What we learned today, Thursday 23 April
Thanks for staying with us today. We’ll leave our live coverage of the day’s news there for this evening. Here were Thursday’s top stories:
Microsoft has announced a $25bn AI investment in Australia but wouldn’t detail where, how numerous or how expensive its new datacentres would be.
The CEO of Westpac said people shouldn’t be so “negative” about AI and the CEO of Telstra revealed the company was using AI to handle 30% of customer queries.
Anthony Albanese has said Donald Trump “would always be welcome” in Australia.
Albanese also said his mother would have been among those eligible for his trimmed-down NDIS, as people on the scheme wait to learn whether they will be cut off.
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, has predicted about a third of those expected to be cut from the NDIS would be in his state.
Queensland’s parliament has passed new “adult crime, adult time” laws
Radio station Kiis FM saw its ratings in Melbourne after Kyle & Jackie O’s show came to an end.
Ben Roberts-Smith won a variation to his bail conditions.
Australia’s stretched housing market is seeing cheaper homes continue to record rapid price rises, while the rental market is at its tightest on record as rents rise $25 a week.
RSL Australia has welcomed a $200m donation from Gina Rinehart’s company to buy housing for homeless Australian veterans.
Updated
Man facing court over alleged threats that shut down Perth airport
A man is facing up to 10 years in prison after being charged over alleged threats after Perth airport was shut down over an unattended backpack.
Perth airport’s Terminal 1 was closed for almost two hours yesterday afternoon as police investigated a reported unattended bag.
The Australian federal police have now revealed their officers received a report of a man entering the international terminal and allegedly making threats towards the safety of the airport.
Police allege the 57-year-old was related to the backpack, left unattended outside the terminal. Officers established an exclusion zone and the backpack was declared safe by the Western Australia police bomb response unit before the airport resumed operations, the AFP said.
WA police located and arrested the man in Perth’s CBD later that evening before being transferred to AFP custody, the AFP said. He was charged with one count of threatening to destroy, damage or endanger the safety of a commonwealth aerodrome and was set to appear before Perth magistrates court this afternoon.
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ASX falls for three days in a row
Australia’s share market has fallen for a third straight session as the US and Iran escalate their respective blockades of global shipping routes, AAP reports.
The S&P/ASX200 fell 50.2 points on Thursday, down 0.57%, to 8,793.4 as the broader All Ordinaries dipped 50.2 points, or 0.55%, to 9,024.2.
Energy was the only sector to end the session higher, soaring more than 2% on the back of rising oil prices.
The heavyweight financials and raw materials sectors each dropped nearly 1% as investor confidence deteriorated.
The Australian dollar was buying 71.55 US cents, down from 71.73 US cents on Wednesday at 5pm, as fading risk sentiment bolstered safe-haven greenback demand.
Updated
Ex-Labor minister denies threatening developer to cooperate with CFMEU
A former Queensland Labor minister has denied claims she threatened to tear up a developer’s contract for a major project if he did not cooperate with a rogue union, AAP reports.
Grace Grace has come under fire from Queensland’s Liberal National government after the allegation was made at the state’s CFMEU probe.
It’s alleged Grace, the former industrial relations minister, threatened to terminate the contract relating to a $1.6bn Toowoomba bypass project in 2018 if the developer did not work with the union.
Grace on Thursday responded to the claims aired at Queensland’s Commission of Inquiry into the CFMEU, telling reporters:
I deny the allegations … I will let the commission continue with its processes and all the evidence from this issue will come out at the appropriate time.
Jose Sanchez – a former Acciona project director for the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing – made the allegation at the inquiry, saying Grace was “aggressive”. Asked if Sanchez was lying, Grace said:
I am saying I deny the allegations.
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Queensland police to continue using untested pistols despite “unknown risk” of malfunction
Queensland police have conceded there’s an “unknown risk” standard-issue pistols could malfunction in the field after the discovery of a major fault with the weapons.
A fault was discovered in their Glock pistols during routine testing, which could cause them to fire twice when discharged. All 15,000 in service will be recalled and re-tested.
Deputy commissioner Chris Stream said it’s possible some weapons used in the field have the fault, but it would be only a problem “only if the weapon is used”, adding:
If an officer had to use a weapon currently and discharge that weapon, there is an unknown risk currently, in terms of the weapon – an untested weapon, I should say – discharging multiple rounds.
So there’s not a wider threat to members of the community, or in fact, the safety of the officers using that weapon.
The weapon has been used since 1999 and Stream said it’s possible the fault has occurred in the field in its two-decade service history.
The fault has been discovered in just three, older model, weapons so far. Queensland police continues to purchase the Glock, taking delivery as recently as last year.
It’s unknown how long or how much fixing the weapons will cost, Stream said.
Updated
RSL welcomes Gina Rinehart’s $200m donation to convert homes for veterans
The Returned & Services League of Australia (RSL) has welcomed a $200m donation from Gina Rinehart’s company to buy housing for homeless Australian veterans.
Hancock Prospecting said the money would be directly spent on “acquiring suitable accommodation to help Australia’s more than 6,000 homeless veterans to get a roof over their head”, in a statement today.
The company said suitable buildings around the country were being assessed for purchase and conversion into housing, focusing on hotels, motels and apartment blocks that could be “rapidly repurposed without the years of approvals and delays associated with new construction”.
