What we learned; Monday 4 March
And that’s where we’ll leave you this evening. Here are the highlights from today:
Anthony Albanese met with the Malaysian prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, in Melbourne today on the first day of a three-day Asean summit. The pair announced a range of deals ensuring closer collaboration on issues including cybersecurity and nuclear non-proliferation.
The federal government is pressing ahead with planning for a possible visit by King Charles later this year.
The shadow housing minister, Michael Sukkar, has said housing will be a “very compelling part” of the Coalition’s policy offering at the next election.
Walter Sofronoff’s extensive communications with a columnist at The Australian gave an impression of bias against the former ACT director of public prosecutions, Shane Drumgold, during his inquiry into the Lehrmann trial, a court found.
NSW premier Chris Minns said “change needs to be made” to NSW police policies and procedures after Luke Davies and Jesse Baird were allegedly murdered by a serving police officer. Mines also said a pro-Palestine protest during the Sydney Mardi Gras parade on Saturday “wasn’t too much of a big deal on the night”.
More than 100 pieces of correspondence sent to the communications minister, Michelle Rowland, in the week the ABC pulled the journalist Antoinette Lattouf off air have been blocked from release to Guardian Australia.
Australia’s rental vacancy rate has reached a new record low of 0.7%, Domain’s February rate report has revealed.
Some 80% of people on low incomes are reporting becoming severely unwell because of heatwaves, including more than 90% of First Nations communities, according to new research from the Australian Council of Social Service.
More than 30,000 customers across Western Australia lost power, including customers in the south-west of the state and Perth’s northern suburbs.
And a homeowner has been fined $8,250 by the NSW Environment Protection Authority for a mass crayfish kill in a Blue Mountains creek last year.
Thanks so much for your company this afternoon. We’ll be back bright and early tomorrow morning. See you then.
Updated
ACT government considering response to Sofronoff inquiry
The ACT government says it’s still considering how to respond to today’s judgment .
Meanwhile, Ian Meagher, the solicitor for former ACT director of public prosecutions, Shane Drumgold, said his client is “delighted” with the court’s decision and is “now looking forward to moving on with his life”.
Earlier this afternoon, Justice Stephen Kaye ruled Walter Sofronoff’s extensive communications with The Australian columnist, Janet Albrechtsen, gave rise to an impression of bias against Drumgold.
Sofronoff, who headed the inquiry into how the trial against Bruce Lehrmann was conducted, had interacted with Albrechtsen on 273 occasions leading up to and during the probe.
Justice Kaye also overruled Sofronoff’s finding that Drumgold had acted with “grossly unethical conduct” during his cross-examination of retiring Liberal senator Linda Reynolds.
The ACT government said this afternoon:
The government is considering the terms of acting Justice Kaye’s decision and will make no comment at this time. We observe, however, that the report’s findings in relation to other persons and the recommendations in relation to the criminal justice system remain undisturbed.
It is expected to deliver a more comprehensive response on Tuesday.
Updated
Today, First Dog on the Moon has taken on the case of the man recovering from brain surgery who had his welfare payments suspended, despite him lodging a medical certificate with Services Australia, saying he had been unable to fulfil his obligations due to having surgery to remove a tumour.
You can read the original news story from Cait Kelly, here:
Clover Moore accuses NSW of ‘massive’ regulatory failure over asbestos mulch
Sydney’s lord mayor, Clover Moore, has accused the New South Wales government and the state’s environment watchdog of a “massive” and “costly” regulatory failure over the ongoing asbestos contamination crisis.
City of Sydney councillors gathered at an extraordinary general meeting on Monday to discuss how contaminated mulch came to be used across numerous city parks. Moore revealed testing alone had already cost the council more than $200,000.
Asbestos has so far been found in mulch in more than a dozen City of Sydney parks, including friable asbestos at several sites. The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has found asbestos-contaminated mulch at more than 60 sites across greater Sydney.
Read more on this story from myself and environment reporter Lisa Cox, here:
Updated
Housing to be ‘very compelling part’ of Coalition’s election campaign: minister
The shadow housing minister, Michael Sukkar, has spoken about how housing will be a “very compelling part” of the Coalition’s policy offering at the next election.
Sukkar told ABC Afternoon Briefing the Coalition has recommitted to its policy “providing first home buyers with the opportunity to access up to $50,000 of their super with a requirement that it goes back into their super once they cease holding that property, to enable them to use their superannuation, which is their money, as a deposit for a first term”.
Then things got interesting when Sukkar was asked if the opposition might have to revise up how much people are able to withdraw due to rising house prices. Sukkar seemed open to it.
He said:
We will have more to say about that policy and the range of other policies. It is a fair point you make but we will consider that in the context of the full suite of policies for the election. Let’s remember for a couple that is $50,000 each, so for a couple it is $100,000 towards your deposit, in addition to other savings, because we think it is a very compelling policy that we took to the last election. It will be refreshed in the context of what we take to the next election …
I’m not announcing that today. I think my point is, and you made a good point, that was a policy we took to the last election. We have recommitted to the policy in broad strokes, but we will be taking a suite of policies to support home ownership for the next election.
Updated
Malaysia and Australia express ‘deep concern’ for Myanmar three years after coup
In a joint statement, the leaders of Australia and Malaysia have “expressed their deep concern” about the ongoing situation in Myanmar, three years after a military coup.
The statement from Anthony Albanese and Anwar Ibrahim came after pro-democracy protesters gathered outside the Asean conference in Melbourne, urging the regional bloc of south-east Asian nations to take a more proactive stance in the nation.
The leaders expressed their deep concern at the continued suffering of the people of Myanmar as a result of the 2021 military coup and strongly condemned the continued acts of violence.
Leaders urged the military regime to take concrete action to immediately halt indiscriminate violence, denounce any escalation, release those unjustly detained, allow safe and unimpeded access for the delivery of humanitarian assistance and to engage in inclusive national dialogue.
Insurance losses for catastrophes this summer top $1.2bn
Insured losses from declared catastrophes this summer have hit $1.2bn, according to data released today by the Insurance Council of Australia.
The disasters include ex-tropical cyclone Jasper, which hit northern Queensland in mid-December last year, and the Christmas and new year storms that caused damage across regions of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria between 23 December and 3 January.
The Christmas and New Year storms caused $968m in losses from nearly 90,000 insurance claims, the data shows. Meanwhile, losses from ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper have reached $278m from nearly 10,000 claims.
Some $171m has reportedly been paid out from storm claims in February, up from the $22m paid out in January. While $62m has been paid out from Jasper so far.
