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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Caitlin Cassidy and Mostafa Rachwani

PM tight-lipped on election call – as it happened

Blue Mountains Australia United States Marise Payne
Prime minister Scott Morrison
Prime minister Scott Morrison evaded questions about a possible federal election date while campaigning in western Sydney on Wednesday. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

What we learned today – Wednesday 6 April

With that, we will wrap up the blog for the evening. The election still hasn’t been called, but babies have been kissed, supermarket selfies have been taken, and hard hats have been donned.

Here were today’s major developments:

  • In an escalation of the NSW Liberal factional stoush, Matthew Camenzuli has submitted a court application seeking to challenge the preselections in the high court. He has since been expelled from the Liberal party under special powers used by NSW State director Chris Stone.
  • New South Wales premier Dominic Perrottet labelled the Liberal preselection saga a “debacle” and an “abject failure”.
  • Meanwhile, the prime minister has brushed off speculation about when he will call the election, telling reporters: “I said we would run a full term and I said we would run for three years.”
  • In Covid news, Victoria has extended the pandemic declaration for three months to 12 July. Advice and statements of reasons will be tabled in parliament. It comes as NSW health minister Brad Hazzard tested positive to Covid-19, experiencing “minor, flu-like symptoms”.
  • In another government headache, opposition leader Anthony Albanese called the former premier of NSW a “straight talker” after further texts allegedly sent by Gladys Berejiklian labelling the PM “obsessed with petty political point scoring” emerged.
  • And the Queen has sent a message of support for flood-effected communities in NSW and Queensland as wars of words continue over the commonwealth allocation of disaster funding to affected regions.

Updated

Jeremy Rockliff confirmed as Tasmanian premier

Jeremy Rockliff has been confirmed as the next Tasmanian premier following the sudden resignation of Peter Gutwein.

Updated

Matthew Camenzuli expelled from Liberal party

The man who has run and funded legal challenges against the NSW Liberal party seeking to challenge captains picks of federal candidates, Matthew Camenzuli, has been expelled from the party.

The NSW state director, Chris Stone, used his special campaign powers today to expel Camenzuli, a businessman and member of the state executive, after he decided to pursue a high court challenge to Tuesday’s ruling.

The NSW court of appeal had ruled in favour of a federal intervention which installed candidates in 12 NSW seats.

Camenzuli had argued the constitution required plebiscites of the members to be held. The expulsion was on the grounds that the director determined his actions were damaging the party’s chances at the imminent election. It will need to be confirmed by the state executive when it meets on Friday night.

“He’s actively trying to stop us from nominating 12 candidates in seats,” one source said.

But the expulsion could prove equally as divisive as the preselection issues themselves.

“I wouldn’t have thought taking legal action against the party was grounds for suspension,” one party member said. “Lots of people have done that and not had any repercussions.”

A spokesman for the NSW division said the party did not comment on internal matters and Camenzuli did not return calls.

Camenzuli sent an email to all members of the party on Tuesday explaining the reasons why he was taking legal action, saying he was seeking to enforce members’ rights. Such emails are permitted from members of state executive.

Updated

NSW Liberals preselections to be challenged in high court

Scott Morrison’s hand-picked New South Wales candidates should not receive Liberal endorsement on ballot papers until an urgent high court hearing, Matthew Camenzuli has argued in a court application.

In an escalation of the NSW Liberal factional stoush, Camenzuli has asked to appeal against the NSW court of appeal’s decision upholding federal intervention that allowed a three-person panel including Morrison to select 13 candidates for the upcoming election.

In Camenzuli’s application, seen by Guardian Australia, the businessman seeks a speedy hearing, warning of the “imminence of the issue of the writs” which will formally start the 2022 election campaign and allow party officers to write to the Australian Electoral Commission nominating endorsed candidates.

Camenzuli’s lawyers note the case is “of considerable public importance in that its answer has the potential to affect who is endorsed as Liberal Party candidates” and therefore the constitution of the parliament.

Camenzuli is seeking orders to prevent the federal director, Andrew Hirst, NSW state director, Christopher Stone, and three other Liberal officials from requesting that the AEC print the Liberal Party name beside candidates his case alleged have not been properly endorsed due to the federal intervention.

The case argues that the court of appeal erred in both its central findings: that the internal party dispute was not one courts could rule on; and the federal takeover of preselections was allowed by the Liberal Party rules.

Updated

Victoria extends pandemic declaration for three months

The Victorian premier has extended the pandemic declaration for three months to 12 July.

A pandemic declaration gives the health minister authority to make pandemic orders he considers “reasonably necessary” to protect public health after considering the chief health officer’s advice and other factors – including economic and social.

The advice and statement of reasons will be tabled in parliament.

Premier Daniel Andrews said:

This extension enables us to keep modest and sensible settings in place to reduce transmission and hospitalisation – that means more support for health workers and limiting its impact on our community.

We don’t want rules on any longer than they need to be – we’ll continue to follow the advice to protect what we’ve built while protecting our community.

Updated

Personally, I can no longer reach “albanese.com.au”.

The newly minted South Australian premier, Peter Malinauskas, isn’t going to spend his time in power complaining about the state’s share of GST, or other perennial issues, AAP reports.

The Labor leader instead wants to focus on the future.

After a landslide election win in March Malinauskas used a Wednesday National Press Club address to introduce his agenda for structural reforms to higher education, childcare and the economy.

He, of course, vowed support for federal Labor leader Anthony Albanese’s prime ministerial bid, accusing the coalition government of focusing on short-term fixes and “intergenerational envy”:

I want to go beyond the here and now. I am not here to have a whinge about the GST, I’m not here to have a whinge about water. I’m not here to have a cultural war about renewables.

Just as I spent the South Australian campaign talking about the next generation, I want to spend every day in government on the same project.

State governments are “desperate for a federal partner” on future challenges, Malinauskas said. He criticised the coalition for fixating on short-term cash handouts in the recent federal budget to address cost-of-living pressures, instead of long-term reforms.

The government had allowed the national economy to become reliant on exporting commodities such as coal rather than developing “brain jobs” for the future, he added.

Malinauskas also said it will take a federal Labor government to implement an Indigenous voice to parliament, and highlighted his own promise to deliver a state-based treaty and voice for Aboriginal people.

He additionally vowed to advocate for an increase of Australia’s humanitarian intake cap of 13,750 refugee places.

Updated

Victoria’s parliament is set to hold a joint sitting this evening to fill the Senate vacancy left by the late Labor senator Kimberley Kitching.

Jana Stewart, who ran against federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg in 2019, will be confirmed as senator.

The Mutthi Mutthi and Wamba Wamba woman previously worked as the deputy secretary of Victoria’s Department of Justice.

She was due to be Labor’s candidate for Pascoe Vale at the November state election. Kitching died of a suspected heart attack on March 10 at age 42.

You can watch from about 6:30pm here.

In further anticipation of what we have to look forward to in the coming month, treasurer Josh Frydenberg has also been taking pictures in supermarkets today:

And speaking rudimentary Italian:

Further to the previous post:

At the Senate estimates hearing, Penny Wong went on to ask why the government wanted defence to have the response in its name.

She said the article by Peter Jennings was mainly criticising the government and its decisions.

She secured confirmation that the cancellation of the SkyGuardian program was a government decision (to help fund the Redspice cyber security package), which went through the cabinet’s national security committee and expenditure review committee.

Wong said both Peter Dutton and Scott Morrison were on those committees, and she asked why “they’re asking you to defend it rather than them”.

The acting secretary of the Department of Defence, Matt Yannopoulos, replied:

Well, the way I thought about it was the media article misrepresented our view of our capability and hence the short statement.

He said the department had a track record of publishing short statements under the banner “on the record” where it felt that inaccurate comments had been made.

I have no difficulty with the message that was published on our website.

Wong told the Senate hearing Dutton likes to be seen as “talking tough” so “why did he make other people take this up to Mr Jennings?”

The government senator Jonathon Duniam, representing the defence minister at the hearing, repeated that defence had a record of correcting the record:

I daresay that fits in the same vein ... I suspect if the department had a strong view about not doing something, they’d not do it.

Labor’s defence spokesperson, Brendan O’Connor, said in a later statement:

If department is expected to be the defenders of the Morrison government’s bad decisions, then when will they find time to do their day job?

Updated

A request from Peter Dutton’s office prompted the Department of Defence to issue a statement rejecting criticism of the government’s decision to cancel a $1.3bn armed drone program, a Senate estimates hearing has been told.

The acting secretary of the Department of Defence, Matt Yannopoulos, was asked to clarify how the department came to issue a statement on Monday that hit back at criticism from the executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Peter Jennings.

Jennings wrote in The Australian that the decision to scrap the armed drone program – known as SkyGuardian – was “to use a strategic term, mind-bogglingly stupid” because it was “a rare defence project that was going to deliver new combat capability in just a few years”.

Defence’s statement in response said the SkyGuardian “provides an excellent capability system” but “tough decisions are required to optimise the ADF force structure for the current strategic environment”.

It said:

The Australian Government has made the hard decision to prioritise resources in response to the complex and challenging strategic environment we face.

Here is the key exchange from this afternoon’s back-and-forth between the departmental secretary and Labor senator Penny Wong:

Yannopoulos:

On 4 April, we had a conversation between our media team and our minister’s office. It was suggested we should respond to the Jennings article.

Wong:

I love [that]. It was suggested, meaning the minister’s office suggested it.

Yannopoulos:

... asking if we would respond. We drafted a response, or drafted the statement, and it was cleared in the normal way through the department, noted by the minister’s office, and put up on our website.

Wong:

Did the minister’s office change the draft?

Yannopoulos:

No.

Wong:

Thank you for being upfront about the fact it was at their request, rather than me having to press you on that.

Updated

The WA premier, Mark McGowan, and the opposition leader, Anthony Albanese, are having a whale of a time in Perth, from holding babies to taking supermarket selfies.

Updated

The shadow minister for disaster and emergency management, Murray Watt, appeared on ABC News earlier this afternoon in the wake of internal and external criticism on the prime minister’s response to the flood disaster.

Watt said his understanding from the Queensland government – who today criticised the prime minister for refusing to provide additional funding support – was that Scott Morrison believed it was a state government responsibility.

The prime minister makes this up as he goes along. If you look back at the bushfires, there were also programs the federal government agreed to chip in for and others that they didn’t. Now we have floods ... he would move heaven and earth to get support [in a] National party electorate and he was prepared to leave a Labor party electorate dangling.

Updated

Significant news. As we know, the opposition leader is yet to have acquired Covid-19 which could put quite a dent on his election campaign.

The NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) has held talks with the NSW government to discuss staffing improvements and better pay for nurses and midwives.

It comes off the back of a second statewide strike held last Thursday in response to a widespread staffing crisis hitting the public health sector.

The NSWNMA today met with the state health minister, Brad Hazzard, and the finance minister, Damien Tudehope, to discuss the association’s demands.

The NSWNMA general secretary, Brett Holmes, said the pandemic had created challenges for the health system but it had also exposed a “myriad of issues”.

It took a huge amount of courage for our members to participate in last week’s 24-hour statewide strike. They were angry their ongoing pleas for help and support had been ignored.

We look forward to continuing meaningful discussions with the government to address the issues our members have raised repeatedly.

Holmes said the NSWNMA would continue campaigning for shift by shift nurse-to-patient ratios, better maternity staffing, improvements in regional health services and fair pay.

The NSWNMA has been summonsed to the supreme court next week for breaching orders issued by the NSW industrial relations commission in relation to strike actions.

Updated

The New South Wales transport minister, David Elliott, has released a statement in response to a bus strike planned by the Rail, Tram and Bus Union and Transport Workers Union for next Monday, urging unions to stop “exploiting the state’s transport network for Labor’s political gain”.

Elliott says ongoing negotiations over pay and conditions “is a matter between bus drivers and the private operators”. He says he met with the Transport Workers Union on 16 February and reiterated that the NSW government can’t intervene in negotiating private enterprise agreements.

Transport for NSW is working with the private operators to minimise the impact on commuters on Monday as a result of any industrial action by bus drivers.

It is disappointing that the unions have decided to take this action during the start of the school holidays.

Many small businesses will be relying on the patronage of families out and about during the holidays to help them recover and rebuild from the economic and social impacts of not only the pandemic but also the devastating impacts of the recent flood and weather events.

I urge the unions to stop exploiting the state’s transport network for Labor’s political gain.

Updated

Western Australia records one death and 8,499 new Covid cases

WA Health has just released the state’s daily Covid update.

Western Australia has reported 8,499 new Covid cases to 8pm last night, bringing active cases in the state to 46,697.

Sadly, one person has died of Covid, a man in his 80s. There have also been a further four historical deaths dating back to 28 March, reported to WA Health yesterday.

They include a woman in her 90s, a woman in her 80s, a man is his 80s and a female in her 50s.

Updated

McIntosh says she doesn’t usually like to contribute to factional political debate, however when Morrison spoke of backing female colleagues on the ABC’s 7.30 program yesterday evening, she identified as one of the women who has been supported by the prime minister.

She says the prime minister stepped up for her last year to guarantee her own preselection following “aggressive attacks” on herself and other members of her local branch.

I didn’t want to sit quietly in longer, I don’t like to talk about factional politics, because I’m very much not involved in that, I came in here to do the best job I possibly can for my community, the community I have lived in for over 40 years.

The reason why I’m not needing an intervention right now is because the prime minister fought for me back last year ... I think the prime minister absolutely has done the right thing in stepping in to make sure we can go on and campaign and let the people know in our communities why they should be re-electing us.

Updated

Liberal MP Melissa McIntosh is speaking on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing now following a statement she made earlier today rejecting attacks on the prime minister’s character.

I can’t just sit by and have these unwarranted, untruths about the prime minister out there ... by the very people who were only a year ago trying to take me out, to completely take me out ... and having a preselection challenge against me, those are the very people attacking the prime minister now.

And it was during this time, during these attacks, ever since I was a candidate for the seat of Lindsay, the prime minister was backing me, guided me and gave me advice, and really gave me the strength through that advice, to keep going, to keep fighting and to make sure I was a candidate for the election. So ... I can’t sit by and let these untruths be told.

Updated

Bruce Miller AO has been appointed chair of the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) by the commonwealth. It follows the death of David Irvine, 75, who previously held the position.

Miller served as Australian ambassador to Japan from 2011 until 2017 and worked in the Australian government for more than three decades, with senior positions in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the office of national assessments.

The FIRB is a non-statutory body established to advise the treasurer and government on Australia’s foreign investment policy. Irvine was its chair from 2017 to 2022.

Updated

Staged group shots, hard hats and high vis. Ding ding ding! McCormack is on the trail!

Kyiv’s top diplomat in Australia has rejected any prospect of a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia, AAP reports.

The ambassador of Ukraine to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, says Russian troops have been committing war crimes and Ukrainians will never forgive or forget the invasion. He told Sky News:

I get a message about the group of kids who were evacuated from Irpin. Their parents were killed, kids were raped, tortured. The oldest one is 14 and the others are even younger. I don’t see any prospect of a peace deal in the foreseeable future – I think we need to keep on fighting.

Myroshnychenko echoed his president’s call to strip Russia of its permanent member status within the United Nations Security Council, saying president Vladimir Putin had brought the country back to the Soviet era:

There is no opposition in Russia, there is nobody there to oppose him. [Putin] is taking Russia to those last days of the Soviet Union when it was collapsing. He’s done so much damage for the country and I don’t know when Russia will be able to repair that reputation.

Updated

In Sydney, five people have been charged following a Fireproof Australia and Scientist Rebellion protest on the City West Link at Lilyfield today.

New South Wales Police said officers from Leichhardt attended the scene at the City West Link near Catherine Street around 8.25am after a group sat on the road, stopping traffic.

Police removed and arrested the five people a short time later.

The group – two women aged 61 and 48, and three men aged 36, 46 and 77 – were taken to Newtown police station where they were charged with “enter etc Sydney Harbour Bridge etc disrupt etc vehicles etc”.

All five will appear at court today.

It is the second day Fireproof Australia protestors have disrupted Sydney in protest of climate inaction. On Facebook, the group wrote:

Fireproof Australia is going to block Sydney’s major roads consistently and non-violently, day after day until the government meets our reasonable demands.

Scientist Rebellion protestor Dr Martin Wolterding – a professor of Biology and Marine Ecology from the Blue Mountains – said:

My family, my friends and my community are in great peril. I must do what I am physically able to do to warn them that the future of everything they hold dear is likewise endangered. Since 2018 we have experienced droughts, fires, floods and a pandemic. the time to act is now.

Under new laws passed by NSW parliament, protestors face up to two years jail and/or a $22,000 fine for causing disruption in a string of public places including roads, bridges and train stations.

Updated

Liberal MP Melissa McIntosh has released a statement following the prime minister’s interview with Leigh Sales on 7.30 yesterday evening. She says she can “no longer abide” the “nonsense being peddled” about Scott Morrison.

The prime minister’s door has always been open and I have had his ear whenever I have needed it for my community ... I am speaking out to call out these unfair attacks on the prime minister.

New South Wales fire crews, ambulance and police are on the scene in Sydney’s North Shore where a fire is raging through the roof of a Mosman house.

Updated

Another premier has come out swinging at the PM today, with Victoria’s premier Daniel Andrews arguing the state hasn’t had its “fair share” from the Commonwealth.

Treasury does not believe government spending in last week’s federal budget will inflame inflation or alter the outlook for interest rates, AAP reports.

The 2022/23 budget papers show the government made $39 billion worth of new spending decisions, which includes an $8.6 billion cost-of-living package.

Luke Yeaman, deputy secretary of Treasury’s macroeconomic group, told a Senate estimates hearing that given the size of the overall economy, he did not expect this would have a material impact on inflation.

His comments came as the Reserve Bank of Australia appeared to be laying the groundwork for an interest rate rise in coming months. The RBA left the the cash rate at a record low of 0.1% at Tuesday’s monthly board meeting.

But RBA governor Philip Lowe notably dropped the word “patient” in his post-meeting statement, having repeatedly used it in the past in terms of needing to lift interest rates.

He also warned that the rate of inflation – already at 3.5% – is expected to grow further in coming quarters, and that the board will be monitoring the data closely from now on. He made no reference to last week’s budget.

Commonwealth Securities senior economist Ryan Felsman said the RBA appeared to be losing its patience:

With price pressures becoming more widespread, government pandemic restrictions removed and the economy growing at a strong pace, pressure is building on the RBA to lift the cash rate from record-low levels enacted during the pandemic crisis.

CBA Group economists expect the preconditions for an interest rate hike to be broadly met by the June board meeting, and are tipping a 0.15% increase. Felsman said this would end the longest RBA policy easing cycle on record.

Northern Territory records 513 new Covid cases

The Northern Territory has released today’s Covid update.

There were 513 new cases recorded in the Northern Territory, the vast majority - 456 - from rapid antigen tests.

There were 390 cases recorded in the Top End region, 46 in Central Australia, 11 in East Arnhem, 8 in the Big Rivers region, 4 in the Barkly region and 53 are under investigation.

There are 20 people in hospital with the virus including three people requiring oxygen. There are no patients with Covid in ICU.

It brings active cases in the territory to 2,922.

Some good news. No further flooding is expected in the Richmond River.

From the Bureau:

River levels at Bungawalbyn fell below the minor flood level (3m) at 01pm Wednesday and are expected to continue falling.

ACT records 1,149 new cases

The ACT has released its daily Covid update.

There have been 1,149 new cases detected overnight and, thankfully, no new deaths.

There are 42 people being treated in hospital with the virus including four people in intensive care.

Difficult to tell from the placement of the opposition leader’s hand as to the mood of the baby but sending it congratulations nonetheless.

The high court is today hearing an appeal by the immigration minister, Alex Hawke, seeking to overturn the federal court’s decision to release Shayne Montgomery, a New Zealand citizen who has been culturally adopted as Aboriginal.

The commonwealth is attempting to use the appeal to overturn the landmark Love and Thoms decision, in which the court ruled that Aboriginal non-citizens cannot be aliens and therefore cannot be deported.

At the hearing on Wednesday two of the judges in the original majority, Michelle Gordon and James Edelman, were especially tough in their line of questioning of the solicitor general, Stephen Donaghue.

Edelman warned against a “fairy tale” view of the law about retrospectivity of changes, noting that “as a matter of fact” Montgomery and other non-citizens released due to Love and Thoms will lose their liberty.

Both quibbled with Donaghue’s submission that there was no clear common reasoning between the majority judges in Love and Thoms.

Edelman suggested Donaghue was isolating “slight differences” between the judgments about the required extent of the continuity of Aboriginal societies’ traditions, adding that identifying common reasoning “since first year law school” has always been about finding the level on which the judges agree, not descending to such “levels of specificity”.

Gordon accused Donaghue of having “misread” what another judge said about customs having to be “continuously observed”, because customs can still be observed while also recognising “change”. She said the “black and white” analysis on that point was “inappropriate” for dealing with the societies of First Nations people in Australia.

Eventually the chief justice, Susan Kiefel, who was in the minority in Love and Thoms, came to the rescue, encouraging Donaghue to move on from his claim about no common reasoning and onto his submission that leave should be granted to reopen the case.

When the time for lunch arrived, Donaghue asked the break be cut 15 minutes short because he was falling behind in the pace of his submissions. Kiefel said this was “understandable” in the circumstances, and agreed.

Since the February 2020 Love and Thoms decision, two justices in the majority retired and were replaced by Jacqueline Gleeson and Simon Steward. The case is an important test not just of whether Aboriginal people can be aliens, but the circumstances in which the court will reopen (and may overturn) a case.

PM on election date speculation: 'I said we would run a full term'

Back to the election. Morrison is asked if he will call an election for 21 May because the government needs as much time as possible to come back from behind in the polls.

“I said we would run a full term and I said we would run for three years,” he replies.

And that is what we’re doing. I have been upfront with the Australia people. There have been plenty of people speculating about the election day with great certainty up until now and they have been proved wrong, time and time again.

And off he goes.

Updated

Morrison is asked about a series of appointments that have been made this week of Liberal party figures to government bodies.

“It looks pretty cynical, doesn’t it?”

He replies “we make appointments all the time” – nothing to see here.

We appointed Gary Gray as the ambassador to Ireland. We make appointments regularly. Labor people have been appointed to the exact same position that you have been talking about ... these people are qualified for the jobs, they will do a great job and I look forward to them doing a good job of that. That is simply why they have been appointed.

Updated

Morrison is asked about those texts sent by Gladys Berejiklian. Additional screenshots of the texts were released today, allegedly sent by the former premier.

He says there is “nothing new” in the messages, and reminds reporters Gladys said she had “no recollection” of them and would be “surprised” if she had sent them (which is not the same as denying them).

