Rockingham byelection: WA premier plays down swing from Labor as party holds on to Mark McGowan’s old seat

Magenta Marshall claims victory in former Western Australian leader’s seat but opposition leader says plunge in ALP’s primary vote should be a ‘wake-up call’

Western Australian premier Roger Cook is playing down a swing away from Labor in the wake of his government comfortably retaining the seat of Rockingham in Perth’s south.

Labor strategist Magenta Marshall cruised to victory in the Rockingham byelection, triggered by the retirement of former premier Mark McGowan, after polling 49.41% of the primary vote.

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Julie Bishop backs Indigenous voice as ‘step in the right direction’

Former Liberal deputy leader tells National Press Club she supports the referendum, but stops short of saying she will actively campaign for yes vote

The former foreign affairs minister Julie Bishop has called for Australians to support the Indigenous voice referendum, warning that existing policies are not working to close the gap.

Bishop, who was deputy leader of the Liberal party for 11 years, said many Indigenous people she respected greatly “have put a lot of thought into this and they believe that it is a step in the right direction”.

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‘Get it back on track’: NSW minister calls for voice yes campaign reset while praising Matt Kean’s support

Exclusive: David Harris says ‘cheap politics’ has skewered the debate but expects support to rise before the vote

The campaign for the Indigenous voice to parliament needs a reset in New South Wales, according to the state’s Aboriginal affairs minister David Harris, as polling shows support in the state is slipping.

But Harris praised the efforts of former treasurer and senior Liberal MP Matt Kean for his support for the yes campaign.

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Businessman linked to Stuart Robert not to face inquiry because he has ‘severed all ties’ with Australia

John Margerison was due to front parliamentary committee hearing into government contracts but his lawyer says he now lives overseas

A businessman with links to former Liberal MP Stuart Robert will not face a parliamentary committee inquiry because he has “severed all ties” with Australia, his lawyer says.

The joint committee of public accounts and audit (JCPAA) is investigating how government contracts are awarded. It has heard allegations – which Robert strenuously denies – that lobbying firm Synergy 360 proposed a structure that would benefit Robert financially.

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‘Teal-style’ search: NSW Liberals look beyond membership in bid to unseat Zali Steggall

Party members in Warringah encouraged to nominate possible candidates via expressions of interest form

The Liberal party has launched a “teal-style” search beyond their own membership in a bid to find someone who could oust independent MP Zali Steggall from the former blue-ribbon seat of Warringah.

More than a year before an election could possibly be called, branch members were this week sent an email from the local federal electorate convention (FEC), asking for nominations from within the community – no matter their party status. This comes after federal leader Peter Dutton urged branches to begin their preselection processes.

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Alex Hawke and Sussan Ley among Liberal MPs facing preselection challenges

Nominations for first batch of federal NSW seats reveal Scott Morrison allies Hawke and Melissa McIntosh face contest as does Paul Fletcher

Two of Scott Morrison’s allies are facing preselection challenges in their seats, as are two other senior federal Liberals – the deputy leader, Sussan Ley, and the manager of opposition business, Paul Fletcher.

Nominations for the first batch of New South Wales seats closed on Monday. Morrison backers Alex Hawke, the former immigration minister, and Melissa McIntosh, the member for Lindsay, are being challenged.

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Australia news live: ‘are you really worth seven times the salary of the PM?’ Labor senator asks Deloitte chief

Former competition watchdog Allan Fels tells parliamentary inquiry federal government must act now to avoid conflicts of interest. Follow the day’s news live

Divers are trying to retrieve hundreds of drones that plunged into Melbourne’s Yarra River over the weekend due to a technical error.

The drones were part of a light show for the Matildas’ game against France on Friday night but fell into the river due to a technical glitch. The retrieval operation began on Sunday and is continuing on Monday.

We want to see all drones taken back out of the river because we know if they are left there they will leach chemicals which can damage the environment.

We want investors to come into the market to take advantage of the great demand for rental accommodation.

But we don’t want to stifle that by putting unnecessary burden (on landlords).

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News live updates: hundreds charged after NSW domestic violence operation; South Australia moves to ban no cause evictions

Four-day operation results in 1,107 domestic violence charges being laid against 592 people. Follow live

‘Textbook fiscal policy’ from Labor about getting economy ‘in nick’

Chalmers is asked whether it’s possible to control inflation without the unemployment rate growing further.

Remains to be seen.

We’ve got the budget in better nick, not the expense of the economy but in addition, and cost-of-living help is targeted in out-of-pocket health costs, electricity, rent and some particular pressure points. We found $40 billion of savings over two budgets compared to zero in savings in the last Liberal budget.

So all of those things are about get getting the economy in nick at the same time we provide help for people to get through through a difficult period.

The point that Michele Bullock was making in that speech, which, again, I think is relatively uncontroversial, is that as the Reserve Bank forecast and the treasury forecasts, have inflation moderating in coming months, they have a tick-up in unemployment. I’ve been upfront. The challenges in the economy are unsubstantial, globally and domestically, I think the slow-down is expected in the forecasts to be significant. That will have implications for the unemployment rate, which is the point that Michele Bullock was making.

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‘A lethargic result’: Labor says it is ridiculous for Peter Dutton to take heart from Fadden byelection win

Deputy prime minister Richard Marles says byelection swing to LNP was ‘half the average swing you would expect against a sitting government’

Senior members of the Albanese government insist they are not troubled by Labor’s loss in the Fadden byelection, as they seek to reassure Australians their main focus is on the cost-of-living crisis.

The Liberal National party retained the safe Gold Coast seat on Saturday in a byelection caused by the resignation of former minister Stuart Robert. There was a swing of about 2.4% to the LNP after preferences.

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Australia news live: Coalition faces fresh questions over Scott Morrison’s future after damning robodebt report

Pressure builds on former prime minister to leave politics as Liberal MP says Morrison’s presence is ‘difficult’ for party to move forward. Follow the day’s news live

Young sailor rescued from rough seas in Great Australian Bight

Xavier Doerr is a 22yo sailor who was rescued in the Great Australian Bight over the weekend by an Indonesian cargo ship, after his sail boat was hit by rough weather and capsized.

I appreciated the trouble I was in after the collision.

I started taking on water. My boat is built so it cannot sink.

I don’t really want to comment on my colleagues.

What I will say is that the royal commission report was very sobering for the government, which I was a member of, and for the entire political class and the bureaucracy and we do have to very carefully study the report and its recommendations, particularly so it doesn’t happen again.

Neither me or any of my other colleagues are in a position to direct Scott Morrison on how he responds to this report.

He’s entitled to take whatever position he wants on the royal commission.

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Meta vows to crack down on abuse and misinformation surrounding voice to parliament referendum

Exclusive: Parent company of Facebook, Instagram and Threads says it will ensure content on its platforms is ‘contributing to democracy’

Facebook and Instagram want to be “contributing to democracy” and not exacerbating harms surrounding the Indigenous voice referendum, the company’s Australian policy head has said, as the social media giant beefs up protections on misinformation, abuse and mental health before the national vote.

Meta, the parent company of the two apps, on Monday announced it would boost funding to factcheckers monitoring misinformation, activate global teams to locate and respond to potential “threats” to the referendum – including coordinated inauthentic behaviour – and form a partnership with ReachOut for mental health support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The company will also maintain transparency tools such as its ad library that tracks political spending.

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Daniel Andrews calls Victoria’s election funding laws ‘perfectly fair’ amid Climate 200 criticism

Simon Holmes à Court says the laws make it ‘nearly impossible’ for independents to successfully campaign

The Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, says he has no plans to change election funding laws, despite claims from Climate 200’s founder, Simon Holmes à Court, that they make it “nearly impossible” for an independent to successfully campaign.

According to Climate 200’s submission to a parliamentary inquiry into the November state election, sitting MPs received a significant “head start” during the campaign thanks to changes to the law introduced in 2018.

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Gladys Berejiklian Icac report live updates: Chris Minns says findings took ‘way too long’ as Matt Kean criticises ‘ridiculous display’ – latest news

Icac finds former premier and Daryl Maguire engaged in ‘serious corrupt conduct’, but says it does not want the DPP to consider prosecuting Berejiklian. Follow live updates

We are waiting on the publication of the Icac report. But it appears the Icac website has crashed under the load.

Stay with us. We will bring you the findings as soon as we possibly can.

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Australia news live: Tanya Plibersek announces audit of 1,000 environmental offset sites to check if they are delivering on promises

Treasurer Jim Chalmers wants to maintain strong budget position while rolling out existing policies; federal government cancels satellite program. Follow the day’s news live

The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, denies Australia’s first budget surplus in more than a decade comes at the expense of under-pressure households as the cost of living rises, AAP reports.

Chalmers has confirmed there will be a larger surplus for the 2022/23 financial year than predicted in last month’s federal budget.

By getting the budget in much better nick by finding savings ... it actually makes it possible from that much stronger foundation to provide the $15bn of cost-of-living relief that we had in the budget.

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Icac finds former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian and Daryl Maguire engaged in serious corrupt conduct

Berejiklian stood down in 2021 after it was revealed she was in a ‘close personal relationship’ with Maguire, who was also found to be corrupt by Icac’s Operation Keppel

Former New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian has been found to have engaged in serious corrupt conduct by the state’s corruption watchdog.

However the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) has not recommended charges be pursued against Berejiklian.

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Australia politics live: Don Farrell warns delaying housing bill could lead to double dissolution election

Follow the day’s news live

Chalmers to herald record job growth

Treasurer Jim Chalmers will no doubt take a dixer on this today – the Albanese government has “had the strongest job growth in the first year of any new government on record”.

The number of Australians with a job is now more than 14 million for the very first time.

Australia’s participation rate is 66.9% – the highest on record, primarily driven by record high participation for women (62.7%).

The share of women in work is at a record high – with the employment to population ration for women at 60.5%.

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David Van to take leave from parliament as more former Coalition colleagues call for him to resign altogether

The senator – who denies any wrongdoing – resigned from the Liberal party on Saturday and claimed he has been denied procedural fairness

Victorian senator David Van will take leave from parliament this week as more of his former Coalition colleagues call for his resignation from parliament altogether.

Van resigned from the Liberal party on Saturday after he was dropped from the federal party room by leader Peter Dutton and stripped of organisational support in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations being raised against him.

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Senator David Van resigns from Liberal party

Resignation follows multiple allegations of inappropriate behaviour which Van has rejected

Senator David Van has quit the Liberal party but will remain in parliament.

Peter Dutton removed Van from the Liberal party room this week after multiple inappropriate touching allegations were made against Van, with Dutton urging him to leave parliament altogether.

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‘Down but never out’: Peter Dutton issues rallying cry after allegations against senator

The opposition leader has promised the Liberals will ‘come back again’ at a gathering of party faithful

The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has issued a rallying cry to Liberal party faithful as allegations against one of their own rock federal parliament.

Liberals from across the country gathered in Canberra for the annual federal council meeting on Saturday, the first since the fall of the Coalition government at the 2022 federal election.

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Victorian Liberals to meet on senator’s future; Stoker says she’s ‘fine’ – as it happened

Urgent meeting called for this weekend after allegations raised against the senator in parliament. This blog is now closed

Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe says “at this stage” she will be voting no on the government’s bill for a referendum on the Indigenous voice to parliament.

She’s told ABC Radio her position on the voice is:

At this stage, I’ll be voting no to the bill that is before us to change the constitution, given the government have not come forward with proof on what their interpretation of sovereignty is.

I know that for months now that they continue to say that this does not affect the sovereignty of First Nations people in this country, however, they’ve never provided any evidence.

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