – is seizing the opportunity to become a renewable energy superpower with these two bills.

O’Gorman also congratulated opposition leader David Crisafulli and his party for their bipartisan support for the climate target:

After the climate wars, support from both sides of politics for a strong target is a watershed moment.

Updated

Greens lambast government for delaying reform to ballooning student debt

Greens leader Adam Bandt has lambasted the federal government for delaying reforms to ballooning student debt, in a bid for Labor to halt indexation on loans entirely.

The prime minister hinted this morning that changes to make student loans “simpler and fairer” would be made imminently, following data revealing debts would rise by more than 4% when next indexed on 1 June.

The Universities Accord final report, made public earlier this year, recommended the commonwealth ensure loans didn’t outpace wage growth by setting the indexation rate to whatever was lower out of consumer price index and the wage price index.

But Bandt told reporters that wasn’t enough.

The Greens are calling on Labor to stop student debts going up by pausing indexation of student debt as part of a move to wipe out student debt entirely, so that people have got a chance to get ahead.

So many people are doing the right thing. They’ve gone to university. They’ve done what’s been asked of them, and yet still, their debt is rising faster than they’re able to pay it off.

RBA’s view on ‘full employment’ suggests things are still pretty tight

Reaction to today’s jobs figures (as reported here) has been a bit “meh”. Given a lot of the other signs of a weak economy, an increase of almost 28,000 full-time jobs is not a bad outcome.

In fact, some commentators such as KPMG economist, Michael Malakellis, reckon the number won’t “ease the RBA’s ongoing concerns about excess demand in the economy and labour market”.

The unemployment rate remains low, and the labour market is displaying resilience.

The RBA, as it happens, released its monthly bulletin at the same time the jobs figures dropped, including a section on what “full employment” looks like:

The central bank has two main goals: getting inflation down to its 2%-3% target range, and achieving full employment. By many of the RBA’s measures, the labour market remains on the “tight” end of the spectrum - at least by recent history.

That’s one reason why even a fairly steady labour market result – like today’s – mean a cut in official interest rates looks like be some way off.

Queensland parliament passes groundbreaking 75% carbon target

Queensland parliament has just passed a groundbreaking 75% carbon emission reduction target into law.

A packed gallery including dozens of tradies, green groups and clean energy developers watched on as 84 MPs voted for the legislation, with just three people voting no, including two Katter Australian Party MPs and a single One Nation MP.

The entire Liberal National Party backed the carbon target, but not a second bill on renewable energy.

The Greens tried to amend a second bill debated at the same time to require renewable energy projects be state-owned, but it failed.

The emissions reduction bill creates a legislated target of 30% reduction below 2005 levels by 2030, 75% below 2005 levels by 2035 and net zero emissions by 2050.

Progress will be overseen by an expert panel and require annual reporting to the parliament.

Updated

Man granted bail after being charged for allegedly taking part in Wakeley riot

The first person arrested and charged for allegedly taking part in the Wakeley riot has been granted bail on strict conditions.

Nineteen-year-old Dani Mansour was charged with riot, affray and destroying or damaging property as part of the mob that attacked police in the aftermath of the stabbing of bishop Mar Mari Emmanual, at the Assyrian Christ the Good Shepherd Church.

At Blacktown court today, Mansour was told by magistrate Aaron Tang that he was charged with “serious offences” but that he was satisfied concerns for community safety and any chance of reoffending were mitigated by the restrictions.

Tang also mentioned the risk to ongoing investigation into the rioters posed by Mansour’s release, specifically that he could contact other alleged rioters and undermine any investigation.

Tang mentioned that police had based their investigation into Mansour on videos posted to his Instagram page, allegedly showing him taking part int the riot and damaging police vehicles.

Mansour allegedly damaged two police cars as part of the riot, which Tang described as wanting to enact “vigilante justice” on the alleged attacker being held in the church.

There is no place for vigilante justice in our society. Whilst the court acknowledges the traumatic impact of the stabbing of the bishop on the church community, those involved in the riot acted reprehensibly.

The actions of the alleged rioters were at odds with helping the bishop and of the tenets of Christian faith.

As part of his bail conditions, Mansour will not be allowed to access social media at all, he must present his phone to police once a week, he cannot contact anyone involved in the riot, can only travel to and from work, cannot enter Wakeley, cannot attend the church, and he must report to police every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Mansour’s hearing will be held on 2 May.

Updated

Peter Dutton says Australia will ‘unite at period of national grief to emerge stronger’

Earlier this morning, opposition leader Peter Dutton shared some images from Bondi Junction Westfield, where he attended to pay his respects to the victims of the mass stabbing.

Posting to X, Dutton said:

To the many people affected by this horrible act, please know Australians in their millions have you in their thoughts and prayers. We are grateful for the heroic acts of complete strangers who risked their own lives to protect and care for others.

Thank you to the police, ambulance and other emergency service workers. The bravery of a single policewoman saved the lives of many more. We live in the greatest country in the world and we unite at a period of national grief to emerge stronger.

Aid agency calls for increase in humanitarian funding as defence allocation grows

Save the Children Australia says it is “unconscionable” for the government to invest vasts amount of money into defence while not increasing its humanitarian spend.

In a statement, the aid and development agency noted the government’s $50bn defence spend for the next decade and said in comparison, Australia provided $4.77bn in foreign aid during 2023-24.

This resulted in “Australia ranking a lowly 26 out of 31 among likeminded, wealthy countries” in terms of foreign aid spend, the agency said.

The CEO, Mat Tinkler, said spending vast amounts of taxpayer funds on defence, while not increasing investment in “peace and prosperity”, is “unconscionable”.

The National Defence Strategy has core objectives to contribute to the ‘collective security of the Indo-Pacific’ and ‘maintain a global rules-based order’. This can’t be achieved through defence and deterrence alone Australia can and must invest in the stability and prosperity of our region at the same time, and that requires a commensurate investment in aid and development.

Spending more money on weapons, submarines and military bases, without also investing more in our humanitarian effort, is tone deaf when we are seeing the terrible impacts that weapons are having on Palestinian, Ukrainian and Sudanese children.

Save the Children is calling on the government to increase its humanitarian funding allocation in the upcoming federal budget to $1.08bn.

Updated

Independent Tasmanian senator backs calls to alleviate pressure on student debt

Independent senator for Tasmania Tammy Tyrrell has backed calls to alleviate the pressure of ballooning student debt.

Following reports today that student loans are set to increase by more than 4% when next indexed in June, Tyrrell says it “doesn’t make sense” debt can increase before taking into account money paid throughout the year.

