Indigenous voice no campaign targets religious voters who opposed marriage equality

The no campaign plans to tap into the ‘unheard majority’ in Sydney, believing there is a bloc of socially conservative religious voters ripe for its messages

The no campaign in the referendum on an Indigenous voice to parliament is targeting migrant communities and parts of Sydney that voted strongly against marriage equality in the 2017 postal vote, Warren Mundine has said.

The campaign believes there is a cohort of religious and socially conservative voters who are open to its messaging on implications of the voice.

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Private school funding increased twice as much as public schools’ in decade after Gonski, data shows

Exclusive: Government funding since landmark education review released ‘has gone to those least in need’, says national convenor of Save Our Schools

Real government funding to private schools has increased almost twice as much as funding to public schools in the decade since the landmark Gonski review recommended changes designed to fund Australian schools according to need.

From 2012 to 2021, per student funding to independent and Catholic schools rose by 34% and 31% respectively, while funding to public schools increased by just 17%, according to parliamentary library data provided exclusively to Guardian Australia. In Queensland, the growth in government funding to independent schools per student has been nine times greater than to public schools.

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News live updates: hundreds charged after NSW domestic violence operation; South Australia moves to ban no cause evictions

Four-day operation results in 1,107 domestic violence charges being laid against 592 people. Follow live

‘Textbook fiscal policy’ from Labor about getting economy ‘in nick’

Chalmers is asked whether it’s possible to control inflation without the unemployment rate growing further.

Remains to be seen.

We’ve got the budget in better nick, not the expense of the economy but in addition, and cost-of-living help is targeted in out-of-pocket health costs, electricity, rent and some particular pressure points. We found $40 billion of savings over two budgets compared to zero in savings in the last Liberal budget.

So all of those things are about get getting the economy in nick at the same time we provide help for people to get through through a difficult period.

The point that Michele Bullock was making in that speech, which, again, I think is relatively uncontroversial, is that as the Reserve Bank forecast and the treasury forecasts, have inflation moderating in coming months, they have a tick-up in unemployment. I’ve been upfront. The challenges in the economy are unsubstantial, globally and domestically, I think the slow-down is expected in the forecasts to be significant. That will have implications for the unemployment rate, which is the point that Michele Bullock was making.

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‘A lethargic result’: Labor says it is ridiculous for Peter Dutton to take heart from Fadden byelection win

Deputy prime minister Richard Marles says byelection swing to LNP was ‘half the average swing you would expect against a sitting government’

Senior members of the Albanese government insist they are not troubled by Labor’s loss in the Fadden byelection, as they seek to reassure Australians their main focus is on the cost-of-living crisis.

The Liberal National party retained the safe Gold Coast seat on Saturday in a byelection caused by the resignation of former minister Stuart Robert. There was a swing of about 2.4% to the LNP after preferences.

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Australia’s Magna Carta: precious document bought in 1952 for £12,500 now worth $35m

Plans to have historic 1297 edition back on display in Canberra by the end of next year have been revealed

Australia’s 1297 edition of Magna Carta, bought in 1952 for £12,500, is now worth $35m.

The precious document, the “foundation stone of constitutional and parliamentary government”, is in storage at Parliament House in Canberra while a new display case is built.

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Fadden byelection: Peter Dutton’s leadership given breathing room as LNP retains Gold Coast seat

Cameron Caldwell wins retiring member Stuart Robert’s seat with Labor candidate Letitia Del Fabbro conceding less than 90 minutes after polls closed

The Liberal leader, Peter Dutton, has been given some breathing room with the LNP comfortably retaining its safe Gold Coast seat of Fadden.

Labor, which had debated whether to even run a candidate in the poll, went into the byelection expecting the LNP to win – it was always about by how much.

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Michele Bullock spells continuity at RBA – but respite unlikely for borrowers

The new chief was one of the board members raising interest rates, but has been brought in to reform the central bank

When the Albanese government announced Michele Bullock as the next Reserve Bank governor on Friday, few were particularly surprised – and that was the plan.

Sure, the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, got on the front foot the previous day, prematurely warning against choosing a public servant. The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, had shared his shortlist with his shadow, Angus Taylor, but held back Bullock as his pick.

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Government ‘realistic’ about chances in Fadden – as it happened

Stakes are high in contest for Queensland seat. This blog has now closed

Singleton Roosters to play their first game since tragic bus accident

NSW premier Chris Minns is in Cessnock today, where he will attend the first games of the women’s and men’s Singleton Roosters Australian rules football teams since the bus tragedy that rocked the community in June.

For the rest of winter and into spring, there’s a very high chance of above average temperatures, and actually quite a high chance of unusually warm temperatures as well.

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‘Serious and systemic issues’: CEO and board chair resign amid scathing review of pesticides regulator

Review of Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority followed claims senior member of staff urinated on colleagues at Christmas function

The board chair and CEO of Australia’s agricultural and veterinary chemical regulator have resigned, as an independent review found “serious and systemic issues” within the organisation.

The federal minister for agriculture, Murray Watt, said the government would take “firm action” to ensure the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority’s integrity after the review’s findings.

