1 hour ago
‘Will pass the Senate tonight’: Labor confident on NDIS bill
The federal health minister, Mark Butler, says the government is confident its NDIS bill will pass parliament by the end of today.
Speaking at a press conference, Butler said the government had reached an amendments agreement with the Coalition to secure the bill’s passage through the Senate.
I’m confident [the bill] will pass the Senate tonight. The bill will be substantially amended, with 33 amendments in the Senate, following the 30 amendments that we supported in the House of Representatives.
Some are relatively technical, but some are relatively substantial as well. They will ensure that this bill is the best version it can be.
Speaking beside him, the NDIS minister, Jenny McAllister, said the bill’s passage would be the product of “listening to people across parliament”.
I acknowledge colleagues in the Coalition, in particular the shadow minister. They have taken a constructive approach to these negotiations. So today, we do have an agreement to pass these reforms and I believe that they will deliver an NDIS which is strong, safe, sustainable and has a strong social licence.
Key events
Australian batter David Warner fined $1,500 after being convicted of drink-driving
Australian cricketer David Warner was convicted and fined $1500 on Tuesday for mid-range drink-driving after he tried to switch seats with a passenger when approaching a random breath-testing site on Easter Sunday, AAP reports.
The 39-year-old’s barrister argued he should be spared conviction for the offence – when he blew more than twice the legal limit – because he had suffered extra punishment as a result of media coverage.
Awais Ahmad told Waverley local court his client’s indiscretion had been covered in global outlets including ESPN, Al Jazeera and the Indian Express.
Countries including India and Bangladesh, where Warner might be seeking to play in T20 franchise leagues, have an acceptance of a “non-drinking culture”, Ahmad said.
The consequences of his offending are profound.
Commercial opportunities [are] being affected.
Warner was arrested while he was on an Easter trip home from the subcontinent, where he captained the Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League.
When Warner saw the breath-testing site, he stopped short and attempted to swap seats with a female passenger, the agreed facts read out in court state.
Once police identified him as the driver, he cooperated with the testing, Judge Farnan noted.
Ahmad questioned the decision of NSW Police to issue a press release about Warner’s arrest given the unremarkable nature of the offence.
“The media onslaught thereafter has been quite profound,” the lawyer said.
Judge Clare Farnan said there was evidence of cruel social media commentary directed at Warner and his wife Candice Warner.
His position as captain of the Sydney Thunder in the domestic Big Bash League was also under threat, the cricketer’s lawyer said.
The Thunder, along with rival Sydney Sixers and Sheffield Shield team the NSW Blues, are part of a state government campaign to deter drink-driving.
Despite the star batter’s pleas, Judge Farnan said the need to deter the public from drink-driving was paramount in her decision to convict him.
The offence was aggravated because children were in the car at the time, the judge said.
Warner will be able to drive after he applies for an interlock licence and has the device fitted to his car.
The interlock will prevent the car from starting if it detects alcohol in his system.
Two people charged with murder after human remains allegedly found on suburban property
Two people have been charged with murder after a missing person’s remains were allegedly found on a suburban property, AAP reports.
Courtenay Williams, 52, and Carlie Rochelle Mordue, 45, have been accused of murdering Chad Steven Bishop, more than four years after he went missing.
The duo were also charged with interfering with a corpse after human remains were allegedly found during a police search of a Bethania property south of Brisbane on Monday.
Williams, a chippy, and Mordue, who works in sales, were not required to appear in Brisbane magistrates court on Tuesday when their cases were briefly mentioned for the first time.
Police allege they murdered Bishop in a Beenleigh townhouse on or about 2 March 2022, according to court documents.
A three-week adjournment was sought by Williams’s solicitor on Tuesday.
Mordue’s solicitor also sought an adjournment for her client.
Magistrate Belinda Merrin adjourned both cases to 7 September at Brisbane magistrate’s court.
Williams and Mordue were both remanded in custody.
Gambling regulator hasn’t contacted bookmakers after Luke Bateman’s allegations
Henry Belot
The Northern Territory Wagering Commission, which regulates almost all online gambling operators in Australia, is yet to contact any bookmaker in response to Luke Bateman’s allegations before a Senate inquiry earlier this month.
The former rugby league star alleged gambling company promoters supplied him with cocaine and alcohol, telling a parliamentary inquiry the betting industry exercised no duty of care. He also told the inquiry he attended a private Gold Coast event hosted by a gambling company at which senior figures allegedly took illicit drugs with clients.
Bateman did not name any specific companies, but betting giants Sportsbet and Tabcorp told the inquiry there was no evidence its account managers sourced drugs and sex workers to incentivise vulnerable people to bet more.
A commission spokesperson said it was reviewing the Senate inquiry’s report, tabled on Monday, and was considering “whether any of the matters raised warrant further regulatory consideration”. They said Bateman’s allegations were “untested”:
The Commission would treat very seriously any allegation that a NT licensed operator was involved in the provision of illegal drugs to customers or failed to comply with the requirement in the Code to prevent intoxicated customers from gambling.
The Commission notes that there have been no specific allegations by Mr Bateman concerning NT licensed operators. No contact has been made with NT licensed operators at this stage.
The Commission will consider the reporting in the context of its regulatory responsibilities before determining whether any further action is appropriate.
Josh Butler
Coalition says news bargaining code won’t help enough journalists
The Coalition says the news bargaining incentive (NBI) isn’t strong enough to support Australian media, with the shadow minister, Sarah Henderson, worried it could take journalists “backwards” from current arrangements.
The NBI is levelled at online giants like Google, Meta and TikTok, and designed to compensate mainstream news outlets for the value of their content and support public interest journalism. The legislation is yet to pass parliament, but those companies will have to pay 2.5% of their Australian digital advertising revenue.
The Coalition has agreed to back the NBI, but Henderson said she still had concerns. She said:
We’re not convinced that it’s at the right place … we are concerned that under the government’s proposal, that potentially takes media companies and, of course, the journalists that media companies support backwards. We don’t want to see those deals go backwards, and so we want to see more in the pot for Australian journalism, which is so important for our democracy.
We want to see the digital platforms being held to account, and that’s why we will be looking very closely at that bill and agitating for some further changes.
Asked if that 2.5% figure should be higher, Henderson said: “we will be prosecuting the need for more money to go into the pot rather than less.”
Labor loses Senate vote, motion condemns ‘flawed’ aged care tool
Josh Butler
Labor continues to come under intense scrutiny over its new aged care assessment tool, with the government losing a vote in the Senate as the entire non-Labor cohort of senators backed a Greens motion slamming the new tool.
The Greens senator Penny Allman-Payne moved a motion a short time ago, which stated that the Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT) “is untested, structurally flawed and systematically under-assessing the care needs of older Australians, especially those living with mental health conditions, cognitive issues and frailty”.
The motion called on the government to “take immediate action to abolish the IAT” and replace it with a new tool “designed with clinical experts”. The Greens motion also demanded the government ensures the system guarantees “the rights of older people as its first priority and restore the role of clinical professionals in the assessment process and reinstate the ability for human override”.
Labor opposed the motion. But the Greens, Liberals and crossbench all backed it. It passed 34 votes to 23, with only Labor senators voting against it. It is essentially only a symbolic motion, and does not require the government to take any action, but shows the depth of anger in the parliament at the controversial change.
‘Will pass the Senate tonight’: Labor confident on NDIS bill
The federal health minister, Mark Butler, says the government is confident its NDIS bill will pass parliament by the end of today.
Speaking at a press conference, Butler said the government had reached an amendments agreement with the Coalition to secure the bill’s passage through the Senate.
I’m confident [the bill] will pass the Senate tonight. The bill will be substantially amended, with 33 amendments in the Senate, following the 30 amendments that we supported in the House of Representatives.
Some are relatively technical, but some are relatively substantial as well. They will ensure that this bill is the best version it can be.
Speaking beside him, the NDIS minister, Jenny McAllister, said the bill’s passage would be the product of “listening to people across parliament”.
I acknowledge colleagues in the Coalition, in particular the shadow minister. They have taken a constructive approach to these negotiations. So today, we do have an agreement to pass these reforms and I believe that they will deliver an NDIS which is strong, safe, sustainable and has a strong social licence.
Krishani Dhanji
Thank you all for joining me on the live blog today!
I’ll leave you with the lovely Achol Arok and see you here bright and early tomorrow.
One-stop shop for gambling ad opt-out was the Coalition’s idea, Henderson says
The shadow communications minister, Sarah Henderson, says despite criticism from her own side that the gambling bill is still “weak” the Coalition are “really pleased that our amendments have significantly strengthened this bill”.
She also says that she was “disappointed” to see Anika Wells claim the one-stop shop to opt-out from gambling ads.
We’re very disappointed that the communications minister went into the House yesterday and claimed that as her own. That was very much a proposal of the Coalition.
Speaking to the media after question time, Henderson says the bill removes predatory inducements against people who are “red flagged” by gambling companies, and is happy about the three-year review.
Asked if that review means she sees this legislation as unfinished business, Henderson answers:
The statutory review is an important part of this process. We want to see accountability, we want to see transparency, and that’s what the statutory review does deliver.
Tl;dr here’s what happened in question time
The Coalition attacked the government on housing, after NAB reportedly warned rents could increase up to 30% (the PM said the bank had later clarified and confirmed it wasn’t a forecast).
The veterans’ affairs minister, Matt Keogh, apologised for initially refusing an invitation to meet with veterans in Canberra, before bowing to political pressure. Keogh continued to feel the heat with an additional question on whether the government would scrap a cap on allied health service support for veterans.
The independent MP Rebekha Sharkie asked if the government would force gambling companies to fund regional community sports infrastructure.
Independent Allegra Spender pushed the aged care minister on Labor’s controversial algorithm-based aged care assessment tool.
And Tim Wilson, with just minutes to spare on question time, was booted out of the chamber for interjecting too much.
After a final dixer to the agriculture minister, Julie Collins, the PM calls time on QT.
Anthony Albanese and the deputy s leader, Darren Chester, thank Collins for her work to combat bird flu before MPs leave the chamber.
