Australia news as it happened: Voters support sending medical aid to Israel and Gaza; Rental affordability goes from bad to worse

That’s where we’ll leave today’s live coverage. Thanks for your company.

Here’s what was making news today:

• Hardware chain Bunnings announced it would stop selling engineered stone at the end of the year, in a win for unions and health experts campaigning for a ban on the silicosis-causing material.
• Premiers and ministers from both sides of the political divide gathered at St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney to farewell Helena Carr, who was remembered as a great peacemaker and accomplished businesswoman by her husband, former NSW premier Bob Carr.
• Immigration Minister Andrew Giles said some of the non-citizens set to be released from detention following a landmark High Court decision had recorded murder and sexual assault convictions, in response to a barrage of questions from the opposition in question time today.
• Students across Australia are preparing to walk out of school tomorrow to demand the government end coal and gas in the fifth National Schools Strike 4 Climate.
• And in breaking news, David Swann and Ben Grubb are reporting the unnamed “international peering partner” that Optus said had contributed to its 16-hour-long network meltdown last week was its Singaporean parent company Singtel. Read the latest development here.

Thanks again for following along. Caroline Schelle will be back bright and early to bring you all of the morning’s news.

The federal government is on a collision course with the states and territories over roads, railway lines and roundabouts after Infrastructure Minister Catherine King revealed that without changes to the current $120 billion pipeline of work, no new projects could be started until 2033.

King said an independent review of the pipeline that was put in place by the Coalition, due to be released in coming days, had found it would be almost impossible to deliver promised projects that were sucking money and resources away from nationally important work.

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan is among a group of premiers worried about the federal government’s plans to overhaul infrastructure spending.Credit: Simon Schluter

“Significantly, they found that, without making significant immediate changes to program settings, the Australian government cannot afford to meet identified cost pressures, nor add any new projects to the pipeline in the next 10 years,” she said today.

King immediately faced push-back from the states, with Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk – who faces an election next year – vowing to “stand up” to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, saying her state faced losing $1 billion a year in federal infrastructure funding.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said he was very concerned about federal cuts to infrastructure and warned there were other battlegrounds looming with the Albanese government, including over education and NDIS funding.

“NSW taxpayers pay a lot of money in income taxes to the Commonwealth government and we deserve our fair share,” Minns told ABC Sydney.

Read the full story here.

Being named after a toad hunting arachnid may not sound like a compliment, especially for a popular TV children’s presenter.

But former Totally Wild host and national park ranger Stacey Thomson says she is honoured to receive a nod after almost 50 new species of spiders in Australia were unveiled.

Dr Robert Raven has documented 48 new ground hunting spiders in the study, published in the international journal Zootaxa, including Miturgopelma rangerstaceyae – his salute to the woman dubbed “Ranger Stacey” during her popular TV run.

“It may not be gorgeous or cute to many, but this is an important discovery,” Thomson said on Instagram.

Less than 3000 species of spider have been identified in Australia, but Raven predicted that number could actually be closer to 15,000.

That number would represent a quarter of the world’s spider population, Raven said.

About half of the 48 spiders identified are from Western Australia.

AAP

In Tasmania, a bushfire that destroyed homes and properties on the island’s east coast has been contained in more favourable weather.

The blaze, which sparked on Sunday night at Dolphin Sands, prompted several emergency warnings and forced residents to shelter at a boat ramp.

It was downgraded progressively on Tuesday, with the Tasmania Fire Service indicating it had been contained in the afternoon.

“Thankfully the fire remains within the containment lines that were established yesterday and things are looking favourable,” Tasmania Fire Service incident controller Stuart Males said.

Two homes, two sheds and a car were destroyed, while power lines were brought down and other properties damaged.

One resident said they used sprinklers to douse flames which reached the back deck of their house.

AAP

A sick note that gets you out of school, so you can attend the national climate strike? It may sound far-fetched, but for these students and academics, it’s a no-brainer.

The National Schools Strike 4 Climate will take place tomorrow, marking the fifth year students around the country have skipped school to demand the government end coal and gas in Australia.

But this year, three leading climate professors Dr David Karoly from the University of Melbourne, Dr Lesley Hughes, Pro-Chancellor at Macquarie University, and Dr Nick Abel have pre-signed climate doctor’s certificates which can be personalised for students who attend the climate strikes across the country.

Karoly said while the sick notes had not been signed by medical professionals, they were an innovative way to raise awareness about the implications that climate change will cause for the coming generation.

Education departments in NSW and Victoria say they expect students to attend school as usual on Friday, and notes without a signature from a medical practitioner will not be accepted.

Read the full story from environment reporter Laura Chung, who has spoken to the academics and students involved in tomorrow’s action.

In Queensland, two people diagnosed with fungal infections while in hospital have died after elevated levels of mould were found in the hospital’s heart transplant unit.

Five patients were diagnosed with a fungal infection after the mould was detected in a storage area at the Prince Charles Hospital’s heart transplant unit in Brisbane’s north.

The Prince Charles Hospital in the north Brisbane suburb of Chermside.Credit: Facebook

Muhammad Hussain, 55, and 45-year-old Adam Retmock both died, but Queensland Health said there was no link between the deaths and the fungal infection in hospital’s storage area, saying both patients were diagnosed with a different strain.

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman said the transplant unit had been paused for a deep clean but was now “absolutely safe”, reopening last week.

In state parliament on Tuesday, Opposition Leader David Crisafulli said Retmock’s family had told him that the transplant patient found out the fungal outbreak could be potentially fatal while lying in his hospital bed watching the TV news, days before his death.

Ms Fentiman said it was “totally unacceptable” if that was true but had been assured by the heart transplant unit that they had spoken directly to every patient about the outbreak.

“If that has not happened then I want to again sincerely apologise to those families,” she told parliament. “I absolutely agree it is not good enough if a family found out via the news.”

Ms Fentiman said Mr Retmock had suffered a range of complications unrelated to the fungal infection before his death.

Clinical reviews of both deaths were ongoing, the minister said.

AAP

Heading now to the Northern Territory, where oil and gas companies and the agricultural sector will be able to extract billions of litres from water sources under the territory’s largest-ever water allocation plan.

The Northern Territory government has just released a plan to allocate 210 billion litres of water flowing through the Georgina Wiso region, which includes a significant portion of the Beetaloo Basin where fracking is set to begin.

An exploratory gas well in the Northern Territory’s Beetaloo Basin. Credit: Justin McManus

Almost 160 billion litres have been allocated for agriculture, and 10 billion litres for oil and gas. A further 20 billion litres will go towards an Aboriginal Water Reserve, but Indigenous groups won’t have any means of applying for the water as proposed regulations are still being debated.

David Ritchie, the independent officer charged with implementing the recommendations of the NT’s fracking inquiry, wrote a letter to the government questioning why it did not include traditional owners in

“(This) reinforced the perception held by many Aboriginal people in affected communities that the traditional significance of groundwater has been ignored by government and industry,” he said.

Mangarrayi and Yangman elder and traditional owner for Jilkminggan Jocelyn James said the water levels are changing as climate change persists.

“Our country is crying out for water, they are places with song and story and law, now they are dry so early in the season,” she said. “Still they want more water, more fracking, more land clearing – it is making us sick.”

NT Chief Minister Natasha Fyles defended the water plan on Monday, saying she “understands there is criticism” but hard work had gone into the plan.

AAP

Earlier today, premiers and ministers from both sides of the political divide gathered at St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney to farewell Helena Carr, who was remembered as a great peacemaker and accomplished businesswoman by her husband, former NSW premier Bob Carr.

More than a fortnight after Carr, 77, collapsed and died in the arms of her husband in Vienna, more than 600 mourners gathered at the cathedral to pay their respects, and hear her husband eulogise the woman he simply referred to as “H”.

Former NSW premier Bob Carr speaks at the funeral service for his wife Helena Carr.Credit: Flavio Brancaleone

“Some are surprised at me doing this,” a stoic Carr said. “What happened on October 26 is still very raw. But in a city where I have raised my voice in so many causes, over so many years, I could not say no to this one. Even if there is some risk.”

Senior journalist Andrew Hornery was at the service, where he observed Malcolm and Lucy Turnbull warmly greet Paul Keating and former wife Annita van Iersel, and Alan Jones (on a walking stick) deep in conversation with former Labor powerbroker Graham Richardson.

NSW Premier Chris Minns, and Deputy Premier Prue Car sat in the front pews, while Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was represented by Federal Education Minister Jason Clare, a former senior staff member of Carr’s office when he was premier of NSW.

Albanese told parliament this afternoon Helena Carr was “held in great respect and esteem by all who knew her” since emigrating from Malaysia in 1965.

“We are lucky that Helena chose this country,” he said. “Malaysia’s loss was Australia’s gain, and Australia’s gain was Bob’s greatest fortune.”

Read more on the service here.

Hardware chain Bunnings will stop selling engineered stone at the end of the year, in a major victory for unions and health experts campaigning for a ban on the silicosis-causing material.

Bunnings director of merchandise Jen Tucker said the decision to withdraw its limited range of engineered stone benchtops from December 31 was made following the recent release of Safe Work Australia’s landmark report and consultation with suppliers.

Hardware chain Bunnings will stop selling engineered stone by the end of the year.

“While there has been clear indication from NSW and other state governments that they will legislate a ban on the product, we are proactively making this decision to allow suppliers and customers time to prepare for a transition,” she said in a statement.

Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union federal secretary Zach Smith congratulated the retailer on the move, which comes after his members staged protests at stores urging Bunnings to stop its sale.

“This is the end of the line for engineered stone,” Smith said.

Read the full story from federal industrial relations reporter Angus Thompson here.

Almost every question the government is receiving from independent and Coalition MPs relates to the High Court ruling to release non-citizens.

Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley asks the government to confirm how many of the individuals released are convicted paedophiles, murderers or rapists.

Immigration Minister Andrew Giles is unable to give exact numbers, but confirms the group of more than 80 people includes people with criminal convictions.

“The decision of the High Court ... effects very, very serious offenders including people who have committed the offences you’ve described,” he said. “I believe there are three murderers, there are several sex offenders.”

Shadow minister for immigration Dan Tehan again steps up to ask Giles when exactly the government sought advice for a legislative fix to the High Court decision to release non-citizens.

Giles answers:

“Immediately after the decision we sought advice on its implications … that advice contemplated the work that was done in advance of the decision. We also sought advice prior to the hearing on the options that would be available depending on the various outcomes of the decision. We are yet to receive the reasons for the High Court’s decision … we have always been looking at all regulatory and all legislative options available.”