The ICA CEO, Andrew Hall, said in a statement that claims would remain open “until all works were completed and approved, which may take some time depending on the severity of the damage caused and the complexity of the claim”.
Updated
University of Sydney removes entry requirements for some courses
The University of Sydney is scrapping entry prerequisites for a number of courses in a bid to improve accessibility to the institution.
Under the changes, students will not have to have completed advanced mathematics for entry to a string of courses from 2025, with the prerequisite to be replaced with targeted support throughout degrees.
The vice-chancellor, Prof Mark Scott, said the changes acknowledged many disadvantaged students weren’t able to take accelerated courses at school and enrolment rates in advanced mathematics had continued to decline.
Through no fault of their own, many students don’t have the opportunity to take advanced mathematics at school – a situation exacerbated by ongoing maths teacher shortages that affect some schools more than others.
The prerequisite will remain in place for engineering honours courses, advanced computing and pharmacy. It follows the release of the Universities Accord report, which found disadvantaged students must be better represented at institutions in order to meet future workforce needs.
Updated
'Whatever needs to be done, must be done': Malaysian PM on MH370 investigation
Malaysian prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, has said his government will not hesitate to reopen an investigation into the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 if there is credible evidence suggesting that should happen.
Malaysia is in talks with the US marine robotics company Ocean Infinity to discuss a new search operation. The company says it is willing and able to return to the search, and has submitted a proposal to the Malaysian government.
Flight MH370 from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, carrying 12 Malaysian crew members and 227 passengers, vanished from air traffic radar on 8 March 2014. Its disappearance sparked the largest ever search operation but the fate of the plane has never been resolved and remains one of the world’s greatest aviation mysteries.
Anwar was asked about the issue during a press conference with Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese:
We have taken the position that if there is a compelling case and evidence that [an investigation] needs to be reopened then we will certainly be happy for it to be reopened. I don’t think this is a technical issue, it is an issue affecting the lives of people. Whatever needs to be done, must be done.
Updated
Asean leaders discuss call for ceasefire in Gaza
Anthony Albanese and his Malaysian counterpart, Anwar Ibrahim, have both been asked what official statement they’d like Asean to deliver regarding the conflict in Gaza. At these international summits, negotiated statements are made once all parties agree on the phrasing.
Here’s Albanese:
We have been very consistent …. [about] our deep concern about civilian suffering, whether that be Israeli or Palestinian. Our call for a humanitarian ceasefire, a call for hostages to be released, a call for a political solution that must include a two-state solution, where Palestinians and Israelis can live with security and stability side-by-side. That is in the interest of everyone in the region.
That is Australia’s position, no doubt the world, including Asean leaders, are concerned about events that have occurred there and are concerned about instability that is created there as well.
And Anwar:
I think the general consensus is calling for a ceasefire.
Updated
Malaysian PM: ‘We do not have a problem with China’
The ABC’s Stephen Dziedzic has asked Malaysian prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, whether his government is concerned about Australia’s increased focus on defence spending, and for more context on his recent comments about a rise of “China-phobia” in the west.
Anwar began by joking that difficult questions should be addressed to the host nation, Australia, before offering this reply:
We are an independent nation. We are fiercely independent. We do not want to be dictated by any force. So it remains to be an important friend to the US and Europe and here in Australia. They should not preclude us from being friendly to one of our important neighbours, precisely China.
If they have problems with China, they should not impose it upon us. We do not have a problem with China.
Updated
Malaysia and Australia to collaborate on cybersecurity
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and his Malaysian counterpart, Anwar Ibrahim, have announced a range of deals ensuring closer collaboration on issues including cybersecurity and nuclear non-proliferation.
The two leaders are holding a press conference after a bilateral meeting at Government House in Melbourne on the first day of a three-day Asean summit.
Australia is not a member of Asean – the Association of Southeast Asian Nations – but the special summit marks 50 years since Australia became the regional grouping’s first dialogue partner.
Albanese told reporters that the two leaders discussed progress on a joint defence program:
We also announced a memorandum of understanding on the comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty to enable data sharing and capacity building and nuclear non-proliferation between our two countries.
The prime minister and I also discussed our joint commitment to better manage cyber threats.
Going forward, Australia and Malaysia will be able to engage in more comprehensive information sharing and cyber skills development. And we will work closely together on immigration and border issues.
Updated
Australian army ‘one of the great pillars’ of our security: Malaysian PM
The prime minister has been making some announcements about cooperation between Malaysia, particularly in the areas of digital economy and energy transition, which Albanese is calling “a digital economy MOU”. We’ll have more for you on those in a moment.
The Malaysian prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim says:
The longstanding relations between Malaysia and Australia goes back prewar, and the enormous contribution of the Australian Armed Forces is something which we have considered one of the great pillars in terms of strengthening our security, securing our ultimate independence.
Updated
Malaysia and Australia ‘share the same aspirations for the region’: PM
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is speaking now from Asean with the Malaysian prime minister. Here are his opening remarks:
Malaysia is one of Australia’s oldest and most important friends in the region. We are bound together in so many ways, from family ties and close economic connections, to the tens of thousands of students and tourists each year drawn to Australian and Malaysian shores. Above all, we share the same aspirations for the region we call home. We believe in an Indo Pacific region that is open, stable and prosperous. And where sovereignty is respected and differences are settled through dialogue and agreed rules and norms.
My meeting with the prime minister emphasised our state found commitment to this vision and a shared desire to bring our people and our economy is closer still. Australia stands ready to play a bigger role in Malaysia’s pursuit of economic opportunity, investment, development and growth.
Updated
NSW premier apologises for sinkhole
The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, has apologised to the owners of a property after a sinkhole appeared in Sydney’s south last week.
The nearly 20-metre-wide sinkhole appeared at a Rockdale industrial park, above nearby M6 motorway tunnelling works on Friday.
Minns said it was being investigated and work would be done to ensure it did not happen again.
The premier said:
My understanding is that engineers believed that this part of the project was always going to be tough. It’s the … part of the project that’s closest to the surface.
I’m not pretending anything other than something’s gone wrong here. We need to make sure that we’ve learned the lessons and it’s not repeated. Of course, we apologise to the owners of the land and those that work there. We are very grateful there’s been no injuries or worse on the site.
Here’s some background on what happened:
Updated
Many thanks for joining me on the blog today, the lovely Stephanie Convery will be here to take you through the rest of today’s news. Take care!
Weak inventory result to lop 1 percentage point off GDP, economists say
As noted in an earlier post, the surprisingly strong drop in inventories (stocks and stockpiles held by companies) might nudge the December quarter GDP figures close to zero or even negative when we get the full national accounts figures on Wednesday.
Two missing pieces, from the trade sector and government spending, will land tomorrow, and so most economists will hold off on their final GDP forecasts until then.
A few are already noting there are “downside risks” to their existing predictions because inventories fell 1.7%, among the largest recorded, according to UBS. The drop will slash 1 percentage point from the quarterly result which might be hard to make up from trade, and recall that the September quarter only registered 0.2% GDP growth to start with.
Trade could well be a bit of a drag for the rest of 2024, as it happens, especially if Chinese planners don’t take some serious steps to revive domestic consumer confidence.
Name your commodity and it’s a fair chance China consumes more than any other nation, so what happens up north can make a big difference for exporters such as Australia (and budget coffers).
It’s been passing strange that the iron ore price has held up so well given the state of China’s property sector. Real estate, after all, uses a lot of steel, much of made with red direct exported from Australia’s Pilbara.
The ANZ has an updated report on the sector today (timely as the Communist Party - plus a few token other groups - holds its annual gathering in Beijing’s cavernous Great Hall of the People this week).
The unsold residential property in China now exceeds 3bn square metres. If nobody built anything more, it would take 3.6 years to digest that inventory. That’s about 50% more than during the last downturn, in 2014, and the overhang will get worse before it gets better, ANZ said.
Resorting to the usual mix of interest rate cuts and other incentives stopped working in 2022, the bank says.
“The shock from the pandemic, diminishing economic optimism and the lack of confidence in real estate as a store of wealth have affected the prospect of property investment,” ANZ said. China’s real estate sector now looks a lot like Japan after a monster bubble popped there in 1991.
Perhaps the adjustment to Australia’s inventories will look like a minor adjustment not too far down the track.
Walter Sofronoff gave rise to impression of bias against Shane Drumgold in Lehrmann trial inquiry: judge
Walter Sofronoff’s extensive communications with a columnist at The Australian gave an impression of bias against former ACT director of public prosecutions, Shane Drumgold, during his inquiry into the Lehrmann trial, a court has found.
Justice Stephen Kaye handed down his judgment in Drumgold’s case against Sofronoff and the ACT government on Monday afternoon, finding the inquiry head’s 273 interactions with columnist, Janet Albrechtsen, gave the impression he “might have been influenced by the views held and publicly expressed” by Albrechtsen.
Drumgold had alleged Sofronoff’s inquiry failed to give him a fair hearing, denied him natural justice, breached the law and “gave rise to a reasonable apprehension of bias”.
Drumgold’s legal team had also attempted to overturn eight of Sofronoff’s “serious findings of misconduct”, but was ultimately only successful in overturning one.
That overturned finding related to his conclusion that Drumgold had acted with “grossly unethical conduct” during his cross-examination of retiring Liberal senator Linda Reynolds.
Justice Kaye also determined Drumgold had not been afforded natural justice on one count because he did not properly understand the rules around freedom of information.
The parties are discussing the judge’s proposal for relief and costs, which is expected to be unveiled later this afternoon.
Guardian Australia published parts of a letter sent by Drumgold to the Australian federal police accusing Reynolds of “disturbing conduct” during the Bruce Lehrmann trial.
Reynolds sued Drumgold and the ACT government for defamation, which was settled on Monday morning for $90,000.
Updated
WA power outage affects 37,000 Perth homes
The power outage affecting metropolitan Perth and the hills districts is now affecting about 37,000 homes and businesses, as weather conditions cause pole top fires.
Western Power has just provided an update and said about 70 pole fire incidents have been reported, which is the cause of the unplanned outages.
As we reported earlier today, pole top fires can occur during light drizzling rain or misty, damp conditions when recent dust and pollution builds to create paths or “tracks” on the insulators, enabling electricity to jump across. The tracking electricity can heat elements of the pole, causing it to smoulder and burn.
The latest Western Power update says:
All available crews are working as quickly and safely as possible to make hazards safe. Customers may see crews attending a fault and then leaving before power has been restored. This is because our crews priority is to make hazards safe first before commencing repairs.
Once all hazards have been made safe, crews will be able to assess poles for replacement and start repair work. Each pole change can take between 4 and 8 hours, depending on the type of pole, and unfortunately some customers may be without power until later in the day.
The spokesperson said work has been ongoing to minimise the risk of pole top fires across the network, but climate change impacts on weather pattens “have been challenging”.
Updated
Teen in custody after man dies and woman seriously injured in Perth
A 19-year-old man has been taken into custody after a man died and a woman was seriously injured outside the Perth CBD.
Around 8am local time this morning, Western Australia police were called to Greenwood after reports a man had been seriously injured.
A man in his 80s and a woman in her 70s were located with serious injuries. The woman was taken to Royal Perth hospital where she remains in a stable condition, however the man died at the scene.
About 9.20am a 19-year-old man was located in Kingsley and taken into custody. Inquiries are ongoing, police said in a statement.
A large number of police resources attended the scene including police airwing, canine unit, local police and detectives.
Updated
Investigation into Sydney sinkhole under way
Transport for NSW has provided an update on the sinkhole that appeared in Sydney’s south last Friday.
Last Friday a nearly 20-metre-wide sinkhole appeared in a Rockdale industrial park, above nearby M6 motorway tunnelling works. You can read all the background on this here, in case you missed it.
A spokesperson said the sinkhole was filled and stabilised with around 1800m3 of concrete, which was completed this morning.
The affected area in Rockdale was handed over to the property owners on Sunday afternoon, and an exclusion zone is being maintained around the impacted building.
This will be closed off until an engineering assessment is complete. A Transport for NSW spokesperson said:
There are many complex factors that may have contributed to the subsidence. Investigations into the possible causes are under way and will take some time.
The spokesperson said it is “not yet known” when tunnelling will resume in the M6 south-bound tunnel:
Tunnelling will only recommence under the impacted area after comprehensive safety and geotechnical reviews have taken place.
Updated
New Zealand PM heading to Melbourne’s Asean summit
Chris Luxon, New Zealand’s prime minister, will enter the world of face-to-face international diplomacy this week after an invitation to the Asean summit in Melbourne, AAP reports.
Luxon, who took office in November last year, will meet with several south-east Asian leaders tomorrow after taking up the prime minister, Anthony Albanese’s offer to attend the Asean summit.
Luxon will focus on trade during his two-day trip to Victoria before returning to New Zealand on Wednesday. He said:
South-east Asia is incredibly important for New Zealand. The Asean bloc is our third largest goods export market. Stepping up our focus on the region reflects the impact it has on New Zealand’s strategic and economic interests.
