Australia news live: republicans to welcome king’s visit with ‘farewell tour’ T-shirts; Labor commits $95m to prepare for deadly bird flu
Republicans to welcome king’s visit with ‘farewell tour’ T-shirts
Josh Butler
The Australian Republican Movement (ARM) is launching a tongue-in-cheek media campaign ahead of King Charles’ visit to Australia, branding it the “farewell tour” of the British monarchy – claiming it is “time to give the royal wave goodbye.”
Charles and Queen Camilla will visit Australia from 18 to 23 October, with stops in Sydney and Canberra. The ARM points out it’s the first visit from a monarch in more than a decade, and say it’s time to “change the conversation” about the royals.
The unsuccessful Indigenous voice referendum, coincidentally a year ago today (14 October), has stalled momentum for potential constitutional change that would be needed for an Australian republic. The Labor government recently dropped its ministerial portfolio focused on the republic, and political observers theorise it will be some time before a future government proposes another referendum.
But the ARM is preparing to use Charles’s visit to draw attention to the republican push again. Their campaign is titled “monarchy: the Farewell Oz tour”, branded like the final tour of a rock band, with T-shirts and posters printed.
Think Elton’s Yellow Brick Road Tour and Farnham’s The Last Time. It’s time to Wave Goodbye to Royal Reign with Monarchy: The Farewell Oz Tour!
The group points to their own research showing 92% of Australians are open to becoming a republic, and that 60% of Australians say they’d prefer an Australian head of state to King Charles.
It’s time for Australia to say ‘thanks, but we’ve got it from here’. Expect to see big names leading our new conversation all over Australia as we wave goodbye to royal reign.
Key events
Price says yes campaigners need to ‘let go’ and ‘accept result’ of Voice referendum
Jacinta Nampijinpa Price was also asked about comments from yes advocate and Uluru Statement from the Heart architect Megan Davis, that there is still a lot of grieving amongst Indigenous Australians.
Price said “it’s no surprise that there’s still grieving taking place” but “it’s not what I’ve picked up”. She argued that yes campaigners need to “let go” and “accept the result”.
… because Australia has made that determination, and move forward, because there are marginalised Indigenous Australians whose lives need to be impacted in a positive way right now.
Jacinta Nampijinpa Price on Voice referendum, one year on
The shadow minister for Indigenous Australians, Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, was on ABC News Breakfast earlier on the first anniversary of the Voice referendum.
Price was a leading no vote advocate, arguing at the time there were better ways to improve the plight of Indigenous Australians. 12 months on, can she point to any alternative methods that have succeeded?
She argued the Albanese government hasn’t “implemented any methods to improve the circumstances or change the things on the ground.”
We have been calling for an inquiry into statutory authorities for the last 18 months, which we believe need to be looked at closely because of their failures to … well, not all statutory authorities, but some, in terms of their failures of how they’re supposed to serve the interests of those that they are supposed to represent.
And this has been ongoing now and something that the Albanese Government has continued to ignore. But those voices – especially of Traditional Owners – that I have been speaking to, are growing louder, with more concern. And, really, there is a need to fix the structures that currently exist, and it begins with an inquiry.
Murray Watt on government’s review of workplace relations laws
Murray Watt was asked about calls from employers to change the definition of small business from 15 to 25 employees – will he do it?
“No, we won’t,” he said, arguing this would “make it easier for small and medium sized businesses to be able to unfairly sack workers” by losing their unfair dismissal rights.
There’s no evidence at all that current laws led by the Albanese government are stifling businesses from employing people. In fact, we’ve actually created nearly 1 million jobs since coming to office a bit over two years ago … So unfortunately, for some of the leading business groups calling for this, the evidence of what’s going on in the economy just doesn’t back up their wish list.
The business community also wants the government to revisit multi-employer bargaining and same job, same pay legislation – will the government’s review of workplace relations laws look at this?
He argued the laws already introduced by the government “have actually delivered exactly what we said they would – higher pay, more secure jobs, reducing the gender pay gap, delivering safer workplaces and more equality in the workplace.”
Watt also said the government was “very willing to have industrial relations as a key battleground for the next election”.
Watt says government had ‘guts’ to see voice proposal through despite polls
The employment and workplace relations minister, Murray Watt, spoke with ABC RN earlier and was asked about the voice referendum, one year on.
He recognised today was “going to be a pretty painful day for First Nations Australians” and said there were “a lot of hopes invested” in the voice proposal.
One of the lessons that we took is that it’s really pretty much impossible to undertake constitutional reform in this country without bipartisan support. We saw that,w prior to Peter Dutton and the Coalition opposing the voice, support for the voice was actually quite high, and that whittled away as soon as we saw the opposition take a position against it.
Host Patricia Karvelas asked why the government didn’t go to Indigenous leaders and say, “we don’t think we can win this”, when the polls were showing a defeat?
Watt said the PM and the government as a whole wanted the proposal to be led by First Nations people, and “we didn’t think it was appropriate to ignore their wishes, either at the beginning of the campaign or as the campaign went on”.
We see a lot of criticism of the government and the prime minister lately about not taking enough hard decisions and not being bold enough. This was a pretty bold thing to do, and it demonstrated the conviction of the prime minister and the conviction of the government that we were prepared to take on a difficult issue and see it through to the end.
Watts said the government “deserve[s] points for having had the guts to see it through, especially given that was the position of First Nations leaders”.
Alex Greenwich urged to restore protections for LGBTQ+ school staff in equality bill
The Independent Education Union of Australia’s NSW branch says it is “deeply concerned” about the state independent MP Alex Greenwich dropping protections for LGBTQ+ teachers, school staff and students from his equality bill – before cabinet today.
The union said that currently, non-government school employers can discriminate against school staff by terminating their employment because of their sexual orientation or transgender status – and expel students for the same reason.
Greenwich was reported in yesterday’s Sun Herald as dropping proposed protections for school staff pending a review of the NSW Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 by the NSW Law Reform Commission. But branch secretary Carol Matthews says there are “no guarantees this long-running review will recommend protections for teachers and school staff in faith-based schools.”
Nor is there any guarantee the NSW government will legislate recommendations arising from the review …
School employers have nothing to fear from modern community standards – they can still thrive without the need to discriminate. Changes to the Act could still allow religious schools to build communities of faith central to their ethos and character.
The union calls on Mr Greenwich to restore protections for LGBTQI+ school staff and students to his equality bill, and for the NSW government to implement full protections from all forms of discrimination in non-government schools.
Royce Kurmelovs
Gavan Reynolds to be sworn in as ABF commissioner
The former head of defence intelligence Gavan Reynolds will be sworn in as the Australian Border Force commissioner next month.
Reynolds said he would work closely with the government:
It is a privilege to lead the Australian Border Force and the dedicated people protecting the national asset that is our border. I look forward to working closely with the Department of Home Affairs and across Government to deliver prosperity, security and unity for Australia.
Reynolds spent his 40-year career with the Australian Defence Force (ADF), serving in roles including the Australian Military Representative to NATO and the European Union, senior positions within the ADF and a deployment to Afghanistan as part of the International Security Assistance Force.
He will take over from Michael Outram, who retires on 9 November.
Royce Kurmelovs
The new Administrative Review Tribunal opens
The attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, will attend the inaugural ceremonial sitting of the new Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) today.
The ART will replace the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) in a major reform to Australian administrative law after concerns that the previous scheme had become inaccessible and unfair.
Dreyfus described the moment as “the most significant reform to Australia’s system of administrative review in decades” that will help “restore confidence in government.”
The new ART will be efficient, accessible, independent and fair for the tens of thousands of people every year who seek independent review of government decisions, such as whether they qualify for an age pension, are compensated for an injury they suffered while serving their nation or receive NDIS funding for essential support.
The Labor government previously accused the former Coalition government of stacking the AAT with supporters in a way that was undermining the institution, particularly in the wake of scandals such as the robodebt fiasco.
The long-awaited revamp to the process, which allows Australian’s to seek review of government decisions, has been in the works since Labor took office. A key feature of the new ART is a “transparent and merit-based selection process” for the appointment of members.
Among the reforms are a demand-driven funding model, greater harmonisation across different case types, mechanisms to escalate issues of significance and a new case-management system.
Staff who worked with the previous AAT have also been transferred to the new ART, along with all existing matters.
Republicans to welcome king’s visit with ‘farewell tour’ T-shirts
Josh Butler
The Australian Republican Movement (ARM) is launching a tongue-in-cheek media campaign ahead of King Charles’ visit to Australia, branding it the “farewell tour” of the British monarchy – claiming it is “time to give the royal wave goodbye.”
Charles and Queen Camilla will visit Australia from 18 to 23 October, with stops in Sydney and Canberra. The ARM points out it’s the first visit from a monarch in more than a decade, and say it’s time to “change the conversation” about the royals.
The unsuccessful Indigenous voice referendum, coincidentally a year ago today (14 October), has stalled momentum for potential constitutional change that would be needed for an Australian republic. The Labor government recently dropped its ministerial portfolio focused on the republic, and political observers theorise it will be some time before a future government proposes another referendum.
But the ARM is preparing to use Charles’s visit to draw attention to the republican push again. Their campaign is titled “monarchy: the Farewell Oz tour”, branded like the final tour of a rock band, with T-shirts and posters printed.
Think Elton’s Yellow Brick Road Tour and Farnham’s The Last Time. It’s time to Wave Goodbye to Royal Reign with Monarchy: The Farewell Oz Tour!
The group points to their own research showing 92% of Australians are open to becoming a republic, and that 60% of Australians say they’d prefer an Australian head of state to King Charles.
It’s time for Australia to say ‘thanks, but we’ve got it from here’. Expect to see big names leading our new conversation all over Australia as we wave goodbye to royal reign.
Lisa Cox
Environment advocates welcome funding boost for bird flu preparation
Work by Wildlife Health Australia more than a year ago warned the consequences of the H5N1 strain of bird flu in native birds could be catastrophic. Environment organisations have been calling for additional funding for preparedness for the disease in wildlife for many months.
The announcement (see previous post) comes ahead of a meeting later this week of federal, state and territory environment and agriculture ministers to discuss preparedness for the deadly strain.
The Invasive Species Council’s advocacy director Jack Gough welcomed the extra funding:
This is incredible news. The Albanese government is finally investing a serious amount into preparation for what could be the worst environmental disaster in Australia’s history.
This level of funding will allow departments to get on with the job of properly preparing to save wildlife and stop extinctions if the deadly bird flu hits our shores.
We will not be able to stop this disease from arriving but we know that vaccination, carcass removal and stopping disturbance can reduce death rates and save species like Tassie devils, sea lions and black swans.
Labor commits $95m to prepare for deadly bird flu
Lisa Cox
The Albanese government has announced an extra $95m to prepare for the potential arrival of a deadly strain of bird flu that has been catastrophic for wildlife globally.
Australia is the only continent that remains free of the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of avian influenza but the chance it will be detected increases during spring with the arrival of migratory shorebirds.
The rapid global spread of the strain has caused mass deaths of wild birds and some mammal species and had significant impacts for industries such as poultry.
The government is committing an extra $37m for initiatives to protect agriculture, including $15m to increase biosecurity response capability and surveillance and $10m for nationally coordinated communications to ensure communities are informed and protected.
The new investment also includes a major increase in funding of $35.9m for environmental measures to “accelerate protective action for threatened species and priority biodiversity”. A further $22.1m is for strengthening public health preparedness.
The environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, said:
I am particularly concerned about the potential impact on species already at risk of extinction and not well placed to cope with significant mortalities. This includes marine mammals such as the endangered Australian sea lion, and sea birds like the Christmas Island frigatebird, which has only one breeding site.
Welcome
Emily Wind
Good morning and welcome back to a new week on the Australia news live blog. I’m Emily Wind and I’ll be taking you through our live coverage for most of today.
The Albanese government has announced an extra $95m to prepare for the potential arrival of a deadly strain of bird flu that has been catastrophic for wildlife globally.
Australia is the only continent that remains free of the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of avian influenza, but the chance it will be detected increases during spring with the arrival of migratory shorebirds. We’ll have more on this from Lisa Cox in a moment.
The Australian Republican Movement is launching a tongue-in-cheek media campaign ahead of King Charles’s visit to Australia – from 18 to 23 October – branding it the “farewell tour” of the British monarchy. The movement is preparing to use Charles’s visit to draw attention to the republican push with a campaign titled “monarchy: the Farewell Oz tour”, branded like the final tour of a rock band with T-shirts and posters printed. Josh Butler will have more on this shortly.
As always, you can reach out with any tips, questions or feedback via X, @emilywindwrites, or you can send me an email: emily.wind@theguardian.com.
Let’s get started.
