What we learned today, Wednesday 29 April
And with that, we are going to put the blog to bed. Before we go, let’s recap the big headlines:
Barnaby Joyce acknowledged One Nation may have made a mistake by not asking a star candidate about his past ties to the Labor party. Nine newspapers on Monday reported the minor party’s nominee for the Farrer byelection, David Farley, sought preselection for Labor in 2021 and donated to the party in 2023.
Electric vehicle chargers could be installed in the basements of more than 400 apartment buildings around Australia as part of a $3.4m investment in the technology, AAP reported. Sydney-based charging company ReadySteadyPlug announced plans to expand its charging network on Wednesday after securing a $1.5m investment from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (Arena).
A majority of surveyed Australians approved of Pauline Hanson’s leadership of One Nation, giving her a higher job approval rating than Anthony Albanese and Angus Taylor, a Guardian Essential poll found. The rightwing populist party is outperforming the Coalition for the first time.
NT police said more than 100 people were assisting with the search for Sharon, a missing five-year-old they believe was abducted from her home in Alice Springs last weekend.
A pro-Palestine protester refused to enter a plea to a charge of displaying a prohibited expression on the basis that his charge is “insane”. Jim Dowling appeared in Brisbane magistrates court on Wednesday, charged with holding a sign reading “from the river to the sea” at a protest on 18 March. He appeared without a lawyer, representing himself.
The US lobbying firm representing tech companies, including Meta and Google, has said Australia should face “targeted trade remedies” from the Trump administration to stop the government implementing the news bargaining incentive, which would force Meta, Google and TikTok to make commercial deals with Australian media outlets or pay a dedicated 2.25% levy on local revenues.
The mother of a police officer who allegedly murdered Luke Davies and Jesse Baird two years ago was charged over allegedly tampering in her son’s trial. NSW police said Coleen Lamarre, 63, was charged with perverting the course of justice in her son’s high-profile double murder trial after she allegedly attempted to influence a key witness to change their evidence.
Thank you for spending part of your day with us. We will be back tomorrow to do it all again.
Updated
Closure of 40 childcare centres ‘deeply concerning’ for workers and families, says union
The United Workers Union says today’s announcement that G8 Education will close approximately 40 childcare centres across Australia is deeply concerning for workers, families and communities.
UWU’s director of early childhood education, Carolyn Smith, said the union was focused on supporting affected members through the uncertainty ahead:
These are dedicated, hard-working people who have shown up every day to care for children and families. We are still waiting to understand which centres will be impacted, and we will be working closely with our members every step of the way as that becomes clear.
Our message to workers right now is simple: we are here, we are watching this closely, and we will make sure your rights and entitlements are protected.
The union is calling on the federal government to urgently intervene to ensure affected workers receive their full entitlements and that no family is left without access to childcare.
Updated
