With that, we will wrap up the blog for the evening. Never fear, though, the fabulous Amy Remeikis will be with you first thing tomorrow for all the latest in the world of politics.
The House was disrupted by a protest over the plight of Palestinians in Gaza in the public gallery during question time today. Protesters called “ceasefire now” and “shame” before being taken out by security.
And Uber will cough up almost $272m to compensate taxi and hire car drivers who lost out when the rideshare company “aggressively” moved into the Australian market.
BoM warns of destructive wind gusts as Tropic Cyclone Megan expected to cross northern coast of Australia
Meanwhile, Tropical Cyclone Megan is expected to cross the coast later this afternoon or this evening.
It is currently sitting at a category three, with sustained winds near the centre of 140 km/h and wind gusts to 195 km/h.
It is sitting 70km from Borroloola and 45 km from Port McArthur, moving at 8 km/h.
Severe Tropical #CycloneMegan is moving slowly towards the south and is expected to cross the south-western Gulf of Carpentaria coast, south-east of Port McArthur, later this afternoon or evening. Latest forecasts: https://t.co/jlOoTZL1iFpic.twitter.com/8LQpyB81vO
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) March 18, 2024
The Bureau of Meteorology said the warning zone included Port Roper in the NT to Mornington Island in Queensland, extending inland to Borroloola, McArthur River Mine, and Robinson River.
The VERY DESTRUCTIVE CORE of Megan, with wind gusts up to 200 km/h, is now impacting the Sir Edward Pellew Group and adjacent coastal areas between Port McArthur and the NT/Qld border.
DESTRUCTIVE WIND GUSTS to 140 km/h are forecast to extend to adjacent inland areas near the forecast track southeast of Borroloola this evening and tonight.
Graham Quirk says Victoria Park stadium recommendations were not ‘just for the games’ and represent ‘value for money’
The former Lord Mayor of Brisbane Graham Quirk is appearing on ABC News, following the rejection of his Victoria Park stadium plan. The Queensland premier, Steven Miles, sensationally rejected the independent recommendation for the multibillion dollar Olympic stadium to be built earlier today.
Quirk says they had a “good hard look” at all sites on the table and Victoria Park was the “clear, best option” due to the legacy it would have for the Queensland community after the conclusion of the Olympics.
Anyone who reads the report will see the findings that led to our recommendations … we had not recommended anything that was just for an Olympic and Paralympic games … we have tried to avoid building something just for the games.
We’ve gone about presenting a report to the government in good faith … and that’s what we have done. They are independent recommendations based on legacy and value for money.
LNP says Steven Miles has ‘bothced’ Olympic infrastructure decisions for Queensland
Deputy LNP leader Jarrod Bleijie has promised to go back to the drawing board and ask yet another body to review planned Olympics infrastructure if elected.
But he refused to say whether his party preferred the original Gabba proposal, or Graham Quirk’sVictoria Park idea, or an upgrade of the Nathan Queensland Sports and Athletics Centre. Mostly, he just thinks premier Steven Miles has stuffed the whole thing up.
Seriously, Steven Miles must be held accountable. Steven Miles has botched this. This is costing Queenslanders billions of dollars.
If I was in the International Olympic Committee, or Olympians around the world at the moment ... I’d be looking at all these announcements - and it changes every day - and shaking my head in embarrassment for this state.
Bleijie said if the LNP are elected in October it will ask the planned Olympics independent delivery authority to decide which projects are necessary.
What we will absolutely be doing, if we’re honoured to serve in government after October, is telling the independent infrastructure delivery authority that these are your decisions; go back to the original agreement that was made with the International Olympic Committee.
TikTok embraces more gambling content despite criticism from public health experts
Social media giant TikTok has further embraced the gambling industry and accepted paid ads from lottery companies, despite criticism from public health experts.
TikTok, which is facing growing calls to be banned in Australia, has decided to also allow lottery companies to advertise on its platform. One ad seen by Guardian Australia from Oz Lotteries sells tickets to its $40m Powerball competition.
A TikTok spokesperson said:
After a carefully controlled pilot for gambling related advertising, we are now allowing certain lottery organisations to advertise on the platform. All ads are strictly monitored and are targeted at people over 18 years of age. There is an opt out feature for those who do not wish to see the ads.
Advertising from Sportsbet, Neds and Dabble is restricted to people aged 21 and older.
Lotteries are treated as a form of gambling and strictly regulated by state wagering authorities. The NSW regulator describes them as “one form of gambling that’s a source of harmless entertainment for most people - just don’t get too attached to the idea of winning”.
A parliamentary inquiry in June, led by the late Labor MP Peta Murphy, called for a blanket ban on gambling advertising. But in a bipartisan report, the inquiry called for lottery companies to be exempt as they “have a lower risk of gambling harm than other forms of online gambling”.
AMA says health costs of dealing with vaping will dwarf potential tax losses under regulation
The Australian Medical Association – the nation’s peak medical body – along with more than 50 specialist medical associations have met with government leaders in Canberra today to discuss system-wide health sector reform.
The AMA’s president, Prof Steve Robson, called concerns around $9bn of potential tax revenue lost in over the counter vape sales “laughable”. Robson told Channel 10 the concerns stem from people who stand to profit from vaping:
The government should absolutely stamp out vaping if it possibly can in this country. And talk by people who profit from vaping - people who want to sell vapes and make money - about taxes is absolutely laughable, because the amount of money you make from taxes will be dwarfed by the health costs of dealing with the consequences of vaping.
So that’s a silly argument, and we should see it for what it is. We support the legislation to try to control vaping going to the parliament, and we really hope it succeeds.
Hear the Gaza protestors in the House of Representatives
As we mentioned earlier, this afternoon’s question time was disrupted by a lively protest in the public gallery. Protesters shouted “shame” and called for “ceasefire now” while yelling about the experiences of Palestinians in Gaza.
We can run this footage as it is from the gallery broadcast – you can’t actually see the protestors, (just the awkward reactions of MPs), but you can hear them.
Have a listen:
Protesters calling for 'ceasefire now' in Gaza disrupt question time in Parliament House – video
Child protection workers who answer calls on Australia’s after hours hotline for the public to report at-risk kids have stopped work this evening over what the Public Service Association (PSA) alleges is chronic overwork, arbitrary staff suspensions and unreasonable workplace directives.
The snap two-hour stop work meeting comes after call centre workers had work from home arrangements revoked, with staff reporting working in excess of 18 hours at a time to keep the hotline open.
PSA’s acting general secretary, Troy Wright, said the child protection system was “in crisis”:
We’ve been telling anybody who’ll listen the child protection system is about to collapse but no-one is listening … the after-hours response team take calls from members of the public who are worried about the welfare of our most precious resource, our children.
Already chronically overloaded case workers at the district level are now picking up the slack of the after hours response team which has them being woken up at all hours to rescue kids in need – that’s on top of their day job.
On that note, I am going to hand you over to Caitlin Cassidy to guide you through the evening. She’ll bring you more news of the day, so stick with us!
I’ll be back early tomorrow morning for day two of the sitting. Until then, take care of you Ax
Anthony Albanese watches Andrew Giles during a condolence motion for the late Senator Linda White. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian
Queensland will not upgrade Gabba stadium to full accessibility for people with disabilities
Let’s check back in with Queensland where the premier, Steven Miles, has conceded the government will not press ahead with upgrading the Gabba stadium so it is fully accessible for those with disabilities.
Miles said the government will allocate more than half a billion dollars to revamping the stadium but it will not receive upgrades to make it completely accessible.
I think [our proposal] is [of] great value. It delivers us three upgraded stadiums and a new arena.
His comments came after the government ditched its proposal to host the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games at the Gabba. The state government has also rejected an independent review’s recommendation to scrap the $2.7bn Gabba rebuild and construct a $3.4bn stadium at Victoria Park.
The government will instead hold the opening and closing ceremonies at Suncorp Stadium.
We asked Miles if he felt Queenslanders were still excited about the Olympics after several reviews, uncertainty about where the Games would be held and cost-of-living pressures. Miles:
Of course it varies [depending] where in the state you are, who you’re talking to, and how much they’re struggling. And I understand that. I believe that we can deliver a fantastic Olympic and Paralympic Games while also focusing on the priorities of Queenslanders right now. That’s the message I’ve heard from them.
Why aren’t there any images of the House gallery protestors?
The not-allowed-to-show-the-gallery-on-broadcasts rule extends to photos: press photographers are not allowed to take photos of the public galleries, unless there is an acknowledgement from the speaker.
To take the photo, or run it, usually leads to a penalty, which includes being banned from entering the press gallery for a period of time.
It is an archaic rule that means quite a few protests can not be shown.
Protestors removed after accusing Albanese of supporting genocide
Paul Karp was in the chamber and saw the protest (we can only hear it on the broadcast, as there is a rule about not showing the public galleries, unless someone is acknowledged by the speaker). Karp says the protesters were yelling:
You support genocide.
Albanese, your hands are red. 15,000 children dead.
There were a group of five, and as they were being removed, a seperate group of five stood up and continued the protest. They were removed in two blocks.
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