She’s urging the federal government to prioritise changing the timing of indexation so Hecs/Help loans are recalculated after yearly repayments are taken off, in favour of reforming the rate of indexation itself.

It doesn’t make sense to me that someone’s debt is indexed before taking into account the thousands of dollars they’ve paid throughout the year. Imagine if banks did that with your home loan - took your money, charged you interest but the repayments don’t come off the outstanding balance.

No matter what the indexation rate is, it’s not a fair system when you’re indexing badly. We need to change the timing, not the rate.

More of the findings from Queensland’s youth crime inquiry

The government should begin reporting on when they are used within three months, the report finds.

It should also publicly report on the number of children and young people detained in watch houses, and how long they have been detained, on a weekly or real-time basis and develop a statewide Code of Practice for the management of young people in watch-houses.

It otherwise it steers clear of any political hot-button issues and makes dozens of worthy recommendations about various issues, from suggesting the state hire more magistrates and expand the state’s Murri Court system to that it review police staffing levels.

It also recommends the state “urgently improve the transparency of Children’s Court of Queensland proceedings by allowing victims of crime, their families and media access to courts”. Courts are often closed by judges under the current standard that public access be in the interests of the child.

Updated

Inquiry has 'significant concerns' about use of police watch houses in Queensland

Queensland’s youth crime inquiry had “significant concerns” about the use of police watchhouses to hold children, particularly disabled and mentally ill children accused of crimes. The report reads:

While this is sometimes necessary to protect the community, it creates risks for the children, young people and staff involved and has negative consequences to a child of young person’s health and wellbeing. The committee believes that while this practice is occurring it’s imperative that sufficient monitoring and oversight is available.

The committee recommends the state government “immediately” investigate alternatives to the watch house of detention centre for children with a significant mental health condition.

It also recommends better staffing at youth detention centres, to “eliminate the need to use ‘separations’ or ‘night mode’ as a result of staff shortfalls” and set “clear and enforceable limits” on the use of them.

Updated

Final youth justice report tabled by Queensland parliament

Queensland’s youth justice inquiry has determined that evidence for removing the principle that detention of children should be a last resort was unclear and other measures are likely more effective.

The committee’s final report was tabled in parliament this morning, after the government quashed the parliamentary inquiry because it was unable to come to a bipartisan consensus.

It is a draft version, with the three LNP members not signing up. It’s understood they wanted the inquiry to recommend the measure.

Instead the committee recommends the government “review” the section “to determine whether the central principle of community safety is being overshadowed by the principle of ‘detention as a last resort’ as it relates to sentencing.”

This review should seek input from the department of justice and attorney-general, the department of youth justice, and expert legal stakeholders.

The report makes 59 other recommendations, which we are reading through now.

Independent chair Sandy Bolton wrote an initial draft report after six months of hearings and dozens of submissions. Normally members of a parliamentary committee would suggest amendments or if consensus cannot be reached, write their own dissenting report.

Detention as a last resort is a principle in the United Nations convention on the rights of the child, which Australia has signed and ratified. The opposition has vowed to eliminate the rule from the state’s youth justice act if elected in October.

Updated

Victorian environment minister plays down asbestos taskforce

Victoria’s environment minister, Steve Dimopoulos, has played down a decision by the Environment Protection Authority to set up an “agency command team” in the days before the first discovery of asbestos in a Melbourne park.

Yesterday evening, the EPA confirmed asbestos fragments had been found in at least 11 parks across four council areas since the start of April. It said it had set up an agency command team to respond to what it called “significant incidents” on 27 March, days before the first reports of asbestos contamination.

Speaking at a press conference this morning, Dimopoulos said this was in response to events in NSW:

On the back of NSW, the EPA straight away … investigated 59 mulch suppliers right through to Victoria and found them to be of an extraordinary high standard. I think there are about six that needed a little bit of improvement but no contamination found, nothing. It was absolutely the right thing to do and was found to be what it should be, which is a high level of sanitation and sorting and supply.

Now, beyond that, they wrote to every single land manager … asking them to appropriately go out and search particular sites [and] their supply chains. But if you think about the concept of going to every one of the 59 mulch suppliers, then going to the land managers and saying to them, ‘please go out and search for and make sure that you risk mitigate’. They have every resource they need and they’ve been on the front foot from day one.

Dimopoulos said the EPA has the resources they need to handle the investigation:

Whether you call it a taskforce, we call it normal operating procedure … I’ve spoken to the EPA CEO several times and he has not once said he needs anything more to do the good work the EPA do.

Updated

Families of Bondi stabbing victims ‘feel as though they are not alone’ thanks to public support: Minns

Chris Minns said he has spoken with some families who have lost loved ones in recent days. While he didn’t go into specifics, he said the families are grateful for the support from the public:

I have spoken to some of the family members who lost loved ones in the last few days. I won’t go into the specifics of the conversation but … they have been bowled over and overwhelmed by the fact that [people have] rallied behind them, and they feel as though they are not alone and they sense there are millions of people in their corner and hopefully that can give some small solace in a terribly dark period.

The press conference has just wrapped up.

Updated

‘Absolute right decision was made’: Minns on labelling of Wakeley stabbing as terrorist act

Chris Minns responded to some backlash in the community that police acted too quickly to label Monday night’s stabbing attack at a Wakeley church as a terrorist act.

Minns said police should be able to get on with their job, and added:

They are entitled to their view, they can make public commentary about it, [but] it is my judgment that the absolute right decision was made [because] our primary and first responsibility, particularly after a violent alleged attack, is to keep the community safe.

Updated

Minns takes questions on New South Wales’ knife laws

Taking questions, the NSW premier, Chris Minns, said there were “reasonable questions” around knife laws in the state.

We changed knife offences in legislation soon after getting elected to government. Mid last year, legislative changes went to through parliament doubling the jail term for the maximum penalty for knife offences in NSW, we took it out of the summary offences act and put it in the crimes act, and doubled the penalty fines that would be issued by magistrates and judges as a result of knife offences.

However, given these very serious criminal attacks in the last week, of course a responsible government [will] look at the existing legislation and see where potential changes could help prevent a similar attack. You’re not [going to] get an exact [same] attack in the future but it is important we look at how they are applied in practice and whether we can make changes to prevent it from happening again.

Minns said the sentencing council was looking at knife-related offences and would report back to government.

Updated

Alleged Wakeley offender remains in hospital: police commissioner

Karen Webb said the alleged offender remains in hospital:

However, police will continue to conduct a major investigation concurrently to him being in hospital and when we have material information to share on the progress of that investigation, we will do so.

Updated

Forty-two detectives working to identify people involved in Wakeley riot

The NSW police commissioner, Karen Webb, was next to address the media, and spoke about the riot in Wakeley on Monday night following the stabbing attack at a church.

