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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Caitlin Cassidy and Emily Wind (earlier)

AFP respond to ‘emergency incident’ – as it happened

Ian Wilkinson United States Australia Japan Max ChandlerMather NT Heather Wilkinson Anthony Albanese Greens Kasy Chambers
Sydney airport is supporting emergency agencies, including the AFP, in the management of an ‘emergency incident’.
Sydney airport is supporting emergency agencies, including the AFP, in the management of an ‘emergency incident’. Photograph: James D Morgan/Getty Images

What we learned: Monday, 14 August

With that, we will wrap the blog for the evening. If you’re catching a flight today, I hope you make it in time, safe and sound.

Here were today’s major events:

  • The Australian federal police are responding to an “emergency incident” at Sydney airport, after reports an international flight turned back due to concerns over a passenger’s behaviour. Flights are still continuing, the airport says, with delays expected.

  • Mark Latham has been dumped as the One Nation leader in NSW after the party’s federal leader, Pauline Hanson, staged an extraordinary intervention in the state branch to remove him.

  • More than 300,000 illegal vapes with a street value of $10m have been found in a warehouse in Perth, the largest seizure of the products in Western Australia. The health minister, Mark Butler, said a national crackdown on vapes has not been delayed, but talks between the states and territories may prolong the process as they work to nationalise an approach to the ban.

  • Tributes have been flowing for epidemiologist Mary-Louise McLaws, who has passed away at the age of 70 after a long battle with illness.

  • Qantas has confirmed its support for the Indigenous voice to parliament with Yes23 logos unveiled on three planes.

  • And the NSW Independent Education Union has given the green light to protected industrial action if an ongoing teacher’s pay dispute in the state isn’t resolved by Friday.

Updated

Domestic flights at Sydney airport delayed and cancelled

Back to the incident at Sydney airport, international flights are still departing as scheduled according to the airport’s website however a string of domestic flights have been delayed or cancelled.

Travellers are also suggesting the delays are impacting other airports.

Updated

Jason Clare speaks to Australian Indigenous Education Foundation

Meanwhile, the education minister, Jason Clare, has been addressing the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation (AIEF) graduation ceremony, where the Year 12 class of 2023 is celebrating.

We have a good education system in Australia, but it’s not perfect, not by a long shot. The truth is, if you are young person from a poor family, or from the regions, or you are an Indigenous Australian, you are less likely to go to pre-school, you are more likely to fall behind in primary school and you are less likely to finish high school.

Late last month, Clare introduced legislation into parliament that would guarantee a place to university to all Indigenous students – not just in Australia’s regions. It was one of the priority recommendations of the universities accord interim report.

Almost 50% of young Australians in their twenties today have a university degree. Only 7% of young Indigenous Australians do. And if this works, that might jump to about 12% in the next 10 years.

There’s still so much to do to make this a country where your chances in life don’t depend on how wealthy your parents are, where you live or the colour of your skin.

Updated

'Emergency incident' at Sydney international airport

Police are responding to an emergency incident at Sydney airport, after reports an international flight turned back due to concerns over a passenger’s behaviour.

Malaysia Airways flight 122 was bound for Kuala Lumpur but turned back to Sydney where it landed shortly before 4pm.

One Twitter user, Jawad Nazir, claimed he was on the flight, and that a man had become aggressive and began shouting at passengers. He said the plane had been on the tarmac for more than an hour waiting for emergency services to board.

At about 5:15pm, the Australian federal police posted to Twitter that its officers were “responding to an emergency incident at Sydney international airport”.

A Sydney airport spokesperson told Guardian Australia: “We are currently supporting emergency agencies in the management of an incident at the airport.”

“The airport is operational with flights arriving and departing. Passengers are encouraged to check directly with their airline regarding the status of their flight,” the spokesperson said.

Updated

Delays at Sydney airport due to ‘security issue’ spread to Melbourne

Passengers are reporting delays due to a “security issue” on another plane.

Another passenger at Melbourne airport took to social media after being told there would be a “short delay” on his flight due to the incident in Sydney.

A reminder, the airport is still operational at this stage, according to Sydney Airport.

This is from one of my colleagues:

We are delayed at Melbourne airport and the captain says it’s due to a security breach on a plane on one of Sydney’s runways. All the flights here are being pushed back to 7 or 8pm.

Updated

Sydney airport still operational while ‘incident’ is managed by emergency services

Sydney airport has confirmed it is supporting emergency agencies, including the AFP, in the management of this evening’s “incident”.

If you’re flying this evening, check in with your airline, but the international airport remains open.

The airport is operational with flights arriving and departing.

Updated

AFP responding to ‘emergency incident’ at Sydney airport

The Australian federal police has confirmed it is responding to an “emergency incident” at Sydney’s major airport.

We are seeking to confirm the details and will provide you with the latest as soon as we know further.

Updated

Morris Iemma resigns from Venues NSW after medical episode

Former NSW premier, Morris Iemma, has resigned from his recently announced position as the chairperson of Venues NSW following a medical episode.

Sports minister, Steve Kamper, announced former FFA and NRL chief executive, David Gallop, has been appointed to the job following Iemma’s resignation on Thursday:

The reasons for Morris’ resignation are due to a medical episode and the requirement for ongoing treatment.

My first thoughts are with Morris and his family. On behalf of the NSW government, I wish Mr Iemma a speedy recovery.

Out of respect for Mr Iemma and his family, I ask for their privacy to be respected so that Morris can recover and rehabilitate in peace.

Kamper said Gallop was a “well-recognised and accomplished sports administrator, having led the NRL and FFA over a period of 20 years”.

Updated

Man shot in Benalla with police investigation underway

An investigation is underway in the regional Victorian city of Benalla following the shooting of a man earlier today.

Emergency services were called to a Ballintine Street address following reports a man had been found with a gunshot wound to his lower body at about 6am.

The 28-year-old Benalla man was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The circumstances around the shooting are yet to be determined.

Updated

Woman provides statement to Victoria police after three dead from mushroom poisoning

The woman at the centre of a suspected mushroom poisoning in Victoria has given police her account of the lunch, saying she also went to hospital after eating the meal and that she had bought the fungi from two stores.

Erin Patterson’s written statement, first reported by the ABC, was provided to Victoria police on Friday and in it she says she wants to “clear up the record” after the deaths of three people.

Updated

Tasmanian senator against public holiday for Matildas’ World Cup victory

Asked whether he backed a public holiday in the instance the Matildas win, as proposed by the prime minister, Duniam replied:

“No.”

This is great for the Matildas, especially great for women sport in Australia and a nation but … we can’t afford to pay to celebrate anything more than the times we already do in the calendar. On that basis, I think it’s a no from me. I know that won’t earn me many friends but that’s how I see it.

Updated

Coalition to discuss constitutional recognition if they win next election, MP says

Liberal frontbencher Jonathon Duniam says the Coalition will have a “clear picture” of what it will take to Australians in the next election following confusion over its policy if the referendum is to fail.

Speaking on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing, Duniam said he knew there’d been a “bit of a debate” about comments made by the Nationals leader David Littleproud on Insiders that muddied the waters on whether a voice structure would have the party’s backing.

You can be assured that we as a Coalition will have a clear picture for Australians [on] what we would take the next election … the Nationals and Liberals arrived at the same outcome [on voting no] through different times.

We will be seeking to have a discussion with the Australian people around constitutional recognition … [if we win] the next election … We have a referendum on the books right now that we oppose for the reason I’ve outlined on your program previously but when that will be, that depends on the next election. If you want to know you will have to vote Liberal.

Updated

‘Major cracks’ in no campaign particularly within Coalition, Uluru Dialogue campaigner says

Uluru Dialogue campaigner Marcus Stewart appeared on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing earlier, following comments made by Nationals leader David Littleproud yesterday that cast doubt over Peter Dutton’s promise to legislate a local and regional voice structure if the Coalition forms government and the referendum is unsuccessful.

Stewart said “clearly, Peter Dutton has had a meeting with himself in the mirror and thought he reached consensus”.

But that’s not consistent with the Coalition party room … clearly there’s a breakdown in communication. Clearly they don’t know what they want and clearly they don’t care about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and improving outcomes for them.

What’s very clear is they do not care about improving the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in this great country, which is an absolute travesty.

Stewart said “major cracks” were beginning to emerge in the no campaign, arguing they had tried to “fuel fear” as the yes camp tried to “engage on what a future of hope looks like”.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kids are watching this debate and asking why people are pushing out racist rhetorics … what have they done wrong to simply want to improve the lives of their communities, their families?

Uluru Dialogue campaigner Marcus Stewart
Uluru Dialogue campaigner Marcus Stewart told the ABC that the Coalition ‘clearly … don’t care about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’. Photograph: Morgan Hancock/AAP

Updated

Swinburne University launches $5.2m supercomputer

Happy Science Week from this $5.2m supercomputer, launched by the Swinburne University of Technology today to produce research into space, the brain and complex ecosystems.

The supercomputer has a processing capacity millions of times beyond that of regular computers, named Ngarrgu Tindebeek by Wurundjeri elders through the assistance of the Moondani Toombadool Centre.

It translates as “Knowledge of the Void” in the local Woiwurrung language.

Data science research institute director. Prof Matthew Bailes, said what used to take researchers and students weeks or months to achieve can now be done in a matter of hours.

This supercomputer is designed specifically to help researchers facing massive data sets – like astronomers or neuroscientists - make groundbreaking discoveries.

Excitingly, it could help us become the first people to convincingly detect gravitational waves from super massive black holes by performing trillions of calculations every second for weeks.

Updated

If you’ve been sitting at your desk today, twiddling your thumbs, wondering “where in the world is Chris Bowen?” I have an answer for you.

He’s in Wollongong, getting excited about green hydrogen.

Updated

Japan strikes military deal with Australia, first outside of US

​Japan and Australia have announced a broad-ranging military agreement to strengthen defence ties with more training and exercise between the two nations.

The Japan-Australia Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) provides the legal framework for greater defence cooperation between the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF).

It’s the first visiting forces agreement Japan has struck with any country outside the United States.

As part of the agreement, F-35s will be deployed between the two countries for the first time, and Australia will participate in Exercise Yama Sakura as a full participant with more than 150 personnel travelling to Japan in December.

The deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, said the agreement would deepen the relationship between Australia and Japan’s respective defence forces in a region of “increasing complexity”.

Both Australia and Japan recognise the increasing complexity of our security environment and the need to grow our partnership to support a stable and prosperous region.

Minister for foreign affairs, Penny Wong said both nations shared an “aspiration for a stable, peaceful and prosperous region”, adding the security and defence relationship was “critical to both nations”.

Updated

Police visited the victim’s mother this morning to deliver the tragic news of her son’s death.

Out of respect and courtesy for the victim’s family I’m not going to say where the victim is from, it’s certainly part of the wider Coffs Harbour area.

My heart goes out to the victim’s mother, friends and family.

The 17-year-old boy, charged with murder, is appearing in court later this afternoon. No one else is expected to be charged.

Updated

Police say stabbing death of 16-year-old is a ‘tragic loss of life’

Police in Coffs Harbour are providing an update after the stabbing death of a 16-year-old boy overnight.

A 17-year-old has been charged with murder, assault causing death and drug possession. The knife they believe he used has not been found.

Both the victim and the offender were local, police say.

I’m not going to speculate on the motive, that’s under investigation … it’s a small community … and the ripple effect is huge, from local residents that provided assistance and the greater community as well. It’s a terrible set of circumstances.

It’s a senseless and tragic loss of life.

Updated

‘Arrogant universities’ letting down student teachers, shadow education minister says

Shadow education minister Sarah Henderson has lashed out at “arrogant universities” following the release of the report today which pointed to a persistent under-preparedness of graduates for the classroom.

The report, published by the Centre for Independent Studies (CIS), warned the biggest problem hitting the sector wasn’t a lack of potential teachers starting degrees, but a lack of those who finish them – particularly at universities that enrol large proportions of students for online or part-time.

Henderson said it was “beyond a joke” that students were falling through the cracks due to workforce shortages and burnout.

As the CIS has found, it is a national embarrassment that Australian teacher education is a decade behind other countries. Universities which fall short of producing the best-qualified teachers are contributing to half of all teachers leaving the profession after five years, and an unacceptable decline in student outcomes.

There must be immediate consequences for arrogant universities which fail student teachers. If universities aren’t prepared to meet the grade on the teaching degrees they offer, they should not continue to be funded or permitted to offer teaching courses.

The federal government has set up a teacher education expert panel to improve teaching courses and address workforce shortages, proposing strengthening standards for initial teacher education (ITE) programs and placing greater accountability on universities to prove their success rates.

Updated

Teenager charged with murder after fatal stabbing at Coffs Harbour beach

A 17-year-old has been charged with murder after the stabbing of a teenage boy near Coffs Harbour.

Emergency services were called to Corindi beach, north of Coffs Harbour at around 5.30 on Sunday evening, where they found a 16-year-old boy suffering a stab wound on his thigh.

Police offered first aid until paramedics arrived and transported him to the local health service, where he died shortly after.

About 3.30 this morning, the 17-year-old attended Coffs Harbour police station where he was interviewed before being charged with murder, assault causing death and possess prohibited drug.

He was refused bail to appear before a children’s court today.

Updated

NSW teachers poised to strike for better pay

The New South Wales Independent Education Union has given the green light to protected industrial action if an ongoing teacher’s pay dispute in the state isn’t resolved by Friday.

The union met late last week to consider the progress of negotiations between the NSW Teachers Federation and the NSW government, which publicly broke down earlier this month.

At the meeting, the executive passed a motion authorising protected action if the standstill continues. It will meet again on Friday 18 August, to discuss details of the potential strikes.

Secretary of the branch, which represents around 30,000 members, Mark Northam said pay rates for teachers in NSW public schools were directly relevant to teachers in the Catholic and independent system.

There is a teacher shortage in Catholic schools as well and our employers need to act and tell the government to act on teacher pay.

Updated

Many thanks to the lovely Emily Wind for keeping us informed today. I’ll be with you until stumps.

Thanks for joining me on the blog today! I’ll leave you with the lovely Caitlin Cassidy, who will see you through until the end of the day.

Immigration minister wishes Pakistani Australians happy independence day

Immigration minister Andrew Giles has published a statement, sending his warmest greetings to Pakistani Australians celebrating Pakistan Independence Day today.

He wrote:

Australia’s Pakistani community is one of the fastest growing in our country, contributing not only immense cultural diversity and vibrancy, but also a spirit of community and friendship. I convey my sincerest thanks for your shared commitment to helping build Australia’s future together.

Our nation has been enriched by generations of Pakistanis who have settled in Australia and contributed to our local communities.

Updated

You can read our full report on Mark Latham’s dumping as NSW One Nation leader below:

First-in, first-served to watch Matildas v England match at Sydney stadiums

Fans hoping to watch the Matildas take on England live on the big screens at two Sydney stadiums will be subjected to a first-in, first-served system, with doors to open an hour and a half before kick-off on Wednesday.

The government will not be creating an official ticketing system and instead, doors will open at 6.30pm at Western Sydney Stadium and Sydney Football Stadium.

Further details about the Parramatta and Moore Park sites are expected to be revealed later on Monday.

Continue reading:

Updated

Former top cop to probe greyhound cruelty concerns

Former Victorian police chief Graham Ashton will lead South Australia’s independent inquiry into greyhound racing, AAP reports.

The inquiry was prompted by the recent release of footage of a trainer kicking and punching a dog. It also came just weeks after penalties were handed down in SA’s first confirmed case of live baiting.

Premier Peter Malinauskas said the conduct in the video was unacceptable and animal welfare should be a paramount consideration for the industry.

He said a key question for the inquiry would be whether it remained appropriate for SA’s greyhound racing sector to essentially regulate itself.

There is a live question mark about whether or not that is an appropriate way for the industry to govern itself into the future.

Ashton is due to report back to the government by the end of November. He said he would conduct a range of interviews and consult broadly across the industry.

The particular emphasis for me is on the welfare of greyhounds. The footage in this case was abhorrent.

It’s really important that we examine how broadly this is going on and what other risks are out there to greyhounds and their welfare.

Greyhound Racing SA previously welcomed the independent inquiry and said it would cooperate fully.

Former Victoria police chief Graham Ashton
Former Victoria police chief Graham Ashton will lead the inquiry into greyhound racing in South Australia. Photograph: James Ross/AAP

Updated

Hanson releases statement justifying Latham sacking, stating review of party’s performance

One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson, has released a statement following the sacking of Mark Latham as the party’s New South Wales leader.

A spokesperson confirmed the state executive has been replaced and the leader position had been declared open.

Hanson’s spokesperson said the party had seen a vote drop at the March state election and the priority now was to review the structure ahead of future elections.

The statement read:

The new executive’s priority is a comprehensive review of the party’s organisation ahead of future election campaigns, with a focus on the relationship between the organisation and parliamentary wings of the party, and the performance of the parliamentary wing.

The national executive of the party has also declared vacant the position of NSW parliamentary leader while the review takes place.
No one has been sacked as a member of One Nation.

When Senator Hanson is confident the organisation and parliamentary wings of the party have established an effective, strong and collaborative working relationship under her leadership, she will consider opening the position of NSW parliamentary leader for nominations.

Updated

Latham says Hanson should ‘buy a mirror’ if ‘worried about under-performance’ of NSW One Nations branch

In his statement, Mark Latham claims that Hanson’s sole justification for this takeover is their upper house vote, which fell by 1% in March.

Yet our 6% result was still 2% ahead of the NSW Senate result last year in a campaign Hanson herself headed.

In Queensland, Hanson’s Senate vote fell by 3% and she only just scrapped in for re-election. If she is worried about under-performance, her best solution is to buy a mirror.

…the decision to try to abolish the position of NSW One Nation Parliamentary Leader is bizarre, mirroring something the Greens do in the NSW Parliament.

Latham has stated that he “remain[s] as the leader of our parliamentary team”, made up of himself, Rod Roberts and Tania Mihailuk.

Over the past 5 years we have built up into the largest One Nation parliamentary party in the country – so where’s the problem?

Updated

Latham ‘rejects … Queensland control’ of NSW One Nation branch

In a statement, Mark Latham said he “rejects” the “Queensland control” of the NSW One Nation branch.

This comes as Latham has been dumped as leader of NSW One Nation, with the party’s federal leader Pauline Hanson installing herself as the branch’s temporary leader.

In a statement, Latham said:

[Hanson] has installed her own new State Executive with people from Queensland and Tasmania who did not lift a finger to help us during the March election campaign.

Good party members who worked exceptionally hard for One Nation have been kicked off the Executive.

Updated

Mark Latham dumped as One Nation leader in NSW

Mark Latham has been dumped as the One Nation leader in New South Wales after the party’s federal leader, Pauline Hanson, staged an extraordinary intervention in the state branch to remove him.

Hanson has installed a new state executive in NSW and made herself the branch’s temporary leader after disbanding the former state executive in order to axe Latham from the leadership position.

Latham was sacked from the position last week.

In a statement on Facebook, Latham said he had been removed without consultation:

On Wednesday 9 August, without consultation or due process, Senator Pauline Hanson used the National Executive powers of One Nation to take over our NSW branch.

Mark Latham
Mark Latham was sacked from his position as One Nation Leader in New South Wales last week. Photograph: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

Updated

Independent MP Zali Steggall joins tributes to Mary-Louise McLaws

Independent MP Zali Steggall has paid tribute to Mary-Louise McLaws, saying that she was a kind, selfless and calm soul.

Posting to social media, Steggall wrote:

Mary was incredibly generous with her time, sharing her vast expertise with me, the Warringah community & all of Australia.

Farewell to a kind, selfless & calm soul who used her deep knowledge to help keep our communities safe.

Updated

New electrolyser to ‘transform green hydrogen production, Hysata ceo says

More on the Hysata investment, via AAP:

Hysata Ceo Paul Barrett said the “exceptional efficiency” of Hysata’s electrolyser would transform the economics of green hydrogen production.

Spun out of a University of Wollongong lab, Hysata was established to commercialise the technology that has been proven to use less electricity and require less cooling while producing green hydrogen.

Initial development of the system is currently under way, with the field pilot at Stanwell due to commence in 2025.

Australia faces stiff competition from heavily subsidised rivals in the US and elsewhere in the race to produce the alternative fuel.

But strengthening Australia’s sovereign manufacturing capabilities through this project could pave the way for Hysata to create a secure local pipeline for heavy industry and export to other carbon-constrained economies.

Energy and climate change minister Chris Bowen said the regions can and should have a piece of the action in supplying renewable hydrogen technology to heavy industry at home and abroad.

Updated

Cutting-edge hydrogen tech starts up in steel heartland

Homegrown startup Hysata is getting a cash injection to scale up pioneering hydrogen technology that could slash Australia’s industrial carbon footprint, AAP reports.

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has today announced $20.9 million for Hysata to develop and test a unit at a new manufacturing facility in steelmaking heartland at Port Kembla in NSW.

The demonstration unit will then be installed in Queensland next to the Stanwell Power Station near Rockhampton, backed by $3 million from state-owned power company Stanwell Corporation.

Energy and climate change minister Chris Bowen said the project would reduce costs for renewable hydrogen and ensure Australia’s heavy industries remain competitive.

The cutting-edge project will demonstrate the effectiveness of Hysata’s electrolyser technology at a scale of five megawatts with an aim of a 20 per cent increase in efficiency compared to current electrolysers in use today.

Football fans search for tickets for Wednesday’s Matildas World Cup game in Sydney

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of people desperately searching for a ticket to the Matildas match on Wednesday night in Sydney. One of them is Rana Hussain, a sports inclusion advocate.

Like so many others, she’s posted a call-out on social media in case anyone has a spare ticket:

She told me this morning that while she hasn’t secured a ticket yet, “the network is definitely coming to [the] party and it’s super heartwarming!”

Blog readers, if you’re one of the lucky ones with tickets and have one to spare, feel free to reach out.

Updated

PM says Qantas planes supporting Indigenous voice will ‘inspire Australians’

Prime minister Anthony Albanese has just shared some photos on social media from this morning’s Qantas announcement:

Albanese wrote:

Qantas has unveiled beautiful designs on three of their planes in support of the Yes vote in the upcoming referendum.

They’ll be flying across our skies, encouraging Australians to have a conversation about what constitutional recognition will mean for our country.

By listening to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people on matters that affect them, we can improve lives. That’s what the Voice will do.

Like the Nalanji Dreaming and Wunala Dreaming designs of the 90s, this is something that can inspire Australians and bring us together.

Updated

Queensland Catholic schools employees to stop work for five minutes

Thousands of employees at Queensland Catholic schools are set to take protected industrial action tomorrow as negotiations for an agreement with employers continues.

