What we learned: Sunday 19 February
With that, we will bid adieu to the blog. Enjoy your respective evenings, we’ll be back first thing tomorrow to do it all again.
Here were today’s major developments:
The death toll related to Cyclone Gabrielle in New Zealand has risen to 11 with a further two fatalities reported overnight in the hard-hit Hawkes Bay region.
The New South Wales premier, Dominic Perrottet, says politicians need to hold themselves to a higher standard after the Liberal party cut the upper house MP Peter Poulus from the ticket following an explicit photo scandal.
The health minister, Mark Butler, has declared that Australia’s climate wars “have gone on far too long” and urged the Greens and the Coalition to back the proposed reforms to the safeguard mechanism. The leader of the Greens, Adam Bandt, has declared that his party’s stance on Labor’s safeguard policy is “an offer, not an ultimatum” and the ball is in the government’s court now.
And Brittany Higgins has published receipts of her donations to a Canberra rape charity which she says show she donated all funds from her defamation case against the senator Linda Reynolds in 2021. An article in the Australian on Sunday that carried an interview with the former Coalition minister said that in the aftermath of the lawsuit Higgins “accepted the apology and planned to donate the money to charity assisting victims of sexual assault”.
Updated
Seaweed eyed for future cash crop as climate change bites
Hundreds of international scientists and industry experts will gather in Tasmania this week to discuss seaweed’s untapped potential as a cash crop including for CO2 removal and helping boost strawberry growth.
Karlotta Rieve visited more than 100 seaweed farms over the course of six months to get a grasp on the global market.
The aquaculture analyst says it’s clear climate change is taking a toll.
No matter which seaweed farm we visited it was always mentioned, some sort of affect from warming water, shorter cycles, more diseases, so it’s affecting the industry loads.
Seaweed is always proclaimed as this climate change saviour, but it’s actually a crop that’s significantly affected by climate change effects.
The conference will tackle some controversial uses for seaweed including carbon removal – a controversial subject as its unclear whether seaweed can actually sequester carbon.
Attendees will also explore how the Australian seaweed industry aligns with the Albanese government’s agenda for aquaculture development, emissions reduction and regional development.
More than $8 million was set aside in the federal budget to develop a seaweed that can be fed to cattle and drastically cut their methane emissions.
Scientific studies suggest the native seaweed can reduce methane in cattle by more than 80 per cent.
The conference will also explore a less well known application - using seaweed to grow tasty strawberries.
Recent research revealed strawberry plants sprayed with seaweed mix were boosted by up to 20 per cent. In some cases, diseases more than halved.
The role of Indigenous communities in seaweed farming will also be discussed, along with the impact of single-use plastics.
- AAP
NSW Man riding without helmet dies in e-scooter accident
A man has died after being flung off an electric scooter in Sydney’s southwest.
Police say the 44-year-old man was riding the scooter in the suburb of Wilton about 11pm on Saturday when it clipped the gutter and he was thrown to the ground.
The man suffered a serious head injury, with friends and family conducting CPR until NSW Ambulance paramedics arrived.
He was taken to Campbelltown Hospital in a critical condition but died overnight, police said on Sunday.
Police have been told the man was not wearing a helmet.
An investigation has been launched into the circumstances of the crash and a report will be prepared for the coroner.
- AAP
In the latest edition of where are federal Labor representatives of Sydney:
The minister for climate change and energy, Chris Bowen, has thrown his weight behind the candidate for Badgery’s Creek in Western Sydney, Garion Thain, as the New South Wales state election campaign ramps up.
Bowen holds the federal seat of McMahon – which encompasses Badgery’s Creek.
It’s currently held by the Liberal member Tanya Davies with a 9.7% swing, and has been since 2011.
Who are we backing for Badgery’s Creek? Garion Thain, that’s who.
— Chris Bowen (@Bowenchris) February 19, 2023
Western Sydney needs people willing to fight for better resources in state parliament.
And Garion fits the bill.
Honoured to launch his campaign with @pruecar and @senator_sheldon pic.twitter.com/q1lJBNWCQj
Meanwhile, the minister for the environment, Tanya Plibersek, is on her own home turf in Sydney celebrating Fair Day.
WorldPride is here, and there’s no better place to celebrate. Happy Fair Day Sydney ❤️ pic.twitter.com/iPVdBsyI7d
— Tanya Plibersek (@tanya_plibersek) February 19, 2023
Updated
One dead and two injured after car crashes off road near Orange
A man has died and two women are injured after a car crashed down an embankment in the New South Wales central west.
Around midday today, emergency services were called to Stuart Town – around 55km north of Orange – following reports of a crash. On arrival, officers found a car had crashed down an embankment.
The driver – a man believed to be aged in his 30s – was pronounced dead at the scene.
Two women – both believed to be aged in their 20s – were treated by paramedics before one was airlifted to hospital in a serious condition and the other taken by road in a stable condition.
An investigation is underway.
Updated
Three in four voters in western Sydney concerned about wage caps: unions
New union polling suggests wage caps on nurses, teachers and paramedics are deeply unpopular among western Sydney electorates.
The polling, conducted by UCommons, found nearly three in four voters - 72.9% of voters in Penrith, 76.5% of votes in Parramatta and 75.6% of those in the East Hills – felt “a lot” or “somewhat” concerned for the quality of public services in NSW.
A strong majority of voters in all three seats (79% in Parramatta, 75.9% in Penrith, and 78.7% in East Hills) also believe it is either “a lot” or “somewhat” likely that electricity privatisation has contributed to increased power prices.
The secretary of Unions NSW, Mark Morey, said the combination of privatisation and efforts to suppress wages of public sector workers has been met with a strong backlash in these communities.
The Liberals sold off the poles and wires to build toll roads no one can afford to use. When you flog essential services like electricity and roads the new owner needs to find a profit. Hard-working families pay the price.
At the same, Dominic Perrottet and the Liberals have deliberately capped wage growth for exhausted essential workers at less than half the cost of living.