She said 42 detectives are working to “identify those responsible for the riot”.

Webb claimed a number of people disguised themselves during the riot and police will investigate for “as long as it takes” to identify them.

She appealed to the public to help police identify up to 50 people that were involved:

The sooner they are identified [and] put before the court, the sooner they can be dealt with.

We have some people that have jumped on multiple police cars, one individual has a very distinctive tattoo on his torso of a face, while he has cowardly covered his own face, so we’re calling on the public identify these people.

Updated

Social media platforms have ‘social and moral licence’ to take down divisive, graphic content: NSW premier

Chris Minns said authorities still hold major concern about rumours and graphic content on social media from the two separate stabbing attacks in Sydney.

He made some scathing comments against the social media companies earlier. Speaking now, he repeated those sentiments:

It proves very difficult to foster community cohesion and harmony, to calm down the community, to send messages of unity in a difficult period when social media firms still continue to disseminate terrible pieces of information, untruths, rumours that circulate like wildfire through an anxious community …

Even the most passionate defenders of social media firms that may argue it is difficult to take down content in the immediate aftermath of a violent incident, it is pretty hard to defend it considering we are 48 hours after the offence and it is still out there, still available. Think about what that does to community cohesion.

In my view, this is the antithesis of what we need to [do to] bring the community together and social media firms have a social and moral licence to take down divisive information and graphic content as soon as it becomes available.

Updated

‘Wonderful to see that we are a community that can come together’, NSW premier says at Bondi Junction

The New South Wales premier Chris Minns is addressing the media after he walked through Bondi Junction Westfield just earlier.

The community day of reflection kicked off at 11am, within the past hour.

He said today’s day of reflection was “the first step in healing”, and also encouraged people to attend the candlelight vigil this Sunday.

It is not back to normal for Sydney, but this is an opportunity to [grieve] and to turn the page on what has been a very difficult period, and I know many people want to express solidarity and sincere condolences to those that have lost loved ones …

There has been in the midst of so much violence and anxiety in the community and an overwhelming public response to the suffering of those families, and it is wonderful to see that we are a community that can come together, that we are a community that can stand together in difficult periods and show that grief is universal when it is felt by one family, one individual.

Updated

More on the labour market figures for March

Circling back to the new labour figures for March, showing the unemployment rate rose to 3.8%.

The labour market numbers don’t contain too many surprises. The economy did add a fair few full-time roles – almost 28,000 – but not as many as the more than 34,000 part-time positions lost.

The participation rate also dropped back to 66.6%. Had it held steady at 66.7%, the jobless rate might have clicked higher to 3.9%. Total hours worked edged 1m higher – a rounding error when the sum is about 1.93bn.

Not surprisingly, perhaps, markets have barely budged, with the dollar lingering around the 64.3 US cents mark and stocks holding on to most of their gains of just under 0.5% for the day.

Updated

‘Behind each and everyone one of these statistics is a name, a woman’: Allan on violence against women

Jacinta Allan said she cannot speak for other jurisdictions but in Victoria, there is a “need for further action” around family violence. She has asked the attorney general, the minister for women and the minister for prevention of family violence to “come together and look how we can build on the work that we’ve done to date and go even further”:

They’re doing some further work and they’ll come back to me … probably in a few weeks time, we will have more to say about what further action we will take.

But Allan said government action alone would not be enough to stamp out the issue and there is “a responsibility on all of us [in the community] to keep calling it out”:

It is my commitment to keep calling this out because it is unacceptable …

Behind each and every one of these statistics is a name, is a woman. A woman who was loved by her family and friends. Just consider the names of the following women: Samantha, Rebecca, Swetha, Hannah, Ashley, Jade, Yixuan, Pikria, Dawn. These are women who have lost their lives in recent days, and this just has to stop, which is why I’m committed and determined to keep doing more with the tools I have as a leader of a government committed to supporting women.

Updated

Jacinta Allan flags plan to combat family violence in the works for Victoria

The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, said women across the country are “fed up” with family violence rates and has flagged her government is putting together a plan to tackle the issue, which will be announced in the coming weeks.

Speaking at a press conference in Melbourne Park, she said too many women in Victoria and across the nation were losing their lives at the “hands of someone who was meant to love them, or a complete stranger”:

We know that on average one woman in every nine days is killed by someone who is known to them – a current or former partner. This level of violence against women is not just unacceptable. It has to stop and women and the broader community are calling for it to stop … Women are fed up, they’re frustrated, they’re angry.

Allan said violence against women is the “number one law and order issue around the country”.

Not just women who are murdered, but women who are seeing repeated acts of violence perpetrated against them. This has to stop.

Updated

‘Stop buzzing about China’: Beijing slams defence plans

China has slammed plans by the federal government to pump billions of extra dollars into defence over the next decade, urging Australia to abandon its “cold war mentality”, AAP reports.

This comes after the defence minister, Richard Marles, unveiled the new national defence strategy yesterday, which will increase funding to 2.4% of GDP by 2033/34.

Responding to the strategy, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Lin Jian, said:

We hope Australia will correctly view China’s development and strategic intentions, abandon the cold war mentality, do more things to keep the region peaceful and stable, and stop buzzing about China.

Marles yesterday quoted the strategy, which states China has employed “coercive tactics in pursuit of its strategic objectives”.

But Lin said the security risks in the Indo-Pacific were coming from “major countries” outside the region:

They have been forming exclusive groupings, stoking bloc confrontation, and in particular, muddying the waters in the South China Sea, as if the world needed any more instability. China firmly opposes it.

Updated

Australia's unemployment rate rose to 3.8% in March

Australia’s employers shed 6,600 jobs last month as the impact of higher interest rates sapped demand in the economy.

The jobless rate in March was 3.8%, the Australian Bureau of Statistics has said, compared with the previously reported 3.7% rate in February and the 3.9% reading economists had predicted for the month.

Economists had also tipped the economy to have added 10,000 extra positions for March, down from February’s unexpected jump of 116,500 extra jobs.

Updated

Queensland Labor accuses opposition of ‘abusing’ chair of independent youth crime committee

Queensland Labor has accused the opposition of “abusing” the chair of a parliament committee, and “intimidating witnesses, including public servants” during a youth crime inquiry.

The government dissolved the inquiry into youth crime late last night, after it failed to come to a consensus. During question time, the youth justice minister, Di Farmer, went on the attack in response to a question about a proposal the LNP said would gag the media.

The behaviour of the members of Currumbin. If anyone watched any of those public hearings … intimidating witnesses, including public servants, was absolutely disgraceful. There was no intent whatsoever to address youth crime in this state.

Farmer withdrew her allegation after Currumbin MP Laura Gerber took personal offence.

The government has accused the opposition of politicising what was intended to be a bipartisan inquiry by refusing to allow it to release an interim report, and by insisting on it recommending their own policy. They asked it to recommend eliminating detention as a last resort, among other sticking points. Farmer said:

This fake concern about youth crime … We have seen an unprecedented incident in the house last night where the member for Noosa had to beg the house for some semblance of bipartisan support to ensure community safety in Queensland.

It has followed months of LNP members refusing to engage, abuse the chair in public hearings, abuse public servants, questioning witnesses or politicising those statements and questions never once – never once –coming up with any suggestions whatsoever.

Updated

More from Blacktown court, where first person has been charged following Wakeley riot

The 19-year-old charged by police for his alleged involvement in Monday’s riot is a barber in Mt Druitt.

The magistrate heard he is the sole provider for his family.

Police told the court Mansour came to their attention via social media posts, and were concerned a successful bail application with restrictions on access to social media could be circumvented.

They are specifically concerned Mansour would contact other attenders of the riot, and interfere with the investigation into attenders, the court heard.

The police also say they believe 2,000 people took part in the riot, a much higher estimation than previously reported figures in the hundreds.

Mansour heard the details with his head bowed, only looking up when a group of family and friends walked into the courtroom,

Last night, heavily armed police raided a property in Doonside, and arrested Mansour, holding him at Blacktown police station overnight.

A decision is due after tea break and after an interpreter is found.

Updated

Police charge first person as part of investigation into Wakeley riot

Police have charged the first person as part of their ongoing investigation into the riot that followed the stabbing attack of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuael at a church in Wakeley on Monday.

In Blacktown court this morning, police charged 19-year-old Dani Mansour with riot, affray and destroying or damaging property during public disorder.

They requested the magistrate refuse an application for bail on the basis of the serious nature of the alleged offending, and the risk he would “interfere” with evidence and the investigation into the riot via potential communication with anyone who was there.

The police referred to his “knowledge and connection” with other attenders of the riot that have yet to be identified.

Mansour’s lawyer argued that he does not have any previous convictions and that while it is a relatively strong case, and serious actions are alleged, she said strict conditions could be imposed to allow bail.

The magistrate said he would delay his decision until an interpreter is found so that Mansour could clearly understand everything being said in court.

A decision is due in the afternoon.

Updated

Opposition leader pays respect to victims at Bondi Junction Westfield

Peter Dutton was also at the Bondi Junction Westfield this morning, and spoke to the media earlier. He said:

Obviously when you see an attack like this – it’s repugnant enough that people are targeted, but in the case where women are targeted or children are the victims, there’s a particular chord that strikes in the community.

I’m honoured to be here today to pay respect to those who have lost their lives, to honour the very many brave acts, and to be part of the healing process and the unifying process that must happen for our country after a period of grief and horror like this.

Most importantly at the moment, our thoughts and prayers are with those who are still in hospital or recovering from the physical and mental scars that will in many cases take a lifetime to heal. To all those family and friends and all those that have been particularly impacted, we send our very warm and heartfelt wishes to them as well.

Updated

Premier walking through Bondi Junction Westfield, due to address media later this morning

The ABC is broadcasting live footage from inside the Bondi Junction Westfield shopping centre. The NSW premier, Chris Minns, is walking through the centre, along with the police commissioner, Karen Webb, and others. He is expected to give a press conference a bit later this morning, which we will bring you here.

None of the stores will be open today and they all appear to have their lights turned off, and advertising banners appear blacked out.

Signs can be seen displayed throughout the store with a black ribbon, reading:

Together we remember all those impacted here, Saturday 13th April 2024.

A space for the community has been established on Level 4, Myer side.

Updated

Driver stopped while allegedly going 110km/h over the speed limit in Bathurst

A man will face court after his car was allegedly detected going 110km/h over the speed limit in New South Wales at the weekend.

Police allege they detected an orange Ford Mustang travelling at 170km/h in an area signposted 60km/h around 6pm on Saturday. Police stopped the man and a drug and alcohol test allegedly returned a positive result for cannabis.

The 22-year-old was taken to Bathurst police station where a secondary test allegedly returned the same result.

He was charged with driving recklessly/furiously or speeding in a dangerous manner, and exceeding the speed limit by more than 45km/h.

The Kellyville man was given a court attendance notice to appear at Bathurst local court on 22 May. Police also suspended the man’s licence on the spot.

Updated

Australians arrested in global phishing network sting

Five Australians have been arrested as part of a global sting operation into an alleged “one-stop shop” for cybercriminals seeking to steal personal data, AAP reports.

Federal police made the arrests as part of a takedown of the platform LabHost, which they allege allows for cybercriminals to impersonate websites as part of phishing scams.

The personal details of 94,000 Australians have been stolen through LabHost, which has been used by criminals to impersonate 170 websites, including banks and government websites such as myGov, the AFP alleges.

A Melbourne man and an Adelaide man were arrested during police search warrants carried out yesterday, with police alleging the pair used LabHost. A further three people were arrested in Melbourne for drug-related offences during the searches.

AFP acting assistant commissioner for cyber command Chris Goldsmid said investigations into the Australian arm of LabHost had been under way since October:

[We allege] what was really insidious about LabHost is it was a one-stop shop for phishing. LabHost provided cybercriminals with all the tools they needed to undertake phishing attacks, including the infrastructure to host a phishing website.

Criminals could sign up to the service for as little as $270 to obtain information such as log-ins and passwords to steal money from victims, the AFP alleges.

Updated

Landscaping goats cause traffic delays along Melbourne’s Eastlink

Delays have cleared on Melbourne’s Eastlink after several escaped landscaping goats have been caught.

ConnectEast, the owner and operator of the EastLink tollway, took to X about 9am this morning to report congestion around High Street Road at Wantirna South. They wrote:

Some landscaping control goats have escaped from their work site and are being rounded up by our team on an embankment. All lanes are open, there are no goats on the roadway, but please drive carefully.

Just 14 minutes later, they wrote the “landscaping control goats are safely back where they belong”.

Back in 2018, Eastlink confirmed they had recruited goats to clear weeds from a steep and rocky area of the tollway. At the time, they said goats have a “voracious appetite for non-native weeds, and are particularly sure-footed and ‘at home’ on tough terrain”.

Here’s a photo of the landscaping goats at work:

Updated

Minns accuses social media platforms of ‘blithe indifference’ over images it hosts

The NSW premier, Chris Minns, has accused social media companies of having “blithe indifference” to the images published on their platforms.