Rinehart has previously put money towards a Perth veteran housing complex as well as RSL, Soldier On, the Commando Welfare Trust, Legacy and the legal defence of former special forces personnel through the SAS Resources Fund.
RSL Australia said it was at this stage not involved in the allocation or distribution of the funds. Its national president, Peter Tinley, welcomed the announcement. He said:
It is an incredibly generous donation that will be welcomed by the veteran community. It should assist many of Australia’s 6,000 homeless veterans to put a roof over their heads. …
The contribution from Mrs Rinehart and Hancock Prospecting is very welcome. It will help significantly and hopefully, will focus increased national attention of removing this inequity.
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Trump ‘would always be welcome’ in Australia, Albanese says
Anthony Albanese says Donald Trump is still invited to Australia regardless of the US president’s local unpopularity.
The prime minister said he had spoken to Trump at one point over the course of the US-Israel war on Iran and the Australian government was in “regular contact” with the Trump administration.
He told the ABC:
I had the conversation during this conflict with President Trump. It was a good conversation, it was a constructive conversation, as all of mine have been with him.
Asked whether his invitation for Trump to visit Australia was still open despite the president’s unpopularity, Albanese said:
Of course it is open … He knows where Australia is. An American president would always be welcome in Australia, including President Trump. President Trump would always be welcome here, as would any American president.
Albanese also said he could still see the war ending soon, amid news of Trump extending the US ceasefire with Iran. He said:
I just hope it is as soon as possible.
We have called for de-escalation
… I am absolutely happy with [the ceasefire extension and] anything that is about de-escalation, because quite clearly what I want to see is an end to the human impact of course that it’s having as well, but the economic impact.
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Australia’s fuel only secure for four- to six-week windows, PM says
Australians will only know whether they have secure fuel supply four weeks out at a time, the prime minister has said.
Anthony Albanese says companies are working on a four-to-six week timeframe to book contracts for fuel imports. He told the ABC:
At this point in time, things are going as good as they could have expected to go, but we live in uncertain times.
So what that means is because the normal contracting time is about four to six weeks, we will know in advance along that sort of timeframe if there is a real reduction in the amount of fuel that will be available …
Next week, we will know where we will be in four to six weeks’ time from that.
After reports the government was considering backing the development of new domestic oil refineries, the prime minister said he was “open to constructive ideas where things add up”. Asked if the government had received any proposals for new refineries, he said:
Well, no, none in any detail. Of course, we have received vibes, if you like, of fuel reserves and increased refinery capacity. But that takes time as well.
I have got to say what we are really concentrating on, on a day-to-day basis, is how we secure that immediate supply that Australia needs.
Asked whether the fuel excise cut could be extended, he said:
We will examine that at an appropriate time.
Updated
Arguments for a new gas tax ‘disingenuous’ says PM
The prime minister has described arguments for a new tax on the gas industry as “disingenuous” as rumours swirl the government is uncertain about pursuing the proposal
Asked about the proposal for a new tax on gas exports, Albanese gave no indication of the government’s plans. He told the ABC:
What I do say though, some of the arguments that have been put forward, have been a bit disingenuous and people putting them forward no that’s the case.
He also showed no concern about the gas industry campaigning against any reform:
They of course will advocate for the interests.
Labor’s Ed Husic and the Greens have called for a tax and criticised the oil and gas companies for campaigning against them.
Labor wants parliament to ‘be constructive’ on NDIS cuts
The prime minister has called for parliament to help pass Labor’s NDIS cuts but won’t say whether he’ll negotiate with the Coalition to get it through the senate.
Albanese told the ABC:
I have called Angus Taylor and offered briefings, we will do that. I thank the Parliament should be constructive here, and I hope it is.
Asked if he would negotiate with Taylor on the reforms, Albanese said:
We have done a lot of work and they are aware of what the issues were, … We haven’t had a discussion yet but he has been offered a briefing and I am hopeful that this is a time when the Parliament, just like th Parliament supported the NDIS from its formation, I want to see that same parliament, different people, but make the NDIS sustainable going forward.
Albanese says his mother would have been eligible for trimmed-down NDIS
Anthony Albanese has provided a bit of detail on who would be eligible for the reformed NDIS: people like his late mother, who he described as “crippled up with rheumatoid arthritis”.
Asked whether his mother, Maryanne Ellery, would have eligible for the NDIS under his government’s new cuts, Albanese said:
Absolutely, because she was permanently incapacitated. She needed the sort of assistance – and had she got that, then the cost of her being in hospital for a long period of time because there wasn’t the sort of support out there in the community to enable her to participate with a quality of life that she deserved, wasn’t there.
What we are about with the NDIS is making sure that Australians with a disability, with that permanent incapacity, are able to get that support.
What the NDIS was never intended to do was to have classrooms where four in 10 kids were on the NDIS.
Updated
Albanese demurs on whether NDIS participants will be removed before state supports in place
Anthony Albanese has been unable to guarantee the government will wait until state supports are in place before removing people from the national disability insurance scheme.
Asked on the ABC, he instead said:
We want to make sure that they get the care that they need.
Every single Australian should get the care that they need, but what we shouldn’t have is this system that is growing exponentially, 22% growth, unsustainable, costing more than Medicare and the PBS combined.
The prime minister said he believed Australians wanted to pay for the scheme but it could be “better” under Labor’s reforms.
Australians want to be proud of it. They are happy to pay … I am proud of the NDIS, but it can be better. It needs to go back to its original purpose so that people are at the centre of the NDIS.
It is big reform. Labor will always do the big reforms and the right things and that is what we are doing.
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Listen: Mark Butler on the ‘necessary’ cuts to an NDIS ‘under pressure’ – Australian Politics podcast
Mark Butler has conceded Australians may be “uneasy” about cuts to the National disability insurance scheme but insists it will remain one of the best support services “anywhere in the world”.
Listen to the health minister discuss the cuts with Guardian Australia’s political editor, Tom McIlroy, on the Full Story podcast:
You can also read more about Butler’s defence of his reforms here:
Updated
Men rescued after sailing boat stuck on rocks for three hours
Two men have been rescued after their sailboat was stuck on rocks for about three hours in waters north of Newcastle in New South Wales.
The men, aged 54 and 69, set sail in a 10-metre boat on Wednesday morning and navigated north over the day, through choppy conditions, a police spokesperson said.
They ran aground on underwater rocks at Fingal Island, near Port Stephens, in the evening and issued a mayday call at about 7.30pm, police said.
Marine Rescue and water police crews sped out but couldn’t get close enough to rescue them from the rocks, not helped by the dark, windy conditions and choppy waters, police said.
Rescue helicopters were called in to help, and the men were winched to safety before being airlifted to Williamtown airport. The men were treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics for minor injuries and hypothermia, police said
Marine rescue crews returned to their marina at about 10.30pm, a spokesperson said.
Updated
Microsoft won’t share location, spend or number of new data centres
Earlier we reported Microsoft will spend $25bn investing in its digital infrastructure in Australia (which is code for data centres). We also noted most of that money could end up overseas as data centre money often goes towards importing computer hardware.
We asked Microsoft to clarify how many new data centres it wanted to build (it referenced a 140% increase in its cloud footprint) and how the $25bn would be spent (directly in Australia; on data centres; on importing computer hardware). A spokesperson said:
[Microsoft] can’t provide specifics at this stage as these details are competitive/commercially sensitive.
We also asked Microsoft about its preferred locations and business partners for data centre development. The spokesperson said:
[Microsoft has] 29 sites across 3 [data centre] regions in Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne.
Our investments are anchored in Australia and are often delivered in collaboration with Australian data centre companies like Airtrunk, CDC and NextDC – they create local construction and engineering jobs, long-term operational roles, and on-shore compute that Australian businesses, governments and researchers rely on every day.
Queensland police issues recall for all service-issued Glock pistols
Queensland police has ordered a recall for all service-issued Glock pistols, after a malfunction was identified in testing.
The .40 calibre Glock pistol is part of the standard armament for all Queensland police service (QPS) officers. They’re also issued a taser and other weapons, and some police are trained to use rifles.
In a statement, the QPS said a malfunction had been identified during routine proactive testing of the pistol, which could result in multiple shots being fired when the weapon was discharged.
“As a result, further testing is being progressed to provide additional confidence,” a spokesperson said, adding:
At this time, there have been no operational incidents identified in connection with Service-issued Glock handguns.
Testing is being conducted across all regions, commands and divisions in the interests of officer and community safety.
Firearms that meet the testing requirements will be returned to service.
The fault is the second to be discovered this year. The QPS ordered a recall of holsters issued for the brand-new Taser 10 weapon earlier this year.
Queensland police said it was also working with suppliers to rectify the issue with its Glocks.
Updated
Good afternoon readers, I’ll be with you for the rest of the afternoon’s breaking news. Thanks Nick Visser for steering the ship today.
That’s all from me. Luca Ittimani will pick things up from here. Take care.
Kyle Sandilands berated Kiis FM listeners and bosses in expletive-laden rants, court documents claim
Kyle Sandilands repeatedly berated Kiis FM executives, the radio station’s censors, critics of the Kyle and Jackie O Show and the Melbourne audience in expletive-laden rants, according to federal court documents.
The details of the alleged tirades, which aired months before the shock jock was sacked and accused of “serious misconduct” by ARN, are contained in the company’s defence of an $85m claim filed by Sandilands.
The defence alleges Sandilands called activist group Mad Fucking Witches (MFW) “dangerous lunatics”, denigrated the in-house censors for using the dump button and referred to ARN executives as “pussies”.
Read more here:
Woolworths manager tells court supermarket risked losing products if it didn’t agree to supplier requests for price increases
Here’s some more from the third day of the trial between the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and Woolworths in the federal court in Sydney.
The federal court has also heard evidence today from Sam Woodcock, a manager in the Woolworths head office, about how the supermarket negotiated pricing changes with the companies that supplied their products.
Woodcock has said if Woolworths did not accept the price increases proposed by the suppliers of their products, there was a risk that the companies would stop sales of those items altogether.
The consumer watchdog alleges Woolworths implemented outsized, short-term price spikes on products before reducing them to a supposedly discounted third price that was actually higher than their original shelf price.
The court heard earlier today that in the case of 12-packs of Carmen’s muesli bars, for example, the supplier proposed – when asking to increase the shelf price from $10 to $11 – that there would be a period of time to “re-establish the base price” before the product went back on to “Prices Dropped” at “dropped” price.
