News live: Liberals have ‘a lot of work to do’ after SA wipeout, Anne Ruston says; missing Japanese tourist, 81, found alive in Tasmania

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Rail and public transport workers want the New South Wales state government to urgently cut fares and increase services in response to the global fuel crisis.

The Rail, Tram and Bus Union NSW has written to the state government with the requests, which included calls for an immediate industry roundtable.

Toby Warnes, secretary of the RTBU, said the crisis had exposed Australia’s vulnerability and was already placing pressure on households.

We are standing on the edge of a cost of living crisis that will have deep and lasting impacts on individuals and families.

Petrol prices are rising sharply, and that pressure will not end at the bowser. Higher fuel costs are expected to flow through to groceries and everyday goods as transport costs increase.

What is required is urgency and coordination. In a fuel price crisis, public transport is not just a service. It is part of the economic response.

The NSW Government cannot control global events, but it can act on their consequences here.

NSW opposition calls for QR codes in taxis to report complaints

Continued from our previous post:

The NSW opposition said the state government’s new guidelines for ride-share service providers did not go far enough, calling for a QR code system in taxis to provide clearer records to support complaints.

The NSW Taxi Council, which backed the government’s new guidelines, has also supported the opposition’s proposal for a QR code system within taxis.

The code would be linked to the driver and the vehicle, providing real-time trip verification and fare transparency, and creating a clear record to support investigations into complaints.

“More than one in four women experiencing inappropriate conduct is a disgrace, and the government’s response is far too weak; it is all talk and no accountability,” the NSW deputy opposition leader, Natalie Ward, said.

“Government can’t be in every cab, every time – but a QR code can. Training modules won’t stop bad behaviour in the moment [but] real accountability will.”

NSW ride-share drivers on notice over offensive behaviour

One in four women in New South Wales has experienced inappropriate behaviour from ride-share and taxi drivers, the Australian Associated Press reports.

Survey data released by the NSW government showed just six out of 10 women who experienced the offensive behaviour reported the incidents, which included unwanted conversation, being asked personal and sexual questions and staring by the driver.

Service providers, including Didi and Uber, will be issued with new guidelines by the state’s point-to-point commissioner, including driver training regarding what constitutes offensive behaviour towards women.

The guidelines will require driver training on offensive and unacceptable behaviour while also empowering providers to act to identify best-practice incident management.

“Whether you are travelling around town in the daytime, or out enjoying our vibrant city at night, this initiative will help ensure that every passenger on every ride-share, taxi and hire vehicle journey feels safe and respected,” the state transport minister, John Graham, said.

I asked the commissioner as his top priority to continue to reinforce safety standards and develop a culture of accountability within the point to point transport industry, and am very pleased to support these new guidelines in line with that priority.

Uber, Didi and the NSW Taxi Council all backed the guidelines.

“We believe consistent, industry-wide guidelines play an important role in helping women feel safer when they travel,” the Uber Australia and New Zealand safety head, Nicole Ashton, said.

“Ongoing collaboration between government, industry and women’s safety experts will be critical to ensuring these efforts are effective.”

Liberals have ‘a lot of work to do’ after SA wipeout, Anne Ruston says

The senior Liberal and federal frontbencher Anne Ruston, whose party has so far only secured four state seats in yesterday’s South Australian election, with a handful more too close to call, said her colleagues needed to learn “sobering lessons” from the result.

“The Liberal party has got a lot of work to do to rebuild the trust of Australians,” she told Sky News on Sunday.

I absolutely believe that we can do that. The values of the Liberal party will resonate, and do resonate with Australians.

We just haven’t been telling our story very well.

One Nation’s result was its best at any poll since the 1998 Queensland election, but some voter surveys have put its federal support higher than the 21.6% in first preferences so far secured in South Australia.

Ruston suggested the rightwing party was unlikely to maintain that level of support.

“We’ve seen the rise and fall of One Nation on numerous occasions around the country,” she said.

But senior state and federal Labor figures warned no one could be complacent about the political threat Pauline Hanson’s party posed.

“We’ve got to look at those grievances and respond with solutions,” federal minister Amanda Rishworth said.

“That’s not something One Nation offers up.”

– AAP

NT chief minister urges vigilance as severe weather from ex-cyclone threatens ‘rapid consequences’

Northern Territory’s chief minister, Lia Finocchiaro, says Katherine is preparing for even worse flooding than it endured earlier this month, despite no reports of injuries or damage to major infrastructure from Tropical Cyclone Narelle as it crossed the coast early on Sunday morning.

Narelle was downgraded to an ex-tropical cyclone, but a severe weather warning for intense rain and damaging winds now included Darwin, she said, with the potential for flash flooding along the Darwin River.

Ex-tropical cyclone Narelle will continue to weaken as she moves across farther inland, but we are going to be experiencing further intense rainfall, and that is going to impact places like Katherine.

We are now expecting in Katherine for there to be even larger levels of flooding than we saw a fortnight ago.

Finocchiaro said the Katherine community was well prepared for further river rises expected on Monday, including receiving a delivery of 10,000 sandbags. Some schools were expected to close in flood-affected zones.

About 20 patients had been evacuated from Katherine hospital to Darwin and Palmerston regional hospitals, as well as nine pregnant women as a precaution, she said.

This is our seventh high risk weather event. And so just a reminder to everyone: the ground is saturated, our rivers are already full, and any additional rainfall – which could be in the couple of hundred millimetres – is going to make a significant impact, and could have rapid consequences.

Anyone who has seen water levels rise or been inundated and impacted you must remain vigilant. This could impact you again.

Search under way for four missing fishers in Tasmania

A search is under way in Tasmania’s north-west, near Robbins Island, after four people on a fishing trip failed to return.

Tasmania police said the fishing vessel left the Montagu boat ramp at 5.30pm yesterday, with the four people on board.

Concerned relatives contacted police on Sunday morning, when the group did not return to the campground.

A rescue helicopter and marine rescue vessels have been deployed to the area.

Joyce likens migrants from Muslim-majority countries to ‘buying cattle’ that ‘don’t work’

Barnaby Joyce has likened a ban on migration from Muslim countries to buying cattle “that just don’t work”, saying it was necessary to be “brutal”.

When asked by Sky News this morning if One Nation would look to ban Muslim immigrants, Joyce said it was a matter of having to conform “with an Australian culture, no matter where you come from.

“I don’t care if you come from the Vatican City, and you have a desire that Australia is going to look like the Vatican City, don’t come. How’s that?”

He continued:

I don’t want to be trite about it, but it’s a bit like buying cattle. If you’re getting cattle in from a certain … seller, and there’s an unreasonable number of ones that just don’t work when they get off the truck, well, you don’t buy them any more.

And that’s not saying, ‘Oh, we just avoid people of Islamic faith’, but you have to be a very mindful of what parts of the world they’re coming from, and the predominant worldview, or an excessive worldview that’s held there that probably doesn’t mix with what you need in Australia. And if you can’t be brutal like that, as brutal in that statement, well you’re not going to help.

One Nation doesn’t ‘believe’ in multiculturalism, Barnaby Joyce says

Barnaby Joyce says One Nation is against multiculturalism, preferring to set up “guardrails” for what the party determines to be “Australian culture”.

Earlier this morning, the One Nation MP told Sky News:

We [One Nation] don’t believe in multiculturalism. We believe in Australian culture and guardrails that give us the egalitarian and freedom that we’ve always … had to express ourselves and enjoy ourselves. And if that upsets you, then be upset.

The one-time s leader said One Nation’s policy was against importing “cultural Balkanisation” – a term that references the historical conflicts of people living within the Balkan peninsula.

Joyce said:

You can go to parts of the world where they all look the same, they sound like they speak the same language, they live in the same area … the only problem they’ve got is they hate each other. And we don’t want that in Australia.

Barnaby Joyce suggests Labor’s SA emphatic win partly due to ‘good-looking’ Malinauskas

Barnaby Joyce believes Peter Malinauskas’ resounding win for Labor in the South Australian election overnight was in part due to him being a “good-looking guy”.

The federal One Nation MP joked on Sky News this morning that the state premier was “tough” because he’s a “good-looking guy”.

The Sky host, political editor Andrew Clennell, asked: “You reckon that helps? Being good looking, Barnaby Joyce?”

Joyce responded: “Well, Andrew, if you or I were up against him, you’d find the sad answer to that question.”

Narelle downgraded to ex-tropical cyclone as severe warnings remain

Tropical Cyclone Narelle has now been downgraded to an ex-tropical cyclone as it continues to weaken, the Bureau of Meteorology says.

