What we learned: Monday 22 July
Thanks for following along the day’s rolling news updates. Here are the headlines you might have missed:
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, thanked the US president, Joe Biden, for his “leadership and ongoing service” as Biden announced he would withdraw from the US presidential race. Albanese also called Kamala Harris (who has been endorsed to run for president by Biden) a “good friend of Australia”.
Former Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull joined the discourse, adding: “America under Trump is a less reliable ally than it has been under Biden or under other presidents”.
Sites in Wollongong and Lake Macquarie, south of Sydney, have been selected to trial pre-built modular homes in a bid to boost social housing stocks.
Sydney’s housing market will remain unaffordable until at least the 2030s, according to new research from the University of New South Wales and the University of Technology Sydney. It also found that having a stable and regular income is no longer enough to comfortably enter the housing market anywhere in Sydney.
An enhanced strike missile has been successfully fired for the first time from an Australian destroyer as the navy boosts its firepower, to replace the ageing Harpoon weapon system on Australian destroyers.
That is all for tonight. See you back on the live blog tomorrow.
Updated
Significant number of devices taken offline by CrowdStrike now back online
A “significant” number of the 8.5m devices affected by last week’s global IT outage are back online, according to the cybersecurity company at the centre of the incident.
CrowdStrike said it was also testing a new technique to reboot systems more rapidly, amid warnings from experts that a full recovery from Friday’s IT failure could take weeks.
On Friday, thousands of flights were cancelled, broadcasters were forced off air, healthcare appointments disrupted and millions of PCs failed to start after a CrowdStrike software update inadvertently crippled devices using the Microsoft Windows operating system.
CrowdStrike wrote in a social media update that it had made progress in fixing the consequences of a glitch that, according to one expert, had caused “the largest IT outage in history”.
“Of the approximately 8.5 million Windows devices that were impacted, a significant number are back online and operational,” the US company said.
Read more here:
Updated
Nine Entertainment journalists vote to take industrial action
Journalists in Nine Entertainment’s publishing division have voted to take industrial action from 11am on Friday until 11am next Wednesday.
Staff at the Age, the Sydney Morning Herald and the Australian Financial Review also called on management to freeze their own bonuses and spend the money on the newsroom instead of making 90 job cuts.
The unionised mastheads are seething over the company’s latest pay offer of 2.5% during bargaining for a new enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA). Staff have written to Fair Work to say they will be taking protected industrial action.
Updated
More on NSW nurse struck off register
In December 2021, James Ivor Horton began chatting online with an undercover police officer posing as a 14-year-old girl. After hearing the purported teen’s age, he allegedly said it was “unfortunate” she wasn’t older because then he would be able to treat her “like a princess”.
“If you were 16 ... I’d love to bend you over in your netball uniform,” he wrote. “Would definitely have you make some noises.”
The tribunal heard that after further describing the sexual activity he wanted, Horton said he wanted to stop chatting as it was inappropriate due to her age. Despite this, he continued to talk with the purported teen over Skype.
Police searched his home in March 2022 and charged him with using a carriage service to send indecent material to a person aged under 16.
Horton allegedly told police he was an “undiagnosed sex addict” and it was dangerous for him to chat online due to the number of underage girls. He pleaded guilty and was eventually convicted of the charge, but managed to reduce his sentence on a successful appeal to the district court.
In February 2023, he was released under conditions that he be of good behaviour for three years and pay $1,000 in security. Horton admitted to the hospital’s manager that he had breached professional guidelines, saying his sex addiction had clouded his ethical judgment.
The tribunal found all the complaints against Horton were proven before removing him from the register of nurses.
The criminal charge was serious and his other conduct was at odds with the “integrity, trustworthiness and high moral and ethical values” the community expected of nurses, it said.
– Australian Associated Press
Updated
Nurse struck off for two years for online chat conviction, inappropriate remarks to colleagues
A nurse who allegedly told police he was a sex addict has agreed to be deregistered after making inappropriate remarks to colleagues and an undercover officer posing as a teenage girl online.
James Ivor Horton was a registered nurse at Orange hospital in western NSW in 2020 and 2021 when the unprofessional comments and criminal conduct took place.
Details of his misconduct emerged on Friday after the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal struck the 36-year-old off the register of nurses for two years and barred him from providing health services during that time.
Horton told a fellow nurse that she looked “stunning” via Facebook Messenger in early 2020, according to the tribunal. He then told her in person that he wanted sex but not a relationship with her.
“I have different values to other people and I want to take things further,” Horton said.
In mid-2021, he said he wanted to have a drink with another female nurse, telling her he would like to learn “exactly how naughty” she was.
“I would like to see you dancing to the song Wicked Games with a black thong and garter belt,” Horton told her in a message.
In late 2021, he messaged a third nursing colleague he met at a function that he would have liked to go back to her house for drinks. The woman found the comments suggestive and inappropriate, the tribunal said.
– Australian Associated Press
More to come
Updated
General Delegation of Palestine to Australia welcome ICJ ruling
Palestinian diplomats in Australia have welcomed as “historic” the ruling by the International Court of Justice that Israel’s prolonged occupation of territory it seized in 1967 is unlawful.
The general delegation of Palestine to Australia urged all governments, including the Albanese government, to act on the court’s ruling that “all states are under an obligation not to recognise as legal the situation arising from the unlawful presence of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory”.
The ICJ - the principal judicial organ of the United Nations (UN) - was asked by the UN general assembly in late 2022 to provide advice on the legal consequences arising from the prolonged occupation of territory it has occupied since 1967, including the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza.
The sweeping ruling, delivered late on Friday, is an “advisory opinion” and is non-binding, but carries authority and is likely to increase international political pressure on Israel. The ICJ found that the state of Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory “is unlawful” and that it was under an obligation to bring to an end the occupation “as rapidly as possible”.
The ICJ also found that Israel’s laws and measures “impose and serve to maintain a near-complete separation in the West Bank and East Jerusalem between the settler and Palestinian communities” and “constitute a breach” of Article 3 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. This article requires countries to “condemn racial segregation and apartheid and undertake to prevent, prohibit and eradicate all practices of this nature in territories under their jurisdiction”.
In a statement issued late today, the general delegation of Palestine hailed the ruling as “a significant contribution to justice and peace”. The delegation said Australia and other states that “have not yet recognised the state of Palestine should do so immediately, without further delay”.
The Israeli ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, reposted an Israeli foreign ministry statement that said the ICJ’s opinion was “blatantly one-sided”, “fundamentally wrong” and mixed “politics and law”.
Updated
Albanese rejects calls to revive Australian Building and Construction Commission
Despite a string of criminal allegations against the CFMEU, Albanese has rejected calls from the federal opposition to bring back the Australian Building and Construction Commission after it was abolished by his government.
The commission was not effective and the powers held by the Fair Work Commission and police were able to tackle crimes committed, he said.
The commission, which had oversight of industrial law and had prosecuted the unions and its officials, was abolished in a move criticised by the Liberals. Labor had claimed the ABCC was being politicised and was going after trivial matters.
The Victorian Liberal opposition wants a royal commission into the CFMEU allegations, but the state government has instead appointed former acting commissioner of the Victorian public sector commission, Greg Wilson, to lead a review, with an interim report to be handed down in six weeks.
The state’s opposition leader, John Pesutto, was critical of the review’s scope, declaring the terms of reference don’t allow Wilson to investigate criminality or compel witnesses. But the Labor premier, Jacinta Allan, suggested a royal commission into trade union governance and corruption a decade ago had failed to live up to its billing.
Allan also noted she had already referred allegations to Victoria police and the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission for investigation.
– Australian Associated Press
Updated
PM resists Liberal push for CFMEU deregistration after allegations of criminal connection
Asked whether King’s actions were strong enough, senior Liberal frontbencher Simon Birmingham said there needed to be transparency and scrutiny over major federal projects.
“Australians are paying more for schools, hospitals, roads and housing as a result of a militant trade union that the Albanese government is refusing to deregister and appropriately reform and rein in,” he told reporters in Canberra.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, argued deregistering the union would make the situation worse by allowing it to act unregulated. The federal and some state Labor parties have already cut affiliations with the CFMEU’s construction branch while some charities are reviewing their connections.
The Flicker of Hope Foundation – a charity targeting the rare disease neurofibromatosis – has taken down its acknowledgement of the CFMEU on its website. Autism support charity Amaze is also reviewing links to the CFMEU.
– Australian Associated Press
More to come
Updated
CFMEU construction work under review as charities baulk
Major infrastructure projects will be reviewed to ensure taxpayer cash isn’t going to organised crime in the wake of the CFMEU scandal, which has also sparked concerns amongst some of the union’s favourite charities.
The federal infrastructure minister, Catherine King, has ordered her department to examine commonwealth-funded projects such as Western Sydney airport and the Inland rail after allegations the CFEMEU’s construction arm had been infiltrated by bikies and criminals.
It’s also alleged union officials had taken kickbacks from building companies in exchange for letting them on to CFMEU-controlled construction sites.
“The sorts of allegations we’ve seen in more recent days about the CFMEU are frankly something that we are all disgusted by,” King told reporters in Canberra. “The CMFEU needs to understand that it operates in a system where people expect that every single dollar of taxpayer money is spent properly.”
- Australian Associated Press
For everything you need to know about why the construction union is in the news, and the political furore surrounding it:
More from AAP to come
Updated
More on Queensland officer charged with accessing restricted information offences
Briohny Lee Granzien was a hairdresser, flight attendant and personal trainer before joining the Queensland police in 2014.
On her first day as an officer she responded to an 80-year-old grandmother who died from being dragged by a vehicle. In another incident, a carjacked vehicle travelling about 100km/h knocked a stun gun off Granzien’s belt.
“If the vehicle had come any closer she would have been crushed between the stolen vehicle and the police vehicle,” Eberhardt, her defence barrister, said.
Granzien was a first responder to a domestic violence incident in which a man was holding his wife and children hostage in 2019. Her actions in negotiating the family’s release were recognised as exemplary during a coronial inquest. But the man was shot dead when he rushed at another officer brandishing a samurai sword.
Granzien was nominated for a bravery award, but resigned suffering post-traumatic stress disorder.
Magistrate Louise Shephard said Granzien’s conduct was a betrayal of the position of trust held by a police officer.
She sentenced Granzien to four months behind bars, suspended for 18 months, taking into account guilty pleas to four counts of misuse of a restricted computer and two counts of disclosing official secrets.
- Australian Associated Press
Updated
Former cop ‘foolishly’ shared information from ‘secret’ report
As a police officer, Briohny Lee Granzien negotiated with a man wielding a samurai sword, had a stun gun knocked off her belt by a fast-moving stolen vehicle - and “foolishly” shared information including a secret report.
The now 44-year-old former officer was given a suspended prison sentence after pleading guilty in a Brisbane court on Monday to misusing a restricted computer and disclosing official secrets.
Granzien’s crimes came to light during a drug trafficking investigation, with detectives finding she had accessed police devices to unlawfully obtain information, photographing some records before passing them on.
She was charged after police searched her home in the Brisbane suburb of Annerley and Inala police station where she was based, prosecutor Cameron Wilkins told the Brisbane magistrates court.
Granzien sent a photo of an internal intelligence report distributed to police officers to a friend over Facebook Messenger. It was related to an assault at a tavern and was classified sensitive, with a note saying unauthorised disclosure could constitute an offence. It included personal information about the complainant and suspects.
“The defendant told her (the recipient): ‘don’t tell anyone about it as I could get into so much trouble for it’,” Wilkins said.
Granzien also shared photos of an assault victim’s statement with her ex-partner – who was the alleged perpetrator – and information about a woman going through a separation.
Defence barrister Craig Eberhardt KC said Granzien’s actions were injudicious but did not compromise investigations or put anyone at risk. Granzien was prevailed on to provide information and did so but not for any corrupt purpose, Eberhardt told the court.
What we have ... is a person who had perhaps a misplaced loyalty and behaved very foolishly on only these six occasions during her almost eight years as a police officer
- Australian Associated Press
More to come
Updated
Record-breaking cold snap hits Queensland overnight
Queensland shivered through a record-breaking cold snap today, with overnight temperatures at more than 80 Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) sites lower than in Melbourne.
Brisbane’s minimum temperature of 6.3C – recorded at Brisbane airport – was more than three degrees lower than the Victorian capital’s minimum of 9.9C, the weather bureau said.
Tropical north Queensland temperatures plummeted, with Cairns recording just 11.4C degrees overnight and Townsville dropping to 8.6C.
You can read more here:
Updated
Virgin cuts Cairns-Tokyo flights
Virgin Australia has announced it will cut its only flight to Japan, axing its Cairns-Tokyo Haneda route due to poor demand from Japanese tourists.
Cairns’ international airport has long positioned itself as a gateway to the Great Barrier Reef for tourists from across Asia. But while Japan has been a top outbound tourist destination for Australians this year, the relative weakness of the yen – which has made holidaying there cheaper – has had the reverse effect for Japanese residents, making a trip to Australia an expensive proposition.
Inbound visitors travelling from Japan to Australia are up to 35% below pre-Covid levels, while the yen is now about 40% lower than during 2019.
Virgin will cease operating the Cairns-Tokyo route and the lucrative access slot at Haneda airport from 24 February 2025, with about 2,000 customers with bookings to be offered refunds.
While Cairns-Tokyo was one of the few international routes Virgin Australia has offered in its slimmed-down existence following its pandemic-induced administration and restructure, the airline will still allow customers to book tickets to Japan through flights from its partner airline, All Nippon Airways.
Alistair Hartley, Virgin Australia’s chief transformation and strategy officer, said:
Our international network continues to be a central part of our strategy. Withdrawing from Cairns-Tokyo services was a tough decision, but unfortunately the recovery of inbound visitors from Japan is significantly below forecast and therefore operating our own service to Tokyo is no longer commercially viable.
Updated
Many thanks for joining me on today’s blog. I’m handing over to Rafqa Touma to see you through the rest of our rolling coverage! Take care.
Updated
The Paris Olympics is officially kicking off at the end of this week. Here is everything you need to know, courtesy of Jack Snape!
La Niña not a certainty this year: BoM
A La Niña is not a certainty for later this year, at least according to the Bureau of Meteorology’s latest model run.
@BOM_au's latest model run continues to predict neutral conditions will prevail in the Pacific, with no La Nina event this year.... pic.twitter.com/Hmt3ve2thR
— @phannam@mastodon.green (@p_hannam) July 22, 2024
We’ll get the other model runs updated tomorrow by the Bureau. Another of the climate drivers for Australia is the Indian Ocean, and the influence there may have the opposite effect of a La Niña, with odds favouring a positive phase of the dipole in that basin:
Meanwhile in the Indian Ocean, @Bom_au is predicting a tilt towards a positive IO dipole in the coming months. Such an event would tend to reduce rainfall for Australia's south-east for winter going into spring. pic.twitter.com/o2QrLzrpm3
— @phannam@mastodon.green (@p_hannam) July 22, 2024
All up, what it means is we have competing influences possible in the coming season or two, making it tricky for farmers and others (eg holiday makers) to know which way to lean.
Updated
Galactic zoom-out one of three Emmys nods for Australian firm
Imagine winning an Emmy for 60 seconds of television that begins inside a single atom and zooms out all the way to the nearest star.
That’s the opening title animation for the Netflix series 3 Body Problem, designed by the Australian firm Antibody, run by Patrick Clair and Raoul Marks. Their mother of all zoom-outs has been nominated for outstanding main title design, one of three nominations for Antibody at the awards in September.
Clair said, “We feel very lucky, it’s a great time for television, everything has kind of come roaring back after the strike, and lots of great shows are being made.”
It’s the second round of Emmys for 2024, with last year’s awards delayed by the writers’ and actors’ strikes and held in January. Antibody has quietly collected 15 Emmy nominations over the last decade – and two wins for their work on the HBO series True Detective and Prime’s The Man in the High Castle.
- via AAP
Updated
Here’s the full story from our own Amanda Meade on the resignation of the Australian Financial Review’s editor-in-chief, Michael Stutchbury:
Updated
BoM forecasts warmer conditions on the way but strong winds likely
The Bureau of Meteorology has shared a weekly weather update, with another burst of strong wind expected to make its way across southern areas in a few days’ time.
Weekly Weather Update: Settled and warmer weather this week, with another burst of strong wind across southern areas. Video current: 11:30am AEST 22 July 2024. Latest forecasts and warnings: https://t.co/4W35o8iFmh or the BOM Weather app. pic.twitter.com/k2TlJzU9z5
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) July 22, 2024
Updated
Man denies late night indecent act on long-haul flight
A Sydney man who allegedly harassed a fellow passenger on a flight from the Middle East to Australia has pleaded not guilty to committing an act of indecency.
Simon John Dunham, 50, allegedly committed the act on an Emirates flight from Dubai to Sydney about midnight on 27 April.
AFP officers interviewed passenger and airline crew at the scene, and on 10 June, Dunham attended the AFP office at Sydney airport where he was issued a court attendance notice and charged with one count of committing an act of indecency without consent.
During a brief hearing at Sydney’s Downing Centre local court today, a not-guilty plea was entered on Dunham’s behalf. The matter is due to return to court on 10 September.
- with AAP
Updated
NAB cuts three-year fixed rate by 0.60 percentage points
The National Australia Bank has slashed its three-year fixed rate by 0.60 percentage points, in the first fixed rate change from a big four bank this year.
The move was “designed to appeal to customers worried about the prospect of future cash rate rises”, according to a statement from RateCity.
The change takes NAB’s lowest three-year fixed rate down to 5.99% for owner-occupiers that own at least 30% of their property. The next lowest big four bank fixed rate is from Westpac at 6.49%, fixed for 2-years.
RateCity research director Sally Tindall said:
This is a strategic move from NAB in a bid to test whether there’s any appetite among borrowers to revert back to fixing. A big bank fixed rate that starts with a ‘5’ is likely to turn at least a few heads, particularly among those worried about the prospect of further cash rate hikes…
It’s hard to see people flocking back to fixed rates, but this rate under 6% from NAB is designed to test this.
Updated
Dutton accuses Climate 200 of being a ‘front for Green candidates’
Taking questions from reporters, Peter Dutton was asked about Climate 200 – the fundraising giant that bankrolled the teal independent wave at the last election – and its backing of independents in nine Coalition seats.
Dutton accused Climate 200 of being a “front for Green candidates” and said:
They’re not disaffected Liberal candidates, they’re Green candidates … Can anyone name anything that the teals have achieved since they’re been in parliament? I mean there’s nothing …
He was later asked about comments from Aemo that nuclear energy would not get online in time to replace retiring coal fired power plants, and that delays in rolling out renewables would likely lead to higher costs and interrupted grid supply. Dutton argued that this was “an outlier view.”
Updated
Peter Dutton says Biden has ‘done the right thing’ by withdrawing from US election race
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, is speaking to the media from Queensland, alongside the shadow climate change minister, Ted O’Brien.
Weighing in on the US president Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from the presidential race, Dutton said he met with Biden in New York during Aukus talks and that “he has been a great friend of our country [and] strengthened the relationship between our two countries”.
Dutton said the Australia-US relationship is essential for trading and security during this time, which is “the most precarious since the end of the second world war”. The opposition leader said Biden has “done the right thing” by withdrawing and added:
The fact that President Biden has given his entire adult life to public service is something we should trumpet today as well.
Updated
Australian Financial Review editor-in-chief to step down
The editor-in-chief of the Australian Financial Review, Michael Stutchbury, will step down after 13 years in the role and will be replaced by James Chessell, the former executive editor of the Sydney Morning Herald and the Age.
Nine Entertainment’s managing director of publishing, Tory Maguire, said Stutchbury, 67, had guided the Financial Review through enormous changes in technology and consumer behaviour.
The shakeup comes as journalists at the Financial Review, as well as the Age and the Sydney Morning Herald, face looming cuts of up to 90 jobs. The unionised mastheads are also seething over the company’s latest pay offer of 2.5% during bargaining for a new EBA.
Updated
Death of toddler and father at Carlton train station prompts safety investigation
Safety upgrades for train stations will be considered after a father and his toddler daughter died when a pram rolled on to the tracks, AAP reports.
The girl’s twin, who survived the fall on to the tracks, and their mother have left hospital after the tragedy at Carlton railway station in Sydney’s south yesterday afternoon.
Multiple investigations into the incident, including a coronial inquiry, will try to identify any necessary changes to improve safety.
But the NSW premier, Chris Minns, says he will not immediately commit to any measures – such as the installation of glass barricades used on metro stations – until he knows how they could be implemented.
We will take steps that we need to take to keep people safe. Unfortunately, public transport, particularly train stations, can be dangerous and it’s incumbent upon everybody to be as safe as possible.
Updated
Gai Waterhouse ‘infuriated’ about Rosehill housing plan
A NSW government-backed proposal to develop Sydney’s historic Rosehill racecourse for housing represents an attempt to “hijack” the thoroughbred racing venue, champion trainer Gai Waterhouse says.
As AAP reports, a state parliamentary inquiry is examining the proposal after the government in December signed a memorandum of understanding with racecourse owner, the Australian Turf Club, for plans to build more than 25,000 homes on the site.
Appearing at the inquiry on Monday, Waterhouse says she is “incensed at the attempt to sell Rosehill and hijack – meaning steal – the proceeds”.
We would not be here today to discuss selling the cricket ground, the SCG, or Bondi Beach, but yet we’re here to discuss the sale of Rosehill.
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, says Waterhouse is entitled to her view:
I’m not confident of getting Gai over the line. I’d just make this point that this is a great opportunity for literally billions of dollars to go into racing in NSW and completely remake the industry.
Updated
Lawyer used balloons to smuggle tobacco on prison visit
A lawyer has been caught using balloons to smuggle tobacco into a prison while visiting an inmate as their representative, AAP reports.
Kristy Lee Howell was arrested on 2 July on the same day she arrived at Parklea Correctional Centre, in Sydney’s western suburbs.
The 43-year-old appeared at Blacktown local court today, where her barrister Lang Goodsell said she would plead guilty to unlawfully bringing 106g of tobacco into the prison.
The Cranebrook woman has not entered pleas to two drug supply charges, which cover allegations she brought 18g of methamphetamine and 3g of cocaine into the prison.
Magistrate Brian Van Zuylen adjourned the matter until 16 August after hearing Howell’s lawyers had just come on board and needed more time.
He told Howell and her legal team pleas to all four charges would be formally required at the next court date.
The 43-year-old did not say anything to reporters as she left court today.
She is on bail under conditions barring her from attending any prison or being in contact with the Parklea inmate she was visiting on the day of her arrest.
Updated
Luxury ute tax loophole costs Australians $250m a year, researchers say
A loophole in Australia’s tax law is in effect subsidising the price of luxury utes such as Ram and Chevrolet SUVs, costing taxpayers more than $250m a year in forgone revenue, an analysis has found.
The research from the Australia Institute centres on the Luxury Car Tax (LCT) – introduced in 2000 for imported cars partly to protect the domestic industry that existed at the time – and an exemption that applies to certain utes.
The tax must be paid on the sale of all imported cars valued above a threshold, which is $80,576 this financial year. The 33% tax rate applies to the value of the car above the LCT threshold.
As all manufacturers have ceased car production in Australia, the LCT applies to any car that costs more than $80,576.
You can read the full story here:
Albanese says federal government in negotiations about PNG team joining NRL
Returning to prime minister Anthony Albanese’s press conference in Cairns earlier, he says the federal government is still in negotiations about a Papua New Guinea team joining the National Rugby League, but is very keen to see it happen.
Albanese’s government has long talked about supporting a team in PNG, where league is very popular, as something that would be good for the football competition but also helpful from an economic and geopolitical perspective. In Cairns, where the PNG team could have an Australian base, Albanese again backed the idea.
We are working with PNG, as well as working with the NRL and there is no doubt that, if PNG is successful in putting a team into the NRL, that will be good news for Papua New Guinea, for its economic development – but it will also be good news for Cairns, given the location, given the relationships.
We are in negotiations about the range of issues when it comes to PNG entering a team into the National Rugby League. We will continue to have those discussions.
Albanese is in north Queensland on a few days holiday leave – which he of course interrupted to give a press conference on Joe Biden’s decision to not contest the US presidential election. The PM said he’d be on leave until Wednesday.
This is a wonderful part of the world and a great part of Australia. And it’s been wonderful to be able to engage with people. I watched the Souths Tigers game, to go back to the NRL reference, at a pub here – talked with lots of locals.
Updated
Porsche recalls more than 1,600 Taycan luxury EVs in Australia due to brake defect
More than 1,600 Australian electric car drivers will be slowed down by a worldwide recall after a luxury car brand revealed a serious braking problem with one of its most popular models, AAP reports.
The federal transport department issued a recall for all Porsche Taycan models in Australia, in a notice that will affect 1657 vehicles. The recall is the second to impact electric cars in Australia in a week, after a seatbelt software issue identified with Tesla’s Model 3 last Monday.
The Porsche electric vehicles were recalled because of a risk of a “brake fluid leak” that the transport department warned could put drivers in danger. The notice says:
Due to a manufacturing defect, the front brake hoses may be defective. A reduction in braking performance could increase the risk of an accident causing injury or death to vehicle occupants and other road users.
Owners are being urged to contact Porsche to organise a free vehicle repair.
In Australia, figures from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries show Porsche sold 163 Taycan models in the first six months of 2024, and 535 last year. The price of the electric sports car starts at $164,400.
Updated
Arthur Sinodinos, a former Australian ambassador to the US, has penned some thoughts on Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from the presidential race, and what this means for Australia. You can read his full piece below:
‘Cheap’ renewable energy would have to be shut off to cope with nuclear power in Qld, report finds
The Queensland Conservation Council has released new analysis showing the equivalent of 45,000 household solar systems in the state would need to be shut off every day to allow just one nuclear power station to operate in 2040.
Energy strategist Clare Silcock says:
Nuclear power stations can’t easily be turned off, which means by 2040, we’d have to turn off a staggering 3,700 GWh of cheap renewable energy every year instead so we don’t overload the grid. We would be shutting off cheap energy to allow expensive nuclear power to run.
This report shows that nuclear power simply doesn’t fit into a modern grid and isn’t what we need to meet our future energy demands at the least cost.
Silcock argues that Australia’s power system was built on baseload generation but this is not what we need in the future. “Saying that we need baseload generation is like saying that we need floppy disks to transfer files between computers.”
What we need is flexible generation and storage which can move energy from when we have lots of it, in the middle of the day, to when we need it overnight. That is not how nuclear power stations work …
We would like to see the federal opposition focus on a real plan for bringing down emissions and power prices and that would mean backing renewable energy and storage.
Updated
Federal government to underwrite 6.5 terawatt hours of wind, solar power in Western Australia
Australia will build more wind and solar farms and big batteries, not gas or nuclear plants, under the latest federal funding agreement.
As AAP reports, Western Australia is the latest state to sign a Renewable Energy Transformation Agreement (RETA) and has also opened bidding for the first Capacity Investment Scheme tender for the state.
Under the agreement announced today, the federal government will underwrite at least 6.5 terawatt hours of new wind and solar generation in WA, as well as 1.1GW of new energy storage.
But critics say the doubling of wholesale electricity prices in WA since 2021 has put the competitiveness of businesses and industry at risk, and are more concerned about a near-term gas shortfall. Regulators forecast a domestic gas deficit for the state between 2024 and 2029, despite the state being one of the world’s biggest gas exporters.
The first capacity tender in WA will target enough to power 450,000 homes or 2000 megawatt hours of dispatchable capacity in the state’s wholesale electricity market, which is separate to the national electricity market.
Energy minister Chris Bowen says it builds on the success of the first national tender, which received more than 25GW of bids for a 6GW tender, and was the only plan backed by experts to deliver a cheap, reliable and resilient energy system.
State governments have been warned that some subsidies may be re-allocated beyond their borders if commitments fall short.
Updated
Sydney housing to remain unaffordable until at least the 2030s: UNSW, UTS study
New research from the University of New South Wales and the University of Technology Sydney has found that Sydney’s housing market will remain unaffordable until at least the 2030s.
The study has found that having a stable and regular income is no longer enough to comfortably enter the housing market anywhere in Sydney, and that there is nowhere in greater Sydney someone on a median part-time or full-time income can afford to buy property. Instead, income supplements – such as existing wealth or significant cash gifts from family – would be needed to buy and to afford mortgage repayments.
Prof Chyi Lin Lee from UNSW says researchers expected housing affordability to be “severe” for part-time earners, but “found that full-time employees are also significantly affected.”
This highlights the widespread housing affordability crisis and the need for comprehensive policy solutions … It’s clear the Australian dream of owning a home is becoming increasingly harder to attain … The situation may also lead to housing-induced poverty, where households might forgo other essential activities to cover housing expenses.
Researchers developed an affordability index based on likely mortgage repayments of a prospective buyer with a 20% deposit, the average housing lending rate and a loan period of 30 years. Then, they looked at which areas of Sydney were affordable on median party-time and full-time earnings based on a cost-to-take-home pay ratio of 30%.
They found that nowhere in Sydney was affordable for part-time employees on $600, and part-time earners in almost all parts of Sydney could not afford to buy a property even if they spent their entire salary on housing. The researchers forecast that without intervention, there would still be nowhere in Sydney that someone on a median part-time or full-time income alone could afford to buy until at least 2031.
Updated
Man charged after alleged act of indecency on international flight into Sydney
A Sydney man has been charged after allegedly harassing a fellow passenger on an international flight.
The 50-year-old was travelling on a flight from Dubai to Sydney and allegedly harassed a fellow passenger. The passenger alerted airline crew, who then notified the Australian Federal Police.
AFP officers interviewed passenger and airline crew at the scene on 27 April, and on 10 June, the man attended the AFP office at Sydney airport where he was issued a court attendance notice.
He will face one count of an act of indecency without consent, and is expected to appear before Downing Centre local court today.
AFP acting Sydney airport police commander Dom Stephenson says all travellers have the right to feel safe and should not be subjected to offensive behaviour.
Updated
Bill Shorten praises Biden’s decision to ‘walk away from power’
The NDIS minister, Bill Shorten, says Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from the 2024 US presidential race shows he is putting what he believes is in the nation’s interest first, “rather than his own ego or his own pride”.
Speaking on Sunrise this morning, Shorten says:
I think Joe Biden’s been very good for Australia-American relations. And I also salute Joe Biden for his service. It takes a person of exceedingly strong character to walk away from power. It hasn’t happened very often in American politics. I think the last time it happened was Lyndon Johnson in 1968, and before then, probably only about four times in the whole history of America.
Updated
Southeast Queensland wakes to widespread frost, chilly temperatures
Residents of southeast Queensland have woken to a frosty morning, with widespread frost visible on satellite images of the west and south of Toowoomba.
The Bureau of Meteorology says a number of locations had their coldest morning of the year today, including the rural town of Oakey at -4.4C.
🥶Sunrise reveals a frosty start in #SEQld, with widespread frost visible on satellite to the west and south of Toowoomba (grey hue). A number of locations had their coldest morning of the year, including Oakey on -4.4 °C. Observations: https://t.co/Za5afBEYP7 pic.twitter.com/HJLa14fN6M
— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) July 21, 2024
Updated
Victorian police investigating alleged theft of tractor from farm
Victorian police are investigating the alleged theft of a tractor from a vegetable farm in West Pearcedale, last month.
Police say that “unknown offenders” allegedly attended the market garden of the property on 22 June and stole the large, green 2000 model John Deere tractor, worth $60,000.
Police are appealing for assistance for the return of the tractor, releasing CCTV from a neighbouring property showing the stolen piece of machinery being driven north on South Boundary Road towards Baxter-Tooradin Road.
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Richard Marles says Biden strengthened US alliance with Australia
The deputy prime minister and defence minister, Richard Marles, has also issued this statement on X about Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw:
America’s leadership under President Biden has seen our alliance with the United States strengthen. In March last year, the US, Australia and the United Kingdom announced the Aukus pathway. Under the Biden administration, we’ve seen this partnership make significant progress.
His ongoing commitment to democracy, global peace and security, particularly in the Indo-Pacific has been vital to Australia’s national interest. We thank him for his leadership and friendship.
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Wong: Biden’s commitment to peace and prosperity ‘unrelenting’
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has shared this message on X following Joe Biden’s announcement:
President Biden has been a great friend of Australia. His commitment to our shared pursuit of peace and prosperity has been unrelenting. Our partnership and our alliance are stronger than ever for his contribution, as are Aukus and the Quad. We thank him for his leadership.
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Second Trump term would be ‘dangerous’, says Greens leader
The leader of the Greens, Adam Bandt, has said that a second Donald Trump term in the United States would be “dangerous”. In a post to X, he said:
A second Donald Trump term would be dangerous. For the climate, for already marginalised communities, and for the growing threat of far-right extremism. I hope Americans use their voting power in the upcoming election to stop this from happening.
Big respect to Joe Biden for making what would have been a very difficult decision overnight. The new Democratic presidential candidate must do all they can to keep Trump out of office.
NSW police sergeant charged over alleged domestic violence incident
A NSW police officer has been charged over an alleged domestic violence incident.
In a statement, police said the incident is alleged to have occurred at a house in the New England district on 18 July, formally reported to officers on 21 July who commenced an investigation.
Police arrested a 50-year-old sergeant attached to a western region command, who was taken to Glen Innes police station and charged with two counts of intimidation and common assault.
He was granted conditional bail and is due to appear at Inverell local court on 8 August. The officer’s employment status is now under review, NSW police said.
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Albanese says CrowdStrike disruption ‘could have been far worse’
Taking questions from reporters, Anthony Albanese is asked about the CrowdStrike outage and calls for people to be patient if there are legacy issues – and not take out their frustrations against staff members at grocery stores and hospitality venues.
Asked if Australia is too reliant on too few companies for digital infrastructure, Albanese says:
Those issues will be examined over the coming weeks and months and years. We know that this has had an impact, but the impact was far less than what was first thought it might be, and that shows that agencies have put in place mechanisms as well as the business community …
I think that Australians can take a great deal of heart by the fact that this disruption could have been far worse than it was … [we] acted swiftly and worked together to minimise disruption.
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Albanese notes Biden’s work on climate and support for Ukraine
Anthony Albanese is now giving a press conference from Cairns in Queensland, after US president Joe Biden announced he would withdraw from the presidential race.
The PM says that since first meeting Biden, they have had a number of meetings on the sidelines of events and during an official state dinner in the US last year, as well as a personal dinner at the West Wing.
He noted Biden’s work in addressing the climate crisis, his support for the people of Ukraine following the invasion of Russia, and recovering the nation’s economy after the Covid-19 pandemic:
He’s presided over an economy that has seen jobs grow, that has seen wages increase, and that seen the transition proceed as the world moves towards net zero …
President Biden has been a great friend of Australia … I pay tribute to him today.
Updated
Green tick for navy's first strike test of new missile
An enhanced strike missile has been successfully fired for the first time from an Australian destroyer as the navy boosts its firepower, AAP reports.
The naval strike missile is the replacement for the ageing Harpoon weapon system on Australian destroyers.
The HMAS Sydney successfully fired the new missile during the RIMPAC training drill hosted by the US off the coast of Hawaii.
The test sank the decommissioned USS Tarawa as part of a simulation drill.
Fitting the new missile on to the guided destroyer ship that can provide air defence and maritime protection of accompanying vessels and land forces has been branded a major milestone.
Navy chief Vice Adm Mark Hammond described it as “a significant increase in the lethality of our surface fleet” by being able to strike potential adversaries at greater range.
The firing highlighted defence’s push to accelerate the delivery of new weapons and technology to make its fleet more deadly, defence industry minister Pat Conroy said.
Updated
Calls for a housing tsar to drive delivery of new homes in NSW
Meanwhile, business groups, universities and unions which are part of the Housing Now! alliance are calling for the appointment of a coordinator general to drive delivery of new homes in New South Wales.
As AAP reports, the role would direct government agencies to resolve planning challenges and reassess major, unapproved housing projects in a bid to resolve issues and guide government on infrastructure investment.
Housing Now! chair David Borger said:
A dedicated housing coordinator would cut through swathes of red tape, compel government agencies to address issues and inform cabinet on how to progress major housing projects stuck in the planning system.
The recommendation is one of 10 the alliance has made in its 2024 policy platform, launched today. Other policies include rezoning to allow housing to be constructed at places of worship, alternative planning pathways for university accommodation, and better security for renters with an end to no-grounds evictions.
Borger is also scheduled to appear before a parliamentary inquiry into a proposal to develop Rosehill Racecourse in Sydney’s west into a mini-city of up to 25,000 homes.
The inquiry is chaired by NSW’s opposition housing spokesperson Scott Farlow and will examine the development proposal’s process and what role the government played, as well as associated impacts on transport infrastructure and the horse-racing industry.
Trainer Gai Waterhouse has previously voiced her opposition to the proposal and will be first to appear before the committee inquiry today.
Updated
Modular homes to be trialled in NSW in bid to lift social housing
Pre-built modular homes will be trialled in New South Wales in a bid to boost social housing stocks, AAP reports, with research showing construction targets will not be met.
Sites in Wollongong and Lake Macquarie, south of Sydney, have been selected to trial modular social homes under a NSW government trial hoped to speed up delivery. But the government is still working through regulatory barriers for modular housing, which has not been rolled out at scale in the state before.
Housing affordability and availability is putting pressure on people in NSW and the state needs to use “non-traditional methods” to deliver more homes sooner, premier Chris Minns said:
We are pulling every lever we can to tackle the housing crisis.
The government is working with the state’s building commission on standards for offsite manufacturing of homes.
Research from Oxford Economics Australia today predicted more than one in five of the 1.2m dwellings the nation is trying to build in the next five years will not be completed.
Updated
No date yet for Albanese’s wedding
At the end of the interview, Anthony Albanese is asked if a date has been set for his wedding to Jodie Haydon. He says it “is a busy time” and a date will be set “when we can find a gap”.
Albanese also says he is supposed to be on leave today, but is back because of Joe Biden’s announcement.
Updated
Albanese on Turnbull’s call for ABCC to be reinstated: ‘If it worked we wouldn’t be talking about this’
Moving away from US politics for a moment: Anthony Albanese spoke with ABC Sydney earlier and was asked about calls from Malcolm Turnbull for the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) to be reinstated.
The ABCC was abolished in 2023, and had enforced workplace relations compliance in the building and construction sector. Its powers were transferred to the Fair Work Ombudsman.
Responding, Albanese said: “Well it didn’t do real well, did it.”
The powers that are there, if crimes are committed – like in any workplace, like in any part of society – [are dealt with by police].
The Fair Work Ombudsman is there also to ensure that industrial relation laws are upheld in a fair way and the truth is the ABCC was not effective, didn’t achieve any of the objectives which was in place …
Asked if there should be a special police taskforce, as suggested by independent MP Zoe Daniel, Albanese responded:
[The police] do their job … and what we will have, though, is administrators to determine who’s employed by the union, to determine what that union to does to make sure it is cleaned up once and for all, and that is the appropriate body …
Now it’s not surprising that Malcolm Turnbull says that what he did while he was prime minister should be done again but the truth is if it worked, we wouldn’t be talking about this issue today.
Updated
Biden should have withdrawn earlier, Barnaby Joyce says
The Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce said that Joe Biden should have withdrawn from the US presidential race sooner. Speaking on Sunrise earlier this morning, he said:
I think it was incumbent upon those who loved him and were closest to him some time ago. Rather than push him to go on to ask him whether he thought it was best to leave.
Joyce said that if the bullet “had gone an inch and a half to the right” during the assassination attempt against Donald Trump, the US would have gone into an “incredible time of introspection [and] civil strife” and “lost focus on foreign affairs and issues that we have to contend with, such as China, would have become a lot more dire for us”.
We have a lot riding on what happens in the United States. And so, we have a great interest in making sure that their contenders for president are the best they can possibly be.
Updated
Turnbull: ‘America under Trump is a less reliable ally’
Speaking with ABC News Breakfast, Malcolm Turnbull said that Donald Trump would “not continue to support Ukraine the way Biden has” and he “admires and professes to be friends with the authoritarian dictators that we have regarded as our opponents, whether it’s Kim Jong-un, Putin, or Xi Jinping in China.”
He’s questioned why America should bother to defend Taiwan … He is and he wants to be and professes to be a really disruptive force internationally. America under Trump is a less reliable ally than it has been under Biden or under other presidents. I mean, that’s a fact. And he sets out to be.
Turnbull labelled Trump an “isolationist” and “protectionist” who’s “only focus is on the transactional business of engaging with other countries and keeping America as far as possible out of foreign troubles”.
That’s a long tradition in American politics, it didn’t just come up with Donald Trump, but it is a massive change for the Republican Party and it’s something we have to be bear in mind.
We can’t fool ourselves and say, ‘oh everything is just going to be the same’. I mean, that’s what we said in 2016 [when] Trump was elected the first time.
I remember having a discussion with Xi Jinping about this … it wasn’t just the Australians. Around the world people said, ‘Yes, he’s had all this colourful commentary in the campaign, but when he gets into office, he’ll be institutionalised and will be kind of business as usual.’ Well that proved to be wrong that time and it will be even more wrong next time if he is returned to the White House.
Updated
Turnbull on Trump: ‘If you suck up to bullies you just get more bullying’
Malcolm Turnbull reflected on his time dealing with Donald Trump when he was president, and urged Australian leaders not to “suck up” to him if he is re-elected.
There’s a lot of people at the moment talking about different ways of sucking up to Donald Trump. I did not suck up to Donald Trump. I stood my ground, I stood up for Australia and I got very good outcomes for Australia.
If you suck up to bullies you just get more bullying. I hope Mr Albanese and any other leaders who deal with Trump if he gets re-elected don’t fall into the sort of sucking up school of flattering American presidents.
Updated
‘Who do you want to vote for – the prosecutor or the felon?’
Looking forward to the US election, Malcolm Turnbull said that “policy is important” but “character is really important” – arguing that Kamala Harris will be able to campaign “very hard on character”.
She’ll be able to point to Trump’s convictions … who do you want to vote for, the prosecutor or the felon? …
Trump has got passionate adherence, but he’s also got passionate opponents who are appalled by his behaviour and his character. What she would be able to do is get more of the independents to come to the Democratic side, I believe.
Turnbull also noted that the US doesn’t have compulsory voting, meaning the party with the most energised voting base “has got a real advantage because their supporters get off the couch and go and vote.”
You know, young people were not inspired by Joe Biden. Hardly surprising … he’s older than most of their grandparents, I suspect. So a younger candidate, a younger nominee, I think, is more likely to get the Democratic vote out.
So she definitely would give them a better chance. Having said that, I still think [Donald] Trump is a very strong favourite to win.
Updated
‘Maybe there should be an age cap’ on presidential candidates, Turnbull says
Asked whether Joe Biden’s decision to drop out sets a precedent going forward for an unofficial age cap on presidential candidates, Malcolm Turnbull predicts there will be a debate around this in the US.
I imagine there will be a debate in the United States about setting an age limit. I mean, they have an age minimum for being a senator or being president, so maybe there should be an age cap. I don’t know what it should be, maybe 75.
[But] there’s no question, Joe Biden has had three big problems, right, electorally. Number one – his age. And number two – the border, the perception that America is unable to control its southern border. And thirdly – inflation. That’s the problem of incumbent governments everywhere including Mr Albanese’s here in Australia.
Updated
Malcolm Turnbull says Biden made ‘the right decision’
Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull spoke with ABC News Breakfast to weigh in on the latest developments out of the US presidential race.
He said US president Joe Biden made the “right decision” to drop out of the race.
Biden has had a very, very successful presidency. He’s achieved an enormous amount, but going in to this election, his biggest vulnerability was his age and perceptions that he, you know, was no longer up for the job. So he’s done the right thing in stepping back and, I think, that’s why it’s been universally welcomed.
Updated
Biden has always ‘put his nation first’, Albanese says
Host Patricia Karvelas: “What does it say about Joe Biden’s character that he’s decided to step down? He clearly didn’t want to but there was immense pressure on him.”
Anthony Albanese:
He’s an incredibly decent, honourable man of integrity, who has always put his nation first and he put his nation first [by putting himself] forward for the presidency in 2020.
Updated
Australian leadership has been ‘more turbulent’ than US in recent decades, PM says
Asked about the “turbulent times” occurring in the US, Anthony Albanese suggested Australia isn’t in a position to talk “given what we went through in a decade of turbulent leadership”.
If I get re-elected as prime minister, it will be the first time that a prime minister’s been reelected, having served the full term since John Howard in 2004. So we have certainly been much more turbulent than the United States has been the last couple of decades.
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Albanese says Kamala Harris is a 'good friend of Australia'
Asked for his thoughts on US vice-president Kamala Harris, who has been endorsed by Joe Biden to run for president, Anthony Albanese said:
She is a good friend of Australia.
I’ve met [her] on the sidelines of the G7, the meeting held in Thailand as well as during my visits to the United States. Of course, we will wait and see what comes out of the Democratic convention.
Updated
Biden has been ‘a great fan of Australia’: Albanese
Anthony Albanese is speaking with ABC RN after Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from the US presidential race.
The PM said:
The president has been a great fan of Australia. [A] very significant economic relationship has grown out our trade during his presidency … He’s someone who has stood up for values of social inclusion, and importantly as well for Australia and for the world he’s been a leading figure on climate action.
Albanese said he has sent a message to Biden, who currently has Covid-19.
He was a gracious host to myself and Jodie during our state visit last year … [He] will continue to be over the coming months the most important leader in our globe. Of course, the United States is our most important ally.
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Sinodinos says Trump should remember that America’s alliances are important
Asked what the differences would be between Donald Trump’s first term and a potential second term, Arthur Sinodinos told ABC RN.
The former Ambassador to the US said:
The policies won’t change much. I mean, he’s obviously very interested in policies around tariffs and trade. I don’t think that will change much from his first term.
I think the challenge for us with with Donald Trump is to remind him that one of America’s unique advantages is its network of allies and partners and to make the maximum use of that. And there’s been great progress … in terms of Aukus [and] many groupings in the Indo-Pacific … and all these need to be sort of maintained and strengthened and that requires American leadership.
And America also has to return to trade in the Indo-Pacific if it wants to engage more productively with countries in south-east Asia as well.
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Kamala Harris has ‘historic opportunity’, former Australian ambassador to US says
Former ambassador to the United States, Arthur Sinodinos, just spoke with ABC RN just earlier about all the latest developments in the US presidential race.
Sinodinos expects Kamala Harris will win the Democratic nomination, and noted that women voters in particular are angry about what has happened with Roe v Wade.
She can focus on issues like that, which have been pushing buttons of voters in various elections since the Supreme Court overturned that decision … There’s a real potential for her to appeal to women across the country, and that in itself would be a very substantial block.
Sinodinos said there was “no doubt” Donald Trump has momentum behind him, but said Joe Biden’s withdrawal could be a “circuit breaker” moment:
We’ve seen in other campaigns where sometimes a leader is parachuted in at the last minute … so there’s no doubt that it can be effective. It just depends now about whether she can rise to the challenge, overcome her own sort of nervousness and insecurities she sometimes display in the vice presidency. She’s got the job now. This is her historic opportunity. She has to rise to that.
PM, Dutton struggling as preferred leaders: Newspoll
According to Newspoll both Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton are struggling to attract a majority of voters to back them as the preferred leader of the respective parties, AAP reports.
The latest survey for The Australian showed only 28% of voters nominated Albanese and Dutton as their preferred leaders of their respective Labor and Coalition parties, ahead of five other chosen candidates.
For Labor, environment minister Tanya Plibersek was backed by 13% of voters while former leader Bill Shorten was the third pick among voters with 10% support averaged across all demographics. Treasurer Jim Chalmers enjoyed only 8% support.
For the Coalition, opposition Indigenous affairs spokesperson Jacinta Nampijinpa Price was the next most favoured behind Dutton on 14% followed by deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley at 6%.
The poll showed the coalition’s primary vote lifted two points to 38% while Labor’s also rose a point to 33%. Support for the Greens remained unchanged at 13% while backing for those in the “others” category – minority parties and independents – dipped two points to 10%. The survey showed One Nation was down one point to 6%.
On a two-party-preferred basis, Labor continues to lead the coalition by 51% to 49% – unchanged from the previous poll. The Newspoll was conducted between 15 July and 19 July and interviewed 1258 voters throughout Australia.
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Trump and Kamala both bring ‘significant experience’, Birmingham says
Asked about what impact Kamala Harris would have on the Aukus partnership specifically if elected, Simon Birmingham said she would come to the office with “significant experience” after four years as vice-president:
Just as of course Donald Trump having spent four years as president will bring his own experience should he be elected. It’s not for Australian political leaders to have a preference here. It’s for Australian political leaders to make sure that we are as well placed to the nation as possible to work with whoever the US people elect as president.
It’s important that Kevin Rudd, as Australia’s ambassador in the US, be engaging with both teams, both sets of candidates – whoever ends up being the Democratic nominee – as well as Donald Trump as the Republican nominee, and has strong relationships into the new administration from day one.
Having those strong relationships should be possible because each brings that significant experience at national office.
Updated
Biden’s decision not a surprise after weeks of speculation, Birmingham says
Simon Birmingham said it wasn’t necessarily a surprise that Joe Biden has decided to withdraw, following “news and speculation and otherwise in recent weeks”, but noted it is a “historic moment”.
It’s historic …
What denotes this as being so significant is it means there will be a new US president next January, a new US administration in place and therefore a different set of bases for us to ensure that our strongest of alliances continues to be as strong as possible in the future.
Updated
Birmingham honours Biden’s role in securing Aukus partnership
Simon Birmingham spoke to ABC RN earlier this morning, also weighing in on US president Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from the US presidential race.
The shadow foreign minister noted Biden’s role in the Aukus partnership and said he would leave a “strong legacy … in terms of our alliances and our relationship, and one that we must make sure the next administration builds upon”.
Joe Biden has been, and has continued, the tradition of US presidents being great friends to Australia, has continued that traditional mateship between our nations that has been so strong, and established one of the strongest alliances in the world.
Perhaps most critically under his administration, the Aukus partnership was initiated, agreed, and quite significantly secured bipartisan support in both the United States and in Australia, as part of the ongoing strengthening Indo-Pacific strategy and in response to the challenges of our time.
Updated
Rudd weighs in on Biden’s decision to withdraw
Australia’s ambassador to the US, former prime minister Kevin Rudd, also issued a statement after Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from presidential race. He wrote on X:
Leadership can be a lonely place. We can all take pause to recognise, and respect, the difficult decision President Joe Biden has made today. Thank you for your service, Mr President, and for always being guided by what you believe is best for your country. The US-Australia relationship has prospered under your leadership.
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Albanese thanks Biden for ‘leadership and service’ as he withdraws from US presidential race
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has thanked US president Joe Biden for his “leadership and ongoing service” as he announced he would withdraw from the US presidential race, endorsing his vice-president Kamala Harris.
Albanese wrote in a post to X:
The Australia-US Alliance has never been stronger with our shared commitment to democratic values, international security, economic prosperity and climate action for this and future generations.
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, noted Biden’s role in launching Aukus, which “the peoples of our two countries carry forward with energy and determination.”
Like American Presidents before him, Joe Biden has been a leader resolutely committed to the Alliance. I thank the President for the support and abiding friendship he has shown to Australia.
Welcome
Happy Monday and welcome back to a new week on the Australia news live blog. I’m Emily Wind and I’ll be bringing you our rolling coverage for most of the day.
Overnight, US president Joe Biden withdrew from his presidential re-election race and endorsed vice-president Kamala Harris to take his place at the top of their party’s ticket. Prime minister Anthony Albanese thanked Biden for his “leadership and ongoing service” and said the Australia-US alliance “has never been stronger”, while opposition leader Peter Dutton recognised Biden’s role in launching Aukus.
The Liberal senator Simon Birmingham spoke about the move on ABC RN earlier, noting it was a “historic moment”.
It’s historic in the way that it has occurred and the circumstances surrounding it. But … in a broader sense, what denotes this as being so significant, is it means there will be a new US president next January, a new US administration in place and therefore, a different set of bases for us to ensure that our strongest of alliances continues to be as strong as possible in the future.
We’ll bring you more of the local reaction to this news shortly.
As always, if you see something that needs attention on the blog you can get in touch via X, @emilywindwrites, or you can send me an email: emily.wind@theguardian.com.
Let’s get started.