It’s no wonder nurses, paramedics, teachers and police are looking for work that actually pays the bills.
Updated
WorldPride and Mardi Gras kicks off in Sydney
Sydney Mardi Gras celebrations kicked off this weekend, and the city’s mayor is among those attending festivities.
It’s the first time Sydney is also playing host to WorldPride, taking place over 17 days with more than 300 events.
The state government has estimated WorldPride, which is the largest LGBTQ+ festival in the world, is expected to draw 500,000 people to Sydney.
Always love joining @CloverMoore to explore @sydneymardigras Fair Day. Thank you everyone for the great feedback and chats 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈 pic.twitter.com/XLQ5NZV3IK
— Alex Greenwich MP (@AlexGreenwich) February 19, 2023
Updated
New measles cases discovered in a returned traveler from Indonesia
A new cases of measles has been recorded in a returned traveler from Indonesia prompting concerns the illness may have had a chance to spread before it was detected.
Measles is a highly infectious viral disease that spreads quickly with close contact, especially in those who are not fully vaccinated. Young children and adults with weakened immune systems are the most at risk of serious illness.
The person was present at a multiple locations between 16 and 17 February 2023 while infectious.
Thursday, 16 February 2023: 6pm to 7pm: Hikaru Sushi M-City – M-City Monash Shopping Centre 2107, Shop 48A, Level 1/2125 Dandenong Rd, Clayton (monitor for symptoms up to Monday, 6 March 2023).
Thursday, 16 February 2023: 7pm to 10pm: Hikaru Sushi M-City – Village Cinemas – cinema number 6, M-City Monash Shopping Centre, 2107/2125 Princes Hwy, Clayton VIC 3168 (monitor for symptoms up to Monday, 6 March 2023).
Friday, 17 February 2023: 4.45pm to 5.30pmm: Chemist Warehouse Clayton, 403/407 Clayton Rd, Clayton VIC 3168 (monitor for symptoms up to Tuesday, 7 March 2023)
Victoria’s acting chief health officer, Associate Professor Deborah Friedman, urged those who attended these sites to seek urgent medical care if they develop symptoms, to wear a mask and call ahead to ensure they can be isolated from others.
People can be administered [the] MMR vaccine within 72 hours of exposure to measles to prevent infection. Failing that, we recommend that people monitor for symptoms and seek medical attention if any symptoms develop.
People who are planning to travel overseas should ensure they have received appropriate vaccinations, including an MMR vaccine if they don’t have a history of two previous MMR vaccinations.
The illness usually begins with common cold-like symptoms such as a runny nose, red eyes and a cough, followed by fever and a rash. The characteristic rash usually begins three-to-four days after the first symptoms, generally starting on the face and then spreading to the rest of the body.
Recent previous cases of measles have been identified in people who are not fully immunised against measles and who have travelled overseas or been in contact with returned overseas travellers.
Measles is rare in Australia, thanks to widespread vaccination rates.
Updated
Climate change already forcing conversations about a ‘managed retreat’ in NZ
As Australia grapples with how to respond to climate crisis, over in New Zealand the government is preparing to have a tough conversation on the climate crisis as it counts the cost of Cyclone Gabrielle’s devastation and looks towards an expensive recovery.
With climate change making one-in-100 year weather events more regular, key questions are being asked about the appropriateness of roads, pipes, powerlines, properties and even whole towns in areas with high levels of climate risk.
Australian authorities have largely avoided having conversations about buy-back schemes and “managed retreat” in areas at risk of coastal erosion, prone to bushfires and catastrophic floods over fear of the political fallout – but over in NZ authorities are already facing up to the reality.
The NZ MP for Napier and senior minister, Stuart Nash, has questioned whether Eskdale, the site of major flooding and at least one death, can be rebuilt.
Two words New Zealanders are going to get used to hearing over the next few is ‘managed retreat’.
We have to understand where communities can be made more resilient, where we can do things to the infrastructure so they can stay where they are.
[For] other communities and neighbourhoods, actually we have to accept it’s no longer appropriate.
- with AAP
Updated
Over 800 calls for help were received from State Emergency Services following the storm that burst over Sydney on Saturday night.
With the cleanup underway on Sunday, here’s a visualisation from the Bureau of Meteorology as it moved across the state.
Gusty thunderstorms impacted parts of #NSW yesterday 🌩️💨, with Moss Vale recording 106km/h gust, and Sydney Apt 93km/h.
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) February 19, 2023
Storms possible again today across central and northern parts of #NSW, with Damaging Winds & Large Hail a risk. For the latest visit https://t.co/qpsr0GMP95 pic.twitter.com/btcxH9otKY
Updated
Stolen BMW tracked by police using car’s GPS system
South Australian police have tracked a stolen car using its GPS system through the city before spiking its tires on early Sunday morning.
Police responded to reports a stolen white BMW had been spotted at 7.50am on Sunday morning but when officers attempted to stop the car, it took off, crashing through a fence.
Officers did not pursue the car for safety reasons, but an air unit was called to assist with police tracking the car’s movements using its GPS tracking system.
The car began by orbiting Adelaide, heading along North East Road, Walkerville Terrace and Fullarton Road before cutting through the CBD to the western suburbs, looping back around and heading back through to the city onto Goodwood Road.
The BMW was spiked on Goodwood Road at Colonel Light Gardens before it side-swiped a Honda SUV.
A foot chase began as one person from the car ran from the crash but was caught a short distance away while the driver of the BMW fled the scene. He climbed onto a nearby roof but was also arrested a short time later.
Later investigation revealed the car was stolen during a break-in on a Brompton home early this morning.
There were no injuries from the incident.
Updated
NSW premier says politicians must be held to higher standard
The New South Wales premier, Dominic Perrottet, says politicians need to hold themselves to a higher standard after the Liberal party cut upper house MP Peter Poulus from the ticket following an explicit photo scandal.
Poulos resigned from a parliamentary role on Friday after apologising for emailing explicit images of a female rival five years ago.
Asked about why the party had chosen to can the candidate, Perrottet said:
We’ve got to have high standards in the parliament. The party made a decision ... it’s a matter for the organisation to work through and they did.
We need to make sure we have the best practices in place and I think people would expect politicians particularly to lead the way and set the standards.
Asked if a woman should replace Poulous on the ticket, Perrottet said he always wanted more women to run for the Liberals.
The government on Sunday announced NSW would become the first state in NSW that would allow pharmacists to renew prescriptions for the contraceptive pill, if the Coalition was reelected in March.
Updated
Torres Strait Islanders fear loss of home, country ahead of new sea level peak
Sea levels across the Torres Strait are predicted to reach their highest point on Monday with residents concerned the ocean could breach its sea wall.
Over the past three years, the highest sea levels have been recorded in February as concerns mount among traditional owners on Sabai who have watched extreme weather and sea level rise damage ancestral burial grounds and flood streets on some islands despite a purpose-built sea wall.
On Boigu Island, where monsoonal swells have pounded the newly built seawall and flooded the community in recent months, traditional owner Pabai Pabai says recent erosion is a constant reminder of the reality of climate change.
It’s another sad reminder to us that our communities are sinking.
I worry what the Torres Strait Islands will be like for my grandchildren. How many will be left?
The archipelago, which is located between Papua New Guinea and Cape York in Queensland, is on the frontline of the climate crisis, with sea levels rising six to seven centimetres in the past decade.
That’s double the global average, which is 3.25mm per year, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
The Torres Strait, also known as Zenadh Kes, has a population of about 6,500 people spread across about 500sq km of land and 44,000sq km of ocean.
Boigu and Saibai are flat, low-lying tropical islands about 1.5 metres above sea level, and like others in the chain of more than 200 islands, they are particularly exposed to sea level rise.
Masig Island has also suffered significant erosion in the past year, with three metres of shoreline lost to the ocean in six months, according to traditional owners.
The damage, which includes saltwater contaminating fresh water supplies and vegetation loss, most often occurs from January to March during the monsoon season when waves and high tides inundate some islands.
During these months, monsoon winds strengthen and blow from the north-west over the Gulf of Carpentaria, pushing more water into the basin which piles up along the Queensland coast and in the Torres Strait, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
Climate scientist Simon Bradshaw said many of the 17 inhabited islands’ communities are facing major problems with coastal erosion.
There are severe challenges with rising sea levels eating away at land and homes and sacred sites.
It’s naturally on those particularly low-lying islands, that include Boigu, Masig and Saibai, where the challenges are most acute.
Experts warn that unless global CO2 emissions are curbed, sea levels will rise further and faster in the archipelago and could eventually overwhelm its communities, making them uninhabitable.
The seafaring Torres Strait Islanders could become Australia’s first climate refugees.
Wadhuam Pabai and Wadhuam Kabai, who represent their islands’ 13 clans, launched a class action against the federal government in 2021.
The men are arguing the commonwealth has a legal responsibility to protect Torres Strait Islanders and ensure they are not negatively impacted by climate change.
They want the court to order the government to slash greenhouse gas emissions and save their islands from rising sea levels and other extreme weather impacts.
The federal court is due to hear more evidence from the community in June and expert evidence in October.
In September, the UN human rights committee found the Australian government had violated its human rights obligations to Torres Strait Islanders by failing to act on climate change.
– with AAP
Updated
Recruitment scammers preying on Australian job seekers
“I can’t stop kicking myself,” Rose* says.
The 51-year-old has just lost $10,000 to scammers – a life-changing amount for the mother of three.
Rose lives off jobseeker and a small wage from the hotline business she runs in the evenings. She struggles to pay the $500-a-week rent for her home near the Gold Coast she shares with her daughters, aged 12 and 16. Often she has to juggle eating with paying for petrol.
When she was contacted by someone describing themselves as a recruitment officer over WhatsApp who offered $950 a week to write fake reviews for high-profile hotel chains, and other sites selling products online, she thought the job would give her life stability and help lift her family out of poverty.
“You had to buy things [online]. You’re reviewing them as though you had bought them, the first one they paid for, and then you had to pay for them yourself,” Rose says.
Last year, Australians lost more than $8.7m to recruitment scams and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission warns that scammers are increasingly targeting the job market.
For more on how cybercriminals are targeting the vulnerable in scammers, read the full report by Cait Kelly.
Safeguard mechanism a chance to 'put climate wars behind us', Mark Butler says
A federal government minister has declared that Australia’s climate wars “have gone on far too long” and urged the Greens and the Coalition to back the proposed reforms to the safeguard mechanism.
Mark Butler, the health minister who was Labor’s climate spokesperson for a long period in opposition, was asked at a press conference today about the Greens’ stance that it is willing to negotiate with the government so long as there are curbs on new coal and gas developments.
Asked if he would meet the Greens halfway, Butler said he “won’t personally” (because it is no longer his portfolio area) but said the climate and energy minister, Chris Bowen, had been “keen to meet with all other members of parliament to get this really once-in-a-generation reform through the parliament”. Butler added:
Let’s be clear, the climate wars have gone on for far too long in this country. They’ve been holding emissions up and keeping jobs down. That’s why business across the board, every business group, has said that they want to see this safeguard mechanism passed.
So it’s not just a question for the Greens. It’s particularly a question for the alternative prime minister of the country, Peter Dutton. Does he want to see more of the last 10 years: the inertia, the conflict, the division, the lack of investment? Or does he want to see business be able to invest in the opportunities of the clean energy revolution and bring our emissions down? Our plan will reduce emissions by about 200m tonnes, if the parliament passes it. That’s equivalent to taking two-thirds of all Australia’s cars off the road over the course of this decade. It’s good for the climate. But importantly, it’s also good for the economy. So not just the Greens who should get behind it, as so many other climate groups have, the Liberal and National parties – the alternative government – who have got to put these climate wars behind us.
