What we learned today, Thursday 8 June
That’s where we’ll leave the blog for today – thanks so much for joining us. Here is a wrap of the day’s biggest stories:
Anthony Albanese has said it would be “entirely inappropriate” for politicians to direct the national integrity commission to investigate a matter, after the Coalition opposition called for further scrutiny on Brittany Higgins’ compensation payout.
The high court has pressed the Catholic church to explain why it didn’t have an adequate opportunity 50 years ago to investigate the extent of a priest’s abuse of children, given there were “red flags everywhere” about his crimes.
Scott Phillip White was sentenced to nine years in jail for the manslaughter of Scott Johnson, who fell to his death after White punched Johnson at a well known gay beat in Sydney in 1988.
A damning inspector report into the troubled Banksia Hill detention facility has found “every element” of the centre is failing, with “young people, staff and a physical environment in acute crisis”.
The ACT Legislative Assembly passed laws banning unnecessary and irreversible medical procedures for people born intersex, in an Australian first.
An LGBTQ+ event that was being planned for St Kilda library has been cancelled amid threats from far-right groups. It is the second LGBTQ+ event in Pride month and at least the 13th since December last year to not go ahead.
Trade between Australia and China increased by nearly 20% in the first five months of the year, according to the Chinese customs agency.
A police officer is in a critical condition after being run over and dragged underneath a car in the early hours of the morning in Perth.
Australia’s talks have stalled for a trade deal with Europe that would give Australian producers access to a market with a GDP of $20tn.
Updated
Independent Zoe Daniel has welcomed the government’s ban on Nazi symbols, but said more action is needed to combat antisemitism and extremism:
Our federal and state governments must continue to monitor antisocial developments to ensure that these important steps are not circumvented.
Federal government's ban on Nazi symbols a welcome step, but more action is needed to combat anti-semitism and extremism. Our Federal and State governments must continue to monitor anti-social developments to ensure that these important steps are not circumvented.#auspol pic.twitter.com/WSks8ZsJvJ
— Zoe Daniel (@zdaniel) June 8, 2023
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Victorian LGBTQ+ event cancelled amid threats from far-right groups
An LGBTQ+ event that was being planned for St Kilda library has been cancelled amid threats from far-right groups. It is the second LGBTQ+ event in Pride month and at least the 13th since December last year to not go ahead.
The event with Dean Accuri AKA Frock Hudson was targeted by groups after a flyer advertising the event was posted online by fringe actors.
In a statement, the City of Port Phillip’s CEO, Chris Carroll, said the event hadn’t yet been approved:
A drag storytime at St Kilda library was under consideration as one of these events but had not been approved when a draft flyer for the event was shared with some parents at a library branch yesterday.
Following a thorough risk assessment, which included security and safety concerns, our Pride month program was finalised today. Full details will be made available soon on our Port Phillip library service website.
Due to security and safety concerns, and to avoid any disruption and distress to young participants and their families, staff and other library users, we will not be holding this event in person. Our drag storytime will instead be made available online for interested families.
Carroll said because of the current climate of hate directed towards the LGBTQ+ community, the library would be “proceeding with events differently”.
We condemn the hate speech directed to our council, staff, councillors and the performer on this topic. We greatly value our large LGBTQIA+ community and will be celebrating Pride month in June with several events.
Updated
Australia firm on feta as EU trade talks hit roadblock
Australia is willing to walk away from a possible free trade deal with the European Union despite there being a “lot at stake”, the agriculture minister, Murray Watt, has admitted. AAP reports:
The EU has been pushing for geographic indicators which would stop Australian producers from using names such as parmesan, feta or prosecco to label products.
While trade talks were set to be paused with the EU after the impasse, Senator Watt said an agreement had been reached to continue negotiations.
Speaking on ABC Radio, Watt said Australia was being sensible in calling for geographic indicators not to be used:
What we’re asking for is perfectly reasonable, especially when you compare it to what other countries have been able to negotiate with the EU.
It’s an emotional issue for Australian producers because we’ve had a lot of migration post World War II from Europe to Australia that has seen our producers ... bring their own products from their home countries and make them here.
Updated
Victorian Bar supports Indigenous voice to parliament
The Victorian Bar has said it supports an Indigenous voice to parliament after it took a poll of its members to determine its position.
In a statement it said:
The Victorian Bar considers that the amendment proposed by the bill for an act to alter the constitution is sound, appropriate, and compatible with Australia’s system of representative and responsible government which would be enhanced by the voice.
Updated
7-Eleven delivery service closer after Seven’s legal loss
Seven Network has failed to hold onto the 7NOW trade mark, opening the door for 7-Eleven to use the same brand name to launch a food delivery service in Australia.
The win ends a two-year long legal spat between the two firms to keep hold of the 7NOW mark which the broadcaster had owned since August 2013.
Overseas, 7-Eleven runs a food and alcohol delivery and pick-up service using this brand via its website and phone app.
On Thursday, the firm successfully deregistered Seven Network’s trade mark in the Federal Court, removing one barrier to the launch of its delivery service in Australia.
Updated
Filthy and overrun with rats: Banksia Hill detention centre in ‘acute crisis’, inspector finds
A damning inspector report into the troubled Banksia Hill detention facility has found “every element” of the centre is failing, with “young people, staff and a physical environment in acute crisis”.
The report from the inspector of custodial services, Eamon Ryan, was released on Thursday, but was provided to the Western Australia parliament on 8 May, one day before to the most recent riot at the detention centre. Inspections were carried out in early February 2023.
Ryan said the daily staff shortages were unprecedented, the staff attrition unsustainable and recruitment was not able to keep pace:
The help these young people need and the effective rehabilitation they require are exactly the types of interventions (education, programs, recreation, training, family reconnection and general health and mental health) that have been most heavily impacted by staffing shortages and increased lockdowns.
Read the full story here:
Updated
Equality Australia calls on all states and territories to ban unnecessary medical procedures on intersex people
Equality Australia has called on Australia’s states to follow the ACT’s lead banning unnecessary and irreversible medical procedures for people born intersex.
ACT passed the laws earlier today in an Australian first.
Equality Australia wrote on Twitter:
This is a fantastic result after years of tireless campaigning by intersex individuals and organisations. Now it’s time for all other states and territories to follow the ACT’s lead.
Congratulations to the ACT Government passing Australia's first laws to protect intersex people from unnecessary medical treatment without their consent. The news laws were passed unopposed by the ACT Parliament this morning. pic.twitter.com/MEE5jm8TDu
— Equality Australia 🌈 (@EqualityAu) June 8, 2023
Updated
Steve Johnson on poor NSW police investigation of brother’s death: ‘I wasn’t going to stop until we had the answers’
Johnson said the family feels vindicated now the evidence has shown that they “suspected all along”.
I have not been trying to prove a point, I’ve been mainly trying to find out the truth and it turned out to be what we suspected.
I wasn’t going to stop until we had the answers. I think Scott would have done the same for me.
Updated
Victim’s brother calls for NSW police reform regarding crimes against LGBTQI+ people
Johnson said the evidence showed police aren’t doing their job with respect to crimes against LGBTQI+ people.
There is no hate crime unit in the New South Wales police. The parliamentary inquiry that led to this special commission said that the New South Wales police had failed in their duty to investigate these historical gay hate crimes. And they’re still failing.
It’s inescapable to me that that New South Wales Police needs some reform in how it deals with LGBTQ crimes and their families.
Updated
Scott Johnson’s brother: ‘hundreds of victims and dozens of other deaths’ ignored by NSW police’
Steve Johnson is speaking outside of the NSW supreme court responding to the sentence of Scott Phillip White to nine years in prison for the manslaughter of Johnson’s brother, Scott Johnson, in 1988.
He said his brother, who fell to his death at a known gay beat at the time after he was punched by White, shone a light on how poorly police investigated the deaths of gay men decades ago.
They demonised my family by calling us obsessed.
We’ve learned from the commission’s proceedings the New South Wales police had a long contrived plan to go on a television program and defend their investigative work and to cast doubt on our family and on my brother and to try to reinforce their original assessment of suicide.
Australians could see that Scott’s case wasn’t the only one. There were hundreds of other victims and dozens of other deaths that had gotten similarly ignored by the police.
Updated
Victorian Liberal leader won’t meddle in Warrandyte preselection
The Victorian Liberal leader, John Pesutto, won’t intervene to ensure a woman is preselected for a pivotal byelection in Melbourne’s north-east, AAP reports.
Liberal nominations for the Warrandyte byelection closed on Wednesday after it was brought on by the veteran MP Ryan Smith’s decision to quit politics next month.
Men account for 21 of the Liberals’ 30 members in Victorian parliament after the expulsion of outspoken upper house MP Moira Deeming.
The state opposition leader has previously said he is open to gender quotas for the 2026 state election, but suggested the preselection pick was out of his hands:
We obviously need more women in the parliament.
But all of our preselections are matters for the members, and they guard that power, as they should, very carefully.
Updated
Thanks for leading us through today’s developments, Natasha! I’ll be with you for the rest of the day.
Updated
On that furry note, I hand the blog over to Jordyn Beazley!
Updated
PM apologises to Toto Albanese after rubbing the ears of another dog
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has apologised to Toto Albanese, Australia’s first dog, after he was spotted rubbing the ears of another dog by the pupparazzi in Sydney earlier today.
The PM clarified all pats were part of official business, opening the new Animal Welfare League adoption centre in Sydney.
Sorry Toto 🐶 Made some friends while opening the new Animal Welfare League adoption centre in Sydney today. pic.twitter.com/kYgqKUsYd1
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) June 8, 2023
We saw Albanese earlier in the day donning his hi-vis at Western Sydney airport, confirming the trend Guardian Australia identified last election that giant cheques are on the way out, while hi-vis workwear and photos of dogs are on the rise:
Updated
Queensland emergency housing gets major funding boost
Crisis accommodation will be given a $64m funding increase to boost emergency housing across inner-city Brisbane, AAP reports.
The extra funding will be handed down in the next week’s Queensland budget and spent purchasing and leasing crisis accommodation sites in the inner-city, including hotels and boarding houses.
The treasurer, Cameron Dick, said the boost would be part of a spending package firmly focused on reducing cost-of-living pressures on Queensland families.
He told reporters today:
This new accommodation will help purchase, lease and support the operation of emergency accommodation for vulnerable Queenslanders.
That includes Queenslanders who are homeless, who are at risk of homelessness or who are escaping domestic and family violence.
Updated
AMA concerned about declining funding for specialist fees by Medicare
The peak medical body says it’s concerned about the new data which Guardian Australia reported today which shows the declining proportion of specialist fees funded by Medicare.
The Australian Medical Association says without investment, the problem will only get worse.
New data from @aihw shows a drop in the proportion of specialist fees funded by Medicare, meaning patients are often faced with increasing out-of-pocket fees on top of long waits. Without investment this will only get worse.https://t.co/doKLk27JyY
— AMA Media (@ama_media) June 8, 2023
Read the full story here by our medical editor Melissa Davey and data editor Nick Evershed:
Shrinking trade surplus poised to drag further on economic growth
Much of the focus of late has naturally been on the domestic economy, but what’s going on outside Australia has a big bearing on overall growth. (Just ask Jim Chalmers whose budget benefited hugely on commodity prices remaining well above treasury’s overly conservative forecasts.)
Anyway, as we noted in yesterday’s March quarter GDP report, trade subtracted 0.2 percentage points from quarterly growth, which itself came in a weak 0.2%. (Net exports fell, which refers to the difference between exports and imports, not actual nets.)
Net exports were shaved 0.2pp off March quarter GDP, and trends in this quarter suggest a negative contribution is likely for April-June too. pic.twitter.com/wnbqSnWM59
— @phannam@mastodon.green (@p_hannam) June 8, 2023
Today, we got details for April – and the trend continues.
Seasonally adjusted, the surplus shrank by $3.66bn in April, or about a quarter, to $11.16bn from a revised $14.82bn for March. Exports for the month fell 5% while imports rose 1.6%.
Commodity prices bounce around of course but they were generally been coming off their recent peaks, although the red dirt variety has been holding up better.
As Westpac notes: “Commodity prices fell by a further and sizeable 6.8% in May, pointing to a likely additional move lower in export earnings.”
Economic drag from net exports falling looks set to continue... (Source: @Westpac) pic.twitter.com/P3qK1Mep1C
— @phannam@mastodon.green (@p_hannam) June 8, 2023
In other words, those looking for what will propel economic expansion in the near term probably won’t find it from the trade sector.
Updated
AMA says influenza and Covid shots can be given at the same time amid rising flu cases
The AMA says the effects of the latest Covid-19 wave are being made worse by the rising number of influenza cases.
The Department of Health and Aged Care recorded 17,277 flu cases between May 15 and May 28, which was more than double the previous fortnight’s total.
If you’re worried how you’re going to space out the two shots, don’t be – Robson says Covid-19 boosters and flu shots are safe to administer at the same time.
We are seeing a significant spike in the number of flu and Covid cases, making this a potentially dangerous winter, particularly for elderly and immunocompromised people.
Having a Covid-19 booster and a flu shot at the same time is an effective and safe way of ensuring you are protected from both viruses.
Robson said while children under five years of age aren’t badly affected by Covid-19, he stressed influenza can be extremely serious for them. “So it is crucial they get their flu shots as soon as possible,” he said.
Read more about the rising cases of respiratory illnesses across Australia from our medical editor Melissa Davey and data editor Nick Evershed here:
Updated
No time for vaccine complacency, AMA says as Covid-19 cases soar
The nation’s peak medical body is urging Australians to get Covid-19 boosters and flu shots, warning against complacency as infection rates take off.
The more than 16.5 million Australians who have not received a Covid-19 booster shot in over six months is a concerningly high figure, the Australian Medical Association says.
The AMA president, Steve Robson, said Australia was facing a worrying fifth wave of Covid-19, with cases more than double the average daily rate in March, soaring to an average of 5,517 a day as of 30 May.
Hospitalisations are also up and weekly Covid-19 related deaths are in triple figures.
Robson said:
The age of lockdowns and restrictions is over, so it’s understandable why many people are falling into a false sense of security, but the latest data shows the virus is infecting thousands of Australians every day.
Now is not the time for complacency, and the AMA urges people to get up to date on their boosters, which is an extremely effective way to protect yourself and your loved ones.
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Man arrested in Bowraville and charged with 2018 murder of nine-month-old baby
A man has been charged with murder after an investigation into the death of a baby in central west NSW five years ago.
Emergency services were called to a home at Binnaway after reports a nine-month-old girl was unresponsive on the morning of Monday 23 July 2018.
The baby was taken to Coonabarabran hospital and, despite efforts of medical staff, died a short time later.
Nearly five years later, police received new information, which led to the arrest of a 37-year-old man at a home at Bowraville at 9.45am this morning.
He was taken to Macksville police station and charged with murder.
The man has been refused bail to appear at Macksville local court today.
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New ACT laws ban unnecessary and irreversible medical procedures for intersex people
The ACT Legislative Assembly has passed laws banning unnecessary and irreversible medical procedures for people born intersex, in an Australian first.
During the debate, the territory’s chief minister, Andrew Barr, became visibly emotional:
Alongside celebrating how far we’ve come, I think it’s incumbent on all members in this parliament who care about the autonomy, consent, and safety of people with variations in sex characteristics.
And I thank them for their support of this bill today and look forward to the detailed debate, Madam Speaker, where I will hold it together better than I have just done, and I commend the bill to the assembly.
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Watch and act flood alert along Victoria’s King River
WATCH & ACT - RIVERINE FLOOD - Avoid the Flooded Area
— VicEmergency (@vicemergency) June 8, 2023
Incident Location: the King River
Issue Date: Thursday 08 June 2023, 12:12 pm
Next Update: Thursday 08 June 2023, 05:00 pm
More details at https://t.co/RP7QseJMs3... pic.twitter.com/CDXW9KOwqL
Priority areas for renewables development in Victoria to be identified by 2024 as powerlines dispute brews
More on the Victorian government’s new framework for VicGrid:
VicGrid is also working on the “Victorian Transmission Plan” which will detail the transmission infrastructure required for the renewable energy transition over the next 15 years.
Priority areas for renewable energy zone development will be identified by early 2024, with consultation to begin later that year.
Regional communities are gearing up for a fight over the hundreds of kilometres of new high-voltage, high-capacity, power lines that will need to be established to transmit wind and solar power to the grid as the state’s remaining coal-fired plants close.
The western renewables link, a transmission line intended to carry wind and solar-powered energy from a power station in Bulgana in western Victoria to Sydenham in Melbourne’s north-west, is being fiercely opposed by local communities, who say the 80-metre towers will affect their ability to grow potatoes and will negatively affect land value, liveability and tourism.
Here’s a story we wrote on the issue before the 2022 Victorian election:
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Victorian government taking control of new transmission projects in the state
Victoria’s environment minister, Lily D’Ambrosio, has launched the Victorian Transmission Investment Framework, which will see VicGrid take over from the Australian Energy Market Operator to lead transmission project planning and development.
D’Ambrosio says this will ensure local communities, landholders, traditional owners and other stakeholders are consulted on major transmission projects “from start to finish”.
Under the new framework, VicGrid will have a physical presence in communities and employ people from the area, in an effort “to build trust and confidence in the planning process”. Local advisory groups will also be set up.
VicGrid will also develop a framework for government, industry and community partnerships to ensure that host communities benefit directly and regional development opportunities are maximised. D’Ambrosio said:
This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reform the way we plan our energy infrastructure with genuine consultation with communities and industry at the heart of the process.
As Victoria moves toward 95% renewables by 2035, we have to update and modernise our grid to deliver this cheaper, more reliable energy to homes and businesses across the state.
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Mehreen Faruqi calls for national database of hate crimes after NZ releases findings from data
Deputy leader of the Greens, Mehreen Faruqi, has called out Australia’s lack of data on incidents of racial discrimination following findings almost a third of all hate-motivated crimes in New Zealand since January 2022 were directed at Asian people.
Data obtained by the Guardian revealed for the first time a breakdown of hate-motivated crimes in New Zealand, with Jewish and Muslim people disproportionately targeted.
While there is no specific hate crime offence in New Zealand, after the Islamophobic terrorist attack on two mosques in Christchurch in 2019 the police began collecting data on whether offending was hate-motivated, as perceived by officers, victims, or witnesses.
On Twitter, Faruqi wrote:
This lack of information [in Australia] presents a real challenge in addressing racism & preventing extremist violence. We desperately need a national database of hate crimes.
Shocking data from NZ police show that racism & homophobia fuel thousands of crimes each year, with Asian, African and Middle-Eastern people being disproportionately targeted.
— Mehreen Faruqi (@MehreenFaruqi) June 8, 2023
NZ has been collecting this data since the Christchurch mosque massacre. pic.twitter.com/h6n4cPK11f
Read our Charlotte Graham-McLay’s exclusive here:
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Trade between Australia and China increases by 20%
Trade between Australia and China increased by nearly 20% in the first five months of the year, according to the Chinese customs agency.
Chinese state media have reported - based on data from China’s General Administration of Customs – that the total value of two-way trade was up 19.4% in the first five months of 2023.
The Global Times said China’s imports from Australia grew 21.3% while China’s exports to Australia went up 15.7%. The paper quoted China-based analysts as saying the figures showed the relationship between the two countries was “moving forward steadily”.
It also quoted a coal industry figure as saying China imported 6.3m tons of Australian coal, mostly coking coal, between January and April amid resilient domestic demand.
In recent days the Australian government welcomed the removal of impediments on fruit exports to China. But the big impediments – including wine and barley tariffs – remain in place.
The agriculture minister, Murray Watt, said on ABC Radio National today that the Australian government welcomed progress but continued to press for each trade impediment to be removed.
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PM shares photos from Western Sydney airport construction
In case you’ve been feeling like you haven’t had your fill of politicians in hard hats recently, here are the pictures the PM has just shared from the big announcement at Western Sydney airport, which Albanese says is “not long to go now until take-off”.
You’ll be able to catch a flight from here by 2026.
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) June 8, 2023
Construction on Western Sydney International Airport has hit the halfway mark.
It’s already created thousands of jobs, with even more to come. pic.twitter.com/ibFVir5XoW
And Qantas and Jetstar are the first airlines to sign up to fly from here.
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) June 8, 2023
They’ve committed to 25,000 flights per year.
Not long to go now until take-off. pic.twitter.com/kWioNloJ7n
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Court case challenging Catholic church’s approach on civil claims related to child sexual abuse begins
The high court has this morning begun hearing a critical case for survivors of institutional child sexual abuse, which challenges the Catholic church’s approach to civil claims.
The trust for the Lismore diocese successfully achieved a permanent stay – or permanently halted – a civil claim brought by survivor GLJ, a woman who alleges she was abused as a 14-year-old by Lismore priest Father Clarence Anderson.
The church argued that because Anderson was dead, it could no longer have a fair trial. The New South Wales court of appeal, the state’s highest court, agreed and granted the permanent stay.
But GLJ’s counsel, Perry Herzfeld SC, and solicitors, Ken Cush and Associates, have appealed to the high court, arguing the church held a wealth of evidence about Anderson’s abuse of other children and there were four other categories of evidence available to ensure the trial is heard fairly. They argued the church did not need a contrary witness to challenge the plaintiff’s account.
Herzfeld said:
If defendants decide to contest a plaintiff’s account … they don’t need a contrary witness in order to have a proper basis to do so.
They also argue that the decision subverted the intent of state and territory parliaments, which had removed the time limit on bringing civil cases after the royal commission. In doing so, parliaments were emphatic in saying they wanted such cases to proceed to trial, regardless of the effects of any delay.
The decision has had widespread ramifications for other cases of clergy and institutional abuse, where the alleged perpetrator has died.
Guardian Australia revealed earlier this year that the GLJ ruling had emboldened the church and other institutions to take an aggressive approach to other cases where alleged perpetrators have died, using it to pressure other survivors into accepting low-ball and “paltry” sums of compensation, or face having their case thrown out.
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Western Sydney Airport halfway through construction
Some more details about the new Western Sydney Airport, which Albanese announced had reached a major milestone being halfway through construction.
The airport is slated to open in 2026, with Qantas and Jetstar the first airlines to sign up to operate domestic flights out of it.
The outgoing Qantas chief executive, Alan Joyce, said 15 aircraft would initially operate from the airport.
The planes are expected to carry about four million passengers through Western Sydney airport a year, on more than 25,000 flights.
Popular domestic routes to Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast will be running within the first year of the airport opening.
Joyce said the airlines were in talks with the airport to expand their offerings to international flights:
I have absolutely no doubt this will be the biggest airport on the Qantas network one day.
– with AAP
Updated
Albanese also made some comments about the appropriateness of politicians’ involvement in the National Anti-Corruption Commission in that answer about Brittany Higgins.
That’s come up because Liberal senator Linda Reynolds says she may raise a government compensation payment made to her former staffer Higgins with the Nacc, highlighting concerns about the speed of the process and the “fairness” of the Labor government’s handling of the case.
One of the things about the Anti-Corruption Commission that people mightn’t have noticed in the Coalition is that it’s independent of parliamentarians.
And it, in fact, could be regarded as an entirely inappropriate action by the prime minister or any other politician for that matter, to try to direct the Anti-Corruption Commission into what to do.
We set it up as an independent body. The former government, of course, promised one in 2018 and didn’t deliver one. We have delivered one.
