Category Archives: Australian politics

Michael Towke claims cabinet minister texted ‘I believe you’ following allegations against Scott Morrison

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Towke claims minister messaged ‘do what you feel you need to do’ after he alleged Morrison in 2007 suggested he couldn’t be trusted because he was Lebanese

Michael Towke, the man who Scott Morrison beat to become the MP for the Sydney seat of Cook 15 years ago, claims a serving federal cabinet minister has encouraged him to speak out about his alleged bad experiences with the now prime minister.

Towke intitially won preselection for Cook in 2007 before it was overturned, paving the way for Morrison’s elevation to parliament.

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Mark McGowan condemns ‘morons’ for displaying ads outside his home linking Labor with China

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Trucks with ads showing the Chinese president voting for Labor have been seen across Australia this week

The West Australian premier, Mark McGowan, has slammed the “idiots” and “morons” who parked a truck outside his home with a political ad linking Labor with the Chinese Communist party.

Large trucks with advertisements showing the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, voting for Labor have been seen in cities across Australia this week, depicting the CCP leader voting with a ballot reading “Labor 1” alongside the words “CCP SAYS VOTE Labor”.

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Coalition accused of sitting on environment report to avoid delivering ‘more bad news’

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Calls for report to be released before election so voters know ‘official state’ of environment under Morrison government

The Morrison government has been accused of sitting on a major report card on the state of Australia’s environment it received more than three months ago to avoid “more bad news”.

Labor, the Greens, the independent MP Zali Steggall, environment groups and scientists have called on the government to release the Australia State of the Environment report, which is produced by scientists and compiled every five years.

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Australian federal police demand parties commit to ‘far-reaching anti-corruption body’

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Police say current anti-corruption regime is unequal and holds law enforcement to a higher standard than politicians

Thousands of Australian Federal Police (AFP) members are demanding the next commonwealth government establish a strong anti-corruption commission that equally investigates politicians and law enforcement, saying police are being unfairly blamed for gaps in the nation’s integrity system.

The Australian Federal Police Association, which represents 4,000 AFP members, has placed the establishment of a “far-reaching anti-corruption body” among its highest priorities ahead of the federal election, alongside improved support for officers suffering post-traumatic stress disorder, greater resourcing, and stronger firearms regulations.

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Australia news live updates: MPs respond to Morrison criticism; 20 Covid deaths; major Optus mobile network outage

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Foreign and defence ministers label Putin a ‘war criminal’; major Optus mobile network outage; ministers respond to criticism of Scott Morrison; NSW records 12 Covid deaths and 19,183 new infections; Victoria records eight deaths and 12,007 new infections. Follow all the latest updates live

Another senior Liberal has taken aim at Scott Morrison, accusing him of “self-serving ruthless bullying” and claiming he has “ruined” the Liberal party.

Catherine Cusack, a NSW Liberal who announced two weeks ago she would resign from the Legislative Council over her anger about flood relief, adds her voice to a growing chorus of critics of Morrison from within his own party in an opinion piece for Guardian Australia.

The concerns over the prime minister’s character are now well established, and they’re well established not by the Labor party, but the people who know him best.

I mean his own deputy prime minister called him a liar and a hypocrite*. These people know him best, they’ve served in cabinet with him, in the Liberal party with him over a period of many years ...

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Aged care sector calls for funding detail on election commitments

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Major parties urged to spell out more policy and make system sustainable, as Anglicare launches wage-rise campaign for carers

Health advocates have welcomed the elevation of aged care as a headline issue early in the federal election campaign, backing Labor’s policy pledges but warning that changes could have “unintended consequences” without further consultation.

One leading aged care voice has challenged both major parties to outline exactly how they plan to fund the sector against the backdrop of an ageing Australian population, claiming current rules would see the pay of nursing home staff go backwards this year.

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Australia anxious to show it didn’t ‘drop the ball’ on Pacific after China and Solomon Islands deal

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Canberra must walk a delicate line when responding to challenges presented by Beijing and Solomons’ security agreement

As China makes progress on a security deal with Solomon Islands, the Australian government is anxious not to be seen to have “dropped the ball” in the Pacific region. That would be a tad embarrassing, given it has spent the past few years sounding the alarm about security threats from China while also trumpeting its own “Pacific Step-Up”.

The deputy prime minister, Barnaby Joyce, has been one of the ministers on the defensive after leaked documents revealed the draft agreement between China and the Pacific island nation.

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Coalition tries for third time to let renewable energy agency fund technologies using fossil fuels

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New rules could allow Arena to back developments that use CCS, such as that of ‘blue’ hydrogen made with gas, Senate hears

The Morrison government has launched a third attempt to change the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (Arena) to allow it to fund a broader range of technologies, including some using fossil fuels.

The Senate has twice in the past year used a disallowance motion to block new regulations introduced by the energy and emissions reduction minister, Angus Taylor, to expand Arena’s remit to include backing technologies such as hydrogen made with gas and carbon capture and storage (CCS).

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Aged care bodies and unions demand Coalition match Labor’s pledge to fund potential wage rises

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Federal opposition says it will pay any increase ordered by Fair Work Commission but Coalition has stopped short of such a guarantee

Aged care industry bodies and unions have criticised the Morrison government for failing to commit to fully fund any pay increases ordered as a result of the sector’s work value case.

Aged and Community Services Australia (ACSA) and Leading Age Services Australia (Lasa) have both warned that providers would not be able to pay the increase meaning the industrial tribunal would need to order a smaller rise – or operators could be forced to close.

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Australia live news updates: Severe weather and flood warnings for Victoria; NSW reports 11 Covid deaths, Victoria records two Covid deaths, WA reports three historical deaths

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Dangerous flash flooding possible in East Gippsland; NSW reports 11 Covid deaths and 16,807 new cases; Victoria has two deaths and 9,008 cases; Towke breaks silence over 2007 preselection fight with Morrison

We were expecting to hear from Scott Morrison this morning during his visit to Devils Gate Hydroelectric Power Station in Tasmania.

There’s no media conference yet from that visit, but if and when it does happen we’ll let you know.

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Women struggle to get federal government’s $5,000 payment to escape domestic violence

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Concerns women in abusive relationships or refuge accommodation face delays and poor communication with service providers

Women escaping domestic violence say they are struggling to access a $5,000 government payment designed to help victims leave an abusive relationship.

Women have reported delays and poor communication with service providers about the escaping violence payment (EVP), which has been allocated $240m as part of the federal government’s $1.3bn investment in women’s safety.

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More refugees released from detention ahead of Australian election

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Coalition releases detainees as it prepares to face independents calling for more humane treatment of refugees, advocates suggest

Refugee advocates have celebrated the release of at least 18 people from onshore detention centres in Australia, but say the secrecy and lack of notice around their release is a final piece of cruelty from the Australian government.

They have also called for the release of the 33 people who remain in detention.

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Morrison and Modi witness trade deal signing; Australia records 25 Covid deaths – as it happened

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Australian states and territories report 25 Covid deaths; damaging winds hit parts of NSW along with hazardous surf and abnormally high tides. This blog is now closed

Some more on the refugees who have been released. AAP reports 20 refugees were released from detention on Friday night, including ten from Melbourne’s Park Hotel:

It comes three weeks after 13 refugees were released from detention centres in Melbourne and Brisbane.

At the time, advocates said nine men were released from the Park Hotel, along with one other in Broadmeadows and three men in Brisbane.

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Barnaby Joyce’s drought envoy texts to Scott Morrison should be released, information watchdog rules

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It is the second ruling of its type this week after the prime minister’s office also ordered a search for text messages from QAnon supporter Tim Stewart

The prime minister’s office has been ordered to search for text messages from Barnaby Joyce to Scott Morrison reporting on his work as drought envoy, in the second ruling this week on freedom of information battles involving Morrison’s phone.

On Wednesday, the information watchdog ordered the PMO search Morrison’s phone for text messages from his friend – the prominent QAnon supporter Tim Stewart – after the PMO refused a request made by Guardian Australia.

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Morrison government’s advertising spend tops Coles and McDonald’s

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Coalition spent $145m on advertising last financial year, with defence recruiting and Covid vaccines among biggest campaigns

The federal government spent more money on advertising last financial year than McDonald’s and Coles, new research suggests, prompting calls for greater oversight on taxpayer-funded public campaigns.

A new paper from progressive think tank the Australia Institute scrutinises government spending on “campaign advertising” – a repeated series of ads to promote important messages.

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Abolition of advisory body criticised after Morrison government promises $5.9bn for Queensland dams

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Former judge Anthony Whealy says size of funding promises justifies keeping body to scrutinise water projects

The costs of the federal government’s commitment to fund dams in Queensland without the scrutiny of a now-abolished national advisory body should be a cause for concern for the community, a former supreme court judge says.

Deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce disbanded the National Water Grid Advisory Body this week, claiming it was “an appropriate time for it to conclude its work”.

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NSW appeal court to decide fate of federal intervention in Liberal preselection stoush

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Court ruling could unwind Morrison’s ‘captain’s picks’ forcing Liberals to hold rushed votes to select candidates ahead of May election

The federal Liberal party’s ability to appoint candidates for key NSW seats including two ministers and a sitting MP hangs in the balance, with the state’s court of appeal reserving its decision in a long-running preselection dispute.

Sydney businessman Matthew Camenzuli, a member of the Liberal state executive, is seeking to overturn the preselections of the immigration minister, Alex Hawke, in Mitchell, the environment minister, Sussan Ley, in Farrer, and North Sydney MP, Trent Zimmerman.

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Alan Tudge remains as education minister after saying he would not return to the frontbench

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Officials confirm Tudge remains minister ‘on leave’ despite acting minister Stuart Robert performing functions of the role

Alan Tudge will stay officially as the education minister for an extra two and a half months despite claiming he would not return to the frontbench in March.

At Senate estimates on Friday, government officials confirmed that Tudge remains education minister and is “on leave” despite the acting minister, Stuart Robert, performing the functions of the role.

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Budget reply speech: Anthony Albanese pledges $2.5bn extra for struggling aged care system

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Federal Labor leader says if Australians want higher standards in aged care ‘we need to support higher wages for our carers’

Anthony Albanese has pledged to spend an extra $2.5bn fixing the problems in aged care if Labor is elected – as the major parties accelerate towards a campaign contest to be called within days.

The federal opposition leader used his budget reply speech on Thursday night – a set-piece that followed a historic address to the Australian parliament by the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy – to outbid the Morrison government on the policy response to the royal commission into aged care quality and safety.

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Ukraine president addresses parliament; Putin a ‘war criminal’, PM says – as it happened

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Volodymyr Zelenskiy says Australian contribution to become more critical as Scott Morrison pledges extra $25m in military assistance to Ukraine; Sydney rainfall tops record set in 1956; flood and hazardous surf warnings across NSW; nation records 32 Covid deaths. This blog is now closed

Parliament has passed legislation that can stop deadly mitochondrial disease in babies, using a partial DNA donation. It passed in the Senate scramble last night. Here’s the background:

Communities in the northern rivers region of NSW are going to get some reprieve from the rain today as the east coast low drifts away from the coast.

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