They the same things that people [said] before. Gladys said herself that she has no recollection of that, in her own discussions with me, given the nature of the language. She said she would be, she would be very surprised. I should have said, she didn’t recollect them, she didn’t know them. All I know is that I haven’t seen them. And that is not her view about the way we work together. I think she has been very clear about that.

Morrison says the government will “keep turning up” and do its job.

He encourages state governments to “keep doing their job”, which is not the commonwealth’s job, and says the Queensland government was “politicising” natural disasters in comments made by the acting premier today.

No, I’m sorry, you’ve asked me what the commonwealth government is doing in Queensland and I am telling you. No, what I am telling you is that we’ve committed and already paid out over $375m ... these are shared responsibilities ...

Look – I think we have seen over some time now, a real politicisation and it’s very unfortunate, a real politicisation of natural disasters. When the Queensland government, who has responsibilities in the project that they’ve outlined today, they are all Queensland responsibilities and we think they should do that ... I don’t think people are that interested in the politicking between state government having a crack at the federal government when it comes to the flood response.

What I know is we’ve already turned up and will keep turning up with the things we are responsible for and state governments will get on with the things they are responsible for.

Updated

Morrison is asked why he didn’t agree to provide additional funding to Queenslanders impacted by recent flooding events. Is this a politically poor decision so close to the election?

He replies with the amount the commonwealth has committed to New South Wales – a different state, albeit:

In New South Wales, we committed $2.1bn to the New South Wales flood response, $2.1bn. And a billion of that has already been paid to flood victims already. And we have also engaged with the New South Wales government, [a] significant 50-50 cost sharing arrangement on the many programs that they’ve done over a series of programs, and as I made very clear yesterday, for the additional support that goes above and beyond ... we will continue to support those acute areas, that’s what we’ve done, $2.1bn.

In Queensland, let me be very clear about what we have done in Queensland already. We have some $316m which has been able to be paid directly to people ... That funding is 100% from the commonwealth government.

Updated

Morrison is asked whether he will call the election tomorrow.

He replies - “no”, obfuscating:

It’ll be a very important election because you know ... over the last couple years, Australians have been focused on getting through what has been a very tough time for this country ...

Morrison turns to Aukus, the pact between the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States. We are well and truly in election mode here:

Today is an important day because overnight, we issued a statement on the Aukus partnership which as you know was put in place by the government, together with the United States and the United Kingdom, as an important partnership that would massively upscale our capabilities in terms of our own defence and bringing a strategic balance with the Indo-Pacific region ... this was the most significant defence agreement that Australia has entered into since seven years ago ...

The other things that are part of Aukus ... especially in the near term is the work we’re doing on advanced defence technology ... They are world leaders right here in Parramatta, the technology that they develop, not just for here in Australia but all around the world.

And it is a demonstration of Australia’s defence industry capability now, but we’ve announced overnight is that hypersonics and various technologies are very much a part of the partnership Aukus is striving to deliver.

Updated

The prime minister is speaking in Sydney now alongside Maria Kovacic, the newly confirmed Liberal candidate for Parramatta.

Scott Morrison says for 20 years Kovacic has been a “keen advocate” for women across Western Sydney and sneaks in a little jesting reference to rugby. Unlike him!

Maria has been running businesses and she’s been helping so many people across Western Sydney into their first home and into their homes through the mortgage business.

It’s great to have you as part of our team and for you to bring that experience, and you wouldn’t be a Liberal candidate for Parramatta if you weren’t on the Eels team as well, and have been involved as a board director the Eels, I thank [you for] the work that you’re doing in the club.

Updated

Here’s AAP’s take on the Albanese.com.au website redirection matter which the opposition leader referred to earlier today:

Anthony Albanese has hit out at a “childish” pre-election trick from the Liberal National Party, saying it shows the Morrison government is embarrassed by its own record, AAP reports.

A web address that bears the federal Labor leader’s name is registered to a “Sam Jackson” from the LNP.

When the address albanese.com.au is entered into a web browser, the user is instead taken to the website liberal.org.au - the official site of the Liberal Party.

Albanese says that kind of tactic is “not on” in a democracy such as Australia, but voters won’t be fooled. He told reported in Perth today:

This is a test of integrity for Scott Morrison and for the Liberal Party ... I think people should behave in a reasonably adult way.

It is childish, it is an example of this government just being not in a position to advance its own agenda, being embarrassed by its own record and having no agenda for the future.

The opposition leader also called on the coalition to change the address, saying it would show a lack of integrity if it remained.

Updated

The premiers are not holding back today. South Australia’s newly elected premier is not impressed by the Budget’s temporary tax relief.

Updated

Queensland’s acting premier, Cameron Dick, has lashed out at the prime minister, Scott Morrison, for his unwillingness to provide further funding to homes impacted by flood waters in the state, labelling it an “insult” to Queensland flood victims.

Dick said three weeks ago, the premier wrote to the PM asking for the commonwealth to help jointly fund a $741m residential recovery package.

“Last night, Scott Morrison responded, saying it’s not his problem,” he said.

Every Queenslander needs to know that this letter shows that Scott Morrison does not care about flood victims who need help from all levels of government. It doesn’t matter if your home floods two, three or four times over, Scott Morrison wants no part in creating an ongoing solution.

It is clear the prime minister has made a political calculation. He has decided he doesn’t need flood victims to vote for him – so he has nothing to offer them.

Dick said the PM had also been unwilling to support the Bundaberg flood levee nearly a decade after ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald hit the region.

This project has gone through detailed design and community consultation already, but Scott Morrison says it has to do it all again.

Scott Morrison doesn’t even have the guts to give the people of Bundaberg a straight answer, trying to tie this project up in more bureaucratic process. When it comes to helping flood victims avoid future disasters, it’s the same old story from Scott Morrison.

He says the words, but will not deliver.

Updated

The prime minister of Samoa, Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa, has responded to the security deal between Solomon Islands and China.

She says Solomons Islands is a “sovereign country” and respects the decisions the government makes. But she acknowledges the region needs to “come to terms” with a reality that’s developing:

I think this is a growing reality and another facet that is developing in the Pacific. It is going to present us with matters we will need to address, and to address more quickly, as opposed to leaving it on the back burner.

Updated

A couple who were reported missing in far north Queensland and subject to an extensive search and rescue operation have been located safe and well.

Yesterday afternoon, an aircraft spotted a car that had become bogged in bushland in the search area at Kowanyama.

A 59-year-old woman was located with the vehicle while a 63-year-old man, who had left on foot to find help, was located within the search area by traditional owners.

The couple are currently being treated at Kowanyama Clinic for minor injuries.

Speaking to media today, Peter Williamson of the Far North District Cape patrol group said the community should be “applauded” for their help to return the missing couple to safety:

It is also a timely reminder of how hazardous isolated areas of the cape can be, particularly during the wet season. People travelling into the cape should ensure they’re properly equipped for the conditions, prepared for emergencies and check roads are open prior to making the decision to travel.

Updated

South Australia records two Covid deaths, 5,784 cases

South Australia has just released today’s Covid update.

There have been 5,784 new cases detected and, sadly, two further deaths.

There are 208 people being treated in hospital with the virus including 12 people in the ICU and one person on a ventilator.

Updated

Many thanks to the equally fantastic Mostafa Rachwani for keeping us suitably informed and entertained this morning. I’ll be with you for the rest of the afternoon.

And with that, I will hand the blog over to the always fantastic Caitlin Cassidy. Thanks for reading.

So that rather interesting press conference has come to an end, but I will just share the moment a member of the public tried to ask Albanese a question:

Updated

To be fair to Albanese, he appears to be correct in saying Albanese.com.au redirects users to the Liberal party website. Which I guess is where we’re at.

