What we learned, Thursday 12 March
It’s time to wrap things up for the day. Here’s what’s been keeping us busy:
The federal energy minister, Chris Bowen, announced a temporary downgrade in Australia’s fuel quality standards.
Dennis Richardson says his decision to resign from the royal commission into antisemitism had nothing to do with the government, but says he came to the decision that he was “surplus” to the needs of the body.
Increasingly ugly abuse in federal parliament has prompted a group of independents and the Greens to call for an urgent intervention from Labor to change the rules
The sealed section of the robodebt royal commission report has been made public almost three years after the final report was handed down.
Australian shares suffered heavy losses today over concerns the oil market turmoil caused by the Middle East conflict could get worse.
Software provider Atlassian said on Wednesday it would lay off around 10% of its workforce, or roughly 1,600 positions, as part of a restructuring plan to push into artificial intelligence and enterprise sales, Reuters reports.
Foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, said most of the Australians who were caught in transit in airline hubs in the Middle East have now returned home on several dozen flights that have made it out in recent days.
A Liberal candidate in South Australia’s upcoming state election has dropped out of the race after his “shocking and extreme” views on abortion, same-sex marriage, gender transitioning and feminism were aired by his Labor rival.
Updated
SA candidate who made ‘shocking and extreme’ comments on podcast no longer running for Liberals
A Liberal candidate in South Australia’s upcoming state election has dropped out of the race after “shocking and extreme” comments on abortion, same-sex marriage, gender transitioning and feminism were aired by his Labor rival.
The leader of the SA Liberals, Ashton Hurn, yesterday stood by Carston Woodhouse, running for the seat of Wright in Adelaide’s north, after his appearances on the evangelical Christian podcast ElijahFire surfaced.
Today, Hurn said Woodhouse “will no longer be the candidate”:
I stood here yesterday, and I made myself clear that I did not support the comments made by a particular candidate. That remains true today, and that person is no longer a candidate for the Liberal Party at this state election.
I still maintain very strongly that people are entitled to have their view.
In videos of the podcast conversations, Woodhouse describes feminism as “demonic”, says there is “this illusion that you can somehow change your sex” and adds “who knows what demonic realms we’ve opened up to the world … by accepting homosexuality”.
Hurn originally stood by Woodhouse, saying she did not hold the same views, but that she was “not going to stop someone from having an opinion”.
Today, she would not say whether Woodhouse was disendorsed or had resigned, adding he remained under contract with the SA Liberal party.
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