Speaking to ABC News Radio earlier this morning, Minns said it was “shocking” that the video of Monday night’s stabbing attack in Wakeley was still on X.

I think it’s shocking that it’s still up there and the blithe indifference from social media companies as to the images that are on their platforms as if it’s all care and no responsibility.

Minns said this was “the antithesis of the community cohesion and calmness that we’re trying to get this big city to adopt”.

Minns said “apologists” may argue it’s difficult to take content down in the immediate aftermath, but noted “we’re two days into this” now.

It’s more than 48 hours after these images were first projected on social media. And in some instances, for some companies, they’re still up there. I mean, that to me demonstrates a callous indifference to what these images are doing in our community.

Minns said he would “100%” support tougher penalties if they are pursued by the commonwealth government.

Updated

Police vehicles allegedly rammed at Mount Clear carwash

Two police vehicles were allegedly rammed at a Mount Clear carwash overnight.

Victorian police officers observed a silver Ford Falcon drive into the carwash on Geelong Road about 8.50pm and checks revealed it was stolen in September last year, bearing false registration plates.

Two police vehicles parked in front of and behind the Ford with their lights and sirens going, when the driver allegedly began ramming them both.

Two people were arrested at the scene and the driver fled on foot, but was arrested nearby. Police allege a homemade shotgun was located in the driver’s side door and that he was carrying a fold-out knife.

Three police members received minor injuries as a result of the collision, police said.

The driver, a 20-year-old Wendouree man, was transported to hospital with minor injuries and is now under police guard. A 43-year-old Eureka man and a 35-year-old Eureka woman are assisting police with inquiries. Investigations are ongoing.

Updated

ABS data likely to show the jobless rate increased in March

Later this morning we get the March labour market figures from the ABS, one of the most closely watched numbers. (Inflation is another big one, and that lands next Wednesday.)

As we highlight every month, there are lots of moving parts so it can take a moment or two to decipher whether the jobs figures are good or bad.

My preference is to look at the net full-time jobs added or lost, rather than the headline unemployment rate. Economists are tipping the economy added 10,000 jobs last month – not enough to keep up with the swelling population – with the jobless rate likely to have risen from February’s 3.7% to 3.9%. (February notched up a remarkable 116,500 extra jobs.)

Once you factor in changes to the participation rate (if there are any) and revisions to February numbers, some nuance is often required to tell if it’s a good or bad result.

Taking a broader view, though, the Reserve Bank and Treasury have been anticipating some uptick in the unemployment figure as higher interest rates do their intended job of squeezing out “excessive demand” in the economy.

Make sure to check back at 11.30am AEST for the results as they land.

Updated

Traffic chaos after truck fire in Lane Cove tunnel

A truck fire in the Lane Cove tunnel has caused traffic for Sydney commuters this morning.

Fire and Rescue NSW said five of its crews were called to the tunnel at about 6.30am after reports a mobile crane truck was alight. The sprinkler system controlled the blaze while firefighters extinguished the fire completely.

No injuries were reported but a number of people evacuated their vehicles as a safety precaution.

All eastbound lanes were closed and westbound lanes were severely affected as a heavy tow truck worked to remove the fire-damaged truck.

FRNSW said traffic would be affected for “quite some time”, and according to Life Traffic, the incident was cleared just before 9.30am.

Updated

Bishop forgives alleged attacker, calls for peace in first statement since stabbing attack

Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, who was stabbed during a service at the Assyrian Christ the Good Shepherd church in Wakeley on Monday night, has released a statement following the attack.

Speaking in a Youtube video uploaded this morning, the bishop said he was “doing fine [and] recovering very quickly”.

There is no need to be worried or concerned. And a piece of advice to all our beloved faithfuls – I need you to act Christlike. The Lord Jesus never taught us to fight, the Lord Jesus never taught us to retaliate, the Lord Jesus never said to us ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth’.

He called on people to abide by the law and cooperate with police directives. He also called on people to pray for the country and “never forget that we are very blessed to be Aussies”.

I forgive whoever has done this act and I say to him: you’re my son, I love you and I will always pray for you. And whoever sent you to do this, I forgive them too.

Updated

Race discrimination commissioner responds to Wakeley stabbing attack

Australia’s race discrimination commissioner, Giridharan Sivaraman, said he has noticed an increased sense of vulnerability within communities since becoming commissioner six weeks ago.

Speaking to ABC RN earlier this morning, he said he has come into the role at a challenging time when emotions are heightened, particularly post 7 October.

Asked if he shared concerns that police were too quick to label Monday night’s stabbing attack at a church in Wakeley as a terrorist act, Sivaraman said it was concerning in the sense that “whole communities [can] get tarnished because of the [alleged] action of one person”.

People then feel scared within communities, and others feel angry, and it often leads to an increase in racism because they just want to target a whole community, that’s the direction that their anger has to go.

Sivaraman said he “can’t speak to the specific incident” as the investigation is ongoing, but the label of terrorist act can carry implications:

It just means that often a whole community gets tarred with the brush of one person and it can lead to misinformation, often really damaging misinformation being spread.

Updated

More on new student debt modelling

Under the Parliamentary Library modelling, students with an average debt of $26,494 would have their loans rise by $1,113 in the best case scenario of 4.2% indexation come June.

In the worst case scenario – 4.8% indexation – their loans would rise by $1,272.

For students at the highest end of the spectrum, with debts of about $100,000, their loans would rise by between $4,200 and $4,800 unless Labor intervened to reform how Hecs/Help is indexed. Since 1 June 2022, debts for this bracket would have risen by more than $15,000.

The Universities Accord final report, made public earlier this year, recommended the commonwealth ensure loans didn’t outpace wage growth by setting the indexation rate to whatever was lower out of CPI and the wage price index.

It also recommended reducing student contribution amounts for low-income earners and changing the timing of indexation to deduct compulsory repayments first.

Updated

Sticking with student debt for a moment. Earlier, Anthony Albanese spoke to HIT FM and flagged the government needed to “do much better” around Hecs debt.

He said:

I think there’s a range of areas we need to do much better for the younger generation, and Hecs is one of them.

Our chief political correspondent Paul Karp took note of this comment and said it hints the government may reduce the rate of student debt indexation.

Updated

Student debt to rise by $12bn unless government scraps indexation in upcoming budget, new data shows

Student debt will rise by around $12bn under Labor’s term unless the federal government scraps indexation on loans in the upcoming budget, new projections prepared for the Greens show.

The Parliamentary Library modelling suggests nearly 3 million people owing student debt will be hit with an increase in excess of 4% when loans are next indexed in June, the second highest Hecs/Help rise in more than a decade.

It follows a rise of 7.1% last year, totalling 16% since Labor came into office.

