PoliticsNow: Scott Morrison says it’s important ‘to get it right’ on Brittany Higgins, amid offer to meet her
Scott Morrison has offered to meet Brittany Higgins anywhere in Australia.
- PM blasts Liberal MP’s online harassment
- Morrison offers to meet Higgins anywhere
- More parliament sackings loom
- China ‘vindictive, unreliable’
- Queensland ‘mystery’ case linked to March 12 cluster
Welcome to PoliticsNow, our live coverage of the latest headlines from Canberra.
Scott Morrison says it is important ‘to get it right’ on Brittany Higgins. The PM has also blasted Liberal MP Andrew Laming’s online harassment of two of his female constituents, saying Dr Laming’s online comments were “disgraceful” as the PM offers to meet Brittany Higgins anywhere in Australia. The whistleblower who exposed Coalition staff performing lewd sex acts in female MPs’ offices says he has passed on information to Finance Minister Simon Birmingham and Labor senator Kristina Keneally that could lead to further staff sackings and expose serving MPs.
Joseph Lam9.55pm:New rules to enter NSW by midnight
NSW has introduced new rules requiring anyone who has travelled to Brisbane or Moreton Bay over the past 14 days to declare they have not been to a COVID-19 hotspot upon entering NSW.
The public health measure was announced late on Friday following a Brisbane man testing positive to the highly contagious UK variant of the virus on Thursday.
“Anyone entering NSW from 12.01 am on Saturday 27 March who has been in Brisbane City Council or Moreton Bay Regional Council areas in the past 14 days will be required to fill out a passenger declaration form, which includes confirmation of whether they have visited any venues of high concern,” NSW Health’s statement read.
NSW Health has also updated its travel advice advising those who have entered venues of concern not to enter the state.
UPDATED ADVICE: New advice applies for people arriving in NSW from Queensland from 12:01 am on Saturday 27 March. Find out more information here: https://t.co/wIxH6mrzRk
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) March 26, 2021
“If you have been in a venue of high concern and are already in NSW, you should immediately self-isolate and call NSW Health on 1800 943 553,” NSW Health said.
“Anyone who has returned from Brisbane City Council or Moreton Bay Regional Council areas in the past 14 days should be particularly vigilant and get tested and isolate immediately if they develop any COVID-19 symptoms, however mild.”
Read more:New Brisbane case is UK variant
Joseph Lam8.50pm:Queensland ‘mystery’ case linked to March 12 cluster
A Queensland man who tested positive for the highly contagious COVID-19 UK variant has been linked to a previous cluster in the state.
The man reportedly fell ill on Monday before testing positive for the UK strain late on Thursday and has been in isolation at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital ever since.
Queensland Health about 7pm on Friday said that genomic testing has linked the man to a previous cluster in the state on March 12.
State Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said there is likely an “unidentified intermediary” who is the source of his infection.
“The detail from the genomic testing is getting faster and better – we know that the gentleman who tested positive on late Thursday night was highly contagious,” Dr Young said.
“We therefore cannot afford to be complacent – if you have any COVID symptoms at all, please come forward and get tested.”
BREAKING: Genomic testing has confirmed that Queensland’s latest locally acquired COVID-19 case is linked to the previous cluster announced on March 12. #covid19pic.twitter.com/B0r7UbgoxF
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) March 26, 2021
Dr Young said the Public Health Unit will contact anyone identified as a close contact of the man and they will be required to go into quarantine.
“We will know more in the next 24 hours, but in the meantime, those identified as visiting the locations in today’s Public Health Alert should immediately get tested and isolate until you receive your results,” Dr Young said.
Several additional testing facilities will be set up across Brisbane over the weekend to allow for extra testing. Meanwhile NSW Health has warned that anyone who attended venues in Brisbane which are linked to the new case be prohibited from entering NSW. Those already in NSW will be made to quarantine.
COVID-10 fragments have also been found at sewage plants in central Queensland in the town of Rockhampton as well as Brisbane.
Read more:Aussie expats finding it tough to get work back home after COVID
Joseph Lam7.30pm:NSW on alert over Queensland mystery case
NSW Health have warned that anyone who attended venues which are found to be close contact venues of a mystery COVID-19 case in Queensland will be prohibited from entering the state.
A man, 26, tested positive for the virus on Friday in Brisbane after developing symptoms on Monday. Queensland Health say the source of the infection is not yet known.
NSW Health has called on anyone who visited Brisbane or Moreton Bay area since last Saturday to monitor for symptoms and continue to check for health updates.
New advice applies for people who arrived in NSW from Queensland since Saturday 20 March 2021.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) March 26, 2021
More information: https://t.co/FBaHSZy5Lipic.twitter.com/qplx7zpXeu
“Should Queensland Health identify any close contact venues, anyone who attended those venues during the relevant times is prohibited from entering NSW. If they are already in NSW they must immediately get tested and go into isolation for 14 days,” read NSW Health’s statement.
“Anyone who has attended casual contact venues listed on the website during the relevant times is asked to immediately get tested regardless of symptoms and self-isolate until a negative result is returned.”
Read more: Queensland records ‘mystery’ COVID-19 case
Robyn Ironside6.50pm:New holiday top spot in Covid world
Sun-starved Victorian holiday makers have shaken up the nation’s busiest air routes, crowning a new favourite as the Melbourne-Sydney run tumbles down the rankings. Read more here
Gerard Henderson5.30pm:Morrison refuses to indulge ABC critics
Leigh Sales has had a big whinge about the PM not going on 7.30. Why should he when its political correspondent accused him of ‘ideological bastardry’? Read more here
Jack the Insider4.30pm:Extreme idiocy in a post-pandemic world
Sleeve rolled up for his AstraZeneca shot next week, Jack takes a jab at the anti-vaxxers. Read more here
Staff Reporters3.30pm:PM says Higgins issue ‘serious, important’
Scott Morrison was asked about Brittany Higgins during his press conference in Wauchope, NSW, and whether he “misjudged the mood of the nation”.
Mr Morrison said he addressed the issue earlier on Friday, but added: “This is a very serious, important issue.”
“I am doing everything I can to ensure we do the things we need to do to get this right. I was simply saying this is a very deep and difficult issue, which has many different dimensions. We have an understanding at one level.”
Earlier on Friday, Mr Morrison said he was willing to meet alleged rape survivor Ms Higgins anywhere in Australia.
The Prime Minister last night extended an invitation to the former Liberal staffer as his government continues to come under pressure over the allegations Ms Higgins was raped in Parliament House.
On Friday, Mr Morrison said he understood if Ms Higgins did not want to meet in Parliament House and would accommodate her wishes if she wanted to meet.
“We have sought to respect her privacy and her wishes on this,” he said in Melbourne. “And I could also appreciate why she wouldn’t necessarily want to meet in Parliament House. That would be totally understandable. We can arrange to meet in other cities.”
READ MORE:Morrison must tread carefully on Porter
Ellie Dudley2.25pm:Unimaginable trauma: Premier pledges support
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian hailed the efforts of the flood-stricken communities on the mid-north coast, as she toured the area with Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Friday.
“It’s unimaginable the kind of trauma and devastation people have experienced in the last few days,” she told a press conference in Wauchope. “Yet what really struck me today is the way everybody’s come together to support one another.”
The NSW government will provide grants to small businesses of up to $50,000 and to primary producers of up to $75,000.
Emergency Management Minister David Littleproud said the grants would “save lives.”
“It is important to understand that this will just take away that – not only the financial burden but the emotional burden as well,” he said.
The cost of the grants will be shared evenly between the federal and state governments, and Mr Morrison said they would be “critical” for businesses getting back on their feet.
“This is not just a helping hand,” he said.
“This is an enormous embrace that is coming from the Commonwealth government along with the state government to ensure that we stand with the people of the mid-north coast and across the state to ensure as the waters recede their hopes rise.”
Debbie Schipp2.20pm:PM announces joint flood relief
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced business loans and pledged the federal government will fund flood recovery “50-50” with the NSW government as he tours flood-ravaged regional areas with NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian.
The announcement came as he toured Wauchope, where “the Premier and I have stood here in this very spot, not that long ago, as fired ripped through the area”, he said.
“We will carry this load together,” he said, as he announced joint $50,000 small business grants for “those directly impacted” and primary producer grants of up to $75,000.
Finn McHugh1.55pm:PM declares vaccine rollout back on track
Scott Morrison has declared that Australia’s sluggish COVID-19 vaccine rollout is back on track with the nation’s onshore production set to ramp up.
The Prime Minister on Friday toured Melbourne’s CSL plant, which the government claims will produce a million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine every week.
The government had aimed to have four million Australians vaccinated by early April but walked away from that following supply blockages in Europe.
Mr Morrison said Australia would get to just 500,000 vaccinations by the beginning of next week but claimed the imminent arrival of onshore production would be a “game changer” for the rollout.
“This just keeps building every week, every single week. And now the supply is on out of our Australian-made vaccine here,” he said.