Updated

Albanese has accused the Liberal party of not acting in a “reasonable, adult way” in apparently buying the albanese.com.au domain and using it to link to the Liberal Party website:

Can I just say one more thing, there is a website, Albanese.com.au that has been bought by someone associated with the Liberal Party but then, when someone clicks on it, it refers people straight to the Liberal party site.
This is a test of integrity for Scott Morrison and for the Liberal party.

Are they going to engage in this as an example of something that, frankly, is not on in our democracy? I think people should behave in a reasonably adult way. It is not as if someone who is searching for my website is going to go, oh, it is the same as the Liberal Party website ... it is childish, it is an example of this government just being not in a position to advance its own agenda, being embarrassed by its own record and having no agenda for the future.

Updated

McGowan is asked if he will be campaigning with Albanese:

A fair bit, a fair bit. I am a loyal member of the party and I will be up there campaigning with Anthony quite a bit.

McGowan is then asked about whether Covid restrictions will be reduced in the coming weeks, and the premier was a bit vague, saying it would depend on case numbers:

We are obviously going to watch and see with the numbers. I want to remind you all, over the course of the last two years, we [WA] have had minimal restrictions compare to anywhere else in Australia. Our restrictions have been minor.

They are now going through their fourth or fifth wave. We are going through essentially our first wave of Covid. Our situation is very different. Over the next week we will monitor case numbers and that will give us an indication, monitor hospitalisations and intensive-care admissions.

Updated

The WA premier, Mark McGowan, has launched into a tirade, apparently about people who “park outside his home and film.”

Now I didn’t hear the question that lead him to call people “morons”, but it appeared to be about something happening at the McGowan household:

... They are idiots, and they are morons, and whoever is behind that should be ashamed of themselves. They go and park outside ... outside my house and film. If that is a Liberal party [person], they should own up because it is a disgrace.

Updated

Ok we have had an odd interruption: a member of the public has interjected and said he’d like to ask Albanese a question. After some grumbling, Albanese said he couldn’t take the question, adding:

No, we are just taking questions from journalists, because that is what we do in a press conference.

Updated

Albanese was next asked about the WA premier, Mark McGowan, and his court case against Clive Palmer in Sydney.

The Labor leader backed his counterpart in WA and said Scott Morrison had called Western Australian’s “cave people”:

The reason why the premier had to travel to be in court on the days in which I was here and had a function that night – [which] I am sure the premier would have attended along with a whole other people from the Labor party – is that what was occurring was that we know Scott Morrison’s government spent taxpayer funds actually supporting Clive Palmer’s legal case against the people of Western Australia.

Not only that, some of those taxpayer funds went directly to Clive Palmer to assist with the legal bills when the commonwealth then belatedly withdrew.

I haven’t, when I come to WA, I don’t have to explain the sort of comment that the federal government does, when Scott Morrison referred to Western Australians as cave people. So he referred to Western Australians as cave people, he supported Clive Palmer in the case against Western Australians staying safe ... I will back Mark McGowan each and every day.

Updated

Pressed on how he would fund the plan, he turns his attacks on Liberal party spending:

I think if you are concerned about those promises, you will be beside yourself when a Liberal minister comes here. They spent $70bn in between MYEFO [the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook] in December and the budget last Tuesday. $70bn without any offsets, whatsoever.

In the budget last Tuesday, they made commitments or put aside funds in the tens of billions of dollars for decisions taken, not announced. Not announced.

More than all of the commitments that we have made in the three years that I have been leader of the Labor party. The truth is, we have been considered and measured.

Updated

Albanese has hit back at attacks from the government that question where the money for Labor’s aged care plan will come from:

It is no wonder that aged care workers, nurses and carers are leaving the industry. We know that is happening. We need to turn it around. And the idea that this government that wasted $5.5bn on a program that did not actually produce any submarines, just produced a torn up contract, complains about $2.5bn being spent over the forward estimates to implement the recommendations of the Aged Care Royal Commission ...

I just, frankly, say to this government, they have got all their priorities wrong, and they need to get out and talk to old Australians, but they also need to talk to the families of aged care residents or those people in home care who were not getting the support and assistance that they need to stay in the home as well, and there are savings here as well.

Updated

Next up, Albanese is asked about his aged care plan, and defended his party’s policy by saying it has mostly come from the recommendations that came out of the aged care royal commission:

This isn’t rocket science. This is arising from the aged care royal commission. We didn’t sit down and say, should there be a nurse in every nursing home? Because we think that is common sense. And if you ask people at random, they will be surprised that there is not a nurse in every nursing home.

But the aged care royal commission found very clearly that that was an important component of dealing with the aged care crisis.

Updated

Albanese calls Berejiklian a 'straight talker' after second round of leaked texts

First question off the line is about something very recent, regarding what he thought of the second round of leaked texts that reportedly come from the former NSW premier, Gladys Berejiklian:

The problem for the prime minister is the texts have been made public. It clearly is from Gladys Berejiklian. The problem with this prime minister is he will often say things that demonstrably not true.

I think she is a straight talker and was in her time in politics. She made a
damning statement about the prime minister, about his character, and in particular about him caring more about politics than he did about people.

Updated

Albanese has begun by announcing some $38.4m in funding for an expansion of he newborn screening program.

Albanese said the funding would increase the screening capacity, to cover 80 diseases, which he says is the world’s best practice:

We have met today parents, as well as nurses and other in the health sector, who have been advocating for this for some time. This will make a practical difference.

Parents will get more security and certainty about their newborns. It means as well that by picking up diseases as early as possible, what you do is you minimise the amount of intervention that is needed for these diseases.

Updated

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese is speaking now in Perth, alongside WA premier Mark McGowan.

Several flood warnings have been issued by the Bureau of Meteorology this morning, including minor flood warnings for the Orara and Richmond Rivers.

A moderate flood warning has also been issued for the lower Macintyre River, which is currently at 4.26 metres and rising at Boggabilla. The BOM says the river is likely to exceed minor flood levels this afternoon, and could near 6 metres by this evening.

The Richmond River is currently at 3.06 metres and falling this morning, with it likely to fall below minor flooding levels by this afternoon.

It comes as a severe weather warning for heavy rainfall for much of the NSW coastline has been maintained by the BOM, with warnings of flash flooding potential in the Illawarra and parts of the South Coast and Southern Tablelands.

Updated

At Defence estimates, Labor senator Tim Ayres said it seemed like the public should be ready for the Coalition to make a “set of political announcements” on capability decisions during the election.

Matt Yannopoulos, the acting secretary of the Department of Defence, isn’t sure he would use the phrasing “a series”, but he committed to do his best to obtain an answer today regarding capability decisions that have already been taken but are awaiting announcement. This all follows the earlier discussion about caretaker conventions (and the loophole about decisions being made prior to caretaker mode that can be announced during it).

Ayes asked whether a decision on air warfare destroyers had been taken but not yet announced. That follows a story in The Australian overnight that the Spanish shipbuilding company Navantia is pitching to build three more air warfare destroyers within a decade.

Yannopoulos said Defence had “not prepared any advice on what has been reported in the media today. When asked whether it had been contemplated, he added:

I don’t know what the government might be contemplating but we have not prepared any advice within the Department of Defence.

That led to this intriguing exchange (bear it in mind if there ends up being an announcement during the election campaign):

Ayres: So it’s possible the government might, off its own bat, announce additional naval capability?

Yannopoulos: I would think it highly unlikely, senator. They would need the expertise of our organisation and our capability acquisition expertise. I can’t be clearer than that: we have not done that work, but we are in a unique time in the Australian cycle when there is a lot of speculation.

Ayres: What does that mean?

Yannopoulos: We’re pre-election. There is a lot of commentary.

Ayre: Yeah, there’s a lot of commentary, but political considerations should not drive capability decisions should they?

Yannopoulos: No.

Penny Wong: Do they understand that?

Yannopoulos: I think so, but actually, I can’t answer that, senator. I don’t speak for the government.

Wong said if there were “secret capability decisions” that the government was holding off for an election campaign, the public had a right to know. She asked again whether Defence was prepared to ensure the opposition briefed on decisions taken.

Yannopoulos said he would “need to seek some advice” from the Department of the Prime Minister and cabinet “in terms of the way I’m interpreting the caretaker conventions”, but his understanding was that “we can brief on processes of government”.

Updated

Queensland records 8,534 new cases, one death

Queensland has reported 8,534 new cases and one death overnight.

The Department of Defence has declined to commit to briefing the opposition on defence capability-related decisions that the government may have already made prior to entering the election caretaker mode but are yet to be publicly announced.

At the outset, I should point out that the caretaker period begins at the time the House of Representatives is dissolved. That hasn’t happened yet. The conventions are that governments avoid making major policy decisions during caretaker mode that are likely to commit an incoming government.

If such a major policy decision needs to be made during caretaker mode, “the minister would usually consult the Opposition spokesperson beforehand”, according to the official guide.

Labor’s Senate leader, Penny Wong, said during Senate estimates this morning that Labor had given Aukus partnership bipartisan support, but noted it was the eve of an election. She asked whether Defence had considered how it might brief the opposition any “any relevant and pending developments and announcements after the election is called”.

Vice Admiral David Johnston, the vice chief of the Australian defence force, replied:

I think the normal caretaker provisions would prevail. That would be our expectation.

Matt Yannopoulos, the acting secretary of the Department of Defence, added:

If there was a major capability change or the need for a government decision, we would we would brief the opposition in accordance with the caretaker conventions.

However, a gap in the conventions is if decisions have already been made prior to the start of the campaign, but are announced during it. The PM&C guide adds:

However, where possible, decisions should be announced ahead of dissolution if their announcement is likely to cause controversy, which may distract attention from the substantive issues in the election campaign. Care should be taken to ensure that Australian Government resources are not used to make announcements that involve partisan activities.

Wong said the government had shown it was “very adept” at making a series of defence-related decisions “which are banked up but not yet public”. She asked whether it would be the department’s intention to brief the opposition on decisions already taken but not yet announced, prior to public announcement during caretaker mode.

Yannopoulos: “No.”

Wong: “Why not?”

Yannopoulos: “Because the government has taken those decisions prior to the caretaker period. We’re not in caretaker yet.”

Updated

AFLW player and nurse Deni Varnhagen, as well as a group of public servants, are in court today as she challenges South Australia’s vaccine mandates.

The challenge was brought by Varnhagen, teacher Craig Bowyer, nurse Courtney Milligan, childcare worker Kylie Dudson and police officers Adam Zacary Cook and Rosalyn Smith.

They assert that authorities have failed to exclude “obvious, alternative, compelling, reasonably practicable” alternatives that do not affect “common law rights or freedoms to bodily integrity”.

Outside court, a small group of supporters have gathered, chanting, “Go, Deni, get us the truth,” as she arrived.

Bowyer earlier said he did not want to be treated like a “second-class citizen” and that the vaccine mandates made no sense when “vaccinated people are passing on the virus”:

What we want is for [chief public health officer] Nicola Spurrier and [police commissioner] Grant Stevens to have to speak to the facts and justify to us why we lost our jobs using facts and data, not loose emails and agendas.

We don’t judge anyone who’s been vaccinated, that’s their right – we want to be allowed to make our decisions.

Updated

National Covid-19 update

Here are the latest coronavirus numbers from around Australia today, as the country records at least 23 deaths from Covid-19:

ACT

  • Deaths: 0
  • Cases: 1,149
  • In hospital: 14 (with 4 people in ICU)

NSW

  • Deaths: 15
  • Cases: 24,151
  • In hospital: 1,444 (with 51 people in ICU)

NT

  • Deaths: 0
  • Cases: 513
  • In hospital: 20

Queensland

  • Deaths: 1
  • Cases: 8,534
  • In hospital: 468 (with 14 people in ICU)

South Australia

  • Deaths: 2
  • Cases: 5,784
  • In hospital: 208 (with 12 people in ICU)

Tasmania

  • Deaths: 1
  • Cases: 2,408
  • In hospital: 39 (with 1 person in ICU)

Victoria

  • Deaths: 3
  • Cases: 12,150
  • In hospital: 331 (with 16 people in ICU)

Western Australia

  • Deaths: 1
  • Cases: 8,499
  • In hospital: 259 (with 9 people in ICU)

Updated

Labor promises to bid to host UN climate summit

Labor’s promise that it wants to host a UN climate conference if it wins power is getting some traction this morning, and is worth a look.

It was announced by Labor’s climate change spokesman, Chris Bowen, in December as part of the opposition’s “Powering Australia” policy.

Bowen said a Labor government would bid to co-host a future climate conference, known as a COP, with Pacific partner countries. The policy document doesn’t make it explicit, but Bowen told a press conference on the day the policy was released that the ALP was aiming for COP29, to be held at the end of 2024.

He said it was part of a Labor promise to “constructively and ambitiously participate in international forums” on climate - a commitment that it says contrasts with the Coalition government’s record. It has been regularly and pointedly accused of being a laggard and roadblock at international climate talks.

This is what he said standing alongside the Labor leader, Anthony Albanese:

Whereas the Morrison government was embarrassed at Glasgow, and they embarrassed Australia, we will be proud of our policies and an Albanese Labor government will bid to host COP29 in Australia and we will be inviting our Pacific Island friends and neighbours to join us in hosting it if they wish.

Labor could expect a reasonably warm welcome at the next climate talks – to be held in the Egyptian city of Sharm El-Sheikh in November – if it does win the election. It has promised to increase Australia’s 2030 emissions reduction target from the Coalition’s 26% to 28% to 43% (compared with 2005).

That number doesn’t live up to what climate scientists and many other countries say is necessary – that would require at least a 50% cut. But it would be seen as a step forward that brings Australia’s commitment within range of some other major developed countries.

It would also mean Australia could claim it was delivering on the Glasgow pact, which was agreed at the last COP in November. The pact requests that countries re-examine and strengthen targets when they return to the negotiating table in Egypt. The Morrison government said immediately after the conference that it wouldn’t do that.

It is worth noting there is some doubt over whether Australia will be eligible to host the COP as soon as 2024.

Hosting duties usually rotate between five country groups. Australia’s group – known as western Europe and others – hosted the COP26 in Glasgow and is not due for another turn until 2026.

That said, the five-yearly rotation has been sidestepped before. It is possible a concerted Australian campaign could break the cycle – especially if the scheduled 2024 region, central and eastern Europe, was open to relinquishing its place.

Updated

Tasmania records one death, 2,408 new Covid cases

Tasmania has reported 2,408 new cases overnight, and one death, bringing the total of Covid-related deaths in the state to 32.

Thirty-nine people are in hospital with the virus, with 19 being treated specifically for Covid symptoms. One person is in ICU.

Updated

Chief medical officer Paul Kelly has fronted a Senate estimates hearing this morning, saying Australian hospitals have been “coping well” with the current Covid wave.

Kelly said a future focus of health measures would be to reduce the risk of people developing severe diseases, and not reducing transmission:

The general principle will be to move away from reducing Covid-19 transmission to protecting people at higher risk of developing severe disease, essentially reducing harm.

The focus will be on supporting normal community functions and minimising disruptions to our health system and society.

I would like to reassure the committee: as a country we are very well prepared to respond to any of these scenarios.

High vaccination rates, particularly for people aged 65 and over, coupled with the recent availability of effective treatments, means that we can shift the focus away from reducing transmission to minimising harm from Covid in our most at-risk populations, for instance, elderly and those with underlying health conditions

Updated

At a Senate estimates hearing, the Labor senator Penny Wong is asking about defence capability – and how it matches with the government’s rhetoric.

She has been asking about the Department of Defence’s media release defending the cancellation of the $1.3bn SkyGuardian armed drones program (that program’s scrapping was first revealed in Senate estimates last Friday, as part of budget offsets to fund the Redspice cyber package).

The release was hitting back at a highly critical op ed by the outgoing head of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Peter Jennings.

Defence officials at the table are unsure who decided to issue a response under the Department of Defence banner, rather than the minister responding. They have committed to come back with an answer later.

Wong asks how many armed drones Australia now has.

Vice Admiral David Johnston, the vice chief of the Australian defence force, replies:

We have plenty of weapons, platforms that are armed. We do not have drones that are armed.

He argues that type of capability “can be mostly replicated through other means”:

And we believed it was the best of the choices in order to find the money that was needed to enhance the cypher program.

Wong wants to know if the minister at the table, Senator Jonathon Duniam, agrees with the Australian newspaper’s Greg Sheridan’s column that there is a fundamental mismatch between the government’s announcements and its lack of actual outcomes on capability.

Duniam says:

I respect Mr Sheridan … but I don’t accept that he’s right.

He says he suspects the defence minister, Peter Dutton, is receiving a “constant flow” of advice and information.

Updated

Brad Hazzard tests positive for Covid

New South Wales health minister Brad Hazzard has tested positive for Covid and is experiencing “minor flu like symptoms”.

He was a close contact of a colleague who tested positive on Tuesday, prompting a series of tests.

He returned a negative rapid test and a negative PCR test before testing positive on a second PCR test on Tuesday night.

A statement from his office reads:

Minister Hazzard is now in isolation. He developed minor flu like symptoms overnight and is being managed via the NSW Health virtual hospital and the Northern Sydney Public Health Unit. Minister Hazzard is fully vaccinated and intends to continue work meetings virtually, via Teams.

Updated

Perrottet labels NSW Liberal preselection an 'abject failure'

New South Wales premier Dominic Perrottet has labelled the NSW Liberal preselection saga as a “debacle” and an “abject failure”.

Speaking on Radio National on Wednesday morning, he said he was happy it had finally been resolved for Scott Morrison – and did not want a repeat come state election time:

It’s an abject failure of the division to not be in a position whereby there are candidates that the members of the public here in NSW can vote for if they want to support a Liberal candidate at the next election.

The feedback that I’ve received from people in the division is that the time it took to get candidates in place was less than ideal and they should have moved on this a lot faster.

It’s not just less than ideal, the whole thing has been a bit of a debacle.

He said there were lessons to be learned:

When it comes to the next state election, I certainly wouldn’t want to be in a position where I don’t have people representing the Liberal party in seats.

Clearly, there’s something to be learned here.

When asked how it had come to this, he said he had “no idea”.

Updated

AAP is reporting that the return of ancestral remains of more than 100 Aboriginal people, including the oldest human skeleton found in Australia, to their original resting grounds has been approved by the federal government.

The remains were removed from Lake Mungo in the Willandra Lakes area of south-west NSW without the approval of traditional owners between 1960 and 1980.

Among them were remains known as Mungo Man and Mungo Lady.

Mungo Lady’s remains show evidence of one of the world’s oldest known cremations and Mungo Man is the oldest human skeleton to be discovered on the continent.

Both also provided knowledge of ritual burials.

NSW heritage and environment minister James Griffin said:

While the discovery of Mungo Man and Mungo Lady helped scientists establish that Aboriginal people have been in Australia for more than 42,000 years, it’s time to let their spirits rest in peace.

The discovery of the remains paved the way for Mungo national park to be declared a Unesco world heritage site, which delayed the reburial.

Updated

The Greens have released a $6.1bn policy aimed at dramatically boosting the uptake of electric vehicles and re-establishing car manufacturing in Australia.

It proposes a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 – in line with several other countries – and includes a $10,000 rebate for the first EV a person buys, increasing to $15,000 if the car was made in Australia. The rebate would decline over time and phase out once 2.5m cars had been bought.

The party says it would build a $2bn publicly owned EV fast charging network and electrify the commonwealth car fleet by 2025. The latter commitment would help build a second-hand market in EVs as the fleet was regularly turned over. On manufacturing, it would provide up to $1.2bn to manufacturers of EVs and EV components.

An electric car gets charged at a supermarket car park
An electric car gets charged at a supermarket car park. Photograph: Mark Baker/AP

It says the plan could be paid for through new taxes on billionaires and corporate “super profits” and by cutting subsidies to fossil fuel companies. Its proposal has been costed by the parliamentary budget office.

The party is releasing the policy in South Australia, where it hopes to pick up a seat through its candidate Barbara Pocock, an economist. Greens leader Adam Bandt said “in a few years’ time the whole country could be driving SA-made electric cars”:

The Liberals flattened SA’s car industry but the Greens want to recharge it. As well as making electric cars here, we’ll make them cheaper to buy and easier to recharge.

Road transport makes up 15% of Australia’s emissions, so any party with a net zero emissions target needs a plan to get our cars running on the sun and the wind.

Updated

Here’s an update on our piece from last night about the Victorian casino regulator, the VGCCC, launching disciplinary action against Crown Resorts that could result in a fine of as much as $100m.

Crown has put out an announcement to the stock exchange about the action, which revolves around a scheme explored at the Victorian royal commission into its Melbourne casino where spending on the gaming floor was disguised as hotel expenditure through the use of China UnionPay credit cards.

In its statement, Crown said:

Crown previously announced on 7 June 2021 that its Board had received legal advice that the China UnionPay process (which ceased in November 2016) contravened section 68 of the Casino Control Act 1991 (Vic) and it had notified the predecessor of the VGCCC and the Victorian Royal Commission of that matter.

Crown is responding to information requests from the VGCCC and will fully cooperate with the VGCCC on this and any other matters arising from the Victorian Royal Commission Report.

Crown’s priority remains the delivery of its reform and remediation program to ensure Crown delivers a safe and responsible gaming environment.

Our earlier coverage is here:

Updated

Victoria reports 12,150 new Covid cases and three deaths

Victoria is reporting 12,150 new cases and three deaths overnight:

Updated

NSW records 24,151 new Covid cases and 15 deaths

NSW has recorded a spike in Covid deaths today, reporting 15 deaths overnight, and 24,151 new cases:

Updated

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has been making the rounds this morning, also appearing on the Today show, where he rejected suggestions the government is playing “catch-up” on defence.

Asked if the government had been lagging behind in regards to defence, having been in power for 10 years, Frydenberg cited the technology behind the newly announced hypersonic weapons being developed with the US and the UK:

These are the ... latest and most high-tech missiles that we’re talking about.

It’s not like they’ve been in operation for a decade or so [while we’ve been in government].

What we have done is secure an agreement with the United States and United Kingdom where we can access this technology. What we’ve been doing ever since we came into government is putting more money into defence after the Labor party failed to do so.

We’ve been building ships that are now in the water. We are ensuring Australia gets access to the latest planes that are now in the air. And we’ve been repairing and maintaining our combat vehicles that are now in service.

This is what a government that is focused on national security does. And it’s a very stark contrast to our political opponents.

Updated

New Berejiklian texts about Morrison reportedly emerge

New text messages from former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian have emerged, building on former leaks and labelling Scott Morrison “obsessed with petty political pointscoring.”

News.com.au has reported it has received a second screenshot of text messages between Berejiklian and a mystery cabinet minister, in which she says she is “so, so disappointed,” in Morrison:

Thx. I’m just so so disappointed. Lives are at stake today and he is just obsessed with petty political pointscoring. So disappointed and gutted.

The texts are reportedly a continuation of previously reported texts in which Berejiklian calls Morrison a “horrible, horrible person” and the mystery cabinet minister responds by labelling him a “complete psycho”.

Berejiklian has never denied the existence of the text exchange but has merely said she does not recall it.

Gladys Berejiklian with Scott Morrison last year
Gladys Berejiklian with Scott Morrison last year. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/EPA

Updated

Senator Bridget McKenzie was on RN Breakfast this morning, giving host Patricia Karvelas a bit of a run-around.

Karvelas asked how McKenzie feels about residents in northern NSW feeling “abandoned” by the government, and the senator (much like Dominic Perrottet earlier) avoided the crux of the question:

We’ve seen unprecedented collaboration with both the local government and state government, with support being delivered in record time … we were able to get $3bn of recovery support out, in just over the first three weeks – that’s a record number of people supported.

Pushed on the particulars of the commonwealth support on offer, McKenzie said Scott Morrison had said the government was willing to support the NSW government, offering up to $20,000 for flood-affected residents without insurance.

But there was a catch:

The PM has written to Premier Perrottet to say we’re very happy to share in costs of that program ... but the PM has made clear that it’s for the one-in-500-year flood event.

Updated

Perrottet says Morrison isn't 'playing politics' with flood relief

NSW premier Dominic Perrottet has come out in support of Scott Morrison this morning, saying he disagreed with criticisms from his state colleague Catherine Cusack.

Cusack accused the PM of politicising flood relief by handing out funds for flood-affected communities in National seats first.

Perrottet danced around the issue before directly saying he thought the PM was a “good man”:

Well, look, I disagree with her … I would much prefer that everybody is given that financial support and when you go around and you visit community after community, right across the northern rivers, there are so many people who have been doing it tough.

I think he’s a good man and I think the character assassinations that we’ve seen over this period of time are pretty disappointing.

People will like you or hate you, that’s part and parcel of being in public life but ultimately we should focus on the policies.

Updated

The language in the joint statement about submarines is notable in that it seeks to play down nuclear nonproliferations fears. Indonesia and Malaysia are among those in the region to have previously raised concerns about Aukus. China has been presenting the submarine deal as a risk to nonproliferation. If the deal proceeds, Australia would be the first non-nuclear weapons state to acquire nuclear-powered submarines. The International Atomic Energy Agency has reminded Australia, the US and the UK of their obligations. But the IAEA director general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, said in March:

All are committed to ensuring the highest nonproliferation and safeguards standards are met.

In February, teams from Australia, the UK and the US visited multiple sites in Australia to look into issues such as nuclear stewardship, infrastructure, workforce, and industrial capabilities and requirements, as part of the ongoing 18-month study into the “optimal pathway” for Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines. Officials have also been looking into workforce issues associated with building, operating and sustaining such submarines, with some Australian personnel understood to have begun higher education and training opportunities in nuclear science and engineering.

The statement declaring leaders are “pleased” with progress has been issued amid expectations Scott Morrison will formally trigger the election campaign within days. Morrison has argued the world is facing “uncertain times” and it is not a time for “weakness”. The opposition has offered bipartisan support to Aukus, but has raised concerns about a potential “capability gap” before the new submarines are ready, possibly from the late 2030s.

Yesterday Morrison was forced to defend the cost of cancelling the French conventional submarine contract in favour of Aukus after officials indicated total expenses on the abandoned project might be as high as $5.5bn. Australia remains in negotiations with the French contractor Naval Group. Morrison disputed the likely total cost and said:

The plan B I had was better than plan A.

In a press conference in Sydney yesterday, the prime minister said Australia needed nuclear-propelled submarines because the strategic environment in the Indo-Pacific had deteriorated over the past few years. He described Aukus as “the most significant defence agreement this country has entered into” since forging the alliance with the US 70 years ago.

Updated

Queen's message for flood victims

The Queen has expressed her support for flood-affected communities in NSW and Queensland.

In an Instagram post from the royal family, and in a message written to governor general David Hurley, the Queen said she had been “saddened” by the loss of life and scale of the disasters:

In the immediate response, Australians’ resolute spirit and community mindedness has once again shone through.

Many thanks go out to the emergency services and many volunteers who have tirelessly assisted those in need. My thoughts continue to be with those who have been impacted as the focus now turns to the long recovery phase ahead.

Updated

The US, the UK and Australia will investigate hypersonic weapons and electronic warfare capabilities as new joint projects under the Aukus banner, while also floating the option of working with other allies and partners on these fields.

Joe Biden, Boris Johnson and Scott Morrison issued a joint statement updating progress on the Aukus security partnership overnight. It reads:

We reaffirmed our commitment to AUKUS and to a free and open Indo-Pacific. In light of Russia’s unprovoked, unjustified, and unlawful invasion of Ukraine, we reiterated our unwavering commitment to an international system that respects human rights, the rule of law, and the peaceful resolution of disputes free from coercion.

We are pleased with the progress in our trilateral program for Australia to establish a conventionally armed, nuclear‑powered submarine capability. We are fully committed to establishing a robust approach to sharing naval propulsion technology with Australia that strengthens the global non-proliferation regime.

We also committed today to commence new trilateral cooperation on hypersonics and counter-hypersonics, and electronic warfare capabilities, as well as to expand information sharing and to deepen cooperation on defence innovation. These initiatives will add to our existing efforts to deepen cooperation on cyber capabilities, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, and additional undersea capabilities. As our work progresses on these and other critical defence and security capabilities, we will seek opportunities to engage allies and close partners.

Updated

NSW Liberal preselection process 'less than ideal', Josh Frydenberg says

Federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg has labeled the preselection process in the NSW Liberal party “less than ideal”.

The NSW court of appeal has confirmed that Scott Morrison’s intervention in the preselection process was valid, after a brutal battle to get his preferred candidates installed.

Frydenberg was on ABC Breakfast this morning and conceded that the process had not a been friendly one, but said he was glad it was over:

Well, it has been less than ideal, but I’m glad that it’s heading to its conclusion and that we’ve secured new candidates for these seats. But I don’t want you just to focus on the Liberal party, Michael. This election is a choice between a Coalition of Liberals and Nationals, and Labor, and Greens.

There are seats there that not only do we need to hold but seats that we can actually win off the Labor party.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg. Photograph: Trevor Collens/AAP

Updated

Good morning

Good morning, Mostafa Rachwani with you this morning, taking you through the day’s news.

We begin in New South Wales, where a severe weather warning has been issued for heavy rainfall everywhere between Gosford and Bega, including Batemans Bay, Nowra, Goulburn, Wollongong, Sydney and Katoomba. Flooding is expected on the Hawkesbury and Nepean, Colo, Upper Nepean and Lower Hunter rivers.

Six-hourly rainfall totals between 60mm and 100mm are likely, reaching up to 140mm over coastal areas.

We’re expecting a review into the Blue Mountains landslide tragedy that claimed two lives on Monday, and left a mother and her son in a critical condition. All but two lookouts in the Blue Mountains national park have been closed for visitors, with the weather exacerbating concerns for the walking trails.

Overnight a new element of the Aukus pact was announced, with Australia pledging to work with the UK and the US on developing nuclear-capable hypersonic weapons. The announcement comes as part of a wider growing militarisation in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Labor has reportedly pledged to bid to host major international climate talks if it wins the federal election, in an attempt to improve relations with Pacific nations that are dealing with the practical realities of climate change.

This all comes after a busy day for Scott Morrison yesterday: he won a case in the NSW court of appeal that confirmed his preferred candidates; then told ABC’s 7.30 that he had intervened in the preselection process because he wanted to stand up “for the women in my team”.

The foreign affairs minister, Marise Payne, will be attending a meeting of Nato foreign ministers in Brussels today, to discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Yesterday she announced a luxury exports ban that will prevent high-value goods being shipped to Russia.

There is a lot going on, so let’s dive in.

Updated

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