Australia news live: Federation Square axed as Women’s World Cup live site after fan misbehaviour

Follow today’s live news updates

Melbourne lord mayor threatens to cancel Federation Square viewing site due to rowdy behaviour of small group of ‘idiots’

And sticking with the flares, Melbourne’s lord mayor, Sally Capp, has threatened to cancel the live viewing site at Federation square due to the rowdy behaviour of a small group of supporters.

If we could find those idiots and make sure they don’t attend, then Fed Square will be going off again, but unfortunately sometimes the few ruin it for the rest of us.

Continue reading...

Albanese government rejects push to ban native forest logging ban

National conference outlines plans for energy transition, making early childhood education universal and closing gender pay gap

The Albanese government has rejected an internal push to ban native forest logging, instead committing to rewrite the three-decades old national forest policy statement this term.

Labor Environment Action Network spokesperson, Felicity Wade, praised the commitment but labelled native forest logging a “travesty” in a speech to Labor’s national conference on Thursday.

Continue reading...

ALP national conference day one – as it happened

This blog is now closed.

The conference is up and running.

We will bring you as much of it as we can – and will make sure we have all the main motions covered off, as well as the tone and vibe of it all.

Continue reading...

Electrical union wants Australia’s net zero targets boosted by ‘substantial’ investment and state ownership

Exclusive: Influential leftwing unions to tell Labor’s national conference party it must seize ‘most significant economic opportunity since the Industrial Revolution’

Australia’s shift to net zero emissions should be accelerated by “substantial public investment” in renewable electricity including expanded state ownership, influential leftwing unions will argue at Labor’s national conference.

The Electrical Trades Union (ETU) will use the party conference to call on the Albanese government to seize the “most significant economic opportunity since the Industrial Revolution” to drive down power prices for households and create secure, well-paid jobs for thousands of Australians.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Five species face immediate concern of extinction, scientific committee warns Labor

Further 41 species on course to be declared critically endangered, complicating Albanese government’s zero extinctions target

Five species, including Tasmania’s Maugean skate, could jeopardise the Albanese government’s zero extinctions target, according to a scientific committee that provides advice on endangered species.

A further 41 species are on course to be declared critically endangered, sparking alarm from environment groups at the pace at which plants and animals are reaching the most urgent status on the threatened list.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Australia news live: authorities given stop and search powers near Qld border in bid to stop fire ants; Matildas public holiday not on national cabinet agenda, PM says

Agricultural officers given power to stop and search cars and trucks near the Queensland-NSW border. Follow the latest news live

Search efforts continue for third Indonesian crew member

Search efforts are continuing today for the third Indonesian crew member who remains missing after a boat capsized off the coast of Indonesia.

The search continues for a crew member who is still missing.

Our thoughts are with them and their loved ones.

Continue reading...

Pauline Hanson wins appeal against $250,000 defamation finding awarded to Brian Burston

Burston, a one-time senator for One Nation, was ordered to pay his former leader’s legal costs for the initial defamation case and appeal

Pauline Hanson has had a legal victory after overturning $250,000 in defamation damages awarded after she made claims about the conduct of a former New South Wales senator in her One Nation party.

Hanson was ordered to pay damages in October after the federal court said her comments on Nine’s Today program in March 2019 were “seriously damaging” to Brian Burston’s reputation.

Continue reading...

PwC did not disclose any conflicts of interest before winning aged care auditing contract

Consulting firm’s contract to audit the Morrison government’s workforce bonus program remains suspended, department confirms

PwC Australia did not disclose any real or perceived conflicts of interest to the federal government before it was awarded a $2.3m aged care contract that has been suspended since June amid a continuing investigation.

The firm was contracted by the Department of Health and Aged Care to audit the Morrison government’s workforce bonus program, which provided two pre-election payments in 2022 worth up to $800 to attract and retain staff in the struggling aged care sector.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Australia’s vaping crackdown to be enforced with new laws

Exclusive: After announcing most forms of vaping would be banned, the Albanese government will legislate changes and boost agencies’ powers

Australia’s ban on non-therapeutic and single-use vapes will be underpinned by new laws – rather than a focus on regulation – in a development that has been welcomed by public health experts.