Pressed on Labor’s answer to the Greens’ call to explain why Australia should start any new coal and gas projects given they are major contributors to the climate crisis, Butler said:
Labor’s answer is to put in place regulations across Australia’s biggest emitters. That’s what the safeguard mechanism does: it will drive emissions down while also giving business certainty to invest in the jobs of the future.
Updated
Health minister claims win on cost of medicine
Federal health minister Mark Butler has claimed success after a Department of Health and Aged Care analysis found more than 1.6m prescriptions on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme were cheaper in January.
The result follows the lowering of the maximum co-payment from $42.50 to $30.
This meant someone taking one medication a month could save as much as $150 every year, or a family taking two or three medications could save as much as $300-$450 a year – a result Butler described as “life-saving”.
The Albanese government’s cheaper medicines policy is changing lives.
Over 1.6m prescriptions were cheaper in January thanks to our government’s policy with patients saving over $18m.
Cheaper medicine is not just putting money back into patients’ pockets, it’s also good for Australia’s health.
Butler said that if the savings “are repeated across the course of 2023”, the move would save Australians with a Medicare card $218m, a better outcome than the $200m envisioned by the government.
Updated
Woolworths expands self-serve checkout AI that critics say invades privacy
Woolworths has expanded the use of technology that films customers scanning items at self-checkouts to 110 stores in three states, as critics say the functionality could make people feel they are under constant surveillance.
For the past year, Woolworths has trialled new self-checkouts with cameras installed overhead to observe customers scanning items. The company said artificial intelligence is used to detect when items are not scanned correctly, with footage of the scan recorded and played back to the customer instructing them to re-scan.
Woolworths said the purpose is to prevent accidental wrong scans, but it also works as a loss-prevention tool for the supermarket when, for example, a customer scans fresh produce as a cheaper item instead.
The footage cannot be viewed live but Woolworths said it is retained for training staff. The company said customers’ faces are blurred and pin pads are blacked out.
Samantha Floreani, a program lead for Digital Rights Watch, said the technology could make many shoppers feel “like they are constantly being watched and recorded”.
For more on this story, read the full report by Josh Taylor on the rollout of the AI self-serve checkouts.
Updated
Ukrainian ambassador to Australia says envoy should return to Kyiv
Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia says the reinstatement of an envoy in Kyiv would help boost the relationship between the two nations as the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion approaches.
Australia’s ambassador has been stationed in Poland for the past year, after leaving Ukraine when Russian troops massed at the border ahead of Moscow’s invasion in February.
Ukrainian ambassador Vasyl Myroshnychenko says Australia could be missing out on vital information and meetings by not being on the ground.
There could be lots of co-ordination between Five Eyes ambassadors. There could also be other meetings for ambassadors that can only take place in person.
He said being on the ground would enable Australia to better co-ordinate with G7 countries, with a reliance on foot traffic through Warsaw – where the ambassador is stationed – making it harder to maintain diplomatic relationships.
I want to take our relationship to a new level with complete representation.
Both countries would be better off if we have a physical presence there. It will be in both the interests of Australia and Ukraine.
Foreign affairs department secretary Jan Adams defended her decision to withhold the ambassador from returning to Ukraine despite other nations doing so, saying she was being guided by security advice.
Fronting a parliamentary inquiry, Adams said the situation on the ground hadn’t improved in recent months with missiles striking Kyiv as recently as last week.
She said the embassy in Poland was operating “satisfactorily” and Australia continued to work effectively with its partners.
Myroshnychenko said it should be the government’s priority to increase its representation on the ground.
The ambassador is due to deliver a speech at the National Press Club on Friday to mark the one-year anniversary of the invasion.
– AAP
Updated
NZ cyclone death toll rises to 11
The death toll related to Cyclone Gabrielle in New Zealand has risen to 11 with a further two fatalities reported overnight in the hard-hit Hawkes Bay region.
On Sunday, New Zealand police confirmed a death had been reported in Crownthorpe, Hastings overnight, believed to be in circumstances related to the natural disaster.
Another person was also confirmed to have died in their home at Onekawa, Napier on Thursday, 16 February, also due to the cyclone. Thousands of people remain uncontactable on the country’s North Island a week after the devastating storm struck.
Grave fears remain for around 10 still missing as the long task of cleanup continues.
The prime minister, Chris Hipkins has called it New Zealand’s biggest natural disaster this century.
Updated
Daniel Andrews to mark 3,000 days as premier, may be immortalised in statue
Daniel Andrews, currently Australia’s longest-serving incumbent leader, will reach 3,000 days in office on Monday, a feat only five of 47 Victorian premiers have managed.
It will qualify him to be immortalised in statue outside Melbourne’s state government offices, joining Henry Bolte (6,288 days as premier), Albert Dunstan (3,834), Rupert Hamer (3,209) and John Cain Jr (3,047).
Former Liberal premier Jeff Kennett introduced the statue policy to honour premiers for their longevity but fell short of the mark when ejected from office at the “unlosable” 1999 election.
Andrews avoided the same fate in November, guiding Labor to another election landslide over the Matthew Guy-led Coalition.
When asked about the milestone and accompanying honour, Andrews said it was just another day and he wouldn’t do anything special to commemorate it.
That was a milestone dreamt up by former premier Kennett. From my point of view, there’s no magic to that day.
People who spend a lot of time talking about legacy usually spend not enough time actually building one.
Andrews will surpass Cain as Victoria’s longest-serving Labor premier in April and then follow on Hamer and pre-federation premier James McCulloch, who in an apparent anomaly does not have a statue along Treasury Place.
A Department of Premier and Cabinet spokesman said, as a matter of practice, it provides a brief to the government on commissioning the statue after a qualifying premier leaves office.
Andrews, however, has said his successor will decide if and when the statue is built, not him.
It’ll be a matter for the 49th premier. It’ll be one of many things that person has to do.
– with AAP
Updated
NSW man found dead in water near Nelson Bay
The body of a man has been located in the water on the New South Wales north coast.
About 9.10am on Saturday officers from Port Stephens Water Police responded to a report that a body had been found approximately 60 metres offshore by a member of the public in Swan Bay – roughly 20km west of Nelson Bay.
The body was recovered by police and returned to shore.
Police have yet to formally identify the body but it is believed to be that of a 44-year-old man.
There are no suspicious circumstances.
An investigation into the incident has commenced and a report will be prepared for the information of the coroner.
Updated
‘Selfishly hell-bent on looking good’: the surfing trend dividing Byron Bay
Amid the perfect blue rolling waves of Byron Bay’s beaches, a menace lurks.
It’s not sharks or stingers that are spoiling the vibes at perhaps Australia’s most famous tourist town, but out-of-control surfboards.
A trend among some surfers to not wear leg ropes attached to their board has been blamed for a spate of serious injuries, including most recently to a surfer who had his arm slashed open by the fin of a rogue surfboard.
Mathew Cassidy was hit by the longboard’s fin while surfing at Wategos Beach, a picturesque cove 2km south of Byron’s main beach. The board – not attached to its owner by a leg rope – flew up among the waves and caught Cassidy under the arm, according to reports.
Ripping through veins and arteries, his biceps was partly torn off by the impact.
Waves throw surfboards around like matchsticks,” Ian Cohen, former Greens MP and surf enthusiast, says. “A 10-foot board with fins on it coming a long way has got a lot of momentum and weight behind it.”
They effectively become a deadly weapon.
Cohen says it is common courtesy for surfers to take the responsibility for wearing a leg rope, and supports local councillors who want that courtesy translated into regulation.
For more on this feature story, read the full report by Guardian Australia reporter Rafqa Touma.
Melbourne gets Australia’s first dedicated heart hospital
Australia’s first dedicated heart hospital is set to open in Melbourne, more than eight years after it was first promised.
Premier Daniel Andrews and health minister Mary-Anne Thomas toured the new facility on Sunday ahead of it welcoming its first patients on Thursday.
The 206-bed stand-alone hospital will be able to provide up to 2,150 cardiac surgeries, 28,300 emergency presentations and 108,000 consultations a year.
Andrews said it will provide telehealth services to reduce the need for country Victorians to travel for specialist appointments, and be used to train more than 300 undergraduate, 260 postgraduate and 20 PhD students each year.
The hospital will foster research that will benefit Victorians for generations to come, and help to train the amazing doctors, nurses and other professionals who work each day with such dedication.
Both the Coalition and Labor pledged to build the hospital in Clayton near the Monash Medical Centre if they won the 2014 Victorian election.
Labor returned to power after one term in opposition and unveiled its concept design for the hospital in May 2018.
It initially estimated the cost to be $150m but the price tag has since risen to $577m.
Early works for the hospital began in July 2019 and major construction was completed late last year.
– AAP
Updated
Darwin marks anniversary of second world war bombing
People in Darwin are gathering to remember the first time Australian soil came under attack during the second world war.
On 19 February 1942, 242 Japanese aircraft attacked the city.
Nearly 250 people were killed and between 300 and 400 people were injured.
Northern Territory chief minister Natasha Fyles said commemorating the day offered a chance to pass the story “onto the next generation” and keep its memory “alive”.
The anniversary is a day to reflect on our past and pay tribute to those servicemen and women and civilians who lost their lives while courageously defending our country.
Bombs flattened much of the city, including its bustling Chinatown and Darwin Post Office.
The postmaster, his family and six telegraphists were amongst those killed, affecting communication about the event to the rest of Australia.
In Darwin Harbour, bombs sunk both the Neptuna and the USS Peary, adding more than 100 deaths to the toll.
Aircraft continued to raid the city for the next 18 months, in the hopes of stopping allied forces from using the city’s port for operations to Timor and Indonesia.
As part of Sunday’s commemorations, two F-34A Lightning II aircraft will fly over Darwin Esplanade.
The HMAS Maryborough will also accompany soldiers and the Royal Australian Artillery in a re-enactment.
– AAP
Updated
Nurses, paramedics and teachers missing $10k worse off under wage cap: unions
Nurses, paramedics and teachers in NSW could miss out on more than $10,000 over the next three years as the result of the state’s three per cent wages cap.
A report commissioned by Unions NSW and authored by Griffith University Prof David Peetz says the public sector pay cap will leave a nurse worse off by $10,136, a paramedic by $10,281 and a teacher by $12,806, when adjusted for inflation between now and 2026.
The three female-dominated professions have suffered sizeable shortages leading to overstretched working conditions prompting major strikes in recent years, according to the 62-page report.
An easing of public sector wage restraint could not be the only solution to shortages of essential workers. There is no single solution.
But it is difficult to see shortages being overcome in the absence of appropriate changes to wages policy.
Based on an analysis of online job advertisements, NSW essential worker vacancies were 98 per cent higher in 2022 compared to 2018.
For other non-essential workers, the increase was 26 per cent.
The report warns shortages are already being acutely felt on the state’s mid-north coast and far west as well as the Murray-Riverina, Coffs Harbour-Grafton, Hunter and Richmond-Tweed regions.
Speaking at the launch of a campaign on Sunday to scrap the wages cap, unions NSW secretary Mark Morey blamed the Coalition government for the regression in public sector wages.
After 12 years of undermining wages and conditions for nurses, paramedics, teachers and other essential workers the effects are devastating.
That’s why essential services are in crisis. Hospitals are understaffed, we’re waiting longer for ambulances and classrooms are crammed without enough teachers. NSW deserves better.
Premier Dominic Perrottet has repeatedly defended the three per cent wage cap saying it is “fair and reasonable”.
He says it is necessary to keep inflation in check and the state’s coffers balanced for future investments in major infrastructure projects.
