‘PM deserves pay justice too’: union chief
Henry Belot
A union chief campaigning for public servants to be paid extra by the federal authorities says the prime minister is vastly underpaid.
Earlier as we speak, Guardian Australia reported on 11 public servants being paid greater than $1m, which is considerably greater than the prime minister’s base wage of $622,000. One public servant was paid greater than $1.5m.
Jeff Lapidos, who leads a department of the Australian Companies Union that represents Tax Workplace workers, has spent greater than a decade combating for higher pay and situations. He has additionally seen vital job cuts.
When requested in regards to the Future Fund salaries, Lapidos mentioned he didn’t consider in widespread wage ranges throughout the general public service. He mentioned officers ought to as an alternative be paid for the worth of their work.
After inflation, the worth of ATO staff’ salaries has fallen by 9.55% over the past 13 years. That is disgraceful exploitation by successive Coalition and Labor governments.
The ASU is campaigning for pay justice for all ATO workers. The prime minister deserves pay justice too. His workplace is vastly underpaid.
The prime minister’s wage is ready by an impartial remuneration tribunal.
Key occasions
Medibank dealing with twin court docket actions over information hack
Federal court docket justice Jonathan Seashore heard proof on Friday to assist resolve whether or not two separate instances towards Medibank will probably be held collectively or as separate trials, AAP studies.
The well being insurer is dealing with each a category motion by affected prospects and civil penalties introduced by the privateness watchdog over the 2022 hack.
After Medibank declined to pay a ransom, private information was leaked on the darkish net underneath malicious file names, together with boozy, STD and psycho.
A lawyer for the category motion argued it was within the pursuits of justice to listen to the instances collectively. Wendy Harris KC mentioned.
The technical points right here overlap and intersect at a number of levels … when it comes to the structure of Medibank’s cybersecurity methods [and] the management deficiencies in them.
Neil Younger KC, who’s representing Medibank in each issues, known as the category motion a “complete mess”, saying it went nicely past the Workplace of the Australian Info Commissioner’s case in its allegations of cybersecurity failures.
There are numerous new allegations of breach.
To ensure that us to deal with these new allegations, that’s going to require time.
Seashore adjourned the matter till 16 October, partially to permit the category motion social gathering to consolidate its assertion of declare.
‘PM deserves pay justice too’: union chief
Henry Belot
A union chief campaigning for public servants to be paid extra by the federal authorities says the prime minister is vastly underpaid.
Earlier as we speak, Guardian Australia reported on 11 public servants being paid greater than $1m, which is considerably greater than the prime minister’s base wage of $622,000. One public servant was paid greater than $1.5m.
Jeff Lapidos, who leads a department of the Australian Companies Union that represents Tax Workplace workers, has spent greater than a decade combating for higher pay and situations. He has additionally seen vital job cuts.
When requested in regards to the Future Fund salaries, Lapidos mentioned he didn’t consider in widespread wage ranges throughout the general public service. He mentioned officers ought to as an alternative be paid for the worth of their work.
After inflation, the worth of ATO staff’ salaries has fallen by 9.55% over the past 13 years. That is disgraceful exploitation by successive Coalition and Labor governments.
The ASU is campaigning for pay justice for all ATO workers. The prime minister deserves pay justice too. His workplace is vastly underpaid.
The prime minister’s wage is ready by an impartial remuneration tribunal.
Achol Arok
Good afternoon! l’ll be right here to take the reins.
Nick Visser
That’s all from me. Achol Arok will take issues from right here and information you into the weekend.
ANZ ends relationship with KPMG
An enormous 4 financial institution is ending its relationship with its auditor of almost six many years within the newest fallout from a whistleblower scandal, AAP studies.
KPMG has been ANZ’s auditor since 1969 and whereas the companions who labored on the audit have frequently rotated, the financial institution is searching for a brand new agency.
“A tenure of this size is now not thought of acceptable and has been into consideration by the board for a while,” ANZ mentioned in an announcement on Friday.
ANZ will start a aggressive tender course of to pick out a brand new auditor starting with the 2028-29 monetary 12 months.
The tender course of will wind up in April and KPMG received’t be eligible to take part, the financial institution mentioned. KPMG earned $21.4m for auditing and reviewing ANZ’s accounts in 2024-25, with its complete charges, together with non-audit providers, coming to $29.6m for that monetary 12 months.
