Category Archives: Australia news

PM distances government from private member’s bill – as it happened

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Morrison says Warringah candidate Katherine Deves has ‘apologised’ over social media posts; nation records at least 39 Covid deaths. This blog is now closed

Adam Bandt, the Greens leader, will also be talking about the Greens’ tax and Medicare plans at the National Press Club today, as Sarah Martin reports:

The Fireproof protests continue in Sydney:

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Koala IVF could help save species from extinction

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University of Newcastle scientists suggest frozen sperm could be used to impregnate females in breed-for-release programs

Freezing koala sperm could become a key part of a strategy to save koalas from extinction by 2050.

University of Newcastle scientists Lachlan Howell and Ryan Witt say koala “biobanking”, could be harnessed with IVF technology to help the endangered species reproduce.

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George Christensen says he will stand as One Nation candidate at federal election

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Former LNP MP backtracks on retirement plans, saying he should have made the move to Pauline Hanson’s party ‘a long time ago’

The former federal Liberal National party MP George Christensen has defected to One Nation and will run for the rightwing party in the Senate, in what appears to be an attempt to boost Pauline Hanson’s re-election bid.

Christensen, who was the MP for the Queensland seat of Dawson, announced last year he was leaving politics to spend more time with his family.

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Babies missing out on health checks in Melbourne due to Covid-related workforce shortages

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Exclusive: two Victorian councils limiting maternal and infant service, despite government lifting statewide pause enacted during Covid surge

There are fears health issues in babies could be going undetected as infant and maternal health checks remain suspended in parts of Melbourne’s west due to a shortage of workers.

Early childhood and maternal care experts warned the ongoing limits to the free service meant some parents were relying on blogs instead to find health information about their child’s development.

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Labor to commit $135m to trial 50 urgent care clinics intended to ease pressure on hospitals

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Announcement comes alongside policies to strengthen Medicare and ‘make it easier to see a doctor’ as ambulance wait times blow out

Anthony Albanese is set to announce Labor’s first major health commitment of the election campaign: $135m to trial 50 new urgent care clinics meant to ease pressure on hospitals.

The clinics will be based at GP surgeries and community health centres in at least 50 locations across the country. Labor says they will be modelled on a similar scheme operating in New Zealand.

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Christian lobby groups push major parties to support unamended religious discrimination bill

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FamilyVoice says Labor not to blame for ‘Morrison’s failure’ to pass bill as Albanese pledges to extend school chaplaincy program with secular pastoral care

Christian lobby groups are pressing both major parties to recommit to the unamended religious discrimination bill as Labor guarantees to extend the chaplaincy program with a secular choice for schools.

Guardian Australia understands Labor has told FamilyVoice it has “consistently supported” the $61m-a-year chaplaincy program but will move to give schools the option of a secular pastoral care worker.

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Australia politics live updates: Joyce announces $1.5bn Darwin port facility; Coalition costing of Labor policies ‘laughable’, says Gallagher

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Deputy PM promises $1.5bn investment for new Darwin port; Labor senator takes shot at Coalition’s ‘dodgy costings unit’; Scott Morrison promises to create 1.3m new jobs in the next five years; Anthony Albanese announces greater mental health support for regions; nation records 38 more Covid deaths. Follow all the day’s news

Scott Morrison has called in to Adelaide radio station FiveAA to speak with David Penberthy.

Penberthy wanted to know whether Morrison’s standing contributed to the collapse in the Liberal party’s vote in the recent South Australian state election.

It’s a federal election.

It’s a macro number that we do right across the economy.

I think prime minister Ardern was appropriate when she said she wasn’t going to engage in a domestic election in Australia. I would say this – this is a recommendation of the royal commission. This is a recommendation that arises out of the situation that we see older Australians facing. Neglect, people are being neglected.

Now, what we are saying is let’s work to bring in more nurses to the sector ... a lot of nurses leave the sector every year, or leave their employer. We need to train more Australians to get into this workforce, and yes, as is currently the place, migration will be part of the story but not all of the story.

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Primary school children in Victoria set to no longer have to wear masks in the classroom in term 2

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Health minister Martin Foley to ‘reconsider all health orders’ including mask requirements once Covid cases hit expected plateau later this month

Mask requirements for primary school-age students in Victoria are expected to be scrapped in term 2 if Covid cases continue to stabilise, as the state government reconsiders all the state’s restrictions.

