Category Archives: Australian politics

Labor decision to lift ban on PwC ‘an insult’ to inquiry that investigated Treasury scandal, Pocock says

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Finance department rejects last minute plea from three senators urging it to maintain block on consultancy firm competing for new government work

The finance department has rejected a last minute plea from three senators who led parliamentary inquiries into PwC Australia urging it not to lift a ban on the consultancy firm competing for new government work.

Last month, Guardian Australia revealed the finance department had recommended the end of a long-term ban triggered by a scandal involving the misuse of confidential Treasury information.

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Penny Wong complained to China about intimidation of exiled Hong Kong pro-democracy campaigners

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Exclusive: Foreign affairs minister used July meeting on Asean sidelines to elevate criticism of targeting of Adelaide-based Ted Hui and Melbourne-based Kevin Yam

The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, complained about the targeted intimidation of exiled pro-democracy campaigners from Hong Kong directly to her Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, during a bilateral meeting in Kuala Lumpur.

The July meeting was the first face-to-face discussion between the pair since two Hong Kong activists wanted for alleged national security crimes were subjected to anonymous letters offering Australian neighbours $203,000 to inform on them.

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Arts and media groups demand Labor take a stand against ‘rampant theft’ of Australian content to train AI

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Productivity Commission report raises possible exemption for ‘text and data mining’ and expanding fair dealing rules, prompting fierce pushback

Arts, creative and media groups have demanded the government rule out allowing big tech companies to take Australian content to train their artificial intelligence models, with concerns such a shift would “sell out” Australian workers and lead to “rampant theft” of intellectual property.

The Albanese government has said it has no plans to change copyright law, but any changes must consider effects on artists and news media. The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, has demanded that copyrighted material must not be used without compensation.

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Great Barrier Reef suffers biggest annual drop in live coral since 1980s after devastating coral bleaching

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Researchers warn reef may reach tipping point where coral cannot recover fast enough between major catastrophic events

The Great Barrier Reef has suffered its biggest annual drop in live coral in two out of three areas monitored by scientists since 1986, a new report has revealed.

The Australian Institute of Marine Science (Aims) report is the first to comprehensively document the devastating impacts of the early 2024 mass coral bleaching event – the most widespread and severe on record for the Great Barrier Reef.

Sign up to get climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s Clear Air column as a free newsletter

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Sea of people march across Sydney Harbour Bridge calling for an end to killing in Gaza

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NSW police estimate 90,000 walked despite force and premier opposing rally, while Palestine Action Group claims up to 300,000 peacefully protested

At least 100,000 pro-Palestine marchers, including Julian Assange, the former foreign minister Bob Carr and the government MP Ed Husic, have marched across Sydney Harbour Bridge in the rain to protest against Israel’s conduct in Gaza and to speak out about the children starving there.

The world-famous landmark was closed to traffic at 11.30am on Sunday, with protesters gathering in Lang Park in the city centre before enduring heavy rain as they walked across the bridge.

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Australia news live: huge crowds of pro-Palestine protesters, including Julian Assange, Bob Carr and Ed Husic, begin crossing Sydney Harbour Bridge

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Follow today’s news live

As thousands of people make their way to Lang Park in Sydney for the start of a march in support of Palestinians in Gaza, the organisers the Palestine Action Group have asked people to arrive early for the 1pm start.

“Rain, hail, or shine, we will free Palestine!” the group said in a post on Facebook this morning. The weather forecast for the city is for rain.

Be patient and look out for each other.

We urge everyone to plan for a long day. Bring wet-weather gear, plenty of water and snacks.

The Palestine movement is an anti-racist movement. We will not tolerate any form of racism or bigotry, including antisemitism or Islamophobia.

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Sportsbet advertises multi-bets on AFL website after pulling TV ads due to ‘community sentiment’

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Ads encouraging sport fans to ‘bet now’ do not breach any rules but gambling reform advocates say it shows industry attempts to self-regulate have failed

The gambling giant Sportsbet has splashed ads for its expanded same-game multi-bets on the AFL’s website, months after pulling them from free-to-air broadcasts due to “strong community sentiment”.

The ads, which reveal Sportsbet now accepts same-game multi-bets on how many possessions a player acquires during a match, encouraged people to “bet now” and surrounded the AFL homepage.

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Wong criticises Israel’s conduct in Gaza in closed-door meeting with Israeli ambassador

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The foreign affairs minister’s meeting with Amir Maimon was requested by the Israeli embassy, according to federal government sources

In a private meeting with Israel’s ambassador to Australia, the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, criticised Israel’s conduct in Gaza and called for it to urgently comply with international law and increase the supply of food to Palestinians.

Wong’s Thursday meeting with Amir Maimon was requested by the Israeli embassy, according to federal government sources, and took place inside Wong’s office at Parliament House in Canberra.

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Wong criticises Israel’s conduct in Gaza in closed-door meeting with Israeli ambassador

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The foreign affairs minister’s meeting with Amir Maimon was requested by the Israeli embassy, according to federal government sources

In a private meeting with Israel’s ambassador to Australia, the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, criticised Israel’s conduct in Gaza and called for it to urgently comply with international law and increase the supply of food to Palestinians.

Wong’s Thursday meeting with Amir Maimon was requested by the Israeli embassy, according to federal government sources, and took place inside Wong’s office at Parliament House in Canberra.

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Worsening Closing the Gap measures spark Indigenous calls for ‘real power shift’

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Latest report delivers bad news on targets including adult imprisonment rates, children in out-of-home care, suicide and childhood development

Without changing the approach to Closing the Gap, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will continue to “pay the price”, Indigenous organisations say.

Just four of the 19 Closing the Gap targets are on track to be met, according to the latest data from the Productivity Commission.