Pressed to weigh in on the matter Albanese says:
You’re asking me to do something that is entirely inappropriate because the Anti-Corruption Commission is independent of politics. That’s the idea. If it’s in with politics, that itself is a problem.
PM says he has ‘absolute confidence’ in Katy Gallagher after her name appeared in Higgins texts
Albanese has expressed his confidence in the ministers in his government whose names have come up in text exchanges between Brittany Higgins and her partner, David Sharaz.
The Australian this morning reports that text messages the pair suggested they had contact with senior Labor politicians, including the now finance minister, Katy Gallagher, who the couple believed could support her claim.
Albanese:
I have absolute confidence in Senator Gallagher.
Asked about his own connections, Albanese said:
I don’t take advice from anyone. I had not met Brittany Higgins until I met her, publicly, on the same thank day that she met Scott Morrison.
Updated
‘People are doing it tough’
In the week that’s seen another interest rate hike from the central bank, Albanese says the governments knows “people are doing it tough at the moment.”
The decision by the Reserve Bank this week will place further pressure on families, but we need to continue as a government to do what we can to take that pressure off working families.
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Albanese speaking at site of new Sydney airport
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is speaking at the site where the new Western Sydney Airport is being built:
I’m optimistic about Australia’s future. I’m optimistic that we can seize the opportunities through areas like this that we are doing. What you see before us here is an example of Australian ingenuity. This will be a world-class airport, providing jobs, boosting productivity, making sure that we lift living standards by providing good, secure employment at this airport.
This airport being a catalyst for further investment in business in the region, including the science park to our north and all the other activity that we will see here. A business park that will be bigger than Parramatta CBD just here at the airport.
That’s before you look at the flow-on effect for businesses in the region that will be located in places like the science park. I’m very optimistic about Australia’s future. I remain that. I think that we can be positive going forward and that’s my approach and that’s the approach that my government is taking. We want to shape the future, not allow the future to shape us.
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Minns says he will not answer Gareth Ward’s questions in parliament
Minns this morning also announced he would continue refusing to answer Kiama MP Gareth Ward on the floor of the parliament despite confirming the member would not be resuspended.
The premier said he would continue to respond to any questions posed by the former Liberal minister turned independent in written form but would not pretend the charges against him did not exist.
Minns said:
He still faces very serious charges and while I make absolutely no judgment about those charges and the eventual case that needs to take place, I’m also not going to pretend that they don’t exist.
The most appropriate thing to do in what is an unusual set of circumstances is to follow the advice of the privileges committee, continue to take his questions on notice, report back to the parliament so that the people of Kiama can know what the government’s position is, but also and importantly, not accept his vote.
Ward is before the courts on sexual assault charges. He has pleaded not guilty and has previously said he looked forward to proving his innocence in court.
The parliamentary privileges committee last night handed down its report that found there were risks of legal action against the parliament by a suspended member, risks to the constituents by not being represented in parliament for a prolonged period of time, and risks to the criminal court processes that could be delayed.
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Victoria launches blitz as road toll jumps to 16 year high
At least 140 people have been killed on Victorian roads this year, marking a 16-year high as police urge drivers to take extra care over the King’s Birthday long weekend, AAP reports.
Police will ramp up road safety efforts across the state from Friday in an attempt to reduce road trauma after the number of lives lost surged by 35% compared with the same period last year.
Excessive speed and distracted driving have been blamed after nearly 30 people were killed on Victorian roads in May alone, more than double the same month last year.
Police say other contributing factors to the alarming increase include seatbelt non-compliance, disobeying traffic signs and unauthorised driving, which includes being suspended, disqualified or unlicensed.
This will be a key focus as officers kick off a road safety blitz known as Operation Regal across major roads and highways this long weekend, which has been identified as a high-risk period on state roads.
Acting assistant commissioner of road policing Martin O’Brien said:
Long weekends are historically high-risk on our roads, and the King’s Birthday long weekend can present additional challenges.
Wintry weather can increase the likelihood of a collision, with slippery roads and poor visibility.
Police issued more than 5000 infringement notices during a similar operation last year.
More than 40 per cent were motorists caught speeding, and 372 were busted for drink- and drug-driving offences.
No decision on Warragamba Dam safety risk, premier says
The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, said a decision has not yet been reached on what to do about a safety risk presented by a fault in the Warragamba Dam wall.
Asked about the issue after it was revealed by Guardian Australia, Minns insisted the public would be updated once a position had been reached.
He said:
The potential remediation of the wall doesn’t involve lifting its ultimate height. It’s about reinforcing the structure from the base to its current height … We’ll update the public, the parliament about next steps but obviously, we need to make sure that that basic and crucial infrastructure is safe.
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Flood warning in Victoria
Victorians are being warned to “prepare now” for moderate flooding from Sevens Creek to Euroa.
This WATCH & ACT - RIVERINE FLOOD - Prepare Now is for Sevens Creek to Euroa.
— VicEmergency (@vicemergency) June 8, 2023
Moderate flooding is occurring at Strathbogie and is likely at Euroa on Thursday afternoon. Minor flooding is occurring at Euroa and Galls Gap Road.
More details at https://t.co/8nvNqihmLj pic.twitter.com/kyorNyVlI8
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More than 40% of Australian house and unit markets record double-digit rent increase
Almost 1,700 Australian house and unit suburbs have recorded a rental increase of 10% or more in the past year, according to CoreLogic’s rental report for this month.
The group says a surge in overseas migrants and international students coupled with a significant shortfall in rental listings was what led to the strongest annual rental increase on record for Australia’s capital cities.
The increases come despite CoreLogic’s national rental index showing the rate of rental growth has softened slightly, with rents up 0.8% in May compared to the 0.9% and 1% increases in April and March respectively.
CoreLogic’s Mapping the Market tool showed 44.4% of house and unit markets recorded a rental increase of 10% or more in the year to May. Of the 3,812 markets analysed, 6.7% recorded a decline in rents for the period.
