What we learned, Sunday 9 August
Thanks for joining us today. We’re wrapping up the live news blog. Here’s a reminder of the top stories from today:
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Labor frontbencher Jenny McAllister says the government still thinks they’ve “broadly got the legislation right” on gambling reform but that they’re open to “sensible amendments” if some come forward;
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Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young has delivered an ultimatum to the Albanese government over its gambling reform, saying the party will not vote for the proposed legislation as it stands;
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Two planes have narrowly avoided a collision on the tarmac at Sydney airport this morning as it struggles with staff shortages;
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The premier of South Australia, Peter Malinauskas has visited Apple’s headquarters and met with outgoing chief executive Tim Cook in the United States.
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Victoria’s new premier, Ben Carroll, says the state government will boost its funding for public schools before the November election,opening up a pathway for a federal cash injection.
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New South Wales recorded its first cases of H5 bird flu in two local birds on Saturday, including one found near Wentworth on the Murray-Darling Basin.
Key events
City2Surf returns to Sydney streets
Today was the annual City2Surf race in Sydney, spanning 14km through the CBD to finish at Bondi beach.
Bendigo’s Andy Buchanan claimed victory in the men’s race:
And Sydney’s Holly Campbell won the women’s race:
Body located during search for swimmer at Wollongong
A man’s body has been located after a search for a missing swimmer near Wollongong today.
About 10.40am on Sunday, emergency services were called to Cliff Road, North Wollongong, after reports the belongings of a swimmer who had not returned from the water had been located.
In a statement, NSW police said officers attached to the Wollongong police district, with assistance from Marine Area Command and Surf Life Saving NSW, attended the scene and commenced a multi-agency search to locate the missing man.
After a search of the nearby water, emergency services located the body of the missing swimmer.
He is yet to be formally identified; however, is believed to be aged 32.
A report will be prepared for the information of the NSW coroner.
Labor open to ‘sensible amendments’ on gambling reforms
Josh Butler
On gambling reforms, minister Jenny McAllister says the government still thinks they’ve “broadly got the legislation right” but that they’re open to “sensible amendments” if some come forward.
It’s understood the government is open to making some changes to wagering inducements, after focus on that issue during explosive Senate hearings last week, but that amending some of the advertising frequency rules is less likely at this stage.
McAllister, speaking to News24, said the government’s current proposals are “really significant” and would “make a real difference”.
We want to see this through the parliament.
McAllister said communications minister, Anika Wells, was “very engaged” on the issue and had been “paying attention to the evidence” from last week’s Senate hearings.
Josh Butler
Labor to address ‘exploitation and rorts’ in migration
The NDIS minister, Jenny McAllister, concedes there is “more work to be done” on Australia’s immigration system, saying it was important for people to have “confidence” about how the government was managing intake of new arrivals.
The home affairs minister, Tony Burke, is expected to detail changes to the immigration system at some point in the coming fortnight, after his National Press Club speech was postponed last week. McAllister told News24 this morning that the government was focused on improving the skilled migration system.
“It’s really important that Australians have confidence that the migration system is working in Australia’s interest, and that has been the focus of all our work since coming to government,” she said.
Guardian Australia understands Burke’s changes will probably not include major cuts to intake, and may focus more on integrity measures, targeting people overstaying their visa periods, and those appealing against the end of their bridging visas.
McAllister said Labor wanted to “stamp out exploitation and rorts. We’ve taken steps already to do that, but of course, there’s more to do.”
SA premier pens deal with ChatGPT developer on US trip
The premier who led Australia’s world-first social media ban has signed a landmark artificial intelligence agreement as he courts big tech, AAP reports.
While touring the US, South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas visited OpenAI’s headquarters in San Francisco where he signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with its co-founder and president Greg Brockman.
OpenAI is the developer of ChatGPT, the world’s most popular generative AI chatbot.
It is believed to be the first time an Australian state or territory government has inked an MoU with a major AI company.
The agreement will provide opportunities to develop AI skills, accelerate local research and innovation, attract global investment and spread the benefits of AI across South Australia, Malinauskas said.
In a statement, the South Australian premier said:
We want to lead with ambition and care.
Any initiative taken forward will be human-led and subject to the legal, privacy, security and procurement safeguards South Australians expect
Air safety bureau launches investigation into near collision on Sydney airport tarmac
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has launched an investigation into the near miss involving a Jetstar and a Qatar Airways plane on the Sydney airport tarmac this morning.
A Jetstar A320 was taxiing prior to a flight to Gold Coast airport when its flight crew observed a Qatar Airways Boeing 777, under tow from an aircraft tug, in close proximity on a crossing taxiway, the ATSB said
In a statement, the bureau said:
Both aircraft were stopped abruptly. A cabin crew member aboard the A320 was injured, and there was damage to the connection between the 777 nose gear and aircraft tug.
The ATSB will collect available data from both aircraft, and air traffic control.
Air safety investigators will interview the flight crew involved, tug operators, air traffic controllers and witnesses, the statement said. CCTV footage will also be collected.
The ATSB requested that anyone with video footage of the occurrence or its aftermath contact the bureau.
Minns describes Sydney airport delays this weekend as a ‘blip’
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, was asked today whether he had spoken to the federal infrastructure and transport minister, Catherine King, about traffic control issues at Sydney airport.
Minns said he had not spoken to King directly, but his team was in contact with the commonwealth about the issue:
Obviously we’ve had an incredibly strong record when it comes to safety in our airports, which you need in a big country … a big wealthy country like Australia, but you know we can’t have massive delays or near misses because it’s just too important for Sydney.
Asked about delays at Sydney airport this weekend, Minns said it was a “a blip that we want to see fixed as soon as possible.”
Josh Butler
Shadow treasurer flags spending cuts to pay for proposed tax measures
Circling back to the shadow treasurer, Tim Wilson, on News 24, he pledged there would be spending offsets – read, cuts – to pay for the tax cuts the Coalition has promised, with more details to be released “in good time”.
News24 host Andrew Clennell asked Wilson about the Coalition’s tax policy, saying “your income tax cuts or all your measures are put at up to $110bn over the forward estimates. How are you going to pay for that if you’re elected?”
Wilson didn’t dispute the $110bn figure, replying: “We’re going to make sure that we have offsets, and we’ve said that and we’ll release those in good time”.
We’ve announced, when we’ve announced measures before, offsets and we’ll continue to do so. We’re going through that work right now to make sure that we get best value for the Australian taxpayer because we want to have the incentives in place to grow the economy, to give Australians hope, to look at a future horizon where they believe that hard work’s going to pay off.
Wilson also said the Coalition would seek to “go back and address the systemic issues of corruption that exist at the heart of this government”, after earlier calling for more attention on fraud and corruption issues he claimed existed in the NDIS.
Minns ‘concerned’ by Sydney airport near-miss incident
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, says he is “concerned” to hear about the near miss incident involving a Jetstar and Qatar Airways plane while taxiing at Sydney airport this morning.
Passengers travelling through Sydney airport have been warned of delays this week due to air traffic controller rostering issues.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Minns said he was concerned about potential safety risks and stressed the importance of the airport operating at full capacity:
That’s hugely important for our economy.
We’re hopeful that there’s a plan in place to recruit more people for a highly specialised but very important job … we’re opening a brand new airport in the not too distant future, so there’ll be even more strain on that service than there is today. I know it’s hard to employ people, particularly for these specialised services, because we’ve got a very tight labour market. But this isn’t a nice to have; it’s a must have.
Flights being spaced out at Sydney airport after tarmac near-miss incident
AirServices Australia says departures have been spaced out at Sydney airport after the incident involving a Jetstar and Qatar Airways plane this morning.
In a statement, a spokesperson for AirServices Australia said:
Airservices Australia has enacted Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) measures including departure spacing at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport to safely manage projected airborne and departure demands following a reported safety incident between two aircraft moving on taxiways.
We are working with airlines to reduce delays and the impact on passenger travel as much as possible.
Airservices is reviewing the incident and will assist with any safety investigation.
Witness describes Jetstar-Qatar near miss at Sydney airport
A witness to the near miss between Jetstar and Qatar Airways planes at Sydney airport has spoken to the ABC.
Dani Brown was on another plane at the Sydney airport tarmac when she witnessed the incident this morning. She told the ABC the plane’s pilot told passengers there was a “traffic congestion issue”:
It was looking like a very close near miss.
Our flight was meant to leave at 7.15 and we just sat at the tarmac at our gate, because it was quite close to the gate. And we just had to wait until the Jetstar plane was towed away and it was clear for us to move. It was a pretty empty flight for us.
Protective services officers to be stationed at major Victorian hospitals under Coalition plan
The Victorian Coalition has pledged to deploy protective services officers (PSOs) to the state’s major hospitals if it wins November’s state election.
The proposal, unveiled on Sunday, aims to reduce violence at hospitals.
In a statement, the Coalition said 70 PSOs would be deployed as part of a two-year pilot at seven major Victorian hospitals.
PSO teams would provide additional security, respond to serious incidents and escort hospital workers to their vehicles, a statement said.
The opposition leader, Jess Wilson, said:
Doctors, nurses, and healthcare staff should be able to do their jobs safely so that they can provide Victorians with the care they need.
The state’s shadow health minister, Georgie Crozier, said health workers need “greater protection.”
The safety of our health workers is paramount – you should feel safe, feel protected, whether you are triaging a patient in ED or walking to your car after ending your shift.
Man charged over alleged Coogee assault
A man has been charged over an alleged assault in Sydney’s east overnight.
At about 11pm on Saturday, emergency services responded to reports of an assault on Coogee Bay Road, Coogee.
A 26-year-old man was arrested at the scene and charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm, NSW police said.
Paramedics treated a 41-year-old man at location before he was taken to Prince of Wales hospital, a NSW police statement said.
The 26-year-old man was refused bail to appear before the bail division court today.
Jetstar and Qatar Airways plane involved in near-miss while taxiing at Sydney airport
A Jetstar pilot was forced to brake suddenly when a Qatar Airways plane came into “close proximity” while the other plane was taxiing at Sydney airport this morning.
Guardian Australia understands a Jetstar cabin crew member was injured in the incident, and was treated by paramedics.
The Jetstar flight from Sydney to the Gold Coast was taxiing out from its bay at Sydney airport this morning when the incident occurred.
A Jetstar spokesperson said:
Our aircraft was following instructions by Air Traffic Control when the pilots were forced to brake firmly after another aircraft came in close proximity.
We have commenced an investigation into the incident.
