Ladies Lounge creator Kirsha Kaechele exiting a hearing in the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal on 19 March. Photograph: Jesse Hunniford Mona/Charlotte Vignau
Ladies Lounge creator Kirsha Kaechele exiting a hearing in the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal on 19 March. Photograph: Jesse Hunniford Mona/Charlotte Vignau
Wind gusts up to 100km/h on the way for parts of NSW east coast
The Bureau of Meteorology says strong winds are on the way for parts of the New South Wales east coast, just days after heavy rain and flooding hit the region.
A low pressure system is forecast to develop off the east coast tonight and tomorrow morning bringing a “vigorous southerly flow”, the bureau said.
Wind gusts up to 100km/h are possible between Wooli and Wattamolla from early tomorrow morning. The wind risk will then move to the Hunter and mid north coast around mid-morning.
The damaging wind gusts are set to ease by late Wednesday afternoon. Meteorologist Angus Hines has the latest:
Severe Weather Update for the #NSW coast, where damaging winds of up to 90-100km/h are possible in some areas. Video current: Midday AEST 9 April 2024.
Potential asbestos uncovered at additional three sites in Melbourne
Adeshola Ore
Victoria’s environmental regulator says it has uncovered potential asbestos at an additional three sites in Melbourne, as it continues investigating the contaminated material discovered at several parks.
Potential asbestos contamination has been uncovered at three council areas in Melbourne – Hobsons Bay city council, Merri-bek council and Brimbank council.
The Victorian Environment Protection Authority says potential asbestos has been discovered at Dennis Reserve in Williamston, Fitzgerald Square Reserve in Sunshine West, and Altona Coastal Park.
The EPA says it expects the lab results of samples from four parks suspected of containing asbestos, collected over the weekend, later today.
ATO says bill will fix loophole that ‘frustrated’ efforts to deal with suspected wrongdoing
The Australian Taxation Office says a new bill will “squarely address” the loophole that prevented the agency from providing federal police and Treasury with more details on PricewaterhouseCoopers’ suspected wrongdoing.
In early 2023, it was revealed a former PwC partner, who was advising the Australian government on the draft multinational tax laws, had shared confidential information with his colleagues over several years, which was then sold to overseas tech companies, giving them time to prepare them for new, tougher laws.
The ATO had tried to get the Australian federal police to investigate in 2018 after first becoming aware of suspected wrongdoing in 2016. But the matter was not investigated until several years later because, at the time, the ATO could not produce enough evidence to convince the AFP to investigate.
At a hearing into the bill today, the ATO’s second commissioner, Jeremy Hirschhorn, said secrecy obligations had “frustrated” the tax office’s efforts in dealing with the matter, and that the proposed changes would fix that.
These measures ... squarely address some of the frustrations which emerged through the PwC matter. The first was that when we detected this very early, we were able to tell the police, or provide some information to the police, but we weren’t able, on our advice, to tell the victim of the crime being Treasury, or the potential crime, being Treasury so that first measure directly addresses that.
The second commissioner of taxation, Jeremy Hirschhorn. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian
Another aspect of the bill will allow the ATO to share its findings with professional disciplinary bodies, such as the Tax Practitioners Board. Hirschhorn said:
Professionals who have participated in misconduct, in a sense, cannot cynically rely on the ATO’s principled approach to secrecy for information not to get to their professional body ... the professional bodies are [so] hamstrung that they almost have to wait till there has been a finding by another government body before they can take action against members of their profession.
The federal opposition has congratulated Vice Admiral David Johnston on his appointment as chief of the defence force and Air Marshal Robert Chipman on being appointed vice chief.
The opposition also congratulated and thanked outgoing chief General Angus Campbell for “his dedication and service”.
A joint statement from the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, the shadow defence minister, Andrew Hastie, and the shadow assistant defence minister, Phillip Thompson, says:
We join with the government in thanking all outgoing leadership for their service to the ADF and the nation.
As Australia faces increasing challenging strategic circumstances, we need strong leaders who will ensure our ADF is well-equipped with the capabilities and personnel needed to defend our nation.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP
The former prime minister Scott Morrison has backed moves for Aukus nations to work with Japan on pillar 2 projects as part of the defence deal.
In a post to X, Morrison said involving other nations in pillar 2 of the deal is “a natural progression” and it “makes a lot of sense” to start with Japan:
Aukus was conceived and designed as a highest common denominator partnership amongst like-mindeds to extend defence tech advantage, thereby aiding stability and balance in the Indo-Pacific. Involving Japan in pillar 2 projects will complement this.
An AUKUS+ framework for Pillar 2 is a natural progression. It also makes a lot of sense to start with Japan. AUKUS was conceived and designed as a highest common denominator partnership amongst like-mindeds to extend defence tech advantage, thereby aiding stability and balance in…
Greens respond to supermarket chiefs’ upcoming appearance at Senate inquiry
The Tasmanian Greens senator Nick McKim has responded to news that the chief executives of Australia’s big supermarkets will appear at a Senate inquiry next week.
The Coles CEO, Leah Weckert, and the outgoing Woolworths boss, Brad Banducci, are set to appear before the inquiry on 16 April. Jonathan Barrett brought us all the details earlier in the blog here.
In a series of tweets, McKim argued the pair would have to “answer for price gouging shoppers and putting the squeeze on farmers”.
They’ll have to explain how they are raking in billions in profits while millions of Australians are struggling to put food on the table.
People have given evidence spoken about skipping meals, being forced to dumpster dive and missing out on other essentials … It’s time for the CEOs to front the Senate and face the music.
The CEOs of Coles and Woolworths will next week face the Greens-led Senate inquiry into supermarket pricing.
They’ll have to answer for price gouging shoppers and putting the squeeze on farmers
NSW government considers cutting Warragamba Dam storage level
The New South Wales government is weighing up dropping storage levels in the main dam serving Sydney in a bid to mitigate flooding, AAP reports.
Councils along the flood-affected Hawkesbury have reignited calls for the wall on Warragamba Dam to be raised, a plan promised by the former Coalition government but abandoned under the incoming Labor administration.
Sydney’s largest reservoir has spilled a total volume of water equivalent to half of Sydney harbour since it reached 100% capacity on Saturday, according to Water NSW.
The premier, Chris Minns, said rebuilding the dam wall would take eight to 10 years, come at an enormous cost and would not stop flash-flooding in western and north-western Sydney. He told reporters today:
Forty-five per cent of floodwaters in the Hawkesbury, Richmond catchment don’t come over the top of Warragamba Dam, so we could be in a situation where we raise Warragamba, we spend $2bn and those communities are still inundated by flooding.
But Minns said the government would look at all potential changes, including dropping the maximum allowable water level at Warragamba, as long as Sydney’s drinking water supply could be supplemented.
So that’s not going to give us an immediate relief, it’s going to take a bit of time.
The Warragamba Dam spillway outflowing in south-west Sydney in 2021. Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/AAP
Criminal record should not mean access to NDIS denied, says Australian Lawyers Alliance
The Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA) says access to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) should not be used as a means of ongoing punishment for people who have a criminal record.
In a statement, it noted media reports about former prisoners and offenders accessing the NDIS. ALA spokesperson Greg Barns said any implication or message that this is somehow wrong “is misplaced”.
The right to health is a human right that applies to all Australians whether they have a criminal record or not.
Once someone has served their sentence, they should not be further punished by denying them access to government support services, if they are eligible for them. Further, access to NDIS should be made available to people who are in prison, many of whom have serious mental and physical health disabilities.
In fact, while people are imprisoned and serving their sentence they are entitled to the same level of health care as others in the community. This should not change when they are released from prison.
Barns argued the NDIS can be an important tool in rehabilitation by providing essential supports, meaning it is in the community’s interest for people with past convictions to have access to it.
Albanese updates gifts on parliamentary interest register
In other recent updates to the register, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, noted last week that he’d been gifted a watch from the Sultan of Brunei, which he surrendered to his department (politicians are only allowed to keep gifts over a certain value if they pay the difference, with official gifts often surrendered to their departments).
He also got a bottle of wine from Brokenwood Wines, which he visited recently on a visit to the Hunter, and a “miniature Boxer model from Rheinmetall” after announcing a major defence industry deal with that manufacturer last week.
Albanese also said he had “retained” a custom turntable from the US president, Joe Biden, which he was presented with on his visit to America last year for a state dinner. In an earlier register update, Albanese had noted he had “surrendered” the turntable (which came with a “commemorative plaque”), as well as surrendering books on rock and roll history, and framed AC/DC and Bruce Springsteen records.
Labor MP declares … 75cm statue of himself from a constituent
Labor MP Julian Hill has made one of the more interesting updates to the parliamentary interests register that we’ve seen in a while, declaring a 75cm statue of himself that he was recently gifted by a constituent.
There’s all manner of eye-opening updates to the register of interests from our federal politicians, from swathes of free sporting and concert tickets to envious property portfolios, and we try to keep track of some of the more interesting ones. Some MPs are meticulous in keeping up-to-date on their latest gifts and changes in circumstances, giving public notice when they’re given as little as a free badge or a pack of lollies, while others are more sparing in their updates.
But Hill, the member for the Melbourne seat of Bruce, might have one of the more unconventional updates we’ve seen in a while.
“Statue of me received from a constituent Mr Haidary. 56cm high. Seated on a 75cm high throne. Made in Iran,” he added to his register yesterday, noting the value as “priceless”.
We’re very happy to bring you a photo of the Hill statue:
