What we learned, Friday 23 January
And with that, we are going to put the blog to bed. Before we go, let’s recap the big headlines:
Australian actors Rose Byrne and Jacob Elordi are among a slew of Hollywood heavyweights who have been nominated for the industry’s highest honour – an Oscar.
NSW beaches are expected to be open for the Australia Day long weekend after a spate of shark attacks prompted days-long closures.
Landslides hit a house and a campground in New Zealand on Thursday, leaving at least two dead while emergency crews were trying to rescue others buried in rubble, officials said.
Ley spoke to Channel Nine’s Today this morning, where she was asked about her future as leader of the Coalition. The opposition leader maintained that she was confident in her leadership so far, and the future of her role at the helm. Later, when asked how long Sussan Ley will last as leader, the shadow communication minister, Melissa McIntosh, said she backed her leader but acknowledged Australians were “pretty unhappy” with the Coalition.
In a surprise move, the federal public service commissioner, Gordon de Brouwer, said he had written to the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and the presiding officers of parliament to resign, effective as of 13 February.
If you’re an employee earning $74,672 a year, then you are smack-bang in the middle of Australian wage earners, according to new figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. For full-time wage earners, the median cash pay before tax is $98,124 a year, and for part-time employees it’s $39,998.
Police are giving an update in Lake Cargelligo after three people were shot and killed in New South Wales yesterday. Authorities are hunting for Julian Ingram, 37, after the incident, describing him as “armed and dangerous”.
The entire state of Victoria will be under a total fire ban on Saturday, with the state set to experience severe heatwave conditions as temperatures soar between 38C and 44C. In SA, Brett Loughlin, the chief officer of the SA Country Fire Service, said Saturday is shaping up to be “some of the most significant fire weather forecasts we have seen South Australia in recent years”.
A declaration giving police the power to search people without a warrant or any suspicion of wrongdoing was unlawful and invalid. The six-month declaration, made by Victoria police on 30 November, was challenged in the federal court by a group of protesters.
And Victorians are a step closer to tapping on and travelling with their credit card, smartphone or watch, with the state government today announcing trials of contactless payment on the public transport network will begin next month.
We will be back on Sunday with the live blog. Until then, have a wonderful weekend, and stay cool.
Updated
Solar sharer scheme could save households hundreds each year, government analysis finds
The federal government’s proposed solar sharer scheme, which will offer eligible households three hours of free electricity in the middle of each day, could save households hundreds of dollar annually, according to a new analysis from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.
The new analysis finds that moving just 10% of energy usage from the evening peak period to the free window could save money. Shifting 25%-30% of energy usage, including scheduling your dishwasher, washing machine, dryer or pool pump, or charging an EV, could saving about $400 for a single-person household annually, or $800-$1100 for a 5-person household.
Chris Bowen, the federal minister for climate change, said in a statement:
Australia has more rooftop solar capacity than the entire fleet of remaining coal fired power stations across the country.
The Solar Sharer Offer is about making sure we make the most of our huge solar generation, including by ensuring the benefits of cheap solar can be shared with consumers who don’t have solar systems themselves through the offer of free daytime power.
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Coalition criticises speed of contactless ticketing rollout
Victoria’s Coalition opposition are critical of how long the rollout of contactless payment is taking and the fact public servants will be the first to trial it. Brighton MP, James Newbury, told reporters NSW has had contactless payment for almost a decade:
Victorians have been waiting for years for easy access, to tap and go when it comes to our public transport system. You go to New South Wales, 10 years ago almost, you could tap and go on to public transport. Instead, the government has today announced [a] trial that’s going to allow [the premier] Jacinta Allan and her office access to a tap-and-go trial – not every single Victorian.
Jacinta Allan’s office and other public servants will have access to tap and go trial systems but Victorians who pay for public transport through taxpayer funds will not have access.
The minister, Gabrielle Williams, responded that Newbury’s comments showed “an astonishing lack of understanding on how to deliver a ticketing project or indeed any project”. She went on:
I’m not surprised by that ignorance given it’s been some time since the opposition has had to deliver upon anything, and even when they had the chance they didn’t. Any expert who has delivered these projects would be pretty comfortable … that trial and testing is an important part of it. We do that so that you can build confidence in the product that you’re ultimately rolling out for us of a significant population on a very complex network.
Updated
Trials for tap-and-go ticketing on Victorian public transport to begin in February
Victorians are a step closer to tapping on and travelling with their credit card, smartphone or watch, with the state government today announcing trials of contactless payment on the public transport network will begin next month.
The transport minister, Gabrielle Williams, on Friday announced after successfully installing nearly 3,000 new ticket readers at more than 280 train stations, a small number of controlled, closed-group trials will begin in early February.
This trial will involve testing in a laboratory environment with Department of Transport and Planning staff across three days, across a wide range of bank cards and smart devices. Then, further tests will begin in real-world conditions at a small number of selected train stations.
Williams told reporters in Dandenong this afternoon:
This is a really exciting development. I know how eagerly Victorians have been wanting those alternative ways to pay and the flexibility that that affords them. These are incredibly complex projects, because the technology itself is complex, but so too is our public transport network. That’s why we’ve taken lessons from other jurisdictions who have embarked on this journey and made sure that we’re doing best practice, if you like, in the way that we’re trialling the technology.
She says public trials will then follow before contactless payments are “switched on” for full fare-paying passengers – though she would not provide a date for when this would occur beyond “early 2026”.
Updated
Australia’s share market has ended the week lower, as easing geopolitical worries couldn’t counterbalance sluggish interest rate-sensitive stocks after local economic data pointed to incoming rate hikes, AAP has reported.
The S&P/ASX200 gained 11.4 points on Friday, up 0.13%, to 8,860.1, as the broader All Ordinaries rose 17.4 points, or 0.19%, to 9,189.9.
The top-200 was down roughly 0.5 per cent since Monday, after surprisingly robust jobs figures narrowed market bets on incoming Reserve Bank interest rate cuts.
Gold hit a new peak of $US4,967 ($A7,252) on Friday, and broke its personal best in four of the week’s five trading sessions as central bank buying and safe haven demand continued to provide tailwinds.
Invasion Day protesters claim ‘significant win’ after police search powers declared unlawful
Tarneen Onus Browne, Benny Zable and David Hack, who were represented by the Human Rights Law Centre, have made a statement after partially winning their case against Victoria police, challenging police powers in designated areas.
Onus Browne said:
This decision is a significant win, though we didn’t get everything we wanted. This is a win for First Peoples and allies coming to the Invasion Day rally, and every person who come into the CBD and designated areas, who want to be treated with dignity and respect and not subject to intrusive police powers.
For me, human rights are the tools we use to fight for the basic rights and freedoms that belong to every person in the world, from birth until death. They’re how we insist that every person – no matter your background, whether you’ve been here for five years, five generations or 5,000 generations – we all deserve safety and respect.
This case puts Victoria police on notice – you cannot trample on the rights of First Nations people so easily. I look forward to marching on Invasion Day and call on community and allies to show up, exercise their right to protest and gather for First Nations justice.
Updated
Second person charged with murder over man’s death at Nowra in 2024
A second person has been charged with murder, after the discovery of a man’s body on the New South Wales south coast in 2024.
In a statement NSW police said:
In December 2024, Strike Force Bursteed was established to investigate the circumstances surrounding the suspicious death of a 60-year-old man in North Nowra.
Police were called to a fire trail on a rural property on McMahons Road North Nowra, west of Rock Hill Road, near a gas pipeline clearing, following reports a man was found unconscious, about 8:15pm on Monday 9 December 2024.
NSW Ambulance responded, however the man – who suffered serious head injuries – died at the scene.
Officers attached to South Coast Police District responded and established a crime scene.
Earlier in the week, a 29-year-old man was arrested with murder and remains before the courts.
At about 11.20am today, a 58-year-old man was arrested at a North Nowra home and taken to Nowra police station. He was charged with murder and common assault.
He was refused bail and will appear in court on Saturday.
Updated
Allegra Spender on fear and rushed laws after the Bondi attack – Australian Politics podcast
In an eventful start to parliament for 2026, MPs came together with condolences for the victims of the Bondi terror attack and passed hurried reforms on guns and hate speech. And then, on the national day of mourning on Thursday, the Coalition split for the second time and Sussan Ley’s leadership is now all but over.
Guardian Australia political editor, Tom McIlroy, speaks to the independent MP for Wentworth, Allegra Spender, whose electorate includes Bondi, about why she thinks politics can often stand in the way of community safety. She also discusses her concerns that migrants could become a political target during this time of fear and grief.
Listen in:
Police to carry long arms on Australia Day as NSW premier flags ‘standard operating procedure’ from now on
NSW police will once again carry long arms in public on Monday, with the state’s premier, Chris Minns, saying it will be the “standard operating procedure” for major events from now on.
It comes after police announced additional officers carrying long-arm rifles would be visible on New Year’s Eve following the Bondi attack. The same decision was made for the Sydney Ashes test.
Following a variation of a declaration restricting protests following the attack, crowds of thousands are expected in Sydney on Monday, including at Invasion Day protests, and an anti-immigration march.
Speaking at a press conference earlier about the decision, Minns said:
We think it’s important the police have made the tactical decision to deploy long arms on Australia Day. There’s two reasons for it. Unfortunately, it might be needed. And secondly, we’re not going to muck around. We want to send a clear and unambiguous message to the community that they’re safe. And from time to time, that will mean that heavily armed police using weapons that they wouldn’t ordinarily have, will be on Sydney streets, particularly for big events.
And the reason we’re talking about it in advance, is so that your mum and dad, your average family, doesn’t believe that there’s an operation underway. This will be core business, and this will be standard operating procedure for major events in Sydney from now on.
Expansion of Victoria police search powers in Melbourne CBD declared unlawful
A declaration giving police the power to search people without a warrant or any suspicion of wrongdoing was unlawful and invalid, AAP has reported.
The six-month declaration, made by Victoria police on 30 November, was challenged in the federal court by a group of protesters.
The order listed the Melbourne CBD and neighbouring suburbs as a designated area where police could stop and search people for weapons without a warrant or any suspicion of wrongdoing.
Police could also direct a person wearing a face covering to leave the area if they believed the person was trying to conceal their identity or protect themselves from substances like OC spray.
Federal court judge Elizabeth Bennett on Friday determined the declaration was invalid and unlawful.
Updated
Banks lift fixed mortgage rates as RBA meeting looms
NAB and CBA are among banks which are lifting their fixed-term mortgage rates ahead of a potential Reserve Bank rate hike on 3 February.
NAB lifted its two-year home loan from 5.39% to 5.79% – the second increase in six weeks, according to Canstar.
CBA last Thursday lifted the equivalent fixed rate from 5.44% to 5.79%.
For the record, ANZ now offers the lowest fixed rate out of the majors at 5.44% for a 2-year term. And the cheapest two-year fixed rates are from Community First and Illawarra Credit Union at 4.94%, Canstar says, from a shrinking pool of sub-5% loans.
“While the majority of borrowers are on a variable rate and intend on sticking with this strategy, the mass migration of fixed rates is a pre-emptive move by the banks to counter a higher cash rate in 2026,” Canstar’s director of data insights, Sally Tindall, said.
“This is yet another sign borrowers need to start getting prepared.”
After Thursday’s strong jobs figures, a hot inflation report on Wednesday could seal the deal for an RBA hike the following Tuesday.
As of this morning, financial markets were pricing in a 60% chance of a hike at the next RBA meeting, and fully expect a move by May.
Updated
That’s all for me. Cait Kelly will take things from here. Enjoy your weekend.
Officials brace for hot, dangerous conditions across South Australia this weekend
Officials in Adelaide are also holding a press conference about potentially dangerous fire conditions this weekend across South Australia.
Brett Loughlin, the chief officer of the SA Country Fire Service, said Saturday is shaping up to be “some of the most significant fire weather forecasts we have seen South Australia in recent years”.
Two areas will be under catastrophic fire danger warnings: the Yorke Peninsula and the eastern Eyre Peninsula. Eight other areas will be in the extreme warning.
Loughlin said:
I urge people to take tomorrow seriously. If you are in an area with catastrophic fire danger conditions are forecast, this is as serious as it gets. Tomorrow will be hot and it will be very windy. Conditions are dry and there is no rain, nor cooler conditions on the immediate horizon. If you are in an area with an extreme rating, do not discount the risk.
Updated
Total fire ban declared for all of Victoria on Saturday
The entire state of Victoria will be under a total fire ban on Saturday, with the state set to experience severe heatwave conditions as temperatures soar between 38C and 44C.
The Country Fire Authority said the high temperatures will be paired with forecast winds of up to 60 or 70km/h, which will make it a challenging day for firefighters.
The CFA chief officer, Jason Heffernan, said in a statement:
We understand it is a long weekend, and many Victorians will be enjoying the great outdoors, but we will be declaring several Total Fire Bans over the course of this heatwave event and with that comes shared responsibility.
Over the next couple of days, have your bushfire plan ready to go, and have a conversation with your family so you all know what you are going to do in the event of a fire.
The CFA maintains a “can I or can’t I” page for what you can do during a total fire ban period.
Updated
Suspect last seen driving ute with council signage
Julian Ingram was last seen driving a Ford Ranger ute with Lachlan Shire council signage, which also included a metal tray back, high-visibility markings on the side and an emergency light bar on the roof.
Anyone who sees Ingram is urged not to approach and to contact triple zero immediately.
Holland said the suspect worked for the local council and would have a “good idea of the local area” as they searched for him.
It would be feasible he could obviously maintain an extended period in the local area without being detected.
The council vehicle was not equipped with GPS.
Updated
Police say suspect in fatal shooting of three people in Lake Cargelligo on bail for domestic violence offences
Police are giving an update in Lake Cargelligo after three people were shot and killed in New South Wales yesterday. Authorities are hunting for Julian Ingram, 37, after the incident, describing him as “armed and dangerous”.