Under questioning from the ACCC’s barrister, Michael Hodge KC, Woodcock accepted that Woolworths initially put through the cost price increases and changed the muesli bars’ retail price without any promotional plan, as a “negotiation” tactic with Carmen’s.
He said Woolworths was trying to ensure it had “stock on shelves” and that:
Essentially if a supplier proposes a cost price increase to be effective from a certain date and we don’t accept that as a retailer, there’s a risk that if we haven’t accepted and actioned it in our system that a supplier will choose not to supply us that product anymore.
And I have to say, in Woolworths at that point in time, ensuring that we had product on the shelf was an absolute requirement.
Woodcock agreed he had accepted Carmen’s proposal for a net cost increase from them on the premise that the product was going to go on to “Prices Dropped” and that was what would ultimately happen.
The court has just resumed for the afternoon after its lunch break.
About a third of those expected to be cut from NDIS would be in NSW, premier predicts
Asked about the Albanese government’s changes to the NDIS, including reducing eligibility and requiring the states to contribute more through foundational supports, Chris Minns said he wasn’t “like some other state leaders, hammering them for making the changes”.
I understand that it needs to be as best as possible [and] an affordable program, but we’ve also got to be honest with people. If they’re not going to be provided with NDIS support, we can’t provide equivalent care in the state system.
The premier said he expected about a third of the 160,000 people Mark Butler said would be cut from the NDIS under eligibility changes to come from NSW.
Updated
NSW premier bemoans health changes ‘made in a darkened room in Canberra’
The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, hit out at changes “made in a darkened room in Canberra” on the state health system, after the federal government announced it was cutting the private healthcare rebate for Australians over 65.
At a press conference this morning, Minns was asked about the announcement made yesterday by the federal health minister, Mark Butler, alongside changes to the NDIS.
Asked if the cut would make it harder for NSW to deliver hospital services, Minns said:
Look, I don’t want to overstate it. I mean, I think our real focus has been on getting the federal government to come to the party when it comes to aged care and primary health care.
But little changes at the federal level made by somebody in a darkened room in Canberra can have a big impact on an emergency department in Mount Druitt and that’s what we have to get federal government to understand.
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Queensland parliament passes new ‘adult crime, adult time’ laws
Queensland parliament has passed its latest crackdown on youth crime.
Unlike the two previous stages of the Liberal National party’s signature “adult crime adult time” laws, the Labor opposition voted against the bill.
The laws add new offences to a schedule of “adult crime adult time” crimes, which is now 55 long. If convicted of any of them, a young person faces the same sentencing provisions as an adult.
The law also rolls back the state’s drug diversionary program, and grants police additional move on powers, which critics say will be used against homeless people.
All three stages of the legislation restrict human rights, requiring an override of the state’s human rights act.
All 33 Labor MPs voted against the bill, plus the Green and independent MPs, with LNP and Katter’s Australian party MPs voting for it.
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Executive asked why Woolworths relaxed rules designed to protect shoppers
Yesterday, Paul Harker was questioned extensively about why Woolworths relaxed rules designed to prevent pricing manipulation and protect shoppers.
The court heard that the original “guardrails” meant products had to be sold at one price for at least nine months before they could go on sale, but Woolworths reduced the required timeframe to six months, then two to three months and eventually to just three to six weeks.
Harker accepted that part of Woolworths’ pricing strategy – including in the case of the Carmen’s muesli bars – was to compete with Coles, and that:
It’s a consideration. I wouldn’t say there’s a formula for that comparison, but it’s a consideration.
Updated
Landmark trial against Woolworths’ ‘Prices Dropped’ program back in court today
The third day of the landmark trial between the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and Woolworths is under way in the federal court in Sydney.
This morning, Woolworths executive Paul Harker finished his cross-examination this morning after spending all of yesterday in the witness box.
The ACCC has accused Woolworths of using the “Prices Dropped” promotional scheme to disguise planned price increases.
The consumer watchdog alleges Woolworths implemented outsized, short-term price spikes on products before reducing them to a supposedly discounted third price that was actually higher than their original shelf price.
Woolworths denies the ACCC’s allegation that in many cases the second inflated price was implemented solely to establish a higher “was” price, allowing the supermarket to later advertise a discounted drop price.
However, under cross-examination this morning, Harker conceded that in the case of the example product put to him, the supermarket and the product’s supplier had agreed on the second and third prices “from the very outset”.
Harker agreed that for 12-packs of Carmen’s muesli bars, the supplier proposed – when asking to increase the shelf price from $10 to $11 – that there would be a period of time to “re-establish the base price” before the product went back onto “Prices Dropped” at “dropped” price.
Under questioning, Harker said the pricing strategy had been Carmen’s “proposal from the very outset, yes.”
Updated
Australia accounted for 10% of world’s new installed battery capacity in March
Chris Bowen added that 10% of all new battery capacity installed around the world in March was installed in Australia.
We’re not 10% the world’s economy. We’re not 10% of the world’s population, but we’re 10% of the new battery capacity that’s being installed.
Australians who seek support from government are getting on with the job of building an energy system which is in their interests.
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Bowen says there are 46 days of petrol in Australian reserves
Australia now has 46 days of petrol in the nation’s stocks, 10 days more than when the Middle East crisis started.
Energy minister Chris Bowen said:
That is a good thing because it means that those Australians who are looking at the forward supply and making decisions can know that, as well as these things can be forecast, Australia is well placed.
