What happened Thursday 10 February, 2022
With that, we’ll wrap up the live news blog for today.
Here’s a summary of the day’s main news developments.
- The Morrison government has shelved its divisive religious discrimination laws after amendments aimed at protecting LGBTQ+ students sparked a backlash from religious schools and conservatives.
- A top Australian intelligence chief has vowed to counter any attempts by other countries to interfere in the upcoming federal election after revealing a “recent” meddling plot had been disrupted.
- Josh Frydenberg’s attempts to cripple the proxy advisers who advise superannuation funds on how to vote on issues including executive pay have been described as a “cluster fiasco” after the Senate killed off the regulations introduced by the treasurer.
- The New South Wales auditor general has warned her unqualified audit of the state’s finances could be at risk after the secretary of transport told a public hearing he had not yet agreed to provide an extra $5.2bn to fund a controversial rail corporation.
- The former British spy chief Sir Richard Dearlove has described the Pine Gap surveillance base in central Australia as “hugely important” to western intelligence collection about China’s “rather alarming” activities.
- Barnaby Joyce has backed Narrabri’s mayor and general manager after they overturned the council’s opposition to the inland rail route on the grounds of flood risk, without consulting their own councillors.
- Tasmania has launched an audacious bid to host or co-host the 2026 Commonwealth Games, but some have labelled the move pointless.
Thanks for tuning in. We’ll be back to do it all again tomorrow.
Updated
Tasmania has launched an audacious bid to host or co-host the 2026 Commonwealth Games, but some have labelled the move pointless, reports AAP.
The Liberal premier, Peter Gutwein, has written to Commonwealth Games Australia chief executive, Craig Phillips, and formally requested the island state be considered as a host for the sporting event.
Tasmania recently hosted the fifth men’s Ashes cricket Test and was given two elimination AFL finals last season due to mainland Covid-19 restrictions.
Jane Howlett, Tasmanian sport minister, said:
Our government is committed to delivering more elite sporting content for Tasmanians to enjoy and, importantly, provide pathways for local sports men, women and children.
We are confident that we can work collaboratively with Commonwealth Games Australia on the opportunities Tasmania presents as either a host or co-host of the 2026 Commonwealth Games.”
The 2022 games will be held in Birmingham. The English city was originally scheduled to host the event in 2026 but it was brought forward when Durban in South Africa was stripped of hosting rights.
Howlett said Tasmania has “clearly demonstrated” an ability to deliver elite sporting content.
The Labor opposition, however, is not on board.
Labor MP Shane Broad said:
This is a pointless plan with absolutely no ability to deliver, and any money spent on a bid would be money wasted.
Peter Gutwein, in writing to the Commonwealth Games CEO, has not even thought through the most basic details like: where would we accommodate thousands of athletes and spectators?
Where could he possibly hold an opening and closing ceremony of any size?”
Gutwein has pushed hard in recent years for Tasmania’s inclusion in the AFL but concerns have been raised about the state’s smaller facilities. Blundstone Arena in Hobart has a capacity of 19,500, while University of Tasmania Stadium in Launceston in the state’s north can hold up to roughly 20,000 people.
Updated