Assistant commissioner Andrew Holland, of NSW police’s western regional command, said the suspect was on bail for domestic violence offences at the time of the shooting. Police said during the time he was on bail, he had complied with all conditions and police had “checked on him multiple times”.
The man had a “long history” with criminal matters, Holland said.
Police are unclear where the suspect obtained a gun, saying he had never held a gun licence before.
He said there are police on “almost every corner of Lake Cargelligo” at the moment as the manhunt continues.
Updated
Talkback radio host Fordham praises Sharri Markson’s Albanese ‘spray’ at Bondi memorial
Nine Radio broadcaster Ben Fordham has praised Sky News Australia host Sharri Markson for delivering “a blunt reminder” to the prime minister at the Opera House memorial last night that the Bondi massacre happened “on his watch”.
The local Chabad of Bondi organised the official national service Light Will Win and the event was hosted by Markson and broadcast on Sky News, as well as the ABC.
In her opening address Markson said Jewish Australians wanted an assurance that “a blind eye won’t be turned to radical Islamic extremism, that visas won’t be given to those who despise our Australian values”.
Fordham said today that Markson had given Anthony Albanese “a spray”.
“She looked straight at the prime minister in the front row, and she reminded him of what happened on his watch; and after the booing he’s copped in public previously, it would have been tense,” Fordham said on his top rating 2GB program today.
Sharri has been one of the PM’s loudest critics, but in the spirit of the night, she offered the prime minister respect and the chance to redeem himself.
Fordham said when Albanese returned to his seat after his address, in which he said he was sorry, he was hugged by a rabbi “despite the anger over the past two months and the mistakes of the past two years”.
In his speech Albanese said: “I am deeply and profoundly sorry that we could not protect your loved ones from this evil”.
Markson told the gathering: “Prime minister, your acknowledgment just now that the community was let down is a crucial step; and your apology tonight was important to hear, and it goes a long way.
We thank you for that, and you are right to say that our hearts were shattered that terrible evening and over the past two years.
Updated
Middle-income employee earns about $75,000 a year
If you’re an employee earning $74,672 a year, then you are smack-bang in the middle of Australian wage earners, according to new figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
That figure includes all workers, and is an annualised number of weekly earnings reported as at May 2025.
For full-time wage earners, the median cash pay before tax is $98,124 a year, and for part-time employees it’s $39,998.
The ABS’s distributional data showed that someone earning more than $2,122 a week, or $110,344 a year, was in the highest paid quarter of all employees in May 2025 (also see the chart below).
In contrast, someone earning less than $878 per week, or $45,656 annually, was in the lowest quarter.
The ABS in this biennial report also measures the gender wage gap in hourly rates, and in average rather than median terms (remembering median is the middle of the distribution).
Hourly earnings for all employees were $47.90, with men earning an average of $50.20 an hour, and women $46.
That leaves a pay gap of 8.4%, the ABS said, down from 8.9% two years earlier.
Updated
Aussie shares creep higher as gold resets record
Australian shares look set to end the week lower despite an easing of tensions between the United States and Europe, as the Aussie dollar hits 15-month highs, AAP reports.
The S&P/ASX200 was up 0.1% as the broader All Ordinaries gained 0.15%.
“Gold extended its rally for a fourth straight session … supported by ongoing policy uncertainty and growing expectations that (US) monetary conditions will ease,” Moomoo dealing manager Jimmy Tran said.
The ASX is on-track to shed roughly 0.5% for the week, after dipping as low as 1.5% earlier in the week as investors weighed a return of fresh US tariffs and harsh words between the US and its Nato allies.
Spot gold hit a new peak of $US4,963 ($A7,252) an ounce.
Investor concerns about lofty valuations on the ASX continue, particularly in its heavily weighted banks, with Morningstar analysts estimating the market is trading at a 9% premium to fair value.
Updated
Australia’s worst heatwave since black summer made five times more likely by global heating, analysis finds
Human-caused global heating made the intense heatwave that affected much of Australia in early January five times more likely, a new analysis suggests.
The heatwave earlier this month was the most severe since the 2019-20 black summer, with temperatures over 40C in Melbourne and Sydney, even hotter conditions in regional Victoria and New South Wales and extreme heat also affecting Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania.
In Victoria, the heat preceded bushfires that burned through 400,000 hectares and destroyed almost 900 buildings.
A report by World Weather Attribution (WWA) suggests that the effect of greenhouse gas emissions outweighed the effects of a weak La Niña, which usually means milder temperatures across most of mainland Australia.
The report’s authors suggest that the climate crisis made the extreme heat about 1.6C hotter, while the La Niña likely lowered maximum temperatures by between 0.3 and 0.5C.
Read more here:
Thinktank calls for Hottest 100 to be ‘re-Aussified’ with increased arts funding
The Australia Institute says if latest trends hold true, the Triple J Hottest 100 holds a “bleak outlook for Australian music”.
The thinktank conducted a review of the annual poll, including last year’s results which featured just 27 Australian songs, the lowest number since 1994. The body called for more policy support meant to increase funding for the music industry, as well as better regulation of streaming services.
Rod Campbell, research director at the Australia Institute, said in a statement:
The decline of Australian songs in the Triple J Hottest 100 is caused by lack of funding and governments’ failure to regulate streaming services. It’s not that Australians don’t want to listen to Australian music, the problem is the world has changed and Australian governments aren’t changing with it to give Australian artists a fair go …
Arts funding in Australia is low by international standards. If you consider the basic economic theory of subsidising things we want and taxing things we don’t, our governments are choosing to allow the slow death of Australian music.
Updated
Liberals and Nationals ‘do better when in coalition’, Leeser says
Liberal MP Julian Leeser has just been interviewed on the ABC. Asked about what comes next, he said:
The door is always open to putting the Coalition back together and what Sussan Ley has said today, I agree with her.
I have been a member of the Liberal party since I was 16, I follow political history very closely. We do better together as a political unit when we’re in coalition with the National party, that has been the history of our party.
I’m very sad they have this position because I disagree with the position, and clearly I disagree with it because I voted for the legislation alongside my party colleagues.
Updated
Federal government urged to plug social housing shortfall
National housing campaign Everybody’s Home is urging the federal government to make 2026 the year it significantly stumps up funding to plug the social housing shortfall, as an affordable housing scheme comes to an end.
More than 4,500 affordable homes will exit the National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS), this year – the final lot of the more than 36,000 affordable homes that have phased out of the scheme over the past decade.
The NRAS rentals will take years to be replaced by the 40,000 social and affordable homes set to be built under the federal government’s Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF).
Everybody’s Home spokesperson Maiy Azize said:
The number of social and affordable homes the federal government plans to build in the next few years is barely replacing what’s already been lost.
Affordable rentals are vanishing faster than social housing is being built, leaving tens of thousands of households worse off.
Australia already has a social housing shortfall of 640,000 homes and demand is only growing. Losing thousands more affordable rentals only further deepens the crisis.
Updated
Twelve-year-old Sydney shark attack victim remains in critical condition
Critical condition of 12-year-old shark attack victim remains unchanged
There have been no changes to the condition of the 12-year-old attacked by a shark in Sydney Harbour on Sunday, Sydney Children’s hospital and NSW police confirmed on Friday morning.
The victim, named as Nico Antic in an online fundraiser, was in a critical condition after he was bitten on both legs by a shark after jumping off high rocks located on the Hermitage foreshore walk between Milk beach and Shark beach at Nielsen Park in Vaucluse.
The incident was the first of four shark bites on the New South Wales coast in 48 hours. Experts have linked the spike in attacks to intense rainfall causing murky water on the coast and beaches.
David “Sharky” Baxter, founder of Marine Life Rangers, said bull sharks are attracted to these conditions: “The water is dark from rain, run-off from drains and creeks, with plenty of dead eels and animals to eat.
“From a scientific point of view, conditions are perfect for another shark encounter.”
Updated
Police urge public not to approach suspect after shooting in NSW town
Police have urged the public to report any information about a suspect after three people were shot dead in the New South Wales town of Lake Cargelligo on Thursday afternoon.
Officials said more than 100 police are in the area, including tactical units, air resources and traffic and highway patrol.
Andrew Holland, of NSW police’s western regional command, said the public should consider the suspect, Julian Ingram, armed and dangerous. Holland told ABC News earlier:
The biggest thing is that their safety is of paramount concern. Please do not approach as he is considered armed and dangerous.
Holland said the public should pass on any information about Ingram’s whereabouts, or sightings of his vehicle, to crime stoppers, triple zero or police in the area.
Lifesavers warn of increased drowning risk over long weekend
Surf lifesavers are warning beachgoers to take care in the ocean this weekend, warning drowning risk increases on Australia Day weekend.
Surf Life Saving New South Wales said lifesavers are anticipating more than 1 million people could head to the coast over the next three days, with temperatures forecast to reach into the high 20s and early 30s. The body said:
All of this is a dangerous mix of ingredients which sees the coastal drowning risk climb by more than three times on public holidays, while that risk is even higher again on Australia Day specifically.
SLSNSW has expanded drone patrols across the state, particularly after the four shark attacks in 48 hours.
Since 1 December, there have been 12 coastal drowning across NSW.
Surf Life Saving NSW CEO Steven Pearce said in a statement:
Enjoy the weekend but make sure that if you’re heading to the beach, visit a patrolled location and only swim between the red and yellow flags.
