Bureau of Meteorology says higher-than-average temperatures and moisture levels could spell more wild weather
Emergency services are preparing for a stormy spring as the clean-up continues after wild winds swept across south-east Australia.
Higher-than-average temperatures and moisture levels could spell more wild weather ahead, the Bureau of Meteorology says.
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Continue reading...Former construction union bosses claim forced administration is unconstitutional because it prevents or limits political donations
Former construction union officials challenging the government’s law putting the union into administration will get their day in the high court as early as November, after the court agreed to expedite the case.
On Friday, the acting chief justice, Michelle Gordon, ordered a timetable that will allow the case to be heard this year after the plaintiffs argued the law prevented them giving political donations and campaigning ahead of the federal election, due by May 2025.
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Michele O’Neil said this isn’t about “expecting everyone to have the same opinion all of the time” but continued:
We’re a diverse movement, and people have strong opinions, but it is at its core about who we are and what we stand for. And we don’t walk away when things get tough, we face up to them. And angry individuals lashing out and blaming everyone except themselves doesn’t get us through this.
We need to stay steady on what is in the interest of working people and what’s in the interest of working people is good, clean, strong, effective unions with leaders who see their job as representing workers and their members, not acting in their own self-interest.
No … I think that it’s important that we realise that the union movement – the vast bulk of unions – want to stay part of the united union movement, and have made that really clear.
What I’m saying, Patricia, is we’re talking to all of our unions all of the time … I haven’t had any other unions threaten to quit.
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Moving to the 2026 census, Katy Gallagher was asked about comments from some of Australia’s major health institutions who say data on gender diverse Australians will be critical to inform care.
Is that something the government will consider, given that this is the advice from a lot of major health bodies?
It is, as you say, really important and it’s no surprise that health groups are saying that because, you know, it informs future health policy and identifies gaps and responses.
But the PM has already said there will be questions. We need to work with people about what those questions are and we’ll be doing that, but I’m very positive there’ll be a good outcome here.
You can see that from this data. You can see that household consumption, particularly on discretionary spending [which has] really declined substantially. I think that shows that household budgets are smashed and contributing to that, of course, is those 13 interest rate increases.
And the bank’s got a job to do to get inflation down, but we have also got a job to do to explain what we’re seeing in the economy and what we know is happening and that is that households are under huge pressure. So I think, you know, there’s been a lot said about this this week but it really is stating the facts and [that] played out for all to see in the national accounts yesterday.
Continue reading...Australian Human Rights Commission says Peel hotel’s right to refuse heterosexual people was granted to help gay men achieve equality
A lawyer for a Victorian lesbian group that wants to exclude transgender and bisexual women from its public events has compared its request to a Melbourne gay bar that was granted the right to refuse heterosexual people.
But a lawyer for the Australian Human Rights Commission said the Peel hotel’s exemption had been granted under Victorian state law to help gay men achieve equality, unlike the Lesbian Action Group’s application, which discriminates against transgender women.
Continue reading...IRNA said the foreign ministry summoned the Australian ambassador Ian McConville to Tehran, and condemned the publication of photos on social media. Follow today’s news live
Tehan responds to Asio boss’s accusation his comments on Palestinians have been ‘distorted’
Dan Tehan was also asked about comments from Asio boss Mike Burgess, who used an interview with the ABC’s 7.30 program on Tuesday to hit back at people who had “distorted” what he had previously said about the security vetting process for Palestinians seeking to come to Australia.
I won’t talk about what Mike Burgess may or may not be talking about when he says that. As you know, we had the prime minister also leave an important sentence out of what Mike Burgess said in the parliament, which basically distorted what Mike Burgess was saying. But I’ll leave that up to Mike Burgess, because our issue has never been with [him]. Our issue is with the prime minister …
Continue reading...Storms in three states is expected to ease today. Follow all the news headlines live
Crews are continuing to restore power to Victorians after strong winds damaged powerlines and left thousands without power.
According to AusNet, there are still 37,500 without power, and according to Citipower and Powercor, there are 17,484 customers still affected.
We have restored power to over 43,063 customers as crews continue repairing the power network that was extensively damaged during last night’s wild weather.
Crews are responding to more than 380 individual faults, replacing power poles, reconnecting fallen powerlines and repairing other electrical infrastructure damaged by trees, branches and other debris.
Continue reading...Weather situation overnight in Victoria has led to about 1,900 calls to the SES for assistance. Follow today’s news live
Delays predicted at Melbourne airport amid strike action
Melburnians catching a flight this morning may want to give themselves extra time as severe delays are predicted, with security screeners striking between 6am and 8.30am at the domestic airport.
Continue reading...The south-east of the country is taking a battering and there is more to come as a ‘very strong cold front’ moves through on Sunday
Emergency services have warned Victorians to expect more destructive winds as a powerful cold front heads towards Melbourne, while Tasmanian residents and businesses along the Derwent River prepared to evacuate on Sunday, as wild weather batters the south-east of the country.
Victoria’s emergency management commissioner, Rick Nugent, said severe weather had already damaged more than 600 homes and left 35,000 without power, and would continue into the early hours of Monday morning.
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Continue reading...Commonwealth Games Scotland says it could host sporting event for a fraction of the Victorian government’s $6bn estimation
Victorian taxpayers could foot the bill for Scotland to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games using compensation money from dumping the event.
In July last year, the state government announced it would no longer host the 2026 Games, which were set to be held in regional cities, after former premier Daniel Andrews claimed forecast expenses had nearly doubled to at least $6bn.
