Angus Taylor says he’s not a supporter of gender quotas
Dan Jervis-Bardy
Senior Liberal frontbencher Angus Taylor says he doesn’t assist gender quotas as a mechanism to develop the variety of ladies in its ranks, after his new chief put all choices on the desk to elevate the occasion’s feminine illustration.
The brand new opposition chief, Sussan Ley, has declared herself a “zealot” for motion to draw extra ladies to the occasion however was “agnostic” concerning the technique.
Labor launched gender quotas greater than 30 years in the past, with ladies now comprising greater than half of its caucus. In distinction, ladies make up fewer than 30% of the Coalition occasion room.
However Taylor – who Ley defeated within the post-election Liberal management poll – mentioned quotas weren’t the reply.
He advised Sky Information:
I’m not a supporter of quotas. As Sussan mentioned, that is going to be a matter for state divisions [of the Liberal party]. It’s not one thing that I believe is important with a view to get the result. I believe attracting, mentoring, retaining nice individuals and nice ladies within the occasion is extremely essential work for completely everyone, for all leaders. And I take that very critically.
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Usman Khawaja refuses SEN interview after radio station’s sacking of journalist
Cricketer Usman Khawaja refused an interview with Australian sports activities radio station SEN after the primary day’s play of the primary Take a look at in opposition to West Indies in Barbados, 4 months after the station sacked the journalist Peter Lalor as a consequence of his outspoken assist of Palestinians.
Learn the total story right here:
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Trent Curtin appointed commissioner of NSW RFS
Trent Curtin has been appointed new commissioner to steer the NSW Rural Fireplace Service.
“Curtin has in depth expertise as an emergency providers chief in NSW and Victoria, the place he has been concerned in managing important fires and large-scale pure disasters and dealing with volunteers,” the minister for emergency providers, Jihad Dib, mentioned.
RFS volunteers are on the forefront of the state’s pure catastrophe response. From the 2019-20 bushfires to more moderen flood occasions, they’re a reassuring presence for communities in want.
Mr Curtin began his firefighting profession 30 years in the past as a volunteer and I sit up for working with him as he brings his emergency service experience to an organisation on the frontline of bushfire response.
I thank the outgoing commissioner Rob Rogers, who will end within the position on 4 July, for his 4 many years of service to NSW communities.”
Curtin mentioned “the RFS performs a significant position in our communities, responding in probably the most tough circumstances to assist others of their time of want”.
I sit up for honouring the legacy of the RFS as a community-centred company, whereas guaranteeing we stay prepared to fulfill the problem of extra frequent and intense pure disasters.
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Up to date at 00.43 EDT
Australia presents recent Solomons help forward of PIF summit
Australia has introduced $A11 m in assist to enhance roads in Solomon Islands because it prepares to host the Pacific Islands Discussion board leaders summit.
Pacific Island minister Pat Conroy unveiled the pledge in Honiara at this time together with a situation aimed squarely at Australia’s geopolitical rival China.
Australian officers are privately important of Chinese language international help delivered by migrant employees within the Pacific, with Conroy saying this funding would keep away from the apply.
“We’re ensuring our initiatives are delivered by native firms,” he mentioned.
That is one of the best ways we are able to guarantee financial advantages stream to Solomon Islands from day one, and that these initiatives create extra jobs for locals.
China can also be delivering street upgrades within the notoriously choked-up Honiara, which depends on one key arterial street to service the capital’s enterprise districts and airport.
Australia’s recent funding will go in direction of 12 roads: 4 within the northern island of Malaita and eight in Honiara, the host of the regional summit in September.
“We all know the influence of deteriorating roads for attending to work, getting produce to market, getting kids and relations to highschool or well being providers,” Conroy mentioned.
Communities alongside Malaita’s South Highway had been successfully reduce off from important providers for over two years because of the South Highway being impassable …
The reopening of the South Highway final 12 months – with assist from Australia and the good work of native contractors – has restored that important hyperlink from Auki to Bina and past.
Conroy introduced one other $A7m in help for the Tina River Hydro scheme, taking its whole assist for the renewable power challenge to $A70m.
When full, the mighty dam is anticipated to energy two-thirds of Honiara’s power wants.
The federal government has additionally pledged to double funding for surveillance of unlawful fishing within the area.
– Australian Related Press
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Up to date at 00.26 EDT
Angus Taylor says he’s not a supporter of gender quotas
Dan Jervis-Bardy
Senior Liberal frontbencher Angus Taylor says he doesn’t assist gender quotas as a mechanism to develop the variety of ladies in its ranks, after his new chief put all choices on the desk to elevate the occasion’s feminine illustration.