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Albanese says James Valentine was entertaining, uplifting and a voice of comfort to many
Anthony Albanese just gave a touching tribute to broadcaster James Valentine, who died this week. He said the ABC icon was a “much-loved Australian” and a “warm, friendly and comforting voice” to many during his long career on-air.
The prime minister said:
He is someone who was engaging to talk with and who Australians listened to and trusted. He had a long and distinguished career and I think right across the media world today will be mourning James Valentine.
James Valentine was someone who was always very good to talk with. He listened, he put forward his views. He was entertaining and he was uplifting as well, which is why his recent health issues that he’s gone through are so devastating for all those who knew him and loved him.
Albanese said Valentine rightly deserved an Order of Australia award, saying he was “most deserving of it”.
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‘There will be a long economic tail here,’ Albanese says
Anthony Albanese says moving to stage 3 of the national fuel security plan is not “imminent”, but said the updates from the government were about being upfront about international challenges. He said even if the strait of Hormuz were to open tomorrow, there would be a lag before the system began to operate as normal.
It takes time to clear the strait to make it safe. It will take time for the ships have been stuck in the Gulf to [return to] their destination, to unload and then to travel back to receive more supply.
So there will be a long economic tail here.
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Fuel supply secure in near term but still ‘deeply tumultuous times’, Albanese says
Anthony Albanese is speaking in Sydney.
The prime minister said Australia’s fuel supply outlook remains secure in the near term, but the government is still working to craft contingency plans for both fuel and fertiliser. The country remains “steady” at level 2 of the national fuel security plan. Albanese did caution, though:
The longer, though, that the war goes on, the more significant the implications for Australia will be, just like it’s having an impact right around the world.
The prime minister said the government is discussing the diversification of fuel sources, including looking at the United States, Algeria and Argentina.
The key here is achieving supply. The reality remains of course that the strait is still closed.
We’re in deeply tumultuous and turbulent global times.
We are doing what we can.
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Westpac CEO says people shouldn’t be so ‘negative’ about AI
Westpac’s chief executive, Anthony Miller, says Australians are too “negative” about AI and should be more excited about the opportunities it will bring.
Speaking at Microsoft’s global AI tour today, Miller said the banking industry had found it challenging to change ways of working to adopt AI. :
I think the challenge or the learning that I’ve really found interesting with this tool, this technology, is the challenge that people need to be open-minded.
It is a very regulated industry, banking, as appropriately so. Banking licence is a real privilege, and we need to meet a certain standard. And so therefore there’s a real culture of ‘that’s the way we do it, we must do it this way’.
He said Australia’s public discourse was not optimistic enough about the opportunities to come from AI:
The real challenge, or what I really want to see is, like, let’s have some ambition. The current discourse publicly is so negative. It’s so informed by what’s not going well, or what is a challenge.
We need a public discourse that’s focused on: how do we improve the country using this? And it’s not the panacea for everything we need to do, but it’s got a big role to play. And I think things like regulators, governments, businesses have a real obligation to encourage and motivate and invest in and challenge people to use it.
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Telstra is using AI to handle 30% of customer queries, CEO says
Telstra’s chief executive says the company is using AI to handle 30% of customer queries across its website and app.
Speaking at Microsoft’s AI Tour event today, Vicki Brady said the telecommunications giant’s generative AI-powered assistant launched last November, where it could check customer plans and activate SIMs.
In March, it took the AI assistant into its app, where it could make changes to plans and accounts and troubleshoot.
Brady said AI was helping with customer queries:
Of all of that volume coming in on the website and our app, it is dealing with 30% of that without our teams needing to get involved. And we continue to build that capability. Of course, it hands off where it’s particularly sensitive or there might be indicators of vulnerable circumstances, but it’s allowing our teams to spend more time with customers on those more complex issues.
AI has also allowed Telstra to cut down from having 400 software partners to just two, and from 80 platforms storing data to 20, with the aim to cut down to three, Brady said.
The company has 75% of its teams using AI tools “at least weekly” and aims to raise that to 85% this year, Brady said.
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Kiis FM ratings rise in Melbourne after Kyle & Jackie O departure
Kiis FM’s breakfast radio show had a minor ratings increase in Melbourne while its market shared dropped in Sydney after the departure of co-hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie “O” Henderson last month.
The radio ratings survey, for the period 8 February to 4 April, is the first since co-hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie “O” Henderson departed the program after their contracts were terminated last month. The pair’s last presented the breakfast show together on 20 February.
The survey shows Kiis breakfast time slot remained at the top in Sydney but its share fell from 12.7% to. 11.7% in the survey period.
In Melbourne, its share rose from 5.1% to 5.4%.
Sandilands and Henderson have commenced separate legal action against the Kiis FM licensee, Commonwealth Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), which terminated them both a year after they signed separate 10-year contracts for the Kyle and Jackie O breakfast show.
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How much of Microsoft’s $25bn investment is going to stay in Australia?
Circling back to Microsoft’s new investment: $25bn sounds big, but not all of the money is likely to stay in Australia.
Details of the spend are not finalised but the announcement repeatedly mentioned datacentres and included this line from Belinda Dennett, chief executive officer at datacentres Australia:
This investment in new digital infrastructure … is a significant vote of confidence in Australia as a hub for AI infrastructure investment and data centre development.
Without final details, we don’t know where those datacentres would be built or who would build them, though Microsoft already has 29 datacentres in Australia and has reportedly taken up a new contract with developer NextDC.
As a rule of thumb, McKinsey in 2025 estimated capital expenditure on datacentres generally would be split 25% on energy needs and 15% on builders and land, with 60% to tech companies producing and designing the chips and computing hardware.
Plenty of money will end up being spent overseas to purchase GPU and memory capacity from manufacturers in countries like South Korea. Huge amounts of datacentre investment actually count as imports in Australia’s national accounts, which analysts from the e61 institute have found are importing the direct benefits.
Following McKinsey’s rule of thumb and given only some of the $25bn is being spent on datacentres, less than $10bn of that figure is likely to be spent directly in Australia.
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The governor general celebrated James Valentine at his living wake
Back to tributes to James Valentine: The governor general, Sam Mostyn, said Valentine held a living wake on Valentine’s Day this year:
He gave us plenty of advice as to how we cherish our lives and how we think about our futures in celebrating his.
Mostyn had been in contact with Valentine in recent months on how to bring Australians closer together. She said:
He was giving me quite a bit of advice as to how, in my role, we can bring better conversations about how we bring people together.
He gave suggestions on the issue of social cohesion and [how] people being angry with one another could be accommodated with better kindness, and what would that look like.
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Monique Ryan says NDIS annoucement has left many ‘blindsided’
Responding to yesterday’s NDIS announcement, Independent member for Kooyong, Dr Monique Ryan, said people with disability, their families, carers and providers have been “blindsided”.
Ryan said the scale of the proposed cuts risks undermining the very purpose of the NDIS:
Bill Shorten, the previous NDIS minister, frequently described the scheme as ‘the only lifeboat in the ocean’ for people with a disability. Now, one in five people on the NDIS are about to be thrown into the sea.
Concerns are compounded by the absence of fully developed alternative supports. Foundational supports have yet to be agreed with states and territories, the Thriving Kids program has been deferred until 2028, and the proposed automated assessment tool has not been adequately tested, with its rollout postponed for another year.
Ryan acknowledged the need to strengthen the integrity and sustainability of the NDIS.
We all know the scheme must be protected from waste and exploitation. But responsibility for failures in oversight lies with government, not people with disability who rely on support to live independently and with dignity.
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Ben Roberts-Smith wins variation to his bail conditions
Accused war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith has won a variation to his bail conditions.
Roberts-Smith, a former SAS corporal and recipient of the Victoria Cross, has been charged with five counts of the war crime of murder, over allegations he killed five unarmed civilians while serving in the Australian military in Afghanistan. The alleged crimes occurred between April 2009 and October 2012.
Roberts-Smith was arrested at Sydney airport on 7 April. He was granted bail under strict conditions on 17 April. He has surrendered his passport and must report to police three times a week. There are also strict conditions on his contact with potential witnesses. Roberts-Smith’s father, Len, has posted a $250,000 surety for his son’s bail.
There are further mention hearings in Sydney’s Downing Centre local court regarding Roberts-Smith’s case on Thursday. A trial, if it goes ahead, is not expected for several years.
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Officer pinned between two cars suffered serious damage to ligaments in his legs
Earlier, we reported details of two incidents in Sydney, including one where an officer was pinned between two cars after attempting to stop an allegedly stolen car in the city’s south-west.
The officer fired three shots from his firearm after the vehicle drove into him, including one that hit the alleged driver of the vehicle.
Police are holding a press conference, where they said that officer suffered serious ligament damage to his legs. The officer has since been discharged from the hospital. Det Supt Rod Hart, the Bankstown police area commander, said:
He was pinned against a car, run over and it was his decision at that time to fire the shots, which I believe has saved his life.
The man who allegedly drove the vehicle into the officer is expected to be charged with serious offences, Hart said. The man will go into minor surgery later to remove a bullet fired by the officer during the incident.
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Microsoft chief says AI investment will mean ‘real economic growth’ in Australia
The investment was announced today at Microsoft’s AI tour event in Sydney, with the prime minister, Anthony Albanese.
Nadella said in a statement:
Australia has an enormous opportunity to translate AI into real economic growth and societal benefit. That is why we are making our largest investment in Australia to date.
Albanese said in a statement:
Microsoft’s long-term investment in our national capability will help deliver on [our AI] plan – strengthening our cyber defences and creating opportunity for Australian workers and businesses.
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Microsoft announces $25bn AI investment in Australia
Microsoft chief executive, Satya Nadella, has announced a $25bn investment in AI in Australia aimed at expanding AI capacity and skills by 2029.
The $25bn in capital and operational expenditure will expand Microsoft’s Azure AI infrastructure in Australia and boosts in-country cloud and AI capacity.
Microsoft is following Anthropic in signing a memorandum of understanding with the Australian government to commit to the government’s expectations of datacentres and AI companies in Australia.
Microsoft’s Australia signals directorate cyber shield will also be expanded to other critical government agencies, the company said.
The tech company has also committed to AI skills training for three million Australians by 2028, has pledged to collaborate with the Australian AI Safety Institute and has met with the Australian Council of Trade Unions over AI worker issues.
