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The Guardian - AU
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National
Stephanie Convery and Natasha May (earlier)

Push for wider Barilaro appointment probe; state funeral for Judith Durham – As it happened

Judith Durham Australia Seekers United States China Anthony Albanese

And that’s where we’ll leave you on this Sunday 7 August. Here’s what we learned today:

  • The Chinese embassy in Australia condemned a joint statement from foreign minister Penny Wong together with her Japanese counterpart and US secretary of state in response to Beijing’s unprecedented military aggression in the Taiwan Strait.
  • Shadow defence minister Andrew Hastie called for Australia to develop and operate its own missiles, arguing the country needs greater deterrents given the “very bleak” strategic outlook, with a “rising China” displaying “revisionist and expansionist ambitions”.
  • NSW Labor will seek to expand an inquiry into the controversial appointment of former deputy premier John Barilaro to a US trade job to look at other lucrative overseas-based roles.
  • New research suggests children’s noses may be better at fighting off Covid-19 than those of adults.
  • The family of the late Seekers singer Judith Durham have accepted the Victorian premier Daniel Andrews’ offer of a state funeral.
  • And the deaths of 32 people from Covid-19 were recorded today with more than 4,400 people in hospital with the virus.

Thanks for your company. See you tomorrow.

State funeral for Judith Durham confirmed

The family of Judith Durham have accepted the Victorian premier Daniel Andrews’ offer of a state funeral.

Beck Murdoch, a disability support worker, says she has “begrudgingly” paid a 1.5% fee to be paid early for work funded by the National Disability Insurance Scheme rather than face uncertainty or weeks of delays:

I don’t think anyone should have to pay to access their own money.

Murdoch is speaking about Express Pay, a third-party payment service owned and operated by the gig economy platform Mable, which helps connect disabled clients and support workers.

Workers who use Mable are independent contractors and therefore not entitled to the same rights as employees. Workers are engaged and paid by their clients rather than Mable, with Mable collecting the fees from clients and distributing them to workers.

When it comes to being paid on time “there’s no magic number” and no certainty as a contractor, Murdoch says:

Sometimes I’ll get paid weekly, then nothing for three weeks, then three weeks’ pay in one go, then nothing for six weeks – it’s so sporadic.

Read the full story here:

More train strikes to hit NSW next week

A long-running industrial dispute between the rail union and NSW government will ramp up next week, with several strikes planned this month on the state’s train network.

The Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) is locked in a stalemate with the government over a new enterprise agreement and a Korean-made Intercity train fleet, with the union pushing for a deal guaranteeing fixes to safety issues, AAP reports.

The government, which argues the fleet is safe, has promised to spend $264 million to modify the stock but the union wants written confirmation.

The RTBU said further protected industrial action would take place after the government failed to unlink its pledge to fix the fleet’s issues from rail workers’ wages and conditions.

RTBU NSW secretary Alex Claassens said the sporadic strikes would occur in one area at a time, meaning trains could continue to run in most areas.

Claassens said in a statement on Tuesday:

We’ve done everything by the book in order to get these vital safety changes, but the government is refusing to listen. This is our only way of making sure that the safety changes that need to be made will actually be made.

We’ve had plenty of verbal promises before which is why this time we need to see it committed to in a binding document.

Last month the government tried to end the industrial action but the case against the union was dismissed by the Fair Work Commission.

Transport minister David Elliott has been contacted for comment.

Train at station in Sydney with harbour bridge in background
Milson’s Point station in Sydney. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

Updated

Good afternoon everyone. Thank you Natasha May for all your work today.

With that note of joy, I am handing over to the wonderful Stephanie Convery who will be with you into the evening.

Pooch-perfect performances

With the Commonwealth games dominating sporting news headlines, you may have missed an arguably more important international athletic event taking place.

The world dog surfing championships were held this weekend in California.

Dogs compete in different categories according to their size, as well as being able to participate in tandem events with other dogs or their owners.

They are judged on the length of their ride, technique and confidence.

One competitor’s owner told our ABC:

I can’t even explain his passion for it and how much he enjoys it. He has such a good time, even when we’re not surfing competitively. We just like to keep a positive and have a good time.

Guaranteed the footage is the best thing you will see all day.

Updated

National Covid update

Here are the latest coronavirus case numbers from around Australia on Sunday, as the country recorded at least 32 deaths from Covid-19:

ACT

  • Deaths: 0
  • Cases: 415
  • In hospital: 140 (with five people in ICU)

NSW

  • Deaths: 15
  • Cases: 10,027
  • In hospital: 2,181 (with 57 people in ICU)

Northern Territory

  • Deaths: 0
  • Cases: 159
  • In hospital: 40 (with three people in ICU)

Queensland

  • Deaths: 0
  • Cases: 2,649
  • In hospital: 669 (with 29 people in ICU)

South Australia

  • Deaths: 0
  • Cases: 1,595
  • In hospital: 316 (with 12 people in ICU)

Tasmania

  • Deaths: four
  • Cases: 527
  • In hospital: 83 (with one person in ICU)

Victoria

  • Deaths: three
  • Cases: 5,114
  • In hospital: 660 (with 40 people in ICU)

Western Australia

  • Deaths: 10
  • Cases: 2,361
  • In hospital: 342 (with 14 people in ICU)

Updated

Australian disability advocate calls out Eminem for using ableist slur

Australian disability advocate Hannah Diviney has for a third time in only a couple weeks called out the music industry for using the same ableist slur.

Diviney has highlighted that in rapper Eminem’s new album, Curtain Call 2, in the very first track, Godzilla, a duet with the late rapper Juice WRLD, the word “spaz” is used.

It comes only a week after Diviney called out Beyoncé for using ableist language in one of her new songs, just as she did a few weeks before when American singer Lizzo used the same word in her track.

Diviney wrote on HireUp:

I thought the world would give us more than a week before we had to have this conversation again. But I was wrong.

To be clear, the song itself was originally released as a single back in 2020. I do not ask or expect every artist who has used ableist slurs – of which I know there are many – to erase or rewrite their musical history. I only ask that they don’t do it now.

However, the fact that this song opens an album released only two days ago makes it feel acutely relevant to our recent conversations.

You can read more of Diviney’s own words on this very important topic in her opinion piece for Guardian Australia published last week:

Updated

Snow possible in Western Australia!

The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting showers, storms, gusty winds, hail, and large seas for south-west WA.

“Snow is even possible on the Stirling Ranges,” the bureau says.

Updated

NSW Labor to push for expanded Barilaro trade job appointment probe

John Barilaro
Former NSW deputy premier John Barilaro. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

The NSW Labor opposition will seek to expand an inquiry into the controversial appointment of former deputy premier John Barilaro to a US trade job to also look at other lucrative overseas-based roles, AAP reports.

Barilaro is expected to appear at the parliamentary probe on Monday to answer questions about the role – one of several high-profile overseas-based NSW trade positions that also include postings in Tokyo and London.

On Sunday, the Labor leader in the NSW Legislative Council Penny Sharpe, who sits on the committee running the probe, said she wanted broader scope to look at how all the senior trade and investment commissioners were appointed.

Sharpe told reporters in Sydney:

We will be seeking to expand the terms of reference of that inquiry to include all appointments for the senior trade and investments commissioner roles, obviously including the UK agent general,

I’ll also be pursuing more calls for papers to unveil and provide to the public the reasoning and the involvement of ministers in the government in the appointment of these positions.

AAP has contacted the premier’s office for comment.

To catch up on what the inquiry was told Friday, Michael McGowan’s story is here:

Updated

Northern Territory records no Covid deaths and 40 people in hospital.

There were 159 new cases in the last reporting period, and three people are in intensive care.

Clue to children’s Covid immune response

You may remember from the early days of the pandemic, some of the first information that came through were reports children seemed to have better immunity. But the reason why was unknown.

New research indicates children’s noses may in fact be better at fighting off Covid-19 than those of adults, AAP reports.

Dr Kirsty Short from the school of chemistry and molecular biosciences at the University of Queensland says it may be one reason immune responses among children have proved more effective against the virus. She says:

Children have a lower Covid-19 infection rate and milder symptoms than adults but the reasons for this have been unknown.

We’ve shown the lining of children’s noses have a more pro-inflammatory response to the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 than adults’ noses.

Dr Short and her colleagues exposed samples of nasal lining cells from 23 healthy children and 15 healthy adults to the virus.

The results showed it replicated less efficiently in the children’s nasal cells and there was a heightened antiviral response. She said:

It could be an adaptation to the increased threats of ‘foreign invaders’ such as viruses or bacteria observed in childhood.

It’s also possible increased exposure to these threats in childhood ‘trains’ the nasal lining in children to mount a stronger pro-inflammatory response.

Or alternatively, metabolic differences between children and adults could alter how virus-fighting genes express themselves.”

The researchers found the Delta Covid-19 variant was significantly less likely to replicate in the nasal cells of children but the trend was markedly less pronounced in the case of Omicron.

Updated

Victorians set to shiver through frost and sub zero temperatures

Victorians prepare to rug up tomorrow with a frost warning issued for western, northern and central parts of the state.

Temperatures of minus one degrees are also forecast for Monday morning.

But the cold conditions are not all bad news, especially for skiers. They’ve seen Mount Hotham ski resort blanketed in three centimetres of snow today.

NSW Liberals pass preselection reforms to prevent repeat of election fiasco

Senator Andrew Bragg has heralded the passage of reforms by the New South Wales Liberal party as important to avoid a repeat of its preselection fiasco before the 2022 election.

The state party’s annual general meeting on Saturday adopted the NSW senator’s proposed reforms requiring the party to publish and follow a timetable for preselections within 12 months of an election.

Agriculture minister attends Royal Queensland Show

The show, known colloquially as “ekka” short for “exhibition”, is back for the first time in three years after 2020 and 2021 shows were cancelled due to the pandemic.

The event’s website says it has been held every year since 1921 with only the Spanish flu and the use of the grounds as a WW2 staging depot in 1942 the only other exceptions besides Covid-19.

The minister for agriculture and emergency management, Murray Watt, was in attendance today. It’s been a busy time for the minister since taking on the portfolios with major flooding in NSW as well as the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Bali, so Watt seems to be enjoying some more therapeutic activity petting the state’s champion cows.

Updated

Large steel container of unknown origin found floating off Arnhem Land coast

A mysterious steel container has been found floating in Gulf of Carpentaria, the ABC is reporting.

Daniel Fitzgerald from ABC rural spoke to Tiger Davey, a crew member of the Wildcard fishing vessel which spotted the object of unknown origin.

The Wildcard made the discovery while looking for mackerel to the north-east of Groote Eylandt.

Davey said:

“It’s about five metres by three metres by four meters — it’s a sizeable chunk of steel.

It must be a bit empty because it is floating just below the surface, bobbing in and out of the water.

We think it’s a fuel pod or some sort of storage pod because it has some lifting lugs and a big hatch on the top.

It has a hose coming off it, so I would say it’s off a boat and it’s been lost overboard or dropped.

Fitzgerald reports the container was too big to tow to a safe location, so the crew has tied a marker buoy to it and reported it to maritime authorities.

Updated

WA records 10 Covid deaths and 342 people in hospital.

There were 2,361 new cases in the last reporting period, and 14 people are in intensive care.

The 10 deaths reported yesterday date back to 27 July.

Durham’s achievements, playing with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, remembered

As tributes continue to roll in for Judith Durham following the news of her death, Cameron Adams reflects on the singer’s place as a pioneering woman in the Australian music industry.

He reflects on the achievements of the Melbourne folk/pop band the Seekers she is most famous for singing with:

Their achievements were remarkable – playing with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones in London and being welcomed home with a show at Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl in 1967 watched by a record-breaking 200,000 fans. They were the first Australian band to sell over a million records.

Man charged over teenage girl's death

A teenage girl has died after being hit by a vehicle in north-west Queensland on Saturday and a 52-year-old man has been charged with murder.

Queensland police say it is “alleged a man drove a vehicle directly into the crowd of people and struck a 13-year-old girl” in the Mount Isa suburb of Pioneer.

The statement from police says:

Police have charged a man with murder after a 13-year-old girl was fatally struck by a vehicle in Pioneer.

It will be alleged at around 2am there was a large disturbance involving multiple people on Delacour Drive.

It is further alleged a man drove a vehicle directly into the crowd of people and struck a 13-year-old girl.

She suffered significant head injuries and died at the scene.

The alleged driver of the vehicle, a 52-year-old Pioneer man, has since been charged with murder.

He is due to appear in Mount Isa magistrates court on Monday 8 August.

Updated

Minor flood warnings in NSW and Victoria

Mirrool Creek near Griffith in NSW could see minor flooding tomorrow morning, as parts of Victoria around the Murray, King and Ovens rivers have also been issued warnings.

The minor flooding comes days after major flooding hit Gundagai, but has since eased.

Nick Kyrgios thunders into Citi Open final

Nick Kyrgios is “super excited” after continuing his career-best season by powering into the final of the Citi Open in Washington, AAP reports.

Backing up from his gruelling tournament workload so far – the Australian maverick finished off Reilly Opelka in their round-of-16 clash on Friday then saved five match points in an epic quarter-final win over Frances Tiafoe yesterday – Kyrgios calmly dealt with Sweden’s Mikael Ymer in straight sets to swagger into another decider.

Updated

South Australia records no Covid deaths and 316 people in hospital.

There were 1,595 new cases in the last reporting period, and 12 people are in intensive care.

The New South Wales premier, Dominic Perrottet, has been both praised and criticised over his decision to scrap $250m in upgrades to suburban stadiums and direct it toward flood relief in the state.

But mystery remains about why the premier is still proceeding with the controversial $300m-plus upgrade of Penrith stadium – the most expensive of the promised projects – while scrapping the upgrades of other suburban grounds.

The obvious answer might be: it’s politics.

Read the full story here:

No decision yet on state funeral for Judith Durham

The family of Judith Durham will be given time to grieve her death in private before the Victorian government approaches them about a possible state funeral, AAP reports.

The Seekers’ singer died in palliative care on Friday night aged 79 after complications from a long-standing lung disease.

Victorian minister Lily D’Ambrosio on Sunday offered her condolences to the family but said the government would not be drawn on a state funeral at this time:

Judith Durham was a very, very private citizen and her family are very, very private too. Today is about remembering her and honouring her memory. She was an absolute treasure. Those other considerations are a matter for the coming days.

Judith Durham and Athol Guy
Seekers lead singer Judith Durham with fellow band member Athol Guy in 2013. Photograph: Julian Smith/AP

Updated

Looking for some new music? Regular Guardian Australia music reviewer Andrew Stafford wholeheartedly recommends the new King Stingray album, saying it’s the work of “a band living their own dream, radiating with happiness and infectious enthusiasm”.

Read the full review here:

Updated

Opposition calls for Australia to develop missiles, warning ‘lucky country’ era is over

We brought you those updates live as shadow defence minister Andrew Hastie was interviewed by the ABC this morning talking about how he believes Australia needs to prepare militarily in the face of escalating global tensions.

The foreign minister, Penny Wong, has expressed deep concern about China’s launch of ballistic missiles into waters around Taiwan’s coastline, and the climate change minister, Chris Bowen, today said Australia would not shy away from calling China out.

For the full story, my colleague Paul Karp has this report:

The shadow defence minister, Andrew Hastie, has called for Australia to develop and operate its own missiles, warning the era of the “lucky country” is over.

On Sunday, Hastie argued Australia needs greater deterrents given the “very bleak” strategic outlook, with a “rising China” displaying “revisionist and expansionist ambitions”.

Updated

Archie Roach remembered at National Indigenous Music awards

Last night at the National Indigenous Music awards in Darwin, an emotional tribute was paid to the late Gunditjmara-Bundjalung songman Archie Roach.

Guardian Australia’s Indigenous editor Lorena Allam reports:

Led by Emma Donovan and Fred Leone, a group of artists including Shellie Morris, Leah Flanagan, Birdz, Yirrmal and William Barton gathered on stage to pay tribute to their beloved Uncle Archie, who died last week after a long illness aged 66.

In case you missed it, here is a video from that tribute:

Queensland records no Covid deaths and 669 people in hospital.

There were 2,649 new cases in the last reporting period, and 29 people are in intensive care.

Death numbers are not reported on the weekend in Queensland.

Man dies in police custody after crashing car

A man has died after being restrained by police officers in Melbourne’s north. The police came to the scene following reports the man had crashed a car through a fence.

Police are now investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of the man in the Melbourne suburb of Preston.

Victoria Police said in a statement that:

Officers attended Murphy Street following reports a car had crashed through a fence and into the front yard of a premises about 4am.

Upon arrival, police observed the man inside the vehicle... before he got out of the vehicle and confronted police.

Officers attempted to restrain the... man before he appeared to become unresponsive.

Attending officers immediately called for medical assistance and performed CPR on the man however he couldn’t be revived.

Detectives from the homicide squad will investigate the incident with oversight from professional standards command, as per standard practice when a person dies in police custody.

Updated

Victoria records three Covid deaths and 660 people in hospital

There were 5,114 new cases in the last reporting period, and 40 people are in intensive care.

Climate change minister confident bill will pass

The federal government is “very, very” confident its climate bill enshrining a 43% emissions reduction target will pass the Senate, AAP reports.

The bill to lock in that target, based on 2005 levels by 2030, on the way to net zero emissions by 2050 passed the lower house on Thursday 89 votes to 55 with the support of the Greens and crossbench independent MPs.

It is headed to the Senate where it will first go to a committee inquiry, which will hear evidence on the proposal’s impacts.

The committee is due to report back to parliament by the end of August before it goes to an upper house vote.

The government needs the support of the 12 Greens senators and one independent senator, likely David Pocock or Jacqui Lambie, to pass.

The climate change minister Chris Bowen said he has been talking to the senators crucial to the eventual vote.

He told Nine Network today:

I’m very, very confident it will pass the Senate. Very, very confident.

Australians would expect a government of grown-ups to get on with the job and talk to people of goodwill to make sure that we have a good, solid climate bill.

The Nationals leader David Littleproud said while the Coalition believed in reducing emissions, it did not believe legislation was needed to do that. He told Nine:

Once you legislate, you open up the pathway for activists to weaponise it in the courts.

We’re committed to reaching that net zero by 2050 but there is no linear line and we have got to be honest with people about how we get there, and who pays for it.

The Coalition plans to update its reduction target beyond its commitment in government to a 26-28% cut in emissions and is weighing up a policy to back nuclear power before the next election.

Updated

NSW records 15 Covid deaths and 2,181 people in hospital

There were 10,027 new cases in the last reporting period, and 57 people are in intensive care.

Qantas finds ‘no sign of fire’ upon inspection

Following the last post about the scare for plane passengers, Guardian Australia understands that someone on the ground said they saw fire coming from a Qantas plane engine. The national carrier was alerted to this by the tower, but upon inspection has not found any evidence of fire.

A spokesperson for Qantas told the Guardian:

The pilots followed procedure and shut down the engine as a precaution after being alerted by the control tower while taxiing.

There was no warning light in the cockpit and no sign of fire when the engine was shut down.

Engineers have inspected the aircraft and cleared it to return to service.

Passengers have been reaccommodated on to another flight this morning.

Updated

Qantas plane scare at Sydney airport

Nine News is reporting that there has been a fire on a Qantas Boeing 737, which was due to depart from Sydney to Noumea this morning.

The plane made it through taxi but a there was radio report from the tower that smoke and flames were shooting from the starboard engine, Nine News reported.

The plane had passed all cockpit checks but the pilot shut down the engine as a precaution.

There were over 100 passengers on the flight, who are all safe.

Qantas has been contacted for comment.

Updated

Hastie ‘open-minded’ about visiting Taiwan

Hastie is asked if Australia could be doing more to help Taiwan.

We should be talking with everyone, we should be maintaining good relationships with everyone, and that’s true of Taiwan, as it is of China.

Asked if he would go to Taiwan, after Nancy Pelosi’s visit sparked unprecedented military aggression from China, Hastie hasn’t ruled out the option.

I’m open-minded to going there. I have a very full dance card... with a young family and enough travel as it is, but certainly I’m on the record that I would like to visit Taiwan at some point.

They have invited me... I will wait and see.

Updated

Opposition calls for speedy delivery of nuclear submarines

Hastie is asked whether the is concerned Australia might have a capability gap between when the Collins class become useless and the nuclear submarines are ready.

The advice I received from Defence as assistant minister for defence was that we were going to cover that gap with the life of type extension for the Collins class. They are still a regionally superior submarine.

The question is how quickly can we deliver a nuclear submarine or several of those boats to the Royal Australian Navy. That’s why I’ve said again, several times over the last month that Richard Marles as defence minister needs to be focused on delivering those submarines as quickly as possible. Every single day he should be thinking about it. When he wakes up he should be thinking about submarines. When he goes to bed, when he is asleep, he should be dreaming about submarines. We need political focus on delivering these submarines for our country.

Updated

Greater fuel stocks and cyber security investment needed – Hastie

Hastie is asked about the Coalition’s nine years in government, particularly the problems with frigates and submarines.

Of course, the Port of Darwin’s 99-year lease is, I think, a reminder that we did make mistakes, but insofar as Richard Marles is a successful defence minister, then our country will be successful, so I want to work to make sure that our defence force has the right kit, it is postured correctly and that we are set up for success, but that’s my job. That’s the Coalition’s job in opposition, is to hold this government to account and we will be watching very closely what comes out of this review and we can’t afford to have cuts to capability, particularly as we need to build our deterrent strength, which will be critical going forward.

The shadow defence minister weighs in on what capability he believes Australia needs:

Whether we’re engaged in a high-intensity war, or whether we’re at the periphery of one, there are more things we need.

We need more fuel stocks, that’s clear, more ammo stocks – Ukraine has proved that; we need to continue to invest in our cybersecurity. Project Red Spice, a $10bn investment in cybersecurity over the next decade – these are the sorts of things we really need.

We struck Aukus, which is why we need the nuclear submarines, which is why we need missiles to touch adversaries.

I think we need to partner more with the United States... to develop our own sovereign missiles, Australian-owned, Australian delivered if required.

Updated

Hastie: defending Taiwan is in Australia’s self-interest

Hastie is asked if the opposition think Australia should support Taiwan militarily if China invaded.

I think it is a principled position to defend your neighbour, but it’s also a principle borne out of self-interest. If I don’t stand up for other countries, who will stand up for me? As a nation of only 26 million people on a vast continent, we need as many friends we can get.

In fact, I would say the era of the lucky country is over. It’s dead and buried and we need to start thinking with this new development over the last decade about how we secure ourselves into the future and the strategic culture of Singapore and Israel are good examples of how we can prepare for the challenges ahead, given our size and strength relative to countries like China and Russia.

Updated

Hastie questions defence review appointments

Shadow defence minister Andrew Hastie is asked if he believes the Australian Defence Force has the right assets for what he has described as a “bleak” outlook.

Over the last decade under the Morrison, Turnbull and Abbott governments we invested a lot in the Australian defence force. We have upgraded and commissioned 70 new ships, we struck the Aukus deal, new capabilities in cyber particularly, but there is work to be done and the review can look the these things.

My issue with the review is with the selection of personnel. Angus Houston is a fine officer, however, Stephen Smith has a very, very mixed record as defence minister. From 2010 to 2013 he oversaw the biggest cuts to defence in 70 years. So if you’re looking to send a signal to the Australian people, I’m not sure Stephen Smith is the man to send the signal that you’re serious about defence going forward.

Updated

Defence review should respond to China’s military build-up, shadow defence minister says

The government has announced a review into the Australian Defence Force, as defence minister Richard Marles has called the military build-up from China “the biggest military build-up” since the second world war.

The shadow minister for defence Andrew Hastie is currently speaking on ABC Insiders, saying the government’s defence review should respond to China’s military build-up.

Hastie said:

The strategic outlook is very bleak. It is being driven by a rising China with both revisionist and expansionist ambitions.

Almost 10 years ago former Singaporean prime minister Lee Kuan Yew said that China will reach a crossroads when it has grown sufficiently in military and economic might and the question will be: does it become a good global citizen, or does it use its strategic bolt to force or seek a sphere of influence?

What we’ve seen over the last week, particularly with the missiles being fired in and around Taiwan is they are using that strategic bulk, and we need to respond to that. Insofar as the review does that, I welcome the review.

Updated

Tributes to Judith Durham pour in

Tributes from Australians and overseas continue to come through in memory of singer Judith Durham, who has died at age 79.

Those in the music industry, like Canadian musician Ron Sexsmith, as well as author Philip Pullman have remembered Durham, as well as Australian politicians, journalists and musicians.

Updated

Star rating system for aged care

Aged care facilities will see a star rating system in place by the end of the year, the federal minister for the portfolio says.

AAP reports it is part of the government’s push to ensure more transparency and accountability in the sector following the findings of the aged care royal commission.

The system will rate facilities on different aspects of care and services to allow people to choose a home that suits their needs best, aged care minister Anika Wells said.

It comes as the government prepares to submit a proposal on Monday to the Fair Work Commission, which is considering whether to lift the pay rates for residential and home care workers.

The government will advocate for a “significant and meaningful” pay rise but won’t attach a specific number to it, Wells said.

She told Sky News on Sunday:

We need to do something to value aged care workers better and that starts with a pay rise.

It is for the commission to decide exactly what percentage the work value cases were, but [the government has] agreed that we will fund it no matter what the decision.

Unions are advocating for at least a 25% pay rise for employees in the wake of the royal commission, which recommended a wage increase to reflect the value of their work.

The government is focused on improving the standard of aged care but it must be done in a sustainable way, Wells said.

These reforms have to outlast us all and I know that I won’t be able to leave my office ... knowing that I have fixed aged care for once and for all, because it’s huge.

Updated

China warns Australia against 'finger-pointing'

The Chinese embassy in Australia has this morning condemned a joint statement from Australia’s foreign minister Penny Wong together with her Japanese counterpart and US secretary of state in response to Beijing’s unprecedented military aggression.

The joint statement released on Friday expressed concern over China’s large-scale military exercises in the water of the Taiwan Strait and condemned the China’s ballistic missiles landing in Japan’s exclusive economic zones.

In response, a spokesperson from the Chinese embassy has said Beijing is “seriously concerned and strongly discontent”. The spokesperson went on to say:

It is absolutely unacceptable for the finger-pointing on China’s justified actions to safeguard state sovereignty and territorial integrity. We firmly oppose and sternly condemn this.

The statement goes on to defend the actions taken by the Chinese government as “legitimate and justified” in order to “safeguard state sovereignty and territorial integrity and curb the separatist activities”.

The spokesperson says the one-China principle “should be strictly abided by and fully honoured. It should not be misinterpreted or compromised in practice.”

If you want to keep up to date with the latest on the crisis in Taiwan, the Guardian has a separate live blog that will bring you all the updates as they happen:

Updated

Good morning!

China has defended its recent military activity, warning Australia against “finger-pointing” this morning.

The comments from a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy come after a joint statement was made on Friday by the US, Australia and Japan, which expressed concern over China’s large-scale military exercises in the water of the Taiwan Strait and condemned China’s ballistic missiles landing in Japan’s exclusive economic zones.

We’ll bring you more on the Chinese embassy’s statement shortly.

This morning, Australia also mourns a music legend after Judith Durham died at the age of 79.

Durham was the lead singer of Melbourne band the Seekers, with whom she achieved worldwide fame with hits like Georgy Girl and The Carnival is Over.

The Seekers were the first Australian group to reach No 1 in the UK charts with their first three singles.

Prime minister Anthony Albanese has paid tribute to Durham as a “national treasure and an Australian icon”.

If there’s anything happening this Sunday in your corner of the world that you think should be on the blog, you can ping me on Twitter @natasha__may or email natasha.may@theguardian.com.

Let’s jump in!

Updated

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Netflix recently announced that the production of Stranger Things season five has officially wrapped. Read further on Dynamite News:
Dynamite News
Dynamite News
Mufasa: The Lion King review – technically dazzling Disney origin story lacks soul
Moonlight director Barry Jenkins’s all-action tale boasts uncanny CGI effects and songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, ​​but the screenplay is schmaltzy and derivative
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
How to watch or stream Sunday’s Week 16 games of the NFL’s 2024-2025 football season live, online, and free without cable
It’s a holiday feast of football!
Fortune
Fortune
Tina Fey and Tom Hanks among stars to induct Martin Short into Saturday Night Live's Five-Timers Club
Tom Hanks, Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin and Scarlett Johansson were among the stars to induct Martin Short into the 'Saturday Night Live' Five-Timers Club on Saturday (21.12.24).
BANG Premier
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