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RBA lifer Michele Bullock may have the luck of playing good cop to Philip Lowe’s bad

The Reserve Bank of Australia’s first female governor will begin her appointment at or very near the end of the cycle of rate rises

Australia will get its first female Reserve Bank governor, Michele Bullock, and the order of the day is continuity with change.

Continuity because Bullock is an extremely well qualified RBA lifer with four decades of experience.

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Alleged threat to kill federal MP made late at night, court told

Simon Geoffrey Raymond, 39, has been in custody since Tuesday after he was arrested over alleged threats against Anne Webster

A man accused of threatening to kill a federal MP will spend at least the weekend behind bars after a brief court hearing in Queensland.

Simon Geoffrey Raymond, 39, of no fixed address, has been in custody since being arrested by federal police at Brisbane airport on Tuesday.

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Nationals accuse Labor of ‘hypocrisy’ over response to scathing APVMA report – as it happened

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Cabinet meeting to decide Lowe’s successor today

Philip Lowe will be replaced as the Reserve Bank governor, with today’s cabinet meeting to decide his successor, Guardian Australia has confirmed.

If I was asked to continue in the role, I would be honoured to do that and I would continue.

If I am not asked to continue in the role, I will do my best to support my successor, and the treasurer has said he will make an announcement before the end of this month.

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No campaign runs opposite claims on Indigenous voice across different social media pages

Exclusive: Advance lobby group runs multiple Facebook pages that target different demographics, including one that purports to be a neutral news source

The no campaign in the Indigenous voice referendum is running three different social media strategies, each targeting different groups of Australians with apparently contradictory messages, a Guardian Australia investigation can reveal.

The lobby group Advance, one of the lead organisations in the no camp, runs one Facebook page highlighting conservative criticism, another highlighting progressive complaints, and a third portraying itself as a neutral news source.

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Voice would help ‘change frustration’ over health and education, Linda Burney says

Canberra has to listen to locals, minister tells a community meeting in WA, as Richard Marles says Indigenous affairs is an ‘offence to the fair go’

The Indigenous voice would help “change the frustration” of Aboriginal Australians in health and education, Linda Burney has said, adding that those issues had been “ghettoised” into her portfolio in the past rather than dealt with more closely by responsible ministers.

Speaking at a major community meeting in Western Australia’s Pilbara region on Wednesday night, the minister for Indigenous Australians said that the proposed national voice was part of the Albanese government trying to “do things differently”.

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Labor’s refusal to extend school chaplaincy tax deduction will cause cuts, Christian group says

Parents’ secular education group wants chaplains scrapped and student wellbeing officers employed instead

Australia’s largest supplier of school chaplains has labelled the Albanese government’s decision not to extend its eligibility to receive tax deductible gifts “disappointing and unexpected”.

Scripture Union Australia has warned the decision would probably result in cuts to chaplaincy services after Labor allowed its deductible gift recipient (DGR) status, previously granted by the Morrison government, to lapse.

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Next RBA governor should not be a senior public servant, Peter Dutton says

Speculation mounts Cabinet will sign off on decision on Friday, as Liberal leader says position should have no connection to government

A senior public servant should not be appointed the next Reserve Bank of Australia governor in order to avoid any connection with past governments, the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, says.

As speculation mounts the government is set to sign off on the appointment at a Cabinet meeting on Friday, Dutton said the potential successor should not come from the public service.

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Australia news live: calls for flu jab increase after second child’s death; Tasmanian Greens leader resigns

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Andrew and Nicola Forrest, billionaires in iron ore mining, have separated after 31 years of marriage.

They said the separation will not impact their mining operations, in a statement:

After 31 years of marriage, we have made the decision to live apart.

Our friendship and commitment to our family remains strong.

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Federal MP Anne Webster allegedly received death threat from homeless man in Darwin

The Victorian Nationals MP was allegedly threatened in phone calls and emails with the accused, 39, due to face a Brisbane court on Friday

A 39-year-old homeless man has been charged with sending a death threat to the federal Nationals MP Anne Webster.

The man, of no fixed address, was arrested by the Australian federal police at Brisbane international airport on Tuesday. He appeared in the Brisbane magistrates court on Wednesday when he was remanded in custody to reappear on Friday.

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Indigenous voice: no campaign’s deep links to conservative Christian politics

The no camp employs lobbyists that specialise in conservative Christian campaigning, Guardian Australia can reveal

The lobby groups campaigning to sink the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum have deep links to a number of conservative Christian organisations and consultancies, a Guardian investigation can reveal.

The no campaign is working with companies that appear to specialise in conservative Christian campaigning, including a US-headquartered marketing and fundraising firm that aims to help Christian nonprofit ministries “fulfill their mission”. Our investigation also shows links between the no campaign and the failed conservative push to defeat the marriage equality postal survey in 2017.

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Australia news live: ANZ says customers ‘by and large are faring extremely well’ despite interest rates squeeze

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A student on New South Wales’s Central Coast has died after contracting the influenza virus, just days after NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant warned circulation of influenza B was rising and young people were at heightened risk from the strain.

You can read the full story here:

Having a budget which is in much better nick means that if at some future point – and we’re not contemplating additional measures right now – but at some future point if we need to, we do that from a much more solid foundation. And that’s because we’re managing the budget so responsibly.

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