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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Mostafa Rachwani and Emily Wind (earlier)

PM defends response to ICC arrest warrant request – as it happened

Medibank James Paterson Sky News Australia Penny Wong United States Larissa Waters Tom Rogers Greens Deloitte
Anthony Albanese looks on as Queensland premier Steven Miles speaks to the media in Brisbane on Thursday.
Anthony Albanese looks on as Queensland premier Steven Miles speaks to the media in Brisbane on Thursday. Photograph: Darren England/AAP

What we learned today, Thursday 23 May

We are wrapping up the blog for tonight. Here’s what made the news:

Updated

Australia assigns Houthi group Ansar Allah as a terrorist organisation

The Australian government has assigned Ansar Allah, the group representing the Houthi movement in northern Yemen, a terrorist organisation.

In a statement issued from the Attorney General’s Department, the decision is explained as being rooted in concerns that the group “is directly or indirectly engaged in the preparing, planning, assisting in, or fostering of terrorist attacks”.

Ansar Allah’s violent attacks in the Gulf of Aden and surrounding region have killed civilians, taken hostages and severely disrupted navigational rights and freedoms in the waters around the Arabian Peninsula, undermining maritime security and global prosperity.

The Government’s decision to list Ansar Allah follows advice from Australia’s security agencies that Ansar Allah is directly or indirectly engaged in the preparing, planning, assisting in, or fostering of terrorist attacks.

The assignment means it becomes an offence to support the organisation in any way. The addition of Ansar Allah brings the number of listed terrorist organisations under the Criminal Code to 30.

Updated

Mushroom meal murder accused faces Victorian supreme court

Erin Patterson, the woman accused of murdering and attempting to murder her relatives by serving them a meal laced with deadly mushrooms, has faced the Victorian supreme court for the first time.

Patterson, 49, is charged with three counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder after hosting an allegedly fatal lunch at her house in regional Victoria.

Patterson is accused of murdering three guests who attended lunch at her Leongatha property on 29 July 2023 – Don and Gail Patterson, the parents of her estranged husband Simon Patterson, and his aunt Heather Wilkinson.

She is also alleged to have attempted to murder Simon Patterson on three occasions in 2021 and 2022.

The two final counts of attempted murder also relate to the lunch. It is alleged Patterson again attempted to murder Simon Patterson and Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson.

Patterson appeared before the judicial registrar Tim Freeman on Thursday and is expected to face court again on 21 August.

Updated

Bird flu detected at second Victorian poultry farm

Bird flu has been detected at a second farm in western Victoria, 130km west of where the outbreak was first detected.

The farm in Terang is linked to the Meredith egg farm where 400,000 chickens are being euthanised and disposed of after an outbreak of the highly pathogenic H7N3 strain of avian influenza. The strain at the Meredith property is not the same as the H5N1 strain which has been wreaking havoc globally.

Agriculture Victoria said officers had extended control orders to include a 1.5km restricted area around the Terang farm, in addition to the 5km restricted area around the Meredith farm. Both properties are also subject to a broader control area buffer.

Earlier, we reported that a strain of low pathogenicity avian influenza, H9N2, had been detected at a property in south-western WA. That outbreak is not connected to the Victorian outbreak, and is of a much less serious strain.

Dr Joanne Sillince, the acting chief executive of the Australian Chicken Growers’ Council, says the H7N3 is “the devil we know” for Australian poultry farmers, whereas the H5N1 strain which is causing global destruction is “the devil we don’t”. The latter, she says, is much more worrying for producers.

Updated

Albanese defends response to ICC arrest warrant request

Anthony Albanese says the international criminal court hasn’t made a decision yet on a prosecutor’s request for warrants to arrest Israeli leaders, as the prime minister brushed off the Coalition’s criticism of his response to the issue.

The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has suggested that Australia should consider walking away from the ICC if it issues arrest warrants for the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and defence minister, Yoav Gallant. The chief prosecutor has also sought arrest warrants for three Hamas leaders.

At a press conference in Brisbane a short time ago, Albanese noted that the Howard Coalition government had joined the Rome Statute setting up the ICC. Albanese said he and his government had been clear in their condemnation of Hamas, adding that the 7 October attacks showed that Australia was right to have it designated as a terrorist organisation.

He would not weigh in on how Australia would respond to the issuing of any arrest warrants:

I’m not going to go into hypotheticals about things that have not happened.

There’s been an application, there’s been no determination by the ICC against any individual or anybody at this point in time.

Albanese said he would not “respond to every incoming quote” from Dutton:

What I do is take a principled position, which is what we have [done]. We have said that Israel has a right to defend itself. How it defends itself matters. We have said that very very clearly.

For more on this issue, see this explainer:

Updated

‘The future absolutely terrifies me,’ nurse tells housing inquiry

Lou, a registered nurse in her late 60s, told the people’s commission into housing that after moving to Sydney six months ago she has been couch surfing while looking for a place. She has just signed a lease out of desperation that is 65% of her take-home pay.

“I’m 68 this year. Will I ever be able to retire?” Lou said. “And where on earth would I be able to afford to live? The future absolutely terrifies me and fills me with utter despair.”

She has tried to apply for social housing but says she cannot fill out the section where she is asked to prove her homelessness.

“I can’t do it. I can’t face it. I don’t know how you do that. How do you prove you have nowhere to live? That section has reduced me to a quivering mess,” she said.

Updated

Landlords should help pay moving costs if they evict tenants under no grounds, housing inquiry hears

Landlords should have to help pay for the cost of moving if they are evicting tenants under no grounds, a renter who has moved 33 times in her life has told the people’s commission into housing.

The commission, co-chaired by the former Labor senator Doug Cameron, is being run by The Everybody’s Home on Thursday and Friday.

Saffron, who lives in Katoomba in a share house with her partner, mother, son and their dog, works in community services.

“I’m a lifelong renter who has moved 33 times. Sometimes these moves were by choice, but mostly they weren’t,” she said.

They first moved in together two years ago – and after signing a 12-month lease were shocked when halfway through they were told the owner was selling.

They now have a place they hope to stay for a while but said moving regularly, especially twice a year, was a huge financial burden.

“Maybe landlords could bear some of that cost, if they’re giving you a no-grounds notice or if they need the property back, to help with the cost of moving?”

She also called on the NSW government to implement the portable bond scheme as soon as possible, so bonds can be transferred between properties, without renters having to save up again.

“Our rent has steadily climbed,” she said. “Our rent is currently five and a half times higher than when we first moved to the area, yet wages have not climbed at the same rate. I am worried about what the future holds. Housing security is so tenuous.”

Updated

Queensland fires starting gun on Olympic Games authority

The starting gun has been fired on a bill to establish an independent delivery authority for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.

The minister for state development and infrastructure, Grace Grace, is carrying the torch for the government. She has introduced an amendment to add the Gold Coast mayor on its board, as recommended by a parliamentary committee.

Under the former premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, the government resisted creating a specific independent authority – the model used for Sydney 2000 – with the work to instead be done through her office.

The new premier, Steven Miles, reversed course and also cancelled a planned upgrade of the Gabba.

Grace told parliament:

The passage of this bill will facilitate the establishment of the Games venue and legacy delivery authority, and its board is an important next step in delivering a successful 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Deputy speaker, as you know, the Miles government has taken every step to ensure that Queensland is ready to put on a spectacular Games, one that leaves a lasting legacy in communities right across the state, with around half of our venues outside Brisbane.

Grace introduced the bill in April. It’s expected to pass today.

Updated

Corporate welfare for Origin comes with a bigger price tag than you can see

As you may have heard, the NSW government has done a deal with Origin Energy to keep the country’s biggest coal-fired power station at Eraring going for at least another two more years.

Now the decision wasn’t a big surprise (and in line with the result we flagged last month). Still, investors liked it, pushing up Origin’s shares by more than 2.3% today in a stock market that’s trading about 0.5% lower. Rival AGL’s shares are flat.

AGL isn’t ready to comment yet on the “safety net” cast for their competitor. EnergyAustralia, the other big rival, put a brave face on it.

“Noting the delays to transmission and renewable builds required for the future reliability of the electricity system in NSW, EnergyAustralia in principle sees the NSW government’s actions to extend Eraring as a pragmatic way to ensure the best customer outcomes during a period of transition,” it said.

Still, it is a case of corporate welfare, with some viewing the deal as a savvy one for Origin. Declare you’re bringing forward the closure of your main generation asset – and then get compensated for keeping it open.

Read our analysis that has just been published here:

Updated

Some background to the previous post: the disability employment services (DES) program and many of its providers have come under scathing criticism from people with disability and their advocates – and from the disability royal commission – for not providing appropriate support, poor outcomes for jobseekers, having lack of specialised disability knowledge or failing to act in the jobseekers’ best interests.

Last year, the commission found the DES program was “currently not meeting the needs of people with disability or employers” and needed reform. They recommended the program be redesigned to support people with disability entering or transitioning into long-term employment and careers of their choice, and that it be inclusively co-designed and developed with people with disability, among other things.

Among the changes announced by Rishworth, reflecting some royal commission recommendations, are that the program will be expanded to include approximately 15,000 people who were not previously eligible for support due to savings or partner or family income, and people with disability who have a work capacity of less than 8 hours a week. Support can also be accessed for as long as it is needed.

Rishworth said on Thursday:

All providers should be striving for excellence, providing quality services, adopting best practice approaches and focus on continuous improvement.

The new program will come into effect from 1 July next year.

Updated

Mutual obligations for jobseekers with disability to be reformed

Mutual obligations for jobseekers participating in disability employment services (DES) will be reformed, though not eliminated, as part of the federal government’s promised overhaul of the program, social services minister Amanda Rishworth has announced.

In a speech this afternoon to the disability employment sector and advocates, Rishworth outlined in more detail the Albanese government’s proposed reforms to the outsourced program, which is worth about $1bn a year in contracts paid to private companies and nonprofits.

It includes providing incentives to DES providers to support companies to employ people with disability, and wage subsidies of up to $10,000 to “support employers to build inclusive workplaces where a job seeker with disability can thrive and be a highly valued team member”.

In response to consistent feedback from jobseekers with a disability about the obstructive nature of mutual obligations – where a jobseeker’s welfare payment is contingent upon them performing tasks such as applying for a particular number of jobs or participating in mandatory training – Rishworth said they would now “adopt a simpler approach”, which they hoped would contribute to a “culture shift”:

The application of the new service offers will cater to individual circumstances by adopting a simpler approach to engagement and meeting mutual obligations, with the ability to step up to more formalised requirements if participants aren’t engaging.

The flexible service offer will focus on maintaining connections between participants and providers to meet mutual obligation requirements, while accounting for their life circumstances that make it hard to intensively participate.

For example, people may be engaging in education and training, have suddenly taken on caring responsibilities or had a decline in their ability to participate due to the nature of their disability or other barriers they are experiencing. However, they will remain connected so providers can adjust their approach to support when circumstances change.

Updated

Melbourne Uni agrees to pro-Palestine demands to disclose weapon funding

The University of Melbourne has become the first Australian tertiary education institution to agree to some demands of pro-Palestine activists.

In a statement on Thursday, the University of Melbourne says it will commit to “additional disclosure” of its research project grant agreements to help provide more transparency.

The university says this will include disclosing parties who fund research and the amounts. But it says these will be subject to confidentiality obligations, national security regulations and laws and the safety of researchers:

This commitment reflects the University’s dedication to fostering informed dialogue and understanding about our contributions to Australia’s social and economic wellbeing, including in our commitment to the defence and national security of Australia.

After a week camped inside a department building, pro-Palestine protesters at the University of Melbourne on Wednesday evening vowed to dismantle the encampment.

The activists said they would pack up the sit-in after the institution made a public statement about its commitment to disclose research and funding ties to weapons manufacturers linked to Israel.

Updated

Poor body image stops half of Australian schoolchildren attending school

Body image issues are overwhelmingly affecting Australian schoolchildren, with alarming numbers reporting it has stopped them from attending school in a new survey.

Of the 3,000 young people who completed the Butterfly Foundation’s second annual Body Kind Youth Survey, more than half (57%) were dissatisfied with how their body looks.

Nearly half of the respondents (49%) said body image had at some point stopped them from going to school.

An overwhelming majority (95%) reported some level of concern about their body image and more than two-thirds wished they were thinner (78%) and more muscular (71%).

Almost two-thirds (62%) said social media made them feel dissatisfied with their body –12% higher than the 2022 results.

Body dissatisfaction is a leading risk factor in the development of an eating disorder, the Butterfly Foundation said.

Helen Bird, education services manager at Butterfly Foundation, said:

This is yet more evidence that young people’s body image is having a profound impact on every aspect of their lives and prevention and early intervention is critical to improve outcomes.

In Australia, the Butterfly Foundation is on 1800 33 4673.

Updated

Good afternoon, Mostafa Rachwani with you to take you through the rest of the day’s news.

Many thanks for joining me on the blog today! You’ll have Mostafa Rachwani with you for the rest of the evening. Please take care.

Peter Dutton doubles down on criticism of international criminal court

Opposition MPs have backed leader Peter Dutton’s call to consider boycotting the world’s top criminal court despite criticism the coalition shouldn’t pick and choose when to apply laws, AAP reports.

Withdrawing from the international criminal court in protest can’t be ruled out, Dutton has said.

His assertion follows a finding by chief prosecutor Karim Khan there are reasonable grounds to suspect Hamas and Israeli ministerial involvement in possible war crimes.

Dutton branded the decision to seek warrants for prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defence minister Yoav Gallant an “obvious antisemitic act” and called for it to be reversed.

He also chastised the prime minister for not condemning the prosecutor’s actions, after Anthony Albanese said Australia respected the independence of the court and didn’t comment on matters before it.

In reference to Albanese’s statement, Dutton today said: “The Jewish community is completely and utterly bewildered.”

Liberal MP and former Australian ambassador to Israel Dave Sharma said Australia should be “examining our options and our future cooperation with the court” if the warrants were granted. Liberal MP Aaron Violi also backed Dutton’s comments.

Updated

Katters’ accused of perpetuating rape myths and discouraging sex abuse reporting

Queensland attorney-general Yvette D’Ath has accused the Katters’ Australian party of perpetuating a sexist myth which discourages sex abuse reporting in a document tabled in parliament.

Robbie Katter submitted a question on notice, which is a written application for information sent through the parliament to a minister, last month.

In it, he wrote that the state’s “males” are “increasingly falling victim to perjury and vexatious reporting”.

Will the attorney-general provide protection for Queensland males, and implement penalties for women who commit perjury or report vexatiously?

D’Ath responded this afternoon with a blizzard of statistics contradicting him, writing:

It is questions like this that discourages victims in coming forward.

According to a Queensland police factsheet she linked to, about one in 20 rape allegations are proven false. She wrote:

In 2022, 86% of sexual assault victims in Queensland were female. In 2021-22, 4 in 5 people using domestic and family violence were male. The vast majority (92%) of women who experienced sexual assault did not report the incident to the police. 3 The most recent national community attitudes to violence against women survey 2021 – undertaken every four years – shows that 34% of people believe it is common for sexual assault allegations to be used as a way of ‘getting back at men’, with 24% believing allegations are due to women regretting a consensual sexual encounter.

As leaders in our community, we have an obligation and a responsibility to call out gendered violence and not perpetuate myths.

D’Ath ended by noting that perjury and attempting to pervert justice are crimes that apply to everyone, whatever their gender.

Updated

Dan Tehan says Anglesea not a site identified for nuclear power plant

Liberal MP Dan Tehan says reports that the coalition has identified Anglesea in Victoria as a potential nuclear power site are wrong.

This comes as the coalition is facing increasing pressure to reveal the details of its nuclear policy, including where it would locate a number of nuclear reactors.

In a post to Facebook, Tehan linked to a local media report from March stating that Anglesea had been ruled out as a location.

Earlier today, the Corangamite MP, Libby Coker, had responded to those initial reports and said her community was in “utter disbelief that Peter Dutton and the Liberals are considering a nuclear reactor in the peaceful seaside village of Anglesea on the [Great Ocean Road]”.(See earlier post)

Climate change minister Chris Bowen left a comment on Tehan’s Facebook post, stating that if he can rule out Anglesea “that means you know where the plants will and won’t be”.

So how about you clarify it for every Australian and every community by releasing your policy, with locations, costings and timelines.

Enough talk. Where’s your policy?

Updated

Live sites in Australia flagged for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Australian sports clubs and community groups have been encouraged to watch the Paris Olympics and Paralympics together at live sites and watch parties, AAP reports.

The Olympics and Paralympics LIVE program will be made available free to sports clubs, schools, universities, community groups and local councils.

The Olympics run from 26 July to 11 August and the Paralympics from 22 August to 11 September, with many of the finals sessions taking place early morning Australian time.

Australian Olympic Committee chief executive Matt Carroll said:

The Olympic and Paralympic Games are about bringing people together, and this world needs to come together. In Paris, the athletes of the world come together in a peaceful competition. Here in Australia, communities can come together through the Olympics and Paralympics LIVE.

The program will include live sites in major cities and watch parties at local sports clubs.

Updated

Queensland treasurer says legislated super tax on coal profits necessary to protect state’s coal royalties

Queensland deputy premier and treasurer Cameron Dick says the new legislation to enshrine super tax on coal profits is necessary to protect the state’s coal royalties from a “secret plan” by the opposition to cut taxes for the industry.

There is already a bill which includes Queensland’s current coal royalties, which was passed in 2022 with the support of the LNP.

Dick said that today’s legislation was about “making sure and certain … [that] they cannot be changed except by a bill in parliament.”

And so we’re absolutely making sure that is locked in through this legislation, so no future government can change it.

Of course, a future parliament can repeal any bill passed by a past parliament, including this one. So if a future government – which would have to command a majority in Queensland’s only parliament – decided to do that, they could.

If I did that, if they did that, that would demonstrate the point I said all along, that their secret plan would then be public.

Updated

12 Australians and one permanent resident remain in hospital after severe turbulence on Singapore Airlines flight

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade says consular officials are supporting 12 Australian citizens and one permanent resident, who remain in hospital after severe turbulence on Singapore Airlines flight SQ321.

One further Australian was hospitalised after the flight but has now been discharged, Dfat confirmed.

Earlier this week, the Singapore Airlines flight violently dropped when flying en route from London to Singapore, resulting in one death.

As Elias Visontay reports, three Australians are among 20 passengers from the flight who are being treated in intensive care at the Samitivej Srinakarin hospital in Bangkok.

You can read all the latest details below:

Updated

Coal super tax to be legislated in Queensland

A super tax on coal profits will be enshrined in Queensland law, AAP reports, making it harder for future governments to change the divisive royalty hike.

Deputy premier and treasurer Cameron Dick said he would table a bill that would require legislative changes for any future modifications to the state’s coal royalties.

The Liberal National Party opposition indicated it would not make changes as the tax was baked into the budget forward estimates.

But the state government is not taking any chances ahead of the October election, saying the tax will be legislated to protect royalties for the benefit of Queenslanders. Dick told parliament today:

There would be no quiet Friday afternoon regulatory changes under any future Queensland government. Any reduction to the coal royalties will be subject to the scrutiny of the people of Queensland through their parliament – as it should be.

The royalties were introduced in July 2022 after a 10-year freeze, ensuring miners pay a larger proportion of tax for coal sold for more than $175 a tonne.

Coal royalties have supported Queensland’s post-pandemic boom with forecast revenue expected at $9.4bn over five years.

Updated

Acma launches legal case against Optus over 2022 cyber attack

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (Acma) has launched a legal case against Optus over the 2022 cyber-attack that compromised the personal information of 10 million customers.

The case was filed in the federal court earlier this week. A spokesperson for Optus confirmed the case was related to the 2022 breach:

Optus Mobile has been advised that the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has filed proceedings in the Federal Court of Australia in relation to the cyber-attack in September 2022.

At this stage, Optus Mobile is not able to determine the quantum of penalties, if any, that could arise.

The spokesperson said Optus had apologised to customers, and had taken steps including working with police to protect them, as well as reimbursing customers to replace documents. The company said it intended to fight the case, but could not comment further while it was before the court.

Acma was approached for comment.

The case is one of two currently being fought by Optus, with a separate class action under way. The privacy commissioner is also investigating Optus over the data breach.

Updated

Sklenka questioned on Aukus submarines, 2027 as ‘critical year’

Our own Daniel Hurst just asked Lt Gen Stephen Sklenka a few questions at the National Press Club, including what role he see for Aukus submarines in the Taiwan Strait?

But Sklenka couldn’t answer, stating, “I have no idea. I can’t answer that.”

So has the Indo-Pacific command, of which he is deputy commander, factored Aukus submarines into its future planning?

Sklenka said it was too far down the track, but they do share planning actions:

At least from the military perspective, there is no expectation of anybody participating in any conflict with us because those decisions are national sovereign decisions of the United States. We don’t dictate that to other countries. In your case, it’s up to the Australian government to deal with that.

In his speech, Sklenka mentioned 2027 as a critical year, stating:

While cross-strait conflict is not imminent or inevitable, we have to take seriously Xi Jinping’s directive to his own forces to be prepared to invade Taiwan by 2027.

Hurst noted that the Aukus submarines were quite a way off and asked if they would be too late? Sklenka responded:

What I was saying earlier, I didn’t say they were going to do it in 2027, I said Xi wants his people to be ready by 2027. I don’t think that conflict is inevitable, I really don’t, but I’m a military guy and if you’re an American you’re paying me not to live on hope, you’re paying me to be ready.

Updated

US military commander weighs in on recent incidents involving China

Circling back to the national press club, where US military commander Lt Gen Stephen Sklenka has been taking questions from reporters.

He is asked about two recent incidents involving China – the sonar pulse and allegations of a dangerous flare – and whether this might have occurred because both times, Australia was trying to enforce UN sanctions on North Korea?

He responded:

No, I don’t think it has anything to do [with that] necessarily and I don’t want to speculate on what’s going on in the CCP mindset. This is, in my view, a pattern of revisionism, of them trying to claim a portion of territory that is not theirs, that they believe that they have ownership over. If they do it frequently enough … they will have created their own status quo and their own de facto reclamation of territory that was never theirs. I don’t think it has to do with their ire with you for enforcing UN resolutions because I believe the Chinese have also signed on to those resolutions.

Updated

Dozens of organisations recommit to representative voices for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

Dozens of Australian organisations have recommitted to establishing representative voices for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people under the banner of “Allies for Uluru”.

In a statement, the organisations noted that 6 million Australians said “yes” to the Voice to Parliament last October and in the wake of the referendum, they are “committed to demonstrating our full and unwavering support for the core principles of the Uluru Statement from the Heart”. This includes:

  • Actively pursuing the establishment of representative voices for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples;

  • Supporting sovereign to sovereign agreement-making and treaty negotiations between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and Australian governments;

  • Actively pursuing a national truth-telling process, as a vehicle for healing.

The statement reads:

We will not be fair-weather allies, we will not turn back, and we will not hesitate in continuing to fight for justice and self-determination for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples … The Allies for Uluru reaffirm that the way forward for our nation lies in accepting the generous invitation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart and actively working together with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples to build our shared vision for a mature, just and equal Australia.

Signatories include the Fred Hollows Foundation, Oxfam, Greenpeace, Sydney Peace Foundation, Catholic Social Services Australia, Save the Children, UnitingCare, Australian Lawyers Alliance and Beyond Blue. Last February Allies for Uluru backed the Voice, which you can read about below:

Updated

Andrew Giles taking 'urgent advice' about visa cancellation

The immigration minister, Andrew Giles, has spoken to reporters in Bendigo, addressing the controversy over the Administrative Appeals Tribunal’s (AAT) decision to revoke the visa cancellation of a non-citizen who was later charged over a stabbing murder in Brisbane.

The AAT reinstated Sudanese man Emmanuel Saki’s visa. He is accused of the murder of a 22-year-old man in Acacia Ridge in Brisbane earlier in May, just weeks after his release from immigration detention.

Saki is not part of the NZYQ cohort released from detention due to the high court’s decision on indefinite detention. But the opposition has sought to blame a new ministerial direction created by Labor requiring that an individual’s ties to the community and time spent in Australia be considered in visa cancellation decisions, a safeguard against the practice of deporting people to countries like New Zealand where they had no significant ties.

Giles said:

Obviously my thoughts … are with the family of the victim. And I should be very clear in articulating, as I did in respect of the [alleged] criminal matters that are involved here, that I don’t want to say anything that might interfere with those criminal processes. What I can say is that over five years successive governments sought to maintain the cancellation of this individual’s visa. The AAT made a decision to overturn it, notwithstanding the directions which put a very high priority on community safety and recognise the importance of the Australian community to domestic violence.

I have sought urgent advice from my department about the implications of this.

Guardian Australia understands the advice relates to cancellation of Saki’s visa under another provision of the Migration Act.

Updated

Another outbreak of avian influenza, this time in southwest WA

There has been another outbreak of avian influenza – this time of the much less serious low pathogenic (LPAI) variety.

The virus was detected at a poultry operation in southwest Western Australia.

The WA department of primary industries and regional development said testing confirmed the outbreak was of the low pathogenic H9N2 strain. Low pathogenic strains of bird flu exist among wild bird populations in Australia, and the disease and mortality rates are lower.

The outbreak is not connected to the high pathogenic H7N3 outbreak reported at a Victorian egg farm yesterday, and is not the high pathogenic H5N1 strain, which is causing havoc globally and was reported on Australian shores for the first time yesterday, in a human traveller who had recently returned from India.

A spokesperson for the WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) said:

H9 strains of avian influenza are known to occur in wild bird populations in Australia, and have previously been detected in WA.

DPIRD has been working with the affected poultry operation to manage the detection and reduce the likelihood of spread, and to implement additional biosecurity measures to reduce the risk of new introduction from wild birds.

The property is currently under a pest control notice to manage the movement of relevant animals and products off the property.

Meanwhile, Victorian authorities are enforcing a 5km restricted area around the egg farm in Meredith, western Victoria, where H7N3 was detected, as well as a larger 20km control area.

Updated

More from the parliament committee examining civics education

The Australian electoral commissioner, Tom Rogers, is answering MPs questions now and he is asked about AI material and how that may impact elections.

Rogers says he has been speaking about this quite a lot at the moment and believes there is an “urgent need for a national civics digital literacy campaign” to “help our citizens deal with this”.

It’s a critical priority for Australia.

Rogers says research from Harvard University shows that “debunking [misinformation] doesn’t work in terms of changing somebody’s mind”. He says that is not a reason not to correct the facts, and while “prebunking works a bit more” what really works “is giving citizens digital literacy skills” to be able to properly examine what they are seeing.

Updated

Parliamentary committee examining civics education in schools

Good morning from Canberra, where the sun is actually shining and if you just looked out the window, you’d be fooled into thinking it was a lovely day (it is still freezing).

I am listening in to the parliament committee which is examining civics education – how we are taught about voting, government, etc while at school.

Greens senator Larissa Waters is on the committee and wants to know why students are not taught how to vote when they are in grade 12 “when they are the closest age to when they actually have to vote”.

Students are taught how to vote, and about preferential voting and the voting process up until grade 10. But senior secondary school is run by the states and territories (because they each have their own ways of achieving their senior certificates) and its when students will choose electives that will suit their post-school life – there isn’t a lot that is compulsory for students in those years in terms of subjects.

Waters says given that voting is compulsory “it stands to reason that learning how to do it would be helpful, no matter what pathway the student decides to take after they finish grade 12.”

That’s for the ministers to work through, Waters is told – but she says: “We have a cohort of people falling through the cracks.”

One of the other MPs shared that nobody even knows what a senator is.

Waters will be taking it up with the education minister.

Updated

More from Stephen Sklenka at the National Press Club

The Chinese government has repeatedly denounced Aukus as an exclusive clique that will only stir up regional tensions. But Lt Gen Stephen Sklenka took aim at the Chinese military’s more assertive activities and rapid military buildup:

We’ve also documented multiple cases of risky behaviour by the People’s Liberation Army toward US and Australian forces along with other allies and partners over the past three years. Since 2021, we’ve seen roughly 300 risky and coercive PLA intercepts of US, allied, and partner forces throughout the region. These encounters not only contravene rules and norms governing behaviour among militaries, but they also frankly endanger lives and create conditions for escalation.

The 300 figure is not new – the Pentagon released it in October.

Deputy commander of US Indo-Pacific Command backs expanding Aukus

A US military commander has said the Aukus pact will deliver benefits “far beyond the three formal members” if it expands to allow for defence collaboration with other close partners such as Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Canada.

Lt Gen Stephen Sklenka, the deputy commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, is addressing the National Press Club in Canberra. He did not name which countries should be invited to participate in Aukus pillar 2, the work on advanced defence technologies. That is separate from Aukus pillar 1, which refers to the US and the UK assisting Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines.

But Sklenka backed the expansion push:

Once fully implemented, Aukus will deliver an advanced level of deterrence that addresses the technological developments of the 21st century and accounts for growing competition in new domains. Most importantly, Aukus pillar 2 has the potential to expand to include new partners to ensure broader collaboration on advanced capability projects, meaning that the beneficiaries of Aukus will extend far beyond the three formal members of this arrangement.

Updated

Modest power price drops for NSW, South Australia

Energy customers in NSW and South Australia will see slight reductions on their bills from July, AAP reports, but further rises are on the way for those in Queensland.

The Australian Energy Regulator’s latest default market offer showed NSW energy users will pay about 1% less in 2024/25, while those in SA will have a drop of 2.8% in the next financial year.

Queensland’s default market offer will rise 4.2% from July, or about $83 a year.

The regulator said Queensland had the greatest reliance on base contracts due to using them more during summer, which had led to the larger price rises compared to other states.

Small businesses will also have decreases in their power bills under the default market outcome, with reductions of $402 for Ausgrid customers, while Endeavour and Essential Energy users will get a drop of $191 and $43 respectively.

South Australian small business owners will see an almost 9% drop, or $512, to their offer while those in Queensland will see a slight rise of $44.

Updated

Australia plays down any imminent move to recognise Palestinian state

The Australian government has played down any imminent move to recognise Palestinian statehood, saying it is pressing for reforms to the Palestinian Authority and the release of hostages.

The Greens are calling on Australia to follow the lead of Ireland, Norway and Spain, which announced overnight that they would recognise the State of Palestine on 28 May, joining more than 140 countries that already do so. The move drew a rebuke from the Israeli government, which argued it was rewarding terrorism.

The foreign minister, Penny Wong, said in a new interview with SBS News (during her visit to Bangladesh) that Australia was “supportive of a two-state solution – we have been for many decades” but the task “has a greater urgency now”.

Wong reiterated that Australia voted at the UN general assembly earlier this month for a resolution “which gave Palestine additional rights and supported the principle of two-states, which is so important”. That does not equate to Australia bilaterally recognising Palestine as a state.

Wong said Australia “would be prepared to look to recognition as part of a peace process” but said “our test must always be is our action going to contribute to the cause of peace”. Responding to the moves by the three European countries overnight, Wong said:

Countries make their own decisions about the appropriate time. One of the things I have said is we do want to see more reform of the Palestinian Authority. We want to see movement towards peace from both sides. The first thing we need to deal with is the release of the hostages and immediate humanitarian ceasefire and of course more access for humanitarian aid.

The comments indicate Australia isn’t ready to act yet, and is holding out for much more progress before taking that step.

Wong’s comments are in line with what cabinet minister Ed Husic told ABC Radio National earlier today, when he said recognition would probably be “part of a longer term process”.

The leader of the Greens, Adam Bandt, said his party would “push in parliament for Labor to act on its promises and follow suit on May 28”.

Updated

Medibank fights to keep data hack report secret from customers

Medibank is fighting to keep secret a Deloitte report commissioned in the wake of its 2022 ransomware attack from customers who signed up to a class action against the health insurance giant.

In the federal court on Thursday, Medibank chair Mike Wilkins was cross-examined on why Medibank was aiming to keep the Deloitte report a secret - despite in 2022 committing to being as transparent as possible about the cyber-attack and sharing what it had learned.

Both Optus and Medibank in recruiting Deloitte for post-incident reviews to their cyber-attacks have subsequently sought to argue in court that the reports were obtained for the dominant purpose of legal advice.

Wilkins said mentioning the review as part of Medibank’s response was about stakeholder management and showing the company was taking the response to the cyber-attack seriously. He acknowledged he was now fighting to keep the report secret from people involved in the class action – namely Medibank customers who had their personal data stolen and posted on the dark web.

The cross-examination will continue this afternoon.

Updated

Politicians react to University of Melbourne students imminent closure of pro-Palestine encampment

As Stephanie Convery reported earlier, pro-Palestine protesters at the University of Melbourne say they will pack up their camp once the uni publicly discloses its funding ties to weapons manufacturers engaged in the current attacks on Palestinian people in Gaza.

Victorian premier Jacinta Allan said the impending resolution was pleasing, when asked if universities should be bowing to protesters’ demands. She told reporters:

How that’s been resolved, we’ve always been clear that has been a matter for the university leadership.

Victorian Greens leader Ellen Sandell commended the protesters for securing a “key win” and helping to “change the course of history”. She said in a statement:

This would not have happened without brave students peacefully standing up and demanding their institutions sever ties with these weapons manufacturers.

- with AAP

Updated

Sydney home partly destroyed in suspected e-bike fire

A Sydney family’s home has been partly destroyed in a suspected e-bike fire, the Daily Telegraph has reported.

Firefighters were called to Narraweena in the northern beaches shortly before 4.15am this morning, where flames had completely engulfed the building’s interior.

The home’s four occupants escaped the blaze, which a Fire and Rescue New South Wales spokesperson reportedly said could been caused by an e-bike’s lithium battery.

Six fire crews took more than an hour to extinguish the fire, with three people treated by ambulance at the scene and one person taken to hospital with burns.

“The flames were so intense firefighters could not enter the premises and extinguished it from the outside,” the spokesperson said, according to the Daily Telegraph.

The cause may have been an e-bike.

An investigation by police and specialist fire and rescue service investigators is under way.

The fire comes after a spate of lithium-ion battery fires across the state, including four recorded on a single day in March.

Firefighters have reported feeling overwhelmed by the potential risks of the batteries. Larger versions of the batteries power bikes, scooters, power tools and vehicles.

Updated

Unplanned power outages affect parts of northeast Melbourne

A number of unplanned power outages briefly hit customers in northeast Melbourne this morning, with more than 24,000 affected.

According to Jemena, there were three unplanned power outages affecting just under 24,700 customers.

Customers in the following suburbs were affected: Preston, Reservoir, Bellfield, Bundoora, Heidelberg, Heidelberg Heights, Heidelberg West, Ivanhoe, Rosanna and West Heidelberg.

The outages all started shortly after 11am, and Jemena says the cause is under investigation. Majority of those affected appear to have power restored.

Updated

Representatives from Eraring Power Station are speaking to the media from the site

Tony Phillips, plant manager at Eraring, said as part of the deal with the state government, support would be provided up to 2027 but not beyond this – with the plant having to close by April 2029.

We will review the market and engage with the New South Wales government and Aemo closer to that time and make a decision.

In terms of the workforce’s sentiment, he said “certainly there’s been some uncertainty” and acknowledged there were some at retirement age, who they were also supporting.

I’m pleased to say we have not seen people leaving. We have got very good people here and we have had got very good investment, so we’re in a good position.

Updated

Australia in ‘biggest economic transformation since Industrial Revolution’, Bowen says

Australia is in the midst of its “biggest economic transformation since the Industrial Revolution”.

That’s according to the minister for climate change and energy, Chris Bowen, speaking at the government’s inaugural ‘sustainable agricultural summit’ in Toowoomba, Queensland.

The environment in which our farmers operate is rapidly changing as Australia and the world act to prevent the worst impacts of climate change.

According to the national greenhouse gas inventory, agriculture accounts for 18% of Australia’s annual greenhouse gas emissions. Last year Bowen said the government was developing emissions reduction targets for six key agriculture sectors.

Australia’s red meat industry, the largest contributor to the sectors total emissions, has a self-imposed “aspirational” net zero by 2030 target. Bowen said:

The goal is net zero emissions. This goal is driven by climate and environmental imperatives. As we grapple with this emergency by acting to reduce emissions, there’s huge economic opportunity to be grasped, especially by regional communities like yours.

The government has allocated $50m to reform Australia’s much criticised carbon crediting scheme, $20m to develop low-carbon liquid fuels for heavy farm vehicles and transport, and $20.7m to improve community consultation processes as the renewable energy rollout intensifies.

Updated

Greens call for Australia to recognise Palestinian state

The Greens have called on the government to recognise a Palestinian state, after Norway, Ireland and Spain did so.

In a post to X about the matter, Greens leader Adam Bandt said that “Labor must ensure Australia does the same – as it promised before the election – and then back it up with action.”

He said recognition alone “won’t stop the invasion of Gaza or end the occupation”, calling on the government to expel the Israeli ambassador, sanction Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet and end military trade with Israel.

140 countries already recognise Palestine. The Greens will push in parliament for Labor to act on its promises and follow suit on May 28.

Pro-Palestine camp at University of Melbourne to end when uni gives in to demands

Pro-Palestine protesters at the University of Melbourne are waiting for the institution to publicly disclose its ties to weapons manufacturers before they pack up their camp, AAP reports.

Students have occupied the Arts West building in Parkville since 15 May, prompting a backlash from administrators.

The student protesters announced last night the camp would be dismantled, after they claimed the university had agreed to disclose its partnerships with weapons manufacturers. However, the university is yet to publicly confirm this agreement.

Organiser Deena El-Shabasei said the institution had given in their demand privately and they were awaiting written and public confirmation. She told ABC Radio Melbourne:

The university gave us the promise of disclosure. So once we get disclosure ... the encampment will wrap up, but the movement will not wrap up.

The University of Melbourne is expected to release a statement before midday.

You can read more on this earlier in the blog here.

No Australian evacuation flights from New Caledonia today

There will be no Australian evacuation flights from New Caledonia today. A government source told the Guardian:

The government has been working with French authorities to plan additional flights for Australians to depart Noumea today and tomorrow. French authorities advise that significant operational demands will preclude flights today. Nonetheless, Australia stands ready to undertake further flights as soon as approvals can be granted. Australians registered with Dfat were advised of this via email last night.

One can presume the “significant operational demands” are the logistical and security requirements around the visit of the French president, Emmanuel Macron.

Updated

Solar Citizens reacts to Eraring power station extension

Following news of Eraring power station’s extension, Solar Citizens is calling on the NSW government to legislate that no further coal power plants are extended beyond their agreed license.

In a statement, CEO Heidi Lee Douglas said:

It’s deeply disappointing that in 2024 the NSW government is backing yesterday’s outdated, polluting technology… This must not happen again. Solar Citizens calls on the [state] government to legislate for no further extensions for any existing NSW coal power facilities beyond their agreed license for polluting power production.

Solar Citizens also asks for the upcoming NSW state budget to include a substantial investment in support for more solar for those currently locked out of energy savings – like residents in social housing, and to provide a ‘battery booster’ rebate for household batteries.

Victorian household power bills to fall by $100

Victorian households will pay about $100 less for electricity, AAP reports, with the state’s regulator lowering its recommended pricing for power companies.

More than 340,000 or 12% of customers on default offers will pay an annual bill of about $1,655 from 1 July, representing a 6% cut, the Essential Services Commission has confirmed.

More than 58,000 or 19% of small businesses will pay a $3,530 yearly bill, making for a $260 reduction. A further 180,000 customers in embedded networks, including apartments and office blocks, will pay no more than the recommended price set by the regulator.

The commission made its decision based on feedback from stakeholders, market data movement and network tariffs approved by the Australian Energy Regulator.

But the Victorian Council of Social Services said the 6% reduction would do little to ease cost pressures. Their chief executive, Juanita Pope, said:

This modest reduction will save households about $2 a week and be quickly obliterated by rising expenses like food, rent and petrol. Given last year’s decision increased baseline bills by $352, prices are still going in the wrong direction.

Updated

Tanya Plibersek caught on hot mic during Sky News broadcast: watch

Earlier, we reported on a rogue microphone moment on Sky News from environment minister Tanya Plibersek, while the shadow home affairs minister, James Paterson, was being interviewed.

You can now watch that moment for yourself below:

Updated

Reactions to extension of Eraring power station continue

More reactions are flowing to the extension of Eraring power station in NSW to August 2027. The Australian Conservation Foundation’s national climate policy advisor, Annika Reynolds, said:

Now is not the time for a two year delay, it’s the opposite – the Minns government must speed up the renewables transition and not fallback on unreliable coal clunkers like Eraring.

Eraring is the largest coal-fired power plant in Australia. It contributes almost 3% of Australia’s total greenhouse gas emissions and just last year, the mercury pollution rose by 130% which is bad for local health…

It is positive to see the Minns government commit $8.4m to accelerate big battery connections but it is a pittance compared to the hundreds of millions of dollars it’ll take to prop up Eraring beyond its closure date.

Meanwhile Tim Buckley, director of independent public interest think tank Climate Energy Finance, labelled the decision “the devastating consequence of a decade of government planning failure.”

Critically, this decision is a powerful disincentive to clean energy investors that sends exactly the wrong signal. It will act as a deterrent to private capital looking for opportunities to invest in the energy transition as the world rapidly decarbonises　… The NSW government has now left action on transition and a decision so late that they have no other option than to capitulate.

Updated

More delays for stranded Australians in New Caledonia

Australians looking to come home from riot-hit New Caledonia may be forced to wait for further evacuation flights from the Pacific territory, AAP reports.

The federal government had been working with French authorities to plan for more flights that were able to leave Noumea today and tomorrow.

However, French officials have advised Australia that operational demands in New Caledonia would mean no further flights would be able to take off on Thursday.

Australians still looking to leave New Caledonia have been told by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade further delays were likely for evacuation flights.

The federal government has indicated it was ready to carry out further flights for stranded Australians once approvals were able to be granted.

There have been 187 Australians and their family members who have returned from New Caledonia to Australia, the foreign minister, Penny Wong, said.

A group of 103 people were repatriated to Brisbane on Wednesday on the latest flight, while 84 Australians and 24 others were flown in on Tuesday.

It’s estimated there are about 500 Australians in New Caledonia and about 300 had registered their interest with Dfat in coming home.

Updated

Labor, independents continue pushing Coalition to release detail on nuclear policy

Labor and independents are continuing to push the Coalition to release details around its nuclear energy policy.

In a post to X this morning, the climate change minister, Chris Bowen, said it has been “660 days since Peter Dutton first said the LNP would go down the path of risky reactors”:

660 days, still no detail.

Corangamite MP Libby Coker questioned whether the shadow climate change minister, Ted O’Brien, had visited her community, where the Coalition is reportedly considering putting a nuclear reactor. The Labor MP wrote on X:

I wonder if Ted O’Brien has ever been to my federal electorate of Corangamite? People are in utter disbelief that Peter Dutton and the Liberals are considering a nuclear reactor in the peaceful seaside village of Anglesea on the [Great Ocean Road].

Meanwhile the independent MP Allegra Spender wrote on X that if nuclear reactor sites are ever named, “it’ll be at least 15 years before a nuclear plant gets up”:

And when it does, the power generated will be twice the cost of renewables. The Coalition’s nuclear policy is a Trojan horse for more coal and gas. Not a serious energy and climate policy.

The shadow treasurer, Angus Taylor, was questioned about the Coalition’s nuclear policy at the national press club yesterday. He didn’t make any major announcements and said “we will announce our policy before the election, not afterwards”.

Updated

Man charged after alleged stabbing in Sydney

A man has been charged after an alleged stabbing in Rydalmere in Sydney on Tuesday.

About 3.40pm emergency services were called to a unit on Stanley Street following reports of a stabbing. Officers found a 29-year-old man that had allegedly been stabbed several times in the neck and body.

He was treated by paramedics before being taken to Westmead hospital in a stable condition. A crime scene was established.

Following inquiries, police arrested a 37-year-old man outside Blacktown hospital yesterday afternoon.

He was taken to Blacktown police station and charged with wounding a person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and two counts of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception.

He was refused bail to appear before Blacktown local court today.

Greens leader congratulates University of Melbourne students for pro-Palestine protest

Greens leader Adam Bandt has congratulated University of Melbourne students for their pro-Palestine protest encampment, which will now be wrapped up.

As Stephanie Convery reported earlier, students announced last night they would dismantle the camp after the university had agreed to disclose its relationships and funding ties to weapons manufacturers engaged in the current attacks on Palestinian people in Gaza. You can read the full details here.

In a post to X, Bandt wrote:

Making the uni disclose links with weapons corps is another pressure point in ending Australia’s military trade with Israel. The Uni must make good on their promise to you. The Greens will continue to fight in parliament to end Australia’s two way military trade with Israel.

My colleague Daniel Hurst has looked into claims around whether Australia is exporting weapons to Israel, and you can watch the full details below:

More details on the agreement between the NSW government and Origin

Penny Sharpe said that as part of the agreement between the NSW government and Origin, they have agreed to an underwriting arrangement. She told reporters:

Origin must opt into this arrangement for 2025 and/or 26-27. If Origin opts in and Eraring generates a profit, it must share that profit, up to $40m a year, giving it back to taxpayers. If Origin opts in and Eraring makes a loss, Origin can claim no more than 80% of any losses capped at $225m each year. Origin must report profits and losses from Eraring to ensure transparency.

Sharpe framed the agreement as a “good deal for taxpayers as well as households and businesses,” ensuring the renewables transition “can be delivered without exposing the people of NSW to blackouts or price spikes.” She said:

This agreement expires in August 2027. Origin have given notice to the market and to Aemo that they propose to close then.

NSW energy minister on Eraring decision: 'we have to keep the lights on'

The NSW energy minister, Penny Sharpe, is speaking to the media from Sydney about the Eraring Power Station extension to August 2027.

Giving a reason for the decision, she said:

We have to keep the lights on and prices down so that we can make sure that renewable energy and storage and firming is in place as we manage the exit, and the much-needed exit, of coal-fired power.

Sharpe said the agreement between the state government and Origin to operate Eraring until August 2027 is a “temporary and targeted agreement”.

She outlined what Origin is required to do under the agreement:

Under the agreement secured by the government, Origin must make sure it generates at Eraring enough power to fill the forecast gaps. This is equivalent to six terawatt hours, or around two out of their four units. Origin have to secure enough coal to do that, which gives certainty to government and coal suppliers. Origin have to maintain their existing workforce… and they have to commit to a maintenance plan to ensure the plant is reliable and safe.

Updated

Eraring decision ‘failure of climate leadership’, Climate Council says

The Climate Council has labelled the NSW government’s decision to keep Eraring open past its scheduled 2025 closure date as a “failure of climate leadership”.

Climate councillor and economist Nicki Hutley labelled the decision as a triple failure on policy, climate leadership and for the health and wellbeing of NSW communities.

As NSW residents endure worsening climate impacts – like the black summer bushfires and last year’s great deluge – driven by climate pollution, the state and federal governments have failed to build enough clean energy to ensure this coal clunker closes on time.

As a result, every NSW taxpayer will bear the financial burden of this decision, which undermines climate targets for both NSW and Australia and delays the shift to cleaner, lower cost energy.

Head of policy and advocacy, Dr Jennifer Rayner, said keeping Eraring open “sends the wrong message when urgent action is needed to fight the climate crisis.”

The science is clear: every tonne of coal burned pushes us closer to climate disaster. The latest analysis from the energy market operator shows solar, wind and storage projects in the pipeline can more than meet the electricity needs of every home and business in NSW. This must never happen again – in NSW or any other state.

Updated

Rogue microphone mishap during Sky News interview

Sky News appears to have had a rogue microphone mishap this morning, with Tanya Plibersek heard in the background during an interview between the shadow home affairs minister, James Paterson, and host Tom Connell.

During the interview, Paterson was responding to a question when a rogue microphone could suddenly be heard over the broadcast, with Plibersek saying: “Don’t say anything horrible about James Paterson.”

Paterson stopped talking, before stating “I can hear Tanya Plibersek in the background there.”

Connell said “OK that’s why you paused, I wasn’t sure” and added: “So we’ve had a little bit of a rogue microphone.”

Throughout the exchange Plibersek could still be heard over the broadcast, seemingly without her knowledge, heard saying “get out of my way” – but the rest is inaudible.

Plibersek could still be heard for a few more moments as Connell launched into his next question, before the rogue microphone was shut off.

Updated

The NSW energy minister, Penny Sharpe, and treasurer, Daniel Mookhey, are just about to hold a press conference on the latest Eraring power station development. We’ll bring you the latest from this as soon as we can.

Updated

More reactions to Eraring extension announcement

Justin Page, coordinator of the Hunter Jobs Alliance, has accused the NSW government of “dragging the chain” in both its energy transition and employment framework to “ensure no one is left behind”.

Reacting to news that Eraring power station has been extended by two years to 2027, Page said:

The 2025 closure for Eraring has been earmarked for some time, and local workers have been waiting in earnest for guaranteed job protections during the transition, yet the Net Zero Authority legislation has not passed parliament and NSW Transition Authority still don’t have any formal framework for hundreds of workers both at Eraring power station and at the mines which supply coal to the power station.

NSW are dragging the chain both in the energy transition and the employment framework required to ensure no one is left behind, and extending Eraring is only going to make matters worse. With the Hunter’s workforce and manufacturing capabilities we are a key region for industrial and employment growth in the energy transition economy, but our governments can’t keep sitting on their hands and being reactive in their decision making; the hard-working people of the Hunter deserve better than that.

Updated

Reactions flow to extension of Eraring power station

Reactions are flowing after details of the agreement between the NSW government and Origin Energy over Eraring’s two-year extension were released.

Marilyne Crestias, the interim CEO at the Clean Energy investor group, said delaying the closure “not only jeopardises our renewable energy goals but also undermines efforts to combat climate change and secure a sustainable energy future.”

The extension of the Eraring power station cannot set a precedent for other coal-fired power stations to be extended, and the NSW government must make that clear to the investors who stand ready to finance the NSW energy transition.

Stephanie Bashir, principal of Nexa Advisory, labelled the decision as “disappointing”.

Rather than focusing their efforts on extending an old, unreliable coal-fired power station, the New South Wales government should be focusing on practical solutions which remain untapped and can help address forecasted reliability gaps.

These solutions could include accelerating demand response measures, leveraging the potential 1.1GW of demand-side management from commercial and industrial consumers, as well as residential consumer energy uptake, she said.

These practical solutions are not only actionable before 2025, but also provide New South Wales with additional insurance against extreme weather and electricity reliability events which will become more common whether Eraring is extended or not.

Updated

Major DV crackdown launched in high-offending Queensland suburb

A major police crackdown in one of Queensland’s worst domestic violence-offending suburbs has resulted in multiple arrests, AAP reports.

Queensland police launched Operation Shield in Ipswich, west of Brisbane, to reduce domestic and family violence offending in the area. The region was identified as having a high risk of domestic violence harm with police data revealing there have been 1254 breaches of domestic violence prevention orders so far this year.

Statewide, there have been 204,460 breaches of domestic violence orders.

The tactical operation charged 14 high-risk offenders with a string of offences. Offences include stalking, assault and breaching domestic violence orders.

The arrests were a result of police assessing the risk of known offenders who were identified as potentially escalating their behaviour.

  • 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732). Lifeline 13 11 14

Updated

Man charged with murder following suspicious death in Auburn

A man will face court today charged with murder, following the suspicious death of another man in Sydney’s south-west yesterday.

Shortly after 7.30pm emergency services were called to a unit complex in Auburn following reports of a domestic related incident. Officers spoke to a 32-year-old man before he was arrested.

Police and paramedics attended the scene and found a man suffering head injuries. The man, believed to be in his 50s, was treated but died at the scene. He is yet to be formally identified.

A crime scene was established and forensically examined, with detectives and the state’s homicide squad commencing an investigation.

The younger man was taken to Auburn police station and charged with murder. It will be alleged that the two men are known to each other. He has been refused bail to appear at Burwood local court today.

A postmortem will be conducted to determine the cause of death. Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.

Updated

Origin’s Eraring deal would cap losses - and profits - for the government

More details of the agreement between the NSW government and Origin Energy over Eraring’s two-year extension have been released. Origin has also confirmed the deal to the ASX.

The agreement seeks to cap the losses for the NSW at $225m or 80% of what it costs to operate Eraring (presumably whichever is lower). On the other hand, should Origin turn a profit, the state will collect 20% of the gains, up to $40m a year.

The plant, which supplies a bit over 20% of NSW’s power station is about 42 years old. Lately it has also had two of its four units down for unplanned repairs. Let’s hope the reliability isn’t a problem – repairs could be costly.

Here’s the full story:

Updated

Nuclear energy makes ‘no sense’ from energy bill relief perspective, minister says

Environment minister Tanya Plibersek was on ABC News Breakfast earlier and was briefly asked about nuclear energy. Specifically, she was asked if there is anything the Coalition could do to change the government’s mind on nuclear.

She didn’t give an explicit “no” but her answer went that direction:

They said months ago that they were going to release the sites and the costs. This is really important.

It will take decades – at least a decade and a half, according to the CSIRO yesterday – to build a nuclear reactor. So, we’ve got power price problems right now, that’s the reason our government is giving every electricity bill recipient $300 off their electricity bills. We know that people are struggling today.

Nuclear reactors, somewhere, sometime, a a decade and a half in the future, that will be the most expensive form of energy available to us, makes no sense if you’re talking about energy bill relief.

Updated

Penny Wong visits Cox’s Bazar refugee camps in Bangladesh

The foreign minister Penny Wong has visited the Cox’s Bazar refugee camps in Bangladesh, where more than one million Rohingya refugees live in 33 camps amid the largest humanitarian crisis in Australia’s region.

Government sources said Australia is working with partners to address the causes of displacement, find durable solutions, and ultimately allow Rohingya to realise their goal of returning to their homeland.

In Dhaka, Wong met prime minister Sheikh Hasina, foreign minister Dr Hasan Mahmud and minister for home affairs Asaduzzaman Khan. The visit is the first bilateral visit from an Australian foreign minister in more than 25 years.

Australia committed $235m in humanitarian assistance for Myanmar and Bangladesh from 2023 to 2025, building on the $625m Australia has provided since August 2017.

Tomorrow, Wong will travel to Singapore.

Updated

NSW government secures agreement with Origin to operate Eraring power station until August 2027

The NSW government says it had secured an agreement with Origin Energy to operate the Eraring power station until August 2027.

“This will manage an orderly exit from coal-fired power to ensure the lights stay on for homes, businesses and industry while NSW delivers the transition to low-cost, reliable renewable energy,” it said in a statement just released.

This temporary and targeted agreement seeks to guarantee a minimum supply of electricity until the new expected closure date of August 2027.

A temporary extension of Eraring will provide time to deliver the renewable energy, storage and network infrastructure projects required to replace the power station.

The state, however, will not make upfront payments to Origin Energy to operate Eraring.

Updated

NSW deal with Origin Energy over extending life of biggest coal-fired power station nigh

There’s fevered speculation that Origin Energy will shortly report to the ASX that it has sealed a deal with the NSW government to extend the life of the Eraring power station.

We’ll know very shortly if that speculation is accurate. As we reported a couple of weeks back, an agreement to extend the life of the 2880-megawatt plant in the Lake Macquarie region was imminent:

Let’s see what’s announced and what it might cost the taxpayers who owned Eraring until it was sold by the coalition government to Origin in 2013. (There’s a dispute over the price; Origin said it paid about $1bn including for the retailing arm although the plant’s transaction itself came with a payment from taxpayers of $75m at the time.)

The state energy minister, Penny Sharpe, and treasurer, Daniel Mookhey, have just announced they’ll hold a 9.15am media conference. Hint hint.

Updated

3.9 magnitude earthquake hits near Goulburn

A 3.9 magnitude earthquake has hit the town of Taralga in New South Wales near Goulburn.

Geoscience Australia said the earthquake hit around 6.41am this morning. More than 360 felt reports have been recorded.

It appears to have woken a number of people up. One person wrote on X, “That’s what the noise was that woke me up”, while another wrote, “Woke me up in Goulburn!”

Updated

Peak medical body calls for urgent action to address medicine shortages

The Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) is calling for urgent action to address medicine shortages that can put lives at risk and leave patients without effective substitutes.

RACP’s president, Prof Jennifer Martin, said medicine shortages are becoming more of a problem in Australia.

We need to see a comprehensive strategy from the government about how to prevent shortages and how to manage them better when they do occur. Australia is particularly vulnerable because we import around 90% of our medicines.

Physicians across specialties are seeing shortages of medicines required for children with neurodevelopmental disorders; children and adults with obesity, diabetes or endocrine issues; palliative care patients; patients with cardiac conditions; patients with sexually transmitted and other infections; and patients with substance use disorders.

Government needs a better strategy to redirect existing critical medicines supplies within the country to priority groups and patients. Current approaches often get very difficult for both patient and physician and need to be fixed, urgently.

Updated

People’s commission into the housing crisis gets underway today

Everybody’s Home is convening Australia’s first People’s commission into the housing crisis, which kicks off today.

The commission is an opportunity for individuals and organisations across the country to contribute to a national conversation about the housing crisis, its impacts and what can be done to fix it.

Co-commissioners Doug Cameron and Prof Nicole Gurran will hear from parents, domestic violence survivors, essential workers and younger and older people on day one of hearings.

The commission’s survey received 1,500 submissions, which has shown:

  • Three in five (58%) respondents are in housing stress.

  • Three in four (76%) of those who rent are in housing stress.

  • The top ways respondents are coping with housing costs are by reducing energy use like heating or cooling their homes (52%), avoiding the doctor and essential appointments (45%) and reducing vehicle use (39%).

  • One in three are skipping meals (32%) or relying on credit cards or buy now pay later (31%).

  • Uncertainty about the future (67%) and increased housing costs (61%) are the top reasons for concern about the housing crisis.

*A previous version of this post incorrectly stated there had been 15,000 responses to the survey. There were 1,500 responses.

Updated

‘No moral equivalence between Israel and Hamas’: Husic on ICC arrest warrants

Speaking on the ICC arrest warrants for senior Hamas and Israeli officials, Ed Husic said he does not see any “sense of moral equivalence” between the warrants.

Wrapping up his interview on ABC RN, the industry and science minister said:

People are being charged on the basis of individual action, there is no moral equivalence between the state of Israel and a terrorist organisation in Hamas. I mean, that simply is not the case.

But certainly, people have been concerned following Hamas’ deadly actions, the way in which 35,000 Palestinians have been killed through a campaign that has been undertaken by the Israeli government.

And I think the whole way through I’ve been saying we need to acknowledge humanity, the whole way through, and innocent people should not be targeted and should be protected – and it’s not just Palestinians on the ground, it’s humanitarian workers and it’s journalists, too, should be protected and spared the brutality of what we’ve seen since October 7.

No arrest warrants have been issued yet, they are under consideration.

Updated

Ed Husic labels Coalition position on ICC warrants as ‘staggering’

Ed Husic was also asked about calls for nations to boycott the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants for three senior Hamas officials, the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his defence minister, Yoav Gallant.

Yesterday, the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, signalled that a Coalition government may consider walking away from the ICC if it issues the warrants. Husic told ABC RN:

The Coalition talks big about law and order but then wants to pick what law and order it’ll follow, and it’s staggering that you can have a mainstream political party determine – on the basis of something that is uncomfortable to them – that they would then just turn their back on a court of law.

He noted comments from the prime minister that the courts should “be allowed to go about their business without political interference”.

It gets us away from the fact that 35,000 innocent Palestinians have been killed through the course of this conflict as a result of Hamas’ horrific actions that saw … Israelis killed and hostages taken, and what we need to get to is a situation where people aren’t being killed and that others who have done bad, done wrong, are held to account.

I’ve never, frankly, heard out of the Coalition, any signalling of concern about 35,000 people being killed. If it has been said, it’s been lukewarm, and there’s been no desire out of them or no expression out of them, that restraint, doing better, observing international humanitarian law, be observed, and I think it’s staggering again that a mainstream party could be like that.

Updated

Recognising Palestinian state part of 'longer-term process', Husic says

Q: Norway, Ireland and Spain have recognised Palestine as a state. Do you think Australia needs to do the same?

Ed Husic responded:

We have said as a party we are prepared to recognise the state of Palestine and we’ve said that on our platform, however, when we did – certainly when we put forward our platform last year – that was well before the events of October 7… [We] believe that the best way to manage this is through a peace process with respect to recognition, and a longer-term pace will be tended to security and peace for both Israelis and Palestinians. So we think that will be part of a longer-term process.

Updated

Ed Husic details government’s new battery strategy

The industry and science minister, Ed Husic, has been speaking to ABC RN about the government’s newly unveiled national battery strategy. As Karen Middleton reports, the strategy is aimed at turning Australia from a “dig-and-ship” economy that sells off its critical minerals into a powerhouse manufacturer of better and safer renewable energy storage.

The strategy basically aims to end Australia’s reliance on China for the batteries that power mobile phones, electric cars, scooters and heavy equipment. You can read the full story below for all the details:

Asked if Australia can compete in this space, Husic said:

China is obviously the biggest producer [and] a lot of countries are recognising that their dependency on that concentrated supply chain isn’t in [their] national interest longer-term. If there are disruptions to that supply, either accidental or otherwise, we’re left vulnerable and these are in terms of the batteries themselves – they’re complex in nature. It’s also driven by software, so we need to have safe and secure batteries, energy storage systems, longer term.

Updated

Plibersek weighs in on social media ban for under 16s

There has been much discussion this week about the minimum age for social media use, with the prime minister Anthony Albanese endorsing a ban on children under 16 from registering social media accounts.

Asked about this on ABC RN, Tanya Plibersek she wasn’t going to “just pluck a figure out of the air”.

But she said “the longer [young people] wait, the better”.

The healthier interactions are the ones that they’re doing in person – going out playing sport, being human beings with each other. And I think this is the really sad thing about social media. It could have been such a force for bringing people together and in fact, it’s broken its promise to us. We’ve got kids who are more isolated, more depressed, more stressed than ever before.

Asked about criticism of a “nanny-state” approach, she said “we all have a responsibility for our own tech diet” and what our kids consume, but argued “highly paid geniuses [are] working on ways to get the kids hooked and keep them hooked”.

As parents on our own, it is almost impossible to push back on that, in the same way that the promoters of poker machines or promoters of tobacco [are] really great at using brain science to get people hooked and keep them hooked, because they’re driven by dollars. We know that the social media giants, they’re in the same boat. They’re getting our kids hooked, they’re keeping [them hooked] because they know getting them early means a lifetime of customers.

Updated

Plibersek on AI deepfake pornography: we needed to address this ‘yesterday’

The federal environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, just spoke with ABC RN about the concerns surrounding young people’s social media use.

She noted measures the government is pursuing – quadrupled funding for the eSafety commissioner, discussions around the right age to use social media, an age assurance technology trial, public information campaigns – but acknowledged a lot is happening “beyond what government can do”.

I think this is something that as a society we need to confront. So there’s absolutely a role for government, we absolutely are prepared to take action, but we also as parents, as community leaders, as role models for our children, need to tackle what next?

And the what next question is really important, because AI – this new frontier – is able to, for example, generate the most convincing deepfake pornography that can be distributed to bully and harass kids. If we don’t get a handle on this now, it’s going to escape in the same way as social media escaped into society and we’re dealing with the consequences.

How soon do we need to address this? Plibersek responded, “Yesterday”.

…probably the most important thing we can do as parents and as citizens is educate ourselves about the potential for disaster here.

Updated

Living costs pose ‘difficult choices’ for young people, bank data shows

Australians in their mid-to-late 20s have cut spending by more than 7% in the year to March when adjusted for inflation, AAP reports, as they bear the brunt of high rents and elevated living expenses, cutting their spending far more than their older peers.

The data is based on an analysis of deidentified Commonwealth Bank transaction data.

While a cut to discretionary purchases is unsurprising in a strained financial environment, those in their 20s were also spending less on essentials at about the same rate. Sharp declines were recorded across health insurance, utilities and spending at the supermarket for the group.

Wade Tubman, the author of the new cost-of-living report and CommBank iQ’s head of innovation and analytics , said a split was starting to form in the 25-29 cohort between those still paying bills and those who were not.

Tubman said this suggested young people were finding ways to consolidate those costs, perhaps by moving back in with their parents or by splitting bills in sharehouses:

This highlights the difficult choices people in this age bracket are making, with some having to make larger lifestyle changes like foregoing their health insurance altogether.

At the other end of the spectrum, over-65s continued to spend above inflation, especially on activities such as travel and eating out. Those in the 65-69 age bracket recorded a 4.4% increase in spending over the year to March.

Updated

BHP has third offer for Anglo American rejected

Mining giant BHP has had a third takeover bid for Anglo American rejected as it continues to be frustrated in its attempt to swallow up a rival with strong copper assets.

BHP said overnight that it had made an “increased and final” bid of £31.11 a share (A$59.70) for Anglo, which values the FTSE 100 company at £38.6bn (almost A$74bn), earlier this week.

Anglo had already rejected two previous offers and has now rejected a third.

Stuart Chambers, the chair of Anglo American, said:

The board considered BHP’s latest proposal carefully, concluded it does not meet expectations of value delivered to Anglo American’s shareholders and has unanimously rejected it.

The attempted BHP takeover, the largest-ever in the mining sector, would create a global player in markets for commodities including copper, iron ore, potash and metallurgical coal used for steelmaking.

Read the full story from our London business team here:

Circling back to news that the University of Melbourne students occupying a building on campus in support of Palestine have said they will dismantle the camp:

The decision by the Melbourne students to take down their camp could help take the political heat out of the issue for the government, which is also under fire for its cautious response to the international criminal court prosecutor’s pursuit of the leaders of Israel and Hamas.

Our foreign affairs correspondent, Daniel Hurst, has been looking at how this compares with the Australian government’s response to previous ICC investigations. Where does Australia stand on the ICC’s jurisdiction to investigate crimes on Palestinian territory? And what happens next?

Read his full explainer here:

Another 103 Australians are repatriated from New Caledonia

Another group of 103 Australians stranded in New Caledonia following deadly riots has been repatriated, AAP reports, meaning more than half the people who want to leave the French territory have returned home.

A French plane arrived in Brisbane last night carrying 103 Australian citizens and family members after 84 Australians and 24 other nationals were repatriated to the Queensland capital on Tuesday.

A total of 187 Australians and their family members had now returned from New Caledonia, the foreign minister, Penny Wong, said in a post to X.

There are about 500 Australians in New Caledonia and some 300 in total had registered their interest in coming home with the department of foreign affairs, the Pacific minister, Pat Conroy, told ABC TV last night.

He said Australia would continue to work with the French government on further flights:

The primary plan is more French flights but as I’ve indicated publicly, we do have contingency plans and we do have planes on standby should there be an issue with that.

Those on board the first two flights were filled with relief after days of failing to find a way off the island, said Fadi Chemali, who was on the first plane to reach Australia.

Good morning

And welcome back to a new day on the Australia news live blog. I’m Emily Wind and I’ll be taking you through our live coverage this Thursday – thanks to Martin for kicking things off.

As always, you can get in touch with me via X, @emilywindwrites or you can send me an email: emily.wind@theguardian.com.

Let’s go.

University of Melbourne students announce intention to pack up pro-Palestine camp

Students occupying a building at the University of Melbourne in support of Palestine have said they intend to dismantle their camp on Thursday after what they have called a “partial achievement” in their campaign.

At a press conference on Wednesday evening, a spokesperson for the student coalition organising the on-campus occupation said that the university had agreed to disclose its relationships and funding ties to weapons manufacturers engaged in the current attacks on Palestinian people in Gaza.

The activists would decamp, they said, after the university made a public statement about their disclosure intentions.

The protesters had also been advocating for the university to divest from those companies and institutions. A spokesperson for the collective said that the disclosure agreement was only a “partial achievement”:

This is a first step. Divestment from those that profiteer from genocide remains our number one priority and demand and we will not rest until full divestment is achieved.

The past month has proven that when united the power of students and staff is something the university cannot hide from. We demand disclosure within one month and that an independent body of our choice oversees this process. Disclosure will not be determined by the university alone.

Last week the university threatened students with disciplinary and possible police action after hundreds of protesters flooded the Arts West building and unofficially renamed it “Mahmoud’s Hall” after a Palestinian who was killed with his family in Gaza before he could begin his studies in Australia.

The collective’s spokesperson said on Wednesday the group “rejects and will resist the misconduct measures used to threaten students” by the university, and said it would be a “gross injustice if the university were to punish students for carrying out the values of political expression and academic freedom that the university extols”.

The university released a short statement on Wednesday evening saying:

We welcome the willingness of the occupiers to leave the Arts West building and remove the encampment from our Parkville campus.

Updated

Welcome

Good morning and welcome to the live blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top stories this morning before Emily Wind comes along to take care of the main business of the day.

Australia might be buying more electric vehicles, but the national obsession with SUVs and utes is expected to cancel out all the gains from cleaner cars. The transport sector “is projected to be Australia’s highest emitting sector by 2030” according to a new government roadmap on emissions, partly because drivers “increasingly prefer heavy passenger vehicles”. SUVs accounted for more than 50% of new vehicles sold in Australia in 2022, in a trend that could offset any reduction in emissions from “the increased adoption of electric vehicles”. Our Temperature Check column says the claim of a $600bn carbon capture windfall is based on heroic assumptions and selective analysis.

The pro-Palestinian protesters camped at the University of Melbourne said last night they are going to break camp today after what they called a partial success for their campaign. In a media conference last night, the protesters said the university had agreed to disclose its relationships and funding ties to weapons manufacturers involved in supplying weapons to Israel. More coming up on this breaking story.

Lachlan Murdoch has been joined in Sydney by the News Corp UK boss, Rebekah Brooks, and global chief, Robert Thomson, ahead of the announcement of a major restructure of the empire’s Australian newspapers next week. Guardian Australia understands Thomson – who is Rupert Murdoch’s right-hand man – Lachlan and Brooks held meetings in Sydney on Tuesday with News Corp’s local chief, Michael Miller, and others to sign off on the transformation of the company. More coming up.

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