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Continue reading...Unseasonably strong winds and record-breaking warm weather has been forecast to continue through the weekend
Winter has ended in Australia with weather records broken across the country – with expectations of August temperature records being broken on the final day of the month.
Amid wild winds in the country’s south, a warm run of weather was expected to continue through the weekend in central and southern Queensland, along with north-eastern New South Wales. Brisbane is expected to see multiple days of over 30C.
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Continue reading...Windy weekend in prospect as BoM forecasts warmer-than-usual spring. Follow the day’s news live
Good morning and welcome to the end-of-week news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the best of the overnight stories to get you up to speed before hosting duties switch to Emily Wind.
Mano Yogalingam was 23 years old and had “his whole life in front of him”. But the stresses and strains of living with the prospect of being deported back to Sri Lanka pushed him over the edge and he took his own life this week. Our top story this morning hears from refugee advocates who say the death of the Tamil asylum seeker has exposed the failings of the fast-track immigration system. “All of these people have been failed by the system. It’s a total cobweb of cruelty,” one said.
Continue reading...Sodium nitrite has been used in dozens of deaths in the state and federal government should take action, coroner says
The sale of a chemical used by three transgender women who took their own lives should be restricted by the federal government, the Victorian coroner says, after an inquest heard it has been used in dozens of suicides in the state.
Victoria’s coroners court last year held an inquest into the suicides of five transgender women who died between 2020 and 2021, including that of Matt Byrne, 25, who took her life after a botched back yard surgery.
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Severe weather warnings are in place across southern parts of the country for strong winds, including Victoria and Tasmania.
Here’s a wrap of the warnings currently in place, according to the Bureau of Meteorology:
Victoria – a strong cold front is expected to reach Victoria later today, clearing to the east tomorrow morning. Locations which may be affected by the wild weather include Portland, Bacchus Marsh, Falls Creek, Mt Hotham, Mt Buller and Omeo.
For the Central, West and South Gippsland and East Gippsland areas, a warning for abnormally high tides is in place.
Tasmania – a strong cold front is also expected to reach Tasmania later today, crossing the state tomorrow morning. The entire state is covered by the severe weather warning.
New South Wales – north-westerly winds are forecast to strengthen later today as a strong cold front approaches from the west. Locations which may be affected include Wollongong, Nowra, Bowral, Batemans Bay, Katoomba and Goulburn.
Meanwhile, fire danger ratings for the greater Sydney and Illawarra have been downgraded to “moderate” today after reaching “high” yesterday.
Western Australia – gusty, showery conditions are expected over parts of the South West Land Division today.
Continue reading...Victorian coroner finds baby’s death was entirely preventable after inquest hears Covid lockdowns also affected care
In the depths of Melbourne’s longest Covid lockdowns, Siya Patel’s parents knew something was wrong with their newborn daughter.
Yet despite their best efforts to navigate the state’s then heavily restricted healthcare system, their baby died from a brain injury caused by dehydration due to insufficient oral intake on 12 September 2020.
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Continue reading...Rallies in support of the CFMEU have kicked off across the nation’s capital cities, from Sydney, Melbourne to Brisbane. Follow the day’s news live
Jim Chalmers accuses Liberals of ‘economic insanity’ on potential housing cuts
Jim Chalmers was asked about the $100bn in cuts the Coalition is set to announce today, mostly from Labor initiatives, if it wins the next election. Would this appeal to the electorate?
What we know from what’s in the newspapers today is that they plan billions of dollars to cuts in housing at a time when we’ve got a very severe housing shortage, and this goes with the absolute economic insanity of the Liberals and Nationals. During an extreme housing shortage, they want to swing the axe on billions of dollars in housing funding.
Also this is $100bn they reckon – let’s see the details. They flagged more than three times that amount when it comes to cuts, so let’s hear them come clean on the other cuts. Let’s hear what it means for Medicare and pensions and for the economy more broadly.
Continue reading...State treasurer says levy will help in ‘getting the balance right’ for mix of housing and prioritising long-term rentals
The Victorian government will grant local councils new powers to limit short-stay accommodation as it moves to introduce a 7.5% levy on properties listed on platforms like Airbnb and Stayz.
The Allan government will on Tuesday introduce legislation for its nation-first levy – which some have dubbed the “Airbnb tax” – that will begin on 1 January 2025. Properties that are the owner’s primary residence will be exempt from the short-stay levy, as well as hotels, motels and caravan parks.
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Continue reading...‘It was a bit of action,’ AFL coach says after detaining 16-year-old in Hawthorn who allegedly ran from Mercedes that had flipped on to side
Carlton coach Michael Voss has made a citizen’s arrest after seeing an alleged car thief try and flee after they allegedly crashed a stolen car in the Melbourne suburb of Hawthorn.
The AFL coach was at a cafe on Tuesday morning when the Mercedes flipped on its side on a footpath after crashing.
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Investigations under way after alleged theft of non-fuctional guns from museum
An investigation is under way after a museum in Lithgow, in the NSW Central Tablelands, was allegedly broken into overnight.
Continue reading...The 28-year-old was last seen by his sister in the Derrimut area of the city’s west with four other men about 9pm on Friday
Police are trying to piece together what happened during the seven hours leading up to the death of a man found in a Melbourne park with apparent stab wounds.
The 28-year-old was last seen by his sister in the Derrimut area of the city’s west with four other men about 9pm on Friday.
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