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One in three students fail to meet Naplan benchmarks as disadvantaged fall behind

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Results found four in 10 students performed below expectations in grammar and punctuation, indicating they struggled to recognise verbs and pronouns in sentences

One in three students have failed to meet Naplan benchmarks, this year’s test results have showed, as thousands of disadvantaged students continue to fall through the cracks.

This year’s tests were taken in March by 1.3 million students across years 3, 5, 7 and 9 to measure literacy and numeracy proficiency, with results released on Wednesday by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (Acara).

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Children to be banned from having YouTube accounts as Albanese government backflips on exemption

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Labor reverses earlier decision to exempt Google-owned platform from national social media youth ban in move communications minister says will make ‘positive difference’

Children will be banned from having YouTube accounts from December, with the federal government backflipping on an earlier decision to exempt the video platform from the national under-16s social media restrictions.

The decision, to be confirmed by the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and the communications minister, Anika Wells, on Wednesday, is likely to set off a furious reaction from the Google-owned YouTube, which will hold a major event for politicians in Parliament House on Wednesday night.

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Victorian Labor party members to push for ‘immediate’ federal recognition of a Palestinian state

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Exclusive: Labor Friends of Palestine to move three ‘urgency resolutions’ at weekend conference, but PM maintains no immediate plans for the move

Victorian Labor members will use this weekend’s state conference to demand the federal government “immediately” recognise a Palestinian state and impose sanctions on Israel – in what will be their strongest push to date on the issue.

It comes after Anthony Albanese on Sunday described civilian deaths in Gaza as “indefensible” but reiterated he had no immediate plans to recognise a Palestinian state and insisted further steps were needed to reach a two-state solution.

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YouTube makes last-ditch attempt to lobby government against inclusion in under-16s social media ban

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Google to host major event featuring popular YouTubers inside Parliament House as PM downplays tech giant’s legal threat

YouTube is making a last-ditch effort to persuade the government not to include it in the under-16s social media ban, objecting to what it says is an “abrupt policy reversal” and arguing the video service is not a social media platform.

Google, YouTube’s owner, will host a major event featuring popular YouTubers inside Parliament House this week, as a final decision looms on which tech platforms will be off-limits for children.

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Albanese accuses Israel of ‘clearly’ breaching international law but resists push to recognise Palestinian state

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‘Quite clearly it is a breach of international law to stop food being delivered,’ PM tells ABC’s Insiders

Australia has no plans to imminently recognise a Palestinian state, Anthony Albanese says, cautioning further steps must be met for a two-state solution despite growing pressure inside the Labor party for the government to follow through on its long-held commitment.

The prime minister has also accused Israel of a breach of international law in blocking aid into Gaza, saying “you can’t hold innocent people responsible” for the actions of Hamas, and warning that Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is “losing support” internationally.

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Albanese government to lift ban on working with PwC Australia as police investigation continues

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Exclusive: Finance minister to consider feedback from senators before making decision final

The finance department has found consultancy firm PwC Australia is an ethically sound company and recommended the end of a long-term ban on it working with the government, despite an ongoing police investigation into the company.

But the firm, which sold its entire government consulting business for just $1 at the height of a scandal over the misuse of confidential Treasury information, will not be able to tender for government work until at least 2028 due to a non-compete clause with its spin-off, Scyne Advisory.

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Labor and Greens unite to condemn One Nation senators for snubbing acknowledgment of country

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Indigenous affairs minister Malarndirri McCarthy says stunt by Pauline Hanson’s party was ‘incredibly childish’ and disrespectful

Labor and the Greens have united to condemn One Nation senators for turning their back on parliament’s acknowledgement of country statements, describing them as “incredibly childish” and “hurtful” stunts.

One Nation’s leader, Pauline Hanson, stood in the chamber as the Indigenous affairs minister, Malarndirri McCarthy, government Senate leader, Penny Wong, and Greens leader, Larissa Waters, all made statements criticising the rightwing minor party’s “deliberate acts of disrespect”.

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Australia warned it could face legal action over ‘wrongful’ fossil fuel actions after landmark climate ruling from world’s top court

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Vanuatu climate change minister says ICJ opinion gives Pacific island nations ‘much greater leverage’ in dealing with partners such as Australia

Australia could face international legal action over its fossil fuel production and failure to rapidly cut emissions, Vanuatu’s climate minister says, after a potentially watershed declaration by the world’s top court.

An International Court of Justice (ICJ) advisory opinion published in The Hague on Wednesday found countries had a legal obligation to take measures to prevent climate change and aim to limit global heating to 1.5C above preindustrial levels, and that high-emitting countries that failed to act could be liable to pay restitution to low-emitting countries.

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Scott Morrison tells US Australia risks going to sleep on China threat after diplomatic ‘charm and flattery’

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Former prime minister warns US House of Representatives committee Australia must do more to resist the security threat posed by China

The Chinese Communist party hopes Western democracies “go to sleep on the threat” it poses to the international order, former prime minister Scott Morrison has told a congressional committee in the US.

In a forthright appearance before the hawkish US House of Representatives select committee on the strategic competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist party, Morrison said China had changed diplomatic tack after he lost the 2022 election to Anthony Albanese.

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Albanese government worse than Morrison era at producing documents for public scrutiny, report finds

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Labor’s first term saw second-worst performance since 1993 in complying with Senate orders for documents, data shows

The Centre for Public Integrity has accused the Albanese government of having a poorer record than the Morrison government for producing documents for public scrutiny, with a leading barrister warning Labor’s landslide win may further entrench secrecy.

The warning comes after the centre assessed the government’s response to freedom-of-information applications, a tool that allows anyone an opportunity to request documents that are not publicly available.

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