CoreLogic Economist Kaytlin Ezzy said:
In the past year we’ve seen rents increase in every capital and rest of state region except for Canberra where there’s been a -1.9% decline.
Canberra was previously the country’s most expensive rental city until Sydney overtook it in December.
The softening rental conditions in the ACT is likely due to there being more stock on the market.
Canberra’s vacancy rate has increased from 0.7% in March 2022 to 2.2%, putting it second behind Hobart (2.7%).
More stock means tenants have more choice and potentially more power when negotiating their rent.
Updated
No apology will be given for voice speech, Hastie says
Shadow defence minister Andrew Hastie is refusing to apologise after being accused of misrepresenting the views of former high court judges in his speech during the debate on the constitution alteration bill for the voice.
Attorney general Mark Dreyfus has called for Hastie to apologise to former chief justice Robert French and former judge Kenneth Hayne as well as to the parliament when it returns for the “flagrant” misrepresentation, the Nine papers report.
It's disappointing to see these senior Liberals spreading this sort of misinformation.
— Mark Dreyfus (@MarkDreyfusKCMP) June 6, 2023
The facts are clear - the Voice to Parliament is constitutionally sound and would enhance our system of government. https://t.co/r0Esv46FPe
Hastie’s speech was based on the dissenting report to the parliamentary inquiry, on behalf of Liberal party members, which picked only portions of the answers from two former high court judges who are prominent supporters of the voice.
In a statement entitled “no apologies from me”, Hastie said:
Labor are calling on me to apologise for this speech.
No apology will be given.
We are one people. We are one country.
I won’t be silent about the risks that Labor’s Voice poses to Australia’s political unity and social cohesion.
Updated
Candidates line up for Liberal preselection in Warrandyte
Nine candidates have nominated for Liberal preselection in the Victorian seat of Warrandyte after the resignation of MP Ryan Smith last week.
They include former candidates at the 2022 state election Nicole Werner, Jason McClintock and David Farrelly, KPMG director Sarah Overton and former Institue of Public Affairs executive director John Roskam.
There are also former staffers including Jemma Townson, who has worked for Matthew Guy and Katie Allen, Antonietta di Cosmo, who has worked for Smith, and John Howard staffer Allison Troth.
Manningham councillor and maths teacher Andrew Conlon has also thrown his hat into the ring.
Neither the former Kew MP Tim Smith nor his former electorate officer and vice-president of the federal Liberals, Caroline Inge, ended up nominating, despite declaring an interest.
After 16 years in parliament, Smith, a former leadership aspirant, announced last week he would step down on 7 July, triggering a byelection in his north-east Melbourne seat.
Smith suggested party negativity had played a part in his decision, just three weeks after the expulsion from the party room of Moira Deeming.
Updated
Miscarriage care integral to health of women, Palaszczuk says
Appropriate care for miscarriages is “absolutely” integral to the health of women, Annastacia Palaszczuk says:
It is a traumatic time, as I said you never get over it. There isn’t a day that goes by I don’t think about it. Other women are out there too. The health system needs to respond – so many times we focus on the woman having the baby, not the person who has lost the baby.
She goes on to reveal she was in shock and went into work on the day she lost her own child:
This is probably the first time I have spoken about it so publicly.
I had it in my house, I went to work, I was completely in shock. And then I thought I’d better call my specialist and I went in to my specialist. He said, “I don’t think you should be at work, you should be at home.”
This was many, many years ago, of course, before I was a politician but I know the trauma that goes through with women. It is heartbreaking, it is very hurtful and you’re in shock and you don’t know what to do.
Updated
‘I’ve also had a miscarriage,’ Palaszczuk tells breakfast television
Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has opened up about having a miscarriage while answering a question on breakfast television about the state of the health system.
The Courier-Mail yesterday revealed a woman was left sitting in her own blood for hours after a miscarriage at Ipswich hospital.
Palaszczuk told the Today show:
I’ve also had a miscarriage. I do know exactly what it’s like. It is horrific and stays with you for the rest of your life.
I do feel for the woman involved here and I’m going to be personally involved with the minister to ensure that these things do definitely do not happen again in our public hospitals.
It’s not acceptable. I don’t think it’s right and the health minister is convening an urgent roundtable to discuss these very important issues.
Updated
Dreyfus stands by Higgins decision
Mark Dreyfus said the text messages that have been published between Brittany Higgins and her partner did not raise any questions about the actions of then Labor frontbenchers that need to be further investigated.
The Australian this morning reports that text messages between Higgins and boyfriend David Sharaz have suggested the pair had contact with senior Labor politicians who the couple believed could support the claim.
Lisa Millar:
You’re confident of that, though? You’re confident you have all the information you need?
Dreyfus:
I made the decision to settle this claim in accordance with the legal services direction. It was an entirely regular decision. None of those texts are new.
Updated
‘Linda Reynolds can do what she likes’
Circling back to the attorney general’s interview with ABC News, Mark Dreyfus says Liberal senator Linda Reynolds can make whatever referral she likes to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (Nacc), as “anyone is free to make a referral”.
As my colleague Josh Butler reports this morning, Reynolds says she may raise a government compensation payment made to her former staffer Brittany Higgins with the Nacc, highlighting concerns about the speed of the process and the “fairness” of the Labor government’s handling of the case.
Higgins alleges she was raped by fellow staffer Bruce Lehrmann in the senator’s office. Lehrmann was charged but vehemently denied the allegations and maintained his innocence. The initial trial was aborted last year due to jury misconduct and prosecutors dropped the charges against Lehrmann amid concerns about the impact a second trial could have on Higgins’ mental health.
Dreyfus says:
This decision, which I made, was made as in exactly the same way as attorneys general for many, many years, under the legal services direction. It was an entirely regular decision.
And Linda Reynolds can do what she likes. Anyone is free to make a referral to the National Anti-Corruption Commission if that’s what she wants to do.
It’s an independent decision by the National Anti-Corruption Commission and I have made it very, very clear, I’m not going have quotes about what the National Anti-Corruption Commission should or not be doing.
