What we learned today, Friday 8 September
And that’s where we’ll wrap up today. Thanks so much for your company.
Here’s a little of what we learned:
Peter Dutton has rejected the Nationals’ net zero push, warning the Coalition “won’t be departing” from the policy after Barnaby Joyce labelled the cost “utterly untenable”.
The former foreign affairs minister Marise Payne announced her retirement from the Senate – a move that was long-rumoured after the Coalition’s election loss last year.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, continues his first diplomatic visit through Asia, today signing a strategic partnership with the Philippines, and backing the nation in their dispute over the South China Sea.
Damaging winds and storms wreaked havoc across Sydney, Brisbane, and parts of Victoria.
A design fault in Queensland’s mobile phone and seatbelt cameras led to almost 2,000 people being incorrectly fined and more than 600 drivers losing their licence.
Universities Australia CEO Catriona Jackson has said students are dropping out of their degrees because they can’t afford to complete compulsory unpaid placements.
More than 13 of tuberculosis have been confirmed in South Australia’s remote northern Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara lands.
Australia’s largest super fund, AustralianSuper, is being sued by the corporate regulator over allegations it failed to address members who held multiple accounts.
Victoria’s teachers, principals and education support staff gathered on the steps of the state government this morning calling out Labor’s “alarming failure” to tackle the teacher shortage crisis in the state.
Updated
Minister for foreign affairs, Penny Wong, has congratulated retiring Liberal senator Marise Payne on her 26 years of dedicated service, and wished her the best for her future endeavours.
Wong said in a statement:
She has served her country as a cabinet minister in some of the most demanding portfolios, including foreign affairs, women, defence and human services.
Marise has demonstrated her staunch devotion to her party and to liberal values.
I respect her love of country and her belief in our institutions, in particular the Senate.
Throughout her parliamentary career Marise has sought to be a leader for women and girls, and to encourage as many women and girls as possible to get involved in politics.
Within the Parliament, she also dedicated a substantial amount of time to serving on committees related to foreign affairs, trade and defence, which were a considerable foundation for her ministerial service, as well as over fifteen years as a member of the Committee of Privileges, one of the most important domestic committees of the Senate.
Gas price spike as plant workers down tools on pay deal
Around 500 workers at Chevron’s gas processing facilities in northern Western Australia have begun industrial action today before a two-week strike planned to begin next Thursday.
It comes after week-long meetings between Chevron representatives and workers failed to reach a deal on a new enterprise agreement. Workers are seeking renumeration that align with industry standards.
The stoppages affect Chevron’s Wheatstone offshore platform, its downstream processing facility of the same name, and the Gorgon downstream processing facility.
Brad Gandy, the Offshore Alliance spokesperson and Australian Workers Union WA secretary, said:
In good faith the Offshore Alliance agreed to a week-long negotiation before the Fair Work Commission starting on Monday, the Alliance even delayed protected industrial action to give the process the chance to succeed, but after five days Chevron has barely budged.
Chevron is the only major producer in the WA gasfields where workers are not covered by an enterprise agreement.
European gas prices spiked at the news of the industrial action commencing, with the Dutch Title Transfer Facility benchmark trading 6% higher at €34.71 (A$58.10) on Friday morning, European time.
- additional reporting via AAP
Updated
Services Australia apologises to staff over ‘unfair toll’ of robodebt
Services Australia staff have received an apology from management over the robodebt scandal, with the agency’s chief executive saying that workers who enforced the scheme had suffered an “unfair toll”.
In a video message sent to staff on Friday afternoon, the Services Australia chief executive, Rebecca Skinner, praised staff who had spoken up about the unlawful income averaging scheme – which was the subject of a damning royal commission this year.
Skinner said in the video, according to a transcript obtained by Guardian Australia:
I know robodebt and the fallout from the scheme has been difficult for you all to navigate.
I want to apologise to all of you for robodebt. Robodebt is a heavy burden that many of you still carry.
More on this story here:
Severe weather warning for Victoria’s Gippsland region
This severe weather warning is for damaging winds for West and South Gippsland and parts of Central, East Gippsland, North East, South West and North Central Forecast Districts. Damaging wind gusts possible, easing from the west during the evening. https://t.co/Wz51FUc7W2 pic.twitter.com/TucDDAnyAp
— VicEmergency (@vicemergency) September 8, 2023
Want to catch up on the top news from today? My colleague Antoun Issa has the rundown for you in our afternoon update:
UN criticises Australia over toxic threats, climate change
A United Nations investigator has unleashed on Australia for failing to protect its people and environment from climate change, mining, pesticides and other toxic threats, AAP reports.
Australia will have to answer next year to an extraordinary list of failures detailed by Dr Marcos Orellana, the UN’s special rapporteur on toxic substances and human rights, after a national tour.
They include a refusal to end the exploitation of new fossil fuel projects that threaten to turn the Darwin region into “a climate change sacrifice zone”.
He specifically called out the Middle Arm industrial hub and the $1.5bn in government support it’s receiving, fracking for gas in the Beetaloo basin, and the Barossa offshore gas extraction project.
The special investigator said in preliminary observations presented on Friday:
It is not just a matter for Australia’s to reduce its combustion of fossil fuels to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions in its territory … But that it also should put an end to the exploration or exploitation of new fossil fuel developments that will lead to combustion of fossil fuels and aggravate climate change in the planet.
After 12 days travelling the country visiting contaminated sites and hearing from communities, Orellana also said:
Australians did not feel heard or protected from harms inflicted upon them, often for commercial gain.
Australia’s environmental protection framework was largely reactive, and “beneath international best practices”.
Air quality was not protected to the same standard as other OECD nations, and places like Victoria’s La Trobe Valley for many years lacked adequate pollution controls from coal-fired power plants.
The nation had a history of failure in rehabilitating mines, including uranium mines.
Australia’s widespread use of hazardous pesticides has little to no information disclosed to the public and a lack of monitoring for health effects.
Updated
Albanese says ‘real scope’ to increase trade, investment with Philippines
Prime minister Anthony Albanese is speaking from the Philippines after bilateral talks with President Ferdinand Marcos.
He said he had some practical discussions while in the Philippines about “the potential for increased Philippines investment in Australia, as well as Australian investment here in the Philippines”.
Our economic relations, which is an area where significant improvement can occur, there is real scope for us to go and trade between our two countries. We are currently each other’s 17th largest export market, but there is real potential to do much more together.
Updated
Simon Birmingham: Albanese must guard against China trip being used as propaganda
Shadow foreign minister, Simon Birmingham, is speaking on ABC Afternoon Briefing, where he was asked if Anthony Albanese’s planned visit to China is a “good thing”.
Birmingham said it depends on the “outcomes his visit achieves”:
Prime minister Albanese needs to be very careful to ensure that any trip he undertakes is not used for propaganda type purposes, does not enable China itself to claim a victory, but instead achieves working, practical outcomes for Australia, and those particular outcomes need to see further removal of the coercive trade sanctions that China has applied on Australia and meaningful progress for the unfairly detained Australian citizens who are in China at present.
Updated
Dymocks warns shoppers of possible dark web data breach
Bookstore chain Dymocks has warned customers of a possible data breach that could lead to their personal information being leaked on the dark web, AAP reports.
In an email sent on Friday, the bookseller’s managing director, Mark Newman, said a potential hack was detected on Wednesday.
Newman said an investigation to assess what had happened was launched as soon as the breach was detected:
While our investigation is ongoing and at the early stages, our cybersecurity experts have found evidence of discussions regarding our customer records being available on the dark web.
The company said it was unsure how many customers were impacted and it promised to update those affected when it had more information.
Updated
Health embarks on code of conduct investigation of ‘deliberate’ grant guideline breaches
Health department officials have conceded they followed the “wrong process” on the $2bn Community Health and Hospitals Program.
In June the auditor general found the public service deliberately breached grant guidelines in relation to the program and the Morrison government decided to fund 11 projects despite the Australian Government Solicitor warning there “would likely be no lawful authority for the expenditure”.
One of those was the controversial $4m grant to the Esther Foundation, a rehabilitation facility accused of performing exorcisms and gay conversions.
On Friday Charles Wann, the chief operating officer of the department, revealed to the audit committee that there are code of conduct investigations under way in relation to the program. Officials insisted there was no improper purpose in decisions made but that the way funding was delivered followed the wrong process.
Officials told the committee that the “thinking at the time, and reflecting that this is not due process, was that correspondence from the prime minister was providing authority for the grant”. The health minister, Greg Hunt, was advised the grant could proceed and that was not correct.
The auditor general, Grant Hehir, told the committee the “defining characteristic” of this program was non-compliance was a “deliberate process”.
He said:
Most of the time you see a breach and it could be inadvertent ... but you don’t see a deliberate decision to do it ... Not really of this nature, we haven’t seen before.
The health minister, Mark Butler, also gave an update on the projects funded under the CHHP:
The former government promised funding for 171 health and hospital projects. Five years later only one third are up and running.
— Mark Butler MP (@Mark_Butler_MP) September 8, 2023
We are running the ruler over the remaining projects to ensure Australians get value for money.
— Mark Butler MP (@Mark_Butler_MP) September 8, 2023
Flights at Sydney Airport disrupted
Strong winds are disrupting flights out of Sydney Airport, reducing it to single runway operations, as Australia’s south-east is hit by damaging weather.
On Friday afternoon, Airservices Australia – the government provider of air traffic control services – enacted single runway operations on the east-west runway “due to strong westerly crosswinds”.
When crosswinds become too strong and gusty, air traffic control authorities swap from the parallel runways to the east-west cross runway where this wind is all essentially down the runway.
Airservices Australia said:
This decision is purely weather and safety-related to safeguard the travelling public.
Safety is Airservices’ No.1 remit.
An active cold front crossed South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales on Thursday, bringing extensive damaging winds.
Read more from Rafqa Touma:
Updated
Students ‘cannot survive’ under mandatory unpaid placements, body says
Students Against Placement Poverty has appeared at Sydney’s public hearing into the higher education bill, calling for unpaid internships to be urgently funded in order to alleviate the pressure on working class students completing their degrees.
They said students in highly feminised courses including nursing, social work and teaching were having to complete up to 1,000 hours of unpaid work in order to complete tertiary degrees.
They said hunger, exhaustion, depression and housing insecurity were a “standard feature” of placement poverty:
Some of the country’s most marginalised individuals and communities are grimly reminded that as it stands in Australia the path to empowerment and prosperity is exclusively reserved to those wealthy and privileged enough to pay for it.”
They said students were frequently asked to do work they were “not qualified to do” while unsupervised:
Multiple students have reported to us that they have fallen asleep on their placement or their commute … even for students who do engage in meaningful and productive work … it is essential to remember that if you are undertaking work you are a worker and you deserve to be compensated as one … we ask that all students be paid the equivalent of at least the minimum wage... under this current curriculum, we cannot survive.
The hearing has heard draft costings made by UNSW found if students were paid $11,000 per thousand hours, it would equate to a cost of $60m annually.
Updated
Defence contractor defends $45bn frigate project
A defence contractor building nine ships for the Royal Australian Navy has told a parliamentary inquiry it did not hide information from the government.
The head of BAE Systems Australia, Ben Hudson, was called to give evidence today to a hearing into the $45bn Hunter-class frigate program, and said the deadline set by the government in the original tender process had been “tight”.
At issue was an Australian National Audit Office report, tabled in parliament in May, that warned that the project faced “significant” cost blowouts. The report also said Defence officials failed to properly consider “value for money” during the procurement process that occurred during the Coalition’s time in office.
The chair of the parliamentary joint committee on public accounts and audit, Julian Hill, asked when BAE became aware that the British Type 26 frigate – on which the Australian frigates are based – had weight issues. Hudson replied:
My understanding – I wasn’t there at the time – is in late 2018, before contract signature, we became aware of the emerging issue and sought to brief the commonwealth very shortly after we became aware of it. And again, I don’t want anyone to believe that there were people hiding information here.
Hudson said BAE was only responsible, by value, for about 50% of the program, because the frigates also included other components.
He said, for example, that a change in the combat system provided by Saab required additional hardware to be installed. That had “significantly impacted power, weight and cooling requirements of the whole platform”. Hudson also told the hearing that the radar to be provided by CEA Technologies had been through “a number of iterations”.
But when I look at it – and again [it is] very classified technology – I’m amazed at what that team at CEA is doing. I think we’re doing the right thing for the nation. The navy is going to get an amazing capability at the end of this …
I am absolutely convinced that this is going to be the ship that our navy needs. It will bring our sailors home safe. I do contest that it isn’t the right solution for the nation.
The strong defence of the project comes as the government awaits a review into Australia’s naval surface fleet needs, a move that raises the possibility of changes to the Hunter class frigate project.
‘We can make our country stronger’: Julian Leeser speaks in Adelaide for the Liberals for Yes campaign
Liberal MP Julian Leeser spoke this afternoon about how he thinks the voice will help close the gap by working with culture and community, and through listening, deep connection and engagement.
Leeser, who stood down as the spokesperson for Indigenous Australians when it became clear his party would vote no in the voice referendum, was in Adelaide for the Liberals for Yes campaign. He spoke about how voting yes was in line with his conservative values, and was a “safe change”. He said:
I believe this is a moment that Australians will thank us for.
We can make our country stronger – by listening, by walking together, and seeing the best in each other and not the worst.
We can heal our land. We can make it stronger. We can do this and more, by voting yes.
Updated
Annabel Crabb serves up withering response over Kitchen Cabinet critique
Annabel Crabb has received some harsh criticism for her ABC TV show Kitchen Cabinet over its seven seasons, but a recent critique motivated the political journalist to hit back hard.
The result is a withering 2,500 word defence of the type of TV interview she conducts, why it works, and the skills needed to pull it off. It’s a masterclass in responding to what she describes as a “lazy op-ed … about the bankruptcy of the politico-media industrial complex”.
Her “Dear Tim” letter was written in reply to a blog post in which the writer Tim Dunlop said Crabb was “soft-soaping powerful people” and Kitchen Cabinet “dumbs down debate”. Dunlop took issue with her interview with Peter Dutton, aired on 22 August, and referred to a 2015 piece by Amy McQuire in New Matilda, which has circulated again on social media.
Crabb had no issue with the McQuire piece, calling it a well-argued and passionate article, but she aimed both guns at Dunlop, claiming she was “being chipped for my journalistic practice by someone who has done (as far as I can see) no basic research or made any effort at all to interrogate the subject of his article”.
More on this story in this week’s Weekly Beast:
Seatbelt camera glitch: hundreds of Queensland drivers had licences taken away by mistake
A design fault in Queensland’s mobile phone and seatbelt cameras led to almost 2,000 people being incorrectly fined and more than 600 drivers losing their licence.
The state’s transport minister, Mark Bailey, said he was made aware of the issue on Wednesday, with his department requesting urgent legal advice.
The affected drivers were all captured committing a passenger seatbelt offence. However, Bailey said double demerit points had been incorrectly issued for 1,842 drivers from 1 November, 2021, to 31 August, this year, while 626 licences had been wrongly suspended.
The minister told reporters on Friday:
Simply put, this should never have happened.
More on this story via AAP here:
Updated
Thank you Mostafa Rachwani for guiding us through the news today. I’ll now be with you until this evening.
And with that I leave the blog with Jordyn Beazley, thanks for reading.
Albanese says Australia will strengthen security cooperation with Philippines
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, says the elevation of Australia’s relationship with the Philippines reflects “our shared commitment to do more together”.
Speaking after a meeting with the president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Albanese said the two countries would strengthen their cooperation on regional and national security, including by formalising an annual meeting of defence ministers:
For more than three quarters of a century, Australia and the Philippines have been bound by strategic trust, shared values and mutual cooperation. Australia is honoured to count Philippines as a close friend – and, from today, a strategic partner. Our friendship is underpinned by trust and respect, as well as a shared vision for the region …
Australia is working with our partners, including, of course, the Philippines, to shape a region where sovereignty is upheld and economic cooperation is underpinned by international rules-based trade – a region that is open, stable and prosperous with Asean at its centre. Our economic future is also with south-east Asia and we’re determined to grow trade and investment for our shared economic prosperity.
Albanese announced new reciprocal work and holiday visa arrangements, a doubling of scholarships for students from the Philippines, and the re-establishment of an institute at the Australian National University.
He said the two countries had also signed a memorandum of understanding, backed by $4.4m in Australian funding, focused on collaborative research to assist the Philippines to develop its own national soil health strategy.
Albanese said Australia worked closely with the Philippines to support peace and stability in conflict-affected Mindanao, and he announced “a new five-year program to help further reduce violent conflict, reintegrate former combatants and improve community development and livelihoods, particularly for women and those in vulnerable situations”.
Updated
Major universities fail to contact campus sexual assault support groups
Senator David Pocock has asked Sharna Bremner of End Rape on Campus whether any Group of Eight (Go8) universities had reached out to either End Rape on Campus or Fair Agenda since the public hearing last Friday.
She replied:
We haven’t had any engagement with them.
After a pause, Pocock asked her to reiterate that there had been no communication with the leading bodies on sexual safety.
No, none at all.
She added the official reports universities were receiving and publishing were a “very small tip” of the iceberg.
The number of incidents being reported is incredibly small and that’s why it’s important we have consistent data about the actual prevalence rates, not just the reporting rates.
Updated
Student safety bodies contradict Group of Eight chief on lack of consultation
Peak bodies lobbying for student safety on campus say they were not consulted on any university policies, contrary to claims made by the Group of Eight (Go8) chief.
Speaking at a public hearing into the federal government’s higher education bill last week, Go8 head Vicki Thomson was asked who the prestigious universities she represents had engaged with while developing their student safety policies, including whether they had consulted with the End Rape on Campus.
She replied “certainly our universities would have”.
End Rape on Campus founder Sharna Bremner said this was false.
No Group of Eight institution has consulted with either of our organisations,” she said at the hearing today.
There’s definitely things universities could be doing right now and could have done a long time ago … the students we are supporting right now are still facing significant barriers to reporting to universities.
Universities have come under continued fire in recent months for their response to sexual harassment and assault, including by education minister Jason Clare.
Renee Carr of Fair Agenda said there were still “extremely long wait times” to access support at universities, including students unable to speak with anyone in counselling departments unless they were at crisis point.
Updated
NSW Liberal president, Falinski, says Payne an ‘exemplar’ of public service
The NSW Liberal Party has paid tribute to senator Marise Payne’s “very distinguished and successful career” after she announced her plans to retire.
The longest serving female senator in Australia’s history and a former foreign affairs and defence minister, Payne on Friday confirmed rumours she would bow out of politics.
She will retire from federal parliament on 30 September.
In a statement, the NSW Liberal Party president, Jason Falinski, said Payne had been an “exemplar of public service” for more than two-and-a-half decades.
Falinski said:
She has always been someone who stood up for her principles, always working hard to make our state, our nation and our party better.
Marise has served our community with honour and integrity, and her legacy is too great to recount and will not be forgotten.
On behalf of every member of the NSW Division, I would like to express our strong gratitude to Marise for her outstanding service and wish her well in her post-politics future.
NSW government halts Generations Fund contribution to limit debt
The Minns government in New South Wales continues to reveal details of its first budget, due 19 September, days after announcing plans to hike royalties on coal.
Now it’s the much-anticipated decision by treasurer Daniel Mookhey to suspend contributions to the NSW Generations Fund (NGF) set up by the previous government as a sovereign wealth fund.
The halt will cut the state’s total debt by more than $7bn and, with other measures to streamline the management of investment funds, reduce interest payments by $1.1bn over the coming four years.
To meet the NGF’s targets, the government would have had to borrow and hope financial markets produced a return (assuming the government doesn’t run a surplus).
“NSW is going to stop playing around in financial markets using its credit card,” Mookhey said in a statement. “The previous government was willing to risk $25.3bn to improve the state’s net debt position by just $2bn. I’m not.”
A move to freeze NGF inflows has been expected for some time. Mookhey said the halt would be the “biggest single step” to cut debt in the budget.
Expect more pre-budget releases in the next week or so - as is customary with these things.
Updated
Universities Australia ‘not doing enough’ on student safety, Henderson says
Universities Australia’s chief executive, Catriona Jackson, has been questioned over the tertiary sector’s record on student safety.
The latest National Student Safety Survey, released in 2021 found one in 20 students had been sexually assaulted since starting university, and one in six had reported being sexually harassed.
Shadow minister for education Senator Sarah Henderson pointed to recent criticism about the sector’s response to student safety on campus from student groups - that “universities are not doing enough”.
Jackson said she was “proud” of how much work the sector had done in the past decade.
No matter how much we do it’s never enough … we took a front foot in 2015 and 2016 due to [having] a large population of 18-25 year old women ... the target group.
Henderson:
“But you’re obviously not doing a great job because you’ve come under a great deal of fire … even internal dissension.”
Jackson:
“We are very pleased to be involved with the process with the [federal] government … to have a discussion about what additional measures can be taken.”
Universities Australia will hold another national survey in 2024 after continued backlash and lobbying from advocacy groups.
Updated
Thomas Mayo: if the voice referendum fails ‘it’ll make things worse’
“The world is watching,” prominent pro-voice campaigner, Thomas Mayo, said this morning.
The Kaurareg Aboriginal and Kalkalgal, Erubamle Torres Strait Islander man gave a keynote address at the Australian Council for Adult Literacy conference in Adelaide.
He urged people to counter misinformation about the voice:
I won’t be trying to put extra rent on people, or [ask for] reparations, or take anyone’s backyard or decide where submarines are parked. So to fear mongering… say to [your family and friends] don’t be taken for a mug. It’s an advisory committee.
[And] we should also be conscious that it won’t just be the status quo if this fails, it’ll make things worse.
He said the voice referendum debate should not be about politics:
This is about who we are as Australians. And that modest proposal [in the Uluru statement from the heart] should be accepted – or who are we? We will have dismissed the invitation in the Uluru statement to accept that we are a nation that is over 60,000 years old, the longest continuing civilisation on the planet.
We will have decided, if this fails, that we can’t be bothered to listen to people who we make specific decisions about.
The world is watching.
Updated
NSW’s Houssos supports but doesn’t commit to funding investigation of secret graves at Stolen Generations institution
The New South Wales finance minister, Courtney Houssos, has promised the government will support further investigations into possible secret burial sites discovered at the former Kinchela Aboriginal Boys’ Training Home on the mid-north coast.
The survivor organisation, Kinchela Boys’ Home Aboriginal Corporation, has called on the NSW and federal governments to urgently fund further searches of the property and excavation of high-priority sites.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Houssos called the revelations “really troubling” but wouldn’t commit to funding these investigations from the state budget, due to be delivered on 19 September.
I can’t make a commitment to that today, but I can certainly assure you that I will be speaking, and our government will be working closely, with our minister for First Nations, David Harris, but also with our federal ministerial counterpart Linda Burney.
These are really troubling revelations and we’re going to take a really close look at it.
This is the latest really sad, devastating chapter in Australia’s history.
Updated
Australian of the Year Brumfitt considered handing back award following media backlash
The Australian of the Year Taryn Brumfitt says the initial backlash from the media to her appointment was so hurtful she wondered if she should “give it back”.
Brumfitt was addressing a Women in Media conference in Sydney about the need for women to “stop hating their bodies” and to embrace all bodies.
The bestselling writer, filmmaker and body image campaigner was named Australian of the Year in January 2023 and some of the initial media reporting was negative.
The stories were based on comments by journalist Mike Carlton who criticised her as “someone who makes a buck out of saying it’s OK to be a bit fat”.
Other critics argued that body positivity ignores the health risks associated with carrying excess body weight.
But Brumfitt said she chose to focus on her mission and ignore the critics.
She told the conference that research showed a positive body image meant people looked after their bodies more.
The 45-year-old mother of four first entered public life in 2013, when a twist on a “before and after” photo on Facebook went viral showing how her body had changed after childbirth.
We can make the decision to be kinder to ourselves, says 2023 Australian of the Year @tarynbrumfitt in conversation with @natalie_barr #wimconference2023 @WIM_Aus pic.twitter.com/vd4F5csxj5
— Danielle Cronin (@DanielleCronin) September 8, 2023
Updated
Continuation of unpaid internships is ‘madness’, Universities Australia says
Universities Australia Ceo Catriona Jackson says students are dropping out of their degrees because they can’t afford to complete compulsory unpaid placements.
There have been growing calls from crossbenchers this week for placements in areas such as nursing, teaching and social work to be funded by the federal government to address workforce shortages and placement poverty.
Speaking at a public hearing into the higher education amendment bill, Jackson said the issue of compulsory placements had been highlighted in the universities accord interim report and discussions had been going on “for some time”.
This is a real issue, these are students who have to do a placement as part of finalising their degree and are finding they’re having terrible trouble affording to do it … students who have the most trouble have the least resources.
These are all people working in areas of serious skills shortage so this is madness … these are people close to the end of their degrees … it seems crazy … we have blocks to people getting degrees.
Margaret Sheil, deputy chair of Universities Australia and vice chancellor of the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) said failure to address the issue would have long-term repercussions.
We have students who are failing to graduate or suspending their studies in nursing, social work, and important areas of health because they can’t afford to do a placement in their final year and stop working at the same time.
Updated
Albanese backs Philippines in South China Sea dispute, celebrates strategic partnership
Prime minister Anthony Albanese spoke in the Philippines moments ago, where he celebrated the strategic partnership signed today, and backed the Philippines in their dispute over the South China Sea.
The PM made a point of saying Australia wanted to see international law upheld. A 2016 ruling on the South China Sea found that the Philippines exercised territorial rights over large swathes of the South China Sea.
Here is what the PM had to say:
The new strategic partnership that was signed today will strengthen the bilateral ties that we’ve had for 77 years.
We see our future as very much lying here in our region. And the prospect of increased trade and economic engagement is very important.
We also have important security issues where we have common views about the need to uphold international law. Australia’s position on that will continue to be consistent, as we have always been - including recently over issues relating to the South China Sea.
We regard the presence of an open, stable and prosperous region as being absolutely critical. Support for trade, support for sovereignty, and support for ASEAN centrality as well in our engagement.
We have a collective responsibility for security, including support for the UN Convention and the Law of the Sea, which is very important. Australia does support, as I said at the East Asia Summit, the 2016 South China Sea arbitral award.
That is important and binding, and it’s important that that be upheld going forward. I look forward to our further discussions today.
Updated
Dutton praises Marise Payne’s ‘principled and commendable’ service as senator
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, says Marise Payne “has made a grand contribution to our nation and shaped it for the better” after the former foreign minister announced she would retire from the Senate on 30 September.
In a statement, Dutton thanked Payne “for her principled and commendable service to the people of New South Wales and all Australians over 26 years”. He said:
Most notably, as the Minister for Defence and later the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Marise helped guide our nation through a period of significant change in our strategic environment which put a greater emphasis on defence deterrence and diplomacy than any time since the end of the Second World War.
When Marise was the Minister for Foreign Affairs, I was honoured to work with her as the Minister for Defence to establish the Aukus partnership.
Dutton said he also wanted to acknowledge Payne’s role as the minister for women, saying she had been “instrumental in supporting women across Australia – especially in the areas of economic security and safety – and mentoring young women into leadership positions within the Liberal Party”. He added that Payne had been “a wonderful colleague” but also “a dear friend – someone who engages in the battle of ideas in the great Liberal Party tradition”.
He wished Payne “a wonderful retirement”, adding:
I know that in the next phase of her career, she will continue to do brilliant and bold things for our nation in the best interests of the Australian people.
Updated
Donald Trump thanks UAP’s Ralph Babet for letter of support
United Australia party senator Ralph Babet has scored a personalised shout-out from Donald Trump after writing a letter to the former US president (and current Republican frontrunner) stating his enthusiasm for another Trump term in power.
Let’s unpack that a little.
Babet, who scraped into parliament as a senator for Victoria at the 2022 election with the backing of mining billionaire Clive Palmer, has often talked up his support for Trump. Babet apparently wrote to Trump recently, on official letterhead in his capacity as a senator, stating “how many of us in Australia are pleased to see you running again for the White House”.
Babet claimed Joe Biden has “brought the US into disrepute around the world through weak leadership”, and claimed Trump had “many friends in the Australian parliament, not least of all me, who will be cheering you on in the presidential campaign”.
Trump posted a copy of the letter on his Truth Social website (a social networking site similar to Twitter), writing “thank you to Senator Ralph Babet of Australia!”
Babet posted a screenshot of Trump’s post on his own Twitter account today.
We do wonder what Australia’s actual foreign minister, Penny Wong, might make of Babet’s flirtations with foreign policy and his declarations that “many” people in Australia’s parliament will be “cheering” Trump’s election success.
Updated
Aspects of higher education bill may have ‘unintended consequences’, says Universities Australia chief
Catriona Jackson, CEO of the peak body for Australia’s 39 tertiary institutions Universities Australia is appearing at a public hearing into the federal government’s higher education bill.
She says the body broadly supports the bill, informed from the universities accord interim report, while adding “several aspects” may have “unintended consequences”.
She points to amendments in the bill requiring providers to give a report to the education minister, Jason Clare, regarding compliance measures to improve accountability and reporting requirements for higher education providers.
We’re concerned this may conflict with the regulatory obligations and existing processes of the regulator … and may create undue administrative burden because of that duplication.
In effect, universities must already report to TESQA … the amendments would mean universities would have to duplicate reporting … to two different agencies … that would be universities doing the same thing twice for two different bits of government.
She also adds there is concern the legislation may enter into force before universities have time to implement new measures.
Providers need time to fully understand their obligations under this new policy.
Updated
Commonwealth Games Australia chief unable to say if termination agreement with Victoria included non-disparagement clause
Another interesting titbit from the Senate inquiry into the Victorian government’s decision to cancel the 2026 games.
Under questioning from the Nationals senator Matt Canavan, Craig Phillips, the chief executive of Commonwealth Games Australia, was unable to say if part of the agreement to terminate the contract with Victoria included an agreement not to criticise the government.
Canavan:
Does the contract to cancel the games … does that provide an indemnity to the Victorian government against any future claims from yourself or the Commonwealth Games Federation?
Phillips:
That’s a term of the contract, Senator that we can’t speak to.
Canavan:
Does it contain a non-disparagement clause? Are you at all prevented from criticising the Victorian government in any way?
Phillips:
That’s a term of the deed of settlement.
Updated
Payne says politics ‘tested’ friendship with Dutton at times
The former foreign affairs minister, Marise Payne, says her friendship with the Liberal leader, Peter Dutton, has been “tested” at times.
She said in her three-page statement announcing her retirement from the Senate:
I acknowledge the Leader of the Parliamentary Liberal Party, the Hon Peter Dutton MP. We have been colleagues and friends for over 20 years.
Politics has occasionally tested our strong friendship, but our shared service as Foreign and Defence Ministers at a time of great challenge for Australia cemented my regard and respect for him and I value his friendship.
I am immensely proud that under the leadership of former Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Peter and I worked so effectively together with the Prime Minister to deliver the Aukus Agreement for our nation, transformative in terms of national security and Australia’s place in the world and our region. I also thank him for inviting me to serve as Shadow Cabinet Secretary, and I look forward to seeing him lead our nation as Prime Minister.
Payne said it was “both challenging and rewarding” to represent Australia “in one of the most dynamic global strategic environments of our lifetimes”.
Without directly referencing the tensions with China that erupted in 2020, Payne said:
I know that I left those roles with Australia regarded as a strong and capable partner, who stood on our own two feet, and most importantly, maintained and protected our national security, our democracy and our sovereignty in all that we did.
Payne listed a range of achievements of which she was proud, including the upgrading of the Quad partnership with the US, Japan and India; delivering the Pacific Step-Up; and “expanding our climate financing initiative to over $2bn”. Payne, who also served as minister for women, also said she was proud of “introducing the Women’s Budget Statement in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 budgets, focused on women’s economic security, women’s safety and women’s leadership and development”.
Updated
Marise Payne: it is a 'privilege' to have become Australia's longest serving female senator
The departing Liberal senator Marise Payne said in a statement:
Today I am announcing that I will retire from the Senate on Saturday 30 September, completing over 26 years of service as a Senator for New South Wales. It is an extraordinary honour to be elected to represent one’s community in the Federal Parliament. To have had the privilege to have served as long as I have, and in the process to have become Australia’s longest serving female Senator in history, is something of which I am very proud …
I chose the Senate, not the House, clearly, given I had 3 unsuccessful tilts at Senate preselection before I entered this place in 1997. I am a New South Wales Liberal moderate, passionate about our nation and our place in the world. I could not have imagined what was ahead of me in my Senate career when I began. This chamber, although far from perfect, is a unique and vital part of the Australian democracy.
Payne thanked a range of people who had supported her including her partner, former NSW minister Stuart Ayres:
I thank my partner Stuart Ayres, who has shared this path with me for many years now, as I shared his in state politics. I thank him for that enduring support and love. I particularly know that Stuart’s strong support made it possible for me to be a much-travelled Cabinet minister for seven years, and for that I am truly grateful.
Payne indicated it would not be a quiet retirement:
In retiring from the Senate this month, I intend it to be a long way from complete retirement. I look forward to the next phase of my professional life, where I will seek a portfolio career with a range of elements, and in doing so, also look forward to using the invaluable experience I have gained in this place, around the Cabinet table and globally, to continue to make a contribution to our country.
Updated
Victoria's teachers to protest 'unprecedented' workforce shortages outside state parliament
Victoria’s teachers, principals and education support staff will gather on the steps of the state government this morning calling out Labor’s “alarming failure” to tackle the teacher shortage crisis in the state.
The Australian Education Union (AEU) said advertised vacancies in public schools had reached “unprecedented levels” of 2,600 last week, after first raising the issue with the premier, Daniel Andrews, 12 months ago.
AEU secondary school member Simon Cole said shortages were stretching staff “beyond their capacity” to the detriment of student learning – forcing some teachers out of the profession.
Meredith Peace, president of the AEU’s Victorian branch, said the state government had “failed to take the significant steps needed” to stem the crisis.
Class sizes are increasing, and staff are shouldering unsustainable workloads … we’ve repeatedly asked for bold and urgent action from premier Andrews and offered a comprehensive list of solutions … such as retention payments for existing staff to keep them in our schools, comprehensive targeted support for harder-to-staff schools, paid placements for pre-service teachers … and expanded scholarships and studentships.”
It follows a pay deal negotiated between the NSW Teachers’ Federation and the state government earlier this week that would make entry-level teachers in the state the highest paid in the nation.
Updated
Marise Payne to quit parliament
The former foreign affairs minister Marise Payne has announced her retirement from the Senate – a move that was long-rumoured after the Coalition’s election loss last year.
Payne entered the Senate in April 1997, meaning she is the longest serving female senator in Australia’s history. She will retire on 30 September.
The NSW Liberal senator’s departure clears the way for a party preselection to fill her spot. More to come.
Updated
2026 Commonwealth Games could be pushed back a year to find Australian host
The Commonwealth Games could be pushed back a year in an effort to find an Australian host, an inquiry has heard.
Craig Phillips, the chief executive of Commonwealth Games Australia, is appearing before a Senate inquiry into the Victorian government’s decision to cancel the 2026 games.
He says the organisation is working with the Commonwealth Games Federation on what a possible Australian-hosted event could look like, given the time constraints:
It may be a scaled-back version of the games, given the time we have, but if you look around the capital cities around Australia … all have the capability of hosting games. Even some of the smaller cities around the country have that capability of certainly contributing to a game …
One of the things we will be doing is developing multiple models and multiple solutions across different cities and different states and the reason to do that is we need to make sure that the games match the host, and not the other way round. So it’ll be a tailored solution depending on where it will be.
Phillips says it is hoped they will have a solution by November, when the Commonwealth Games general assembly meets in Singapore:
The CGF would agree that we need to have, if not the final solution, [we need to be] very, very advanced in terms of potential final solutions by November of this year, and probably moving to early next year to actually have the final solution in place …
The CGF have already indicated – they’ve done this publicly – that they are open to the games moving into 2027 to give any potential host more time, and that’s certainly something we’re looking at in terms of any state or any host city that we do talk to.
Updated
Virgin cancels dozens of flights amid wild weather on east coast
Virgin has cancelled 38 flights across its network overnight and this morning, as wild weather wreaks havoc across the east coast.
The airline said weather and air traffic controller shortages were behind the cancellations, with flights due to be affected until 11pm tonight.
A spokesperson said the airline was encouraging all passengers to check on the status of their flights:
Weather, ATC shortages and engineering requirements have resulted in cancellations across the network today. We sincerely apologise to our guests for the inconvenience.
The safety of our guests and crew is our highest priority and further adjustments to our flight schedule may be necessary today.
In the event of disruption, we will endeavour to proactively communicate with guests in advance.
We encourage guests travelling today to check the status of their flight prior to travel.
The ABC is reporting that up to eight domestic flights have been cancelled from Sydney due to the very damaging winds and the strong storm cell overnight.
International flights are reportedly unaffected so far, but domestic arrivals are being affected by the storm, with delays across both international and domestic flights.
Passengers are being urged to check the status of their flight before coming to the airport and to expect some quite significant delays.
Updated
Commonwealth Games head says conversations about hosting 2026 event in other states yet to begin
The head of the Commonwealth Games in Australia has conceded the organisation is yet to hold conversations with other states and territories to host the 2026 event after Victoria withdrew its bid.
Craig Phillips, chief executive of Commonwealth Games Australia, is appearing before a Senate inquiry into the Victorian government’s decision to cancel the 2026 games.
Under questioning by Liberal senator Anne Ruston, Phillips conceded they are yet to begin conversations with other state and territory governments about possibly hosting the event:
We do need to make sure we are ready before we actually start having conversations with governments. We have to make sure our case is right and it’s not where we are right now …
We just haven’t developed the model far enough to have the detailed discussion where governments are going to want to know … what it’s going to cost, what their obligations are. So we’re developing the model to actually be able to have those sensible discussions with state governments and councils.
Ruston was a bit surprised by this, responding:
This is what you do for a living. Surely there must be some sense of a blueprint that you can draw on. I mean, surely, you know how to put on a Commonwealth Games.
I’m really quite surprised that you don’t actually have this ready to go so that you actually can start these discussions because we know there were concerns expressed before the decision by the Victorian government that we were running out of time to be able to do what we needed to do. And yet you’re sitting here today saying you actually don’t even have the blueprint ready to move forward with your negotiations.
Phillips replied that they were simply “not ready”:
Ruston:
Since the decision of the Victorian government to cancel their games bid, have you met with the federal sports minister?
Phillips:
No, we have not.
Ruston:
Have you met with the Queensland premier or any of her ministers?
Phillips:
No.
Ruston:
Not the Western Australian premier or any of his ministers, not any other state premiers?
Phillips:
Not any. We’ve had one primary meeting with [Gold Coast mayor] Tom Tate and one of his representatives.
Ruston:
Have you sought to have meetings with these people?
Phillips:
No, we haven’t.
Updated
Jacinta Nampijinpa Price says ‘further discussion’ needed on second referendum
Last night the shadow Indigenous affairs minister, Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, appeared to contradict the Coalition’s position on a second referendum for constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians.
Price told Sky News:
There needs to be further discussion as to a second referendum, within party rooms, and determinations made that bring people into agreeance with that. I’m all for process, I’m very much consumed with the fact that we’re dealing with this referendum at the moment. That for me is the priority.
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, was asked about this on Radio National and said constitutional recognition “remains our policy”.
He said:
Yeah of course I do [have her support]. Our position at the last election, our policy remains, that we support constitutional recognition. We don’t support the voice because the prime minister refuses to provide the detail and the breadth of the words are so wide and would give such a significant opportunity to expand it out that most Australians now see it as reckless.
Dutton suggested that, if elected, he would only take the country to a second referendum if there was bipartisan support from the Labor opposition. “I would take a judgment when we could get a successful outcome,” he said.
Updated
Victoria joins states pummelled by wind and rain
The Bureau of Meteorology has warned people in parts of South West, Central and West and South Gippsland districts of forecast locally damaging winds. Peak gusts of up to 110km/h over the south-west Victoria coast are likely to extend eastwards along coastal areas today.
Damaging surf conditions will see waves bigger than seven metres in the surf zone along the coast west of Cape Otway, and between five and six metres from Point Nepean to Wilsons Promontory.
West to south-westerly winds with damaging wind gusts of up to 100 km/h are possible over the greater Melbourne area, and West and South Gippsland today.
Updated
Australia’s biggest super fund sued for allegedly ‘eroding’ balances with multiple fees
Australia’s largest super fund, AustralianSuper, is being sued by the corporate regulator over allegations it failed to address members who held multiple accounts.
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission said on Friday the fund had allegedly failed to have adequate policies and procedures to identify members who held multiple AustralianSuper accounts and to merge those accounts, where merger was in the member’s best interests.
They says the fund then continued to charge multiple sets of fees and insurance premiums to these members.
They allege that between 1 July 2013 and 31 March 2023, approximately 90,000 AustralianSuper members were affected, with total cost to members of approximately $69m.
Asic said they were concerned that despite AustralianSuper allegedly being aware in 2018 of the number of multiple member accounts within the fund and possible gaps in its policies and procedures, it did not take adequate steps to investigate and resolve the issue until late 2021 and early 2022.
ASIC deputy chair Sarah Court said there were “significant’ financial consequences that come with failing to address multiple accounts:
Failing to merge duplicate accounts within a fund can have significant financial consequences for members who end up paying multiple sets of fees, eroding their superannuation balance over time.
ASIC expects that superannuation funds will put their members first and promptly address issues that cause members to face multiple sets of fees and insurance premiums. We expect these issues to be identified and rectified quickly, including compensating members if a trustee has failed to comply with its obligations.
Asic is seeking declarations, pecuniary penalties and other orders against AustralianSuper.
The date for the first case management hearing is yet to be scheduled.
Updated
Marles defends transport minister’s decision on Qatar Airways but backs more competition
The acting prime minister, Richard Marles, has said he believes there should be more competition in the aviation industry.
Marles was on the Today show, and was asked about the transport minister Catherine King’s decision not to grant Qatar Airways extra flights into Australia.
He defended King, saying ministers should be left to “do their job,” insisting the decision was still in the “national interest.”
In our government we let our ministers do their job, and in this instance the transport minister has made a decision in the national interest. We need to see Qantas giving the best possible service for the lowest possible price.
When you bring this back to the way in which this is impacting Australians, we need to see greater competitiveness in our skies.
We have an aviation white paper process to look how we can have greater competition in our skies.
Frankly, we inherited a mess from those opposite.
Updated
Intense winds and storms rock Sydney, Brisbane and South Australia
The Bureau of Meteorology is urging people in western Sydney, southern and central ranges and the Hunter region to tidy up loose items around their yards as damaging winds are extending over the areas today.
Gusty storms may hit Sydney and the Central Coast today, while there are possible severe storms heading to the Northern Rivers and Mid North Coast this afternoon, with a risk of damaging winds and large hail, the BoM says.
⚠️Update: Damaging winds over western #NSW are expected to ease this evening, with the threat extending to southern & central ranges & #Hunter on FRIDAY. Prepare by tidying up loose items around your home/yard.
— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) September 7, 2023
Monitor warning at: https://t.co/JKf3Xg7DN6 pic.twitter.com/XniGYHLDE3
In Queensland, severe thunderstorms are possible in eastern and south-eastern parts of the state, south of Rockhampton, the BoM is warning. Damaging winds and large hail could be hazardous. Brisbane, Toowoomba, Gympie, the Gold Coast, and the Sunshine Coast are at risk.
And in South Australia, the BoM’s severe weather warning for damaging winds has extended to include Adelaide and parts of Yorke Peninsula and the Mid North districts.
.@BOM_SA has issued an updated severe weather warning for DAMAGING WINDS for multiple districts across SA
— SASES (@SA_SES) September 6, 2023
Issued 4:30am 7 Sept 23
Possible damaging winds in parts of southern SA from late this afternoon
SES: 132 500
Life-threatening emergency: 000https://t.co/BuU3rJXFbk pic.twitter.com/vG9NSTHwrM
More to come from a bureau spokesperson soon.
Updated
Dutton says he would ‘sit down with the Labor party’ in event of second referendum
Dutton was also quizzed on his timeline for his proposal for a second referendum, on constitutional recognition that was floated this week.
Dutton was asked when such a referendum would be held – keeping in mind, of course, that it would only happen if he were to win government at the next election.
The opposition leader danced around the question several times, before saying he would “sit down with the Labor party” at some point down the line:
I would sit down with the Labor party and we would have – I believe in sensible conversation. I don’t believe the prime minister, to be honest, when he says at the moment that if the referendum goes down, it’s all over. It’s got echoes of Kevin Rudd’s greatest moral challenge.
We will be able to, I believe, arrive at a form of words, because at the moment the prime minister will dismiss that because he doesn’t want to allow any conversation to take place in relation to recognition.
I will take a judgment as to … when we could get a successful outcome. I believe that the prospect of getting that question is very different than it was even three years ago or 13 years ago, when it might have first been proposed.
Updated
Dutton says opposition ‘won’t be departing’ from net zero
In recent days some in the Nationals have agitated to abandon the commitment to net zero, through a motion to be debated at Nationals conference and comments from frontbencher Barnaby Joyce that the estimated cost of net zero was “utterly untenable”.
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has just rejected that push, telling Radio National the Coalition “won’t be departing” from net zero.
He said:
No [it doesn’t concern me], there’s strong support for net zero. It’s a policy that we took to the last election, I’ve recommitted to it. We won’t be departing from it, and I believe very strongly we need to have a proper debate about how we credibly reduce emissions in this country.
Because as we’ve seen, the Labor government [in] New South Wales has signed up to the extension of coal-fired power … we’ve got South Australia who is very precarious in terms of their supply, manufacturers there are talking about offshoring and just reimporting the product from somewhere like Malaysia where there will be higher emissions.
So it’s why the sensible discussion – frankly, the mature discussion – about how we can firm up renewables through the latest technology of nuclear, which is embraced by Justin Trudeau, by Emmanuel Macron and many other countries, over 50 countries now … they see it as their only credible pathway to emissions reductions.
And interestingly, without giving too much away of the internal polling, the shift here, where the support, maybe five years ago, maybe two years ago, wasn’t there, is strongly there now, and particularly with younger people who are well-read on zero emissions, nuclear technology, being able to firm up wind and solar and you know, support hydrogen and other emerging technologies.
Updated
Opposition leader Dutton supports PM’s visit to China
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has said he believes it is “appropriate” that Anthony Albanese visit China, as the PM prepares to be the first Australian leader in seven years to visit.
Dutton was on RN Breakfast this morning, and was asked first up what he thought of former prime minister Scott Morrison warning against the visit. Morrison had criticised the government for what he describes as acquiescence to China’s demands.
Dutton said he recognised China as an important trading partner and that he believed the basis of a conversation should be on “peace and stability in the region”.
Well, my view is it’s appropriate for the prime minister to go because he’s got, firstly, an invitation but he’s also got a list of issues to raise and he obviously believes that he can get some way in relation to the relief around the tariffs that have been imposed. Human rights issues, obviously, remain paramount, particularly in relation to Australian citizens.
There will be other sensitive security issues that the prime minister will want to raise as well. China is an incredibly important trading partner for us and we want peace and stability to endure in our region. And I’m sure that will be the basis of the conversation.
Updated
Qatar Airways ‘not the only airline’ that could help bring air fares down: transport minister
Last night the federal transport minister, Catherine King, said she expects air fares to come down, but added that Qatar Airways was “not the only airline that adds to competition”.
King was on ABC’s 7.30, and she also denied being lobbied by Qantas, adding that another competitor, Etihad Airways, had extra capacity they were “not using” and that an application by Turkish Airlines was also pending.
It comes as King has faced criticisms this week for her decision to deny Qatar Airlines the opportunity to expand its footprint in Australia, and that she wants to see the industry protect jobs.
We’re up to 91% of pre-Covid capacity, we’ve got more capacity coming in … it is coming back, and we will start to see prices come down.
I would certainly like to see more jobs in aviation and I would like to see Qantas do a much better job, and this is incumbent on all our airlines in making sure we’ve got decent, long-term, sustainable jobs in aviation.
The race to the bottom that we’ve seen in jobs, I think, was really the catalyst for the same job, same pay [legislation] and we’ve been highly critical of Qantas in relation to that.
Updated
Good morning, Mostafa Rachwani with you this morning to take you through the day’s news.
Updated
Ita Buttrose to address Women in Media conference
Ita Buttrose will address a gathering of some of the country’s most influential and recognisable women today to share her wisdom after more than 50 years in the industry, AAP reports.
The 81-year-old, who recently revealed she would not seek a second stint as ABC chair, will deliver the keynote speech at Friday’s Women in Media national conference in Sydney.
Buttrose told the federal government last month she planned to end her tenure at the national broadcaster when her five-year term expired in March 2024.
At the time, the communications minister, Michelle Rowland, called the former magazine editor and TV host a “giant of Australia’s media industry”.
Rowland will also be at the event for a panel discussion on advancing gender equality in the industry.
Also today, documentary-maker and 2023 Australian of the Year Taryn Brumfitt, who leads the Body Image Movement, will discuss the importance of body acceptance and self-compassion in the media.
Hosting events will be another industry veteran, Channel 10 newsreader Sandra Sully.
The conference will end tomorrow.
Updated
Albanese first PM in 20 years to hold formal bilateral talks with Philippines amid rising regional tensions
Australia will look to reinforce security and defence ties with the Philippines amid growing regional tensions, as the prime minister prepares to hold formal talks in Manila today, AAP reports.
Anthony Albanese will have one-on-one talks with the Philippines president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, as part of his week-long visit through Asia.
Albanese will be the first prime minister in 20 years to hold formal bilateral talks in the Philippines with the country’s leader.
“The Philippines is a critical nation for Australia’s interests, we have strong economic relations,” he told reporters yesterday. “We also have strong cooperation when it comes to defence arrangements, and in addition to that, of course, we have a strong diaspora in Australia.”
The two leaders have already held informal talks at the gala dinner for the Asean summit in Jakarta.
The bilateral meeting coincides with Australia ramping up its military ties with the Philippines. The defence minister, Richard Marles, in August confirmed Australia would work more closely with the Asian nation on joint patrols. Tensions had been rising in the South China Sea, with mounting clashes between the Philippines and China in the contested region.
Albanese said Australia respected rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region.
“Australia continues to engage consistently with international law in the region, including in the South China Sea,” he said.
During his visit to Manila, Albanese will take part in a wreath-laying ceremony before talks with Marcos at the presidential palace.
The visit to the Philippines follows the prime minister attending the Asean and east Asia summits in Jakarta.
The trip coincided with the launch of a new economic strategy for south-east Asia to 2040, which calls for increasing investment to the region, including the Philippines.
Later today, the prime minister will jet off to India for the two-day G20 summit in New Delhi.
Updated
China vows to work with Australia to 'improve strategic partnership'
After news emerged that Anthony Albanese would be travelling to Beijing to meet the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, later this year, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson was invited to issue an official response at its regular press briefing last night.
Asked to confirm the visit and provide more details, a spokesperson, Mao Ning, said:
China welcomes Prime Minister Albanese to visit China at the invitation of Premier Li Qiang and stands ready to work with Australia to make sound preparations for the visit. China always believes that a sound and stable China-Australia relationship is in the fundamental interests of the peoples of both countries, and conducive to peace, stability and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific and the wider world.
We intend to work with Australia to deliver on the common understandings between the leaders of the two countries, uphold the spirit of mutual respect and mutual benefit, properly handle differences, and continue to improve and grow our comprehensive strategic partnership.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our rolling news coverage. I’m Martin Farrer and I’ll be spotting you the top overnight stories before my colleague Mostafa Rachwani takes charge.
In an exclusive interview, the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, identifies the slowdown in the Chinese economy and a continuing squeeze on the spending power of Australian households as the two key factors explaining why the economy might be in for a spot of turbulence in the next 12 months. He acknowledged that people are “feeling the squeeze” from interest rate rises, but is still hopeful Australia can avoid a recession because “we’ve got a lot going for us”.
The Australian War Memorial has installed a new temporary 84-word plaque next to a display about Ben Roberts-Smith to acknowledge he was found to be “involved and complicit in unlawful killings in Afghanistan”. But critics say the move was “inadequate” and that the plaque should be removed.
Another exclusive story this morning is that authorities in Queensland are notifying the families of 64 alleged victims of an accused paedophile after their identities were mistakenly made available to journalists – including at Guardian Australia. A 45-year-old male childcare worker was in July charged with offences involving 91 children in Australia and overseas, including 64 in Brisbane. Court documents relating to the charges were made available to several media outlets but the names of 64 alleged victims had not been redacted from charge sheets, as would usually occur.
And China has officially responded to the news that Anthony Albanese will travel to China later this year – more on that soon. The prime minister is today in Manila to hold one-on-one talks with the Philippines president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, as part of his week-long visit through Asia.
