The day that was, Sunday 23 October
The time has come to wrap up the blog for the evening. Here is a summary of the day’s top stories.
Flood warnings are in place across Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and Tasmania, with wet weather forecast to persist until the middle of next week. Flood waters in towns in northern Victoria have reached record levels, while 20 evacuation orders have been issued across NSW.
The climate change minister, Chris Bowen, announced that Australia has joined 122 countries in committing to lower methane levels in the atmosphere.
Housing, Indigenous and domestic violence services are set to receive an extra $560m over four years in Labor’s first budget since being elected.
The NSW transport minister, David Elliott, announced he will leave state politics at the March election, to avoid a factional preselection battle.
The Bureau of Meteorology has been accused of “cowering in the corner” on the climate crisis, with current and former staff describing a conservative culture that left the Australian public poorly informed.
Thanks for joining us today. Wherever you are around Australia, stay dry and safe.
Netball Australia boss says sport must balance ‘social conversations’ with ‘commercial realities’
Netball Australia boss Kelly Ryan has responded to accusations of virtue signalling from the organisation following the loss of a $15m sponsorship, AAP reports.
Billionaire Gina Rinehart’s mining company Hancock Prospecting on Saturday pulled the plug on its controversial offering in a major blow to the sport’s financial future.
The deal appeared to be a lifeline after NA suffered losses of more than $7m in two Covid-impacted years.
Hancock had agreed to a $15m sponsorship deal over four years, due to go directly to the high-performance program. NA and Diamonds skipper Liz Watson both publicly supported the Hancock deal during the week.
But the players’ association has since confirmed its support of Indigenous player Donnell Wallam, who had flagged the company’s record on Indigenous matters dating back 40 years to offensive comments by Rinehart’s late father Lang Hancock.
Roy Hill, majority-owned by Hancock, will withdraw its sponsorship of Netball WA and the West Coast Fever, the companies offering a four-month deal to allow NA and Netball WA time to secure new partners.
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