Victoria premier lashes opposition for calling her ‘nasty’ during heated question time
Benita Kolovos
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, has lashed the opposition for calling her “nasty” during question time debate.
As she was answering a question about the upcoming state budget, the opposition’s manager of businesses in the lower house, James Newbury, raised a point of order on relevance, stating: “This was an important question, not [an opportunity] for the premier to be nasty again”.
Allan responded: “As if I needed any more evidence as [to] how out of touch the opposition is speaker.”
That point of order demonstrates it … For months now, women have been demanding a better conversation, a better culture, about respect for women, and that starts with all of us, speaker.
And when you only call women in this place nasty, when you only call women in this place tawdry, you are not demonstrating the sort of leadership we all need to be showing about what respect for women looks like and what happens when you don’t.
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, today. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP
Back in the federal court, JusticeAngus Stewart is hearing the last arguments in the racial discrimination case Mehreen Faruqi has brought against Pauline Hanson.
After hearing from Faruqi and Hanson’s counsels yesterday and today, this afternoon is dedicated to hearing from the commonwealth. The attorney general has intervened in this case, in relation to how it might impact the Racial Discrimination Act and particularly section 18, which is what Faruqi has used to bring the case.
Hanson’s defence included that s18c is too broad and therefore impedes on the implied right to freedom of speech and the implied right to freedom of political communication, as well as that s18d – which makes allowances for freedom of speech – has too high a bar.
Most of Hanson’s defence centred around reasons for Hanson’s original tweet and the phrase “piss off back to Pakistan” as being a strongly held opinion in good faith, which used a “standard rhetorical device” to convey emotion but did not actually mean for Faruqi to leave Australia.
But there has also been the constitutional argument around whether s18c and s18d of the Racial Discrimination Act acts as a block to the implied right of freedom of speech and political communication.
Pauline Hanson outside court earlier this week. Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/EPA
Craig Leneham SC, representing the commonwealth, has argued that this is not a case where 18c or 18d are part of the equation.
The commonwealth’s submission can be found here, but the main gist of it is that the high court has previously ruled that there can be exceptions to the implied right of freedom of speech to protect people against discrimination; that there is no burden on political speech as Hanson’s tweet isn’t necessarily classified as “political speech” (which the court will ultimately decide); and even if it was, deterring discrimination can actually promote political communication because discrimination or vilification can discourage groups of people from taking part in political communication.
Those arguments come down to this: “A law is to be regarded as adequate in its balance unless the benefit sought to be achieved by the law is manifestly outweighed by its adverse effect on the implied freedom”.
All sides in this case agree that Justice Stewart should not trouble himself with the constitutional questions here in the first instance, and only go into this area if he deems it necessary.
Dutton says PM should 'call for an end' to pro-Palestine encampments at universities
Josh Butler
Peter Dutton believes Anthony Albanese should “call for an end” to pro-Palestine protests on university campuses. The former police officer has also again taken aim at officers, saying law enforcement response to the protests around the nation has been “weak”.
Dutton dialled in for his regular chat with 2GB’s Ray Hadley this morning. The weekly segment quickly took on its usual flavour as the two men rushed to furiously agree with each other on all points, with Hadley expressing particular incense over the Palestine protests popping up on uni campuses.
Dutton claimed the Jewish community was “being ostracised and vilified”, saying similar protests wouldn’t be tolerated “against people of Indigenous heritage or people of the Islamic community or people of tall stature or if they were Catholic or they were Indian or Chinese or whatever it would be”.
But somehow, the government’s – and even the response of the police, I think – has been weak on these campuses as well.
I think the prime minister really needs to stand up and show some backbone here and call for an end to these nonsense protests. They’re racist, they’re antisemitic and we shouldn’t be tolerating it for one moment and I think most decent Australians have that same view.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton. Photograph: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images
Hadley then began a long contribution of his own, appearing to draw parallels between the university protests and the 1938 Kristallnacht, where Nazi German forces ransacked and destroyed Jewish businesses, homes and other properties, as well as assaulting Jewish people. Hadley claimed:
They were targeted because they were Jewish. And in a clear definition of what happened in 1938, the same thing, the same type of thing, without the same level of vandalism and of course destruction is being portrayed and played out in Australia in 2024. We need to learn the lesson of history and we haven’t.
Cybercrime squad investigating alleged data breach affecting more than one million people
Cybercrime squad detectives have begun investigating an alleged data breach that has impacted more than one million patrons of pubs and clubs across NSW.
In a statement, NSW police said officers were first alerted yesterday to a website which had published the personal information of patrons, who had used their drivers’ licences to sign-in at specific premises across the state.
The data breach is now being investigated, with the aim to “uncover how the data breach occurred and which, if any, criminal offences are connected to such a breach.”
Detectives are working closely with other federal and state agencies to contain the breach and have the site taken offline as a matter of priority.
Commander of the cybercrime squad, detective acting superintendent Gillian Lister, said:
Now is the optimal time to make sure your cyber hygiene is good; you have strong passwords and are using two-factor authentication where possible. If you think your details may have been compromised, use extra caution when reviewing emails or texts and never click on a suspicious or unfamiliar link.
NSW police are investigating an alleged cybersecurity breach. Photograph: Dean Lewins/AAP
Increase in parents contacting helpline after children ingest nicotine or batteries from vapes
Scott Phillips, the CEO of Kidsafe WA, said his organisation has seen huge increases in parents and carers contacting their helpline because their baby or child had ingested nicotine or batteries from vapes.
Phillips said the example of the 18-month-old who died after consuming liquid nicotine while the mother’s head was turned was just one example of how children in their first two years of life are being exposed to nicotine.
Children watch parents and they think if we put something in our mouth, it is safe.
Nicotine can be absorbed through the skin and be inhaled, Phillips said.
A vaping device. Photograph: Carly Earl/The Guardian
Australian Parents Council says ‘crisis point’ reached with children’s vaping use
The Australian Council of State School Organisations has toldthe vaping Senate inquiry that rising anxiety levels amongst young people are part of the reason young people are turning to vapes along with other reasons including curiosity, the flavours on offer, attractive packaging and easy accessibility.
Damien Ellwood, the president of the council, said children are using vapes to manage stress but it’s not a healthy coping mechanism with alternative resources needed.
Vapes are becoming normalised in youth populations in unexpected places such as 16- and 17-year-olds coming off the soccer field reaching for their vape, rather than their drink bottle.
Jenny Branch-Allen, the president of the Australian Parents Council, said as numbers rise “we are at a crisis point”.
Second day of Senate inquiring into vaping kicks off
Natasha May
The second day of the Senate inquiry into new vaping laws currently before parliament has kicked off, with the first panellists giving evidence about the effects vapes have on Australian children.
Vaping laws came into effect in March banning the importation of vapes unless the importer has a licence and permit. The next round of reforms currently before the parliament would force vape stores to close by preventing the domestic manufacture, advertisement, supply and commercial possession of non-prescription vapes.
The idea is that vapes will only be able to be bought from a pharmacy with a prescription from a doctor.
The Australian Council of State School Organisations has told the inquiry that so far schools’ only recourse to stop students from vaping has been a punitive approach, as has been seen in some of the most extreme circumstances with teachers closing school bathrooms.
Dianne Giblin, the CEO of the council, said taking vapes away causes conflict between teachers and students, and wrap-around support for the student isn’t available.
Teachers and educators are making submissions to the Senate inquiry on vaping. Photograph: Alamy
Better education around vapes is a much better way to help children get off vapes, she said; but there are currently limited resources for teachers. The only official material provided by the education department is animated material which isn’t appropriate for some of the older students vaping, she said.
Teenagers need personal stories of the health harms people their age have experienced in order to relate to someone their age and the impacts vapes are having on them, according to Giblin.
Many children still think of vapes as they were originally marketed – as a healthier alternative to smoking. Teachers need to be upskilled to be able to help the students who come to them seeking information about vapes, she said:
If teachers are not knowing or understanding, children will turn to social media and algorithms will point them to the wrong responses.
Surfer dies on NSW coast after being found with stab wounds
Daisy Dumas
A surfer has died after being found with stab wounds near a Coffs Harbour beach on the mid-north coast of New South Wales.
The 22-year-old is believed to have been stabbed moments after leaving the water and was found in Park Beach Reserve at about 6.40am this morning.
Chief inspector detective Guy Flaherty said the man suffered multiple stab wounds and confirmed police had launched a homicide investigation. He told the ABC:
We believe he recently came out of the surf and was wearing a black wetsuit at the time. The 22-year-old male has been found with significant stab wounds.
He was taken to hospital but died shortly after. A crime scene has been established close to Coffs Harbour Surf Lifesaving Club and Park Beach, a popular surf spot. Flaherty said:
Our search at the car park and the waterfront around Coffs Harbour beach will continue for some time.
Three more Victorian councils will soon begin using purple-lidded bins for glass recycling.
The Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action said Shepparton, Mildura and Corangamite were the latest local government areas to be provided with the service.
By separating glass, Victorians can prevent broken glass from contaminating other recyclables, and help ensure more materials from household recycling are remade into new products. All Victorians will have access to a separate glass service by 2027.
👀 More purple-lidded bins for glass recycling are rolling out across Victoria! 🟣🗑️The latest councils to introduce a new household glass recycling system are @GreaterShepp, @MilduraCouncil , and @CorangamiteCMA . All Victorians will have access to a separate glass service by… pic.twitter.com/OVu5XtBgOF
Queensland ends 20-year cabinet rule for release of documents
Andrew Messenger
For the first time in an Australian jurisdiction, Queensland parliament has released cabinet documents after a matter of days, rather than years.
The principle of cabinet secrecy is many centuries old; the logic is that members of government need it to be able to conduct honest debate in private. In Queensland documents are kept for 20 years and it is a criminal offence to leak them.
But in a 2022 review of public sector accountability, Peter Coaldrake recommended getting rid of it. Under premiers Annastacia Paluszczuk and Steven Miles, the government committed to a 30-day release schedule.
The Labor government released two cabinet submissions today: the integrity reform implementation final report and status of the integrity reform taskforce, and Our Place: a First Nations housing and homelessness roadmap to 2031 and action plan 2024-2027.
Queensland’s premier, Steven Miles. Photograph: Jono Searle/AAP
Miles said:
Our government is now the most transparent government in Australia and the only government in the country to release cabinet records after 30 business days.
While the first release was not due until 10 May, I have decided to publish the first documents early in recognition of our commitment to transparency.
Documents released today outline the final implementation report for the integrity reform taskforce, and the First Nations Housing and homelessness roadmap announced earlier this month.
Proactive release material will include submissions, decisions, and all attachments for matters where cabinet has made a final decision.
