What we learned today, Saturday 11 February
We’re going to leave the blog here for today. Thanks very much for sticking with us for the latest. Here’s an update on what made headlines:
Anthony Albanese announced he will be the first sitting Australian prime minister to march in Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras when he joins the parade for the WorldPride festival.
A red alert warning was issued on Norfolk Island with residents urged to take shelter in the strongest part of their homes as Cyclone Gabrielle approached with wind gusts up to 155km/h and dangerous surf conditions.
NSW Labor announced it would ban gay conversion practices if it wins the upcoming state election. The Labor leader, Chris Minns, said the “dangerous and damaging practice” did not belong in the state.
Three Australians are believed to have died in the devastating earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria, which has killed more than 23,000 people.
Hidden donors handed more than $90m in “dark money” to Australian political parties in the financial year of the last federal election, new analysis shows.
An Australian intelligence agency declared a year ago it was up to government departments whether to use equipment from Chinese companies Hikvision and Dahua, despite a new bipartisan push to remove such devices.
Have a great Saturday night. We’ll be back with you tomorrow morning.
Updated
‘Wild night’ expected as Cyclone Gabrielle nears Norfolk Island
The Bureau of Meteorology has given another update on Cyclone Gabrielle, which is predicted to pass over or near Norfolk Island on Saturday evening, bringing destructive winds and very heavy surf.
Here’s the latest update:
Gale-force winds and high waves are currently developing and conditions may worsen overnight as the centre of the cyclone moves past.
Periods of gales are expected over Norfolk Island during this afternoon through into Sunday afternoon.
There are some indications that the island may avoid the strongest winds of the system, however, a period of destructive winds is still possible during the evening or early Sunday, with gusts up to 140km/h.
The Norfolk Island administrator, Eric Hutchinson, said the territory had already experienced a “wild night” with some power outages, but the cyclone was not expected to make its full impact until later on Saturday afternoon.
Tourists were urged to leave ahead of the storm, but Hutchinson said anywhere between 800 and 950 visitors likely remained on the island.
– with AAP
Updated
Charity welcomes funding boost to fight hunger
Save the Children has welcomed the federal government’s $25m commitment to address food insecurity in Yemen, Pakistan and the Horn of Africa.
The announcement takes the government’s total financial commitment to this region to $45m.
According to Save the Children, 10 million children are struggling to find enough food to eat amid conflict in Yemen. Millions more face food shortages in Pakistan due to last year’s devastating floods.
Here’s the charity’s chief executive, Mat Tinkler:
The Australian Government’s commitment to addressing food insecurity in hunger hot spots is commendable. This funding will have tangible, real-world impacts and help save children’s lives.
Sustaining these efforts over the coming months will be critical, as we know the global hunger crisis extends to countries such as Afghanistan and Syria, which are experiencing complex and growing needs.
Updated
Anthony Albanese to march in Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
Anthony Albanese will be the first sitting Australian prime minister to march in Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras when he joins the parade for the WorldPride festival, AAP reports.
The prime minister says he will be joined by the foreign minister Penny Wong, the first openly gay woman in parliament, when he takes part in the event later in February.
Here’s what Albanese told the crowd at the opening of Pride Square at Newtown, in Sydney’s inner west:
I’ll be the first prime minister not to watch the march on Mardi Gras, but to march.
We speak a lot about tolerance – and tolerance is really important – but this is about a step that is way more important than tolerance.
We need to celebrate our diversity, not just tolerate it, because our diversity is what gives our society strength.
In 2016, Malcolm Turnbull became the first sitting prime minister to attend the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, but he did not march in the parade.
That year, the then opposition leader Bill Shorten became the first federal leader of a major party to participate in the march.
Updated
Cyclone Gabrielle close to Norfolk Island
The Bureau of Meteorology has warned of “destructive winds” and “very heavy surf” off Norfolk Island. The worst weather conditions are expected later this evening, as the cyclone gets closer to the island.
Latest track map of #TC-Gabrielle, currently 200 km WNW of #NorfolkIsland. 102 km/h gust recorded at 03:36 pm. DESTRUCTIVE WINDS (gust >=140 km/h) possible. VERY HEAVY SURF, ABNORMALLY HIGH TIDES likely. Latest warning/track map at https://t.co/1QABEqXBqn pic.twitter.com/vOzwOHopB0
— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) February 11, 2023
‘An incredible moment’: Equality Australia praises NSW Labor
Equality Australia has welcomed NSW Labor’s commitment to end LGBTQ+ conversion practices.
The Labor leader, Chris Minns, pledged on Saturday to outlaw the “dangerous and damaging practice”, which he said did not belong in the state.
Here’s part of a statement the group’s legal director Ghassan Kassisieh released a short time ago:
Today’s announcement by NSW Labor is an incredible moment, a major step toward ensuring that every person in NSW is respected for who they are, and can live their life with dignity, free from harm.
Practices seeking to change or suppress a person’s sexuality or gender identity cause real and lasting harm and are not supported by any medical or psychological professional association.”
Today we stand with survivors in commending NSW Labor on their announcement and calling on all NSW political parties to commit to ending these deceptive and harmful practices that seek to change or suppress a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
Updated
I am now going to hand you over to my esteemed colleague Henry Belot, who will take you through the rest of this afternoon. Look after yourselves!
Players are on the field for day three of the first Test between Australia and India. Follow along with all the action in our special cricket liveblog, here:
Can you pick it? … Who said it: an Australian MP or ChatGPT?
The artificial intelligence application ChatGPT has already been banned in some state schools over concerns it could help students cheat, but some Australian MPs delivered speeches partially written by the tool in parliament this week.
I got half of this quiz wrong when I did it just now. Maybe you will fare better?
Updated
NSW government to set up Mascot Towers expert panel but dismisses Labor’s loans plan
All possible alternative options to help owners of a defect-plagued Sydney apartment building will be weighed up by the NSW government as it dismisses a rival plan to offer residents low-cost loans, AAP reports.
The fair trading minister, Victor Dominello, said on Saturday an expert panel led by the NSW building commissioner, David Chandler, would be set up immediately to find a solution for owners of the uninhabitable Mascot Towers complex.
He said the team would look at the feasibility of remediating the building, but it would also report back on “all other options available to resolve this matter”:
[The] report is a crucial first step in finding a solution for the long-suffering owners of Mascot Towers.
Without this, owners would remain in limbo with no clear path forward on a course of action.
Residents were rushed from the 132-unit block in Sydney’s inner south in June 2019 after reports of movement in the building. Major cracking was detected and engineers later declared the building uninhabitable.
The opposition on Thursday announced it would provide low-interest loans to owners or act as guarantor in order to fix the remaining issues in the building if it won the March election.
Labor said the government should have offered low-interest loans to owners when the complex was evacuated.
Dominello said he didn’t understand how “blindly” adding more debt for owners would help those already struggling financially and psychologically from the building debacle.
The state government has provided more than $16m in rental assistance to residents and Dominello said financial aid would continue until a solution was found.
Updated
Here’s the latest from Guardian Australia’s newest regular cartoonist, the inimitable Fiona Katauskas.
Updated
Man charged with murder over death of young woman in Ipswich
A 21-year-old man has been charged with murder over the death of a young woman west of Brisbane.
Krystle Monks, 19, was found in a critical condition after reports she collapsed at a home in Bundamba, a suburb of Ipswich, on 4 February. She was taken to hospital but died the next day.
On Friday, investigators arrested the 21-year-old Dinmore man in Brisbane. He was charged with one count of murder (domestic violence offence).
Queensland police detective acting superintendent Larissa Miller told reporters on Saturday morning:
Due to their relationship we are investigating this matter as a domestic family violence homicide.
Our thoughts are with Miss Monks’ family who, as you can understand, are still incredibly distressed and upset by the loss of their loved one.
Miller then read out a statement from the family, who remembered the 19-year-old as “forever young, always beautiful”.
Updated
South Australians warned as potentially deadly virus detected outside Murray Valley
The potentially deadly Murray Valley encephalitis virus has been detected further inland in South Australia for the first time, prompting a warning to stay away from mosquitoes.
The virus was detected in a sentinel chicken based in Clare, about two hours north of Adelaide, on Friday, AAP reports.
It is the first time the disease has been found outside the Murray River area.
There have been no cases of the disease in humans since 2011 but the risk of a case developing is “very real”, according to SA Health.
Testing around the Clare area will now ramp up to get a better picture of the spread of the virus, which is carried by mosquitoes.
Health authorities urged every South Australian, regardless of where they live, to be on alert.
Updated
Here’s what happened when a cyclone hit Norfolk Island in 1910 … courtesy of the at-risk public archive Trove
OK bear with me on this, but there’s a bot on Twitter called the Trove News Bot, which deep-dives the Australian newspaper archive Trove in response to current news.
Just now, in response to this here news blog, the bot has found an article from 110 years ago about … a cyclone hitting Norfolk Island.
The article, which appeared in the Newcastle Morning Herald and Miner’s Advocate on 31 March 1910, says:
A heavy gale began on Monday morning with a hurricane. The wind increased during the day with drizzling rain. The barometer fell fast during the evening and night, and the wind increased in force, being accompanied with almost continuous, terrific squalls. On Tuesday morning at 4.30 the glass stopped falling, and the wind slackened down.
A good deal of damage was done. The Cascade landing was completely wrecked. All the sea wall was completely washed away, and in places it is almost impassable. The whaling sheds to the right of the road were washed away, with one whaleboat and two small boats. The mission shed was lifted bodily off the foundations and carried 13 yards. The roof covering was completely stripped and blown hundreds of yards away. All over the island great pine trees have been blown down, and the roads strewn with limbs. House verandahs also suffered.
Trove is an incredible resource at risk of shutting down completely in July due to being progressively defunded – a shortfall not addressed during the federal Labor government’s recent arts funding announcements.
Found in response to @GuardianAus latest at https://t.co/qch9KgmdFP! 31 Mar 1910: 'CYCLONE AT NORFOLK ISLAND. NORFOLK ISLAND, Wednesday.', Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate, https://t.co/m5cTgN0f2F pic.twitter.com/kv3mvbvKW0
— TroveNewsBot (@TroveNewsBot) February 11, 2023
Updated
Red alert issued on Norfolk Island as Cyclone Gabrielle approaches
Authorities on Norfolk Island have issued a red alert to residents, urging people to take shelter in the strongest part of their homes as Cyclone Gabrielle approaches.
Those who cannot take shelter have been told to relocate, if safe to do so, to an emergency shelter at Rawson Hall and then stay inside until an all clear signal is given by emergency services.
Here’s part of Emergency Management Norfolk Island’s latest update:
If the cyclone centre passes over the island this evening, destructive winds may ease for a short period of time. Beware of this and do not go outside. Destructive winds are then likely to redevelop from the opposite direction.
Cyclone Gabrielle is expected to impact the island later this afternoon with wind gusts of up to 155km/h, dangerous surf conditions and heavy rainfall.
The Norfolk Island emergency management controller, George Plant, said the community was looking after visitors who were not used to such extreme weather.
Here’s what he told the ABC:
Long-term residents are fairly used to preparing for storms like this, but visitors and people who have come to the island recently probably find this to be a bit of a challenge to them.
Thirteen-year-old charged with attempted murder in Hobart
A 13-year-old has been charged with attempted murder over a violent robbery in Hobart.
The incident happened at Moonah, in northern Hobart, at about 12pm on Friday.
The victim is in a critical but stable condition in hospital.
The 13-year-old has also been charged with aggravated armed robbery and assault.
A second youth, aged 15, was also charged with aggravated armed robbery and assault.
Tasmanian police are aware video of the incident has been circulating on social media and have asked people not to distribute it.
Updated
Here’s the latest tracking map of Cyclone Gabrielle, which is heading towards Norfolk Island and expected to pass through the area around 9pm tonight.
Latest track map of #TC-Gabrielle heading to #NorfolkIsland. The eye of TC will pass through/close by the island around 9 pm this evening. GALE winds are to increase to DESTRUCTIVE WINDS this afternoon/evening. VERY HEAVY SURF, ABNORMALLY HIGH TIDES and HEAVY RAIN also likely. pic.twitter.com/c9DODPsFoT
— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) February 11, 2023
Updated
Australian intelligence agency advised discretion on using Chinese equipment
An Australian intelligence agency declared a year ago it was up to government departments whether to use equipment from Chinese companies Hikvision and Dahua, despite a new bipartisan push to remove such devices.
The advice from the Australian Signals Directorate was published in late 2021, at a time when the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, was defence minister.
This week the opposition called for action as it circulated new figures showing that at least 913 Hikvision and Dahua devices – including CCTV systems – were installed at more than 250 government sites across a range of departments.
The defence minister, Richard Marles, and the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, vowed to ensure any such equipment was removed from their departments, while a wider review was also launched by the attorney general, Mark Dreyfus.
The opposition frontbencher James Paterson obtained the figures after asking individual government departments and he labelled the equipment “a unique national security risk to Australia”.
Read the full story here:
Updated
NSW Labor will ban conversion practices if it wins election
Gay conversion practices will be banned in NSW if the opposition wins the upcoming state election, AAP reports.
The Labor leader, Chris Minns, pledged on Saturday to outlaw the “dangerous and damaging practice”, which he said did not belong in the state:
We should not have a situation where children are being told something is wrong with them and that they need to be fixed.
Conversion practices, which are already outlawed in several states, aim to suppress or change an LGBTQ+ person’s sexuality based on the notion that to be non-heterosexual requires treatment.
Labor said it would ban the practice, establishing a working group with NSW Health and the Department of Justice to produce workable laws.
The key independent MP Alex Greenwich said on Friday he would introduce a bill to end gay conversion practices in NSW regardless of which party was elected to government in March.
His bill would stop the practice of changing or suppressing sexual orientation and gender identity.
Greenwich said support for the laws, which were based on the Victorian model, would be critical for him in any deal to support a minority government.
The NSW health minister, Brad Hazzard, indicated support for the Victorian laws in 2019 but suggested the issue of conversion practices should be addressed nationally, not on a state-by-state basis.
But the opposition health spokesperson, Ryan Park, said NSW was lagging behind other states in taking action on the important issue:
Conversion and suppression practices are ineffective, do serious damage to health and wellbeing and can cause ongoing trauma.
Updated
Thunderstorm warning issued for parts of north Queensland
Severe thunderstorms are possible this weekend in parts of north Queensland, the Bureau of Meteorology is warning. Heavy rainfall and flash flooding are the main hazard – check the warnings, including flood watch, for your local area.
Thunderstorm forecast for weekend (11-12/02): Severe storms are possible in parts of #CapeYorkPeninsula and #GulfCountry incl #Kowanyama. Heavy rainfall/flash flooding is the main hazard. Monitor warning at https://t.co/FBmpsInT9o. Flood watch also current https://t.co/Efx4SvSqiu pic.twitter.com/kpo0ktcvdq
— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) February 11, 2023
Updated
Who is most at risk of mortgage stress? And what can you do about it?
As the Reserve Bank of Australia makes its ninth rate rise in a row, homeowners are anticipating further hikes in mortgage repayments and financial counsellors are urging them to brace for mortgage stress. But what does that involve? Who is most at risk? And what can you do about it?
Your questions about mortgage stress are answered here:
Updated
Three Australians believed to have died in devastating earthquake
Three Australians are now believed to have died in the devastating earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria, as the toll from the disaster continues to rise.
The remains of an Australian man and an Australian woman have been identified by family members in Turkey, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Read the full story here:
Updated
Cyclone Gabrielle reclassified as category-two storm
Cyclone Gabrielle, which is currently bearing down on residents of Norfolk Island, has been reclassified as a category-two storm – down from a category three – as it nears the island, AAP reports.
Norfolk Island residents are still bracing for destructive winds despite the downgrade. The centre of the cyclone is predicted to pass over or near the island this evening, bringing wind gusts of up to 155km/h and very heavy surf.
Seas are expected between five and seven metres, with peak waves possibly higher.
As the eye of the cyclone passes over the island, destructive winds may ease for a short period before regenerating, blowing from the opposite direction.
Teams of military and emergency personnel are on standby to respond. Tourists and visitors were urged to leave earlier this week with the last flight departing the island on Friday afternoon.
An emergency evacuation centre is available this morning.
New Zealand’s Met Service expects the cyclone to weaken to a tropical low before it moves towards the North Island on Sunday, although it is predicted to deliver severe wet and windy weather to regions including flood-hit Auckland.
Updated
Sahar won a scholarship to study law at uni – but then the Australian government stepped in
When the email arrived, everything changed.
“Congratulations, you have been … ” The rest of the words swam away through tears.
After the confusion of being forced to flee a violent homeland as a child, after the trauma of five years held on Nauru, Sahar Ghalsemi had been accepted into university in Australia. She would study law on a full scholarship.
“I was sitting here crying my eyes out, because I had achieved something for myself,” Sahar says. “I had been allowed to. It was the greatest feeling.
“As a refugee, I’d always been made to feel that I couldn’t do things; the things that other people were allowed to achieve, they weren’t for me. So for me to be accepted to university … it was everything. I had fought for my future. I couldn’t stop crying.”
But after seven weeks at university in the first semester of 2022 – “the best days of my life,” Sahar says – the Australian government, without warning, rescinded her right to study.
She was forced to quit, her university required to disenrol her, and she has never been allowed back.
Read the full story here:
Updated
Two dead after stabbing incident in Melbourne south-west
Two men have died and another is fighting for life after a violent incident at a home in Melbourne’s south-west.
Emergency services were called to a stabbing at a Wyndham Vale home about 3am on Saturday, AAP reports.
Two men died at the Carmichael Drive property and the third suffered life-threatening injuries. Paramedics transported him to hospital for treatment.
Police have not released any details about the identities of the men involved.
A crime scene has been set up and detectives from the homicide squad are investigating.
Updated
Rate of alleged misconduct among health practitioners surged since last year
Health practitioners were reported for alleged misconduct at almost double the rate in the last year, according to Australia’s health regulator, AAP reports.
Botched procedures, inappropriate sexual relationships with patients, and wrongfully issuing vaccination exemption certificates to people were among serious breaches resulting in referrals to tribunals.
Nationwide, there were 344 referrals made in the 2021-22 financial year, recorded by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.
This was up from 180 cases in the previous year.
A spokesperson for AHPRA said a Victorian-based practitioner was found to have provided vaccine exemptions not in accordance with government legislation.
Victorian practitioners lodged the highest number of appeals (37) in tribunals about national board decisions in the past year, with Queensland-based professionals lodging the second highest amount (21).
Of the 187 matters decided by a tribunal, more than 98% resulted in disciplinary action for the healthcare worker.
One practitioner was disqualified for seven and a half years after being found to have sexually assaulted a patient.
Updated
Hutchinson continues:
We are expecting power outages, trees coming down, the potential for houses to lose rooms. [The cyclone] has been downgraded to a category two, so that is a blessing. But based on prior experiences, the last time a cyclone hit Norfolk Island of this strength was in the mid-1990s and there was damage at that time. So it is not the first time that the island has experienced this and I’d doubt very much it will be the last.
Asked what his biggest worry is, Hutchinson lists about three, including the welfare of visitors to the island, and the potential for the hospital to get damaged:
If we were to get an accommodation house that lost its roof, and other things, we’ve then got to deal with those things. All of those businesses have been made aware of what we are expecting them to do in respect of supporting their guests at their facilities. That is probably, for me, the biggest risk.
The hospital is probably the single biggest risk as well, but again there are contingencies in place. If they were to lose a roof or something, we have got contingencies in place to deal with that.
Another issue may be coastal erosion:
With relatively high cliffs around most of the island, the only part of the island really that is exposed is the world heritage area down near Kingston and there are no residents in that part of the island, so we might get a little bit of coastal erosion, as I’ve mentioned before, trees coming down, power lines, power supplies being impacted.
Updated
Norfolk Island administrator says move to red alert being considered
The Norfolk Island administrator, Eric Hutchinson, says there are “probably anywhere between 800-950 visitors on the island at the moment.”
Flights have been suspended for the next couple of days, although the usual flight from Sydney arrived as scheduled yesterday, as did the flight from Brisbane on Thursday.
Hutchinson talks through the cyclone warning system, which starts at green at the beginning of cyclone season in November, moving through eventually to red:
We’ve moved through four stages of alertness, we are now at an orange. The Emergency Management Norfolk Island is meeting now and there is the possibility that they will then increase that to the highest level of alert, which is a red alert, and that basically means that people stay at home and don’t go out.
People are doing the right thing. The community has been well communicated with and, as I say, we have just got to now see this out. There is an emergency shelter that has been set up just now, where I am at the moment in the hall, so that is probably going to be used we think by visitors to the island.
Updated
Norfolk Island administrator says there are power outages from Cyclone Gabrielle
The Norfolk Island administrator, Eric Hutchinson, is speaking to ABC News Breakfast this morning about the incoming Cyclone Gabrielle.
He seems confident that the island is in as good a position as it can be at this stage, given the worst of the cyclone won’t hit until this evening:
It was a pretty wild night but the impact of Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle isn’t expected to make its full impact until early this afternoon and that can potentially extend into the early hours of Sunday morning.
I will say, though, that Emergency Management Norfolk Island, we’ve had an incredible amount of support through the National Emergency Management Agency.
We are in a very good position. People understand, we’ve got good communication, albeit that we are having some power outages even now, we are in a pretty good position in terms of the planning and preparedness that the island is in at the moment.
Updated
Man charged with murder over death of woman west of Brisbane
A 21-year-old man has been charged with murder over the death of woman west of Brisbane, AAP reports.
The 19-year-old was found in a critical condition after reports she collapsed at a home in Bundamba, a suburb of Ipswich, on 4 February.
She was taken to hospital but died the next day.
On Friday, investigators arrested the 21-year-old Dinmore man in Brisbane.
He was charged with one count of murder (domestic violence offence) and will face court today.
Updated
Hidden donors handed more than $90m in “dark money” to Australian political parties in the financial year of the last federal election, new analysis shows.
Australia’s weak donation disclosure rules allow for the source of large swathes of money to be hidden from public view.
A new Centre for Public Integrity analysis of donations data released last week shows the source of $91.32m of party income – almost one-quarter of total party income – was hidden from public view in 2021-22.
The source of money is generally hidden from public view where donations are less than $14,500 – the Australian Electoral Commission’s disclosure threshold in 2021-22 – even if a single donor splits up a larger donation into multiple instalments below that amount.
Corporations that pay political parties significant sums of money as membership of their business forums – including the Liberals’ Australian Business Network and Labor’s business forum – are also not required to disclose their payments publicly. That’s despite criticism that the observer programs are effectively cash-for-access schemes.
The amount of dark money given to political parties in the 2021-22 election year was significantly up on the 12 months prior, when the source of $68.26m in funds was unknown. The analysis suggests that $1.53bn in dark money has been given to parties since 1998-99.
Read the full story here:
A landmark study on the use of homophobic language in men’s community sport has found education campaigns run by professional rugby players did nothing to stop young players and their coaches from mindlessly using words such as “fag” and “poof” in team settings.
The results from Monash University, just published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, directly contradict broadly accepted recommendations that this type of behaviour can be reduced through the formal delivery of education via videos or in-person talks – a practice used regularly in different sports around the world.
They have also prompted Australian rugby officials and players to call for more resources to further address a “sport-wide” problem that is harming LGBTQ+ youth in numerous codes.
Read the full story here:
BoM warns of Cyclone Gabrielle trajectory
Here’s a visual of the trajectory tropical cyclone Gabrielle is expected to take today as it heads straight for Norfolk Island.
The Bureau of Meteorology says gale winds will increase to what’s classified as destructive winds – gusts above 155km/h – from this afternoon. There’s also the risk of abnormally high tides, damaging surf and heavy rain.
The eye of #TC-Gabrielle (Category 2) will move across #NorfolkIsland this evening. GALE winds will increase to DESTRUCTIVE WINDS (gust >=155 km/h) from this afternoon. Risk of ABNORMALLY HIGH TIDES, DAMAGING SURF, HEAVY RAIN also concern. Warning https://t.co/1QABEqXBqn pic.twitter.com/Xclh4VF2HW
— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) February 10, 2023
Updated
Good morning folks, Stephanie Convery with you now and into this Saturday. Thank you to my colleague Martin Farrer for getting us started this morning!
In her weekly tour de horizon, our political editor Katharine Murphy has been looking at the forthcoming Aston byelection forced by Alan Tudge’s resignation this week.
This key first electoral test since last May presents Liberal leader Peter Dutton with the chance to portray Labor as the enemy of suburban families by allowing inflation and interest rates to rise. It gives him a chance of holding the seat, she writes, but only if he can stick to this script and stop Labor making it about his naysaying.
While Dutton wants Aston to be a referendum on the cost of everything, Labor can also stage a referendum on naysaying and negativity from the alternative prime minister. If Albanese can make Aston a ballot on Dutton’s abrasive leadership style, what are the consequences for the Liberal leader if he loses? While Dutton is overwhelmingly supported by colleagues, and the moderate wing was all but decimated last May, not everyone loves the strategy.
Read the full piece here:
Our media business expert, Mark Sweney, has been analysing the strategies playing out around News Corp and why Rupert Murdoch’s empire was forced to announce 1,250 job cuts this week after a plunge in profits of almost a third.
He says that it serves as a stark reminder that the billionaire mogul’s abortive attempt to reunite his media empire was built on a mission to protect his weakest publishing assets.
To find out more about what’s going on inside the company you can check out Mark’s whole article here:
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our rolling news coverage for the day. I’m Martin Farrer and I’ll be looking at some of the breaking stories overnight before my colleague Stephanie Convery comes along to take the helm.
Our top story this morning is that amid demands by opposition MPs for the government to have Chinese-made technology removed from official buildings, it turns out that the Australian Signals Directorate said a year ago it was up to government departments whether to use equipment from Chinese companies Hikvision and Dahua. Peter Dutton was defence minister at the time the advice was given to departments. And Senate records show the late Labor senator Kimberley Kitching had raised concerns the devices when the Coalition was still in office.
Residents of Norfolk Island are bracing for the arrival of Cyclone Gabrielle later today, threatening to batter the remote Australian outpost with powerful waves and devastating 200kmh winds. The category-three tropical cyclone is less than 1,000km from the island and on a direct path to it. The Australian defence force, federal police and emergency personnel teams were on standby. Tourists and visitors have been urged to flee before Gabrielle makes landfall on Saturday. New Zealand will be the next stop for Gabrielle and residents of North Island are already battening down the hatches.
Indigenous leaders have rebutted suggestions for constitutional recognition without a voice to parliament at the end of a week when the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has been made to work hard to justify the proposal. The Indigenous Empowered Communities delegation, a group of 10 Indigenous people from across the country, visited Canberra this week to shore up support among parliamentarians who might be wavering under a negative barrage from the Coalition. The group’s chair, Ian Trust, said constitutional recognition through an Indigenous voice was the only pathway forward. “The status-quo can no longer be tolerated,” he told AAP.
