Hundreds of Australian public servants call on government to ‘cease all military exports to Israel’

More than 300 employees of federal, state and local governments sign letter warning against Australia’s ‘complicity’ in war crimes

Hundreds of public servants from across Australia and across state and federal agencies have signed an open letter calling for the federal government to “immediately cease all military exports to Israel”.

The letter, signed by more than 300 people, notes a warning from UN experts in February that the transport of weapons or ammunition to Israel to be used in Gaza is likely to violate international humanitarian law.

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Australia politics live: government has discretion over acting on ICC arrest warrants, officials say

Meanwhile, government to rewrite visa cancellation rules after independent tribunal gave non-citizens with serious criminal convictions their visas back. Follow the day’s news live

Andrew Giles was asked why he wasn’t told about what was happening with his directive in the tribunals – why there weren’t meetings to receive updates.

He said there were meetings with his department which were taking place “pretty regularly”.

What has been unacceptable is the fact that these AAT decisions to set aside cancellations that were made under section 99 that were made by this government by my department – we were not advised, I was not told that these cancellations had been overturned by the tribunal.

That’s the issue that I’m deeply concerned about. And that’s what I’m focusing on fixing now.

There are around 30 that I’ve called up as a matter of absolute urgency and they are dealt with through the day and night.

I’m gonna get to the bottom of this – a protocol that I put in place was not adhered to, that is entirely unsatisfactory. As I said, I’m now focused on dealing with the urgent issue which is the cancellation consideration, I put in place a new protocol and I want to get to the bottom of what happened and why.

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Archibald prize 2024: Baker Boy portrait wins packing room prize

Yolŋu rapper says it was ‘an honour’ to be painted by Matt Adnate, who wins category judged by Art Gallery of New South Wales staff

A portrait of Indigenous rapper Baker Boy by Matt Adnate has won the $3,000 packing room prize in the annual Archibald prize.

The judges hailed the Victorian artist’s portrait for its accuracy and ability to capture “its kind and kindred spirits and a strong Indigenous voice through music”.

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Samantha Murphy: police end targeted search as they examine phone found in dam near Ballarat

Forensic assessments being carried out on ‘items of interest’ found in search for missing woman

Victoria police have ended their search of farmland south of Ballarat amid forensic testing of “items of interest”, after finding a phone at a dam during their investigation into missing woman Samantha Murphy.

Murphy, 51, was last seen nearly four months ago, when she left her Ballarat East home to go for a run on 4 February.

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China lifts most remaining trade bans on Australian beef exports

Murray Watt says Beijing has removed sanctions for five abattoirs that lost export licences in 2020 amid diplomatic spat

China has lifted suspensions from Australian beef exporters, removing almost all of the $20bn worth of trade sanctions it imposed.

The agriculture minister, Murray Watt, said Beijing on Wednesday night lifted the bans, with immediate effect, for five different abattoirs.

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Anglo American rejects call by mining rival BHP to extend takeover talks deadline

British company says concerns not addressed during approach by Australian firm

Anglo American has survived an almost £39bn takeover plot by the Australian mining rival BHP after last-ditch talks over restructuring the 107-year-old company collapsed.

The five-week pursuit came to an end after Anglo rejected BHP’s 11th-hour appeal to extend the takeover talks for a second time, after three failed takeover proposals from the Melbourne-based miner.

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NSW inquiry urges government to ditch big four firms for ‘in-house’ consultancy by public service

Banning bureaucrats from taking related consulting jobs for six months post-public service among inquiry’s 28 recommendations

The New South Wales government has been urged to set up an “in-house” consulting service and ban bureaucrats from taking on relevant consulting jobs for six months after they leave the public service.

A NSW parliamentary inquiry into the use of private consulting services by government made the recommendations after it found the former Coalition government was too reliant on consultants and paid for work normally designed for the public service when it was in power.

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ABC counsels Laura Tingle over ‘racist country’ comments but journalist stands by remarks

Reporter says ‘we clearly have an issue with racism’ in lengthy statement addressing her Sydney writers’ festival appearance

The ABC’s news director, Justin Stevens, says Laura Tingle’s remarks at the Sydney writers’ festival did not meet the ABC’s editorial standards and she has been counselled.

But in a lengthy statement, Tingle, the chief political correspondent of 7.30, stood by her comments, while acknowledging they lacked context and nuance in a “free-flowing” panel discussion.

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Two murderers and 26 sex offenders released under NZYQ ruling not electronically monitored

ABF commissioner tells Senate there is a ‘big difference between some murders and other murders’

At least two murderers or attempted murderers and 26 sex offenders released from immigration detention are not required to wear an electronic ankle monitor or observe a curfew.

Australian Border Force officials revealed at Senate estimates on Wednesday that half of the 153 non-citizens released as a result of the high court’s ruling on indefinite detention are not subject to electronic monitoring, including some convicted of serious offences.

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Kumanjayi Walker inquest: NT police commissioner knew about racist awards last year, court told

Michael Murphy denies deliberately misleading public about knowledge of awards but regrets not investigating earlier, inquest hears

WARNING: This article contains offensive images and content

The Northern Territory’s top police officer has agreed he was “gaslighting” Aboriginal people when he said he had not seen racism in the force, and admitted he knew about racist award certificates months before their existence was made public.

The police commissioner, Michael Murphy, told the inquest into the death of Kumanjayi Walker on Wednesday that he regretted not investigating the “coon of the year” certificates awarded within the force’s Territory Response Group or reporting them to the NT police professional standards command when he learned about them in August 2023.

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MP urges colleagues not to use Gaza as ‘opportunity to gain votes’ – as it happened

This blog is now closed.

WA shooter’s daughter says police ‘ignored’ warnings

Social services minister Amanda Rishworth has been asked about the powerful statement Ariel Bombara released yesterday, claiming Western Australian police had “ignored” warnings from her and her mother that their lives were under threat.

By that point we felt completely helpless and I had to focus on getting mum to safety. I did everything I could to protect my mother, and when my father couldn’t find us he murdered her best friend and her best friend’s daughter.

Rents have surged in Australia’s capital cities, with only 5.9% of city overall rentals now costing less than $400 a week.

At the start of the pandemic, one in five house rentals in Sydney cost less than $400 a week – that figure is now one in 50.

In Melbourne, one in 25 house rentals now costs less than $400.

The national share of rentals available under $400 dropped by one third annually to just 10.4%.

ACT had the smallest share of properties listed to rent under $400 at 2.1%, followed by Sydney (3.8%) and Perth (5.6%).

Melbourne saw the largest annual decline in the share of houses listed for less than $400 a week, followed by Adelaide and Sydney.

In regional markets, only 16.3% per cent of houses were advertised for under $400 a week in April.

Regional WA (14.8%) had the smallest portion of homes listed to rent below $400 of the regions, followed by regional Queensland (15.8%) and regional NSW (21.5%).

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Fewer than 10% of sexual assaults reported to NSW police end in a conviction, report finds

Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research study finds no legal action was taken in about 85% of reported sexual assault incidents

Only 8% of contemporary child sexual assault incidents reported to New South Wales police end in a conviction, according to a Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research report released on Tuesday.

The number is lower for reported historic sexual assault incidents (7%) and lower again for reported adult sexual assault incidents (6%).

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Hard cell: Melbourne prison bar where patrons and staff dress as inmates described as ‘grotesque’

Alcotraz, where patrons pay to drink cocktails in a bar designed like a prison, draws criticism

It’s advertised as an “immersive cocktail experience like no other” in which bar staff cosplay as prison inmates, actors play crooked guards, and the patrons don orange jumpsuits to drink in mock prison cells.

But the bar, which is scheduled to open in Melbourne in June, has been condemned by a charity as a “disturbingly” insensitive concept that capitalises on suffering.

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Comedian drops plan for a billboard of Gina Rinehart portrait in Times Square

Dan Ilic wanted to project Vincent Namitjira’s work after Australia’s richest woman tried to have it removed from the National Gallery

An Australian comedian has dropped his plan to broadcast Vincent Namatjira’s contentious portrait of Gina Rinehart to thousands of tourists and New Yorkers in Times Square.

Dan Ilic told Guardian Australia on Tuesday lunchtime that, after exceeding his crowdfunding target of A$30,000, his stunt would go live in Times Square at 8pm on Friday night.

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Almost 40,000 homes across Australia waiting to be built as interest rates and building costs hit developers

KPMG analysis reveals 15,593 dwellings in NSW and 7,897 in Victoria are yet to break ground despite planning approval amid higher cost of materials and finance

Developers have yet to begin work on almost 40,000 new homes across Australia – including 11,170 in Sydney – despite being granted building approvals, with stubbornly high interest rates and construction costs being blamed.

According to KPMG analysis released on Tuesday, 15,593 dwellings with planning approval were yet to break ground across New South Wales by December 2023. It was only a slight improvement on the state’s figures a year earlier, when there were 15,818 approved dwellings across NSW where work was yet to commence.

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Melbourne man told Maryam Hamka ‘wait until I get my hands on you’ in months before her death, court hears

Toby Loughnane has admitted to negligent manslaughter but is fighting murder charge in Victorian supreme court

A Melbourne man was in a brief but violent relationship with Maryam Hamka before he murdered her and disposed of her body in bushland, sending her a series of threatening messages in the lead-up to her death, prosecutors allege.

Toby Loughnane is fighting a murder charge in the Victorian supreme court, after instead admitting to Hamka’s negligent manslaughter – a charge prosecutors say does not go far enough.

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Australia politics live: cabinet ‘crafting the offer’ for next election, PM tells caucus; transport department boss quizzed over Taylor Swift shirt

Anthony Albanese reminds his colleagues that government now in the final 12 months of its first term. Follow the day’s news live

‘Last 24 hours only reinforces need’ for immediate humanitarian ceasefire, return of hostages and aid access, Conroy says

Pat Conroy was also asked about Israel’s assault on a refugee camp for displaced Palestinians in Rafah.

Well, we’re incredibly concerned by what we saw in Rafah. And that’s why we’ve been continuing to call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. We’ve also called for an immediate return of all hostages that Hamas have taken. And the immediate opening of access so we can get massive amounts of humanitarian support into the Gaza. So immediate humanitarian ceasefire, release of hostages and immediate flow of aid is critical. That’s the Australian government’s position and you’re absolutely right, what we’ve seen overnight or over the last 24 hours only reinforces the need for those three things.

No, to be quite frank, we don’t. The Papua New Guinean government has asked the UN agencies to coordinate partner countries and those assessments are going on right now. But this is an incredibly inaccessible part of Papua New Guinea. And it’s a really challenging process for everyone.

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Police deploy divers and dog in search for mother and baby after evidence of birth found on Sydney riverbank

Officers urge woman to go to hospital to receive care after placenta and umbilical cord found next to Cooks River at Earlwood

Police have deployed divers and a blood detection dog in the search for a mother and her newborn baby after finding evidence she may have given birth by a Sydney riverbank.

A resident walking his dog found what police believe to be a placenta and umbilical cord next to the Cooks River at Earlwood in the city’s south-west on Monday afternoon. Police said tests on the organs had revealed them to be human.

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Clover Moore to seek record sixth term as lord mayor of Sydney

Moore, who has been in the job for past 20 years, says she would focus on climate change, affordable homes and green spaces after election

Sydney’s lord mayor, Clover Moore, will seek a record sixth term later this year, promising voters she would continue to focus on climate change, affordable homes, green spaces and revitalising city precincts.

The longstanding independent politician said she was “energised” about the work still ahead when she announced her re-election run on Tuesday.

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Pro-Palestine protesters at ANU move campus camp by 50 metres ahead of noon deadline

University dramatically escalated its response to the on-campus occupation on Monday, demanding protesters vacate their site in the centre of campus

Student protesters in Canberra have moved their pro-Palestine encampment to a new location after police demanded they pack up by noon on Tuesday.

Protesters at the Australian National University voted on Monday night to relocate their camp 50 metres down the road, saying they had engaged in good faith. But they condemned what they called “reckless and unjustifiable intimidation tactics” from the university.

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