What we learned; Friday 13 October
Before we close the blog for today, let’s recap the big headlines:
Ken Wyatt, who resigned from the Liberal party after Peter Dutton announced the party would campaign against the voice, said the party had used “Trumpian tactics” in the campaign.
Anthony Albanese said the government is in conversation with Egypt to get a family of four Australians who are from Adelaide out of Gaza through the southern border.
An Australian man was arrested after a Perth-bound flight turned back to Singapore.
An inquiry heard Visit Victoria spent $1.9m on marketing for the cancelled Commonwealth Games.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton rejected the suggestion the Asio statement calling on politicians to refrain from stoking division with Middle East rhetoric was directed at him.
Acting NSW police commissioner Dave Hudson said he believes the state has reached the threshold to give police increased searching powers and the ability to demand proof of identity at the pro-Palestinian rallies planned for Sunday.
Qantas said Australians on repatriation flights out of Israel scheduled for today and Sunday will arrive in Sydney on Wednesday.
The organisers of a demonstration planned for Sydney on Sunday said they are considering launching a court bid to stop police from using extraordinary stop-and-search and identification powers.
Thanks for reading.
Updated
Out-of-control bushfire bears down on Queensland community
Queensland emergency services have issued an emergency order to seek shelter from an out-of-control bushfire bearing down on a community south-west of Brisbane.
Two sheds have already been wrecked on Mount French Road, near Boonah. No injuries have been reported.
The Queensland Fire and Emergency Service declared Boonah cultural centre on High Street refuge centre on Friday afternoon.
In an advisory, the service advised residents “do not try to leave. Driving now could be deadly”.
A spokesperson for the QFES said the blaze is a “large fast-moving grass fire” which is being driven by strong winds.
The blaze is affecting properties between Mount French Road, Sommers Road and Frenches Creek Road, including Schubel Road.
The QFES have deployed 10 crews to the scene, with another 12 on the way. QFES has also deployed a water bomber, the spokesperson said.
Crews are doing structural protection along Mount French Road to defend other structures at risk from the blaze.
The fire began about 12.15pm, with the blaze escalating at about 2pm as the wind changed direction.
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Socceroos coach Graham Arnold takes aim at Albanese over football funding
Socceroos coach Graham Arnold has delivered a withering verdict on the prime minister and other politicians who he believes are happy to wear Matildas and Socceroos scarves but still won’t fund Australian soccer, AAP reports.
The national men’s team coach chose his eve-of-match address before the prestige England international at Wembley Stadium to tell his international audience about what he believes is the severe under-funding of the sport back home, compared with AFL.
Saying Australian soccer still had nowhere to call its home, he also reckoned his old friend Ange Postecoglou, who’s flying high as Tottenham boss, had a point when suggesting in an interview earlier this week that soccer will never become mainstream back home.
Asked if he could ever foresee the day when soccer was at the heart of Australian sport, Arnold said today:
I’d love to see it – but I don’t know if I will.
He even had a dig at Anthony Albanese.
We see the prime minister and the governments, they love coming out to watch the Matildas and the Socceroos with scarves on – but they must lose them when they go home.
Read more from Guardian reporter Michael Butler here:
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Jana Stewart: ‘To say that Indigenous people already have a voice is simply incorrect’
Labour’s Jana Stewart is highlighting evidence that former Liberal MP Ken Wyatt told the joint select committee on the referendum:
He listed a bunch of legislation that come from the parliament, he then listed the number of organisations that have been engaged on those pieces of legislation and even though those pieces of legislation would have a direct impact on the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, there were zero Indigenous organisations engaged on them.
To say that Indigenous people already have a voice and opportunity is simply incorrect.
The proposal from the No campaign is continuing to do the same thing and expecting a different result. …and surely that is just unthinkable for everybody that we would keep doing the same thing and get different results. Aboriginal people have come to parliamentarians, to the Australian people and asked us to do something different.
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Jana Stewart: ‘Walk with us towards a better and more united future’
The Labor senator Jana Stewart has told Afternoon Briefing that the final pitch to voters for a yes vote in the referendum is:
It really starts with a reminder that this is an idea that has come from First Nations people directly to each and every Australian, to walk with us towards a better and more united future for our nation.
Over 80% of First Nations people support enshrining a voice into our constitution and that is for a couple of reasons. It is about recognising the oldest continuous culture in the world in our constitution. A piece of work that should have happened a long time ago but we’ll take the 14th October.
And the other important part is listening to get better results. We know and have heard very clearly from Aboriginal communities across the country that where our communities are right now is simply not good enough and their solution to the challenges we face is to enshrine a voice to a constitution and have a guarantee to be heard. We know when our families and communities have a seat at the table, our children are healthier and our families are happier and that is what we can wake up on 15 October.
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Yes vote will be higher in inner-city and no in outer suburbs, Anthony Green says
Green said it is important to watch for the trend in the cities:
No state will vote yes unless the capital city votes yes.
The yes vote will be higher in the inner city and the no vote will be higher in the outer suburbs. That is the trend we will be looking for, if that does show through early in the figures, and if the result is as clear cut as some of the polls, then we should have a very early call in most states.
I would say one hour after the close of counting in each state – unless it is close – we should be able to call each state.
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Anthony Green on predicting the referendum results: ‘We don’t have a history to compare’
ABC’s election doyen Anthony Green is giving his predictions for the referendum to Afternoon Briefing, telling the program why he expects the yes vote to start low and then rise.
He says predicting the referendum results is different from normal Australian elections, because “we don’t have a history to compare it with”.
Because there is only two candidates on the ballot paper essentially, it is the same at every polling place across the country, is the results are going to come in from each polling place based on how many votes have to count.
We’ll get lots of small rural booths first – all opinion polls indicates the yes case has a very poor position in the country, so they’ll vote solidly no.
The yes vote will start low on that basis and then rise. What we are watching for on the night is when does this stop rising and I would expect by about 10% of the votes counted in each state, the trend will solidify at that point.
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Minns: ‘You are not allowed to attempt racial vilification on our streets’
Minns is again emphasising “other states didn’t see what we saw on Monday night in Sydney” with anti-Jewish chants heard:
The decision that the NSW police, backed by the NSW government, have made, have not been done in isolation or out of the clear blue skies. It has been done on the back of what was a protest that went wrong. I don’t think anyone, not even the organisers of the protest can claim it was a success.
It was not peaceful, it was not in-line or in spirit with our multicultural community and I have a responsibility to ensure that the central tenets of our multicultural community are upheld.
And one of the central tenants is that there is no tolerance for incitement to violence and you are not allowed, not allowed in public at all to attempt racial vilification on our streets. It is against the law. There are zero tolerance for it. The police will be enforcing it.