Deputy Greens leader and spokesperson for education, senator Mehreen Faruqi, said talking about the cost of living crisis while ignoring the “heavy burden” of student debt wasn’t enough:

In the May budget, Labor must scrap indexation on student debt. Labor refused demands from the Greens to protect students from huge debt increases last year, but there is still time to stop the massive indexation hit coming again this June.

Even the ‘best case’ scenario will see student debts increase by a whopping 4.2% this year alone, adding a thousand dollars to average debt which already takes years to pay off. A worst case scenario would see a student debt increase of almost 5% in June, for an almost 17% debt increase in Labor’s first term of government.

Updated

Albanese confirms residency for ‘bollard man’ and extension of offer to Pakistani guard

Anthony Albanese has confirmed that “bollard man” Damien Guerot will be given permanent residency of Australia today and has also extended a similar offer to consider the circumstances of Pakistani security guard Muhammad Taha, who was seriously injured in the Bondi attack.

Albanese was asked to respond to a report that Taha had come forward seeking permanent residency on the same basis as Guerot – his bravery in responding to the Bondi stabbings by Joel Cauchi.

Albanese told FiveAA Radio that “we certainly will [consider it]”.

Albanese noted Guerot was praised overnight by Emmanuel Macron “who was very proud of him”. He said that Guerot was on a temporary visa seeking a permanent visa, not to change citizenship; a permanent visa would “be granted to him today”.

My understanding is that will be done.

Albanese spoke on the “tragedy” of security guard Faraz Tahir losing his life, and the brave actions of fellow security guard Taha:

He confronted this guy, the [alleged] perpetrator Joel Cauchi on Saturday. It just shows extraordinary courage, these are people who … not thinking of themselves, were putting themselves in danger protecting Australians they didn’t know, just people going about their shopping.

And that’s the sort of courage that we want to say thank you to, frankly. Those extraordinary stories of bravery in amongst the carnage and tragedy that we saw on Saturday … It’s a bit of light in amongst the darkness that you saw these extraordinary acts.

Updated

Continued from last post:

Labor committee member Aaron Harper said he found “the behaviour of the LNP committee members downright appalling”.

The government should not have to drag a report of this importance out of a committee – it should be agreed upon and delivered to the house, in the best interest of all Queenslanders.

LNP committee member Laura Gerber said her party could not support a report that “gagged the media”. She said Labor had attempted to do so by recommending the government look into the impacts of media and social media reporting on crime.

Gerber said Labor members of the committee also voted down its policy to remove detention as a last resort from the Youth Justice Act.

The committee report is expected to be released today before the committee is dissolved.

Updated

Bipartisan Queensland youth justice committee dissolves after Labor and LNP fail to reach agreement

A bipartisan Queensland youth justice committee has collapsed after its independent chair told parliament her position had become “untenable” in the “incredibly difficult” and politically charged environment.

The parliamentary select committee was set up by the former premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and tasked with coming up with solutions on youth crime. It was the first committee of its kind to be independently chaired in more than two decades.

The chair, independent MP Sandy Bolton, said she was “deeply disappointed” that a bipartisan agreement could not be reached by Labor and LNP members.

I have endeavoured every step of the way to work patiently, impartially, respectfully and collaboratively with both sides of this chamber to get a balanced, nonpartisan report on the many contentious issues that we have heard about.

This has been an incredibly difficult environment, heightened by the media and the politicking with the upcoming election. This has not been easy and has come at great cost.

The Labor government moved to compel the committee to release the report last night while accusing the LNP of seeking to block its release. The deputy chair of the committee, Labor MP Jonty Bush, also said she was deeply disappointed an agreement could not be reached:

Our committee has met more than 25 times, received over 220 submissions and generated thousands of pages of work from public servants, and those working at the frontline with young people and victims.

Updated

Council to preserve cards and messages for Bondi Junction stabbing victims at library

Waverley mayor, Paula Masselos, said discussions were continuing regarding a permanent memorial to those who died during the Bondi Junction stabbing attack.

She also said all the cards and messages that had been left for victims would be preserved in the library.

And we’re working with [the premier] also to develop a protocol for these flowers because this now is virtually hallowed ground, I think, for people. And so working on some kind of a memorial, doing something with the flowers, will be key.

Updated

Day of reflection at Bondi Junction Westfield opportunity to ‘reclaim’ safe community hub: mayor

The Waverley mayor, Paula Masselos, has said today’s day of reflection at Bondi Junction Westfield is “extremely important” for a community in “very deep grief”.

Speaking to ABC TV, Masselos said today was also about “reclaiming” a significant community hub that was considered to be a safe space:

We’ve gone from shock to disbelief to now grief, and it’s gonna take quite a time for people to be able to process. And having this day of reflection in Westfield is gonna be a significant part of that journey of reconciling the grief, but more importantly, starting to reclaim what was a significant community hub, that was considered to be a very safe place – because Waverley is a safe place – to really take that back, to reclaim that.

She said there would be a formal wreath-laying ceremony today and a chance to honour “all the brave heroes who were involved”.

Updated

March quarter power demand picked up, nudging prices up in some states

The Australian Energy Regulator has released its quarterly wholesale markets report for the first three months of 2024 this morning, noting that the country’s third-hottest summer on record had – not surprisingly – pushed average electricity demand up 9% from the previous three months.

Wholesale power prices – which make up about a third of your retail bill – rose 20% in Queensland and 9% in Victoria compared with the same quarter a year ago. Other states in the national electricity market posted falls of 5%-16%.

The AER, though, says the uptick in some wholesale prices will not likely make much difference to its draft default market offers that will see some lower retail prices kick in from 1 July, as we noted last month.

There were a few interesting trends in the March quarter – if not particularly good ones for Australia’s emissions reduction efforts. Coal power increased for the first time in a few years even taking into account the closure of NSW’s Liddell power station compared with the March quarter of 2023. (The plant closed in April last year.)

Part of the coal increase seems to have been the result of fewer units going off line in the first quarter than a year earlier. (The increased reliability might be in part because the Liddell plant was finally shut down).

Another feature was the key role played by Victoria in helping to keep the lights on – even with its own challenges (recall the power lines going down and AGL’s Loy Yang A plant being forced to shut down).

Queensland’s maximum daily demand broke its previous record three times during the quarter – hence the state not being a net-exporter for a change, and the jump in wholesale prices.

The spread of solar energy, particularly on rooftops, meanwhile, meant that Victoria and South Australia both set minimum demand records for the quarter.

Updated

Marles pushed on question of citizenship offer for security guard Muhammad Taha

The PM previously has offered permanency to “bollard man”, the French construction worker Damien Guerot who was captured on video footage attempted to stop Joel Cauchi during the Bondi Junction stabbing.