Members of the Independent Education Union of Australia will stop work for five minutes across 34 schools in the state, including some of its most prestigious colleges, followed by a range of work bans throughout the day.

Branch secretary Terry Burke said employers were behaving “as if collective bargaining negotiations are over, despite this very clear message from their employees that there are key issues outstanding”.

Members are not convinced employers are addressing key issues in schools. They are taking the action as part of a campaign to address the workload crisis that is seeing teachers leave the sector in droves.

The strikes will take place as bargaining continues between the New South Wales government and the NSW Teachers’ Federation over a pay deal for government teachers.

Updated

Meanwhile, the treasurer is gallivanting in Queensland.

Education minister welcomes visit by Chinese counterpart

China’s minister for education, Professor Huai Jinpeng, is on his first ministerial visit to Australia in an encouraging sign for the nation’s tertiary sector.

The education minister, Jason Clare, will meet with Jinpeng today, followed by minister for employment Brendan O’Connor tomorrow.

In a statement, Clare said the meetings would focus on the “importance of the Australia-China relationship in education as well as skills and training”.

It is also an important opportunity to build on the long history of education engagement between our two countries, and discuss other matters in accordance with our respective national interests.

Australian senior officials will also meet with a delegation from China’s ministry of education for the sixth joint working group on education and research.

On the agenda will be “key areas for education cooperation”, including student mobility and qualifications recognition. It follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding with India last year, as Australia’s international student sector moved to capitalise on the nation’s ambitious education plan.

Updated

Large carpet python makes unwelcome visit to Gold Coast home

A Gold Coast family has had a shocking surprise visitor, with a ginormous coastal carpet python making its way on to their porch:

Updated

Lunchtime recap

If you’re sitting down for your lunch break, here’s what has been making headlines the past few hours:

  • A public health expert has told a parliamentary inquiry that consultancy firm EY should have disclosed its paid work with Santos before accepting a job shaping the NSW government’s gas policy.

  • Victorian sports minister Steve Dimopoulos said he is too superstitious to throw his support behind a public holiday if the Matildas win the World Cup, saying: “Let’s get through Wednesday’s game first”.

  • Speaking on the Indigenous voice the parliament referendum, prime minister Anthony Albanese said the yes campaign is “stepping up” amid poor polling.

  • Meanwhile, Qantas has confirmed its support for the voice with Yes23 logos to be included on three planes.

  • Albanese said there is AI-generated content being spread online opposing the voice to parliament that is “designed to spread information”. You can read more on the issue here.

  • The NSW bus transport system is riddled with reliability issues and driver shortages, especially in areas where bus transport has been privatised, a taskforce has found. You can read the full report here.

  • Bendigo Bank has reported “record” cash earnings for the 2023 financial year, with its cash earnings after tax up by 15.3% to $576.9m

  • The fire season is under way in Queensland, the Bureau of Meteorology has warned, with warm and dry weather forecast across the state this week.

  • A 16-year-old has died following a beachside stabbing north of Coffs Harbour.

Updated

300,000 illegal vapes seized in WA

More than 300,000 illegal vapes with a street value of $10m have been found in a warehouse in Perth, the largest seizure of the products in Western Australia, AAP reports.

Health officials found the 40-pallet haul earlier this month, along with 10 tonnes of nitrous oxide and other prescription items, after a tip-off.

The seizure came amid a crackdown on illegal vapes and e-cigarettes which can contain up to 200 toxic chemicals, including the same compounds found in cleaning products, nail polish remover, weed killer, bug spray and paint stripper.

Inhaling nitrous oxide can be equally dangerous, causing permanent nerve or brain damage and even death.

The health minister, Amber-Jade Sanderson, said the work of compliance officers had prevented hundreds of thousands of harmful products making their way into the community. She said:

Nicotine is a highly addictive and dangerous poison, and we know vapes also contain many other toxic substances and are designed to appeal to young people.

In WA, the maximum penalty for selling nicotine vapes is a $45,000 fine and individual and $225,000 for a company.

Individuals can also be jailed for up to three years.

Updated

Beetlejuice to premiere in Melbourne in 2025

Moving away from politics for a moment: the eight-time Tony Award-nominated musical Beetlejuice will be showing at the Regent Theatre in Melbourne in April 2025.

The musical features an original score by Melbourne’s own Eddie Perfect and is based on the 1988 Tim Burton film.

Beetlejuice tells the story of Lydia Deetz, a strange and unusual teenager obsessed with the whole “being dead thing”. Lucky for Lydia, her new house is haunted by a recently deceased couple and a degenerate demon with a thing for stripes. When Lydia calls on this ghost-with-the-most to scare away her insufferable parents, Beetlejuice comes up with the perfect plan, which involves exorcism, an adorable girl scout who gets scared out of her wits and a whole (nether)world of pandemonium.

Perfect said:

While Beetlejuice began on stage in America, this show has a macabre sensibility and twisted humour that Australians will delight in.

I always hoped it would have a life here at some point and I am thrilled that moment has finally arrived. I can’t wait to share it with a home crowd for the first time.

Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder in the 1988 film Beetlejuice.
Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder in the 1988 film Beetlejuice. Photograph: Moviestore/Rex Shutterstock

Updated

NSW will be ‘forever grateful’ to Mary-Louise McLaws: health minister

The New South Wales health minister, Ryan Park, has released a statement paying tribute to Mary-Louise McLaws, saying the state will be “forever grateful” to the renowned epidemiologist.

McLaws, who guided Australians through the Covid-19 pandemic, died on Saturday aged 70, after a brain cancer diagnosis in January last year.

Park described McLaws as a “preeminent voice and mind” who garnered respect from public health decision makers across the nation and the world and whose work “began long before Covid-19”.

Park said:

She was never afraid to question and scrutinise decisions in the interest of achieving the best health outcomes for our community.

I had the honour to have met Mary-Louise on several occasions, and I valued her counsel.

Her legacy will serve as an inspiration to future generations of epidemiologists.

Epidemiologist Mary-Louise McLaws, pictured here in February 2021.
Epidemiologist Mary-Louise McLaws, pictured here in February 2021. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Updated

Qantas has just announced that three of its Qantas Group aircraft will have Yes23 logo featured on it, in support of the Indigenous Voice to parliament.

In a tweet, Qantas wrote:

We’re taking our support for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, and better outcomes for First Nations people, to the skies, with the [Yes23] logo on three Qantas Group aircraft.

Barnaby Joyce reveals he accidentally watched replay of Matildas match on Saturday

The nail-biting Women’s World Cup match between Australia and France on Saturday has quickly become one of those “where were you?” moments in Australian sport, particularly because of the longest penalty shootout a World Cup has ever seen.

For Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce, he unknowingly missed the big moment. While he was at his local pub watching the game on Saturday, it turns out he was actually watching a replay of a previous match and came away thinking the Matildas had won 1-0.

He spoke about the blunder on Sunrise this morning:

I went to the pub and watched them on the weekend, but I think we were watching the wrong game.

I think they put on a repeat because it was on Channel 10, I don’t think it was the right one.

I know it was an incredible penalty shootout which we never [saw]. We went and had dinner because we thought they’d won 1-0!

You can watch his Facebook video capturing the moment here.

I don’t know about you, but this has given me a much-needed laugh for this Monday morning.

Updated

PM says AI-generated content opposing voice ‘designed to spread misinformation’

Circling back to prime minister Anthony Albanese’s earlier appearance on WSFM radio.

Albanese claimed that some of the content being published online around the Indigenous voice to parliament is AI-generated:

It’s pretty scary frankly, some of the no campaign and stuff that’s going into people’s Facebook posts which is designed to spread misinformation.

Some of it AI-generated, some of it generated, of course, by people … But [the voice] will just simply not have an impact on most of your listeners, it won’t have any impact on their lives at all. But just might make things better for the most disadvantaged group of Australians.

Updated

John Pesutto to push for Fifa World Cup in Australia if elected

The Victorian opposition leader, John Pesutto, has said if he is elected premier he will push for the Fifa World Cup to be held in Australia, with the final game to be hosted in Melbourne.

Speaking to 3AW radio, he said:

It has to be a national effort, but Victoria should lead that.

That would be something we have long thought about. Our state and our country is big enough to love multiple codes, operating at the one time, and there’s no reason why we can’t make it work.

And people want it … we are events loving people here, in Victoria in particular.

Updated

‘Back up that spirit of Australia’ by voting yes to voice, urges PM

Albanese finishes by talking about reconciliation. He likens it to a “handshake between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australia”, and urges people to vote yes to “back up that spirit of Australia which defines who we are”.

Let’s meet grace with grace by saying yes in the referendum.

Updated

PM praises Qantas for supporting voice to parliament and ‘longstanding commitment to the cause’

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is speaking now at the Qantas event and says the referendum is an opportunity to “lift up our nation”. In a now-common refrain, Albanese says:

If not now, when? If not us, who? In 2023, we will give every Australian the opportunity in coming weeks – not long to go now – to do that, to show respect, to uplift our whole nation and to send a message to the world that we are a confident, mature nation prepared to come to terms with the fullness and the richness of our history.

Albanese asks Australians to reflect on what it will feel like the day after the referendum if Australia votes yes:

The day after the referendum – the day after – it will be such a wonderful moment because the alternative is more of the same – the same that sees us achieving just four of 19 closing the gap targets being on track. We can do better, we must do better, we will do better when Australians vote for recognition. And I say to Qantas – not just because i’m a former transport minister – but there is no company in Australia that immediately says Australia like this brand of Qantas. And you have such a fine history of having a longstanding commitment to the cause … It is absolutely time for us to say yes.

Updated

For some context on our earlier Bendigo Bank post, via my colleague Jonathan Barrett:

Commonwealth Bank recently posted a record $10.16bn cash profit, even as more of its customers succumb to rising borrowing rates, prompting a sharp increase in bad debts.

The bank’s 2022-23 results were 6% higher than a year earlier, buoyed up by expanding profit margins generated during a period of fast-rising interest rates.

CBA chief executive, Matt Comyn, said that while the economy had been resilient, there was evidence of stress among customers.

There are signs of downside risks building as rising interest rates have a lagged impact on mortgage customers and other cost-of-living pressures become a financial strain for more Australians.

You can read the full report here:

Updated

Qantas confirms support for Indigenous voice with Yes23 logos on three planes

Alan Joyce, the Qantas boss, is speaking in Sydney:

We’re here today to confirm and to demonstrate that we support an Indigenous voice to parliament … We’re also literally flying the flag. And here we have three aircraft with the Yes23 symbol on it.

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is expected to speak shortly.

Updated

Bendigo Bank reports ‘record’ cash earnings of $576.9m

Bendigo Bank has reported “record” cash earnings for the 2023 financial year.

Its cash earnings after tax are up by 15.3%, at $576.9m, and its total income on a cash basis increased by 14% to $1,932.8 million.

In a statement, it said this has been “driven by a measured approach to deposit pricing, lending margins and volumes” – in other words, low savings interest rates and high margins on mortgages.

CEO and managing director, Marnie Baker, said with was “another strong result” for the bank.

At the same time the external environment presents us and our customers with challenges. While we are not seeing material signs of borrower distress, we are ready to support our customers.

Baker said cost-of-living pressures continue to present a challenge to Australian households.

While our asset quality remains sound and arrears are at historic lows, we do expect bad debts to trend upwards and move towards longer term averages of 10 to 12 basis points over time. Borrowers remain in good shape with 41 percent of loans at least one year ahead on repayments and 31 percent of loans two years ahead on repayments. Pleasingly, we have seen very little deterioration in these numbers with 84 per cent of home loans maintaining a financial buffer.

Another translation: “bad debts trending upwards” would mean more customers unable to afford to pay their mortgage.

Updated

EY criticised for lack of disclosure on Santos work during parliamentary inquiry

A public health expert has told a parliamentary inquiry that consultancy firm EY should have disclosed its paid work with Santos before accepting a job shaping the NSW government’s gas policy.

EY accepted a $67,375 contract to inform a policy statement that greenlit the gas giant’s Narrabri development. But the firm did not disclose it was also being paid to audit Santos’ accounts.

An EY spokesperson told Guardian Australia it did not disclose the work as it did not consider it to be a real or perceived conflict of interest. They said “any suggestion of a conflict of interest, or that EY advocated for Santos, is inaccurate”.

But the lack of disclosure was criticised by the NSW minister for natural resources, Courtney Houssos, and Greens MP Abigail Boyd, who is leading a NSW parliamentary inquiry into consultants.

Dr Julia Anaf, a research fellow at The Stretton Institute at the University of Adelaide, told the inquiry on Wednesday last week that EY should have disclosed the paid work with Santos.

Before anybody joins a business or a public sector role, it should be made quite clear what conflicts are and how you’re easily compromised. These must be disclosed and you can disclose them. You may not be able to prevent conflicts, but at least disclose them. You really must know that you are up for a conflict. It should be quite clear from the beginning, really.

Updated

The Victorian sports minister, Steve Dimopoulos, has reportedly said he is too superstitious to throw his support behind a public holiday if the Matildas win the World Cup.

Let’s get through Wednesday’s game first.

Updated

Spending slows at JB Hi-Fi

Consumer electronics company JB Hi-Fi has warned of difficult trading conditions ahead as sales start to dip.

The company recorded a fall in sales in July at its Australian stores and electrical and appliance business The Good Guys, according to a trading update released on Monday.

The chief executive, Terry Smart, said:

As we have continued to demonstrate, we will adapt and respond to the changing retail conditions to ensure we remain the number one destination for shoppers and grow our market share.

The July figures are evidence that spending is starting to slow, as households grapple with fast-rising borrowing rates and living costs.

The pullback is particularly sharp at The Good Guys, down 12% compared to the prior July.

The July pullback came after a robust 12 months of sales, lifting 4% to $9.6bn for 2022-23 across the JB Hi-Fi business, which includes New Zealand outlets.

Smart described the financial year as a “challenging retail environment”, with net profit down 3.7% to $525m despite the lift in sales.

Updated

Focus on savings led to loss of NSW bus operators with local knowledge: report

More on the first report of the bus industry taskforce, via AAP:

The taskforce found that driver shortages should have been predicted and better managed.

It also noted an unacceptable lack of basic driver facilities at layover areas. It further suggested a focus on other transport infrastructure and capital investment, such as for rail, had come at the expense of the provision of basic bus services.

This included real-time bus tracking, which has resulted in more than 10% of buses not being visible to passengers – widely known as “ghost buses”.

The 76-page report also noted a focus on savings during the latest retendering period for bus services provision had led to a loss of operators with local knowledge.

Taskforce chair John Lee said:

I was disappointed to learn that only 2% of the capital budget is allocated to buses when they move over 40% of public transport passengers.

To make matters worse, the former government failed to reinvest the millions of dollars made from privatising Sydney Buses back into vital services, especially in underserviced areas.

Updated

NSW bus network reliability has deteriorated: report

The NSW bus transport system is riddled with reliability issues and driver shortages, especially in areas where bus transport has been privatised, a taskforce has found.

The first report of the bus industry taskforce, set up in May by the state Labor government, was released on Monday. The transport minister, Jo Haylen, said the government had given in-principle support to seven key recommendations made by the taskforce:

The taskforce report is clear that on-time running and reliability has deteriorated over recent years and passengers expect and demand a better service.

We promised the people of NSW we would take decisive action to help deliver better bus services for our communities and this Bus Industry Taskforce First Report provides a clear roadmap on what we need to do.

We want better contract and performance management, better service planning and a thriving industry that will attract new bus drivers – ultimately this will give the hundreds of thousands of people who rely on our buses the service they deserve.

- from AAP

Updated

Teenager dies after beachside stabbing north of Coffs Harbour

A teenage boy has been killed and a homicide investigation launched after the 16-year-old was found with a serious stab wound near a northern NSW beach, AAP reports.

Emergency services were called to Pacific Street at Corindi, north of Coffs Harbour, about 5.40pm on Sunday, when they found the teen with a stab wound to his thigh.

Police gave the boy first aid until paramedics arrived and took him to a hospital in Coffs Harbour, but the 16-year-old died a short time later.

Homicide detectives have launched an investigation into the death under Strike Force Cored.

Police said officers had spoken to a number of people who were near the scene of the Corindi incident.

Investigators appealed for anyone with information about the stabbing to contact local police or Crime Stoppers.

Prof Mary-Louise McLaws, the epidemiologist who guided Australians through the Covid-19 pandemic, has died at the age of 70 from brain cancer.

You can now read our full report from my colleague Natasha May below:

Updated

‘This is about a more inclusive society’: Albanese likens no campaign to opposition to marriage equality

Albanese also compared the no campaign in the Voice referendum to claims made in the marriage law postal survey, which legalised marriage equality.

He said:

Remember before the marriage equality survey that was held, the vote that was held around Australia. People were told somehow it would undermine straight people’s marriage ... It had no negative impact on anyone. The world has moved on, it’s just more inclusive as a result of that. And the negative no campaign … is led by some of the same people, mind you, who were involved in no for that vote are also involved in the no campaign now.

And … you know, the arc of history bends towards justice. And this is about a more inclusive society and just stepping forward and acknowledging, if we do things the same way, then we should expect the same outcome. So nothing to lose here, but everything to gain.

Updated

‘An opportunity for us to feel better about ourselves’: Albanese on voice

On WSFM, Albanese was also asked about the voice – and he made a pitch to non-Indigenous listeners to vote for the advisory body.

Albanese said:

This will just simply not have an impact on most of your listeners, it won’t have any impact on their lives at all. But just might make things better for the most disadvantaged group of Australians. And Australians are generous people, they want greater opportunity for Indigenous Australians. This is an opportunity to do that, it’s an opportunity to show respect for Aboriginal Australians, but also it’s an opportunity for us to feel better about ourselves.

And I just say to people, before the apology to the Stolen Generations, there was a whole lot of scare campaigns, there was statements that we couldn’t do this because it would result in all these reparations and why should we feel guilty, we didn’t steal Aboriginal kids. But guess what, we did it, and it made the country better. And this will make the country, the greatest country on Earth, just a little bit better.

Updated

PM says yes campaign is ‘stepping up’ amid poor polling

Albanese was also asked about poor polling for the yes side of the referendum to enshrine an Indigenous voice in the constitution.

He said:

What I see when I go right around the country is tens of thousands of Australians knocking on doors; is an enormous campaign that is stepping up. We will have our ALP national conference this week in Brisbane. That will be an opportunity as well, to talk about the way that people are campaigning. The Liberal party leader in NSW, Mark Speakman, came out over the weekend supporting a yes vote in the referendum. He joins Jeremy Rockliff, the Tasmanian premier who’s been campaigning very strongly for a yes vote. Pat Farmer will arrive in Sydney soon, he’s run right around Australia, the former Liberal member for Macarthur, and he’s run literally thousands of kilometres; every day he’s doing that to raise awareness of the yes campaign.

Updated

PM says Matildas’ success ‘much more than just a sporting event’

Earlier this morning Anthony Albanese was asked about the prospect of a public holiday if the Matildas win the Fifa Women’s World Cup.

He told ABC Sydney:

Well, I’ve said that the state and territory leaders should consider it and I know that it’s received a pretty warm reception in most quarters, I’ve got to say.

This is something much more than just a sporting event. This is an inspiration to young girls in particular, but also young boys. The idea twenty years ago that … packed stadiums [would watch] women’s team sport around the country, is something that could not have been anticipated.

It’s been well documented that when the Matildas played Brazil not that long ago in Brisbane, they played two games versus, of course, the Brazilians, known for their football prowess. The first game, a couple of thousand people turned up, and the second game, they didn’t open the stadium because it would have cost more money to open it than to allow any fans in. So, it was a fan free event.

And now what you’re having is, I’m sure you could fit [a] quarter of a million people in, if a stadium was big enough on Wednesday night.

Updated

Epidemiologists and health experts pay tribute to Mary-Louise McLaws

Deakin University epidemiology chair Prof Catherine Bennett says Mary-Louise McLaws has left behind a rich legacy from decades of work.

Bennett told ABC Radio:

She was someone who really did have a strong and long contribution in infectious diseases.

[She] then brought that [experience] into the pandemic when particularly her genuine warmth and concern for people really came through in the way she helped people understand [the situation].

The newly appointed Victorian chief health officer, Clare Looker, remembered McLaws as a calm and compassionate voice throughout the pandemic who was committed to translating evidence for the community.

We have lost a fierce public health advocate.

Infectious diseases physician and Australian National University associate professor Sanjaya Senanayake thanked McLaws, his “dear friend”, for guiding Australians through such a torrid period.

VicHealth chief executive Sandro Demaio said McLaws was a generous and kind leader who helped countless Australians through the darkest times of the pandemic, while University of South Australia biostatistics professor Adrian Esterman described McLaws as an esteemed colleague and a voice of reason.

- from AAP

Updated

NSW premier pays tribute to ‘a truly great Australian’

Tributes are continuing to flow for epidemiologist Mary-Louise McLaws.

NSW premier Chris Minns said Australia has lost “a truly great Australian”, honouring McLaws’ efforts to eliminate HIV, contain pandemics and help stop the spread of swine flu:

There are very few health challenges our country faced in Professor McLaws’ lifetime, that she did not tackle head on.

Thank you Professor McLaws for all you did for our state and country.

Vale.

Updated

Fire season 'under way' in Queensland, BoM warns

The Queensland Bureau of Meteorology said fire season is getting under way with warm, dry weather forecast across the state this week.

Brisbane hit 29.1 C yesterday, marking its warmest August day since 2018, the BoM said.

Maximum temperatures will be several degrees above average for many locations for the next few days.

Updated

The morning so far

While things briefly slow down here on the blog, I’ll take a moment to recap what we’ve learned so far this morning:

  • The NSW premier, Chris Minns, has confirmed that if the Matildas win the final of the Women’s World Cup, he is planning for a public holiday.

  • He said it would bring an “explosion in economic activity”, dismissing claims it would negatively impact small business.

  • The Greens are continuing to call for a nationwide cap or freeze on rent increases ahead of national cabinet meeting on Wednesday. Their housing spokesperson Max Chandler-Mather disagreed with comments from the RBA governor that rent freezes or caps don’t work in isolation.

  • Health minister Mark Butler said a national crackdown on vapes has not been delayed, but talks between the states and territories may prolong the process as they work to nationalise an approach to the ban.

  • Japanese F-35 fighter jets will deploy to the Northern Territory for the first time later this month as a landmark defence deal between Japan and Australia finally enters into force.

  • Tributes have been flowing for epidemiologist Mary-Louise McLaws, who has passed away at the age of 70 after a long battle with illness.

  • And virtually no part of Australia is affordable for aged care workers, early childhood educators, cleaners and nurses, Anglicare says. You can read the full report from my colleague Cait Kelly below:

Updated

Ansell sales suffer amid post-pandemic glut of protective gear

Surgical gloves maker Ansell has recorded a sharp decrease in demand for its products, leading to a 15% fall in sales and steep cut to earnings.

Ansell was one of the stellar stock market performers of the pandemic, but now faces a market that has ample supplies of protective gear.

Sales fell to US$1.66bn in 2022-23, down from US$1.95bn a year earlier. Earnings, before interest and tax, also fell more than 15% to US$206m.

Ansell chief executive, Neil Salmon, said at an investor presentation on Monday morning:

We see signs that this business is emerging from its destocking phase and overall a stronger mix of portfolio than we had prior to the pandemic.

The Melbourne-headquartered company specialises in making protective gear for pharmaceutical and laboratory workers. It was formerly known as a condom manufacturer, but has sold that division.

Shares in the company have been trading at 40% below their pandemic highs.

Updated

‘The world doesn’t stop’: PM dismisses concerns about impact of public holiday for Matildas

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has brushed off concerns about the impact a snap public holiday could have, particularly on small business and hospital bookings, if the Matildas win the Women’s World Cup.

He told ABC Radio on Monday:

The world doesn’t stop on a public holiday.

Albanese remembered people were concerned about the cost of the national day of mourning when Queen Elizabeth II died but it ended up providing hospitality businesses with a big boost.

Regardless of what happens, what we need to do is to have a proper celebration for the Matildas and their achievements.

It has been extraordinary the way that they’ve carried themselves, not just on the field during the game, but afterwards as well.

As mentioned earlier, Albanese will discuss the matter with state and territory leaders when they meet for national cabinet on Wednesday.

- with AAP

Updated

Tributes flow for epidemiologist Mary-Louise McLaws

Tributes have been flowing for epidemiologist Mary-Louise McLaws, who has passed away at the age of 70 after a long battle with illness.

Independent MP for Kooyong, Dr Monique Ryan, said it is “such a sad loss for this country”.

Dr Stephen Parnis, a Melbourne emergency physician and a former vice-president of the Australian Medical Association, honoured McLaws as “such a singular and powerful contribution to Australian Public Health”.

Our deepest sympathy to her loved ones.

Prof Adrian Esterman said McLaws was “an esteemed colleague and a voice of reason”.

Meanwhile, Guardian reporter Josh Taylor noted McLaws’ generosity to reporters throughout the pandemic:

Updated

Hanson-Young calls on SA premier to stream Matildas match at Adelaide Oval

Yesterday, the NSW premier, Chris Minns, announced Allianz Stadium in Moore Park and CommBank Stadium in Parramatta would be opened up to crowds to stream the Matildas match against England on Wednesday night.

Now, the Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young has called on South Australia’s premier, Peter Malinauskas, to follow his lead and open Adelaide Oval on Wednesday night:

Let’s get our South Australian cheer on at the Adelaide Oval for The Matildas.

Our Tillies deserve the biggest crowd possible! Come on let’s do it!

Updated

Private developers monopolising housing to keep prices high: Chandler-Mather

Circling back to the Greens’ housing spokesperson Max Chandler-Mather, who spoke on ABC RN this morning. He rejected comments made by the RBA governor last week that rent freezes or caps don’t work in isolation, and that land release and supply is key.

Chandler-Mather:

I would be sceptical about the RBA governor talking down rent caps given that … he’s obviously in the financial system, and the creation of a financial system, that overwhelmingly benefits banks and property developers.

Chanlder-Mather was pushed on whether land release might be critical to increase supply and put downward pressure on prices.

He said the solution is a larger supply of public housing, and argued the only time in Australian history since the second world war where rents went down – outside recessions and wars – was when there was a nationwide cap on rents and a large investment in public housing, “larger than anything near what the government is proposing at the moment”:

That’s because housing is currently almost entirely monopolised by private property developments to game the system to ensure house prices keep going up.

The only way to break up private monopolies is to insert either large-scale regulation, which is what we’re proposing on rents, and or a large-scale investment in public and affordable housing to ensure you have a public option and aren’t just subject to the whims of property developers who want to make money.

Updated

And for a quick refresher on how public holidays work in NSW:

Under the Public Holidays Act, the minister can declare a public holiday, but seven days’ notice must be given.

As outlined in the act, under “Additional public holidays”:

(1) The Minister may by order published on the NSW legislation website declare a specified day or part-day in a particular year to be a public holiday. The order must be published at least 7 days before the public holiday.

(2) The order can declare a public holiday for the whole State or for a specified part of the State.

(3) The Minister may by order published on the NSW legislation website cancel a public holiday declared under this section. The order must be published at least 7 days before the public holiday.

Updated

‘Ticker-tape parade’ to celebrate Matildas’ win would bring ‘explosion in economic activity’: Minns

The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, will push for a public holiday within a week of the Women’s World Cup finals if the Matildas win.

He confirmed on Monday morning the day would also include a “ticker-tape parade” through Sydney’s CBD.

He said:

I don’t want to jinx this amazing team … but if we did do it in Sydney, for a big public holiday, and a massive ticker-tape parade, can you imagine the kind of energy, economic excitement?

It’d be an explosion in economic activity, particularly for the CBD. My sense is the people of Sydney in particular couldn’t wait to celebrate the team and the victory with the girls.

He said it could not happen on the Monday after the grand final due to the processes involved with getting a public holiday approved, but would ensure it happened within a week of the game.

Updated

NSW planning public holiday if Matildas win World Cup, premier confirms

The NSW premier, Chris Minns, has confirmed that if the Matildas win the final of the Women’s World Cup, he is planning for a public holiday.

Speaking to 2GB radio this morning, Minns said NSW will push for a public holiday only if the Matildas win the World Cup:

… not just to celebrate the victory, but also to have a massive civic celebration and allow the Matildas to celebrate with the people of Sydney what would be an amazing, life-changing and unbelievable event in state history.

Minns said any public holiday would occur “within a week” of the finals, needing to give seven-days notice.

There’s pretty strict rules in place for public holidays and obviously, we want them to do well, we want them to win the entire thing. I think they’ve got a great chance of doing that, but you’d only have a public holiday in New South Wales if they took out the trophy.

Updated

Question of whether vape ban to be legislated by commonwealth or states, Butler says

Mark Butler was also asked about the government’s plan to ban all disposable vape products. He said they are working on it “furiously” with eight other jurisdictions for a uniform approach, but haven’t got a set timeframe yet.

He said the main sticking point is whether the ban can be dealt with using one piece of commonwealth legislation, or whether each parliament across the country would have to enact mirroring legislation.

… which will be, you know, difficult, complex and probably take some time.

We know that there will be a furious response by the industry – there has been every time we tried to regulate nicotine or tobacco – so we want to make sure that we get this right.

Butler said non-nicotine vapes are “vanishingly rare”

And one of the real problems is we don’t know how much nicotine. This black market that’s flourished [is] cynically targeted at kids.

You can tell that through the fact that they’re bubblegum flavoured and they’ve got pink unicorns on them. It’s not as if those sorts of things are targeted at the middle-aged hardened smoker.

Butler said that one in five young Australians, and one in seven high school students, are vaping.

Signage at a store selling e-cigarette products in Melbourne
The government is planning to ban all disposable vape products. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

Updated

Transition package to help rural pharmacies stay open when 60-day dispensing changes begin: Butler

Mark Butler was also asked whether he acknowledges the new 60-day dispensing rules for prescriptions at pharmacies, coming into effect from September 1, would be a hit for rural pharmacies.

This follows vocal opposition from the Nationals leader, David Littleproud, who argued the new rules would hit those in regional and rural areas hardest.

Butler said rural pharmacies have a different business model to ones in the city, often relying less on retail and more on dispensing income, which is why a transition package was introduced.

This package includes doubling the allowance they receive to stay open:

In addition to that … small rural pharmacies, which is the vast bulk of them, will receive 100% of the reduction in dispensing income – that’s over and above the additional investment we’re making in all pharmacies across the country – which will amount … to hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding from taxpayers through the course of this four-year period.

Updated

Good pay and conditions critical to addressing shortfall of doctors and nurses, says health minister

The minister for health, Mark Butler, spoke on ABC RN just earlier. He was asked about the chronic underpayment of junior doctors, amid a number of class actions in different jurisdictions.

Butler said Australia is “desperately short” of doctors and nurses, and all young people pursuing medicine need to be treated properly.

I can’t stress enough just how short we are of health professionals and that’s not an Australian thing, we’re seeing that right across the world right now.

So good terms and conditions, a good place to work is critically important if we’re going to get the young people working in health that we need.

When asked if the states and territories would come to the commonwealth and ask for more money to pay junior doctors, Butler said:

No, they’re already funded to pay their doctors and nurses properly. That’s that’s already a very clear expectation in the hospital funding agreement.

Updated

Further to our last post, my colleague Cait Kelly has more on the issue here:

Essential workers can afford one in 100 homes: report

Early childhood educators, nurses and aged care workers in full-time work can only afford as little as one in 100 rentals, according to a survey released on Monday.

Kasy Chambers, the executive director of Anglicare Australia, the organisation which conducted the snapshot, says the numbers help explain why essential industries are facing labour shortages, as workers cannot afford to live in areas where the shortfall is the worst:

Virtually no part of Australia is affordable for aged care workers, early childhood educators, cleaners, nurses and many other essential workers we rely on.

The snapshot, taken on 17 March, looked at 45,895 rental listings across the country and calculated how many were available for less than 30% of the award rate for 16 categories of essential workers.

It found early childhood educators, hospitality workers and meat packers could only afford 0.9% of listings available across Australia that weekend. Aged care workers could afford 1.1% of rentals, nurses 1.5% and ambulance drivers 2.4%.

Even in regional Australia, where prices have historically provided respite from the turbocharged urban centres, homes were unaffordable on the whole unless they were so remote jobs were not widely available.

Chambers said the best way to make rentals more affordable is to build social and affordable homes, and introduce tax reform that centres people, not investors.

- from AAP

Updated

Tax system would pay the difference, not property owners, if mortgage costs jump: Chandler-Mather

Q: If you put in place a rental cap or rent freeze on a property that’s owned by a mortgage holder or an investor and the mortgage jumps up a number of times. What happens to the person that’s the investor?

Max Chandler-Mather:

We have a tax system that allows them to write off their losses on their income, which gives them a shock absorber.

… Currently those tax concessions are gonna cost the federal government $39bn in the next year and … the 5.5 million renters who don’t get the insulting small amount of commonwealth rent assistance get nothing.

So should the property owner cop the difference?

… the tax system cops the difference, they get to write those losses off on the tax.

I think it’s fair enough that when rents have gone up [by] the fastest rate we’ve seen in 35 years … that we put in to slow that down to give the one-third of this country who rents a little bit of a break.

Updated

Rents should be capped at 25% of income, says Greens housing spokesperson

Max Chandler-Mather, the housing spokesperson for the Greens, spoke on ABC RN earlier this morning about the Greens’ push for the federal government to coordinate national rent caps via national cabinet.

National cabinet will next meet on Wednesday in Brisbane, with increasing housing supply and affordability top of the agenda, according to prime minister Anthony Albanese.

Speaking on ABC RN, Chandler-Mather said “the devil’s in the detail” when it comes to affordable housing and criticised the approach Queensland is taking around what constitutes “affordable”:

In Queensland, their definition of affordable housing is just below market rent, which means it could be $1 below market rent now we’ve defined that as affordable and that’s not affordable for anyone.

He argued rents should be capped at 25% of income:

The only reason we’re seeing a downturn in approvals is because interest rates increased and it made it harder for some developers to finance their projects.

Even if approvals were going up … property developers will only build at a rate that doesn’t … put downward pressure on house prices. That has been a consistent element of our housing system since government stopped building a lot of public housing.

Updated

Family of pastor Ian Wilkinson ‘deeply moved’ by support

More from the family of Ian Wilkinson, via AAP:

Baptist church pastor Wilkinson lost his wife, 66-year-old Heather Wilkinson after the pair ate the mushrooms at a lunch at a Leongatha home in Victoria’s south-east on 29 July.

Ms Wilkinson’s sister Gail Patterson, 70, and brother-in-law Don Patterson, 70, have also died in hospital.

In a statement released on Sunday night, the family of Ian Wilkinson said they wanted to thank the Austin hospital staff for their unwavering care and support, as well as members of the public who’ve sent cards and letters:

We are deeply moved by the outpouring of kindness, prayers, and support from friends, family, and the broader community.

Your thoughts and well-wishes have been a source of strength and comfort to us all.

As we navigate this difficult journey, we kindly request that our privacy be respected. We need space to grieve, support one another, and care for Ian without public intrusion.

Updated

Landmark defence deal with Japan enters into force

Japanese F-35 fighter jets will deploy to the Northern Territory for the first time later this month, with a landmark defence deal between Japan and Australia finally entering into force.

The Australian government says the visiting forces agreement, the first Japan has signed with another country since its agreement with the US more than 60 years ago, will pave the way for more regular and sophisticated training.

The agreement was signed in January 2022 under the Morrison government but finally entered into force yesterday.

The Australian government said the reciprocal access agreement (RAA) would enable more training and exercises between the two countries, including the deployment of Japanese F-35s to RAAF Base Tindal in the NT at the end of August.

It said Australian F-35s would deploy to Japan for the first time in early September for Exercise Bushido Guardian. Australia would also “participate in Exercise Yama Sakura as a full participant for the first time with more than 150 personnel travelling to Japan in December”.

The defence minister, Richard Marles, said the RAA would deepen the relationship between the two defence forces:

Both Australia and Japan recognise the increasing complexity of our security environment and the need to grow our partnership to support a stable and prosperous region.

At an event yesterday at Kirribilli marking Exercise Malabar – which brings together Australian, Indian, Japanese and US forces – Anthony Albanese said peace was “never a given” and must be “built, defended and upheld”.

Japan’s ministry of foreign affairs said the RAA’s entry into force would “enable Japan and Australia to further contribute to the peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific region”.

An F-35 jet aircraft of the Royal Australian air force on the runway
An F-35 of the Royal Australian air force. Photograph: Albert Perez/AAP

Updated

Good morning

Happy Monday, and welcome back to the Australia news liveblog. My name’s Emily Wind and I’ll be rolling today’s breaking news here on the blog.

Here’s what’s making headlines to get us started today:

Japanese F-35 fighter jets will be deployed to the Northern Territory for the first time later this month, with a landmark defence deal between Japan and Australia finally coming into force. My colleague Daniel Hurst has the full story, which we’ll bring you here on the blog soon.

Mary-Louise McLaws, the epidemiologist who expertly guided Australia through the Covid-19 pandemic, has died at the age of 70 from a brain tumour. Her husband, Richard Flook, said she passed away in her sleep on Saturday night, and that family will be planning her funeral service at Emanuel Synagogue in the next few days.

And the family of Ian Wilkinson – the survivor from a group of four people hospitalised after consuming a meal of poisoned mushrooms – has thanked hospital staff and the public for their support, AAP reports.

The 70-year-old is still critical but in a stable condition at the hospital in Melbourne’s north-east. In a statement last night, his family wanted to thank the Austin hospital staff for their unwavering care and support.

Let’s get into the day.

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