Shoebridge says social gathering members will get enter into management adjustments
Josh Butler
New Greens chief David Shoebridge says peculiar social gathering members could have enter into the following management choice, pledging a “dialog” to happen throughout branches and membership.
The Greens’ social gathering room chooses its federal chief, which is similar because the Liberal and Nationals, however in contrast to Labor, which has a celebration room and membership vote. Shoebridge mentioned this week, in saying his management tilt, that he supported membership having a say; Mehreen Faruqi, who was unsuccessful in her management candidacy, mentioned after the social gathering room vote that she needed members to have enter.
In a social media video this afternoon, with the caption “your say on Greens management”, Shoebridge mentioned: “You completely ought to have a say within the management for the Greens”.
“The excellent news is Steph [Hodgins-May] and I are gonna make this occur,” he mentioned.
Shoebridge didn’t decide to any particular sort of mannequin, however mentioned it could be “a dialog we’re going to have proper throughout the Greens. Each state and territory, a whole bunch and a whole bunch of branches, 1000’s and 1000’s of members, as a result of members need to be engaged on this.”
Shoebridge dedicated that the change would occur “earlier than we make the following choice on the federal management”, which underneath Greens guidelines, occurs after each federal election – so, in different phrases, on this time period of parliament.
Metropolis of Yarra mayor cleared of assault allegation at election social gathering
A distinguished mayor has been cleared of punching a group activist who had gatecrashed his election after-party, Australian Related Press studies.
The Metropolis of Yarra mayor Stephen Jolly, 64, mentioned he was relieved to be acquitted of illegal assault after Melbourne Justice of the Peace Jill Prior handed down her choice on Friday.
Jolly, whose council consists of Carlton North, Collingwood and Richmond, fought the cost at a contested listening to, denying he deliberately struck activist Estella Burrows within the face on 1 November 2024.
Burrows and two different masked protesters had gatecrashed Jolly’s election after-party at a Collingwood venue, holding a banner and utilizing a megaphone to accuse Jolly of abuse.
It was alleged Jolly punched Burrows to the face as he and different attendees pressured the group to depart. The mayor denied deliberately hitting Burrows and individually argued he was performing in self-defence.
The Justice of the Peace on Friday decided Jolly did strike the left facet of Burrows however she couldn’t be glad he did so deliberately.
It was potential Jolly had been making an attempt to disarm the group of their megaphone or he was reaching ahead to maneuver them away, the Justice of the Peace decided.
Consequently, she discovered Jolly not responsible of the illegal assault cost.
Exterior court docket, Burrows instructed reporters she was dissatisfied however not shocked on the choice, claiming the justice system solely labored within the favour of highly effective white males.
This crocodile simply predicted the winner of the NRL grand ultimate
Elvis the saltwater crocodile has his prediction for the winner of the NRL grand ultimate: the Newcastle Knights.
The Australian Reptile Park gave Elvis the selection between the Knights and the Sydney Roosters (within the type of two items of meat dangled from sticks).
We’ll see if his prophecy comes true.
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Demise row inmate Christa Pike survives two deadly injections in Tennessee – The Newest
The convicted assassin Christa Pike, sentenced to demise, has survived two deadly injections and was taken to hospital.
Pike, 50, has spent three many years on demise row after she was convicted of the homicide of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer in 1995. She would have been the primary lady to be executed in Tennessee in 200 years.
A final-minute enchantment to cease the deadly injection was overturned by the supreme court docket, however the state governor, Invoice Lee, has suspended executions in Tennessee for the remainder of the 12 months.
Lucy Hough speaks to the legal professional and anti-capital punishment campaigner Clive Stafford Smith in regards to the case in The Newest.
Coalition rails towards ATO’s choice to cease taking bank card funds
The Coalition is railing towards information the Australian Tax Workplace will now not settle for bank card funds from 20 November 2026.
The ATO made the announcement yesterday, the primary day of the brand new coverage by the Reserve Financial institution to bar companies from charging a surcharge on credit score or debit card purchases.
Angus Taylor, the opposition chief, mentioned the choice by the ATO was “past comprehension” by an “insensitive authorities”. He mentioned throughout a press briefing as we speak:
This authorities that simply doesn’t get it, on the day that they impose these surcharges on small companies, has determined that the ATO received’t take bank card funds as a result of they don’t need the surcharges. I imply, critically, you couldn’t make it up.
None of them have labored in the actual world.
Jane Hume, the deputy opposition chief, mentioned the federal government wanted to reverse the ATO shift. She instructed Channel 7 this morning:
The Coalition is asking on the federal government to reverse this variation that the ATO is imposing on small companies as a result of, fairly frankly, it’s been very clear that this authorities doesn’t perceive small enterprise, and it’s imposing pointless prices on them.
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Israeli embassy condemns ‘flydubai false flag’ conspiracies
Tess Ikonomou
Conspiracy theories circulating on-line in regards to the alleged flydubai assault have “recast” Jewish folks because the culprits, the Israeli embassy in Australia says.
In an announcement, the embassy mentioned it “condemns the anti-Semitic ‘false flag’ conspiracy theories” being posted on-line which accuse Israel of staging the assault.
A false flag is a dangerous act carried out with the intention of blaming an enemy for it.
An Omani co-pilot is alleged to have stabbed his colleague through the flight en path to Tel Aviv.
The international minister, Penny Wong, confirmed yesterday two Australians who had been onboard the airplane had been secure.
NSW police allege two ladies focused in ‘excessively violent’ house invasions
Achol Arok
NSW police consider two ladies who had been allegedly assaulted and robbed throughout separate house invasions had been focused in premeditated assaults.
Talking at a press convention, the intercourse crimes squad commander, Detective Supt Virginia Gorman, mentioned the three males charged had allegedly deliberate the offences.
I consider that these males had completed some analysis and so they believed that these ladies is likely to be house alone and so they may need cash on the premises. So that they had been particularly focused.
Gorman described the alleged offences as “very violent”. She mentioned:
Excessively violent for 3 males armed with a weapon towards susceptible ladies house alone – excessively. It’s extreme violence.
They had been armed with a knife. They used duct tape to restrain them. They’d duct tape over their mouths. They assaulted the ladies, punching a lady. You don’t want to try this to beat a solo feminine. The violence is excessive for what they’ve completed.
Police mentioned each ladies had been handled for “minor bodily accidents”.
Jackie O’s $80m authorized combat with ARN Media delayed by months
Federal court docket justice Wendy Abraham on Friday postponed radio host Jackie “O” Henderson’s two-week trial till late April after a vital pre-trial listening to was aborted on Thursday.
AAP studies a civil trial between the proprietor of KIIS FM, ARN Media and its former breakfast star was set to start on 12 October, however a delay in pre-trial proceedings and the submitting of paperwork have triggered a mammoth delay.
Dozens of paperwork within the 3,900-page court docket e book have been caught up in battles between the 2 sides over authorized privilege.
Henderson is suing the radio large for illegal termination of her $100 million contract after refusing to work along with her co-host.
Victoria set for ‘rather more’ rainfall after interval of untamed climate
Vital rainfall is anticipated to proceed throughout a lot of Victoria, which has already been battered by storms and flash flooding.
AAP studies Melbourne recorded certainly one of its wettest October days in a number of years after town obtained as much as 25mm of rain inside an hour on Thursday afternoon, with different areas of Victoria additionally exhausting hit.
Greater than 200 requires assist had been made to the SES, together with six water rescues, after components of Melbourne had been hit by the flash flooding. Town was plunged into darkness about 3pm because the system moved by means of, with the Melbourne (Olympic Park) measuring station recording 47.8mm of rain since 9am on Thursday.
David Crock, a senior meteorologist with the Bureau of Meteorology, mentioned the full marked town’s highest day by day rainfall complete since April 2024.
Rainfall will proceed on Friday and Saturday in Victoria, with a flood watch present for catchments throughout a lot of central and japanese components of the state.
“There’s rather more to return,” Crock mentioned.
Circumstances are anticipated to ease on Sunday because the low strain system strikes offshore, with situations predicted to ease from the west.
Josh Butler
Anthropic pushes for opt-out mannequin for Australian content material
The AI large Anthropic has urged the Albanese authorities to contemplate giving “conditional approval” for large tech to coach its fashions on Australian copyrighted works underneath an opt-out mannequin, after conceding it received’t safe a blanket copyright exemption.
However Australia’s public broadcasters, the ABC and SBS, have strongly criticised AI corporations, calling on the federal government to enact strict new guidelines to compensate media organisations and shield public curiosity journalism.
In submissions to a federal parliamentary inquiry, the ABC demanded AI firms be topic to the identical copyright, defamation and privateness guidelines as media shops, warning of a “cannibalisation” of mainstream information.
Learn extra right here:
Josh Taylor
Steam has age checks – however simply with bank cards for now
Earlier within the weblog we had the eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, calling out Valve and its gaming platform Steam as “outliers” in counting on self-declaration for age as an alternative of getting age assurance know-how – much like the social media ban – which they’ve been required to have since March this 12 months.
Within the eSafety report out as we speak, it clarifies that Steam didn’t have these measures in place through the reporting interval when the questions had been issued to Valve.
Steam has since introduced in a type of age checking as of final month. There’s been a little bit of controversy about it as a result of to entry content material meant for folks aged 18 and over in Australia, the one type of age checking Steam is accepting is bank cards.
This presents a problem for anybody who doesn’t have a bank card, or doesn’t need to use it for Steam.
The eSafety commissioner’s assertion out as we speak makes clear the workplace is “participating with the corporate to hunt commitments that it’ll put in place extra types of age assurance to provide its prospects selection”.
Card surcharge ban will take time to work by means of
Australian companies will want time to regulate to the brand new ban on card surcharges as the key banks put together for a possible service provider charges battle, AAP studies.
The change, pushed by the central financial institution to provide customers transparency on the until, solely got here into impact on Thursday.
Commonwealth Financial institution says that from its finish, the transition has been comparatively clean, though it has sensed pockets of tension.
Regardless that customers will now not see the surcharge on eftpos, Visa, Mastercard and Amex transactions, companies are nonetheless on the hook to cowl the fee by both absorbing it or growing product costs.
The banks have already remotely eliminated the surcharge choice from the in-shop terminals utilized by retailers, together with key hospitality operations that had been the most important charge customers.
On the identical time, banks nonetheless need to cowl the interchange charge – paid by the service provider’s financial institution to the shopper’s financial institution when a cost is processed – although it has now dropped to 0.3%, from 0.8% (roughly three cents on each $10) – and shopkeepers nonetheless pay service provider charges to their banks.
Labor to make it more durable for worldwide college students to ‘course hop’
Krishani Dhanji
Worldwide college students will quickly discover it more durable to switch programs, and stay in Australia for longer, underneath a sequence of rule adjustments to cease the rise of “completely momentary” migrants.
The assistant minister for worldwide schooling, Julian Hill, is giving a speech this morning to the Migration Institute of Australia and says underneath the principles a pupil will now want a separate visa to switch programs, making it a lot more durable to “course hop”.
The house affairs minister, Tony Burke, introduced on the press membership final month that transfers might solely be to programs of equal or greater worth, which means a pupil couldn’t begin a bachelor or masters’ diploma after which drop to a vocational course.
Hill will say:
One of many greatest issues has been the expansion in completely momentary migrants. Individuals who hop from visa to visa, who could have spent most of their grownup lives right here, with youngsters who are actually Australian, however who won’t ever make the reduce for expert migration or who anticipate years on bridging visas for a everlasting visa.
Hill can even crack down on migration attorneys and brokers who attempt to “sport” the system by profiting off individuals who have baseless visa claims.
On-line sport ‘risk setting is getting extra critical’, eSafety chief says
Julie Inman-Grant, the eSafety commissioner, mentioned she anticipated by now there could be “higher protections” for youngsters within the on-line gaming house as “the risk setting is getting extra critical”.
She instructed RN this morning some adjustments had been made, however different firms had been lagging behind:
Some are doing higher than others. We’re beginning to see Roblox uplift. And Minecraft has education-based video games which might be safer than, say, the web model. However we might anticipate to see extra from Fortnite.
And Steam and Valve are actually the outliers. They’re nonetheless counting on self-declaration for age assurance, although in March we’ve got required all gaming platforms to have the ability to age guarantee these underneath 18 and stop dangerous content material being served to them.
Inman-Grant mentioned it was a “disgrace” that some firms wanted regulatory strain to raised their security requirements.
We’re beginning to see gaming platforms act extra like social media platforms. They’re making an attempt to maintain the youngsters on the platforms longer. … They’re introducing new providers like courting providers and purchasing malls the place the first demographic is 8 to 13 and so they’re permitting adults to intermingle. I imply, what might presumably go fallacious there?