Updated
A quarter of homes are bought mortgage-free, property data firm says
More than a quarter of homes were bought without a mortgage last year, suggesting there’s a sizeable cohort insulated from aggressive interest rate rises, AAP reports.
Roughly 25% of all sales in the eastern states – both dwellings and land – were made without a mortgage, according to the property data firm PEXA.
The analysis suggests the proportion of cash purchases has stayed relatively stable since before the arrival of Covid-19 but the total value has been trending higher since the pandemic property boom.
About $122.5bn worth of homes were cash funded in 2022, making up 25.6% of all residential sales in NSW, Queensland and Victoria.
This was slightly less than the $124.8bn worth of housing exchanged without a home loan in 2021 but well above the $83.6bn recorded in 2020.
PEXA head of research Mike Gill said the data suggested most cash buyers were older homeowners who had already paid off their mortgages and were buying a home to retire in.
Updated
‘There’s no place in Australia for people who want to glorify the horrors of the Holocaust’
Attorney general Mark Dreyfus says the rise in far-right violent activity prompted the move to ban Nazi symbols. He tells ABC News:
We think this is a very small number of people, in fact I’m hoping it’s getting smaller and it will eventually disappear.
We need to send a message there’s no place in Australia for this kind of behaviour. There’s no place in Australia for people who want to glorify the horrors of the Holocaust.
It would have been unthinkable, going back a few decades. It’s concerning it’s crept a little bit into the life of our country.
Dreyfus will introduce a bill next week to make it an offence to publicly display the Nazi Hakenkreuz – the swastika – and the SS Schutzstaffel symbol, or things that closely resemble them, but not the salute:
That’s more a matter for state governments. We don’t have Australian federal police on the street. There’s state police on the street dealing with street behaviour like this. It’s better dealt with by state laws.
Updated
Sydney’s main dam may face threats under ‘extreme and rare’ floods
Back in May, we got wind of some interesting briefings for incoming New South Wales Labor ministers in relation to Sydney’s main dam at Warragamba.
Our report prompted premier Chris Minns to say authorities were looking at “geotechnical” issues related to the geology under the giant dam wall.
Well now we have more details to reveal about what those issues were and how WaterNSW and Dam Safety NSW are examining them:
To be clear, there is no immediate threat to the wall but the extensive work that will be done to understand the nature of risk could eventually result in work to thicken or buttress the wall.
At this stage, raising its height – the subject of much debate – is not being contemplated, water minister Rose Jackson tells us.
A better understanding of the parameters around climate change and how it might worsen very extreme and rare flood events is part of the reason for the reassessment. Work to understand what raising the dam wall would mean for the seam that the wall sits on was another prompt for the review, according to WaterNSW.
Updated
Police officer hit and dragged by car in Perth
A police officer is in a critical condition after being run over and dragged underneath a car in the early hours of the morning in Perth.
About 1am this morning, police say, officers were following a vehicle with stolen plates when the car came to a stop in Ascot.
The officers were attempting to detain the three people in the car when WA police say:
One of the officers was run over and dragged underneath the vehicle.
The officer was administered CPR by his colleagues at the scene and was conveyed to Royal Perth Hospital in a critical condition.
Three people are currently in custody assisting with inquiries.
Updated
‘If it’s not in our national interest to do the deal, then we won’t
Murray Watt says Australia will walk away from the trade deal with the EU if it’s not in the national interest:
We would walk away if we can’t get the kind of agreement that we’re seeking. If we can’t get the kind of market access that we’re seeking. Then it’s not in our interest to do that deal.
Obviously our our strong preference is to have a deal reached to open up that market access for our agricultural producers and all sorts of other Australian goods and services producers. But if it’s not in our national interest to do the deal, then we won’t do it.
Updated
EU trade talks reach 'difficult stage', agriculture minister says
Australia’s talks have stalled for a trade deal with Europe that would give Australian producers access to a market with a GDP of $20tn.
The geographic indicators (the naming rights to foods including feta and prosecco) are the sticking point potentially blocking access for Australian products to European markets.
The agriculture minister, Murray Watt, says Australia has said it could walk away from the deal if it can’t get the kind of market access it is seeking.
He’s telling ABC Radio about the outcome of two days of trade talks in Brussels:
I actually spoke to Don Farrell, the trade minister, last night. He’s just finished two days of trade talks in Brussels … negotiations that he’s just undertaken have reached a difficult stage.
We’ve obviously been very clear about our position from the beginning of these negotiations that we really need to see some commercially meaningful expansion of new markets for our producers for this deal to be worth doing …
We’re not going to do with the or just for the sake of doing a deal, it’s got to be in Australia’s interests as well as being in the EU’s interests. We still think that that is possible to do that.
Updated
There is more severe weather in store for parts of NSW, Victoria and South Australia today.
⚠️ Severe Weather Warning update for Thursday morning (8 June) ⚠️
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) June 7, 2023
Our 24/7 forecast team has been monitoring the weather overnight and made some updates to the current Weather Warnings in NSW, Vic & SA.
Full details via the National Warning Summary: https://t.co/iCBQsTJKEk pic.twitter.com/D3BF0YbH3I
SEVERE WEATHER WARNING for HEAVY RAINFALL and DAMAGING WINDS
— VicEmergency (@vicemergency) June 7, 2023
For North East and parts of East Gippsland, Northern Country, North Central and West and South Gippsland.
Heavy rainfall continuing with gusty conditions over the peaks.
Stay informed: https://t.co/T05ONtx8bB pic.twitter.com/0b9mNOfM6k
Sydney home prices could set new record this year
Sydney property prices could surpass peak levels by the end of the year, according to one real estate appraiser.
The latest PropTrack Market Insight Report released today showed that if national home prices continue to grow at the same pace as over the past quarter, they could return to positive annual growth by the end of this month and would surpass their prior peak by December 2023.
This comes after Sydney led the downturn last year with a 7.2% decline in property prices from February 2022 to November 2022. But prices in Sydney have rebounded quickly, up 3.0% from the low in November 2022.
The regions leading the rebound are Sydney – city and inner south, Blacktown and the eastern suburbs, which are all up more than 4% from their respective low points.
Updated
Earthquakes hit Grafton in NSW and far north Queensland
A magnitude 4.2 earthquake shook the Coral Sea offshore from north-east Queensland shortly around quarter past 10 last night.
A magnitude 3.1 quake hit Grafton shortly after 2am this morning.
Region: Offshore North-East QLD, Coral Sea
— EarthquakesGA (@EarthquakesGA) June 7, 2023
Mag: 4.2
UTC: 2023-06-07 12:13:07
Lat: -16.90, Lon: 146.99
Dep: 10km
For more info and updates, or if you felt this earthquake, go to https://t.co/SBxvsNWjaf
Updated
Thanks to Martin for kicking things off, I’ll be with you into the afternoon.
Macquarie Group investments ‘directly contradict’ its climate commitments
Macquarie Group has been accused of touting green credentials while taking stakes in high-growth oil and gas companies, Australian Associated Press reports.
Billions of dollars in oil and gas undermine the investment bank’s net zero commitments, according to a report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis.
Known as the millionaire factory, Macquarie has almost $5bn invested in oil and gas companies that will produce gigatonnes of greenhouse gases from new developments, the research released today found.
Institute chief executive and research co-author Amandine Denis-Ryan said:
Our analysis finds that Macquarie Group’s actions directly contradict its climate commitments.
The shares and bonds include $3.5bn across 11 oil majors with expansion plans that are incompatible with the international pact on limiting global warming.
There is also about $1.4bn invested as significant stakes in smaller oil and gas companies.
The report also found that the target Macquarie has set for its oil and gas activities could encourage the financing of new gas projects so as to cut the average emissions intensity of the fossil fuel portfolio.
The investments identified add up to about $5bn, while the group disclosed only $1.2bn of financing exposure across the oil and gas value chain.
These numbers are significantly larger than the disclosed exposure by Australia’s largest banks, that is CBA ($2.1bn), NAB ($1.9bn) and Westpac ($1.9bn), the report said.
Macquarie signed up to the international Net Zero Banking Alliance in 2021, which committed the group to having a lending and investment portfolio in line with limiting global warming to below 1.5 degrees.
Updated
Quad countries urged to boost naval cooperation
A new paper says the Quad grouping of Australia, Japan, India and the US is not living up to its full potential.
The paper, published today by the United States Studies Centre, is titled “Bolstering the Quad: The case for a collective approach to maritime security”. It says:
Although the Quad has emerged as a bulwark of a free, open and resilient Indo-Pacific and a leading provider of public goods, it is not living up to its potential as a contributor to regional security and defence in the maritime domain. This is a problem for Indo-Pacific security. Given its member states’ collective military heft and stated interest in upholding a favourable balance of power in the region, the Quad has a vital role to play in preserving stability and deterring major power aggression.
The paper does not argue the Quad should pursue a formal collective defence arrangement – but says the four countries should better “network” their strengths.
The paper nominates five high-priority areas: maritime domain awareness, anti-submarine warfare, maritime logistics, defence industrial and technological cooperation, and maritime capacity building.
The recommendations include that Australia, Japan, India and the US “develop the collective capacity to seamlessly refuel, resupply and repair maritime assets from any member on short notice, and formally commit to this agenda at the political and operational levels”.
Coalition slams ‘delay’ in extra help for Ukraine
The Coalition has accused the Albanese government of “delaying the delivery of further assistance to Ukraine despite urgent calls for support”.
But the government hit back at the criticism, saying it “continues to engage with the government of Ukraine and our allies and partners to ensure meaningful support continues to be provided to Ukraine in its ongoing battle against Russian aggression”.
The Coalition is today calling on the government to give urgent consideration to a package including Hawkei vehicles, M1 Abrams Tanks, F/A-18 Hornets and humanitarian aid. It also urged the government to reinstate the Australian embassy in Kyiv.
The shadow foreign affairs minister, Simon Birmingham, and the shadow defence minister, Andrew Hastie, accused the government of waiting until Anthony Albanese attends a summit in Lithuania in mid-July:
The prime minister is holding support ransom until he has a media opportunity at the upcoming Nato summit. This is unacceptable – military and humanitarian aid should not be withheld based on the news cycle. The Albanese government must not fatigue in its support of Ukraine. This government puts Australia’s reputation as a reliable and trusted partner at risk.
A spokesperson for the deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, said:
It is disappointing the Coalition are seeking to play politics with such an important matter. The government has engaged the Coalition in briefings and the like to ensure there is bipartisan support on this issue.
So far, Australia has committed about $680m of support to Ukraine, a figure that includes more than $510m in military assistance. Promises to date include the supply of 90 Bushmaster protected mobility vehicles, the majority of which are said to have arrived in Ukraine.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our rolling news coverage. This is Martin Farrer bringing you some early morning headlines before Natasha May takes the reins soon.
Successive rate hikes by the RBA have brought the cost-of-living crisis into sharp relief and our main story today is the “mortgage cliff” facing thousands of households as they come off fixed-rate deals to more expensive variable loans. We’ve talked to a family facing a massive struggle to make ends meet with their repayments about to rise by $2,000 a month, while economists are warning that the country is already in a “retail recession” as spending slumps.
We know that Paul Keating thinks the Aukus pact is a bad idea because he said so in a speech at the National Press Club a few months ago. What we didn’t know until today was that, just hours before his speech, the former prime minister sent a furious broadside to the Albanese cabinet to warn about what he sees as the “dangerous” policy of aligning with the US and UK against China in the Pacific. We’ve got a FOI exclusive here.
The federal government announced late last night that it will ban Nazi symbols with a punishment of up to a year in prison – but it will not ban the Nazi salute. The move by the attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, follows controversy in March over what he called a failure by the Coalition to condemn people who used a Nazi salute at an anti-trans rights rally on the steps of the Victorian parliament in Melbourne. There’s more coming up on this story.