The state recorded 12 deaths and 10,293 new cases on Tuesday – a slight increase from Monday’s 9,597 infections – while there were 376 people in hospital with the virus, including 19 people in intensive care.

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Andrew McDonald set to be named Australia’s cricket head coach

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  • Cricket Australia lock in Langer’s permanent replacement
  • McDonald expected to take charge of all three formats

Andrew McDonald will be named as Australia’s men’s cricket coach after impressing as an interim boss during the tour of Pakistan.

The former Test allrounder has only strengthened his bonds with a playing group that was desperate for change. McDonald, 40, could be confirmed as Australia’s full-time coach as soon as Wednesday.

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Barnaby Joyce wrongly claims $1.5bn funding for second Darwin port has already been legislated

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Bill that includes Northern Territory infrastructure funding did not pass before parliament was dissolved

Deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce has wrongly claimed that an infrastructure package that includes funding for a second port in Darwin has already been legislated, despite the budget bills lapsing when parliament was dissolved on Monday.

Speaking in the Northern Territory on Tuesday, where the Coalition is targeting two Labor-held seats, Joyce was talking up the government’s regional funding commitments, including $2.6bn allocated to the NT through a regional development plan announced on budget night.

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The ants go rafting: invasive fire ants take to Australian flood waters to colonise new areas

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Dangerous pests forming floating rafts with their bodies to survive in Queensland after floods

Invasive fire ants have used recent flooding in Queensland to expand their Australian invasion, teaming up and forming floating rafts with their bodies to allow them to survive for weeks at a time.

Eradication officers in Queensland have captured photos of the dangerous ants forming the rafts in flood waters.

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Bleaching of marine sponges observed in warming Tasmanian waters for the first time

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Scientists say bleaching could be ‘canary in the coalmine’ for climate impact as eastern Tasmanian sea temperatures rise

Bleaching in marine sponges in temperate waters off Tasmania’s east coast has been observed for the first time, with scientists warning the discovery could be an indicator of climate change in deeper reef systems.

Researchers at the University of Tasmania’s Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies used seafloor surveys to discover the bleaching of cup sponges in the Flinders commonwealth marine reserve after heatwave events.

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Morning mail: Putin confronted by Austria’s leader, flood-related scams, Sydney’s last video shop

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Tuesday: Austrian chancellor becomes first western leader to hold face-to-face talks with Russian president since invasion of Ukraine. Plus: Australia’s top travel experiences

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Good morning. Putin meets Austria’s chancellor in his first face-to-face visit with a western leader since the invasion of Ukraine. Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese will be out campaigning in marginal seats, with jobs and healthcare on the election agenda. And Lonely Planet selects Australia’s top travel experiences.

The last Ukrainian soldiers defending Mariupol said they were “running out of ammunition” on Monday and expected to be killed or taken prisoner very soon by Russian forces surrounding the city. Writing on Facebook, the 36th brigade said its 47-day defence of Mariupol was coming to a tragic conclusion. “We were bombed from airplanes and shot at by artillery and tanks. We have been doing everything possible and impossible,” it said. Meanwhile, Austria’s chancellor, Karl Nehammer, said he told Vladimir Putin that “all those responsible” for war crimes must be brought to justice and warned that western sanctions would intensify as long as people kept dying in Ukraine. After becoming the first western leader to hold face-to-face talks with the Russian president since the invasion, Nehammer said his trip to Moscow was not “a visit of friendship” and that the two had had a “direct, open and hard” conversation.

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People with disability working for legal pay as low as $2.27 an hour, inquiry hears

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Disability royal commission told low rates of pay are calculated using tool said to measure ‘productivity’ of employees

People with disability are packing boxes, cleaning and gardening for legal pay rates as low as $2.27 an hour, a royal commission has heard.

The disability royal commission is holding a three-day hearing into Australian Disability Enterprises (ADEs), which provide supported employment to people with moderate to severe disabilities.

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Sydney’s Easter Show shuts down ride after photo shows boy was not strapped in

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Freefall ride appears to have started while the four-year-old boy’s harness remained above his head

Organisers of Sydney’s Royal Easter Show have shut down a ride and launched an investigation after a four-year-old boy was not secured to his seat.

An image posted to social media appears to show the freefall ride had begun with a young boy on the end seat sitting with his harness still raised above his head, while other riders’ harnesses were locked down. The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon.

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Plibersek says election ‘a test of leadership, not memory’ after Albanese mistake – As it happened

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The PM campaigned in Gilmore in NSW, while Labor leader is in Bass in Tasmania; Tanya Plibersek defends Anthony Albanese after opposition leader addresses his rates stumble; phone voting available for people in isolation on election day; NSW reports three Covid deaths and Victoria one. This blog is now closed

Scott Morrison just appeared on ABC breakfast TV, where he was asked about his relationship with the Liberal candidate for Gilmore, Andrew Constance.

Q: Andrew Constance said that you got the welcome that you deserved [in the region after the bushfires]. Emotions are still running deep in the bushfire-affected communities. Are you concerned about that being repeated today?

With Andrew Constance being part of my team and choosing to be part of that team, I think that that addresses it. Andrew and I spoke not long after the terrible experiences that particularly he and others and so many went through, and we worked the issue. We ensured that we addressed thing like small business payment and we got the money on the grouped and supported people in the areas that the federal government were responsible for. And I really thank Andrew for the way that we came together and really started to work together to address those issues. He’s a fine advocate for this part of Australia on the south coast of New South Wales.

He’s demonstrated that time again. And the fact that he wants to be part of my team and is running here as our Liberal candidate in Gilmore, I think that that addresses those issues fairly, squarely, that we’ve actually addressed the short comings that he was outlining at the time and we’ve gone forward with a strong plan to ensure that we’re providing that support. Not just in relation to the fires, but in relation to other natural disasters. And we’ve seen so many of those over the last three years.

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Ben Roberts-Smith defamation trial: SAS colleague felt threatened to testify by newspapers, court hears

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Soldier refused to answer questions about one mission on grounds of self-incrimination on offence of ‘the most serious nature’

An SAS soldier who refused to answer questions about an alleged unlawful killing in Afghanistan has told the federal court he felt threatened to testify by the newspapers being sued by Ben Roberts-Smith.

The soldier, anonymised before the court as Person 56, refused to answer questions about a 2012 mission to Fasil, where, it has previously been alleged, he and Roberts-Smith were responsible for the unlawful killing of two Afghan men who had been taken prisoner from a vehicle.

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‘I’ll fess up’: Anthony Albanese tries to make a virtue of not knowing unemployment or cash rate

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Labor leader makes mistake on day one of campaign as Scott Morrison embraces former NSW MP who said PM ‘got the welcome he deserved’ during bushfires

The Labor leader, Anthony Albanese, says he “accepts responsibility” for a gaffe on the first day of the federal election campaign when he couldn’t state the national unemployment figure or the official cash rate.

Albanese was asked on multiple occasions if he knew the figures during a press conference in the marginal seat of Bass in Tasmania at the start of the six-week campaign.

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Alan Tudge: Government won’t comment on $500,000 payout to former staffer Rachelle Miller

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Coalition and finance remain tight-lipped on payout to Tudge’s former staffer, while PM says Tudge remains in cabinet

The Coalition has dodged questions about a $500,000 payout made to Alan Tudge’s former staffer Rachelle Miller, with senior ministers and the finance department refusing to comment amid controversy over the education minister’s ongoing role in federal cabinet.

Tudge is currently campaigning as a backbencher for his suburban Melbourne seat of Aston, but continues to be dogged by questions about his political future and his relationship with Miller. His former media adviser alleged he had been emotionally, and on one occasion, physically abusive to her while they were in a relationship in 2017. Tudge denies the allegations. He stood aside from his ministerial position on 2 December while an independent investigation was conducted into possible breaches of ministerial standards.

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Iraqi man alleging 35 family members were killed by Australian airstrike denied compensation

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Man applied to Australian government for act of grace payment over Mosul strike targeting Islamic State in 2017

An Iraqi man who alleges 35 family members were killed when an Australian airstrike targeting Islamic State instead obliterated a house where civilians were sheltering has been denied a compensation payment by the federal government.

The man, who did not wish to be identified, applied for what is known as an act of grace payment from the Department of Finance last year, arguing that there was strong evidence the Australian Defence Force dropped the bomb in 2017 as part of a series of airstrikes in Mosul by the coalition fighting IS.

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