Richard Marles was asked whether the government would do the same for Pakistani man Muhammad Taha, who was stabbed during the attack while trying to defend himself in a “confrontation” with Cauchi. Taha’s visa expires next month.

Marles told ABC RN:

Certainly the actions of Mr Taha were enormously brave, there’s no doubt about that … I’m not aware of the particular applications that Mr Taha has on book, but I’ve got no doubt that his circumstances will be worked through.

But the PM went further with Guerot, host Patricia Karvelas noted. Taha himself is quoted by her as saying: “As a direct victim of the incident I believe I deserve recognition and consideration for citizenship.” Karvelas reiterates the question of whether the government will give it to him.

Marles:

Obviously the circumstances of Mr Taha will be worked through but the notion that the sort of bravery that Mr Taha exhibited is what we want to see in this country is of course right.

Updated

Minns would welcome any commonwealth action to hold social media ‘to account’ over misinformation

Turning to social media, Chris Minns said platforms “need to be held to account” in regards to misinformation.

And if the commonwealth government’s pursuing tougher penalties, increased fines [or] sanctions to be put in place, we would welcome it.

He said the riot took place around midnight and 1am in the morning, which makes it difficult for police and community leaders to “try and calm down the community when, in an irresponsible way, people put [on social media] blatant lies or rumours design to incite [people]”.

There is still some very graphic material that I understand is up on several social media sites. It needs to come down. Firstly, it’s not adding to community cohesion or a sense of calm in the community. Secondly, it’s completely inappropriate, particularly for young people, and nobody – no parent – wants young people exposed to that kind of graphic footage.

So, this is a perennial problem. We only seem to really cover it when we’ve got a shocking event like we’ve seen in Sydney over the last 24 hours. But my government is going to stay on this because this is going to happen again and again and again.

Updated

Chris Minns speaks on arrest following Wakeley riot

Yesterday one arrest was made in relation to the riots outside the Wakeley church on Monday night after the stabbing attack.

Chris Minns said he welcomed this and expects more arrests to come.

There’s been a … a major police task force that’s been established to investigate that riotous behaviour… to put this in perspective I spoke to five police officers that have been admitted to hospital in the last 24 hours – I think nearly all of them were back out on duty that afternoon That’s their dedication to the job and their commitment to the NSW police force, and we owe them a big debt of gratitude.

More detail on the arrest can be found here:

Updated

Extra police and security around Bondi Junction and NSW ‘for as long as necessary’: Minns

Chris Minns said there would be extra police and extra security around Bondi, and around the state, for “as long as necessary”.

Not just for the immediate security needs, but so that people feel confident and safe in their community. And I completely understand why there would be a reticence or a reluctance in those areas to return to normal.

Updated

NSW premier calls for people to come together and not lose sight of goodwill

The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, acknowledged it had been an incredibly challenging week for the state. Following two separate stabbing attacks, he emphasised that “there are millions of good people in NSW”. Speaking to ABC News Breakfast, Minns said:

I just want to send this message – there are millions of good people in NSW. There are far more good people than there are bad influencers and actors in our community, and we can’t lose faith in that or lose hope in what we have as a society in NSW.

And I’ve just got enormous confidence that we can come together. There will be better days ahead, it’s not gonna be normal for a while, but I would just take strength from our police officers, our emergency services workers and those brave individuals that put their lives on the line to save someone that they’ve never met before.

Updated

Marles continues breakfast rounds to discuss defence spending

The defence minister, Richard Marles, has been making the rounds this morning and has also spoken to ABC RN about yesterday’s defence announcement.

He reiterated talking points about the announcement that he made during yesterday’s press club speech: that Australia wasn’t trying to be a peer to the US or China, but to ensure capability for a “less certain world in the future” and “resist coercion [to] maintain our way of life”, which was what the $50bn funding was about.

Asked if Australia would be vulnerable over the next 10 years, Marles pointed to previous governments (as he did during yesterday’s speech) and said: “It would have been better for that work to have been done a decade ago, but the next best thing is that we act now.”

He was asked to give a specific example on what constituted “resisting coercion” and, like earlier, pointed to sea trade operations.

The reason why we make the observation that an invasion of Australia is a very unlikely scenario, no matter what happens, is because any adversary that wished to do us harm could do so much to us before ever setting foot on Australian soil – and disrupting those specific sea lines of communication, which I’ve described, would obviously achieve that. That that is where the risk of coercion lies, as one example.

And in order to protect ourselves in respect of that, we do need the ability to [project], because if you think about it, … the geography of our national security when seen through those lands is not the coastline of our continent. It in fact, lies much further afield.

And so having long-range submarines, having a much more capable surface fleet for our navy, having much longer-range missiles that we can bring to bear, is what we need to do to give any adversary pause for thought, to be able to hold the assets of any potential adversary at risk further from our shores.

That projection is what we are trying to build.

Updated

Fines flagged for social media platforms

Getting into specifics about the upcoming legislation, Michelle Rowland flagged significant fines for social media platforms:

We’re looking at a substantial increase on what’s already in the Online Safety Act. So not only a large amount – so for example, a $3m fine for an offence and ongoing fines, but a percentage of turnover as well.

We know that the revenues of some of these online platforms exceed those of some nations and so it needs to be a meaningful and substantial penalty system that’s put in place.

Updated

Rowland discusses misinformation online after Wakeley stabbing attack

Communications minister Michelle Rowland spoke to ABC AM just earlier and discussed what it would take for social media platforms to stop hosting misinformation and prevent videos from being shared, like that of the stabbing attack in Wakeley on Monday night?

She said eSafety had the ability under the Online Safety Act to issue notices for platforms to remove certain content, which she had done in this instance:

Misinformation was a separate issue, she said, because there was only a voluntary industry code on platforms to detect, trace and prevent the spread of mis- and dis-information.

The government announced new laws to address this last year but these were put on hold. Rowland said the consultation process was ongoing and the plan was to introduce legislation “this year”.

But what will be done immediately to stop this? Rowland:

[Social media platforms] will need to comply with existing law, that is already their obligations. eSafety has issued [those] notices…

Because if we needed to see any case study about what can happen when misinformation spreads at speed and scale, we only need to look at what happened in western Sydney the other night. The destruction, the damage to public property threats to life and health.

We know that platforms have incredible powers and abilities to be able to examine content on their platforms, their algorithms are opaque, they need to do more, and that’s precisely what the government has been pursuing with our mis- and dis-information rules.

Updated

Wealth inequality growing among households aged below 35, data shows

Wealth inequality is growing among households aged under 35, even though they hold just 5% of all wealth, new research from Australian Council of Social Service and UNSW Sydney has revealed.