– AAP
Updated
Perrottet insists NSW Liberals not in chaos
NSW premier Dominic Perrottet and his deputy Liberal leader Matt Kean have denied their party is in disarray weeks out from the election despite the party being forced to cut one MP from its ticket and a senior member quitting his ministry.
The Liberal party on Saturday effectively disendorsed upper house MP Peter Poulos after it was revealed he emailed explicit images of a female rival five years ago.
Perrottet called for his party to act following the scandal after previously appearing to defend Poulos.
The party’s state director suspended Poulos for six months, excluding him from the Liberals’ upper house ticket for the March poll.
While Mr Poulos has apologised for his actions to the person concerned and to the community, his conduct fell short of the standard of behaviour expected of members of our party.
The explicit images, from a 1980s Penthouse shoot, were shared in the context of a preselection battle at the time.
Asked on Saturday if the Liberal party was in disarray six weeks out from the state election, both Perrottet and treasurer Matt Kean insisted the party remained focused on delivering for families.
On Friday, the government was caught up in a second scandal when Damien Tudehope resigned as finance minister after declaring he owned shares in toll road owner Transurban.
The company operates most of Sydney’s toll roads and the city’s tolling regime is one of several key election flashpoints.
The premier accepted Tudehope’s resignation, adding the minister had been cleared of wrongdoing by lawyers from the Department of Premier and Cabinet.
Labor experienced its own election stumble during the week, when star election candidate Terry Campese withdrew from the race for the seat of Monaro after a series of reports about his behaviour.
– AAP
Updated
Risk of heavy rainfall and flash flooding in northern Australia
Isolated thunderstorms are possible for north-east New South Wales on Sunday, with severe storms possible in Queensland Gulf Country, over into the Northern Territory.
Thunderstorm forecast today(19/02): Isolated severe storms possible in the NE, including #NorthWestSlopes, #Northern Tablelands, #Moree, #Narribri, and #Inverell. Risk of damaging wind gusts (>= 90 km/h) and large hail. Warning if needed: https://t.co/iQrJsZeTws pic.twitter.com/IPWbDwtpOL
— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) February 18, 2023
Thunderstorm forecast today (19/02): Severe storms possible in #GulfCountry # NorthWest districts. Locs Inc #MtIsa, #Camooweal. Risk of HEAVY RAINFALL/FLASH FLOODING. Isolated gusty storms also possible in the southern interior. # Warnings, if required: https://t.co/wnSBFZjfru pic.twitter.com/KLonHsGdN4
— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) February 18, 2023
⚠️Severe Thunderstorm Warning⚠️ For the northern Barkly. Slow moving storms could bring heavy rainfall that may cause flash flooding in the warning area over the next several hours. See warning details https://t.co/F2yJfa3ZuD pic.twitter.com/Ej00l5Cl1G
— Bureau of Meteorology, Northern Territory (@BOM_NT) February 18, 2023
Updated
Sydney storm captured on social media
A sail going rogue at Barangaroo, a panoramic view of the storm rolling in and lightning dancing across the skyline, here are some of the photos from last night’s storm in Sydney captured by social media users.
Not good. #AustraliaSGP #SailGP #sydneystorm pic.twitter.com/dnBN4HDOo5
— My Harsh Words (@Myharshwords) February 18, 2023
Storm front rolling in over Sydney#SydneyWeather #SydneyStorm pic.twitter.com/RF5lO53n9o
— Kenny Smith 🌻 (@kennsysmith) February 18, 2023
Amazing lightning show across Sydney this evening. Captured from Dover Heights, NSW, Australia at 7.45pm this evening. #sydneystorm
— Daniel Shaw (@DanielShawAU) February 18, 2023
Licensing available via @SevereWeatherAU pic.twitter.com/Y06QHlaUdH
Sydney put on a show last night!
— Clare D (@ClareD62317968) February 18, 2023
@sydneyharbourbridge#sydneystorm#sydneylightning pic.twitter.com/H81bcOX2TS
Bad storms hit Sydney yesterday - we have huge gum trees that swayed like we've never seen before, but only lost a few small branches. Just up the street smaller & more protected trees had far more damage. Unpredictable nature! (Cats hid under bed!) #SydneyStorm #nature pic.twitter.com/mLoGlfb8sT
— Wendy Smith 🌻 (@WendySm83113471) February 18, 2023
⚠️STORM UPDATE⚠️Power has been restored to more than 40,000 homes & businesses after last night’s storm. Report outages & check power restoration times at https://t.co/oqc8bOHZEE. #SydneyStorm pic.twitter.com/6UIPDI4W7w
— Endeavour Energy (@endeavourenergy) February 18, 2023
Updated
New NSW state-funded power company to boost renewable energy uptake
NSW Labor says a new $1bn publicly-owned corporation will “keep the lights on” as the state makes its transition to being powered by renewable energy.
The party says it will create an Energy Security Corporation to work with private-sector parties keen to invest in renewable energy assets if it can form government after the NSW election.
Managing the switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy would be a major challenge for NSW over the coming decade, Labor leader Chris Minns said on Sunday.
We want the state to be able to invest in solutions that ensure reliability in the system and keeps the lights on and creates new jobs for the state.
This is not a band-aid solution. Whilst it will take time for the benefits to be realised, this is a serious, long-term step towards fixing the mess left by the Liberal-National government.
The body’s role will be to partner with the energy industry on renewable projects, including solutions for energy storage to aid grid stability. These projects could include pumped hydro or community batteries.
The corporation will be funded with $1bn from the Restart NSW fund, a multibillion-dollar pool created by the government’s privatisation of public assets.
The Coalition government has already allocated $380m over the next four years to boost investment in large-scale renewables as part of its Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap.
Its plan is aimed at providing 12 gigawatts of renewable energy and two gigawatts of storage by 2030, and the government expects it to encourage $32bn in private investment over the next decade.
If re-elected, the government has also pledged to create a $1.5bn Clean Energy Superpower Fund to fast-track energy projects, including energy grid security projects and community battery projects.
– AAP
Updated
Strong winds batter Sydney
More than 60,000 homes and businesses in Sydney were left without power on Sunday morning after a storm tore across Sydney.
Drivers have been urged to use caution at traffic lights which may be out on Sunday morning. Part of a major tunnel connecting Sydney’s northern and western suburbs was closed for four hours due to a power failure and fallen trees on tracks caused some trains to stop running.
Service was restored by 10.30pm Sydney time on Saturday night and though the Bureau of Meteorology said the immediate threat had passed at 9.05pm last night, wind gusts up to 93km/h was recorded near Sydney airport.
Almost 20,000 properties across the state remained without power just after midnight with multiple incidents across the metropolitan area.
Updated
Brittany Higgins responds to new Linda Reynolds interview claims
Brittany Higgins has published receipts of her donations to a Canberra rape charity which she says show she donated all funds from her defamation case against the senator Linda Reynolds in 2021.
An article in the Australian on Sunday that carried an interview with the former Coalition minister said that in the aftermath of the lawsuit Higgins “accepted the apology and planned to donate the money to charity assisting victims of sexual assault”.
Higgins responded directly to use of the word “planned” by saying she was not given right of reply to the claims made in the article and posting the receipts to show she had not personally profited from the case.
As I wasn’t given a right of reply for this particular story I figured I’d clear it up here.
— Brittany Higgins (@BrittHiggins_) February 18, 2023
I donated all funds from my defamation case against Senator Reynolds to a sexual assault charity the moment they were received by my lawyer in 2021.
See the receipt below. pic.twitter.com/ubQoQ7voxu
Higgins has already said she will ask for an investigation of the leaking of private documents, including her personal diary, at the current inquiry probing the handling of the Bruce Lehrmann case.
In her interview, Reynolds previously suggested she had been the victim of a “political hit job” that had left her “broken” by the suggestion she covered up allegations that Higgins was raped in her office.
She said she had no doubt that there had been a “highly orchestrated political campaign” against her which had “exploited” her former staffer.
‘The onus is on Labor’ to explain why it needs more coal and gas: Bandt
There’s some discussion about possible alternatives – one suggestion is to pause new developments on gas and coal developments while reforms to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 have been hammered out.
Bandt says this proposal is “one worth having a look at”.
We are up for good-faith discussions and proposals like that are coming from people like the Climate Council, from The Australia Institute. I’ve seen the Australia Conservation Foundation out saying there are serious problems with the government’s proposal.
Closing out the crisis, Bandt says the ball is Labor’s court saying: “The onus is on Labor to explain why it needs more coal and gas in a climate crisis.”
You can’t put the fire out while pouring petrol on it.
Updated
Strong climate action is popular among Australian public: Bandt
Bandt is asked about the cost of cancelling oil, gas and coal developments and he points to the $77bn in income generated by the major oil and gas producers last year which, he says they “paid no tax on it” while he says the climate crisis is costing farmers $30,000 a year at the moment.
He also says strong action on climate will be popular.
I don’t think the penny has quite dropped with the government how much things are have moved on. 66% of people between 18 and 34 back our position – don’t want new coal and gas mines opened. 57% of the general population. Things have moved on.
I know Labor talks a lot about history, but the students who are marching in the streets at the moment, behind banners saying, “No new coal and gas” were in primary school in 2009. They do not want it, no one can understand why we are coming up to the year anniversary of the floods in Lismore, people cannot understand why Labor says they want to open up new projects.
Speers asks Bandt point blank about the political consequences of this staring competition: if the Greens can’t get something out of this fight, what’s the point?
Bandt responds obliquely:
Why does Labor want to go to the wall to open new coal and gas projects? These are huge climate bombs. They’ve got a very – I think it is an untenable task...
Updated
‘Someone has to go first’: Bandt on banning new coal and gas
Speers pressures Bandt on whether any other country in the world has introduced a ban on new coal and gas projects. Bandt points to the IPCC26 and the International Energy Agency reports that have said, to summarise, the world cannot hope to constrain climate change if it continues to develop new oil, gas and coal developments.
Ultimately Bandt gives the answer:
Someone has to do it. Someone has to go first. Our Pacific Island neighbours are pleading with us to stop opening new coal and gas projects. There will have to come a time, David, in human history, if we are to tackle the climate crisis where we say, ‘We’re not going to open anymore.’
Bandt says that his party’s position applies to new coal and gas projects and not existing ones.
Updated
Bandt on whether Greens would vote against safeguard mechanism
Bandt is now asked about the safeguard mechanism and calls from the Greens for the government to stop opening new coal and gas projects. He is asked whether his party would “seriously vote against it”.
Bandt then goes into laying out his party’s reasoning: “Coal and gas are the main cause of the climate crisis, any effective climate policy should bring down pollution from coal and gas. Labor’s policy doesn’t do that. In fact it gets worse.”
He says that “Labor’s own documents” show pollution form gas will keep going up even if the changes to the safeguard mechanism passes without a promise to stop new developments.
Because that 200m tonnes they are talking about, (a) it could all just be on paper, because coal and gas pollution keeps going up, as they buy tree-plants credits on the other side of the country and that’s why it makes it worse. (b) unlimited new coal and gas mines being allowed into the system.
Those coal and gas mines that are on the books at the moment are so big it will wipe out any gains that are made from there. They talk about maybe 200m tonnes. That might all be on paper. Maybe 200m tonnes. Open up the Northern Territory gas fields which Labor is talking about at the moment and you are talking about 34b tonnes of pollution, new pollution going into the atmosphere.
That’s our concern, and that’s why we’ve said to come to your question, we’ve put an offer, not an ultimatum, it is an offer that says, ‘We will put aside our very real concerns with the ponzi scheme elements of this plan where everything gets offset.’
We will put aside the fact that we think you’ve got a low target that will mean the end of the Great Barrier Reef and that you are re-heating Tony Abbott’s safeguard mechanism. We will vote for it in full if you do one thing: stop making the problem worse.
Updated
Should government override the RBA and set policy directly?
Bandt is asked whether he supports the government overriding the Reserve Bank to set policy directly. Bandt says the “government does have the ultimate power to do this” but stops short of saying it should happen – just that the government “should look at it” saying, “the government has to look at the power it has got and look at the right time to step in because it’s hurting people and it’s pushing us closer to recession”.
There is a lot of hand wringing from the government, a lot of hand wringing about this, but not pulling any of the levers that they can and they are letting the big corporations continue to drive up inflation through corporate profiteering and not doing what they should.
Updated
Government needs to increase corporate taxes to alleviate cost-of-living pressures: Bandt
Greens leader Adam Bandt has told ABC Insiders host David Speers its “corporate profiteering that is going a large way to driving inflation” and that the government needs to act.
That is something the government can do something about. The government can also step in and relieve some of the cost-of-living pressure on people by doing things like a national plan to freeze rents, looking at getting dental into Medicare to relieve some of the cost-of-living pressures on people. The government has a lot of levers at its disposal. It is not pulling them at the moment and it needs to revisit the stage-three tax cuts.
Bandt says the stage-three tax cuts are a “big black hole in the budget, pulling everything into its gravitational spin”.
Speers asks Bandt point blank: do you want to cap rents and increase corporate taxes?
Bandt:
Yes, look at the big banks, these big gas corporations that are driving up energy prices, freeze electricity bills. We’ve just given the government the power to do that at the end of last year and we can fund it by making these big corporations pay their fair share of tax. That will not only help with inflation, but help everyday people deal with the cost-of-living crisis.
Updated
Coalition ‘over the top’ on China: Husic
Ed Husic, during his interview on Sky News, was also asked about the latest on the relationship with China (and the impact on how that is handled in the Chinese-Australian community). The industry minister said:
I think as a new government we have recognised the need to get the tone right – stand up for your values but do it in a way that you can still keep talking and working through issues and you’re seeing some of that be reflected in some of the news that you’ve referred to [Australian coal shipments reaching China].
And it’s a contrast to the way that the Coalition managed things and I think there was a backlash from people who felt that they were under pressure given their heritage, their background. We can – as I said – stand up for our values but also do it in a way where we’re focused on the differences between governments – importantly – and to be able to work through that. We think that it is important.
We recognise that obviously the way that the Chinese government and the way that their economy has evolved, they’ve obviously grown over that period of time and expect to see that reflected in international arrangements. But we also need to ensure that there’s rule-based approaches to the way that we work and that we are respecting and working cooperatively with each other wherever we can and there’s got to be a way to chart a course through all of that. That’s what we’ve attempted to do.
Again it’s a contrast. You can do this stuff sensibly or you can do it the way the Coalition did it in government – over the top, trying to score headlines, and impacting on the country as a result. We think there is a better way to stand up for our values but also to get the job done.
Updated
ABC Insiders will also be hearing from Adam Bandt this morning – the Greens leader has been busy having appeared on Sky News earlier.
We will bring you the latest as it comes.
No ultimatum on fossil fuel ban: Bandt
The leader of the Greens, Adam Bandt, has declared that his party’s stance on Labor’s safeguard policy is “an offer not an ultimatum” and the ball is in the government’s court now.
Bandt, interviewed on Sky News Australia this morning, said the government needs to “stop making things worse by opening new coal and gas”. He also argued the Greens had come “a huge way” from its original position.
Last week the Greens said they would pass the Albanese government’s planned overhaul of the safeguard mechanism – a climate policy promised to cut industrial emissions – if Labor was prepared to stop new coal and gas projects. Instead of seeking to limit the number of carbon credits businesses can use to meet their new obligations to reduce pollution, the Greens party room resolved on Tuesday to narrow the focus to securing a ban on new coal and gas either through an amendment to the safeguard legislation, or a new “climate trigger” in environmental law.
Sky News asked Bandt whether he accepted that if the government took up the Greens’ position it would lose the next election.
Bandt replied:
Absolutely not. Things have moved on, and I think the government hasn’t really picked up how much people want more climate action … this would be enormously popular.
Bandt said if Labor had a different way of dealing with new coal or gas, the Greens were happen to consider that. He nominated a climate trigger or a pause on approvals to allow for a holistic review as options:
It’s a very good-faith compromise offer that we’re putting on the table that sees us shift a huge way from the position we took to the election … it just says don’t make the problem worse.
On the same program, the industry minister, Ed Husic, avoided criticising the Greens as strongly as some of his colleagues did in question time last week. Husic said the message out of the election was that “people wanted their parliament to work”. He said all parties had “a part to play if the Coalition doesn’t want to learn” the lessons of the election.
Updated
Good morning
And welcome to another Sunday morning Guardian live blog.
NSW premier Dominic Perrottet has denied his party is in shambles weeks out from the state election after he was forced to cut an MP for his ticket and a senior party member quit. Perrottet disendorsed upper house MP Peter Poulos after it was revealed he circulated explicit images of a female political rival five years ago. On Friday, Damien Tudehope, resigned as finance minister when it was revealed he owned shares in toll road company Transurban.
As the NSW government is reeling, NSW Labor leader Chris Minns has announced a $1bn election commitment to recreate a publicly-owned electricity provider to help the state make the transition to renewable energy. The policy, similar to what has been proposed by Daniel Andrews in Victoria, will create the Energy Security Corporation to partner with the energy industry on renewable projects, including solutions for energy storage to aid grid stability. These projects could include pumped hydro or community batteries.
I’m Royce Kurmelovs, taking the blog through the day. With so much going on out there, it’s easy to miss stuff, so if you spot something happening in Australia and think it should be on the blog, you can find me on Twitter at @RoyceRk2 where my DMs are open.
With that, let’s get started ...