More Aussies get Oscars nods, for best original song and production design
Continuing on from our post on Oscar nominations…
Actors Rose Byrne and Jacob Elordi are leading an Aussie onslaught in Hollywood, with both receiving their first Oscar nominations.
AAP reports the pair are joined by a third Australian in line for a major gong with Nick Cave getting a surprise shot at best original song. Cave was nominated for the title song to Clint Bentley’s film Train Dreams, which stars Australian actor Joel Edgerton.
Australian costume and production designer Fiona Crombie has also been nominated for an Oscar this year, in the best production design category, for her work on Hamnet.
Federal public service commissioner Gordon de Brouwer resigns
In a surprise move, the federal public service commissioner, Gordon de Brouwer, said he had written to the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and the presiding officers of parliament to resign, effective as of 13 February.
“After almost 4 years of intense work on further strengthening the public service, I have made the decision with my family to move on and contribute in a different way,” he said.
Our public service is a national institution – indeed, a national treasure – that plays a vital role in our democracy. Over the past few years, I have had the extraordinary opportunity and privilege to work alongside colleagues across the service on significant institutional change to support capability and integrity in the public service.
De Brouwer said departmental capability reviews, doubling the participation of Indigenous Australians in the bureaucracy and lifting performance standards have been highlights of his tenure.
Public servants are great people, dedicated to improving and protecting the lives of Australians and our natural world. In my commissioner roles, I have seen firsthand the character, professionalism and people-centred approach of public servants in their everyday service.
He said he would continue to contribute to public policy and governance and be active in other areas.
Updated
Four Corners to air special on Bondi attack
The ABC has announced a two-part special on the Bondi massacre will air on Four Corners on Monday 2 and 9 February.
Reporter Mark Willacy has spoken to survivors and families of victims to bring the “definitive account” of the antisemitic attack on Jewish Australians.
Using firsthand accounts and verified documentary evidence, the program will examine Australia’s deadliest terrorist attack which left 15 people dead. “Light Over Darkness” will also examine how the tragedy has shattered the nation’s sense of security and ask what must now be done to prevent it happening again.
You can watch the YouTube promo here:
Updated
Key event
Victoria in for extended period of heat from Saturday to Tuesday
Victoria is in for a long period of heat between Saturday and Tuesday, leading to elevated fire danger and heatwave warnings.
VicEmergency notes temperatures are forecast to hit 43C in Mildura and 40C in Melbourne tomorrow before a cool change moves through. Hot weather will likely return on Tuesday, with temperatures forecast to hit 48C in Ouyen and 44C in Melbourne’s outer suburbs.
People are being urged to stay hydrated and cool, and think about traveling to public pools or air conditioned places if they can’t do so at home.
Victoria still has seven major fires burning across the state, three of which are not yet under control.
Tim Wiebusch, the emergency management commissioner, said in a statement:
Plan your days around the heat. Make sure you’re drinking plenty of water and are staying cool. If you are at our various lakes and rivers or by the beaches, please swim between the yellow and red flags.
Don’t be one of those people who unfortunately becomes a tragic loss over our long weekends as we’ve seen in the past.
Updated
Littleproud says Ley 'broke the Coalition' by accepting Nationals resignations
Nationals leader David Littleproud spoke to the Today Show earlier this morning, where he maintained the Coalition split was something the party tried to avoid.
He said:
This was something that we tried to avert. … Sussan Ley broke the Coalition when she accepted those three resignations. We didn’t have to get to this juncture. We can’t go to parliament and not expect to go and vote and vote against legislation we don’t support and just be appeasing. …
Our party room debated and in totality our room got to a position we couldn’t support the bill. So, we had every right to oppose the bill despite the Liberals supporting it. That was their right, and I respected that.
Littleproud added he is “disappointed” the Coalition is at this point, but laid blame at Ley’s feet.
Updated
Deputy opposition leader expects Ley to be leader this time next week
Ted O’Brien, the deputy leader of the opposition, said Sussan Ley has his full support and he expects her to be leader this time next week.
O’Brien was asked if Ley would remain leader, and if she had the support of the Liberal party room. He told ABC’s AM:
I know there’s a lot of commentary on this… yes, she will. I think the real focus here is Australia’s going in the wrong direction right now. I think the everyday Australian knows that. …
I support the Coalition coming back together, because it is in the national interest. It is the only way that we can get the nation going back in the right direction. …
But you don’t just form a Coalition without any commitments. There has to be a rock solid commitment to work together as one team.
He said it could take “some time” for the Coalition to sort through its differences and reunite.
Three people dead and alleged gunman still at large after shooting in NSW town
A manhunt is still underway after a four people were shot, three fatally, in New South Wales’s central western region.
NSW police were called to Bokhara Street in Lake Cargelligo, about 240km south-west of Dubbo, at 4.20pm on Thursday and found two people suffering gun wounds.
The woman, 25, and the man, 19, were treated at the scene but died.
Police said they were also called to Walker Street after reports of another shooting – where they found an injured woman, 50, and a man, 19.
The woman died at the scene, while the man was taken to the hospital in a serious but stable condition.
Police said overnight a number of specialist police personal had been flown in by PolAir and the defence force, including tactical operations unit, negotiators and homicide investigators.
The alleged perpetrator, Julian Ingram, 37, remained missing and was believed to be “on the move” in a vehicle.
Read more:
‘I don’t feel like things have improved’ since last schism, Nampijinpa Price said
Insiders from both parties believe this split will last much longer than the previous week-long rupture following Labor’s landslide election victory in May, AAP reports.
Firebrand conservative senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, who moved from the Nationals party room to the Liberals after the election, has previously said she does not have confidence in Ley’s leadership.
“I made it very clear that obviously the leader had lost trust in me, lost faith in me, and I suppose I felt the same at the time,” she told Sky News on Thursday night.
I don’t feel like things have improved.
Webster added the Coalition could “absolutely” come back together, despite a “shambolic” and “stressful” week.
Nationals MP says feedback from supporters is mostly ‘thank you’
When asked about the timing of the Coalition dissolution yesterday and whether it was respectful as Australia marked a day of mourning for the Bondi attack victims, Nationals MP Anne Webster told ABC RN it was “unfortunate” timing, but that “the feedback I have received is thank you”.
I have certainly been asked by a lot of people for some time now to separate from the Liberal party. So, the feedback that I receive, and it’s my electorate that I speak to, then they are okay with what happened.
And you know, most people went to work yesterday. Politics is our work. We have a job to do.
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Shadow communications minister acknowledges Australians ‘pretty unhappy’ with Coalition
When asked how long Sussan Ley will last as leader, the shadow communication minister, Melissa McIntosh, said she backed her leader but acknowledged Australians were “pretty unhappy” with the Coalition. Speaking on Sky News this morning, she said:
We ended the week talking about ourselves again, which is very disappointing.
When asked if Ley will be challenged, McIntosh said it was ultimately up to the party room but she “wasn’t making any phone calls”. Speaking broadly to the Coalition’s split, she said:
It doesn’t look good... our marriage has broken up twice in a year. I’m a Coalitionist and I really value the relationship.
I know we’re bleeding votes ... the reason why we’re doing that is what’s happening right now.
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Liberal senator says party still ‘believes’ in the Coalition
Anne Ruston, a Liberal senator, said the party still believes in the Coalition and would like to see it continue, but said Sussan Ley was left with “no option but to accept” multiple resignations after members of the Nationals broke a “fundamental rule”.
Ruston told RN Breakfast:
We believe in the coalition and we would like to see a coalition continue, but the circumstances around the actions of the National party this week left the leader with no option but to accept the resignations of three people who, by their own admission, broke the very fundamental rule of a coalition and that is shadow cabinet solidarity. So I think the leader is absolutely right.
The most important thing that we can do as of today is to focus on the future of responding to the needs of the Australian public because that’s what they elected us to do.
Ruston was asked if it was “disrespectful” for the Nationals to air their frustrations so publicly yesterday. She replied:
That’s obviously a matter for the National party and their deliberations as to why they chose yesterday as a day to make public comment, and I’m not going to make any further comment than that.
Ruston said the matter of the Liberal party’s leader was an issue for the Liberals, not for the Nationals “or anybody else for that matter”.
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Sussan Ley ‘absolutely confident’ in the leadership she has delivered
Ley spoke to Channel Nine’s Today this morning, where she was asked about her future as leader of the Coalition. The opposition leader maintained that she was confident in her leadership so far, and the future of her role at the helm.
She said:
That’s a question that of course you would ask. But I am absolutely confident in the leadership that I have delivered, the leadership that I will deliver, and the strength of effort that my party and I are making every single day on behalf of the people. …
What’s really going on here is the business of opposition, and it’s important, and it matters.
Ley was asked if she was worried about a challenge from Andrew Hastie or Angus Taylor, but she said both were “strong, committed members of my team”.
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Ley says door for conversations between Coalition factions ‘still open’
The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, said conversations between the factions of the Coalition are “still open” this morning as she seeks to maintain her grip on the opposition.
Ley said during an interview this morning:
The door between a coalition, between our two parties, from my point of view, is still open. But I’m not looking at that door.
I’m looking at the Australian people because they’re counting on us to deliver for them.
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Government launches new Made in Australia campaign
The federal government has launched its new Made in Australia campaign, part of a $20m election commitment to raise awareness of locally made products and encourage customers around the country to buy Australian.
The new Made Right Here campaign kicks off on Friday with a launch at Capral Aluminium in Smithfield, in NSW. The campaign includes a major “buy local” push in stores, online and across media.
The Australian Made logo, with its recognisable green and gold kangaroo, makes it easier for discerning shoppers to buy Australian made products.
Currently, about 4,500 businesses are licensed to carry the Australian Made logo, with sales supporting thousands of jobs across the manufacturing sector.
The industry minister, Tim Ayres, said if households spent an extra $10 a week on Australian-made products, it would boost our economy by $5bn and create 10,000 jobs.
“If you look for and choose the iconic kangaroo logo when you do your shopping, you’re supporting local jobs and investing back into the local economy,” he said ahead of Australia Day on Monday.
“Buy proudly Australian this long weekend!”
At least two dead after New Zealand landslides
Landslides hit a house and a campground in New Zealand on Thursday, leaving at least two dead while emergency crews were trying to rescue others buried in rubble, officials said.
The Associated Press reports the first hit a house in the community of Welcome Bay on New Zealand’s North Island at 4:50 a.m., police said. Two people escaped the house, and the bodies of two who were trapped inside were recovered hours later, Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell said.
Later the same morning, emergency services were called to a second slide at the base of nearby Mount Maunganui. The rubble hit Beachside Holiday Park in a town named after the extinct volcano. Images showed vehicles, travel trailers and an amenities block crushed by debris.
Police Superintendent Tim Anderson said the number of people missing was in the “single figures.”
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All NSW beaches open for Australia Day long weekend after week of shark attacks
All NSW beaches are expected to be open for the Australia Day long weekend after a spate of shark attacks prompted days-long closures.
It comes as at least five days of temperatures above 40C are forecast for parts of South Australia, Victoria and NSW, prompting heatwave and bushfire warnings.
Sydney can expect a top of 28C on Saturday, before things heat up to 34C on Sunday and back to 27C on Monday, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
Melbourne is forecast to see a top of 40C on Saturday before it cools down to a top of 25C on Sunday and a top of 30 on Monday.
Adelaide’s mercury is set to climb to 42C on Saturday before relenting slightly to 36C on Sunday and back to a top of 43C on Monday, BoM says.
Aussies in the running for Oscar glory
Australian actors Rose Byrne and Jacob Elordi are among a slew of Hollywood heavyweights who have been nominated for the industry’s highest honour – an Oscar.
Byrne, raised in Sydney, is in the running for best actress for her “knockout” performance in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, a psychological comedy-drama.
Elordi, a Queenslander, was nominated in the best supporting actor category for his beastly role in Frankenstein, which the Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw described as a “monstrously beautiful melodrama”.
See the full list here:
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Sulphur cleanup helped accelerate coral bleach on Great Barrier Reef, study finds
Steps to clean up the shipping industry by removing sulphur from fuels intensified a major coral bleaching event on the Great Barrier Reef by allowing more of the sun’s energy to hit the oceanic wonder, according to a new study.
Sulphur pollution can cause respiratory problems for humans and cause acid rain, but it also has a shading effect and can make clouds brighter, providing more shade to areas underneath.
Dr Robert Ryan, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Melbourne who led the research, said the removal of sulphur from the fuels – which he believes is necessary – had paradoxically caused “a lot of extra sunlight getting on to the reef”.
Read more from our reporter Graham Readfearn here.
Challenge for Liberal leadership could occur today: sources
A challenge to Sussan Ley’s leadership of the Liberal party could begin to materialise as early as today, after the day of mourning for the Bondi massacre, senior Liberals have told Guardian Australia.
Angus Taylor and Andrew Hastie are the leading contenders to replace her – Tim Wilson and Ted O’Brien have been mentioned internally, but are thought to be outsiders.
The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, on Thursday morning said the Coalition was “untenable” after Ley sacked three Nationals senators for crossing the floor over the laws, prompting all of the country party’s frontbenchers – including the leader – to quit the shadow ministry in solidarity.
Guardian Australia’s Tom McIlroy notes Ley has surpassed eight months and eight days as her party’s leader.
This meant that, no matter what would subsequently happen, she lasted longer in the top job than Alexander Downer did during his tenure as the shortest-serving Liberal leader.
Read more here:
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Welcome
Good morning and welcome to Guardian Australia’s live news coverage for today.
The very near future remains unknown for the opposition leader, Sussan Ley, after the Coalition broke up this week sparked by a spat over Labor’s controversial hate speech bill. Angus Taylor and Andrew Hastie are the leading contenders to replace her, according to Liberal sources, who anticipate a challenge could begin to materialise as early as today.
In other news: all NSW beaches are expected to be open this long weekend following a week of shark attacks.
Stay with us.