The brand new opposition chief, Sussan Ley, has declared herself a “zealot” for motion to draw extra ladies to the occasion however was “agnostic” concerning the technique.
Labor launched gender quotas greater than 30 years in the past, with ladies now comprising greater than half of its caucus. In distinction, ladies make up fewer than 30% of the Coalition occasion room.
However Taylor – who Ley defeated within the post-election Liberal management poll – mentioned quotas weren’t the reply.
He advised Sky Information:
I’m not a supporter of quotas. As Sussan mentioned, that is going to be a matter for state divisions [of the Liberal party]. It’s not one thing that I believe is important with a view to get the result. I believe attracting, mentoring, retaining nice individuals and nice ladies within the occasion is extremely essential work for completely everyone, for all leaders. And I take that very critically.
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Up to date at 00.35 EDT
Josh Taylor
Australia’s eSafety commissioner corrects YouTube’s ‘mistaken’ claims
The eSafety commissioner has responded to what she says had been YouTube’s “mistaken” claims about her place that the video streaming service ought to be included within the under-16s social media ban.
The commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, on Tuesday revealed she had advisable to the communications minister, Anika Wells, that YouTube’s deliberate exemption from the ban be faraway from the foundations at present beneath improvement, pointing to eSafety analysis highlighting that kids encounter probably dangerous content material on YouTube greater than every other platform.
In response, YouTube pointed to the excessive variety of academics who use YouTube in lecture rooms on a month-to-month foundation, and urged the federal government to “guarantee younger Australians can proceed to entry enriching content material on YouTube”.
Inman Grant fired again on Thursday in a press release, and mentioned YouTube “at present employs most of the similar options and performance related to the harms that the laws is searching for to deal with” like autoplay, and algorithmic suggestions. However she mentioned eSafety’s recommendation wouldn’t imply kids would now not be capable to entry instructional content material on YouTube.
Inman Grant mentioned:
The brand new legislation will solely prohibit kids beneath the age of 16 from having their very own accounts – not accessing content material on YouTube or every other service via hyperlinks from the varsity or in a ‘logged-out’ state.
There may be nothing within the laws that forestalls educators with their very own accounts from persevering with to include school-approved instructional content material on YouTube or every other service simply as they do now.
Australia’s eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant addresses the Nationwide Press Membership in Canberra, Tuesday, 24 June, 2025. {Photograph}: Lukas Coch/AAPShare
Up to date at 23.59 EDT
Angus Taylor requires transparency on US army operations in Australia
Josh Butler
The federal government ought to be extra clear about US army operations in Australia, in accordance with the shadow defence minister, Angus Taylor, who says he’s searching for briefings from Labor about whether or not Pine Hole or different amenities had been used within the bombings of Iranian nuclear websites.
Prime minister Anthony Albanese and international minister Penny Wong would solely say that the US bombings had been “unilateral” motion, when pressed a number of instances this week about what involvement – if any – Australian property or amenities had within the US army strikes.
Andrew Hastie, the shadow house affairs minister, mentioned on Tuesday there ought to be “larger transparency” concerning the US army presence in Australia. Requested about this at a doorstop at this time, Taylor agreed.
“I do assume the federal government must be very clear with us about what our involvement is or may be, in each the Ukraine and the Center East. I believe that’s one thing that we do wish to see,” he mentioned.
I’ve personally requested the defence minister for a briefing on this, and I do assume it’s incumbent on the federal government to be sure that we’re totally knowledgeable as to what that state of affairs may be.
Taylor mentioned he was nonetheless searching for briefings, including “I believe it’s essential that we be capable to perceive what that state of affairs is.” Requested if he could be involved if Pine Hole had been a part of the US strikes, he replied: “it’s speculative, as a result of we don’t have any details about what might need occurred or the way it might need been used, however we do assume it’s applicable that we’d be briefed on that.”
Requested on Tuesday about Hastie’s feedback, Marles countered that he believed “there may be really a excessive diploma of transparency in relation to america presence in Australia.”
We’ve lengthy had full information and concurrence preparations in relation to America’s power posture in Australia, not simply in relation to Pine Hole, however in relation to all of its power posture in Australia.
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Up to date at 00.05 EDT
Caitlin Cassidy
Naplan evaluation finds pupil writing abilities declined for greater than a decade
Scholar writing abilities have declined for greater than a decade, new Naplan evaluation reveals, prompting the creation of recent sources to explicitly train writing throughout all topic areas.
The Australian Schooling Analysis Organisation (AERO) evaluation, launched on Thursday, discovered common Naplan scores for persuasive writing abilities had fallen since 2011, with significantly pronounced dips in years 7 and 9.
In response, AERO has launched a framework to offer skilled studying for academics to explicitly train and assess writing throughout completely different topic areas reminiscent of maths and science.
The AERO chief government, Jenny Donovan, mentioned bettering college students’ writing abilities was a “nationwide problem”.
Educating writing isn’t simply the duty of English academics; it is a crucial talent in all topic areas and requires specific and systematic instruction by each major and secondary academics.
When academics have a shared language for discussing sentence construction, grammar and punctuation, it helps a cohesive and constant method to educating writing and evaluation.
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Up to date at 23.29 EDT
Australia sanctions extra Russian people and teams
Josh Butler
The federal authorities has imposed sanctions on an extra 37 Russians and 7 teams, in response to the conflict in Ukraine.
The international affairs minister, Penny Wong, and the defence minister, Richard Marles, mentioned it was a part of “additional motion to assist Ukraine and maintain Russia to account for its unlawful and immoral conflict”, along with sending an plane and 100 ADF personnel to Europe, as we introduced you earlier.
“As a part of the Albanese authorities’s ongoing work to carry Russia to account for its unlawful invasion of Ukraine, Australia has additionally at this time imposed one other wave of sanctions designed to additional weaken Russia’s conflict financial system,” the ministers mentioned.
This contains new focused monetary sanctions and journey bans on 37 people, and focused monetary sanctions on seven entities. These sanctions goal Russia’s defence, power, transport, insurance coverage, electronics and finance sectors, in addition to promulgators of Russian disinformation and propaganda.
People sanctioned embody some concerned in transport firms, a Russian oil producer, banking corporations and entities together with electronics producers.
Wong mentioned: “Australia stays steadfast in our assist for Ukraine and in our dedication to a complete, simply and lasting peace.
Our focused sanctions mirror our shut coordination with key Nato companions, together with the UK, Canada and the European Union.
Wong mentioned it meant Australia had now imposed greater than 1,500 sanctions in response to Russia’s invasion and that the federal government “will proceed to work with companions to disrupt Russia’s capacity to fund its unlawful and immoral conflict”.
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Up to date at 23.15 EDT
Henry Belot
Melbourne’s Scotch School writes poem to ‘solicit dough’
Considered one of Australia’s wealthiest and most unique personal colleges, Scotch School in Melbourne, has written a poem to solicit donations from its monetary supporters.
As Guardian Australia reported earlier at this time, the Albanese authorities has been urged to finish an “outrageous” and “merciless joke” that incentivises donations to Australia’s richest personal colleges in return for a tax deduction.
That view isn’t shared by personal colleges and their peak physique, which argues these tax deductible donations to finance faculty buildings are “important” and that they profit the broader local people.
On Wednesday morning, the Scotch School Basis despatched its supporters a six paragraph poem to “solicit your dough”. The e-mail, despatched days earlier than the tip of the monetary 12 months, famous donations to the varsity’s “archive and museum fund are tax deductible”.
On the threat of violating Guardian Australia’s phrase depend, right here is the poem in full:
Stroll With Us
In stone, in gate, in path and title, The echoes of our founders flame. Their imaginative and prescient, daring, nonetheless lights our method— A beacon burning vivid at this time.
Beneath the timber the place tales develop, The place reverence and progress stream, We elevate our arms to present, to construct, To form the desires that they as soon as willed.
Let Forbes come up in sculpted grace, A founder’s soul etched into place. At Glenferrie’s gates, let heritage gleam— A centenary reminder of Littlejohn’s dream.
In Ballarat, the place Lawson lies, Restore his relaxation beneath the skies. For all who lead have to be revered, Their reminiscence held, their objective clear.
Alongside the path in Hawthorn’s coronary heart, We’ll stroll the previous as future’s begin. Every step, a lesson, our path well-known. A historical past proudly claimed, our personal.
So be a part of this trigger, stand aspect by aspect, With religion, with pleasure, in grateful stride. Your reward upholds the legacy— A narrative formed by you and me.
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Up to date at 23.56 EDT
Chris Minns accuses Mark Latham of being ‘one of the bigoted MPs within the nation’
Anne Davies
It’s all been fairly fiery in NSW parliament’s closing query time earlier than the winter break.
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, has lashed the previous Labor determine turned One Nation turned impartial Mark Latham, in NSW parliament’s query time, calling him one of many “most bigoted MPs within the nation”.
And three individuals had been thrown out of the general public gallery for protesting in opposition to the continued army exercise in Gaza.
An assault by Latham on the impartial Alex Greenwich on Tuesday evening beneath privilege appears to have been the ultimate straw for the premier however definitely not the one cause.
Minns additionally cited his assaults on home violence campaigner Rosie Battie; his “odious” X account, which he mentioned was “crammed with antisemitism”, and his assist for the Dural caravan inquiry, which has induced Minns’ private workers to seem beneath risk of being arrested for failing to adjust to summonses.
Latham has additionally been siding with the opposition and the Greens (plus different independents) and has blocked a number of key items of laws that the federal government dearly wished to move, together with reforms to the employees’ compensation Legal guidelines. Minns mentioned:
I’m reminded of the outdated adage: by no means wrestle with a pig, you each get soiled. However this is without doubt one of the most bigoted MPs within the nation.
His legal professional basic, Michael Daley, warned that Donald Trump was the albatross round former Liberal chief Peter Dutton’s neck and that Latham could be equally a lead weight for NSW opposition chief Mark Speakman.
The NSW premier, Chris Minns. {Photograph}: Dan Himbrechts/AAPShare
Up to date at 23.12 EDT
Life sentences for ‘horrific’ toolbox murders
Three males discovered responsible of the “horrific” homicide of two individuals who drowned in a toolbox have been given a 30-year life sentence.
Cory Breton, 28, and Iuliana Triscaru, 31, had been killed at Kingston in Logan, south of Brisbane, on 24 January 2016.
The pair had been crushed, stabbed and choked earlier than they had been stuffed right into a 2-metre-long toolbox.
Stou Daniels, Davy Malu Junior Taiao and Trent Michael Thrupp had been discovered responsible of the pair’s homicide for a second time after a retrial.
Justice Glenn Martin mentioned that they had engaged in “appalling conduct” when he sentenced the trio within the Queensland supreme courtroom on Thursday.
“It’s tough to think about the immense terror they felt within the hours main as much as their deaths,” he mentioned.
Justice Martin accepted crown prosecutor Nathan Crane’s submission that the three defendants ought to serve 30 years as a substitute of the obligatory 20-year minimal.
All three defendants have already spent greater than 9 years in custody, which was recognised as time served.
– Australian Related Press
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Up to date at 22.48 EDT
Luca Ittimani
Job vacancies up practically 3% in three months to Might
Almost 340,000 jobs are unfilled in Australia, together with an additional 10,000 positions left vacant in February as employee shortages stay tough to fill.
The close to 3% enhance within the variety of job vacancies within the three months to Might adopted a small fall over the three months to February, in accordance with Australian Bureau of Statistics information out at this time.
Development jobs and people in skilled, scientific and technical providers contributed probably the most to the uptick, with 1000’s of expert positions left unfilled.
Well being employees are nonetheless in excessive demand however the variety of vacancies has declined from practically 62,000 open jobs in Might 2024 to just about 55,000 final month.
Companies’ battle to search out employees is a key threat the Reserve Financial institution has warned of because it contemplates reducing rates of interest at its subsequent board assembly in July, with governor Michele Bullock warning in Might a persistently tight labour market and powerful job progress could be an indication it might be too quickly for extra charge cuts.
Unfilled jobs spiked in 2022 to a excessive of 474,000 earlier than falling under 330,000 in August 2024, however as a substitute of constant their fall, they’ve stayed at that prime ever since. Sean Crick, ABS head of labour statistics, mentioned:
In contrast with Might 2024, the variety of job vacancies in Might 2025 was down by 9,600, or 2.8 per cent. This was the smallest annual fall in job vacancies within the final two years.
Over the 12 months, the variety of unemployed individuals for every job emptiness grew from 1.7 to 1.8. That is nicely under the pre-pandemic stage of three.1 in February 2020, indicating there may be nonetheless excessive labour demand.
A charge reduce is anticipated in July, with markets virtually totally pricing in a full 25-basis-point reduce this morning after inflation information yesterday fell decrease than anticipated, however economists have warned the assembly shall be a “shut name”. Learn extra right here:
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Up to date at 23.54 EDT
Andrew Messenger
Queensland funds in reply speech ends with ‘small goal’ assault
And Queensland’s funds reply has come to an finish after about an hour.
Its principal theme was a criticism that the LNP in authorities and opposition tents to shrink back from massive fights and as a substitute presents a “small goal”. All the great concepts within the funds, Steven Miles mentioned, had been rebranded Labor ones, and he mentioned there was little else.
It’s a line of assault he’s prosecuted from his time as premier earlier than shedding final October’s election.
The elephant within the room is that Queensland’s conservative events have a traditionally horrible document of re-election. The final non-Labor premier to win a second time period was Joh Bjelkie-Petersen – in 1969.
Miles mentioned “that is the funds of a authorities that cares solely about itself and its longevity”. He mentioned:
I do know this premier’s ego is obsessive about not being a one time period LNP premier. As a substitute of specializing in his re-election marketing campaign in 2028 although, I name on the premier to deal with the now, right here at this time, when persons are struggling to pay the hire or flip the lights on.
It strikes me that the premier has gotten so good at being a small goal that he doesn’t even know what he stands for any extra. He’s mastered the artwork of claiming nothing so nicely. I’m not even positive he remembers what he believes in. You possibly can’t be a small goal in authorities. You possibly can’t repair massive issues by enjoying small. However that’s all he is aware of tips on how to do. You possibly can’t simply present, you possibly can’t present up right here simply since you just like the sound of your personal voice.
I say to Queenslanders: don’t allow them to deal with you want this.
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Up to date at 22.43 EDT
Andrew Messenger
Steven Miles reveals housing commitments in funds in reply speech
The funds in reply speech by the Queensland opposition chief, Steven Miles, continues.
He’s made two main commitments, each of them referring to the state’s housing disaster.
A Labor authorities elected in 2028 would prolong 50% land tax concessions for construct to hire initiatives which embody a social housing ingredient, he mentioned.
And he would deliver again a free Tafe program with a view to practice the employees he mentioned could be wanted to construct them. He mentioned:
Sadly, younger Queenslanders researching Tafe coaching at this time are confronted with an internet web page telling them that free Tafe has run out beneath this authorities.
Miles mentioned the federal government had as a substitute taken a Nimby method, cancelling a variety of housing initiatives and undermining his authorities’s “state facilitated improvement” course of, lowering approvals.
How can we anticipate to ship the properties of the longer term if this LNP authorities is standing in the way in which of progress, actually canceling initiatives and winding again planning quick cuts? It’s like the federal government is enjoying a recreation of stakes and ladders with itself however eradicating all of the ladders.
That’s why this authorities ought to direct the planning division to proceed to pursue state facilitated improvement as one mechanism to extend housing provide.
The Queensland opposition chief, Steven Miles. {Photograph}: Darren England/AAPShare
Up to date at 22.31 EDT
Andrew Messenger
Queensland Labor claims LNP has banned land acknowledgments from some public service e-mail signatures
Queensland’s Labor opposition claims the federal government has banned members of the general public service from making land acknowledgements of their e-mail signature.
An inner departmental directive exhibits that members of at the very least one company have been given a “strict directive” about branding in emails.
“Departments are now not permitted so as to add extra departmental branding components such because the First Nations acknowledgment” to e-mail signatures, it says.
The shadow minister for reconciliation, Leanne Enoch, requested the minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Fiona Simpson, if the federal government had consulted on the choice.
“I’ve been consulting with the communities of Palm Island concerning the truth they wish to have the dignity of proudly owning their very own properties. I’ve been consulting with communities reminiscent of Kowanyama … the place they had been indicating that there’s greater than only a hole. There’s a gap in regard to frontline providers,” Simpson mentioned.
No person introduced up signature blocks.
The Liberal Nationwide occasion’s first act in authorities was to cancel the state’s pathway to treaty course of and shut its fact telling and therapeutic inquiry.
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Up to date at 22.23 EDT
Steven Miles begins Queensland funds reply speech
Andrew Messenger
Labor chief Steven Miles has kicked off his funds reply speech in Queensland parliament.
Final 12 months’s pre-election funds was completely filled with price of dwelling reduction, and Miles has centered on the relative lack of giveaways in Tuesday’s.
It was the primary LNP funds in a decade, since premier Campbell Newman misplaced workplace in 2015. Partly via monumental borrowings
The speech is tipped to deal with housing and placing meals on the desk, however it’s unclear if it’ll embody new main coverage bulletins. Miles’ speech has been a lot much less awaited than Crisafulli’s tackle final 12 months, wherein he introduced a lot of the occasion’s agenda in authorities. With the state election not due for 3 years it’s unlikely Labor will do the identical factor this 12 months.
With an election slated for Tasmania subsequent month – which can result in a toppling of the state’s 12 months conservative authorities after 11 years in energy – Crisafulli could wind up the one Coalition premier within the nation.
Labor spent a lot of query time demanding solutions on capital initiatives supposedly unfunded by the brand new authorities, and complaining a few change in color in state branding from maroon to blue, supposedly an act of treason in State of Origin season.
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Up to date at 22.17 EDT