Updated
Storm warning issued in SA
A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for the west coast and north-west pastoral districts of South Australia:
.@BOM_SA has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning ⚠️ for HEAVY RAINFALL 🌧️
— SASES (@SA_SES) March 4, 2024
For the West Coast & NW Pastoral districts.
Issued 12:20pm 4 March 24
☎️ For SES, call 132 500
☎️ For life-threatening emergencies, call 000
Warning: https://t.co/CbbJmOU1LZ pic.twitter.com/vzwVIFvPLo
The Bureau of Meteorology says a weak upper trough is leading to thunderstorm development in a moist environment moving across the border from Western Australia.
Severe thunderstorms are likely to produce heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding in the warning area over the next several hours. Nullarbor recorded 21.6mm in the 60 minutes to 12pm.
Updated
Homeowner fined $8,250 over mass crayfish kill in Blue Mountains
An individual has been fined $8,250 by the NSW Environment Protection Authority for a mass crayfish kill in a Blue Mountains creek last year.
About 1,000 dead and dying giant spiny crayfish were found in a tributary of Hazelbrook Creek, near Horseshoe Falls, by a tour guide in August last year.
The EPA issued two penalty notices after its investigation found nearly 40 litres of the diluted pesticide Bifenthrin accidentally spilt on the driveway of a private property, flowing into the stormwater system and causing the mass crayfish kill.
Bifenthrin is a highly toxic chemical commonly used to control termites, spiders, ants and cockroaches. The EPA detected it in the water, sediment and crayfish samples taken from Hazelbrook Creek.
EPA’s executive director of regulatory operations, Jason Gordon, said in a statement that the incident was preventable:
The individual had the opportunity to clean up the spill to prevent further harm but failed to do so.
While we are pleased the person responsible came forward on their own accord, we are committed to holding individuals accountable for actions that endanger our precious ecosystems.
The misuse and mishandling of pesticides can have devastating impacts on our waterways, which are home to animals like the Giant Spiny Crayfish.
This unfortunate incident serves as an important reminder of responsible pesticide use and handling practices to safeguard our waterways and ecosystems.
You can read more background on the incident here:
Updated
Car driven off ledge and crashes in Sydney
A man has driven his car off a ledge and crashed on to the street below in Sydney’s inner west.
Officers from the Leichhardt police area command were told that a white Hyundai hatchback was travelling on Darghan Street in Glebe, before it crashed on to Railway Street below, about 10.10am today.
The driver of hatchback, a 70-year-old man, was treated by paramedics and taken to Royal Prince Alfred hospital in a stable condition.
A crime scene has been established and an investigation into the circumstances surrounding this incident has commenced.
Updated
Talk of recession may loom after weak economic figures
Continuing on from our last post, and two other numbers out today weren’t very positive, either.
To ease the housing squeeze, we could do with a lot more building. Unfortunately, the number of new dwellings retreated 1% in January, and while better than the 10.1% revised drop in December, economists had been predicting a 4% month-on-month uptick.
For private houses, approvals slid 9.9%, and have been in retreat for four months in a row in trend terms.
New South Wales led the retreat, with total dwelling approvals down 14.9% with Victoria’s down almost 10%. In the other direction, Queensland somehow pulled out a 31.8% rise and WA 11.4%.
Also on the weak side were job advertisements, which declined 2.8% in February, according to the ANZ-Indeed survey. The drop, though, was after January’s figures were revised higher, to a 3.4% gain.
As the ANZ said, the downward movement in job ads “suggests there is scope for the unemployment rate to rise further, as do recent changes in labour market flows”.
All up, it looks like we might hear a lot about “recession” this week, setting up debate about how soon the Reserve Bank will be cutting interest rates. The RBA board meets on 18-19 March, and presumably won’t be wasting a lot of time talking about lifting interest rates again.
Updated
Latest economic numbers underscore weakness ahead of December quarter GDP
On Wednesday, we’ll get December quarter GDP figures and it’s not out of the question we could get a negative result, at least in quarter-on-quarter terms.
CBA, for instance, was predicting GDP would come in at 0.2% growth for the quarter and 1.4% compared with a year earlier. Those forecasts, though, were before a couple of December quarter stats dropped from the ABS.
Inventories held by companies sank 1.7%, the ABS said, compared with economists’ consensus of a flat result. This drop will shave off some of that 0.2% tally.
Gross operating profits, though, were more promising. They rose 7.4%, or a lot higher than the 1.1% rise expected. (This figure seems to jump around a bit - profits sank 11.5% in the June quarter.)
Balance of payments figures are out tomorrow from the ABS which will fill in more of the GDP components. Still on the inventory numbers at least, a few quills will be sharpened today to lower GDP forecasts. (Mind you, on a per capita basis, GDP has been in retreat for a few quarters already once you take out population growth.)
A video has been released of the moment two men were rescued from Mount Bogong yesterday:
The duo called emergency services for a welfare check on Saturday evening and spent the night on Mount Bogong. They had enough supplies for the evening, so a plan was made to rescue the pair on Sunday morning.
The 63-year-old and 71-year-old men were winched to safety by Air Wing officers about 9.30am. Both were checked by paramedics but did not require treatment.
Drizzle and humidity behind pole top fires causing WA power outages, Western Power says
Western Power says a power outage affecting nearly 30,000 customers across WA is due to pole top fires, following drizzly rain and humid weather.
A spokesperson said around 28,000 homes and businesses in the northern metropolitan areas of Wanneroo, Joondalup and Stirling are without power, with around 30 pole incidents.
Pole top fires can occur during light drizzling rain or misty, damp conditions when recent dust and pollution builds to create paths or “tracks” on the insulators, enabling electricity to jump across, the spokesperson said.
This tracking electricity can heat elements of the pole infrastructure to a point where they smoulder and burn.
Crews are working to make hazards safe as a priority, and will assess poles for replacement. Each pole can take around 4 to 8 hours.
Western Power said it is communicating with affected customers directly via SMS.
Updated
Housing vacancy rate hits new record low of 0.7%, increase predicted later this year
Australia’s vacancy rate has reached a new record low of 0.7%, Domain’s February rate report has revealed.
However there’s a slight alleviation in tenant competition as the average views per rental listing declined in February and continues to remain lower compared to previous years.
Domain’s chief of research and economics, Dr Nicola Powell:
While the vacancy rate hits a record low, it’s crucial to consider the bigger rental market picture. The number of prospective tenants per rental listing is easing, indicating falling competition between renters.
This supports the trend of slowing rental growth, suggesting demand is pulling back. This could be an early indicator of an increase in vacancy rates sometime this year.
There are a number of first-home incentives across the states and the prospects of the hotly discussed Help to Buy scheme. We’ve seen more first-home buyers entering the market.
This trend will likely accelerate with the introduction of new incentives for first-time buyers, coupled with the possibility of interest rate cuts. This could translate to reduced demand in the rental market and an increase in available rental properties for tenants.
Updated
Russian nationals charged after $2.3m cash and crypto seized
Two Russian nationals have been charged with money laundering after more than $2.3m in cash and cryptocurrency was seized on the Gold Coast, AAP reports.
Australian federal police will allege a man, 49, and a woman, 46, laundered money via hundreds of cash deposits at bank branches and ATMs across NSW, Queensland, Victoria and South Australia in 2022.
The deposits were allegedly kept below $10,000 in a bid to avoid detection by authorities.
A search of a Hope Island property and solicitor’s office on the Gold Coast found $1.95m in cash and $425,000 in cryptocurrency in December 2023, the AFP said. Substantial financial records were also located.
The man and woman have each been charged with three counts of dealing in the proceeds of crime with money or property worth more than $1m.
They will appear in Southport magistrates court on Monday.
Updated
Power outage in WA affecting more than 30,000 customers
More than 30,000 customers across Western Australia are currently without power.
The Western Power outage map shows widespread outages, affecting thousands of customers in south-west parts of the state, including Perth’s northern suburbs.
The largest outage is affecting more than 5,000 customers across the City of Joondalup and further north in Caraban, Eglinton, Yanchep, Guilderton, Two Rocks, Wilbinga, Muckenburra, Neergabby, Carabooda, Woodridge, Gabbadah and Yeal.
Western Power has not listed a cause of the outage on its map, but we have contacted them for more information and will bring you the latest as soon as we can.
Updated
Monarchist league says NSW premier ‘purposefully insulted’ King Charles by not lighting up Opera House
The Australian Monarchist League (AML) says it is hopeful that King Charles’ cancer treatment will be successful so he will be “well enough to visit Australia” later this year.
In a statement, the AML said King Charles and Queen Camilla would potentially be visiting on their way to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa, scheduled for late October.
We earnestly trust that the premiers will respond positively to the Prime Minister’s call and put forward a constructive case for Their Majesties to visit their State.
This is exactly what the New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, did this morning, making appeals across breakfast television for the King to visit Sydney (which you can read about here).
But the AML was not impressed:
This morning Mr Minns has said that ‘Sydney was an obvious choice for the King to stop at’. He should have thought of that before he purposefully insulted the King on his Coronation Day.
Last May, Minns defended the state government’s decision not to light the sails of the Sydney Opera House to mark King Charles’ coronation.
The AML argued “the matter of a republic should have nothing to do with the royal visit”.
Updated
A-Leagues investigating allegations of heavy-handed police behaviour at weekend matches in Sydney and Brisbane
Two allegations of heavy-handed policing at football matches over the weekend are being investigated by the operator of the A-League Mens competition.
Australian Professional Leagues issued a statement on X this morning saying the organisation will be seeking information from clubs, venues, police and fans as part of a review.
Creating a safe and enjoyable environment both inside and outside our venues for all fans, stakeholders and staff is our number one priority.
Many of Western Sydney Wanderers’ so-called “active” fans left Saturday night’s Sydney derby in protest of behaviour by police, and a video on social media was posted on Sunday showing police officers arguing with and pushing Brisbane Roar fans.
A NSW Police statement said its response was part of a “high-visibility policing operation”. 14 people were ejected from Saturday’s match and two people were issued infringement notices, “one for offensive behaviour and a second for igniting a flare just before full time”.
A QPS spokesperson said police were “mostly satisfied with crowd behaviour” at Sunday’s match. Two people were issued with move on directions following “alleged anti-social behaviour” and a 16-year-old was arrested for “disorderly behaviour” after allegedly igniting a flare.
Updated
Severe thunderstorms possible across Queensland later today
Severe thunderstorms are possible this afternoon and evening throughout central and north Queensland, and parts of south-east Queensland north of Toowoomba:
Severe #thunderstorms are possible, mostly afternoon & evening, about inland parts of central & N Qld, and parts of inland SE Qld N of Toowoomba. Main hazard is heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding, with damaging wind gusts also possible in central Queensland. pic.twitter.com/8n5178gSO1
— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) March 3, 2024
Updated
Communications minister blocks release of correspondence relating to Gaza coverage and Antoinette Lattouf
More than 100 pieces of correspondence to the communications minister, Michelle Rowland, sent in the week the ABC pulled journalist Antoinette Lattouf off air, were blocked from release to Guardian Australia last week.
In the week before Christmas, Lattouf was taken off her final two fill-in shifts on ABC Sydney for posting a Human Rights Watch story on her personal Instagram account.
Guardian Australia sought access to communications to Rowland’s office in the week Lattouf was on air, related to Lattouf or the ABC’s coverage of the Israel war in Gaza.
It came after WhatsApp group chats revealed a coordinated campaign to the ABC and the minister’s office regarding the war coverage and Lattouf.
On Friday, the minister’s office refused to release the 102 pieces of correspondence received by her office in that week under freedom of information laws due to the claim it would “result in a real, significant or material possibility of prejudice to the impartial adjudication” of the Fair Work Commission case brought by Lattouf against the ABC.
A similar FOI request with the ABC is ongoing.
Updated
Aukus and F-35 fighter costs are known, but why not a ‘weather bureau’ IT upgrade?
Back in 2015, the Bureau of Meteorology was apparently hacked, prompting a major overhaul of its IT system that was labelled Robust.
As we reported last August, there have been mounting costs and delays to the program, which should have been up and running by June 2023. There’s already a new supercomputer, Australis 2, becoming less new as it waits for the all-clear.
At the time, there were internal concerns about the pace of the program, including the widespread use of outside consultants, and whether critical services the BoM provides might be compromised as funds and staff get diverted to make Robust, well, live up to its name.
Senators haven’t been very impressed by the answers they’ve been getting, particularly about the cost of the program. As we report today, BoM chief Andrew Johnson provided details to staff in a video presentation of Australia Day awards – numbers senators Barbara Pocock and Jonathon Duniam have been keen to know:
As Pocock says, there had been rumours the project would cost up to $1bn but the number was considered inappropriate for a public airing.
“Why on earth can’t we find out how much an IT project at the weather bureau will cost?” After all, we know what Aukus submarines and F-35 fighter aircraft are supposed to cost (before those sums are inevitably inflated).
It’s a fair guess the next senate estimates will be asking for a few more things from BoM, including making that video public.
And, indeed, how soon Robust and Australis 2 will be fully operational. The latest update is in “calendar 2024”, Johnson told estimates last week.
Updated
Albanese confirms: no shoeys at Asean summit
Asked about another major event in Australia this week, the Asean leaders’ summit in Melbourne, Albanese said he wouldn’t be partaking in what’s become a bit of a local tradition.
I can assure you that there’ll be no shoeys at Asean.
ABC host Craig Reucassel had asked about Kylie Minogue doing a shoey at the Brit Awards over the weekend.
Albanese replied:
People who know me will be having a chuckle at even the question, the idea that I would ever do a shoey. I’m far too neat and far too clean, it’s something that I would never do. I think it’s a bit weird myself.
I am not judgmental about it, mind you.
Here’s Our Kylie, doing us proud:
Updated
Palestine solidarity protest at Mardi Gras ‘unfortunate’, Albanese says
Anthony Albanese said it was “unfortunate” that some attenders at Saturday’s Mardi Gras protested near the float holding the NSW premier, Chris Minns.
NSW police said they’d charged several people over the protest, where some attendees jumped the fence with a flare and a banner reading “queer solidarity with Palestinian resistance”.
Albanese said:
It’s unfortunate, I think, that some people jump the fence to protest about something that isn’t related at all to what Mardi Gras about, which is a fantastic message about inclusiveness and people participating and people being valued for who they are.
And I’m sure that it was a good thing that Mardi Gras had Chris Minns, the premier, the first premier to march at Mardi Gras.
Updated
PM says ‘we should’ have truth in advertising laws but they are ‘not easy to achieve’
Anthony Albanese said “we should” have truth in political advertising laws. But when ABC radio host Craig Reucassel bluntly pointed out “well you’re in charge of it”, Albanese said they were difficult issues to manage.
The PM went on the ABC this morning after the Dunkley by-election result on Saturday, where Labor retained the Melbourne seat. He said the result was “reassuring” for the government. Some Labor people maintain the result, where the Liberals picked up a 3% swing but fell well short of winning the seat, means the government needs to do even more on cost of living issues, especially in suburban seats where mortgage and inflation pressures are still hurting many voters.
But when asked what message he took from the result, Albanese said the message he saw was “that Jodie Belyea will take Peta Murphy’s spot as the member for Dunkley.”
Which, you’d have to say, is more of an indisputable fact rather than a message. Albanese said:
We will work each and every day to make a difference for people. We know people have been under cost of living pressure.
Asked about the result, he said the Liberals benefited from an absence of the “far-right sort of parties” in United Australia and One Nation, which didn’t contest the election. He went on to criticise the opposition and the Advance conservative lobby group, which strongly campaigned against Labor.
The Liberal party under Peter Dutton, the lesson that they’ve taken from the last election is to become more conservative and more rightwing. And we saw in the lead up to the byelection just a whole series of fear campaigns being run.
And being run as well by Advance, this rightwing group that work hand-in-hand with the Liberal party, spent over a quarter of a million dollars on ads that were pretty disgusting, some of them. I don’t want to see Australia going down that polarised road that we see United States politics going in. But we did see that with some of the advertising and some of the misinformation that was there in that campaign.
Asked about truth in advertising laws, which the government has talked about but not made substantive moves to implement, Albanese replied: “I think we should.”
When host Reucassel pointed out that Albanese is indeed the prime minister of the country and leader of the government, Albanese said they were tricky reforms.
The difficulty is how you deliver it. The people who are putting the ads in, for example Advance, aren’t politicians, they’re not a political party.
These things are not easy to achieve. We’re examining, and there’s been various committees look at, how you might achieve that. But it is difficult because some people will argue what the facts are essentially during a political campaign.
Updated
We have reached the beautiful point in the meme life cycle where Australian agencies begin taking part, tailoring their social media posts and joining in on the fun.
Sometimes they’re a hit and sometimes they’re a miss, but when it comes to the Glasgow Willy Wonka experience, there are no misses. Thank you, Environment Protection Authority Victoria:
When the air quality is 'unknown🎭' check our website: https://t.co/ldftt1UYjn pic.twitter.com/df4m0Wrt7X
— Environment Protection Authority Victoria (@VicGovEPA) March 3, 2024
If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you’re *truly* missing out. Please enjoy:
Updated
Penny Wong announces additional funding for Mekong subregion as Asean summit begins
The foreign minister, Penny Wong, has announced a further $222.5m in funding for the Mekong subregion of south-east Asia as the Asean summit kicks off today.
In a statement, Wong said the funding is part of the Mekong-Australia Partnership:
Since its launch, the Mekong-Australia Partnership has supported the subregion’s environmental and economic resilience, leadership and skills, and trade and investment.
This second phase of funding over the next five years will address priorities and shared challenges with a focus on improving water security, responding to climate change and combatting transnational crime.
Australia will contribute to strengthened leadership, institutions, and people to people connections to promote shared prosperity … Australia will continue to work with our Mekong subregion partners to shape and secure the future of the region and all those who rely on it.
Updated
Push to remove kids from emergency hotel care in New South Wales
The number of foster children living in emergency accommodation in NSW has fallen as the state government works to bring a “spiralling” protection system under control, AAP reports.
The NSW Department of Communities and Justice created a specialist team in November 2023 to help shift children from emergency accommodation – such as hotels and motels – to more permanent arrangements.
In November, there were 506 children in emergency arrangements but as of February the figure had dropped to 435.
The department is also working to reduce reliance on alternative care arrangements, where for-profit labour hire firms provide staff to supervise children. The use of these private providers has dropped 42%, from 139 children in alternative care in November to 80 in February.
The state families minister, Kate Washington, said she had made it clear to the department and child-protection sector that emergency arrangements were not appropriate for long-term care:
We want to see children in safe and loving homes with people who care about them, not in a hotel or motel with rotating shift workers who might never see the child again.
Updated
King Charles should attend NRL grand final, NSW premier suggests
Chris Minns is already making the case for King Charles to visit Sydney, if he visits Australia later this year.
Overnight, Anthony Albanese said his government was in talks with the states and territories “on options for a possible royal visit” later this year. You can read more from Daniel Hurst earlier in the blog here.
Speaking to ABC News Breakfast, Minns said:
I think he would be warmly welcomed in New South Wales and Sydney and it is the most beautiful city on earth. I’d let the beautiful town do the talking for me. Also we have the grand final coming in October, so maybe he could turn up to the rugby league grand final – I doubt he has been to a game in New South Wales. That could be a big opportunity for us as well.
Minns also told Sunrise: “I mean, this is one of the greatest cities on earth and if you don’t come to Sydney then no one will believe that you came to Australia.”
And thus, the state spruiking begins.
Updated
‘Change needs to be made’ on NSW police policies and procedures, Minns says
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, has been making the breakfast TV rounds this morning and commented on the independent inquiry into NSW police policies and procedures, following the killing of Luke Davies and Jesse Baird allegedly by a serving police officer.
He told Nine’s Today Show:
… we know change needs to be made. I feel so desperately sorry for the family and friends of Luke and Jesse.
Asked if he would back calls for police-issued weapons to be installed with GPS trackers, Minns said he would consider all recommendations from the review.
He told Seven’s Sunrise:
I have to examine how ubiquitous those GPS trackers are on police equipment, whether they’re available in every police car or on every police officer.
We will look at [the recommendations] really closely.
– with AAP
Updated
People on low incomes becoming severely ill due to heatwaves, new survey finds
80% of people on low incomes report becoming severely unwell because of heatwaves, including more than 90% of First Nations communities, according to new research from the Australian Council of Social Service.
Acoss CEO Cassandra Goldie told ABC News Breakfast around 15% of those people are seeking medical attention and dealing with severe health impacts.
Overall, heatwaves are actually 80% of extreme weather hospitalisations, not floods … It’s very serious, and it’s particularly affecting people on lower incomes.
Many people on lower incomes live in areas that are hotter already – sometimes up to 2% hotter than more wealthy areas where you live – and then if you’re a renter, you don’t have the same control over your property, and so we really need now these minimum energy efficiency standards brought in across rental properties, so that they are of good standard and the low-cost financing for landlords to do the retrofitting – that energy efficiency, solar panels, and electrification.
We’re nowhere near where we should be at this time.
The research involved a survey of 1,007 people across Australia, conducted by Acoss in partnership with First Nations Clean Energy Network.
Updated
Australia must reinstate funding to UNRWA as ‘bare minimum’, Save the Children says
Save the Children Australia is calling on the federal government to immediately reinstate suspended funding to UNRWA, or it would “risk allowing the collapse of a critical lifeline to more than a million children in Gaza who are deeply traumatised and at imminent risk of starvation”.
In a statement, Save the Children said it and other NGOs are doing “everything they can to support children and families in Gaza” but “it would be impossible for any other organisation or UN agency to replace UNRWA”.
Save the Children Australia’s CEO, Mat Tinkler, said that by continuing to withhold funding from UNRWA, Australia and other donors “have effectively removed the crumbs that Gaza’s children are surviving on”.
Allowing the collapse of the humanitarian system in Gaza by refusing to restore funding to UNRWA during one of the worst humanitarian crises in modern history risks the deaths of many more children in this horrific war.
The Foreign Minister [Penny Wong] has publicly acknowledged that the only way to stop children from starving to death in Gaza is to resume funding to UNRWA. Yet the Australian Government has not articulated a clear pathway forward that would allow funding to be restored, despite UNRWA warning it will soon have to cease its lifesaving work.
Reinstating the suspended funding is the bare minimum Australia should be doing. The magnitude of this crisis requires Australia to take urgent action to help prevent further widespread suffering and death, by increasing its funding to organisations working in Gaza to save lives, including UNRWA and International NGOs. The clock is ticking, and fast.
Updated
Marles confident Aukus will ‘enjoy the support of any future American government’
Moving to international matters, Richard Marles was asked whether Aukus is still possible if Donald Trump wins the next US election.
He answered with a clear “yes” and said:
And the reason I say that is because when you look at the support across the political spectrum in the United States, for Australia [and for Aukus specifically], it is there and we saw that on display at the end of last year when legislation passed through the United States Congress with the support of the full spectrum of American politics.
Host Sally Sara noted there was some pushback. Marles continued:
I actually think when you sit back and have a look at it, it was fulsome support across the political spectrum … when it came to the crunch, there was support for Australia but support for the Aukus arrangements across the spectrum, and that does give us a sense of confidence that no matter what the result is in the presidential election at the end of this year, Aukus is going to enjoy the support of any future American government.
Updated
Government’s cost of living policies ‘received well’ in Dunkley, Marles says
Making the rounds this morning, the deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, also spoke to ABC RN and commented on the Dunkley byelection result.
The Liberal candidate, Nathan Conroy, received a swing of more than 3% but fell short of the 6.3% required, leaving the Labor candidate, Jodie Belyea, as the newest federal MP.
Asked what lessons the government needed to take from Dunkley, Marles said:
We’ll go through these results in a lot of detail to really understand what is being said here, and we want to learn everything we can from this result.
I mean, it is a matter of historical fact that there tends to be swings against governments in byelections, but that said, we do want to understand exactly all that’s happened here. In the same breath, the fact that our primary vote held up given how popular Peta Murphy had been as a local member, I think says a lot about the campaign Jodie Belyea ran …
It is clear the policies we put in place around cost of living, particularly Labor’s tax cuts, were well received, but we will continue to work hard on our cost of living issues right through until the next election.
Updated
‘Context has changed’ since NSW lit up Opera House to support Israel, Minns says
ABC News Breakfast host Michael Rowland:
You ordered the lighting up of the Sydney Opera House sails in support of Israel after 1,200 Israelis were murdered by Hamas terrorists on October 7. Since then, 30,000 Palestinians have died. Will you consider lighting up the Sydney Opera House in support of Palestine?
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, said “the context has changed”.
This is an international conflict now and I don’t want to further exacerbate or pull apart Sydney’s already quite volatile mix. I would make the point that much of what will be said in New South Wales will [not] affect the peace situation in the Middle East, but a lot of what could be said can affect peace right here in this state. So we need to be careful with our commentary, we need to focus on not exacerbating community tensions or divisions, and that’s going to be the NSW government’s approach over the coming months.
Updated
‘Difficult to bring the community together right now’ after iftar cancellation, Minns says
Chris Minns said he can understand the concerns of Muslim and Arab communities in New South Wales about what’s happening in Gaza.
This comes as Muslim groups decided to boycott the state iftar dinner, before it was ultimately cancelled:
Speaking to ABC News Breakfast Minns said:
I don’t pretend … that there’s complete unanimity on these matters. This is a very complicated international [matter] in the Middle East. We’ve got large expat communities on either side of that conflict in New South Wales. It’s very difficult to bring the community together right now. What I would say is that my focus has got to be peace and security on the streets of Sydney in particular, and we’ll do our best to promote harmony in NSW but that’s going to take a bit of time.
Updated
Protest at Mardi Gras ‘probably pretty standard’, NSW premier says
Chris Minns, said it is “a bit strange” that he was the first NSW premier to march in the Mardi Gras parade at the weekend, “given that it [has been] a fixture on the calendar for decades”.
Speaking to ABC News Breakfast, Minns said a pro-Palestine protest that took place during the march on Saturday “wasn’t too much of a big deal on the night”.
He said:
Look, a lot has been made of it, but to be honest, it wasn’t too much of a big deal on the night. I mean, there was some coloured flares that went off, and I said yesterday, I thought that that was actually part of Mardi Gras. So I don’t think that it disrupted me or the march too much. A little bit of protest at Mardi Gras is probably pretty standard, so not the end of the world.
Updated
No tsunami threat after 6.8 magnitude earthquake off Macquarie Island
A 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit near Macquarie Island overnight. The Bureau of Meteorology said there is no tsunami threat to Australia:
No #tsunami threat to Australia from magnitude 6.7 #earthquake near Macquarie Island Region. Latest advice at https://t.co/Tynv3ZQpEq. pic.twitter.com/3oI6wiOdtb
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) March 3, 2024
Macquarie Island is uninhabited, located around 1,500km south-east of Tasmania.
Updated
Royal visit this year would be ‘really tremendous and popular event’: Marles
Richard Marles was also asked about a potential visit from King Charles, following news the prime minister Anthony Albanese is going ahead with plans for a potential visit later this year.
Q: Do you reckon people care? Will there be that much excitement about a visit if it happens later on this year?
Marles told ABC News Breakfast:
I think people care. And you’re right – we are very much thinking about King Charles at the moment in terms of his battle with cancer. But King Charles has a long connection with this country. Obviously, he went to school in his youth here in Australia, and this would be his first visit to Australia as the King …
I think that a royal visit by King Charles and Queen Camilla later in the year would be a really, really tremendous and popular event, and I do think that Australians would very much welcome seeing King Charles in our country later this year.
Updated
Asean ‘completely central’ for Australia’s economic and security future, defence minister says
The defence minister, Richard Marles, says with the exception of Myanmar, every Asean leader is in Melbourne ready for the summit kicking off today.
Speaking to ABC News Breakfast just earlier, Marles was asked how much the rise of China would be front and centre of discussion among leaders there.
He said leaders would discuss China “in the sense that they are part of the global landscape” but the meeting itself is not about China.
Marles, who is also deputy prime minister, said Asean is not only “completely central” in terms of Australia’s economic future, but also central in terms of Australia’s security future.
The defence of Australia doesn’t mean that much unless we have a stable and peaceful and secure south-east Asia. And so, we feel deeply connected both in an economic and a security sense with Asean, and I think that those countries feel the same in relation to Australia, which is why there is such a significant turnout of Asean.
The host noted that diaspora communities from countries like Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos are urging the government to raise human rights concerns in those countries. Marles said he wouldn’t “go into the details of what will be said in every meeting”, but said:
Australia is always an advocate of human rights and we do that in the meetings that we have around the world. And so, you can be assured that we will carve out our business in the way that we normally would in the course of these meetings.
Updated
Firefighters battle blazes in Tasmania and Western Australia overnight
A caravan park has been evacuated and residents warned to leave as a bushfire rages in Tasmania’s north-west, AAP reports.
Fire crews were actively responding to the blaze at Port Latta on Sunday, with authorities evacuating the Crayfish Creek caravan park and setting up an evacuee centre at the Rocky Cape community hall.
The fire was within containment lines on Sunday night but crews would remain on site overnight due to the risk of spot fires, Tasmania Fire Service said in a statement.
Meanwhile, lives and homes were threatened after a bushfire in mid-west Western Australia jumped containment lines.
A bushfire emergency warning was issued on Sunday for people in an area bounded by Brand Highway to the west, Skipper Road to the south and Correy Road to the east in parts of Arrowsmith and Arrowsmith East in WA’s Irwin and Three Springs shires.
The alert level was downgraded to watch and act last night after a change in wind direction.
Emergency WA said the blaze had been sparked by lightning.
Updated
Three-day Asean summit kicks off today
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is due to meet the Malaysian prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, in Melbourne today on the first day of a three-day special Asean summit.
Australia is not a member of Asean – the Association of Southeast Asian Nations – but the special summit marks 50 years since Australia became the regional grouping’s first dialogue partner. Timor-Leste, which wants to become an Asean member, will also attend the summit.
There are a range of bilateral meetings planned while leaders are in Australia. Albanese has previously said Anwar would be honoured as a guest of government today.
Albanese said in a statement issued in advance of the three-day summit:
Australia sees Asean at the centre of a stable, peaceful, and prosperous region. Strengthening our relationship ensures our shared future prosperity and security.
Updated
Australia still planning for King Charles visit later this year
The Australian government is pressing ahead with planning for a possible visit by King Charles later this year.
The idea doesn’t come out of the blue: it was previously reported that King Charles might visit Australia and New Zealand in October 2024. But those plans were placed in doubt last month when Buckingham Palace revealed Charles had begun regular treatment for cancer.
In a statement issued overnight, Anthony Albanese said his government was in talks with the states and territories “on options for a possible royal visit”. The prime minister said:
Australia is preparing for a possible visit from His Majesty The King to Australia later this year.
The King has shown his compassion for Australians affected by recent natural disasters, just as Australians have shown compassion and support for the King following his cancer diagnosis.
The King, Queen and members of the Royal Family are always welcome in Australia.
Charles last visited Australia in 2018, when he was the Prince of Wales, to open the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
Updated
Good morning
And happy Monday – welcome to a new week on the Australia news liveblog. I’m Emily Wind, and I’ll be taking you through our rolling coverage today.
But first, here are some of the biggest stories from overnight: the Australian government is moving ahead with plans for a potential visit by King Charles later this year, despite the King’s cancer diagnosis. The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said his government was in talks with the states and territories “on options for a possible royal visit”.
Meanwhile, Albanese is due to meet the Malaysian prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, in Melbourne today on the first day of a three-day special Asean summit. We will have more on both these stories from Daniel Hurst in a moment.
Firefighters are battling two separate blazes – one at Port Latta in Tasmania’s north-west, and one at Arrowsmith in midwest Western Australia. The fire at Port Latta was within containment lines but crews remained on site overnight due to the risk of spot fires, and in WA, an emergency warning was downgraded to a watch and act last night after a change in wind direction. More on these from AAP shortly.
See something that needs attention? You can get in touch via X, @emilywindwrites, or send me an email: emily.wind@theguardian.com.
Let’s get started.