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Minns ‘extremely concerned’ about alleged Nazi salute at Sydney Jewish Museum
Minns says he is “extremely concerned” about the alleged Nazi salute which was performed outside Sydney’s Jewish Museum:
There is no place for that in New South Wales. And I expect, and so do NSW Police, the full extent of the law will be applied to those people.
I want to make it clear, they will be no tolerance for racial vilification in New South Wales or incitement to violence. It’s not going to happen. Police are vigilant, there is no tolerance for for it.
Updated
Minns hopes Sunday’s rally is ‘peaceful’ and suggest people don’t participate
I think given these circumstances the best thing to do in New South Wales at the moment is to not participate.
But I appreciate that there will be an assembly in Sydney on Sunday, and my hope is it is peaceful and I pray we are proven wrong and it is a peaceful demonstration that passes without incident.
NSW Police will be on scene and they will be protecting fundamental principles and laws that are in place.
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Minns says NSW police have ‘no choice’ but to clamp down on rally
A reporter asks Minns if the NSW police’s vow to stop pro-Palestinian marches from proceeding is an overcorrection after anti-Jewish chants were filmed at Monday’s pro-Palestinian rally.
The premier responds that the organisers of the rally proved they couldn’t manage a peaceful protest, unlike other peaceful protests that took place in other jurisdictions:
The NSW police did facilitate a rally and a march for the protesters on Monday evening. Now the same group have asked to do another protest on Sunday.
Given the experience that we all saw on Monday evening, clearly the NSW police have to take steps to prevent violence, to prevent civic disorder, to prevent incitement to violence, and racial vilification.
Now, I think it is fair to note that whether that protest was hijacked or there was malevolent intent from the very beginning, it doesn’t matter.
The organisers of the protest have proven to the NSW police, the government, people of NSW that they can’t manage a peaceful protest.
I have to point out that there were peaceful protests in other jurisdictions around Australia, but the police were left with no choice in these circumstances.
Updated
Minns goes on:
Police will of course be reasonable and proportionate on the weekend. But it is important to note that there will be no tolerance given for racial vilification, incitement to violence, racism, or vilification … because there is no place for that in our multicultural society.
Now obviously I’m concerned about the assembly on Sunday. I’m hoping it’s done peacefully and I’m hoping that the organisers and the participants at that assembly prove me wrong and we can get through the weekend in a peaceful way.
Updated
Minns says NSW police don’t have an easy task
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, is speaking in Sydney, saying the government supports police in the “difficult job that they have to do over the weekend in the weeks ahead.”
In the face of criticism of cracking down on pro-Palestinian protest, Minns says police must also balance people’s right to be free from racial vilification:
Managing the right to protest against the right of ordinary Australians to be free from a racial vilification or intimidation to violence is an extremely difficult task and the police don’t have an easy task ahead of them. In fact, it won’t be easy.
There is, of course, a right to protest in New South Wales, but there is also a right to be free from intimidation from incitement to violence, from racial vilification or actual violence in New South Wales.
It is important to note that the organisers of the march and assembly on Sunday were also responsible for the March last Monday. That was facilitated by the NSW Police and no-one can claim that that ended well. We need to learn from the lessons from Monday night.
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ACU academic quits in protest at axing of humanities jobs
A leading academic at the Australian Catholic University (ACU) has resigned after the university doubled down on its decision to axe dozens of humanities jobs in highly coveted departments,including entirely disbanding a philosophy institute.
Last month, senior management at the ACU released a draft plan confirming dozens of full-time equivalent jobs would be cut as part of its latest restructuring.
The final plan, released yesterday afternoon, confirmed the university’s Medieval and Early Modern Research Program and its Dianoia Institute of Philosophy would be closed, and 34 jobs across the humanities sector would be abolished.
As a result, the director of the Medieval and Early Modern Research Program, Megan Cassidy-Welch, has resigned - one of just two jobs in the department that were to be kept.
“I will not work for an administration that treats staff with such contempt, and which pays lip service to its own ‘values’,” she posted on social media.
ACU provost professor, Meg Stuart, said the changes addressed a revenue shortfall, described as a “critical juncture” for the university in the plan.
The university prioritised non-salary expenditure among the first areas targeted for reduction, however it has been necessary to include a reduction in staff numbers.
These plans involve making challenging decisions that inevitably have personal cost and we are mindful of our commitment to ensure the dignity and respect of our staff throughout the process.
Updated
Federal inquiry finds NSW should permit aerial feral horse culling
A federal inquiry says NSW should allow the aerial culling of feral horses in the Australian Alps, AAP reports:
Feral horses pose an immediate extinction risk to native species in the Australian Alps and NSW should allow them to be shot from the air, an inquiry has found.
Australia’s high country has long suffered the effects of feral horses and a federal parliamentary inquiry says there’s an urgent need to cull some of the 25,000 that run through the ecologically sensitive region.
It has recommended NSW lift a ban on aerial culling in the Kosciuszko national park. The committee also wants a national plan to manage the risks horses pose.
It says habitat degradation, competition and disease transmission by feral horses should be listed as key threatening processes under federal environment laws.
NSW laws that protect feral horses had facilitated an exponential boom in the population, while limiting the ability of the NSW Parks and Wildlife Service to manage them. The committee found:
It has been made clear that if feral horse populations are not urgently managed, there is a real risk of losing this unique landscape and the native species that call it home.
Read more about what the inquiry has previously heard:
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We brought you the news earlier that a trio had been arrested outside Sydney’s Jewish Museum. NSW state correspondent Tamsin Rose reports there was an alleged Nazi salute involved in that incident.
Read the full story here:
Updated
Thanks Jordyn! I’ll be with you into the evening as we close out what has been a very heavy week.
And with that, I’ll now leave you with my colleague Natasha May. Thank you for following along.
Updated
It’s the last day of the Indigenous voice to parliament campaign – here are some pictures from yes and no vote events:
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Organisers of Sydney pro-Palestinian rally considering legal action
The organisers of a demonstration planned for Sydney on Sunday are considering launching a court bid to stop police from using extraordinary stop-and-search and identification powers.
The group is considering the challenge after the New South Wales police acting commissioner, David Hudson, said he believed the threshold for using the powers introduced after the 2005 Cronulla riots had been met and he would seek to have them enabled before Sunday’s rally.
The rally organisers’ legal adviser, Stephen Blanks from the NSW Council for Civil Liberties, said there “didn’t seem to be any legal justification” for Hudson’s comments and that police could only lawfully use the powers if there was a “threat of large scale public disorder”.
He said:
There is no threat of public disorder based on anything that the organisers of this event have said.
It would be in the public interest for the police to withdraw those threats and consider doing what they are supposed to do which is facilitate people’s right to free speech by having peaceful assemblies, which is what is proposed here.
The group would have to commence their legal challenge this afternoon or on Saturday before a duty judge.
The decision to enact the powers - which would allow police to search protesters without reason and arrest and charge people who refuse to identify themselves - rests with an assistant commissioner or higher-ranked officer.
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NSW Greens warn of dangerous police escalation on protests
The NSW Greens have urged the police to exercise responsible community policing ahead of the planned pro-Palestine rally on Sunday rather than “draconian police powers”.
Greens MP and spokesperson for justice, Sue Higginson, said:
The police refused to authorise a planned gathering at Town Hall this Sunday. Acting commissioner Hudson said however, that the gathering would not be unlawful and that the primary role of police is to maintain public safety.
The community out of respect for the police process moved the event to Hyde Park. Now the acting commissioner has threatened to invoke some of the most draconian powers available to police that relate to public gathering and police officers will be there exercising powers that are intimidatory and completely out of line with the nature of the event.
This is dangerous police escalation behaviour and it has got to stop.
Higginson also raised concerns about political interference in police operations:
Given that the minister for agriculture representing the police minister falsely asserted in parliament on Wednesday that the protest on Monday night was illegal, and that the premier has said that he will shut down the protest on Sunday, the community should be concerned that political interference in police operations is occurring.
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Debunking no vote misinformation
Australians will be heading to polling stations tomorrow to cast their vote in the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum. And at the tail end of a brutal campaign, some in the no camp have been maintaining a steady drumbeat of fear.
So for those still undecided, or who’ve perhaps only just read the AEC pamphlet — which, friendly reminder, wasn’t fact-checked — Amy Remeikis presents a rundown of some of the most prevalent misinformation that keeps being pushed by some no campaigners.
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Trio arrested outside Sydney Jewish museum
NSW police arrested three men outside a Jewish museum in Sydney’s Darlinghurst just before midday today.
Police have said there is no risk to the public, however Darlinghurst road – where the incident occured – remains closed while police make inquiries.
The men have been taken to Kings Cross station.
The police would not yet say what the men were arrested for, however have said more information will be made public once it becomes available.
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University of Sydney calls for Camperdown train station
The University of Sydney says the state’s Metro West Project should loop in an additional station at Camperdown in the inner west to manage traffic flow in the area.
The current line alignment runs from Central Station to the Bays District, Five Dock and on to Westmead in Western Sydney.
Vice chancellor of the university Mark Scott said the route could be expanded with an additional spur travelling from Central station to Camperdown and Leichhardt before joining again with Five Dock.
Speaking at a legislative inquiry into the project on Friday, Scott said the Camperdown area represented more than 70,000 jobs and generated in excess of $13.3bn in annual economic output yet had few transport services:
A Camperdown station would play a key role in delivering the NSW government objective of shifting to a knowledge-based economy in order to drive the state’s future economic growth.
The route would be similar to the Northern Line in London, which branches out for a segment of the line but merges at both ends.
The proposal has received support from the Sydney local health district, Inner West council and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS).
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‘65,000-year setback’: elder begs for Australian unity
Ngunnawal elder Aunty Violet Sheridan believes Australia rejecting an Indigenous voice to parliament would be a crushing blow to her community.
She told reporters outside Parliament House in Canberra on Friday:
It will take us back 65,000 years because things are not gonna change for us, which is sad.
We need to unite all Australians and work on this together, and move forward with reconciliation.
Surrounded by yes campaigners on the final day before Australians vote, the 68-year-old’s emotion was plain to see.
Acknowledging polling data was pointing to an unsuccessful referendum, she pleaded with non-Indigenous Australia for a chance to help fix issues such as the life-expectancy gap and over incarceration:
My granddaughter is just a baby. When she is 68 years old and her granddaughter is standing beside her, will this gap be closed? Will our incarceration in our jails be less?
- AAP
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Peter Dutton doubles down on call to cancel visas of antisemitic protesters
Peter Dutton and Sussan Ley have doubled down on calls to cancel the visas of antisemitic protesters, despite the head of Australia’s spy agency warning that “inflamed language” may fuel community tensions.
The opposition leader and his deputy again called on the government to use character provisions in migration law to deport those responsible for antisemitic chants.
Senior ministers urged the public to stay calm and let police do their work, and noted there was no evidence that the protesters making antisemitic comments were temporary residents.
Asked about Dutton urging visa cancellations on 2GB Radio, Ley said on Friday: “Yes, I do back those calls.”
She told Channel Seven’s Sunrise:
If you break the law, and you demonstrate and you spew forth hate speech such as we have seen and you’re on a temporary visa, which clearly violates the character that anyone should hold if they’re allowed to be [in Australia] then of course there should be serious consideration about deporting these people.
Asked about the proposed cancellation of visas, Marles said it was “important to let the police do their work”:
I don’t think it’s a matter of politicians suggesting what should or shouldn’t happen in that moment.
Marles said everyone should work to “[turn] the temperature down”.
Read the full story here:
Updated
Earlier we brought you news that New South Wales police plan to use “extraordinary powers” to search protesters without reason and arrest and charge people who refuse to identify themselves at Sunday’s planned pro-Palestinian rally.
My colleagues Tamsin Rose and Catie McLeod have the full story here:
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‘Jews should be standing against genocide’ of Palestinians, Jews Against Occupation spokesperson says
Michelle Berkon, a spokesperson from Jews Against Occupation also joined the press conference held by the Palestinian Action Group:
I also am obviously Jewish person. My great grandparents endured the Holocaust. It’s been part of my growing up history. But here’s the thing: Jews should be standing against genocide. The lesson of the Holocaust should be never again for anyone.
Berkon said there was a “long and honourable history of Jewish opposition to Zionism”. After being a Zionist for most of her life, she began to emerge from that “propaganda bubble”, she said:
I found out the truth behind the state of Israel, what it stands for, and how it implicates and tries to implicate the rest of us, the rest of us Jews, in its crimes.
We should be allowed to protest human rights abuses, no matter by whom, or against whom. That is a fundamental democratic right.
And our government [is], in [its attempt] to close down support for Palestine, simply trampling our democratic freedom, to freedom of expression.
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Sydney pro-Palestine protesters say NSW response ‘a draconian attack on our right to demonstrate’
Amal Naser, a co-organiser of the Palestine Action Group has said the response to Monday’s rally has been a “draconian attack on our right to demonstrate in solidarity with the people of Palestine, who are currently facing a genocide in Gaza”:
What we have seen in the past week in New South Wales is a draconian attack on our right to demonstrate in solidarity with the people of Palestine, who are currently facing a genocide in Gaza.
This is no different than the attack on protests we have seen over the past two to three years, whether against climate justice protesters, against Indigenous protesters, or even women protesters, where Scott Morrison last year declared that they are lucky they are not being shot at.
Naser said the “civil libertarian values and our liberal democracy is [being] eroded, with police given draconian powers to enforce themselves against peaceful Palestinian protesters”:
She then called for the right to march in solidarity with Palestinian people:
We have marched for decades peacefully, calling for an end to violence. This will be a very long war, with Israeli leaders not looking to ceasefire but declaring genocide against the people of Gaza. We must be able to march in solidarity with the Palestinian people as their electricity, food and water are cut off and they are carpet bombed.
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‘Palestinians have been told we have no right to grieve’: Palestine Action Group on reaction to NSW rally
The Palestine Action Group is speaking now to respond to police considering using extraordinary powers at a rally planned this Sunday.
Co-organiser Fahad Ali starts by saying Palestinians are seeing “a gruesome loss of life in Gaza”:
We are grieving the atrocious loss of life and the fact that the international community has not intervened to say enough is enough, to say we need a ceasefire. We need to end the blockade, the occupation, the root cause of the violence.
As this is going on, Ali says, Palestinians in Australia have been told they have no rights:
Palestinians have been told we have no right to grieve, we have no right for public assembly, for freedom of expression, we have no right to protest against war crimes in Gaza. We have no right to protest against the killing of Palestinians, many of whom are innocent, half of the population of Gaza are children. That’s one million children in Gaza, with no escape.
So how can it be that in Sydney -in this state, where we value the right to free expression, our government is saying no, you cannot protest, you cannot express your view? I think and I think many in the community agree with me, that that simply is not good enough.
Palestinians have the right to peaceful assembly and all those who support the cause of justice, the cause of peace, have the right to stand with us.
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Plans to enact ‘extraordinary’ police powers in NSW sets dangerous precedent, Australian Lawyers Alliance say
Australian Lawyers Alliance justice spokesperson, Greg Barns, has warned that New South Wales police’s plan to enact “extraordinary” powers to search protesters on Sunday was “deeply troubling”.
He said:
If NSW police proceed to exercise these powers, it will undermine an important element of the rule of law in a democratic society, which is that bodily searches, because they are invasive, should only be carried out by police where there is reasonable cause.
Bodily searches without cause impact fundamental human rights – the right to dignity and the right to privacy.
Barns said it would set a dangerous precedent:
What is to stop police at environmental protests, for example, using the same powers?
More here:
Updated
Pro-Palestine rally organisers and Council for Civil Liberties to front press
Just a heads up, we are expecting a press conference this hour from the organisers of the pro-Palestinian protest in NSW and the Council for Civil Liberties. We’ll bring you what they have to say when they step up.
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Camperdown should have its own train station, University of Sydney vice-chancellor urges
The vice-chancellor of the University of Sydney, Prof Mark Scott, has urged the state government to invest in a train station at Camperdown as part of the Sydney West Metro, at a legislative inquiry into the project.
Scott told the inquiry the university had a “longstanding continued commitment” to explore any mass transport investment options with the state government for the inner west growth area, currently poorly served by public transport.
It is … an unassailable fact the previous government did not take into consideration the Camperdown economic growth area and ... the opportunity for future mass transport investment.
Scott said Camperdown was the state’s primary research, education and health collaboration area, comprising universities, the Royal Prince Alfred hospital and medical research institutes.
A Camperdown station option could be delivered in line with existing commitments and would achieve many benefits including improved access to key health and education infrastructure for essential workers.
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Commonwealth Games inquiry: $175m already spent despite Games cancellation, treasury says
Under questioning from the upper house MP David Limbrick, who is chairing the inquiry, David Martine, the secretary of Victoria’s department of treasury and finance, confirmed $175m had been spent on the Commonwealth Games despite its cancellation.
Limbrick:
What’s your best estimate of how much money overall would have been wasted on this bid?
Martine:
Well, the advice that we have at the moment is actual costs to the end of August is sitting at about $175m.
For actual costs incurred … there’s probably some more costs being incurred at the moment and then obviously the $380m that the government has announced [in compensation for terminating the contract].
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First Nations lawyers voice their cases for yes vote
Two of the country’s top Aboriginal lawyers have put their final arguments for a yes vote in the referendum on a First Nations voice.
Wirdi man Tony McAvoy is a native title barrister who was the first Aboriginal person to be awarded a senior counsel and was a member of the referendum working group.
McAvoy, who is in Kalgoorlie at the moment running a case, said:
I think there is an opportunity for all of us, the whole country, to move forward in a way that is more respectful.
A way that treats everybody with dignity, that allows my people, my family, Aboriginal people all over this country to move out of entrenched disadvantage.
It’s an opportunity for Australians to embrace us in the founding document of this country and say, ‘We will listen to you, we know that what we are doing is not working’.
In her last-ditch plea to Australians to vote yes, constitutional law professor Megan Davis asked voters to accept the invitation extended to all Australians through the Uluru Statement from the Heart:
The Uluru Statement was born from the dedication and determination of our old people to create a more positive future – for all of us.
– AAP
Updated
State fire danger ratings
New South Wales
Most regions in NSW are facing moderate to high fire danger today.
The inland regions in the north-west of the state and the Greater Hunter region are facing a high danger rating, and are being warned by the RFS to watch and act.
Much of the state’s coastal regions including Sydney, as well as the west of the state, are facing moderate fire danger.
Queensland
The coastal regions north of the Wide Bay and Burnett region are facing high danger.
Meanwhile, the rest of the state is facing moderate danger.
Victoria
The Mallee and Wimmera regions have a moderate fire rating. The rest of the state has not clocked a rating.
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Victoria commonwealth games inquiry: treasury secretary attributes cost blowout to tight timeframe
David Martine, the secretary of Victoria’s department of treasury and finance, is fronting the Victorian upper house inquiry into the cancellation of the 2026 regional Commonwealth Games.
He’s been asked how the cost of the games grew from an estimated $2.6bn in January 2022 to $4.5bn in April 2023. Martine says the tight timeline was partly to blame:
There was a lot of construction and other activity that needs to be done over two and a half years and you’re effectively dealing with an absolutely fixed deadline. So there’s a big difference, I think between a fixed deadline where it has to be 100% operational versus just a government commitment where it’s not unusual for the government to say by a certain date something will open – a new school or something.
Martine says more money also had to be allocated to policing and transport, which raised concerns in his office.
As the inquiry heard on Monday, treasury did not support the updated budget submission on 14 June and lawyers were hired the same day to give advice about cancelling the games.
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Queensland pro-Palestine rally to be treated like any other march
Queensland police will treat tonight’s pro-Palestine protest in Brisbane like any other march, as similar rallies are banned in NSW.
Hundreds are expected to attend the march tonight in King George Square, which does not have a permit.
Deputy commissioner Tracy Linford said Queensland hadn’t seen the sort of violent or offensive protests that had taken place in other parts of the country and the police are expecting tonight to remain peaceful.
Linford said:
I think it’s fair to say that emotions are probably running high in some of our communities right now.
And rallies, vigils, protests are often a very good means for people to be able to come out, express that emotion, get support from others, and actually demonstrate what their concerns might be. So it is an outlet that we support when done peacefully.
Assistant commissioner Brian Connors said the police were planning to deploy a similar number of police tonight as they would to any other rally.
Connors said:
If we believe that people are behaving in a manner that threatens community safety, offends or incites violence, we will be swift and decisive.
Connors said the Friday rally does not have a permit – but police say that’s only because the rally was organised at short notice.
Police are also preparing for a protest scheduled for Sunday, which they also expect to be peaceful.
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Government-supported charter service to undertake two repatriation flights
And further to the Qantas flight news, the federal government has just announced that a government-supported charter service will undertake at least two flights departing Ben Gurion airport to Dubai.
The foreign minister, Penny Wong, and the transport minister, Catherine King, said the government had “secured additional assisted-departure flights for Australians affected by the situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories”.
They said the charter flights would operate separately from the two already-announced Qantas flights from Ben Gurion airport to London which begin today:
The situation is highly challenging and rapidly changing. The Australian Government is working to ensure Australians who want to leave can do so as soon as possible, including whether further assisted-departure flights are required.
In addition, Qantas has agreed to support Australians arriving in London on assisted-departure flights from Tel Aviv by offering an A380 flight from London to Sydney via Singapore free-of-charge.
The Australian Government will continue to work on options for onward travel from Dubai and to support those who cannot reach Tel Aviv.Australians in Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territories who want to leave and don’t already have plans to depart should register via DFAT’s Crisis Portal or by calling the 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on +61 2 6261 3305 (from overseas) or 1300 555 135 (from within Australia).
Land border crossings to Jordan remain open.
Australians should confirm the status of these crossings prior to departure.
Departures from Gaza are challenging due to the dangerous security situation. Australians there should contact the Consular Emergency Centre as soon as possible.
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Victoria commonwealth games inquiry: treasury secretary says business case had not done ‘the detailed work’
David Martine, the secretary of Victoria’s department of treasury and finance, is fronting the Victorian upper house inquiry into the cancellation of the 2026 regional Commonwealth Games.
He’s being asked about the business case for the event, pulled together by Ernst & Young, which the former premier Daniel Andrews labelled “hardly the greatest piece of work”.
Martine said the business case, which estimated the 2026 Commonwealth Games would cost $2.6bn, relied on “top down budget costing based on the 2018 Gold Coast event” :
They hadn’t had the opportunity to go and do the detailed work in engaging with regions, local councils, those sorts of things. So as indicated in the business case … the costings of the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games were used as the start point and then adjusted for inflation over time and the cost pressures. They did make an allowance for the differences and complexities in then dispersing the model across a region versus hosting it in one location.
Updated
Australian embassy in Israel not being evacuated, department says
There were reports this morning that Australian embassy staff were being evacuated from Israel.
We now have official confirmation from the department that is not the case:
There has been no evacuation of Australian Embassy staff or their families from Israel. All Australian diplomats, their families and locally engaged staff are accounted for, and remain safe.
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Australians being repatriated from Israel by Qantas to arrive in Sydney on Wednesday
Qantas have said Australians on repatriation flights out of Israel scheduled for today and Sunday will arrive in Sydney on Wednesday.
The first flight will depart Tel Aviv overnight on Friday, at Australian time, and is due to arrive in London early on Saturday morning. The second is due to depart for London from Tel Aviv on Sunday.
The Australians will catch the flight from London to Sydney, via Singapore, on Tuesday.
The airline said the passengers are travelling free of charge, with Qantas covering the costs.
Due to the instability in the region, the flights are subject to ongoing safety and security assessments, as well as regulatory approvals, the airline said.
The sudden decision to support Australians out of Israel will mean disruption for some customers flying internationally, the airline said.
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Dutton insists Liberals’ no campaign has been ‘respectful’
Circling back to Dutton’s interview on Sky News earlier today, where he was asked how he thinks the Liberals’ vote campaign against the voice to parliament has gone.
The opposition leader said: “We’ve conducted the campaign in a respectful way”.
This comes after the former Liberal minister for Australians, Ken Wyatt, accused Dutton earlier today of using “Trumpian tactics” by sharing false information and stoking fear and divison.
Dutton again, referred to his mission throughout the campaign to seek more detail from Anthony Albanese, arguing Australians will vote “no” because Albanese has not been forthcoming.
Dutton said:
I asked the prime minister 15 questions in January of this year. Still no response to that, to that letter … The details been deliberately withheld, and how can you vote for something that’s not properly explained?
But as my colleagues, Amy Remeikis and Josh Butler, pointed out in their factchecking of false claims pushed by the no side: “There is plenty of detail.”
Among a list of the detail that has been released, they wrote:
None of it is set in stone, because that is the parliament’s job, but we have an in-principle guide of what the voice under this government (because legislation can always be changed) would look like.
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Nothing ‘at this stage’ causing concerns over opportunistic violence, police commissioner says
Asked whether Hudson was concerned about “opportunistic actors” escalating tensions, he said he hasn’t seen anything yet that is a cause for concern:
In relation to actors that might leverage off the activities that are ongoing at the moment, we obviously have a very preventative approach to terrorism and violence in general. Our counter-terrorism command is working tirelessly in relation to working with community groups to test that atmosphere. We haven’t seen anything at this stage that causes me concern.
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Protesting should be done ‘in a peaceful manner’, police commissioner says
Hudson said the decision of how police use its powers is their own, but they’ve informed the NSW police minister, Yasmin Catley, of their intentions and she has not yet “shown any contrary opinions”.
Hudson said the community does have a right to protest, but he said:
The responsibilities that come with it, let’s do [it] in a peaceful manner, which is not the behaviour we saw on Monday. And I don’t think anyone could be tolerant of what we saw on Monday night. Certainly we’re not and we don’t want to repeat it that.
The organisers behind the rally on Sunday calling for an end to the occupation of Palestine are adamant it is going ahead.
The organisers have said the antisemitic chants that were heard on Monday were by a small group of people in a rally that was by and large peaceful.
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NSW police considering ‘extraordinary’ powers to search pro-Palestine protesters
Acting NSW police commissioner Dave Hudson has said he “personally believes” the state has reached the threshold to give police increased searching powers and the ability to demand proof of identity at the pro-Palestinian rallies planned for Sunday.
Speaking to reporters now, he said:
I personally believe we have reached thresholds and we’re getting [legal] advice of that. But I expect to know by tomorrow whether these powers will be available to us. Just because they’re available to us does not necessarily mean they have to be used, and we will not be using the full extent of the powers which can lock the city down.
I can indicate that the powers we are considering authorising will include any person who attends Hyde Park on Sunday with the intention to assemble and perhaps protest … [they] will be subject to searching powers where we don’t need reasonable cause to search.
