Key events
Rescue operation continuing for entangled whale in Sydney harbour
A rescue operation is continuing to free an entangled whale in Sydney harbour.
Volunteer rescue group Orrca said on Wednesday that three separate humpback whales entangled in rope or buoys had been sighted in New South Wales – one travelling north towards Byron Bay, one towards Evans Head and another around Newcastle.
Orrca said in a post to social media:
The behaviour of entangled whales can be unpredictable and they can change directions of travel. As such we are asking for anyone who can get out on headlands between Newcastle and Tweed Heads to please keep a lookout for these whales.
The Daily Telegraph reported that a whale was spotted about 1.30pm yesterday afternoon in Sydney harbour, and rescue efforts would resume this morning.
No disruptions to major airlines amid planned industrial action
It’s understood that there are currently no impacts to flights at Sydney airport amid planned industrial action.
According to reports, more than 50 plane refuellers have called a 12-hour strike at Sydney airport to protest against pay disparity and a lack of full-time employment after six months of negotiations.
Ampol Aviation services 16 airlines, including Qantas, Virgin and Jetstar, and the work stoppages are scheduled to occur between 1am-5am, 7am-11am and 6pm-10pm today.
However, it is understood that contingency plans are in place to keep scheduled flights going, and at this stage there are no disruptions to Qantas or Jetstar.
Victorian gambling regulator fines Tabcorp $4.6m
Tabcorp has been fined $4.6m for allegedly breaching its regulatory obligations on several occasions.
The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission alleged in a statement that Tabcorp repeatedly breached the Wagering and Betting Licence and Responsible Gambling Code of Conduct between August 2020 and February 2023.
Commission chair Fran Thorn said it was the largest fine the Commission had ever issued to Tabcorp and “sends a clear message to the gambling industry that this kind of [alleged] behaviour is not acceptable and will not be tolerated.”
The Commission is alleging Tabcorp sent direct marketing material to customers six times between October 2022 and February 2023 despite customers opting out of this.
It also found Tabcorp allegedly failed to minimise the potential for gambling harm through inadequate training of employees, and allegedly failed to provide appropriate support to a customer exhibiting signs of distress or indicators of potential gambling harm.
Thorn said Tabcorp had been given clear instructions to improve its operations and prioritise gambling harm minimisation.
The directed transformation program is intended to future proof Tabcorp’s gambling operations to ensure it complies with the law.
We will be actively monitoring to ensure that the transformation program requirements are not only implemented quickly but are effective in ensuring ongoing compliance with the law.
Great Barrier Reef education centre gets rebuild funds
The federal government has committed $100m to rebuild the Great Barrier Reef Aquarium in north Queensland, after lobbying by the local community.
As AAP reports the Townsville aquarium, also known as Reef HQ, has been home to a reef education centre and a living coral reef.
The funding takes the total committed by the government to $180m and will allow work to begin to rebuild the facility, which was opened in 1987 by the then Labor prime minister, Bob Hawke.
The investment means the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority will have a new purpose-built facility for reef education and be able to provide immersive experiences attracting domestic and international visitors, the government said. The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said in a statement:
Like Bob, we want to create the Great Barrier Reef on land, making the reef accessible and affordable while spreading the reef conservation message and inspiring action to protect this spectacular natural icon. This funding announcement is an investment in the future of our precious Great Barrier Reef.
The project is expected to create more than one thousand jobs and give Townsville an economic boost worth millions of dollars.
Albanese is in Townsville today to attend The Courier Mail Bush Summit, alongside his state counterpart Steven Miles and federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.
Good morning
Emily Wind
Emily Wind here, signing on for blogging duties. Thanks to Martin for kicking things off! I’ll bring you our rolling coverage this Friday.
As always, you can get in touch with any tips, feedback or questions via X, @emilywindwrites, or you can send me an email: [email protected].
Let’s go.
As our top story reveals a development in the treatment of Gaza refugees, our Full Story: Newsrooom edition podcast looks at how Peter Dutton has been trying to exploit the issue.
He has accused the government of bringing people in from the Gaza “war zone” and “not conducting checks and searches on these people” – claims not wholly true. But what is really driving this divisive debate?
Today Bridie Jabour talks to our editor-in-chief, Lenore Taylor, and the head of newsroom, Mike Ticher, about why Dutton is dominating political discourse with distractions.
And here is Karen Middleton’s story revealing the changes to visa rights.
Queensland overturns UN youth detention principle
Andrew Messenger
Queensland parliament last night passed legislation overturning a United Nations principle protecting children in detention.
The community safety bill amends the principle of “detention as a last resort” for children, among a swathe of other changes. The principle will remain for adults.
The Queensland Law Society said the change creates “a vexed situation that is both bizarre and inappropriate and undermines the objectives of the Youth Justice Act”.
The police minister, Mark Ryan, told media yesterday that the legislation only clarified the existing law:
There is no restriction any more on courts using detention if it is in the interest of community safety, and if that increases the number of people in custody, then that is in the interest of community safety.
At the end of the day, we have to ensure that people are protected from offenders, and if that means the best way to protect them from offenders is by using detention that should be used.
All 47 Labor and 32 Liberal and National MPs voted for the bill, with just six crossbenchers voting against. Seven MPs were absent.
Senate backs two key pieces of climate legislation
Adam Morton
The Albanese government has won support in the Senate for two pieces of climate-related legislation that it says are central to its promise to reach net zero emissions by 2050.
One was the creation of a net zero economy authority, which has been promised to help manage the country’s transformation from a dirty to a clean economy. The other was climate disclosure legislation, which expands the information big companies must provide about the risk the climate crisis poses to their business and what they will do about it.
Both pieces of legislation passed with the support of the Greens and five independent crossbenchers. The Coalition was opposed.
In a statement, Anthony Albanese and the climate change and energy minister, Chris Bowen, said the net zero authority would help with the zero emissions economic transition, “whether it is retraining and redeploying workers in traditional energy industries or cutting red tape in clean energy investment”.
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, said the disclosure laws would “support more investment in cheaper and cleaner energy and help companies and investors manage climate risks”.
The laws, which have been welcomed by climate and major investor organisations, were amended in the Senate and have to return to the lower house, but their passage is assured when parliament returns next month.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our rolling news coverage. I’m Martin Farrer and before Emily comes along I’ll be running through some of the top morning stories.
The federal government has extended work rights and Medicare access to some visa-holders from Gaza and Israel as it prepares to shift those who arrived on visitor visas since the 7 October attacks on to bridging visas. Amid attacks from the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, about visa for Gaza refugees, the government issued a regulation on 5 August without any announcement which extended Medicare access to people holding two subclasses of bridging visa E who had already been granted work rights. More coming up.
The Albanese government has won support in the Senate for two pieces of climate-related legislation that it says are central to its promise to reach net zero emissions by 2050. One was the creation of a net zero economy authority to help manage the transformation from a dirty to a clean economy, and other is will oblige companies to disclose more information about their climate impact. More details coming up.
A judgment is expected today in the so-called “what is a woman” legal case in which transgender woman Roxanne Tickle has claimed $100,000 for alleged discrimination by the Giggle for Girls app and its founder, Sall Grover, based on her gender identity. Tickle has claimed the same sum again for aggravated damages. We have more details coming up and will bring you the outcome as it breaks.