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Former home affairs boss says he thinks there’s about a 10% chance of ‘catastrophic’ global conflict
Michael Pezzullo, the former home affairs boss, said while he believes the likelihood of a “catastrophic conflict” around the globe remained low, he would still peg it “at about a 10% chance”, and Australia needed to prepare. He told Sky News earlier:
That is troubling, because a 10% chance of war, particularly a catastrophic war that would dwarf anything that’s going in the Middle East now, is something that we need to actively manage against.
He said the country needed to develop a so-called “war book” to determine how Australia could mobilise all sectors of society in the event of a major global conflict.
We need to prepare a war book and we need to do it, well, yesterday, but as soon as possible.
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Governments failed to deliver $160m of river improvements, report finds
Two state governments have drastically underdelivered more than $160m in infrastructure measures to improve river health in the northern Murray-Darling basin eight years since they were promised, a major independent review has found.
This includes failure by the New South Wales government to secure any of the private land access needed to improve water flows over floodplains in the state’s Gwydir region, where scientists had to scramble to rescue turtles in dried up wetlands last week.
A separate NSW government project to install passages to help fish migrate around barriers in waterways has delivered just 64km (3%) of the original 2,135km target, with the target later reduced to 589km.
In Queensland, promised refurbishments and upgrades to weirs also never proceeded past the feasibility stage, the review by the federal inspector general of water compliance, Troy Grant, found.
Read more:
Albanese says James Valentine was ‘so full of life’ and a figure of Sydney culture
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, spoke earlier about the death of broadcaster James Valentine. He told ABC Radio Sydney:
James Valentine was a part of our lives and he was such a voice and therefore a figure in Sydney. He was someone who was always worth listening to, he was interesting, and he was so full of life, but he had a very difficult recent period.
The PM said the pair spoke about music often, describing himself as a “music nerd of no talent whatsoever”.
We would often, both on air and off air, have a chat about music, indeed. Music can be very uplifting at times like this, we certainly need uplifting.
I think amongst the sadness today there will be joy as well about a life very well lived. He had that sense of adventure and was always really positive as well and that shone through.
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Families face being thousands of dollars worse off as Labor cuts NDIS lifeline
On Wednesday, the health minister, Mark Butler, announced that about 160,000 people are expected to be removed from the national disability insurance scheme by 2030.
The $50bn scheme’s growth rate will be brought down to just 2% every year until 2030 in an effort to curb annual plan inflation and produce billions in savings. To get there, eligibility rules will be tightened, especially for children under 18.
There’s confusion over what the new system will look like, who’ll be eligible, and how it will work for kids, for adults with autism, for people in rural communities.
Read more here:
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Governor general says James Valentine made member of the Order of Australia days before his death
The governor general, Sam Mostyn, said the loss of Valentine had made it a “very sad day”. She told ABC Radio Sydney he was made a member of the Order of Australia (AM) in recent days, before his death, to recognise his contribution to the city.
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James Valentine’s family reveal the broadcaster used voluntary assisted dying
James Valentine’s family has released a statement after his death. Here’s what they had to say:
James passed peacefully at home surrounded by his family, who adored him.
Throughout his illness, James did it his way, which lasted all the way until the end when he made the choice to do Voluntary Assisted Dying.
Both he and his family are grateful he was given the option to go out on his own terms. He was calm, dignified as always and somehow still making us laugh.
You can read our full report here:
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Mark Butler says he understands NDIS changes may be ‘confronting’
The health minister, Mark Butler, is making the rounds this morning after announcing major changes to the NDIS yesterday.
He said the intention of the changes were to secure the future of the scheme, which is not on financially sustainable footing. Butler told RN Breakfast:
I also understand that change, particularly significant change, is confronting to people. I wish I could say that change is not needed or not much needed, but that wouldn’t be the truth. The truth is that this scheme is, I think, at real risk in terms of its sustainability. We’ve not been able to get spending growth under control.
Butler maintained that the NDIS had expanded “well beyond” its original intent and is now “riddled with poor practice, fraud and rorts”.
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Two NSW police officers injured in separate incidents overnight
A NSW police officer was allegedly assaulted and another allegedly struck by a vehicle during a spate of incidents in Sydney overnight.
Officials said in one incident in Chester Hill, in Sydney’s south west, emergency services were called after reports of shots fired. Officers attended the area and were later called to Auburn hospital, where a man, 26, had presented with gunshot wounds. Police attempted to speak to another man, aged 30, in the emergency department, before that man allegedly assaulted the officer, repeatedly punching him in the head.
The man was arrested and taken to the police station. He has since been charged with assault of a police officer in the execution of duty. The 26-year-old who was shot remains in critical condition.
In another, unconnected incident in Greenacre, also in Sydney’s south west, officers were patrolling the area when they spotted an allegedly stolen vehicle. When an officer approached the car at an intersection, the driver allegedly accelerated, pinning the officer between two vehicles.
The officer discharged his firearm, striking the car before it drove off. He was treated by ambulance crews and taken to hospital in a stable condition.
Officers later found a man suffering from a gunshot wound in Ryde. He was taken to hospital in stable condition under police guard. No charges have been laid, and investigations continue.
James Valentine's former colleagues pay tribute after death of broadcaster
Friends and former colleagues of James Valentine say the much-loved musician and ABC radio presenter has died.
On social media, former Triple J and ABC Radio Sydney presenter Robbie Buck wrote this morning:
Vale to one of the greatest. The joyous, irrepressible & unbelievably sharp James Valentine has left us. What a wonderful human to have worked with. Thanks for all the laughs James. Godspeed.X
Another former colleague, Wendy Harmer, said:
Lovely, clever man. You will be so missed!
Valentine officially retired in February after almost 40 years, 25 of which he hosted Sydney’s Afternoons on ABC Radio.
The 64-year-old had oesophageal cancer and returned to treatment last year when new tumours were discovered.
Guardian Australia has approached the ABC for comment.
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Greens call for a rent freeze during the fuel crisis
The Greens are calling on Anthony Albanese to use Thursday’s meeting of the national cabinet to coordinate a country-wide rent freeze and a moratorium on evictions for the duration of the fuel crisis.
The prime minister will meet with premiers and chief ministers for the third time since the US and Israel’s war with Iran sent global energy prices spiralling.
The Greens want Albanese to take a leaf out of Scott Morrison’s Covid-19 playbook and work with the states and territories to shield renters from evictions.
The party is also renewing calls for a national freeze on rent increases - a policy it unsuccessfully pushed in the last term of parliament.
The Greens leader, Larissa Waters, said:
Renters around the country are facing some of the worst housing insecurity in living memory. We saw a rare example during Covid of a government doing their job and protecting renters from the volatility of global economic circumstances by putting a ban on rent increases and evictions. There’s nothing stopping that happening again.
Good morning, Nick Visser here to snag the blog. Let’s get to it.
Mark Butler says NDIS funding changes necessary to get scheme back on track
Sweeping changes to the national disability insurance scheme are expected to save the federal budget $35bn over four years, the health minister, Mark Butler, has confirmed.
Butler announced a major overhaul yesterday to contain the scheme’s rising costs, including changes to eligibility rules that are expected to remove at least 160,000 participants from the program by 2030.
Instead of costing more than $70bn at the end of the decade, the NDIS budget will be brought down to about $55bn.
In an interview on ABC’s 7.30 program last night, Butler said the changes would save the federal budget about $35bn over four years.
The minister said that figure covered a recent $13bn blowout in the scheme’s projected cost over the four-year period, meaning the net saving was closer to $22bn.
He said:
It’s a significant figure but one that we are confident is necessary to get this thing back on track. After all, what we are trying to do is secure its future in the long term.
Butler met state and territory disability ministers after his announcement to the National Press Club, the first time his counterparts had been briefed on the shakeup.
He said the disability ministers wanted further detail, including the modelling that underpinned the changes.
But they were up for the challenge. Disability ministers are talking with participants every single day. They’re talking with disability providers and all of them are saying they want a better quality of service delivered to them.
They want, they want this sort of free-for-all market that’s grown up over the last 10 years or so cleaned up. They want to see the fraud cleaned up. They want to see more integrity into the system. So there’s a lot of enthusiasm for the job of getting this thing back on track.
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Cheaper homes outpace luxury price growth
Properties valued below the price caps of the federal government’s 5% deposit guarantee scheme are rising faster than more expensive homes, according to analysis by Cotality.
Over the first six months since the scheme’s expansion, homes under the price caps increased in value by 6.7%, outpacing the 3.6% rise recorded for properties valued above the caps.
The 5% guarantee slashed the deposit requirements for a loan, reducing the savings wait time for many first-time homeowners.
The government significantly raised price caps in October, which allowed first home buyers to buy properties worth up to $1.5m in Sydney and $950,000 in Melbourne.
Cotality says several factors may explain the price movements with some buyers fast-tracking their purchases in anticipation of increased competition. Investors have also been very active, and may have bid up prices, according to the property analytics company.
Cotality says: “Overall, it is likely the first home buyer deposit guarantee will gradually lose its stimulatory power, with more homes exceeding the price thresholds and a growing portion of prospective buyers running into a finance hurdle that is set to rise further.”
There have been mixed reactions to the low deposit scheme. While it helps first homeowners better compete with investors, economists have warned it may also accelerate prices, making it harder for prospective buyers to find an affordable home.
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Rental market is tightest on record as rents rise $25 a week
Figures from Domain show that the rental market is tighter than ever, adding $25 a week to the typical advertised rent price.
Median rents in capital cities have climbed to $680 a week for houses and $675 for units. Price growth had slowed in 2025 but has now picked up in most cities.
The national vacancy rate is at a record low 0.7%, with levels of vacant rental stock at record lows in Sydney (0.6%), Perth (0.3%), and Darwin and Hobart (0.2%). Melbourne, the city with the highest vacancy rate, is sitting at just 1%, down from 1.6% in December.
With so few properties on the market, rents would be growing even faster if renters could afford to pay more – but they can’t, says Domain’s chief residential economist, Dr Nicola Powell.
Vacancy rates are lower than ever and supply remains incredibly tight, but rent growth is no longer accelerating everywhere. That tells us households simply can’t stretch any further.
Realestate.com.au found median advertised rents are up $30 a week in the first three months of 2026, to $680 a week, in data also released today.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Nick Visser with the main action.
Mark Butler told the ABC last night that the Albanese government’s sweeping changes to the national disability insurance scheme are expected to save the federal budget $35bn over four years. More coming up.
Data on the housing market today shows that properties valued below the price caps of the federal government’s 5% deposit guarantee scheme are rising faster than more expensive homes. Another set shows how the rental market is tigher than ever before. Details coming soon.