We will also be demanding that they provide us with their identity and if they fail to do so it is an offence these are extraordinary powers.
Hudson said the powers were initiated after the Cronulla riots, and have been used intermittently since then.
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Dutton rejects suggestion Asio statement over Middle East rhetoric directed at him
Peter Dutton has rejected claims by political opponents he is inflaming community tensions after Asio called on politicians to refrain from stoking division.
Speaking on Sky News, the opposition leader said he’s had a conversation with Asio head, Mike Burgess, ahead of the statement going out and said “I’m sure if Mr. Burgess had a message to deliver to me he’d [have] delivered it privately”.
He said the “logical conclusion” is Asio was directing the statement at the small group of people who were chanting antisemitic slogans at the pro-Palestine rally in Sydney on Monday.
It comes after Dutton yesterday called for the attenders who chanted antisemitic slogans to have their visas cancelled and be deported.
Just before, Wong told reports:
I think Asio has outlined clearly to all of us why this situation requires calm leadership … This is not a time for certain politicians to be seeking to play into the fear and division in the community. It is time for all of us to say we stand against all hatred.
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Don’t treat referendum as election battle: Noel Pearson
Noel Pearson is imploring Australians to drop political party loyalties and think of the nation’s future when they vote at the Indigenous voice referendum.
The prominent yes campaigner says disgruntled voters should “take the bat to Anthony Albanese” at the next federal election rather than “slamming the door on the Aboriginal children”.
Pearson could not disguise the desperation in his voice on Friday morning, pleading with Australians to vote yes with “the destiny of our children and grandchildren at stake here”.
He told Sky News:
This is not about Liberal versus Labor, One Nation versus the Greens … this is about the future of our country [and] I urge Australian voters to suspend your tribal loyalties … and vote for the country.
– AAP
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Hamas ‘have pushed further away the legitimate aspirations’ of Palestinians, says Wong
Wong said Australians must stand together against “all hatred”, and called out “certain politicians” for “seeking to play it to the fear and division in the community”.
It is time for all of us to say we stand against all hatred, all prejudice. There is no place for antisemitism, as there is no place for discrimination and prejudice of any kind. It is a time for us to come together. We know this is distressing for the Jewish community.
We know there are many in Australia who have very strong views about Palestinian aspirations and I would say this – one of the great tragedies, apart from the horrific nature of Hamas’s activities, one of the atrocities they have done is they have pushed further away the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people.
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Foreign minister urges Australians wishing to leave Israel ‘to not delay’
Penny Wong has now stepped up to speak about the Australians seeking to get out of Israel and Gaza.
She has urged anyone wishing to leave, “to not delay”:
I would urge anyone who wishes to leave to ensure they are registered with us – that is, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. You can register with us and we will seek to make contact with all who are registered and wish to leave about available flights.
But I again say to people if you wish to leave I would urge you not to delay.
Wong said both Australia and the US are seeking to establish a humanitarian corridor with Egypt for the Australians stuck in Gaza, of which there are 19:
Obviously the situation on the ground is extremely difficult.
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Albanese says there is ‘positive feedback everywhere’ on voice but some polls ‘forgot to speak with voters’
Asked how confident he was that tomorrow would deliver a yes vote, Albanese seemed to question the accuracy of the seat by seat polling, saying “some of the polls forgot to speak with voters”.
He said he’s had “positive feedback everywhere” while on the campaign trail but said obviously it is not a “unanimous position”:
We are in a democracy … we will respect outcomes and people’s public rights to come to their own views.
He’s called on Australians to vote yes to this “grassroot request”, which he says “has not come from politicians”.
If not now, when? When will we acknowledge the fullness and richness of our history.
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Albanese is speaking now on the voice to parliament:
I said on election night on the 21 May that we would fulfil the commitment that we made, unlike previous governments, such as the Morrison government in 2019, there was elected saying they would advance this issue - that we would put it to the Australian people. And we have done so. Now it is over to the Australian people. Every single person having one vote, one value, to make a difference to the most disadvantaged group in our Australian society.
Thinking of others costs nothing. This is a time where Australians have that opportunity to show the generosity of spirit that I see in the Australian character where at the worst of times we always see the best of the Australian character. I hope we see you tomorrow. I hope we see that generosity. And I call upon my fellow Australians to vote Yes tomorrow.
Job agency under fire over ‘employability’ course that advises on washing and bathing
A taxpayer-funded course run by one of Australia’s biggest employment service providers gives jobseekers instructions on how to shower properly and asks them in a questionnaire if one of the reasons they are unemployed is because they are “overweight” or “lazy”.
Wise Employment is among dozens of privatised job agencies contracted by the federal government to run the $500m Employability Skills Training program to help jobseekers “become job-ready by providing intensive pre-employment training”.
But months after participants raised concerns about Wise Employment’s version of the program, prompting an investigation, jobseekers and advocates have levelled new claims that the course still “degrades and humiliates” those looking for work.
Get the full story here:
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Visit Victoria spent $1.9m on marketing for cancelled Commonwealth Games
Victoria’s upper house inquiry into the cancellation of the 2026 Commonwealth Games is holding hearings today in Melbourne.
The first witness is Visit Victoria chief executive, Brendan McClements, who in his submission to the inquiry confirmed $1.9m of the department’s $26m marketing budget was spent promoting the cancelled event.
A promotional video, called A Games Like No Other, was launched at the 2022 Birmingham Games closing ceremony, costing almost $590,000 to produce, while almost $100,000 was spent sending McClements and former Victorian governor Linda Dessau to the British city to the event.
Polling outfit YouGov was paid $14,000 to research the popularity of the sport kabaddi in India earlier this year, while a contractor was hired to analyse social media coverage from 24 July to 31 July at a cost of $6,575.
This was after the government cancelled the event on 18 July, with the former premier Daniel Andrews blaming cost estimates tripling from $2.6bn to up to $7bn.
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Dutton says Albanese has ‘won hearts … but not minds’ on the voice
Earlier this morning, opposition leader Peter Dutton was speaking on ABC News about the voice referendum, saying Anthony Albanese had “written a cheque he couldn’t cash”:
The PM made a catastrophic mistake not providing the detail to Australians, he’s instinctively won their hearts because Australians do want better outcomes for Indigenous Australia, but he hasn’t won their minds.
But the opposition leader wouldn’t address the question when asked if he’d need to reconcile his own party after the referendum, with a string of Liberals queueing up to back yes despite the party’s formal no position.
This came prior to former Liberal minister for Indigenous Australians, Ken Wyatt – who left the party due to its position on the voice – saying on ABC News this morning Dutton had stoked “fear and division”.
Wyatt said the party has used “Trumpian tactics”, saying the fake news and statements spread by the Liberal party were tactics “copied out of America”.
– Additional reporting by AAP
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‘If not now, when?’ Thomas Mayo pleads with voters not to delay Indigenous voice for future generations
The leading yes campaigner Thomas Mayo says problems facing Indigenous Australians cannot be fixed without a mechanism like the voice to parliament and has pleaded with voters to back the referendum rather than delaying the vital reform to future generations.
Mayo called the voice “the moral and logical thing” for Australians to support, saying it was inevitable that something like the advisory body would need to be set up at some point.
He said before Saturday’s vote:
If not now, when? If we don’t do it, it’ll be up to our children.
It’s inevitable, but how many lives will be lost or cut short in the meantime?
Read the full story here:
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Australian family’s plea: ‘Can the government negotiate an exit strategy through Egypt?’
7 News has more detail about the Adelaide family who the government is trying to get out of Gaza.
It reports that the family, who are four of the 19 Australians who have registered with the government for repatriation flights from Gaza, had been visiting family in the region for two weeks.
7 News reporters said a member of the family had written to the federal government, saying:
Our beloved children are living in a constant state of fear, and with each passing day, the availability of food and clean water dwindles further.
On Monday, we survived death with a miracle. We evacuated the house we were staying in, just a few minutes before the building next door was bombed.
Today, the power generation plant was shut down due to a critical fuel shortage, and internet access is no longer available.
This might be my last message to anyone.
Please can the government negotiate an exit strategy through Egypt?
Albanese said this morning the government is in conversation with the Egypt government to get the family out via the southern border, which is now closed.
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Australian man arrested after Perth-bound flight turned back to Singapore
A flight bound for Perth was turned back to Singapore by the nation’s airforce due to a suspected bomb threat, according to Singapore’s minister for defence, Dr Ng Eng Hen.
Channel News Asia has reported a 30-year-old Australian man was arrested for criminal intimidation and investigations by police are still ongoing.
Ng Eng Hen said two F-15SG fighter aircraft had been deployed to escort the Scoot flight, TR16, back to Singapore Changi airport .
The flight took off from Singapore at 4.11pm and made a U-turn while flying over Indonesia at 4.55pm, about the same time police were informed of the threat, CNA reported.
Several flights were put on hold until the Scoot plane landed.
CNA said Scoot had reported the turnback was a “precautionary measure” and apologised for the “disruption”.
The airline told CNA:
Scoot is assisting the authorities with their investigations. As this is a security matter, we regret that we are unable to provide further details.
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Joy in Cheng Lei’s voice ‘just amazing’
Albanese is also asked if the release of Australian journalist Cheng Lei from detention in China shows Australia-China relations are getting back on track:
We are working on stabilising the relationship. I’ve said that we need to cooperate where we can, disagree where we must – we have different political systems – but engage in our national interest.
He says he’ll cherish the conversation he had with Cheng Lei after she was released for the “rest of my life”:
This was a really trying time for Cheng Lei and I look forward to meeting her at an appropriate time, when she’s ready. But it was wonderful to speak to her and the joy in her voice was just amazing.
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Talks under way to get Australian family out of Gaza, Albanese says
Albanese says the government is in conversation with the Egypt government to get a family of four Australians who are from Adelaide out of Gaza through the southern border.
We want all Australians to be safe in the region and be able to leave, whether they’re in Israel or Gaza. This is a conflict that is having a huge human toll, whether that be in Israel or of course in Gaza as well
He says 220 people will be on the first repatriation flight today, and 1,600 Australians are registered – with 19 of those located in Gaza.
Those three flights have not been fully allocated yet but the one today will be full. And Qantas are putting in place the logistics to get people from London back to Australia via Singapore.
Albanese says Qantas is “providing the logistics and the Australian government is providing whatever funding required”.
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‘No is now and it’s not working,’ PM says
Anthony Albanese:
If not now, when are we going to get around to doing that? Every other former colony has done so.
No is now and it’s not working. We have a suicide rate that’s twice as high. We have an eight-year life expectancy gap. We have an Indigenous young male being more likely to go to jail than to go to university. An Indigenous young woman twice as likely to die in childbirth as a non-Indigenous woman.
We can’t just keep doing things the same and this is a gracious request made by the First Australians for Australians to walk with them on that journey of reconciliation and closing the gap and making a difference
This is an opportunity to do something for others.
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‘There’s nothing to fear here,’ Albanese says of voice
Anthony Albanese is speaking on ABC News Breakfast now about why it’s important to cast a yes vote in the referendum:
There’s nothing to fear here, just being able to listen to Indigenous people about matters that affect Indigenous people.
Because we know if we do that, we’ll get better outcomes. That is what people will be voting for tomorrow. And I sincerely hope that Australians find it in their heart, but also in their head to know that we can’t just do more of the same and that Australians vote yes tomorrow.
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Ken Wyatt lashes Liberals’ ‘Trumpian tactics’
Ken Wyatt, who resigned from the Liberal party after Peter Dutton announced the party would campaign against it, said the party had used “Trumpian tactics”:
Some of the tactics are copied out of America, the fake news, the statements of “you’ll end up paying Aboriginal people”, “you’ll lose lands”, “you won’t be allowed to do this”.
That was never the intent. We had the same fearmongering from my party over Mabo … and this I’m seeing [it] being played out again, and that concerns me that we haven’t moved on.
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A strong no vote could hold back reforms in Indigenous affairs, Wyatt says
Ken Wyatt said he doesn’t think the government has made a mistake deciding against legislating the voice if the referendum is defeated, but he fears what a strong no vote will mean for the future of Indigenous affairs:
We’ve got to respect what Australians are saying if there is an overwhelming no majority …
The fear I have now is with a strong no, whether the government will become reticent to be adventurous on doing significant reforms in the future in the Aboriginal affairs portfolio, and on programs and policies that could reshape the landscape of Aboriginal affairs and the way in which Aboriginal people access the plethora of services that we all take for granted across this nation as our inherent right.
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Dutton has spread fear and division, Ken Wyatt says
Ken Wyatt, the former Liberal minister for Indigenous Australians, is speaking on RN Breakfast now about the referendum.
He said the voice had 69% support when he left office and has “watched the position that people have taken that has caused it to drop substantially”.
Asked what he thinks of the tactics and arguments used by the no camp, Wyatt said:
I was disappointed because Peter [Dutton] was part of the process. Peter had access to the information and he never had a serious discussion with me at all on the voice.
The arguments that he’s putting forward are not factual, they’re contentious in order to create fear and division.
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The rightwing advocacy group behind Fair Australia
My colleagues Ariel Bogle and Sarah Basford Canales have an important story out this morning, revealing the secretive rightwing firm providing “clout” for voice no campaign.
You can read it here:
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‘Voice recognition is inclusion’
Jade Ritchie, Gooreng Gooreng woman and yes campaigner, is speaking on ABC News Breakfast.
She urged Australians who are yet to cast their vote in the referendum to “please remember that voice recognition is inclusion and listening to Indigenous peoples on matters that affect us”:
We’ve got decades of evidence of that policy made without us can in fact be quite harmful.
Asked what the consequence of a no vote would be for First Nations Australians, Ritchie said:
We live in the no… and that no consists of a divided nation.
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Campaigns make final sprint on eve of voice vote
The yes and no movements are gearing up for the final full day of campaigning before Australians cast their votes on the Indigenous voice referendum, AAP reports.
The prime minister will make a mad dash across the country with appearances scheduled in South Australia, Tasmania and NSW on Friday.
Speaking to reporters in Perth on Thursday, Anthony Albanese said he hoped Australians would rise to the occasion.
He said on Thursday:
We’re a generous people and this is a very modest request from the First Australians for recognition and to be listened to.
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What the final polls are telling us: majority intends to vote no in voice referendum
The downward trend in support for the voice to parliament has slowed but a majority of people are still intending on voting no, according to the latest update from Guardian Australia’s poll tracker.
Despite the addition of several polls to the Guardian’s model, there is no sign of a trend back towards a yes vote for tomorrow’s referendum. The yes side has an estimated 41.6% support nationally and is trailing in every state except Tasmania, which has been excluded from our model due to low sample sizes.
The need for a double majority to pass a referendum – a majority of voters nationally as well as majorities in four of the six states – means that the national yes vote likely needs to be closer to 53% for the yes campaign to have a good chance.
Support is under 40% in Queensland and Western Australia, and is highest at 45% in Victoria. There is a lot of uncertainty around the Tasmania results, where there have been relatively few polls throughout the campaign, and many which had small sample sizes. The election analyst Dr Kevin Bonham estimates support is about 45.9% in Tasmania, based on a longer term average than the measure used by Guardian Australia’s tracker.
More on this story here:
Updated
Good morning
Many thanks to Martin Farrer for kicking off the blog this morning. I’m Jordyn Beazley and I’ll be bringing you our rolling news coverage today.
It’s going to be a busy day as we are just one day out from Australians casting their vote on the Indigenous voice referendum.
As always, if you see something that needs attention, please send me an email at jordyn.beazley@theguardian.com.
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Australia Institute calls for more transparency in university sector
The Australia Institute has called for urgent transparency reform in the higher education sector in a report examining the proposed merger of South Australia’s two largest universities.
The report, released today, alleges there is a “shadowy decision-making process” behind the decision to merge the institutions that reflects a need for the sector to be more transparent and accountable to the public, including justification for who is hired in top gigs.
The universities of Adelaide and South Australia have refused to release the business case for the proposed merger, prompting a parliamentary inquiry to be handed down next week.
University councils, which make decisions about the spending of public funding, aren’t required by law to release the minutes of their meetings.
The report found 80% of Australians agreed minute meetings should be published, while 66% believed university councils should focus on improving education for students.
Dr Morgan Harrington, a researcher at the Australia Institute, said taxpayers funded universities and were entitled to know how decisions were made:
At the moment university councils are free to make significant decisions without proper transparency or accountability. The South Australian government has pledged nearly $445m towards the proposed university merger, but South Australians don’t even know what’s really motivating the push.
University councils make massive decisions about how hundreds of millions of dollars in public money is deployed. We all deserve to understand how these decisions are made.
The report also said university council members should be majority elected by university staff and students, prioritising expertise in education and the public sector.
Pro-Palestinian rallies to go ahead across Australia
A series of pro-Palestinian rallies will start tonight in Brisbane and Canberra as tensions continue to escalate after Hamas attacks on Israelis, AAP reports.
Protests are planned for Canberra, Perth and Brisbane on Friday while organisers say they will also push ahead with rallies in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide at the weekend.
Pro-Palestinian protests erupted as Israel launched strikes after the death of more than 1,000 residents at the hands of the Islamist group.
Brisbane lord mayor Adrian Schrinner pointed to a rally in Sydney earlier in the week, when some chanted anti-Jewish slurs and lit flares in behaviour later denounced by organisers:
What’s happened in Sydney and Melbourne we don’t want happening here.
A Brisbane rally calling for participants to “come, listen, chant and call for no war on Gaza” is planned for King George Square tonight from 6pm.
Schrinner said he was concerned about rising antisemitism in the community, adding there was no justification for terrorism:
To think that some people are trying to justify this at the moment is sickening to me.
The Palestinian Action Group said people had a right to protest against Israeli “war crimes”.
Also this evening, a few hundred people were expected at a rally in Canberra’s Garema Place with another protest planned for Perth’s Murray St Mall.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton said any incitement of violence should be met with a “very, very heavy hand” and called for non-citizens who preached antisemitic speech at the rallies to be deported:
“People with that hate in their minds, in their hearts, don’t have any place in our society.
The Palestinian Action Group called Dutton’s comments “a shocking attack on democratic rights”:
People have a right to protest against the war crimes and apartheid policies of the Israeli state.
Organisers will push ahead with a second Sydney rally on Sunday despite police not giving official approval for a march.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our rolling news coverage on the last day before the voice referendum. I’m Martin Farrer and I’ll be bringing you the top overnight stories before my colleague Jordyn Beazley comes along.
It’s the last day of campaigning for the referendum. Anthony Albanese will make a dash across the country with appearances scheduled in South Australia, Tasmania and NSW today, AAP reports. But YouGov’s director of polling and academic research Amir Daftari told AAP all signs pointed towards a sweeping no victory. We have a summary of the polls, updated to the very latest, including a tracker where you can see how the campaign fared over time.
Our lead story looks at a rightwing consultancy and its secretive ties with the no camapign. Whitestone Strategic boasts “up-to-the-minute technology and campaign clout” under a website tagline “Fighting the good fight”.
We’re also hearing today from leading yes campaigners on why it’s crucial the voice does get up.Thomas Mayo says problems facing Indigenous Australians cannot be fixed without a mechanism like the voice to parliament, and Linda Burney writes that voters can make a differenceby listening to Indigenous Australians who are asking for a voice and voting yes.
Human rights advocates have condemned the NSW government’s response to pro-Palestinian protesters. Rallies are set for several cities this weekend – starting tonight in Brisbane and Canberra – but NSW authorities have vowed to stop marches while pro-Palestinian protesters have promised to “march next week and every week” after a “static demonstration” in Hyde Park this Sunday. On the other side of the world, flags of both sides will be banned when the Socceroos play England in a football friendly at Wembley later today. The English FA rejected calls to have the famous stadium lit in the colours of the Israeli flag. More coming up on these stories.
And a “green coal” company owned by two Queensland Liberal National party figures has had its bank account frozen and become mired in legal action, 18 months after being awarded a $5.5m commonwealth grant in the dying days of the Morrison government.