However, a severe weather warning remains in place across the central and western Top End due to the risk of heavy, intense rainfall and damaging winds.

The ex-tropical cyclone is now located about 225km northeast of Katherine, bringing wind gusts up to 100km/h.

Read more: Saturated NT braces for Tropical Cyclone Narelle

As Tropical Cyclone Narelle makes its way across the Top End, many territory communities are still reeling from a series of extreme weather events.

(A)manda Parkinson details the effects the extraordinary wet season has had on the region in this story:

NSW town flips switch on Australia’s first community-owned solar farm and battery

Australia’s first community co-op solar farm and battery has officially opened in Goulburn, New South Wales.

The project, a 1.4-megawatt solar farm with a 4MWh battery, is owned by 288 investors, 80% of whom are from the region’s community.

Andrew Bray, the chair of the Goulburn Community Energy Co-operative, said it was the culmination of 12 years of hard work by the community.

The powerful thing is these members now have a stake in a renewable energy power plant rather than leaving the clean energy market to large national and international interests. It is a great step in true benefit sharing.

The co-op ownership structure means that each investor has one vote, regardless of the size of their shareholding. As well as financial returns for investors, Bray said a portion of annual profits would be directed to a community fund to address energy poverty in the area.

Edison Zhou, the group director of Australia and New Zealand for Trinasolar Asia Pacific, which supplied the solar modules and energy storage, said:

Community energy projects like this one show what is possible when local determination meets the right technology and the right partners.

We are proud that Trinasolar’s solar modules, tracker and storage solutions could play a part in making it a reality, demonstrating that advanced clean‑energy technology is no longer just for large-scale developers, it is accessible to communities too.

The solar farm is completing final commissioning and is expected to be fully connected to the grid within weeks.

Severe weather warning for central Top End as Tropical Cyclone Narelle heads west

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe weather warning for intense rain and damaging winds across the central Top End, south of Darwin, as Tropical Cyclone Narelle continues its westward path.

Heavy rain, including six-hourly totals of 80 to 120mm, is heading for Katherine and the Daly River district – areas already dealing with the aftermath of severe flooding.

Prolonged significant flooding would continue at Daly police station, after river levels peaked at 16.42m last Sunday, above the 1998 flood level (16.25m).

According to the BoM, the river is expected to remain above the major flood level for the rest of the weekend and into next week, with renewed rises possible.

Significant flooding is also possible at Nitmiluk.

Missing elderly Japanese tourist found alive in Tasmanian national park

An 81-year-old Japanese tourist, who was reported missing in Cradle Mountain national park, has been found alive this morning, Tasmanian Police said.

A search operation was launched about midnight on Saturday when the man could not be contacted.

Members of the public, not involved in the search, located the man about 7.45am on Sunday.

Police reported that he had walked away from his accommodation during the night and became disoriented in the darkness.

The male was located with non life-threatening injuries and is being assessed by Ambulance Tasmania paramedics at the scene. Police would like to thank all assisting Tasmanian emergency services and members of the public in successfully locating the missing person.

Explainer: Could Australia ration fuel?

While fuel rationing is not on the cards just yet, according to the energy minister, Chris Bowen, federal and state governments have the power to ration supplies in an emergency.

If you’re wondering what that could look like, this explainer from Guardian Australia’s economics editor Patrick Commins provides some context:

Bowen concedes fuel supply slowdown after earlier shrugging off reports top oil sources could cut Australia

Speaking on ABC’s Insiders program, Chris Bowen has acknowledged that the flow of crude oil to some key importers has slowed, leading to knock-on effects for their customers, including Australia.

My Guardian Australia colleagues reported on this on Friday, noting that the energy minister had shrugged off reports that some countries may prioritise their needs over exporting fuel to Australia.

They wrote:

Major sources of Australian oil, including Malaysia and South Korea, could cut their exports to prioritise local fuel needs, energy experts have warned, as Chris Bowen concedes some service stations are running out of stock. The energy minister said governments had ‘powers’ to ration petrol if supplies were more severely disrupted.

Bowen shrugged off reports in the Australian Financial Review on Thursday that the Malaysian embassy said the country’s government would ‘prioritise our own needs, and only then we can look at whatever demand that we receive from overseas’. Malaysia is Australia’s top source of crude oil.

Read more here: