3 weeks ago
Melbourne lord mayor says idea city should adopt six-season calendar might 'make a bit more sense'
Should Melbourne have six seasons instead of four? The lord mayor thinks there’s some merit to the idea.
Melbourne lord mayor Nicholas Reece said there is some weight behind an idea the city adopt a calendar that references First Nations seasons, rather than the four that have been “superimposed” on the city from northern Europe. Reece was speaking on 3AW earlier about the Melbourne 2050 Summit at the city’s town hall in May.
One of the ideas that came out of the summit included the adoption of many seasons referenced in the Wurundjeri calendar. Reece told 3AW:
In the Wurundjeri calendar, there were six seasons. It was a wet summer and a dry summer. A wet winter and a dry winter. And when you think about it makes sense. We have gone and superimposed the four seasons, essentially from Northern Europe, here in Melbourne, and they don’t really match up with the weather patterns. …
This is actually quite an interesting idea, don’t just rule it out … you’ve gotta think about it. … This is one of those things where a bit of First Nations knowledge appears to make a bit more sense.
Reece went on to say he tracked Melbourne’s wattle trees himself, saying their flowering lined up extremely well with the Wurundjeri calendar:
It’s extraordinary. Literally wattle season starts and that week you look around Melbourne and all of the wattle trees have turned fluorescent yellow and it’s beautiful.
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Burke on visa decisions: ‘we don’t need hatred imported here’
The home affairs minister, Tony Burke, is appearing on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing after revealing that he has blocked dozens of visas to protect social cohesion.
Asked if he had abandoned free speech principles, Burke said the principles he followed “are the ones in the Act”.
Australians will have whatever views they want … if someone has got a record of just trying to blow issues up and turn people against each other, we don’t need them here. I’m really relaxed about saying to someone who wants to come here, incite discord, spread hatred, you can go to another country, we don’t need it here.
Burke said when he received criticism over preventing freedom of speech, his view was “very simple”:
We don’t need hatred imported here. If someone wants to come on a speaking tour, they’ve got a record of saying horrific things, we will look at it. If someone is coming on a visitor visa, you’re a lot more relaxed. Generally they’re not going to make public comments. For some time, Kanye West came and went in Australia and it was a visitor visa … Then even he reached the threshold with that Heil Hitler song.
Burke estimated around 100 visas had been refused during his time in office, including a number made by him personally.
NSW Police confirm teenager who was fatally stabbed near Newcastle was Chinese exchange student
A 14-year-old girl that was fatally stabbed near Newcastle last night was a Chinese exchange student, NSW police have confirmed.
At about 10.20pm emergency services were called to a home at Edgeworth in Lake Macquarie following reports of a stabbing.
Officers found a teenage girl with an injury to her torso. She was treated at the scene by paramedics before being taken to the John Hunter hospital, where she later died.
A 13-year-old girl, also a Chinese student, was arrested at the scene and remains in police custody. During a search of the home, a kitchen knife was located and seized for forensic examination. No charges have been laid.
The investigation is continuing.
The New South Wales government has introduced legislation to strengthen Working With Children Checks (WWCC) in a bid to better protect children from harm.
If passed, only the Office of the Children’s Guardian – the state’s independent child safety regulator – will be responsible for reviewing WWCC decisions, removing external appeal pathways through the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT).
Currently, people with serious criminal histories – including offences involving children – can have decisions made by the Office of the Children’s Guardian overturned. In some cases, this has allowed individuals who were disqualified to return to child-related work. The same change will be made for NDIS Worker Checks.
To close system-wide information gaps, the NSW government will also advocate for a national register of WWCC at Cabinet.
Acting minister for education and early learning, Courtney Houssos, “families need to know the system will catch the people it’s supposed to”.
Stronger regulation isn’t just overdue — it’s essential. We’re putting safety and accountability back at the heart of early education and care.
Luca Ittimani
Gas tax boosts economic growth, Productivity Commissioning modelling fomds
Gas industry taxes grow Australia’s economy, according to modelling for the government’s Productivity Commission ahead of its economic roundtable.
The petroleum resources rent tax (PRRT) was the only major federal tax to increase economic incentives for each additional dollar it raised, the modelling’s author, Chris Murphy, found.
Taxes tend to be economically harmful as they decrease incentives to work, invest or otherwise stimulate the economy, but Murphy found the PRRT boosted the economy at a rate of 9 cents for every extra dollar the tax raises.
Critics say the 40% tax has raised relatively little due to its generous rules allowing companies to fully deduct capital expenditure from their tax liability. Bob Breunig, a tax expert, has previously told Guardian Australia that the rate could be hiked to 50% without a big fall in investment:
Taxing profits that are well above the firm’s needs “in principle does no economic harm,” though taxing normal levels of returns on investment would be harmful, the paper said.
The commission referenced Murphy’s paper in its July proposal of a big company tax cut and an offsetting cashflow tax hike, getting the conversation going ahead of the Albanese government’s economic roundtable, two weeks from now.
The modelling, first reported by the Australian Financial Review, also suggested the goods and services tax was the best option for tax hike while company tax was ripe for a cut:
Per extra dollar of revenue raised, the GST does the least economic harm, followed by personal income tax, followed by company income tax with the most economic harm.
Marles says whole world ‘looking with horror’ at Gaza situation
Turning to the issue of Palestinian statehood, with increasing signs Australia is on the cusp of making an announcement, Marles denied reports that the right-wing faction of the Labor party – particularly in Victoria – had been resistant to it.
“This is not an issue of internal factional politics,” he said.
What I would say in relation to this, to echo the words of the foreign minister today … it has been a bipartisan position across Australian politics to support a two-state solution. And that’s been the case for decades.
Pointed to the fact Labor’s “order of things” had changed last year, with Penny Wong saying it didn’t have to come at the end of the peace progress, Marles said that reflected a “change in circumstances in the Middle East” and the accompanied sense of urgency.
I think the whole world, really, is looking with horror at what is playing out in the Middle East. The humanitarian situation on the ground in Gaza, the loss of innocent life there, that informs the way countries around the world are seeing it.
Marles said is a two-state-solution was where “we want to end up, the involvement or [rather] the non-involvement of Hamas in any future Palestinian government is critically important”, as was the return of the hostages.
We know that an enduring peace will only be achieved if a two-state solution is ultimately realised. And that has been manifestly put on display in terms of the tragedy we see unfolding in the Middle East right now.
Marles says intention is to move production of Mogami-class ships to Western Australia as soon as possible
Marles said the Mogami-class vessel’s next generation is currently in the production line in Japan.
… we have slots within that production line for the three vessels that will be built in Japan. It is then the intention to move the production of these vessels as soon as we can, we see that as being after the first three, to Western Australia.
Marles said building them onshore was contingent on the Henderson defence precinct being built but the government was “confident” that would be the case.
What this will be is the heart of the continuous naval shipbuilding program … The focus here is speed to service. Because we need to have a new service combatant in the water as quickly as we can. That’s why we’re having the first batch, the first three being built overseas. And we do have a sense of confidence given there’s an existing production line with these ships being built and we have our ships in that slot.
Some $55bn has been put aside for the surface fleet over the next 10 years, with $10bn allocated to the general-purpose frigate. Marles said regional threats, including China, was not part of the consideration.
The only criteria here was which would be the best platform for Australia going forward. We’ve been very clear the capability needs to be the fundamental basis upon which we’re making these decisions.
Marles says navy shipbuilding contract unrelated to Aukus
The defence minister and deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, is appearing on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing after Japan beat a German rival to win a $10bn contract to grow Australia’s war fleet.
Asked if the deal with the first step towards bringing Japan into Aukus, Marles said the Mogami class vessel was selected “because it’s the best vessel for Australia”, and the US “did not provide a view” on the decision.
Both the final two bidders, TKMS, that builds the vessel in Germany, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, that builds the Mogami class, they’re both excellent bids. When we look at the two ships, their cost, the way we sustain them over the long term, it’s the best option.
Aukus obviously is very central to our defence posture and what we’re seeking to do in terms of providing a long-range submarine capacity for Australia, as well as innovating in other areas of military technology with the US and the UK, but this decision is really quite separate.
When we came to government, we inherited the oldest combat surface fleet the Navy had been operating since the second world war … that was a capability gap. The service fleet review made it clear we need to meet that capability gap. That’s what the general-purpose frigate was about. That’s why we’re moving very quickly in relation to this.
Teen e-dirt bike rider accused of fatal crash gets bail
A teenage boy charged with manslaughter after he allegedly collided with a pedestrian while he was riding an electric dirt bike has been granted bail with strict conditions, AAP reports.
Police allege the 17-year-old struck the 59-year-old woman while riding the e-bike erratically in a public park in Perth’s northern suburbs on 26 July. He appeared via video-link in the West Australian children’s court on Tuesday, when he was granted bail.
His conditions of release include not riding any vehicle in public, residing at one of his parents’ homes, a 7pm to 7am curfew at the residence unless accompanied by a parent, submitting to police checks during those hours and surrendering his passport. The prosecution did not oppose bail after a favourable bail service report was returned to the court.
Police charged the boy with manslaughter, driving without a licence and riding an unregistered vehicle after the woman died in hospital. He was later also charged with reckless driving and failing to stop when ordered, with police alleging that five minutes before the woman was struck, an officer on a motorbike tried to stop the boy using lights and sirens.
The matter will return to the same court on 6 October.
Missing man found safe in NT desert two days after search operation called off
The discovery of a father who had been lost in the outback for a week has been hailed as a “miracle” by his family, AAP reports.
Gach Top, 26, has been found dehydrated but safe in the Northern Territory, two days after a major search and rescue operation was called off.
His family never gave up, continuing to look for the father before he was eventually located about 45km west of Alice Springs on Monday night. Police said he had been taken to hospital for assessment.
Top disappeared near his hometown of Alice Springs on 28 July. His car was found at nearby John Flynn’s Grave historical reserve the next day, sparking concerns for his welfare.
A massive search operation was launched, including ATVs, drones and aerial support covering more than 500 square kilometres of terrain. Police suspended the search on Saturday following five days of scouring the area west of Alice Springs.
However Top’s family members and local volunteers continued to look before the young father was reportedly spotted walking barefoot near Jay Creek outstation by the Aboriginal homeland’s residents on Monday night. Police said Top was found safe near Jay Creek, close to where items of his clothing had been found earlier.
Ruling issued on MPs taking photos in NSW parliament after Latham leaks
Anne Davies
The president of the NSW Legislative Council, Ben Franklin, has ruled that MPs taking photographs in the chamber while parliament is sitting will be regarded “as disorderly” and dealt with accordingly.
The ruling follows the leaking of texts which Mark Latham allegedly sent to his ex-partner showing women MPs accompanied by derogatory comments. The texts, though private, have caused outrage among MPs, because the photos were taken without the knowledge or consent of the women who featured.
Franklin said today that there had already been rulings by previous presidents that selfies were “completely inappropriate”. He said that while phones were permitted in the chamber, it was not permitted to use them as recording devices and that this included taking photos and videos.
The parliament has clear rules for the media when it comes to taking photos or filming within the chamber. News photographers are restricted to photographing the person who is speaking – but the rules were less clear for members of parliament.
Coalition welcomes announcement Japan will build new Australian navy fleet
The Coalition has welcomed today’s news that Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has been selected to build the Royal Australian Navy’s next fleet of warships, with the federal government expecting the first to be ready for service by 2030, while continuing to urge Labor to drastically boost defence spending.
In a joint statement, the acting shadow minister for defence, Andrew Hastie, and shadow minister for defence industry and personnel Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, said the upgraded Mogami-class frigate would play a “critical role in maintaining peace in our region and deterring aggression”.
The Albanese Labor government must ensure that the upgraded Mogami frigates are delivered in a cost-effective and timely manner. Australia needs these frigates in the water as soon as possible to avoid critical gaps in our capability.
Hastie and Price said the decision came as Australia faced “the most challenging geopolitical environment since the Second World War”.
At a time when our allies and partners are all increasing defence spending, so too must Australia.The Coalition has reaffirmed its support for increasing defence spending to 3% of GDP to meet the demands of the Defence Strategic Review.
Australia is on track to lift defence spending from about $53bn a year, or about 2% of GDP – to an estimated $100bn, or 2.4% of GDP, by 2033-34, as the federal government continues to push back on US demands for Australia to drastically increase its defence budget to 3.5% of GDP.
Nick Visser
That’s all for me, thanks for sticking with us. The great Caitlin Cassidy will guide you through this afternoon’s news.
Qantas frequent flyer points get devalued today
It will now take quite a bit more Qantas points to book a reward flight. The airline has officially upped the number of points needed for a classic reward by up to 20%, with the starting classic fare on a short-haul domestic flight moving from 8,000 points up to 9,200. Classic upgrade rewards will also increase by up to 20%.
It’s the first time Qantas has increased the number of points required for a classic reward in six years. The airline said the change ”will help ensure we can continue investing in the program, maintaining its value for members both now and in the future”.
Classic flight rewards on Jetstar’s short-haul domestic flights in Australia and New Zealand were lowered by 11%
You can check out the new reward tables here.
Melbourne lord mayor says idea city should adopt six-season calendar might 'make a bit more sense'
Should Melbourne have six seasons instead of four? The lord mayor thinks there’s some merit to the idea.
Melbourne lord mayor Nicholas Reece said there is some weight behind an idea the city adopt a calendar that references First Nations seasons, rather than the four that have been “superimposed” on the city from northern Europe. Reece was speaking on 3AW earlier about the Melbourne 2050 Summit at the city’s town hall in May.
One of the ideas that came out of the summit included the adoption of many seasons referenced in the Wurundjeri calendar. Reece told 3AW:
In the Wurundjeri calendar, there were six seasons. It was a wet summer and a dry summer. A wet winter and a dry winter. And when you think about it makes sense. We have gone and superimposed the four seasons, essentially from Northern Europe, here in Melbourne, and they don’t really match up with the weather patterns. …
This is actually quite an interesting idea, don’t just rule it out … you’ve gotta think about it. … This is one of those things where a bit of First Nations knowledge appears to make a bit more sense.
Reece went on to say he tracked Melbourne’s wattle trees himself, saying their flowering lined up extremely well with the Wurundjeri calendar:
It’s extraordinary. Literally wattle season starts and that week you look around Melbourne and all of the wattle trees have turned fluorescent yellow and it’s beautiful.
Household spending on non-essentials up as cost-of-living pressures ease, ABS data shows
Australians have been splashing out on new cars, food and electronics as price pressures ease, AAP reports.
Household spending rose 0.5% in June on top of a 1% increase in May as shoppers shelled out for new goods, official figures show. Spending on furnishings and household equipment led the charge, growing by 2%, while clothing and shoes rose by 1.6% and food increased by 1.5% in Australian Bureau of Statistics data released on Tuesday.
Australians spent less on alcohol and tobacco, health and eating out in June.
Compared to same month in 2024, Australians spent 7.9% more on recreation and culture and 7.5% more on food, with household spending overall sitting 4.8% higher.
Jordyn Beazley
More on the Gareth Ward showdown
Returning to the potential constitutional showdown with the state’s supreme court over parliament’s attempt to expel local MP and convicted rapist Gareth Ward.
The hearing for the matter has now been brought forward by a day to 9.30am Thursday and will be heard by the court of appeal.
It came after the Minns government sought an earlier hearing in the court to lift an ex parte injunction granted the previous day to Ward. It prevented parliament from moving to expel the member for Kiama.
In a directions hearing before Justice Julie Ward, the president of the court of appeal, the lawyer acting for Gareth Ward, Peter King, said bringing the hearing forward earlier than Thursday could interfere with the King’s mother’s 95th birthday.
He also noted there was also the challenge of getting instructions from Ward given he is remanded in custody in the Hunter Valley. Julie Ward responded:
You’re the ones that have invoked the jurisdiction of the court. Ordinarily one would not expect the matter would be going on for a long time.
More on this story here:
