What we learned, Monday 11 March
Thank you for joining us on the live blog today – hear is a wrap of the main news:
Jim Chalmers announced the slashing of 500 “nuisance tariffs” worth nearly $30m on a range of goods including washing machines, shoes and fridges.
The federal government began seeking feedback from the public on its plans to outlaw “doxing”, spurred after the sharing of details of a large group chat of Jewish Australians.
Most of south-eastern Australia sweltered amid continuing heatwave conditions, with the Bureau of Meteorology forecasting a top of 37C for Melbourne today, hot weather expected for most of Victoria, and extreme fire danger ratings in place for the south-west region of Victoria.
The byelection for Scott Morrison’s seat of Cook was announced to be held 13 April. It is now a very safe Liberal seat, on a margin of 12.5%.
Private boys’ school Cranbrook announced an independent review into the school’s handling of serious child safety concerns after the resignation of its high-school’s headmaster Nicholas Sampson.
China’s ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, said jailed Australian dissident Yang Hengjun’s health is “not perfect”.
Twelve-year-old Hussein Al Mansoory was found “safe and well” in an Auburn medical centre stairwell, after being missing for 48 hours.
Victorian opposition leader, John Pesutto, said the state needs better safety regulations for outdoor festivals, and that the music and arts festival held near the Grampians (which was called off early) was a “disaster waiting to happen”.
A United Airlines flight returned to Sydney with reports of hydraulics fault, joining the airline’s lineup of emergency incidents in the last week.
And in other aerial drama, 50 people were treated by ambulance crews after an incident at Auckland International airport involving an in-bound aircraft, with one patient in a serious condition.
Updated
Fifty people treated as one seriously injured after aircraft incident in Auckland
Fifty people have been treated by ambulance crews after an incident at Auckland International Airport involving an in-bound aircraft, with one patient in a serious condition.
The incident reportedly involved a “technical problem” on a LATAM Airlines flight from Sydney to Auckland, according to local news.
Hato Hone St John responded to the incident at 3.58pm with five ambulances, two operations managers, one Major Incident Support Team vehicle, one Command Unit and two rapid response vehicles.
Their crews assessed and treated approximately 50 patients, with one patient in a serious condition and the remainder in a moderate to minor condition, according to a Hato Hone St John statement. Thirteen patients have been transported to Middlemore hospital by ambulance.
Radio New Zealand report that a passenger on board the flight, Jacinto, said there was a “mid-air drop”.
“People got pretty injured,” he said. A number of passengers were not wearing their seatbelts at the time, he said.
“People were really scared as well.”
Updated