“Inequality in Australia 2024: Who is affected and how?” shows the average household wealth of Australia’s highest 10% is growing much faster than the lowest 60%, from $2.8m to $5.2m (an 84% increase) over the past 20 years. Meanwhile, the average wealth of the lowest 60% has risen from $222,000 to $343,000 (a 55% increase).

Nearly half (45%) of the increase in household wealth since 2003 went to the highest 10% (those with at least $2.6m) and half of this increase to wealthy older people (over 64 years).

Wealth inequality is also growing among households aged under 35. The average wealth of the highest 10% rose from $928,000 to $2m (an increase of 126%) since 2003. At the same time, the average wealth of the lowest 60% of younger households – largely excluded from home ownership – rose just $68,000 to $80,000 (39%).

Acoss chief executive Cassandra Goldie said:

These disturbing figures show that people with the lowest income and least wealth are being left behind by the increasing inequality in Australia.

Without major reform to housing, superannuation tax breaks and income support, the divide between those with the most and those with the least will continue to deepen. The fastest and most efficient way to support those worst affected by income inequality is by raising the rate of JobSeeker to at least the pension rate of $80 a day.

Updated

Good morning!

Many thanks to Martin for kicking things off. I’m Emily Wind, and I’ll be with you on the blog today.

See something that needs attention? You can get in touch via X @emilywindwrites, or send me an email: emily.wind@theguardian.com.

Let’s get started.

Updated

Richard Marles outlines defence spending: ‘resist coercion’, protect sea trade

Defence minister Richard Marles has been speaking on ABC News Breakfast about the national defence strategy, which was launched at the National Press Club yesterday.

In case you missed it: the Albanese government will pour an extra $50bn into defence spending over the next 10 years. You can read all the details from Daniel Hurst below.

Marles was asked whether the money being delivered was too far in the future, and if Australia was prepared for what lay ahead.

He said the funding was the “biggest increase over a four-year period in defence spending that we have seen in this country in decades”. He acknowledged challenges ahead but said:

By acting quickly, by acting decisively with this very significant increase in defence spending, we can give our country agency and we can make sure that going forward in a much less certain world we’re able to resist coercion and maintain our way of life.

But what does that mean – ‘resist coercion’?

Marles said Australia had a “growing economic connection to the world” and our national income was increasingly driven by trade – and there was a physical connection to this through the sea.

And that represents a vulnerability … about 85% of our fuel needs are imported, refined product from Malaysia, Singapore, Korea. You know, right there represents a vulnerability for our country. And so what we need is a very capable defence force, a very capable navy in that instance, to make sure that we can protect that …

Updated

Condition update on Bondi Junction victims

Today’s reopening of Westfield Bondi Junction comes almost a week after six people were killed when 40-year-old Joel Cauchi went on a stabbing spree.

The Queensland man, who had a long history of mental illness, was shot dead by police inside the shopping complex.

Six people remain in hospitals across Sydney as a result of injuries sustained during the mass stabbing, including two women in intensive care.

A nine-month-old baby, whose mother Ashlee Good was among those killed in the attack, remains in hospital in a serious but stable condition.

– from AAP

Updated

Westfield Bondi Junction to reopen for community reflection day

The Sydney shopping centre where six people were fatally stabbed will reopen for a day of community reflection today, before retail trade resumes tomorrow, AAP reports.

Hundreds are expected to gather at Westfield Bondi Junction in the eastern suburbs to pay their respects to those affected by Saturday’s attack.

Scentre Group, which owns and operates the shopping centre, said shops would open for business on Friday with an increased police and security presence.

Today “the centre will be quiet – it will allow for reflection to occur,” said its chief executive, Elliott Rusanow.

Rusanow said the number of security guards across all Westfield centres would be increased in response to the attack.

The Bondi Junction shopping centre will resume normal trading hours tomorrow, although Rusanow said some businesses would remain shut:

It will be their [retailers’] choice when they want to reopen.

There will be a candlelight vigil at Bondi beach on Sunday evening, with a minute’s silence to honour the attack victims.

Updated

Daniel Andrews on list of Australians banned from Russia

Former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews is among more than 200 names on the latest list of Australians who have been banned from entering Russia, AAP reports.

Andrews is one of the most high-profile of the 235 current and former Victorian and South Australian MPs across the political divide who have made Moscow’s list over Australia’s “anti-Russian agenda”.

Other Victorians barred indefinitely range from deputy premier Ben Carroll, treasurer Tim Pallas and opposition leader John Pesutto, to Labor MP Paul Mercurio, independent Moira Deeming and former Labor deputy premier James Merlino.

Among the South Australians are deputy premier Susan Close, treasurer Stephen Mullighan, energy minister Tom Koutsantonis, health minister Chris Picton and opposition leader David Speirs.

Russia’s foreign ministry said overnight that the Australians had been handed indefinite bans “in response to politically motivated sanctions against Russian individuals and legal entities by the Australian government”:

Taking into account the fact that official Canberra does not intend to abandon its anti-Russian course and continues to introduce new sanctions measures, work on updating the Russian ‘stop list’ will continue.

Updated

Welcome

Good morning and welcome to our rolling news coverage. I’m Martin Farrer and I’ll be running you through some of the main overnight stories before my colleague Emily Wind picks up the slack.

The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, and the finance minister, Katy Gallagher, have hailed Australia’s new position as second in the global fiscal management rankings as a “remarkable achievement”. Australia’s overall budget balance is the second strongest among G20 nations, behind only Canada, according to the International Monetary Fund’s latest fiscal monitor.

A 19-year-old man has been charged with riot, affray and damage to property in connection with the unrest in the western Sydney suburb of Wakeley after a bishop was stabbed. He was denied bail and will appear to court today. We’re also looking at why that stabbing has been declared a terrorism event while the killing of six people at Bondi Junction Westfield on Saturday has not. We also have a podcast looking at why emotions are running high in both the Assyrian Christian and Muslim communities. More coming up.

The former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews is among more than 200 names on the latest list of Australians who have been banned from entering Russia. Other Victorians singled out by the Kremlin overnight for Australia’s “anti-Russian agenda” are the deputy premier, Ben Carroll, and the treasurer, Tim Pallas, and the South Australian deputy premier, Susan Close, and the treasurer, Stephen Mullighan. More coming up.

A masterpiece by the Australian impressionist Arthur Streeton not seen by the public for 130 years has beaten expectations to sell for more than $1.875m. The 1894 oil painting Sunlight at the Camp went on show in Melbourne this month before an auction in Sydney yesterday, when it was expected to fetch up to $1.5m.

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