What we learned, Friday 31 March
We’re going to wrap up the live blog now. Here’s what made the news today:
The Sydney state MP Alex Greenwich has vowed to reform laws in New South Wales to better protect the LGBTQ+ community after being brought to tears by a homophobic tweet from fellow parliamentarian Mark Latham.
One of Australia’s largest home builders Porter Davis has collapsed and construction firm Lloyd Group has gone into voluntary administration in a hit to the sector.
Federal attorney general Mark Dreyfus “does not agree” with the human rights commissioner that the proposed Indigenous voice to parliament would undermine human rights principles of equality and non-discrimination.
An independent investigation into repeated failings on Sydney’s train network will be launched by the New South Wales Labor government, but the state’s new transport minister insists it will not be a “witch-hunt”.
Veteran Australian entertainer and radio identity Doug Mulray has died aged 71.
Thanks for sticking with us today. We’ll be back bright and early to bring you tomorrow’s news, including results from the Aston by-election in Melbourne’s east.
Laura Tingle becomes ABC staff-elected director
Laura Tingle has won the vote for staff-elected director and will take up the part-time position on 1 May, sitting on the ABC board alongside chair Ita Buttrose.
The Australian Electoral Commission declared the 7.30 political correspondent the winner among a field of eight candidates after ballots closed on Friday morning.
Melbourne business journalist Dan Ziffer was a close second, securing just 30 fewer votes than Tingle after preferences were counted.
Ziffer, who campaigned hard for the position, received more primary votes than Tingle, with 615 to her 568. But after preferences Tingle had 889 and Ziffer 859.
Of the 5,450 ABC staff eligible to vote a total of 2,073 ballots were returned.
The incumbent, Dr Jane Connors, who finishes her term on 30 April, is an adviser on ABC editorial policies and a former Radio National manager.
Updated
