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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Caitlin Cassidy, Amy Remeikis and Natasha May (earlier)

Clarkson denies any ‘wrongdoing or misconduct’ – as it happened

Scott Morrison Australia
Alastair Clarkson
Incoming North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson will ‘delay the start of his tenure’ at the club. Photograph: Jonathan DiMaggio/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

What we learned today, Wednesday 21 September

With that, we will wrap the blog for the evening.

If you’ve got a public holiday tomorrow, I hope you spend it to your heart’s content. Here were the major developments of what has been a very busy news day:

Updated

Storms and rain forecast across most of NSW as Wee Waa cut off by floods

A rain band is forecast to deliver widespread showers and thunderstorms across most of NSW as the small town of Wee Waa is cut off by flood waters, AAP reports.

Severe thunderstorms with large hailstones, heavy rainfall and damaging winds are forecast for parts of inland NSW and southern Queensland on Wednesday, the Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Jenny Sturrock said.

A severe weather warning has been issued for the state’s central west slopes and plains, with six-hourly rainfall totals of up to 60 to 70mm expected, triggering a risk of flash and riverine flooding.

Flooding is already impacting Dubbo, Gunnedah and Tamworth, with Parkes, Wellington, Coonamble, Gilgandra and Peak Hill also at risk.

Helicopters are preparing to fly in supplies to the town of Wee Waa, between Narrabri and Walgett, as flooding cuts off road access. A strong western front is expected to fill the already swollen Namoi River on Wednesday evening, stranding the town which has a population of about 2,000.

The Lachlan, Narran and Macquarie rivers are already experiencing major flooding.

Further rainfall across Wednesday night was likely to exacerbate flood conditions throughout NSW and down to northern Victoria and up to southern Queensland, Sturrock said. Falls are likely to concentrate around the coast on Thursday.

Light to moderate falls across saturated catchments have the potential to trigger significant flood responses, and Sturrock urged the community to stay up to date with warnings from the BOM.

Many catchments in the north-west, central west and south-west are already dealing with flooding after heavy recent falls saturated catchments and filled dams.

Residents in north-western Gunnedah and Wee Waa are facing their third flood in a year as five houses were inundated when the Namoi River peaked at over eight metres on the weekend, the State Emergency Service said.

In the the state’s central west, Dubbo received 30mm of rain by 3pm, on the lower end of the predicted rainfall.

“The intensity of rain we’ve anticipated hasn’t fallen yet,” the SES spokesperson, David Rankin, told AAP.

That’s really good news but we aren’t out of the woods – it could come later tonight.

Updated

Victorian Labor and Coalition unite to thwart Greens bill to end coal power by 2030

The Andrews government and the Victorian opposition have united to thwart a bill by the state’s Greens party to end coal mining and burning by the end of the decade.

The bill would have brought forward the closure of the three brown coal-fired thermal power stations in the Latrobe Valley – Loy Yang A and B and Yallourn – which together generate about 70% of the state’s electricity.

But the state government and the Coalition voted to prevent the bill going to a vote in parliament’s upper house on Wednesday afternoon.

The Victorians Greens’ climate spokesperson, Ellen Sandell, said May’s federal election results, which saw more of the state vote for the party than ever before, highlighted voter’s frustration with “inaction” by the major parties on climate change:

The United Nations, global scientists and environment groups have made it clear that tackling the climate crisis requires states like Victoria to close all coal power stations by 2030. But right now, Labor has licensed Victoria’s coal plants to operate as late as 2048, which is outrageous.

Updated

NSW SES urges people to be prepared for storms and flooding

The NSW SES senior manager of state operations, Dallas Burnes, has just appeared on the ABC to provide an update on the heavy rainfall and storms hitting the coast until the weekend.

He urged the community to remain prepared and keep abreast of the evolving situation, particularly with more people travelling on the Thursday public holiday. Some 17 flood watches are active across the state.

Those rivers are rising, however, we’ve got really good intel on how they’re tracking … we’re expecting our units locally will be able to respond as required.

Updated

Longtime Play School host John Hamblin dies at 87

The former Play School host John Hamblin has died, aged 87.

Hamblin presented the ABC children’s program for almost three decades, appearing on more than 350 episodes of the show from the 1970s onwards.

Updated

Fred Nile joins Labor and crossbenchers to block NSW flood plain harvesting regime

The NSW government’s flood plain harvesting licensing regime has been disallowed for a fourth time, after the Christian Democrat, Fred Nile, joined Labor and crossbenchers to again block it.

Nile said he was supporting the disallowance because First Nations people had not been sufficiently consulted.

He said he had received many representations about the poor water quality in the Murray-Darling River system and the impact this had on community and Indigenous peoples’ health, particularly in times of drought.

Labor and the Greens backed the independent Justin Field’s motion to again disallow the planned licensing regime because it would not deliver sufficient outcomes for the environment, and the government had failed to listen to the concerns of First Nations people.

The debate over flood plain harvesting – the practice of taking overland flows using levies and channels – has been running for more than two-and-a-half years. There have been two parliamentary inquiries and multiple attempts by the government to introduce a licensing regime.

But while all sides support licensing in principle, there have been major objections to the amount of water that the NSW government plans to allow farmers – mainly big irrigators in the north – to take.

“There is a gross inequity at its heart,” Field said of the government plan.

The current rules are not adequate because they privilege irrigators over others. If you outsource your natural resource policy to the National party and the interests that support them, you will destroy this state.

Labor’s water spokesperson, Rose Jackson, said Labor wanted to see flood plain harvesting licensed but not with the lowest possible requirements as the government proposed. But the government accused those opposing the licensing regime of being anti-farming and trying to wreak havoc on the food and fibre industry.

The disallowance means that the government will now need to do more studies to assess the impact of allowing irrigators to take overland flows, particularly the first flush of flows after drought.

Some licences that were granted earlier, while the regulations were in force, will be permitted to stand. The regulations that require metering will also be allowed to stand.

Updated

Alastair Clarkson denies any wrongdoing following Hawthorn racism review

Alastair Clarkson has released a statement following confirmation from North Melbourne his start date as coach – originally slated for 1 November – will be “delayed” for an investigation into conduct at the Hawthorn Football Club during his tenure to take place.

He says he was “shocked” by the allegations and wasn’t interviewed by authors of the report, nor has he been provided with a copy.

Updated

Greens say Santos ruling ‘sets the standard for consultation with traditional owners’

The Greens have released a statement following the federal court’s ruling today that Santos failed to consult with traditional owners over its Barossa gas project.

The Yamatji-Noongar senator Dorinda Cox said the ruling showed mining companies and governments “can’t be trusted” to do the right thing “without legislative pressure”.

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP) clearly states that free, prior and informed consent is a human right. We need to fast-track the Private Senator’s UNDRIP Bill and its implementation in our laws, policies and practice.

This judgement sets the standard for consultation with Traditional Owners. If Labor wants to talk about recognising First Nations people, they must start with their own departments.

Updated

Heavy rainfall and flash flooding likely on NSW mid-north coast

The Bureau of Meteorology has warned heavy rainfall may develop on the NSW mid-north coast from Thursday afternoon, bringing flash flooding.

Six-hourly rainfall totals of 60 to 80mm are possible, with isolated falls up to 120mm predicted. Twenty-four-hour isolated rainfall totals may reach 200mm.

The BoM says:

A surface low will move eastwards across the state today, before lingering about the coast or just offshore during Thursday and Friday.

The surface low will interact with an upper low and trough to generate persistent showers and embedded thunderstorms across the Mid North Coast district during Thursday and Friday morning before moving offshore later on Friday.

Severe weather is no longer occurring about the Central West Slopes and Plains and Central Tablelands districts, and the warning for this area has been cancelled.

Locations which may be affected include Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Taree, Woolgoolga, Sawtell and Dorrigo.

Updated

As the news of the day has been rolling on, Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, has been addressing the nation, announcing a “partial mobilisation” of forces in Russia.

You can hop on to our dedicated live blog here:

Updated

Alastair Clarkson to ‘delay start’ at North Melbourne following Hawthorn racism review

The North Melbourne football club has released a statement following allegations about the treatment of Indigenous players at Hawthorn when the incoming Kangaroos coach Alastair Clarkson was with the Hawks.

The club has confirmed Clarkson will “delay the start of his tenure” to allow him time to participate in an investigation announced by the AFL. He was due to begin at North on 1 November.

The matters raised are now with the AFL’s Integrity Unit and Alastair welcomes the opportunity to co-operate with any investigation relating to the claims.

Alastair was due to commence work with North Melbourne on November 1 however he will delay the start of his tenure to allow time to fully participate in the investigation.

Given the matters raised are confidential and the investigation is ongoing, the club will not provide any further comment at this time.

Updated

Iranian-Australians gather in Sydney to protest death of Mahsa Amini

Iranian-Australians are gathering in Sydney this evening to condemn the killing of Mahsa Amini, and then others protesting her death, at the hands of the Islamic Republic government in Iran.

The 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman was taken into custody by the Islamic Republic’s “morality police” due to an “inappropriate head scarf”. Two hours later she was taken into hospital and eventually died from a brain stroke resulting from concussion. Amnesty International has called the cause of her death suspicious.

Iran Solidarity says:

We the Iranian Australian community condemn the killing of Mahsa Amini and the subsequent crackdown and killing of protestors on the streets of Iran. We hold the Islamic Republic and its representative Ebrahim Raisi and Ali Khamenei responsible for the latest violence.

We urge the international community and the United Nations to hold the Islamic Republic squarely responsible for theses deaths, but also hold this government to account for its continuous and horrendous human rights records – making human rights a priority and condition in the continuing nuclear negotiations.

The Australian academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert, who was previously detained in Iran, told ABC’s Afternoon Briefing that Iranian people have reached a “breaking point”:

They are desperate. The bravery and the courage of some of the acts of protests that we’ve seen in past days coming out of Iran is astounding … there really is this groundswell of rage and anger and exasperation with this morally, financially corrupt regime.

The Iranian delegation, including the Iranian president, the Iranian foreign minister and others are in New York right now for the UN General Assembly. They should be held to account for this.

Updated

Absolutely tragic.

Burney is asked if she’s concerned the revelations against Hawthorn are just the latest in a long string of allegations, inquiries and reviews into racial misconduct within the AFL – including at Collingwood and Adelaide.

Is there a pattern here?

Well, you haven’t mentioned Michael O’Loughlin [former Sydney player] and what he went through at the hands of spectators. It just seems to me, and I believe the AFL understands this, that these sorts of incidents cannot go without consequences and I believe that there will be consequences in the light of these revelations.

It’s inconceivable that AFL or NRL could be what they are without the contribution of First Nations players. Both in the women’s and the men’s leagues … AFL holds a really special place in the Aboriginal community. That place has to be honoured which is why these revelations have to be treated seriously and properly investigated. There is no two ways about it.

Burney says it’s unlikely the “broader movement” of reconciliation will be harmed by the findings.

Obviously the AFL is taking this very seriously. But the proof will be in the pudding and we’ll see what the outcomes of these allegations are.

Linda Burney wears a colourful jacket in a remote setting
Linda Burney at the Garma Festival in Northern Territory, July 2022. Photograph: Carly Earl/The Guardian

Updated

An investigation has been launched by the AFL in the wake of the revelations. Asked if it goes far enough or if there should be a “broader look” at culture, Burney says there’s “two issues” at play:

The first is that I have had conversations of course with Gillon McLachlan and Tanya Hosch this morning. And the investigation … is absolutely appropriate and I understand the make-up of that team will be announced later on today by the AFL.

But I would also say this - that every single sporting club in every code should look carefully at the way in which they’re dealing with First Nations players, to make sure their workplace is a safe one and a culturally appropriate one. That is what is needed in the light of these revelations.

She says she “won’t go into details” of the private conversations but they were centred around the immediate actions the AFL would take place, namely, an investigation.

McLachlan also made a commitment to keep Burney “abreast” of the investigation which she welcomed:

The allegations that have been made against Hawthorn are just horrendous. And it is inconceivable to me that a football club of the status of Hawthorn would put people through what they have put people through.

Updated

Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney is appearing on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing following revelations and allegations of racism and mistreatment of First Nations players at the Hawthorn Football Club first publicised by reporter Russell Jackson this morning.

She says the report was “nothing short of sickening” and “every single sporting club, in every code” should look carefully at how their workplace is providing cultural safety and respect for First Nations players.

It is inconceivable in this day and age the sort of treatment and the allegations that have been made by the players involved … this has to be taken seriously, and I believe that it is.

Updated

Government minister Richard Wynne is now making his valedictory speech to Victorian parliament’s lower house. Wynne is a Labor party elder - having been first elected in 1999 – and has served as a minister to premiers Daniel Andrews, John Brumby and Steve Bracks.

Prior to this, he served as a ministerial advisor at a state and federal level and as a councillor for the City of Melbourne, and had a stint as Lord Mayor between 1990 and 1991.

Richard Wynne holds his hand up as he speaks
Richard Wynne, then minister for housing, in 2021. Photograph: Daniel Pockett/AAP

Wynne went through the highlights of his career, including when as mayor he gave the keys to the City of Melbourne to Nelson Mandela:

I remember [wife] Svetlana and I were there together completely overwhelmed that this extraordinary world leader had come to Melbourne. He came to Melbourne as one of the first places that he came to after his imprisonment ... to thank people here in Melbourne and Sydney, particularly our friends in a trade union movement and particularly friends from my father’s union, the MUA, who did such an incredible amount of work to stand up against that vicious apartheid regime in South Africa. That was an amazing day in my life.

The Greens are hoping to capitalise on Wynne’s retirement to win his inner-city seat of Richmond, though he told parliament he’s confident Labor’s candidate Lauren O’Dwyer will fend them off:

The Greens political party will always seek to be two steps to the left of Labor and claim all of our progressive policy achievements as they criticize us ... What a sad way to practice politics, to be always in the grandstand, never on the field of play, where the real work is done.

As a member for Richmond, I’ve seen off the Greens on six occasions. And my colleague Lauren O’Dwyer, who’s with us today, she’ll do it again in November.

Updated

Victoria will scrap its public transport mask mandate from midnight on Thursday, bringing the state into line with most jurisdictions as it prepares to host the grand final match on Saturday.

On Monday, NSW and South Australia announced masks would no longer be required on public transport but the requirement remains in Queensland the ACT, despite national cabinet agreeing to drop the rule on domestic flights.

In Victoria, masks will no longer be required on public transport, in taxis or ride shares but will be recommended in indoor venues. Masks remain required in hospitals and care facilities.

The state’s health minister, Mary-Anne Thomas said the changes were “sensible”:

I thank the chief health officer for his advice on this matter.

As we move to living with Covid, it’s important we ensure enduring behaviour change in the community – and that means giving people the choice to wear masks to protect themselves and those around them.

Updated

Tomorrow’s public holiday is shaping up to be a good one to spend indoors and whip out a puzzle or a challenging sudoku if you’re in Queensland.

Queensland Fire and Emergency has warned the public to “drive to conditions and never attempt to cross floodwater” as a band of rain and thunderstorms moves across the state’s south.

There are seven minor flood warnings active across Queensland. A severe weather warning is in place, with severe thunderstorms and damaging winds expected to persist on Thursday.

Updated

As mentioned earlier, Tiwi Islanders have won a landmark case against drilling for gas by Santos in their traditional waters after complaining that the company failed to consult them about the impact of the project.

Read the full story from Ben Butler and Lisa Cox here:

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a number of flood warnings across New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland as an extensive band of rain and thunderstorms sweeps across much of Australia’s east.

A severe weather warning is active for heavy rainfall across NSW’s central west slopes and plains, with rainfall of up to 70mm expected. Damaging winds, heavy rainfall and flash flooding is predicted for inland NSW and southern Queensland.

The Bureau:

A significant flood risk is associated with this rainfall as renewed river level rises could lead to riverine flooding. Flooding has already impacted Dubbo, Gunnedah and Tamworth in NSW.

Major flooding is continuing on the Namoi River at Gunnedah and Wee Wa, the Macquarie River at Warren, Wellington and Narromine, the Lachlan River at Euabalong, Jemalong and Forbes and the Narran River.

Moderate flooding is occurring on “many rivers” in NSW and southern Queensland and a few in northern Victoria.

The Bureau said the trough would move east on Thursday and extend along the NSW coast, bringing possible heavy rainfall on the north coast, in the Hunter and Northern Rivers:

Friday will see a cold front sweep across southern South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, NSW and south-east Queensland with a band of showers, gusty winds and isolated thunderstorms possible. With dams full and the ground saturated, even light to moderate falls will lead to renewed rises and additional flooding.

Updated

The final valedictory speeches are being made in Victorian parliament’s lower house this afternoon. Up now is John Eren, who has been an MP for 20 years, most recently representing Lara:

My journey to this place and over the 20 years since I first became a member of parliament have been one of the most amazing experiences of my life. However, it has not been my journey alone. I want to thank the people in my life who have made this possible. Firstly, I want to thank all of those people in my electorate, who term after term after term voted me back in to represent them. I hope I’ve made a positive impact on your lives and that it’s a better place now to live, work and raise your family than when I was first elected.

Former minister Martin Pakula spoke before him and ended his speech with this advice to MPs:

Be smart, be tough. Be brave, be kind, carn the blues, join your union and vote Labor.

Updated

Victoria Police have issued an updated statement on the collision between a truck and school bus in Bacchus Marsh early this morning that injured more than two dozen students.

Major collision investigation unit detectives “continue to investigate” the crash, which occurred on the Western Highway, near the intersection of Condons Lane about 3.15am.

The Melbourne-bound lanes of the Western Highway are still shut from Ballan to Bacchus Marsh, with diversions in place. Speed limits have been reduced on the road.

Two teenage girls sustained serious injuries and were airlifted to a Melbourne hospital. The bus driver … sustained minor injuries and was transported to hospital.

The truck driver … was taken to hospital by road with serious injuries. All other occupants of the bus, a further 25 students, and four adults, were transported to hospital for observation.

Updated

The Queensland Police Service and committee of Brisbane Pride Incorporated have issued a joint statement committing to a formal apology to be delivered by police in early next year.

We have unfortunately not been able to finalise the process in time for the Brisbane Pride Festival March and rally and while police have been invited to march in 2022, they have been respectfully asked to not do so in uniform.

Both the QPS and Brisbane Pride Inc remain committed to this process which would enable uniformed officers to show their pride by marching in uniform once again in 2023.

We acknowledge the difficulties this process of change can place on members of the QPS who are also members of the LGBTIQ+ community.

In August last year, the committee invited serving Queensland police officers to march in that year’s Brisbane Pride Festival March and rally but asked officers not march in uniform.

The decision to communicate that decision to the QPS was done as a way to begin a conversation that would ultimately bring all community together to discuss meaningful and sustainable change, and to find ways to actively work together towards that change.

Those conversations have continued over the past 12 months. Both organisations agree that a formal apology by the police is one of the steps that is needed for us to move forward for a positive future together, and we are moving close to that milestone.

A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued by the Bureau of Meteorology for parts of Queensland as a low pressure system moves through the state.

The BoM:

Thunderstorms are developing in a moist air mass along a surface trough today, aided by an upper level low in NSW. The risk of severe thunderstorms increases throughout the afternoon and evening, with storm activity expected to gradually shift eastwards with the trough.

Severe thunderstorms are likely to produce damaging winds and large hailstones in the warning area over the next several hours. Locations which may be affected include Roma, St George, Mitchell, Injune, Surat and Glenorie.

Updated

We are hearing more about the whale stranding near Strahan on the west coast of Tasmania, where it appears at least 100 animals may have died.

The Tasmanian government’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment has just released a statement saying about 230 whales are stranded near Macquarie Harbour, south of Strahan. Only about half the animals are alive.

a photo of many whales stranded along a sweeping rugged beach
Whales stranded on Ocean Beach at Macquarie Harbour on the west coast of Tasmania. Photograph: AP

The department says the animals appear to be pilot whales – a species known to be socially cohesive and prone to mass strandings. They’re actually an oceanic dolphin, rather than a true whale.

The government’s Tasmania Marine Conservation Program is assembling whale rescue gear and heading to the area. They will work alongside staff from the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service and Tasmanian police at Strahan.

Some of the animals are stuck on Ocean Beach, with others on a sand flat inside Macquarie Harbour.

This scenario of whales on the beach and in the harbour is almost identical to the biggest recorded mass stranding in Australia, which occurred at the same location almost exactly two years ago.

The statement added:

The department has a comprehensive Cetacean Incident Manual which has undergone extensive review since the 2020 mass stranding and which guides a stranding response.

Marine wildlife experts will assess the scene and the situation to plan an appropriate response. Stranding response in this area is complex. If it is determined there is a need for help from the general public, a request will be made through various avenues.

Whales are a protected species, even once deceased, and it is an offence to interfere with a carcass.

Updated

Tiwi Islander wins federal court battle over Santos gas project

A Tiwi Islander has won a landmark case in the Federal Court, with drilling to be halted at a multi-billion dollar gas project north-west of Darwin.

Federal Court Justice Mordecai Bromberg ruled the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority should not have approved drilling off the Tiwi Islands.

Tiwi Islander Dennis Tipakalippa launched legal action in June, saying the regulator should not have allowed Santos to drill eight wells in the Barossa gas field, 265km north-west of Darwin.

The Munupi elder said he was not consulted over the company’s environmental plan and feared the project could damage his people’s sea-country.

Santos, Australia’s second-largest independent gas producer, said it had all necessary approvals following consultation with stakeholders. But in a judgment handed down this afternoon, Justice Bromberg said the regulator should not have been lawfully satisfied the project’s drilling plan met the legal criteria.

The federal court judge ordered the regulator’s approval be set aside and the current drilling injunction continue to 6 October.

Santos last month agreed to halt most of its work ahead of today’s ruling. The company said it would not drill any new wells in the Barossa gas field and stop before it breaches the gas reservoir in its initial drilling.

During last month’s week-long hearing, the court sat at Melville Island where Justice Bromberg heard from several witnesses in words, song and dance.

The drilling that is the subject of the court case started in July and was expected to be completed in 2025.

- From AAP.

Updated

In the Northern Territory, the Bureau of Meteorology has completed a “significant upgrade” to the Berrimah weather radar in Darwin that will provide better weather information for the region.

Hazard and preparedness manager of the NT, Shenagh Gamble, said the new digital receiver and control system for the weather radar would assist the community to” track rain, wind, storms and severe weather with increased confidence”.

Gamble said the radar upgrade would also support emergency services to make time-critical decisions during severe weather events:

The new technology in the Berrimah weather radar provides improved coverage for the north coast area of the Northern Territory … and more comprehensive tropical cyclone and monsoon monitoring.

Updated

In Victoria, Loretto College in Ballarat will remain open tomorrow despite the national public holiday to offer counselling to students and staff affected by a bus crash that injured more than two dozen students.

Updated

Some very sad images of stranded whales are coming out of Strahan on Tasmania’s west coast.

Read Donna Lu’s story here:

A man has been rescued in in north-west New South Wales overnight after becoming trapped while driving through flood waters, NSW police have confirmed.

At about 12.30am, a 22-year-old man was travelling on Rangari Road, Boggabri, towards Narrabri. Multiple road-closure signs were present on the side of the road, however police say the car became submerged approximately 5km east of the Kamilaroi Highway.

When emergency services – including NSW Police and the SES – attempted to help the man, they couldn’t reach the location due to the flood levels.

A short time later, the man was rescued from the roof of his vehicle by an SES crew in a boat. He was uninjured.

Western region commander assistant commissioner Brett Greentree said the incident was a reminder of the dangers first responders faced in difficult conditions:

The condition of the roadway underneath cannot be guaranteed, large potholes and sections of bitumen can be washed away by flood water.

I cannot stress enough of the inherent dangers faced by drivers thinking they can cross a flooded road – if it’s flooded, forget it.

Updated

The royal commission into Robodebt will hold its first public hearing on Tuesday in Brisbane. No witnesses will be called.

Updated

In Victoria, acting superintendent Jason Templar and Loretto College principal Michelle Broderick will talk to the media outside the school at 2.30 this afternoon regarding the Bacchus Marsh bus crash.

The school has released a statement, asking for the privacy of the victims to be respected.

Victoria’s premier Daniel Andrews has thanked hospital staff and first responders in state parliament.

Updated

Many thanks to Amy Remeikis for keeping us up to date this afternoon. I’ll be with you for the rest of the day.

Caitlin Cassidy will take you through the remainder of the afternoon.

Thank you so much for following along with me today and take care of you.


The Hawthorn press conference was brief.

The Brisbane Lions issued a statement as Emma Kemp reported, on Chris Fagan (former Hawthorn assistant coach) announcing the coach would be taking a leave of absence while the AFL investigation is on-going.

There has been no word from North Melbourne about Alastair Clarkson, who was coach of Hawthorn in the period covered in the report. Clarkson had signed a multi-million dollar deal with North Melbourne.

Updated

Justin Reeves says the club is speaking with current players to make sure they feel safe at the club:

We would like to provide as much assurance as we can. I met with one of our current players this morning. We had a really open and frank conversation and he feels culturally safe, but we will continue to challenge that and we will continue to move forward and we will continue to strengthen those programs.

Does he think the review needs to go wider than First Nations players?

I think we will continue, as we work through the allegations and the processes put in place by the AFL, we will continue to engage all of our family and all of our stakeholders to make sure that anyone who feels they need support gets that opportunity. We won’t leave any stone unturned in that pursuit.

Updated

Justin Reeves:

The plan for the club was that this was always an exercise in engaging an external consultant to go and have discussions with our former and current players and staff to learn about their experiences from the club. That report came back with some, quite disturbing allegations that we acted on straightaway. The report was put together in a confidential manner. People signed away confidentiality and we must respect that confidentiality and to this day it is still de-identified.

Hawthorn received final report with allegations two weeks ago

The Hawthorn football club received the final report with the allegations two weeks ago, Justin Reeves says.

He said it was “more complicated” than just immediately being able to react to:

The report that we received wasn’t identified, so we are actually unaware of who the people and partners were. What we have done from the minute the report was received was offer any support that we could do, whether that was immediate, and we have actually provided some support and some respite way prior to this ABC report even being surfaced.

Updated

Justin Reeves said the report was ordered to check into the welfare of past players:

This process was initiated by the club and it was to speak purely to our First Nations past players and staff. We had no idea of what was to come out of those conversations. We didn’t speak to anyone outside of that group while the consultants didn’t speak to anyone outside of that group. It wasn’t an investigation as such. There were no allegations or – it was more for us, as I said, to check in on people’s welfare and wellbeing post their time at the club, so, no.

Updated

Findings of report ‘a surprise’

Has Justin Reeves spoken to people at the club who were there at the time?

Reeves:

We spoke to a really wide range of people who were at the club at that time and it has been a surprise to everyone that I’ve spoken to, the findings of that report. Unfortunately we haven’t been able to speak directly to those affected but certainly the people I’ve spoken to were [unaware] of these allegations historically.

He says that includes Sam Mitchell.

Updated

‘Australia has a culture problem historically,’ Justin Reeves says

Asked if Hawthorn has a culture problem, Justin Reeves says:

I think Australia has a culture problem historically, and I think, like all of us, we focus on every day being better and building a great environment for our club. I feel confident from the report as well that currently our players feel culturally safe, but like so many institutions, I think we have to face our history and our past and we have to act responsibly and we have to cooperate and move forward from that.

He said before the report was handed to the club, he did not know what had occurred.

Was it just about winning championships?

It is hard to say. I wasn’t here at the time and I don’t want that to be a cop-out, but I think what happened – we can only act on what was produced in the report, all those conversations that have come through the report, and I don’t know – there has been no – nothing in that report to say it was purely around that, but I think the environment needs to be looked at.

Updated

Hawthorn CEO Justin Reeves addresses the media

Hawthorn is responding to the ABC’s reporting and the AFL’s announcement of an external review.

CEO Justin Reeves says the report looking into the Hawthorn situation “was always about finding out if anyone required any further support in their life after football”.

This was really important work. I read the report like you guys today, and it is tough reading. It is heartbreaking. We said in our statement earlier this morning that these allegations are extremely disturbing. We are profoundly disappointed that some of our former players and their families feel like this about their experiences at the club. The club will continue to offer support to those who have participated in this process and their wellbeing remains our priority. As per the recommendation from the report, the information was provided immediately to the AFL Integrity Unit. The AFL have this afternoon announced an external review of which we fully support and will cooperate fully. It is entirely appropriate that there is a thorough investigation from this report.

Hawthorn Football Club CEO Justin Reeves.
Hawthorn Football Club CEO Justin Reeves. Photograph: James Ross/AAP/PA Images

Updated

Shadow minister for early childhood education lambasts Labor over childcare inquiry

The shadow minister for early childhood education, Angie Bell, wants to know why the Labor government has taken four months to announce an inquiry into why childcare is so expensive, but neglects to mention her party was in government for a decade as costs rose:

After more than four months, the Albanese government have finally gotten around to revealing details on their ACCC price mechanism election promise – which will cost $10m and deliver nothing for Australian families until sometime in 2024.

Labor needs a plan for fees because last time they were in office childcare fees skyrocketed by 53% in just six years,” Bell said.

There is still no plan for how the workforce will meet the increased demand for childcare or to address the establishment of new childcare services in child-care deserts.

Minister Clare’s announcement in inner-city Brisbane doesn’t help those in regional Australia who don’t have access to childcare places.

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NSW releases response to inquiry on ice addiction

It took 32 months, but the New South Wales government has released its response to a landmark inquiry into ice addiction, but has categorically ruled out its key recommendation: the complete decriminalisation of drug possession in the state.

The package unveiled by the premier Dominic Perrottet on Wednesday includes $500m in funding to address “treatment gaps” in drug and alcohol services in the state, as well as justice initiatives including an expanded drug court and pre-court diversion scheme for people caught with small amounts of drugs.

But, as has been widely anticipated, it will not include decriminalisation. Perrottet said during a press conference announcing the response on Wednesday: “I disagree with decriminalisation.”

I want to make very clear the NSW government does not support the recommendation to decriminalise drugs in NSW.

This is the balance you have to get right. We need to send clear messages to people across the state to not take drugs. And then you deal with people who are in the system ... you need to provide the care and support and intervention to help them overcome that addiction.”

The pre-court diversion scheme announced as part of the response broadly mirrors the one which was first flagged by the attorney general Mark Speakman earlier this year.

It will see fines - likely of around $400 - for people caught with low level amounts of illicit drugs, but will contain caveats including a “two strike policy” before being charged. The use of the scheme will also be subject to police discretion, and will not be available for people convicted of certain types of offences.

Those carve outs – which exist for other existing diversion schemes in NSW – have been found to lead to some parts of the population, particularly Indigenous people, being more likely to be charged and sentenced for low level drug offences.

Professor Dan Howard first handed down the report and its 109 recommendations in January 2020, but other than immediately ruling out some of his key findings – including the use of pill testing at music festivals – the government has not responded until now.

In his report he argued that decriminalisation was “the bare minimum of change” needed to overhaul of the state’s justice system, which he labelled “tired” and “lacking in imagination”.

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The Hawthorn football club CEO Justin Reeves will speak to the media at 1.45pm.

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Brisbane head coach Chris Fagan to take leave of absence

Brisbane head coach and former Hawthorn staffer Chris Fagan will take a leave of absence from his role to deal with allegations concerning the Hawks’ mistreatment of First Nations former players.

Hours after AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan announced an external independent panel would be created to investigate the “challenging, harrowing and disturbing” allegations detailed in a Hawks-commissioned review, the Lions announced Fagan would take time away to cooperate with the investigation.

The statement reads:

The Brisbane Lions are aware senior Coach Chris Fagan will work with the AFL on an investigation into allegations concerning historical events at the Hawthorn Football Club, where he was a former employee.

Chris supports and welcomes the investigation.

He was not consulted during the Hawthorn sponsored review and looks forward to the opportunity to be heard as part of the AFL investigation.

The Brisbane Lions and Chris have mutually agreed that he will take a leave of absence from the Club so he can fully cooperate in the investigation.

As the matters are now with the AFL Integrity Unit, the Brisbane Lions won’t make any further comment at this stage.

Chris Fagan.
Chris Fagan. Photograph: Michael Willson/AFL Photos/Getty Images

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Australian government seeks First Nations ambassador

The Albanese government has opened up expressions of interest for the Ambassador First Nations People to the public.

Penny Wong, Linda Burney and Pat Dodson have issued this statement:

The Government is delivering on its commitment to implement the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full, and embed Indigenous perspectives, experiences and interests into our foreign policy.

Australia’s foreign policy should reflect our modern diversity and the rich heritage of First Nations people.

The Ambassador will head an Office of First Nations Engagement within the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to listen to and work in genuine partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

This is the first time an Ambassador position has been open to a public expression of interest, enabling qualified and interested individuals to apply.

Further information on the expression of interest process for the Ambassador for First Nations People is available at First Nations EOI.

Lions coach Chris Fagan stood down pending AFL Hawthorn investigation

AFL CEO Gil McLachlan had said that it would be for others to make announcements over whether anyone would be stepping down following the Hawthorn report.

This announcement has just been reported:

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Safer Care Victoria to investigate hospital paediatric deaths

At least seven paediatric deaths along with other serious adverse events at hospitals will be investigated by Safer Care Victoria, AAP reports:

Premier Daniel Andrews has expressed sympathy to the families of children who died in Victorian emergency departments since April as concerns grow over the state’s embattled healthcare system.

That’s important to [monitor] the individual circumstances of every single tragedy, making sure that we learn from those individual cases.

If there have been hospital-wide or system-wide or service-wide issues that need to be dealt, there’s the framework to do that.

During 2020-21, there were 20 sentinel events that affected babies, children and adolescents, a slight drop from 23 the previous reporting period.

Safer Care Victoria is investigating deaths and sentinel events that have occurred this year and the data for the next report will be released in 2023.

In a statement, Safer Care Victoria said all adverse incidents are subject to an in-depth sentinel event review to identify the causes and make recommendations to prevent future events.

We work closely with health services to review every sentinel event and identify any potential emerging trends, so hospitals can implement recommended improvements as quickly as possible.

We’re building a strong reporting culture among hospital staff to learn from sentinel events and avoid tragic outcomes for more families in the future – working with health services to increase the reporting of these incidents every year.

Health minister Mary-Anne Thomas said Safer Care Victoria was established in 2017 to investigate unexplained events and to ensure families get the answers they need.

Opposition health spokeswoman Georgie Crozier described the child deaths as “appalling”.

For Safer Care Victoria to say we’re not even going to investigate these until next year, until the data comes in, demonstrates just how out of touch this government is. It is truly shocking and appalling.

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Mass whale stranding on Tasmania’s west coast

There are reports of a mass whale stranding at Macquarie Harbour on Tasmania’s west coast, near the town of Strahan.

A spokesperson for the Tasmanian department of natural resources and environment confirmed the stranding but could not yet provide more details about the event.

The ABC said it had spoken to a local who described the stranding as a “massive event”, with whales visible near the entrance to Macquarie Harbour. It is unclear how many animals are stranded.

The event comes exactly two years to the day after Australia’s worst whale stranding on record, which occurred in the same location. On September 21, 2020, 470 long-finned pilot whales were found beached on sandbars. A week-long rescue effort saved 111 whales, and authorities had to dispose of more than 350 carcasses.

Wednesday’s incident follows a separate whale stranding yesterday on King Island, north of Tasmania. At least 14 sperm whales died and washed ashore.

Commenting on yesterday’s stranding, Dr Olaf Meynecke from Griffith University’s coastal and marine research centre said:

It is certainly highly unusual for such [a] large number of sperm whales to strand. They are highly intelligent. As was the case in Europe a few years ago, many of them were sick but stranded in various locations. Reported plans for seismic testing in that area are around the same location that these whales feed.

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Economic conditions are on a ‘knife-edge’: Bullock

RBA’s Michele Bullock has echoed comments from her boss, governor Philip Lowe that China remains a concern with its troubled property market, and how that might affect global growth.

Also a worry are those rising interest rates in US and Europe, with the latter also facing a “massive energy shock” thanks to Putin’s curbs on gas exports to the region in the wake of that country’s invasion of Ukraine (and subsequent sanctions).

Economic conditions are on a “knife-edge”, she says, not so reassuringly.

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RBA rate hikes not restrictive so far: deputy governor says

Michele Bullock, the RBA deputy governor who has been commenting on the state of the bank’s finances, has told a Bloomberg event in Sydney that the rate hikes so far are not restrictive.

Bullock says there is “much more underlying momentum” in the inflationary psychology of the US and the UK where wages have risen much faster than in Australia.

(We’ll likely see the impact of that overnight when the US Federal Reserve is poised to lift its key rate by as much as 100 basis points.)

The varying conditions is one reason why central banks can’t really act in unison, Bullock said.

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Victorian gambling regulator reveals Crown paid additional $21m to settle dispute over casino entry fees

It’s “dump day” at Victorian parliament – the day the government tables vast quantities of annual reports from the alphabet soup of statutory bodies it runs.

Those bodies include the new Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission, brought in to keep a closer eye on the Melbourne casino run by Crown Resorts following a series of inquiries that exposed failures including the criminal infiltration of junkets and money laundering taking place at the company’s operations.

Victoria’s royal commission also dealt with the underpayment by Crown of casino tax – as a result, the company has paid $61m in back taxes.

But the VGCCC’s annual report reveals that Crown has also paid an additional $21m to settle an extremely long-running dispute over whether entrance fees to poker tournaments are subject to casino tax.

This has been in dispute “since approximately 2005”, or 17 years ago, the regulator said in the report.

In December last year, Crown finally conceded that the entry fees were taxable and paid more than $7.5m in casino tax dating back to when it first started holding poker tournaments in 2004.

However, the company “held the view that penalty interest was not payable on the late payment of tournament tax”, the VGCCC said.

It caved on that issue in May and paid another $12.7m.

The VGCCC noted:

The delay in Crowns acceptance of the position held by the gambling regulator regarding the tax treatment of such fees contributed to the excessive penalty interest calculation, which far outweighed the tax paid.

The bureaucratic equivalent of a soccer playing putting their shirt over their head and running around after scoring a goal.

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RBA will post a net loss of $36.7bn for the year

Taking into account the bank’s Reserve Fund, that loss has tipped the RBA in negative equity of more than $12bn.

No need to panic because the government guarantees the bank’s equity and the bank can print its own dough.

But there is a lingering issue for treasurer Jim Chalmers because he may have to inject fresh capital into the bank, and the government won’t be able to rely on a steady flow of dividends that treasurers can usually rely on.

Add that one, if you will, to the legacy fiscal impacts that the Albanese government has inherited.

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Man disqualified from riding motorcycle until 2082 charged after police chase

A 48-year-old Dubbo man, who had previously been disqualified from riding a motorcycle until 2082, has been charged with 10 offences after an alleged pursuit with police in the Lake Illawarra region on Tuesday.

The man was charged with 10 offences:

  • Police pursuit – not stop – drive at speed – second offence.

  • Drive recklessly/furiously or speed/manner dangerous – second offence.

  • Class A motor vehicle exceed speed > 45 km/h – estimate.

  • Driver or rider state false name or home address.

  • Use unregistered registrable Class A motor vehicle on road.

  • Use uninsured motor vehicle on road.

  • Resist officer in execution of duty.

  • Use class A vehicle displaying misleading etc number plate.

  • Drive motor vehicle during disqualification period – second offence.

  • Destroy or damage property.

Police checks had revealed the man had been disqualified from riding a motorcycle in 2001 until 2082.

The man was refused bail to appear in Wollongong local court today.

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Australia signs global pledge to reverse biodiversity loss by 2030

The Albanese government has signed a global pledge endorsed by more than 90 countries committing them to reversing biodiversity loss by 2030.

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, announced Australia had joined the Leaders Pledge for Nature at an event taking place on the sidelines of the United Nations general assembly in New York.

It is the same pledge the Morrison government refused to sign in 2020 because it called for commitments that were inconsistent with Australia’s policies at the time, including greater ambition to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

In a video message, Albanese said Australia’s approach to environmental challenges had changed:

I’m pleased to say Australia will join other nations in endorsing the Leaders Pledge for Nature.

This highlights Australia’s reinvigorated approach to protecting our environment and climate leadership and signals our solidarity with other world leaders in our commitment to taking strong action on the dual crises of biodiversity loss and climate change.

The prime minister noted Australia’s place as of only a handful of megadiverse countries that comprised 10% of the earth’s surface but were home to more than 70% of its species.

Describing the world’s environmental challenges as urgent, he said Australia was committed to becoming a global leader in the fight to solve them.

Working together we can better protect and conserve the world’s land, sea, waterways and cultural heritage for future generations. Now is the time to act.

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Inquiry into rising cost of childcare to start next year

The Albanese government has announced a 12-month inquiry into the rising cost of childcare, which will start early next year.

The government’s childcare package is due to start in July, which will increase the subsidy for most parents.

But the review will look at why it is so expensive, with $10.8m being put aside in the October budget to fund the ACCC to begin looking at what has happened in the multi-billion industry.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers said early childhood education has increased 41% over the past eight years.

This is a significant burden to many Australian families already struggling to make ends meet.

That’s why, as part of a comprehensive plan for cheaper childcare at the election, we will conduct a thorough inquiry into the cost of childcare in Australia.

The ACCC inquiry will examine the driving factors behind rising childcare costs and out-of-pocket expenses and will make recommendations to the government on ways to ease pressure on families.

Legislation to increase the childcare subsidy will be introduced into the parliament by Jason Clare, the education minister, next week.

Clare:

Anyone with kids in early education and childcare knows how expensive it is, knows it’s a massive disincentive to work more hours or more days.

At the moment about 60% of mothers of children under six who work, do part-time hours. A lot of Australians would want to work more, but if they did all of that pay would be gobbled up by the childcare bill. It means it’s not worth it.

Legislation I will introduce next week will cut out-of-pockets costs for 96% of families will children in care. The ACCC inquiry is another way the Albanese government is helping to drive down out-of-pocket childcare costs for families.

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There has been another mass whale stranding:

Only 8% of women across all Stem industries were in CEO positions: 2022 gender equity report finds

The federal government has published its 2022 report on gender equity across the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem).

The Stem equity monitor found that in 2021, women made up 27% of the workforce across all Stem industries. They accounted for 15% of all people working specifically in Stem-qualified jobs, an increase of two percentage points from 2020.

In comparison, women have accounted for approximately half of people in non-Stem occupations, and 76% of health jobs, since 2009.

The minister for industry and science, Ed Husic, said in a statement:

We know that women remain chronically underrepresented when it comes to Stem and for First Nations people participation is much lower.

Husic earlier this month announced a review into government programs to improve diversity in Australia’s science and technology sectors.

The Stem equity report also found:

Only 8% of women across all Stem industries were in CEO positions, compared to 43% in health and 19% across all industries. In 2021, the gender pay gap for full-time workers in Stem industries (including discretionary pay) was $26,784, or 18%.

In the education sector, women held 29% of Stem teaching and research roles in 2021. The number of females enrolled in university Stem courses increased by 24% between 2015 and 2020.

Kylie Walker, chief executive of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, said in a statement:

The 2022 Stem equity monitor highlights the persistent leaky pipeline, where women are graduating from Stem studies at higher rates than before, but there is a major exodus as they pursue non-Stem occupations at higher rates than men.

The monitor also reveals that the gender pay gap – already higher in Stem than across the Australian economy – has tripled for those with postgraduate engineering qualifications. This is alarming in the context of a severe and growing engineering skills shortage.

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Supporting those impacted is one of the biggest priorities: McLachlan

We’ll have a process that supports those who have got the courage to step forward. And then obviously puts those allegations to the accused and that will play out in a shorter period of time as appropriate without undermining in any way the investigation.

And at the same time, we’ve got a broader game that will go on. But I don’t think that in any way diminishes the scale of the story that’s broken today and the hurt and the pain.

And it will be contextual in everything we do. We’ll play a grand final on Saturday. But in the parallel there’s something incredibly big for the individuals, definitely, and beyond that, going on.

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Gil McLachlan says what he has heard are ‘harrowing stories’

There’s increasing courage of the complainants to speak out. I think the story will evolve and I hope the process that will involve an independent panel … I had discussions with Linda Burney this morning, with Helen Melrose on my commission, with Tanya, with Paul Marsh, Alister Nicholson, it will be the right group of people with the right skill sets to look into this.

I think the information will continue to evolve as people feel confident to tell their stories. We thank those who had the courage to do so far.

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Tanya Hosch says it was hard reading the review and report

Yes, I mean, almost it’s hard to find the words to describe how you feel when you read something like this, honestly. But how I feel is pretty irrelevant.

What we need to do is really centred around the experiences of the people who have come forward.

So, I would rather not linger on how I feel. What we’ve got to be very focused on as part of the AFL, as Gil has already said, is make sure the complainants are first and foremost our concern, how they’re feeling, what their needs are, and we’ll only know that once our examination is done.

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Too early to speculate on what external review will say: Tanya Hosch

Tanya Hosch says it is too early to say what the external review will say or what the solutions are:

It’s too soon to say what that is. Because we have to come up with a process that adequately addresses the allegations in hand today through the report that Hawthorn commissioned, we obviously, as Gil has just said, are going to do further examination on exactly what has occurred. I think that has to be our priority.

These are not things that should be taken lightly. If the design of these things are not done appropriately, if Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people don’t have input into the design, we’ll not come up with an adequate response because the questions will be wrong. So there’s a whole range of things that need to be managed appropriately and very directly.

It’s certainly not something that can be rushed. If you do a rush job in relation to things that are so critical, to speak to the history of this country, as a whole, we don’t do service or show appropriate respect to everyone impacted by any of the number of things that you might expect to find.

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‘The country has a problem’ not just the AFL: Hosch

Tanya Hosch the general manager of inclusion and social policy at the AFL is also at the press conference and says it is not just the AFL which has a problem:

I think the country has a problem. When the Do Better report was released, I said very plainly there, if you look at any organisation in the country, specifically for issues in relation to the treatment, cultural safety of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, you would anticipate finding a problem.

I don’t think we’re immune to that. It’s really clear that we’re not. And so, we will definitely think in broader scope when the time is right. But we’ve got a very urgent, pressing issue right here and now that has to take absolute priority. But of course we’re thinking about the broader issues.

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Gil McLachlan says there will be a wider review

I have committed to Paul Marsh and to the coaches association that they will have a say in the formation and these will be people who are appropriately qualified in a functional sense, with an appropriate diverse background and the appropriate skills to do that. I think when you see the credibility of the individuals and their qualifications, I feel comfortable that … they will regard it as the right people to look into this.

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Has anyone been stood down?

Gil McLachlan:

I had conversations this morning with clubs, representatives of those accused, and I feel that the way they will be approaching this impending investigation will be clear today. I will leave it to the clubs and the representatives.

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‘We need to do more’: McLachlan

Gil McLachlan:

We need to run a proper investigation to get to the bottom of it and this is important.

Out of respect for those making the allegations and out of respect for those being accused.

We need to provide natural justice and allow the process to go on, but we will seek to have the panel in place and work with the Hawthorn football club to develop the report of the plays and partners involved to engage with them, to expedite it and not extend the trauma.

As a game, we have taken steps in recent times to add resources to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players … with Indigenous player development managers in each club.

An extension of ensuring that we continue to build the games capability in relation to cultural safety and cultural inclusion. I met regularly with senior players over the last 18 months and we had our first meeting with Indigenous AFLW players which will be held several times a year. We need to do more.

And we will. We need greater safety and education across our game, and we will do that.

Tanya, the EGM of inclusion of social policy and her team, will continue part of the work. That so many people are hurting today and have been hurting for a long time.

And to all of them, I want to acknowledge that hurt, and as a game, we’ll do everything to ensure that the hurt you experienced is not a hurt that is experienced by others.

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AFL to appoint independent panel to investigate Hawthorn allegations

Gil McLachlan:

We have received the report from the Hawthorn football club and I want to outline we will fully investigate what has been shared. These are serious allegations.

It is important that we treat them appropriately while also ensuring a formal process provides support to those impacted and also natural justice to those people who are accused.

This is a process that is appropriate, that is held independent of a normal AFL integrity department response.

As such, we are appointing an external independent panel that will be made up of four people, led by an eminent king’s counsel.

The independent panel that we will finalise over the next 24 hours will be appropriately skilled, have the right mix of diversity and an approach that prioritises cultural safety for all those who have shared their experiences.

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AFL CEO Gil McLachlan holds press conference

The AFL CEO has begun his press conference in the wake of the ABC’s story on the experiences of First Nation players at the Hawthorn Football Club.

McLachlan:

What we have seen today is a challenging, harrowing and disturbing read. I acknowledge the hurt, the anger and the grief of people who have shared their experiences and told their stories and all of those impacted.

I want to say to the women and the partners and also the players who have shared their stories that our first priority is to you, and to provide the care and the support that you need.

You have been heard, and as a support and a community, we will do our best to wrap our arms around you in support. It is supported that we continue to communicate with you and to you.

Your welfare is the most pressing priority for us because I know that sharing these stories is not easy, but it is important that you do, and we want to thank you all who have shared their experiences as part of this review.

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Brittany Higgins Project interviews won't form part of case against Lehrmann

The ACT supreme court has held another pre-trial hearing in the Bruce Lehrmann case today.

Lehrmann has pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting the former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins at Parliament House in Canberra in 2019. The case goes to trial on 4 October for up to seven weeks of hearings.

On Wednesday the court heard that two recordings of Higgins giving her complaint to the police will be played, one interview of Lehrmann, audio from security in Parliament House and CCTV including at Parliament House.

Higgins will be absent in a remote location while her evidence in chief interviews with police are played, and also wants to give evidence in court – although it is unclear yet whether she will do this and be cross-examined in person or remotely.

The most interesting revelation today was that the Director of Public Prosecutions does not intend to play Higgins’ six-hour recorded interview with the Project or the one-hour interview that went to air.

The DPP, Shane Drumgold, told the court he doesn’t “have any legal basis to play them” and confirmed it will not rely on them as “complaint evidence”, which consists of a complainant’s statements after an alleged event used to bolster their credibility that the event occurred.

Drumgold confirmed, however, that the DPP will call complaint evidence from a journalist – presumably Lisa Wilkinson – regarding their initial conversation with Higgins which led to a six-hour meeting and a TV interview.

Drumgold also revealed:

  • He will apply for a closed court for the evidence of two people associated with parliament security.

  • There will be an application for Higgins to have a second support person.

  • The DPP is editing some audio material to remove two impermissible questions to Lehrmann that effectively reversed the onus of proof by asking him “can you offer me an explanation as to why?”.

There is a further pre-trial fight about whether the AFP will claim privilege over documents Lehrmann’s legal team say were prepared for the purpose of investigating the case, not to provide legal advice.

The matter will be relisted next week.

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‘No one will ever play the game like you’: Kyrgios pays tribute to Roger Federer

Tributes are continuing to come in for Roger Federer, after the Swiss great announced his retirement from professional tennis.

As AAP reports:

With a simple paean to Roger Federer’s greatness, Nick Kyrgios has joined the chorus of laments, thanks and tributes following news of the great man’s impending retirement from tennis.

“No one will ever play the game like you,” Australia’s Wimbledon finalist declared in a social media address to Federer – and he was not alone as the game’s greatest players, headed by Novak Djokovic, continued the salutes to the Swiss maestro on Thursday.

Kyrgios, who’s never hidden how he believes Federer was even better than Djokovic and Rafael Nadal in the big three, added on his Instagram post: “Enjoy it @rogerfederer …… was an honour.”

Djokovic paid his own fond tribute to the Swiss, saying on Instagram: “Roger it’s hard to see this day and put into words all that we’ve shared in this sport together.

Over a decade of incredible moments and battles to think back on. Your career has set the tone for what it means to achieve excellence and lead with integrity and poise.

It’s an honour to know you on and off court, and for many more years to come.

I know that this new chapter will hold amazing things for you, Mirka, the kids, all your loved ones, and Roger fans still have a lot to look forward to.

From our family to yours, we wish you much joy, health, and prosperity in the future. Looking forward to celebrating your achievements and seeing you in London.

Serena Williams also welcomed Federer to the “retirement club”, with his farewell to the sport coming so quickly after her extraordinary final bow at the US Open.

I wanted to find the perfect way to say this, as you so eloquently put this game to rest – perfectly done, just like your career.

I have always looked up to you and admired you. Our paths were always so similar, so much the same. You inspired countless millions and millions of people – including me – and we will never forget.

I applaud you and look forward to all that you do in the future. Welcome to the retirement club. And thank you for being you.

Venus Williams, hopefully not putting her sister’s nose out of joint, just chipped in on Instagram: “The greatest ever. Miss you already.”

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Queensland premier ‘shocked’ by review into state’s DNA lab as police retest thousands of samples

Meanwhile, if you haven’t read it already, this is another pretty huge issue for Queensland, as Eden Gillespie reports:

Police in Queensland are preparing to review thousands of DNA samples as the state’s premier says she’s “incredibly concerned” by the findings of an interim report into testing failures at the state’s forensic crime lab.

The damning findings, handed to cabinet on Tuesday by commissioner Walter Sofronoff, revealed that Queensland’s DNA laboratory had issued statements of “no DNA detected” and “insufficient DNA for further processing” when samples could have been tested.

The lab’s unusually high threshold for samples may have led to police investigations being “unnecessarily weakened or abandoned”, prosecutors deciding “not to commence criminal proceedings” or “the chance of conviction” being “forever lost”, the report said.

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Queensland to get renewable energy export corridor

Queensland is making a rather large energy announcement:

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There is a press conference with AFL CEO Gil McLachlan coming very soon on this:

The AFL is investigating “extremely serious” allegations about Hawthorn’s mistreatment of First Nations former players, including that the Hawks separated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players from their families and pressured one couple to terminate a pregnancy for the sake of the player’s career.

A Hawthorn-commissioned review has revealed what the club has called “disturbing historical allegations”. Its confronting contents, as reported by the ABC on Wednesday, are the result of interviews with First Nations players and the document has been passed on to the AFL’s integrity unit.

The minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney, on Wednesday described the allegations as “harrowing”, while former Hawthorn captain Luke Hodge said the news was “a shock to the system”.

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Shadow trade minister urges Labor to rebuke ‘union bullying’ in opposing free trade agreement

The shadow trade and investment minister, Kevin Hogan, has seemingly just discovered unions are largely against free trade agreements.

Hogan wants the Labor party to rebuke the CFMEU (that’s the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union) after a representative told a senate joint standing committee on treaties the free trade agreement with the UK should be scrapped.

This is not a new position, and it is one that Labor’s own caucus has struggled with in the past. The CFMEU and other unions are not against free trade, but they have taken issue with agreements and how they effect workers, so they are not universally embraced.

Hogan though, is outraged:

One in five jobs in Australia is trade related so boosting Australian trade with the UK and other nations is in the interests of jobs in this country.

On average, businesses that export employ more staff, pay higher wages, and achieve higher productivity compared to non-exporters.

The agreement will make Australian exports to the UK cheaper, create new opportunities for workers, young people, and businesses.

…I urge the trade minister and the prime minister to stay strong against union bullying on Australia’s trade agenda and focus on delivering the FTA with the UK as well as India and the EU in Australia’s broad interests.

This continues the opposition’s ongoing political animus against unions, with the topic dominating question time since the new parliament opened.

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First meeting of Women's Economic Equality Taskforce

The first meeting of the Albanese government’s Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce (Weet).

It’s job is to advise government on issues impacting women.

The taskforce includes:

· Sam Mostyn AO (Chair) - President of Chief Executive Women

· Adrienne Picone – Chief Executive Officer of Tasmania’s Council of Social Service

· Chiou See Anderson – President at National Council of Women of Australia; board member of the International Council of Women

· Danielle Wood – Chief Executive Officer of Grattan Institute; President of the Economic Society of Australia; co-founder and first Chair of the Women in Economics Network

· Jennifer Westacott AO – Chief Executive of the Business Council of Australia

· Jenny Macklin – Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of Melbourne, School of Government

· Michele O’Neil – President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions

· Professor Rae Cooper AO – Director of the Gender Equality in Working Life Research Initiative, University of Sydney; President Elect of International Labor and Employment Relations Association (ILERA)

· Samantha Connor – President of People with Disability Australia

· Shelley Cable – Director of Minderoo Foundation’s Generation One

· Shirleen Campbell – Co-ordinator of the Tangentyere Women’s Family Safety Group; NT Local Hero in 2020

· Sizol Fuyana – Founder of Fuyana Support; 2022 Northern Territory Young Australian of the Year

· Terese Edwards – Executive Director of the National Council of Single Mothers and their Children.

Katy Gallagher, the minister for women said the taskforce “will play an important advisory role to the Government on a range of issues related to driving women’s equality as an economic imperative, including through the National Gender Equality Strategy and the Employment White Paper”.

The collective experience and advice of these outstanding women will be crucial as the Albanese Government works to re-elevate Australia’s status as a leader on gender equality.”

The Government will continue to work with a broad range of representatives from the business, community and advocacy sectors on gender equality issues, including the six National Women’s Alliances.

Gallagher said it was part of a push to keep women at the centre of government policy making.

Victoria police hold media conference on bus roll at Bacchus Marsh

Police are holding a media conference in Victoria after the collusion between a school bus and a truck at Bacchus Marsh this morning, which caused the bus to roll down an embankment.

13 school students were taken to Ballarat hospital across the region, with some others taken to other hospitals in the region. Some have already been released, but at least two, including the truck driver, are listed as serious but stable.

The students were going to the airport for a trip to America to visit Nasa, the ABC reports.

The officer, who is not named, says it is too early to make any comments about the investigation.

Updated

Good morning everyone, thank you for having me.

I’ll take you through the news for the next few hours.

Updated

Thanks for your attention this morning, I hand you over now to the fabulous Amy Remeikis!

Australia sanctions Russia steel magnate

Australia has sanctioned the Russian cofounder of a steel and mining company, Alexander Abramov, AAP reports. The billionaire was initially listed as one of 67 Russian oligarchs sanctioned by Australia in April before he launched legal action against the foreign minister, Penny Wong, arguing the sanctions damaged his reputation.

A sanctions instrument was signed by Wong last week but listed on the legislation register on Wednesday morning. The sanctioning comes as Wong met with her Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Kuleba said he requested additional military assistance from Australia, including for Canberra to send more Bushmaster vehicles. Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, has also requested further artillery support in the form of up to 12 howitzers and ammunition.

Senator Wong said she expressed Australia’s solidarity with Ukraine and admiration for the courage and sacrifice Ukrainians had shown. She told reporters in New York:

There is always more we can do and the government will continue to look at ways we can support them.

Her comments come as Russia paves the way for the formal annexation of seized Ukrainian territory after nearly seven months of war.

Russian-backed officials in several areas it partially controls have called for referendums on joining Russia, a move supported by Moscow. You can read Guardian’s full story about that latest development in the Ukraine invasion here:

- with Reuters

Updated

Most of NSW blanketed by cloud

If you stayed with us through my colleague Peter Hannam’s very excellent – but complex – economic analysis, here is an interesting visual from the Bureau of Meteorology to give your eyes a break.

Updated

Review into RBA bond-buying binge released

The Reserve Bank this morning has released the results of its review into its bond-buying activities during the Covid pandemic.

This was essentially the “quantitative easing“ component that supplemented a huge increase in fiscal support by federal and state governments. It’s a bit complex, but stay with us.

As the bank states, its bond purchase program snapped up $281bn between November 2020 and February 2022. Not small bikkies in an economy worth about $2tn a year.

Here’s how the binge compared with other nations:

As the RBA said this morning, the purpose was to “lower the structure of interest rates in Australia”. By increasing demand for bonds, the RBA reduced the yields for bonds, in effect making it cheaper to borrow than it would otherwise have been.

It provided “extra insurance against the ongoing risk of very bad economic outcomes”, the bank said.

For instance, here’s what the RBA was looking at in terms of the unemployment rate, and how it turned out:

The difficulty, of course, is understanding how much of those “very bad” outcomes were avoided because of the bond buying (versus other measures). The review estimated, though, that buying up all those bonds reduced the yields (the interest rate) on government bonds “by around 30 basis points“.

That’s almost a third of a percentage point, which doesn’t sound like much, but it did keep borrowing costs lower than would have been the case otherwise. In fact, those fell to record lows and contributed to a lower exchange rate for the Australian dollar (as other nations were doing the same thing).

One difference from other nations, though, has been the spread of bond purchases. The RBA’s have been bunched more at the near-end of maturities.

That bunching may, though, have an advantage for the central bank’s balance sheet. As the chart below shows, the RBA’s liabilities have been transformed, with all those bonds blowing out the liabilities:

However, while the RBA’s balance sheet changed, its sacrifice was for the good of the general government balance sheet. The program “resulted in government debt being issued at a lower fixed cost than otherwise”.

“There will be an ongoing, albeit diminishing, saving on debt issued over the next 10 years, as the Bank’s holdings gradually mature,” the RBA said.

The review assesses the program to have been a success, but the RBA board stress that “it is appropriate to consider use of unconventional monetary policy tools only in extreme circumstances, when the usual monetary policy tool – the cash rate target – has been employed to the full extent possible“.

In other words: don’t expect another bond-buying binge until the key interest rate returns to near zero again. Hopefully, that won’t be soon – or ever.

Updated

Haim to headline Laneway festival 2023

And for something a little lighter: US trio Haim have announced they are headlining the Laneway festival 2023 in Australia and New Zealand via a Kylie Minogue tribute on Instagram – which features custom lyrics and some adorable backyard sibling choreography.

US artist Phoebe Bridgers and Japanese artist JoJi are also headlining a lineup that features Finneas (aka Billie Eilish’s brother), NZ band the Beths, Norway’s Girl In Red, UK rapper Slowthai, Ireland’s post-punk group Fontaines DC, and Australian acts Tasman Keith, Mallrat and Harvey Sutherland.

Laneway’s tour starts in Auckland on 30 January, before heading to Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth, with general public tickets on sale at 9am Thursday 29 September, and pre-sale on the Tuesday from 11am.

Updated

NSW Labor promises extra 1,200 nurses as part of safe staffing commitment

An additional 1,200 nurses and midwives will be recruited into the NSW health system if Labor wins the next state election, to be held in March 2023.

The extra nurses will come above the government’s additional recruits outlined in the 2022-23 NSW state budget within the first four years of government, at a cost of $175m.

The commitment comes as part of NSW Labor’s plan to introduce minimum and enforceable safe staffing levels to public hospitals, starting with emergency departments.

The staged approach would subsequently be rolled out into other areas including ICUs, maternity wards, and Multi-Purpose Services, which are often in regional areas.

The NSW Labor leader, Chris Minns, said:

After more than a decade of the NSW Liberals and Nationals in government, our health system needs structural repair.

Experienced nurses and midwives are either dropping their working hours or worse, leaving the system altogether because they’re not supported enough in the workplace and see the workloads as untenable.

These changes will see more health staff retained, working in areas that need them the most, and it means better outcomes for patients and the level of care they will receive in New South Wales.

Ryan Park, the NSW shadow minister for health, said:

The first phase is a $150m-commitment to fund an additional 500 paramedics in Labor’s first term to ease the burden of chronic paramedic shortages and the unprecedented strain on our rural and regional health system.

Updated

Barnardos study finds children victims of domestic violence have nowhere to turn

Children and young people continue to be regarded as onlookers rather than as co-victims of domestic and family violence (DFV), a research study has found.

The study by Barnardos Australia released today reveals the ongoing shadow that DFV casts on children in their later lives, with persisting health and psychological impacts.

Seven in ten survivors say they had no idea where to seek help and for those who did seek help, they mostly experienced a negative outcome and the situation worsened, the report found.

Barnardos Australia says a whole of system change is needed to recognise children and young people experiencing DFV are victim survivors in their own right, and the development of measures that address their unique needs.

The Barnardos Australia CEO, Deirdre Cheers, said:

Children are the silent victims of DFV and yet we know they are forced to manage the impact, often alone, for the rest of their lives.

Indeed, recognition of children and young people experiencing DFV as victim survivors in their own right and with their own unique safety and support needs is long overdue.

The study’s lead researcher, Dr Rob Urquhart, said study participants of 149 victim survivors provided an unexpectedly rich collection of first-hand accounts about living with DFV.

The report found cumulative impacts with 88% reported experiencing psychological distress, 79% suffered self-esteem problems and 65% found it difficult to trust other people.

Barnardos is calling for federal and NSW governments to increase funding for trauma-informed child counselling and therapy, additional domestic and family violence specialist workers and an increase in integrated public housing for children and families fleeing domestic violence.

Mandatory national domestic and family violence police training and education programs in early childhood education, primary and secondary schools have also been ear-marked as a priority.

If you or someone you know is impacted by family violence, call 1800-RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit www.1800RESPECT.org.au.

Updated

Local member says thoughts are with girls, teachers, driver and their families involved in crash

Catherine King, the minister for infrastructure, transport, and regional development, has released a statement in response to the collision of a school bus which came from the Ballarat region, within her electorate.

A teenage girl and a driver were seriously injured when the school bus collided with a truck and rolled down an embankment west of Melbourne.

A police spokeswoman told 3AW radio station the bus was coming from a school in the Ballarat area and the students were on their way to the airport for a trip.

- with AAP

Bowen to UN: 'Australia is back as a responsible global citizen'

The foreign minister Penny Wong, the energy minister Chris Bowen and senator Pat Dodson, Australia’s special envoy for reconciliation, are currently in New York for the 77th meeting of the UN General Assembly.

António Guterres, the United Nations secretary general, told the assembly “the climate crisis is the defining issue of our time”:

It must be the first priority of every government and multilateral organisation. And yet climate action is being put on the back burner – despite overwhelming public support around the world.

You can read more about Guterres’ address here:

Bowen has declared “Australia is back” when it comes to climate change, telling world allies at the assembly that it’s no longer consumed by domestic debates over global warming and wants to become a renewables powerhouse.

Wong will participate in 30 engagements throughout the week, and is expected to deliver Australia’s address to the assembly on Friday, after meeting with the foreign ministers of Quad nations, which include the United States, India and Japan.

Updated

France lobbies Australia over helicopters

Circling back to the ABC Radio interview with Richard Marles, who said any decision to scrap the fleet of Taipan helicopters early would be made in Australia’s best interest. Australia is reviewing whether to scrap multi-role helicopters a decade before originally planned, according to the AAP.

The French government have a stake in the Taipan’s manufacturer Airbus, and is lobbying the government not to scrap the program. Marles says his French counterpart, Sébastien Lecornu, raised the issue with him when they met in September.

Marles told reporters on Wednesday:

France, in a completely respectful way, are advocating on behalf of their defence industry and you would expect that and it’s totally appropriate.

We’ve been completely clear and upfront and honest with the French and they know that too, and I think they appreciate that.

The former Morrison government announced it would scrap the almost 50 Taipan helicopters and replace them with US Black Hawk helicopters. The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, met with the French president, Emmanuel Macron, in July and Australia is hoping to host the president later in the year.

Albanese has said the government is working towards a “reset” of the relationship with France after tensions were strained when the Morrison government scrapped a $90bn submarine contract. Marles said he was confident the relationship with France was moving forward.

But the defence minister added that Australia will continue to assess all of its capabilities to ensure they’re cost effective and fit for purpose. Marles said:

We need to be making sure we have the best capability possible but it needs to provide value for money.

Marles has launched a review of Defence’s posture to determine what needs to be done to bridge capability gaps until Australia is able to acquire nuclear-propelled submarines.

The review is due to be handed down in March.

Updated

Severe weather warning for central NSW

Central NSW is bracing for further potential flooding with severe weather warnings in place, AAP reports.

The worst of the rain is expected on Wednesday, with six-hourly totals up to 70mm expected in the Central West Slopes and Plains and Riverina region.

The warning area covers a region stretching from south-west of Dubbo through Parkes to Young and out to Narranderra.

A cold front coming from South Australia is expected to move into western NSW later on Tuesday and fuel further rain. Many catchments are already experiencing ongoing flooding from previous rainfall over the last few weeks, the Bureau of Meteorology warned on Tuesday.

Major flooding is possible along the Namoi, Macquarie and Lachlan Rivers and is already occurring at Wee Waa, Warren Weir and Euabalong on Tuesday afternoon.

People in Gunnedah in the north-west of the state have already been hit with their third flood in a year, with the State Emergency Service (SES) saying water inundated five houses on the weekend when the Namoi River peaked at just over eight metres.

The SES is warning residents at risk of flooding to prepare and plan, with the ground already saturated and more heavy rain to come. The agency has begun moving resources and equipment to areas of concern, including in the Central West and further north in the New England region.

There were three more requests for flood rescues overnight on Monday, on top of 30 over the weekend.

An SES spokesperson said:

With more weather coming from Wednesday we are concerned and are reminding the community to make sensible smart decisions when travelling at the moment.

Updated

Support for republic below 50% in the SMH Resolve poll

The Nine papers have conducted their own Resolve Political Monitor poll asking Australians about their feelings towards the monarchy in the wake of the Queen’s death.

Its findings – that support for a republic has dropped to 46% – is similar to Guardian Australia’s Essential poll, released yesterday, which had support at 43%.

The SMH’s chief political correspondent, David Crowe, writes:

Voters have shifted in favour of the status quo when asked to decide a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question on a republic at a time of global attention on the Queen’s funeral and the transition to King Charles, shattering the narrow majority for change revealed in a similar survey in January.

The exclusive findings show that only one state, Victoria, would back a republic and would do so with a tiny majority of 50.2%, dooming a referendum to failure and repeating the rejection of the 1999 attempt to amend the Constitution.

However, the deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, told ABC Radio this morning “I don’t think we should read too much into polls into the republic in the immediate aftermath of such a historic moment as the death of Queen Elizabeth II”.

Updated

Consumer watchdog to conduct review into childcare costs

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission will investigate the rising cost of childcare and out-of-pocket costs hitting family budgets, with an extra $11m commitment from the government.

The finance minister, Katy Gallagher, was on ABC News Breakfast and was asked why –as the ABC put it – the $400m a year organisation needs “an extra $11 million to confirm something we already know?”

We’re asking a lot of the ACCC at the moment. They’ve got their eyes on many different parts of the economy.

In terms of our investment in early childhood education and care, which will be flowing through soon, $5bn, we want a better understanding of some of the drivers of cost increases in childcare and making sure some of our investments are actually doing what we want them to do; to make child care more affordable for families and allowing more women – well, it’s predominantly women – to work extra hours if they want to and not be disincentivised by the childcare system as it operates now.

Having more scrutiny and better transparency about some of the drivers in cost increases would be very useful, not only for parents, but at government, when we look at how we make investments in early childhood education and care.

Asked whether the government will consider price controls, Gallagher said “I don’t want to get ahead of the work the ACCC is going to do.”

Updated

Students in school bus roll were on their way to the airport for a trip, coming from Ballarat area

We brought you the news earlier that a teenage girl and a driver were seriously injured when a school bus collided with a truck and rolled down an embankment west of Melbourne.

The crash happened near an intersection on the Western Highway at Bacchus Marsh about 3.15am, AAP reports.

A Victorian police spokeswoman has told 3AW radio station the bus was coming from a school in the Ballarat area and the students were on their way to the airport for a trip.

Hawthorn racism review will allege the club separated First Nations players from families

The ABC has this morning reported that AFL club Hawthorn’s racism review will allege the club was involved in separating First Nations players from families and demanded a pregnancy termination.

Russell Jackson writes:

Hawthorn had more than 20 First Nations players in the period of the review. Three families involved told ABC Sport about incidents in which club staff allegedly bullied and removed First Nations players from their homes and relocated them elsewhere, telling them to choose between their careers and their families.

But the gravest accusations relate to the club’s alleged intimidation tactics to separate couples at the earliest stages of pregnancies and parenthood, and the alleged demand that one player should instruct his partner to terminate a pregnancy — actions the families say created multi-generational traumas.

Updated

Vision has come through of that collision between a school bus and a truck, which sent the bus with 28 students rolling down an embankment in Bacchus Marsh north-west of Melbourne.

Morrison responds to latest revelations about secretive committee of one

Scott Morrison has responded through a spokesperson to revelations his cabinet subcommittee of one appears to have met hundreds of times.

Despite the cabinet office policy committee having only one permanent member (Morrison), the former prime minister now disputes this characterisation by citing other ministers who were “co-opted” onto the body (that is, had an automatic right to participate).

His spokesperson said:

The Cabinet Office Policy Committee (COPC) process succeeded the previous process for conducting ‘deep dive’ policy discussions. Ministers, officials, experts and members of parliament were co-opted to these meetings in an inclusive process, as appropriate, to participate in deep dive policy discussions to assist frame the government’s policy responses to significant issues, consider strategic policy direction and to assist in the early stages of preparing cabinet submissions, including budget submissions. Numerous meetings were held across the full spectrum of federal government policy responsibilities.

The COPC process proved very effective and practical in working though complex policy issues. The process was modelled on the NSC and ERC process, where officials and experts join these discussions to assist with discussion of policy development. The process proved far more targeted, effective and dynamic than more rigid cabinet sub-committee processes and complemented those processes where appropriate.

The deputy PM, treasurer and finance minister were standing co-options to all COPCs, with the exception of national cabinet ... They were co-opted onto all meetings of any COPC – ie – an automatic participation.

Updated

Defence minister affirms need for long-range nuclear submarines despite expense

Australia faces a looming capability gap as our ageing fleet of Collins-class submarines are retired and before a new fleet of still-hypothetical nuclear submarines is delivered.

The deputy prime minister and minister for defence, Richard Marles, is speaking to ABC Radio. He says the government doesn’t yet have an answer on the total cost of a new fleet of nuclear submarines but “we do know it’s going to be more expensive.”

However, he said the state of global affairs means “what we do need is a highly capable long-range submarine”.

As for the safety side of nuclear subs, Marles says the government is “pleased” the international atomic agency (IAEA) is satisfied for now, that Australia can operate nuclear submarines without violating commitments but says he “want[s] to make clear this is early days.”

Updated

School bus crash in Victoria

Thirty three people are in hospital after a school bus collided with a truck north-west of Melbourne earlier this morning,

One teenage girl and a driver were seriously injured while four adults, 27 other students and the bus driver taken to hospital as a precaution.

The crash occurred near an intersection on the Western Highway at Bacchus Marsh about 3.15am, and sent the school bus rolling down an embankment.

Melbourne-bound highway lanes will remain closed for several hours as emergency services clear the scene.

The students’ parents were asked to stay away from the crash and contact Ballarat police station.

- with AAP

Updated

Good morning!

The former prime minister Scott Morrison is under pressure yet again as a Guardian Australia exclusive sheds new light on the secret ministries saga.

Freedom of information documents reveal Morrison’s secretive cabinet committee of one permanent member appears to have met hundreds of times in the last term of parliament.

It has sparked fresh warnings from the former senator Rex Patrick that the body was an “abuse of process”, and prompted calls to release its documents, or to expand the inquiry into Morrison’s multiple ministries, as proposed by the Greens.

Away from politics, wet weather is expected in north-east Victoria, inland New South Wales and southern Queensland, which could exacerbate flooding of inland rivers.

The worst of the rain for central NSW is expected today with six-hourly totals up to 70mm in the Central West slopes and plains and Riverina region. The area of concern stretches from south-west of Dubbo through Parkes to Young and out to Narranderra.

This morning, the finance minister, senator Katy Gallagher, has told the ABC the audit the government is carrying out will be ongoing beyond the October budget because of the deficit, but also because it is good practice.

Also today, the Reserve Bank of Australia’s deputy governor, Michele Bullock, will speak at noon in Sydney following the bleak preview presented last week by the governor, Philip Lowe.

The disability royal commission hearings continue, and Cate Campbell will address the National Press Club.

Let’s kick off!

Updated

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