Key events
Bradfield independent takes 19-vote lead
The Australian Electoral Commission’s website shows Independent Nicolette Boele has pulled ahead of Liberal candidate Gisele Kapterian by 19 votes in the electorate of Bradfield. The count continues with 268 votes remaining to be processed.
Amanda Meade
ABC managing director Hugh Marks has appointed Freya Campbell as director of communications ahead of an expected overhaul of the public broadcaster’s operations.
Marks, who began his five-year term in March, said earlier this month he is reviewing whether the ABC needs to “do everything” or could “spend our resources more wisely on doing fewer things better”.
Currently the executive director strategic communications at UNSW Sydney, Campbell will start at the ABC in July and replaces Nick Leys.
Campbell:
I’m excited to join the ABC at a time when trust in media has never been more important. Like so many Australians, I grew up with the ABC’s iconic 7PM News theme signalling the nightly ritual of trusted national and global news beamed into the family lounge room.
My media consumption across platforms has evolved over the years but the ABC has remained my preferred source of entertainment and information.
Interest rate cut would boost economy, Acoss head says
The Australian Council of Social Service (Acoss) is calling on the Reserve Bank of Australia to cut interest rates again tomorrow, to help ease financial pressure for people on low and modest incomes.
Acoss CEO Dr Cassandra Goldie said:
With inflation now consistently within the RBA’s target range, further interest rate reductions are clearly needed to avoid further harm to people under severe strain. Raising interest rates has dramatically increased financial stress among people with low and modest incomes. They need more relief – and fast.
Goldie said another rate cut would also deliver a much-needed boost to the economy.
In recent years people have seen their real incomes fall and economic growth has stagnated. In fact, the only thing that has kept us from recession is welcome and much-needed investment in essential publicly funded services like the NDIS, childcare and health.
Low unemployment is an opportunity, not a problem as some economic commentators suggest. There is no sign that reducing unemployment further would risk a fresh outbreak of inflation. The priority must be achieving the government’s agenda of inclusive full employment.
The RBA must cut rates to help ease financial pressure and get incomes growing again.
Luca Ittimani
AI chatbot will be used to analyse NSW housing data
Following from our last post, you may be wondering what the New South Wales government will actually do with its new AI tools.
The government has agreed to give data on development and rentals to the UNSW research collaboration to make it easier to track how fast new homes are being built and how tight the housing market might be.
Researchers can use them to model how different policy decisions would impact aspects of the housing crisis.
One of the new analytical technologies is a map tool with an AI chatbot feature, which allows users to ask simple questions about the housing data and then see that visualised and mapped out around the state – but for now, only members of the research collaboration are allowed to use it.
NSW residents interested in tracking the development applications around their suburb – and there are many, if community Facebook groups are any guide – will have to wait a little longer for their own mapping AI tools.
Benita Kolovos
Fake GoFundMe account ‘launched without consent’, Pesutto says
Victorian Liberal MP, John Pesutto, says it “defies comprehension” that someone would create a GoFundMe account purporting to be him, as the target on another set up by his friends grows to $500,000.
Pesutto’s friends launched the GoFundMe on Friday, just hours after the former opposition leader was ordered by the federal court to pay $2.3m in legal fees following his loss in a defamation case brought by the Liberal MP Moira Deeming.
In a statement on Monday, Pesutto said he had been made aware of a second GoFundMe account “that purports falsely to be from me”. He went on:
This account is fake and has been launched without my knowledge or consent … I am grateful to friends and supporters who have launched a genuine GoFundMe page simply to help raise money so I can pay what I have been ordered to pay and continue serving the people of Hawthorn. Why anyone would try to sabotage these efforts defies comprehension.
Pesutto’s friends’ fundraiser says they are raising money to prevent a “worst-case scenario”, where Pesutto would have to declare bankruptcy.
If this were to occur, he would have to resign from parliament and a byelection in Hawthorn would be called in his seat of Hawthorn.
Their initial target of $70,000 has since grown to $500,000. Almost $120,000 has been raised since Friday.
Woodside gas project decision government’s first test on climate, Greens leader says
Greens leader Larissa Waters says the upcoming North West shelf decision will be the new environment minister’s first test on climate.
The environment minister Murray Watt earlier this morning confirmed he intends to stick to the current deadline of May 31 in handing down his decision on Woodside’s gas extension in WA’s north, after a six-year assessment process involving state and federal authorities.
Ahead of visiting WA today, Watt told ABC Radio:
I have had some preliminary briefings from my department about this last week. I’ll be expecting some more formal briefings in the next few days, so that I’ve got plenty of time to work through them and make that decision.
Waters made a statement on social media platform Blue Sky shortly after midday:
The North West shelf decision will be the Gov’s first test on climate: will they approve the dirty gas carbon bomb of Woodside’s Burrup Hub extension? You can’t protect the climate or nature by approving a project that would use 91% of the government’s net zero 2050 carbon budget.
The climate and environment crises are the defining issue of our time.
… The Greens are ready to work constructively with Labor in this parliament. Minister Watt will need to decide whether to work with the Greens to stop new coal and gas, or cosy up to the LNP and polluters to undermine the transition to clean, cheap, job-creating renewable energy.
Dan Jervis-Bardy
Federal climate change boss quits
The boss of the federal climate change department, David Fredericks, is the latest senior public servant to call it quits after the election.
Fredericks announced his retirement as secretary of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) and from the commonwealth public service on Monday morning.
In a message posted to the department’s website, the veteran bureaucrat said it was “time for me to move to another phase of my life”, including spending more time with his children.
Retiring now also gives my successor the opportunity to engage with our ministers and lead the department as early as possible in the new term of the Albanese government.
Fredericks was tapped to lead the department after it was established when Labor returned to power in 2022.
Before that, Fredericks was Scott Morrison’s industry department secretary during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The departure comes less than a fortnight after Glyn Davis announced his decision to resign as Department of Prime Minister & Cabinet secretary, effective 16 June.
Stephanie Convery
Sydney school locked down after reports man threatened staff
St Andrews Cathedral school in Sydney’s CBD was placed under lockdown by police this morning after reports a man had threatened staff.
Police said in a statement this afternoon that officers attended the school at about 9.45am after reports the man had returned to the campus.
Police searched the building, on the corner of Druitt and Kent Streets, with the assistance of specialist resources.
The man could not be located despite an extensive search of the grounds, police said, so the lockdown was lifted and the operation concluded.
An investigation is now under way and police are making inquiries to locate the man.
The school became the focus of media attention in 2023 after teacher Lilie James was killed by Paul Thijssen in the school’s sports centre where they both worked.
Luca Ittimani
RBA rate cut could offer fix to housing shortages, Minns says
New South Wales premier Chris Minns has pointed to interest rate cuts as a potential fix for housing shortages while shying away from cutting taxes on developers or homebuyers in his upcoming state budget.
The Reserve Bank is expected to cut its key interest rate tomorrow, lowering borrowing costs, with another two cuts expected by the end of the year. Minns said that would help speed up housing supply growth:
Hopefully in the coming months, interest rates decline, access to finance and capital become cheaper, you will see people commit to finance and the capital they need for new housing.
Most local councils in Sydney are behind on their construction targets, recent data has indicated, with advocacy group Urban Taskforce claiming the Sydney region is already falling short by more than a third.
While high costs of building roads and utilities contribute to construction delays, Minns shied away from industry calls to cut developer taxes that cover infrastructure costs, though he didn’t rule out such a measure, saying: “The door will never be shut.”
The premier ruled out moving away from stamp duty paid on buying homes and replacing it with a land tax, speaking a month ahead of handing down the NSW budget, and a day before the Victorian government hands down its own.
Stamp or transfer duties are imposed on purchases of new homes, which some economists say drives up prices and stops people from moving to homes that better suit their needs. Victoria will tomorrow extend the tax break on the duty given to off-the-plan homebuyers and NSW already gives first-time buyers a break, but Minns said he wouldn’t scrap the tax and bring in a smaller annual land tax:
[Homeowners] have already paid an enormous amount to the NSW government in stamp duty, [so] if I turned around and said, “Thank you for that, we’ll use that, we appreciate it, now we want you to pay an annual land tax,” well, I think people would be absolutely furious.
Luca Ittimani
AI map tools to track progress on NSW housing targets
Artificial intelligence analysis of housing and development will be used by the New South Wales government, premier Chris Minns has said.
New AI map tools are among those to be used and accessed by the state government, the University of New South Wales and industry and advocacy bodies in a new collaborative project, which Minns said would help track progress on housing targets. He said:
We will listen to it, we will grab data from it, we will implement it for positive change.
The technology at the new Housing Analytics Lab would be especially useful given the shortage of planning professionals, according to UNSW’s Prof Chris Pettit:
With technology moving at such a quickening pace and a shortage of planners and other built environment professionals, it is important we train them up and equip them with the right skills and knowledge to appropriately harness these emerging technologies.
In an apparent reference to US president Donald Trump’s funding threats against American universities, Minns said the sector was “essential” to solving social issues:
In some parts of the world universities are under a great deal of pressure. They’ve got hostile politicians questioning their worth, questioning their values, questioning their value to the taxpayers and their community but this lab shows universities are absolutely essential institutions.
Fisherman bitten by dingo in knee-deep water
A fisherman has been bitten in knee-deep water by a dingo before using his rod to scare off the animal at a popular tourist destination.
The dingo was nearly fully submerged when it bit the man on the back of the leg while he was fishing at K’gari, formerly Fraser Island, in south-east Queensland, rangers said.
The man was fishing alone in the water when he was approached from behind by the dingo near Eurong about 11.30am on Friday, AAP reports.
A Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation statement said:
[The dingo] bit him on the back of the leg, resulting in two puncture wounds and a small superficial laceration which required basic first aid treatment.
The man used his fishing rod to push the dingo away after being bitten. The statement continued:
He was wearing a fishing bag containing a fish, and rangers believe the dingo may have been attracted by the smell.
Rangers have also received reports of dingoes loitering around people fishing on the island “in the hope of getting a free feed”.
They warned dingoes were known to steal fish and bait from anywhere they could scavenge, including vehicles and straight off someone’s line.
Rangers reminded people fishing on the island to stay close to the water’s edge when reeling in a catch and to avoid dragging it across the sand.
Bradfield and Goldstein vote counts continue
Sarah Basford Canales
All eyes are on Bradfield and Goldstein today as the final ballots are sorted and counted more than a fortnight after the federal election.
In Sydney’s north shore seat of Bradfield, the gap between Liberal candidate, Gisele Kapterian, and teal independent challenger, Nicolette Boele, is just 50 votes. The Australian Electoral Commission’s site shows there are still 461 votes to be processed that could decide the final result.
The AEC can decide to recount the ballots in contests where the margins are particularly slim. It happened before in the 2016 election when there was fewer than 100 votes between the two final candidates in the northern Queensland seat of Herbert.
Typically, any margin of fewer than 100 votes is fair game to trigger a recount.
And in Goldstein, the gap between the Liberals’ Tim Wilson and independent incumbent Zoe Daniel remains at 206 votes with a few hundred to be counted. The final votes would have to weigh heavily in Daniel’s favour for her to lead at this point but anything can happen, so watch this space.
Telstra rejects claim it misled the public about the size of its network
Following from the previous post: TPG group executive Kieran Cooney said the allegations were “alarming” and would have cost his company customers. He said:
It appears Telstra has tricked Australians into paying top dollar for coverage they simply can’t get on a regular mobile phone.
We are calling on them to make it right … Telstra’s conduct could have misled consumers into believing they can get coverage in places that require special equipment.
Specifically, TPG alleged Telstra claimed its mobile network was around one million square kilometres greater than it was because it based its figures on the use of an antenna and repeater.
It also said the network covered 99.7% of the population based on using those same devices.
Telstra recently updated its coverage claims to note that the 99.7 % mark required an external antenna.
The telco has been contacted for comment. The ABC has reported Telstra admitted it updated its website after being contacted by Vodafone but said any suggestion it had misled the public about the size of our network was “completely untrue”.
– AAP
Vodafone alleges Telstra overstated its network coverage reach by as much as 40%
Australia’s biggest telecommunications company is facing allegations it misled customers by inflating claims of how far its network reached, AAP reports.
In claims levelled by rival telco Vodafone, Telstra is accused of “dramatically” overstating its reach by as much as 40% – for more than a decade.
Vodafone, along with parent company TPG Telecom, said Telstra advertised its coverage based on a signal strength customers could only get if they used a special external antenna and a powered repeater that is usually installed on a vehicle or building.
Its rival said network coverage claims should be based on signal strength a mobile phone would usually get without any extra devices.
Christopher Knaus
Alarm voiced over surge in FoI rejections
Transparency and integrity experts have voiced alarm over the increasing rate at which freedom of information requests are being rejected.
FoI is a critical tool for holding government to account and ensuring transparency of government information.
On Sunday, Guardian Australia revealed FoI refusals are at record rates, with 27% of Foil rejected outright in the December 2024 quarter. That’s a high not seen since at least 2014-15, data shows.
Transparency International Australia has voiced alarm about the increasing refusal rates. Its chief executive, Clancy Moore, said:
Given the Albanese’s government commitment to transparency, open government and integrity, there is a clear argument to introducing stronger consequences for unlawful refusals, increase funding to the FoI teams and the OAIC, and continue work to foster a culture of openness and transparency in the public sector.
Benita Kolovos
Victoria debt forecast will not reach $200bn, treasurer says
On her commitment to no new taxes, Symes is asked whether there will be increased taxes. She says:
There is nothing in the budget that changes the tax settings … any of those that would be going up in the ordinary policy, CPI and the like – we have not changed any of the tax settings for tomorrow’s budget.
She also confirms debt forecasts will not reach $200bn. Labor sources had told us the government was “desperate” to avoid hitting that figure. Symes says:
The aggregate will be revealed tomorrow but it won’t start with a 2.
She also says spend on infrastructure will also go down:
Once this [Metro Tunnel] opens, once West Gate Tunnel opens, once Footscray hospital opens, Frankston hospital, 100 new schools …
We are the most attractive state in the country for people to want to move to, so we need to make sure we’re keeping ahead of that growth but it will be less than the peaks [of] last year [and the year] before, and that’s important also because it enables us to meet the next steps, ensuring that debt to the economy is starting to stabilise and then indeed reduce.
Benita Kolovos
Victorian treasurer on reduction of ‘several thousand’ public sector jobs
Symes says the interim recommendations of the review into the public sector, being led by Helen Silver, will be reflected in the budget, with “thousands” of public sector jobs to go.
We are anticipating several thousand reduction in VPS staff, so for public service, not frontline services.
She said further changes would be introduced as a result of Silver’s final report in June. Symes says:
We have been able to identify initial savings in this year’s budget as a result of some of the decisions that we are taking on the initial advice of Helen, but there will be more advice, and it will become clearer as the final report is released.
She confirmed the final report will include “a comprehensive entity review that is looking at duplication across the public service, how it interacts with the federal government and the like”. Symes says:
We have more entities than I think we need. Helen agrees.
Benita Kolovos
Free public transport for under-18s will be ‘game changer’, Victorian education minister says
The education minister, Ben Carroll, is speaking about the plan announced yesterday to make public transport free for under-18s from 1 January. He says it follows advocacy from the social services sector:
This is something we’ve been committed to working on for nearly 10 years. If you go right back to 2016 … a $175,000 [investment] in the city of Wyndham saw it being trialed across 13 schools and some 266 students and what that led to was increased participation, increased punctuality, low student behavioural issues. So it’s been proven over and over again, both in Victoria, in Melbourne’s west, but also around the world – free public transport really does deal with that barrier to access to education and transport. Poverty is a real issue out there for many of our communities. We’ve trialed it in Melbourne’s west and then to be bringing it to right across the state that … is going to be a game changer.
Benita Kolovos
‘No new taxes’ in tomorrow’s budget, Victorian treasurer says
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, and her treasurer, Jaclyn Symes, and deputy, Ben Carroll, are holding a press conference at the site of the yet-to-open Metro Tunnel’s Parkville station, ahead of tomorrow’s state budget.
Allan says the budget is focused on “families”, “responsible decision making” and the “future of our great state”. She goes on:
Tomorrow’s budget will confirm the first operating surplus for the state of Victoria since the pandemic. We committed to a budget surplus and that is what we are delivering with tomorrow’s state budget, the first since the pandemic, and also to at the same time through that responsible settings, making sure that we’re providing that real cost of living help right now for working people and families.
However, it is worth noting the surplus of $600m is much smaller than the $1.6bn forecast in December’s mid-year budget update.
Symes also confirms there will be no new taxes following feedback from business groups:
I’ve been the treasurer for five months, and I have been listening, meeting, conducting a lot of conversations with industry, with business, and listening to their wants and needs. The message I heard loud and clear from the business sector … was no more taxes. I can confirm in tomorrow’s budget there will be no new taxes.