The Albanese government announced in May that it would outlaw the importation of non-prescription vaping products in the biggest smoking reforms in a decade.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Opposition refers minister to Ibac – as it happened

This blog is now closed.

Warren Mundine said he has kicked two people off his no campaign group Recognise a Better Way, one of which for allegedly making an antisemitic comment.

I’ve actually kicked several people off our campaign in regard to their comments and I intend to keep on doing that.

That’s just between us and the couple of people we had sent off. I don’t appreciate racist comments … All they know is I got rid of them and I don’t accept any racial comments from anyone in regard to these issues.

… It wasn’t particularly about Aboriginals, one was a very antisemitic comment and I’m not gonna wear that crap.

When I talk about treaties, when I talk about constitutional recognition, it is in regard to treaties that are signed between the commonwealth government and First Nations peoples.

… I believe in treaties between the First Nations and the commonwealth and at that, and I put it in that context.

I was involved in the beginning … and then after it got further down the track in regard to [what] it was looking at, [then I said] I don’t support that.

It has to be the First Nations, it has to be the traditional owners who make those agreements. I can’t speak for other people’s country, and they can’t speak for my country.

Continue reading...

Warren Mundine urged to give full details of ‘sacking’ of no campaign volunteers over alleged racist remarks

Spokesman for Indigenous voice to parliament no campaign also condemns comments by Advance board member questioning Stan Grant’s skin tone

The Liberals for Yes have demanded that Warren Mundine explain the full details of “secret sackings”, after the Recognise a Better Way spokesman claimed he had ejected two volunteers for making racist remarks.

On Tuesday Mundine separately denounced as “bizarre” comments by the Australian Jewish Association head, David Adler, who is on the advisory board of reactionary campaign group Advance, questioning Stan Grant’s skin tone. Adler has reportedly said he did not intend to insult the presenter, adding “I am 100% zero racism”.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Australia news live: Qantas supports voice with Yes23 logos on three planes; Bendigo Bank reports record earnings

EY criticised for lack of disclosure on Santos work during parliamentary inquiry. Follow today’s live news updates

Question of whether vape ban to be legislated by commonwealth or states, Butler says

Mark Butler was also asked about the government’s plan to ban all disposable vape products. He said they are working on it “furiously” with eight other jurisdictions for a uniform approach, but haven’t got a set timeframe yet.

… which will be, you know, difficult, complex and probably take some time.

We know that there will be a furious response by the industry – there has been every time we tried to regulate nicotine or tobacco – so we want to make sure that we get this right.

And one of the real problems is we don’t know how much nicotine. This black market that’s flourished [is] cynically targeted at kids.

You can tell that through the fact that they’re bubblegum flavoured and they’ve got pink unicorns on them. It’s not as if those sorts of things are targeted at the middle-aged hardened smoker.

In addition to that … small rural pharmacies, which is the vast bulk of them, will receive 100% of the reduction in dispensing income – that’s over and above the additional investment we’re making in all pharmacies across the country – which will amount … to hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding from taxpayers through the course of this four-year period.

Continue reading...

Coalition’s position on the voice ‘clear as mud’ and ‘completely confused’, Burney says – as it happened

This blog is now closed.

‘Mistakes of the past’: David Littleproud compares voice to ATSIC advisory body

Littleproud says the proposal for the voice to parliament will “repeat the mistakes of the past”, comparing the proposal to ATSIC.

No, again, David, the problem comes from the lived experience we have. And it might work in suburbs in capital cities but when you’re talking about representative bodies in rural and remote Australia, you’re talking about hundreds of thousands of square kilometres, hundreds of different diverse communities that have different challenges and needs.

We were saying let’s have common sense.

Why not let the market decide but let’s educate Australians. This won’t happen overnight. This is something we need to bring them on that journey. That’s why I wanted to have some political leadership but from across the aisle, and say let’s have a national energy summit, bring Australians into our trust and let them decide what the energy mix should look like and live town our international commitments.

Continue reading...

National party refuses to back Peter Dutton on alternative Indigenous voice proposal

David Littleproud says his party has ‘real concern’ about regional advisory bodies Dutton has promised to put in legislation, but not in the constitution

The Nationals have refused to commit to legislating an Indigenous voice if the Coalition wins the next election, undercutting Peter Dutton’s attempt to win over voters with an alternative proposal.

Dutton has campaigned against enshrining a voice to parliament in the constitution, arguing it is “risky” to mention the advisory body in the nation’s founding document.

Continue reading...

Don’t call me Captain Killjoy: David Littleproud opposes Matildas’ public holiday

National party leader says it’s easy for the PM to call for a national holiday if Australia win the World Cup, but business would suffer

David Littleproud has opposed a public holiday for Australia if the Matildas win the World Cup, while insisting he does not want to be labelled “Captain Killjoy”.

A day after Australia defeated France in a thrilling penalty shootout to set up a semi-final clash against England, the National party leader said business groups were right to worry about the costs of a public holiday.

Continue reading...

Prosecutors pause dozens of criminal cases after Services Australia miscalculated debts

Commonwealth DPP reveals 32 criminal cases affected by ‘income apportionment’ adjourned while reviewed

Prosecutors have paused 32 criminal cases and are investigating possible wrongful convictions due to Services Australia relying on an incorrect understanding of welfare law which the commonwealth ombudsman found led to unlawful debts.

The commonwealth director of public prosecutions (CDPP) revealed the 32 cases, which are all affected by “income apportionment”, have been adjourned while it reviews these and an unknown number of historical cases.

Continue reading...

Australian Zionist groups at odds over criticism of government’s language on Palestinian territories

Exclusive: Four affiliate organisations complain they were not consulted before Zionist Federation of Australia criticised the change in terminology

Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast

The Zionist Federation of Australia is facing dissent from some of its affiliate organisations after it attacked the Albanese government’s new language on Israel and the Palestinian territories.

On Tuesday the government announced its decision to harden Australia’s opposition to “illegal” Israeli settlements and to adopt the use of the term “Occupied Palestinian Territories”.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Home affairs tried to water down report critical of ‘extraordinary’ counter-terror powers, documents reveal

Exclusive: Department engaged researchers to review its preventive detention of terrorists, only to attempt to remove their most serious criticisms

Department of Home Affairs officials told researchers to water down a key report that threatened to undermine the government’s use of “extraordinary” counter-terror powers allowing individuals to be imprisoned for a crime they have not yet committed, documents show.

Australia’s preventive detention regime for terror offenders, which allows individuals to be imprisoned for up to three years to prevent a future crime, has been described as “extraordinary” and disproportionate by the nation’s independent national security laws watchdog, who called for its abolishment in March and said it was causing Australia to become a “coarser and harsher society”.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Future uncertain for key Tasmania to mainland power transmission link after $2bn cost blowout

Federal government in discussion with states after cost of Marinus Link nearly doubles, putting decarbonisation and energy goals at risk

Tasmania is optimistic the Albanese government will lift funding for a key new transmission link to the mainland after projected costs blew out by at least $2bn.

The Marinus Link was originally priced at $3bn in 2021 for its two-stage construction of separate cables across the Bass Strait, each with 750 megawatt capacity.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Senate report on school refusal recommends subsidised mental health care for students

Labelled a ‘postive first step’ by the Greens, the report also recommends more support for parent groups and teacher training on attendance issues

Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast

School students would get better access to mental health care and parent support groups would get more funding under the recommendations of a Senate inquiry to address the “alarming rate” of low school attendance.

The Greens, who initiated the inquiry last October, welcomed the Senate’s report as a “positive first step” and urged the federal government to work with states and territories to immediately begin implementing its recommendations.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...