“This has been the big game changer that we’ve been working so long and so hard to secure for our country.”
Mr Morrison said Australia was leading a “small club” of countries capable of producing its own supply.
He declared onshore production ramping up as an “extraordinary moment in Australia’s history”.
Nicolle Flint1.30pm:PM. Tories have better way of boosting women
Political parties on the left have quotas, imposed by central planning. Centre-right parties tend toward open democratic decision-making. Read more here
Richard Ferguson12.30pm:‘We’re transitioning to different support measures’
Josh Frydenberg has sought to assure Australians that the government will continue to support jobs when JobKeeper wage subsidies wrap up on Sunday.
Labor has warned the end of the pandemic wage scheme will harm the economy and Treasury told senate estimates this week that 150,000 jobs are due to be lost when JobKeeper finishes.
The Treasurer on Friday said tax cuts and low interest loans would help the economy to continue to recover from COVID-19.
“We’re just transitioning to a series of different economic support measures: tax cuts, infrastructure, skills, low cost loans that we announced, where the government’s taking the vast majority of the risk on but ensuring their businesses … get that support,” he said.
“There is a whole series of economic measures that are designed to get the economy to the other side of COVID-19.
“There will be some businesses that won’t get through to the end of this process, we know that.
“But we’ve also put in place the most significant changes to insolvency law in 30 years.”
READ MORE:Jobs and tax deliver $23bn boost to budget
Ellie Dudley11.50am:NSW to prosecute historic sex assault by modern standards
The NSW government is preparing to become the first state in Australia to sentence those convicted of historic crimes according to modern standards, including adult sexual assault charges.
NSW Attorney-General Mark Speakman said current sentencing guidelines already apply to historical child sexual assaults, but other serious crimes, like sexual assault, need to brought in line.
“Victims may be traumatised, they may be stigmatised, they may not want to confront an adversarial criminal justice system,” he told 2GB.
“If the offender is brought to justice, they’re sentenced according to historical principles that might be 20, 30 years old, at times when we didn’t understand as fully as we do now the complex and lifelong trauma that serious crime, particularly sexual assault, can cause.”
The legislative change is expected to be initiated later this year, after a consultation process with police, judiciaries, lawyers and victims’ groups.
READ MORE:Premier shocked by claim of rape
Matthew Denholm11.45am:Tasmania to go to the polls on May 1
Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein has called a May 1 state election. Read more here.
Sarah Elks11.43am:Source of new Queensland case ‘a mystery’
Queensland’s new case of COVID-19 community transmission is a mystery, health authorities say.
Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said it is not known how the 26-year-old man, a landscaper, from Stafford caught the virus in the community.
He’s now in the Royal Brisbane Hospital, after testing positive last night, and genomic testing is underway. Dr Young said he had tested positive twice.
“This gentleman developed symptoms on Monday, he became reasonably unwell, and stayed home,” Dr Young said.
She said it was “too early” to say where he had caught the virus, and had to wait for the results of the genomic sequencing.
Dr Young said the situation was concerning, because he was a young man and had been out and about in the community for a week.
“Of course it’s concerning, that’s why we’re here this morning … letting the community know … it’s so important that if you have any symptoms at all, come forward and get tested,” she said.
Dr Young said there was a chance this case was linked to the outbreak two weeks ago, that involved the PA Hospital doctor and two cases in hotel quarantine.
She said she was hopeful there would not need to be more restrictions as a result of this case.
“I would hope we don’t need to have more restrictions, but it just depends what unfolds over the next 24-48 hours,” she said.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the man had been to:
– Carindale Shopping Centre
– Bunnings at Stafford
– The fresh food market stall at Gasworks, Newstead
– Mamma’s Italian Restaurant at Redcliffe
– The Guzman y Gomez drive-through at Stafford
– Aldi at Stafford
– Locations in Fortitude Valley over the weekend
Read more on the new case here.
Sarah Elks11.36am:Infected Brisbane man has been in community for a week
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says a Brisbane man has been infectious with COVID-19 in the community for a week, but said there was no need for alarm.
Ms Palaszczuk said the man from Stafford, on the northside, tested positive and had been infectious since last Friday.
She said visitors would be banned from aged care, hospitals, prison and disability services in the Brisbane City and Moreton council areas, and told people in Brisbane to wear a mask if they were in crowded areas.
“This is no need for alarm,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
Read more on the new case here.
Sarah Elks11.22am:Queensland records new local Covid case
Queensland has recorded one new case of COVID-19 community transmission overnight, with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to release more details shortly.
The state has had very few cases of community transmission this year.
Earlier this month, a doctor from the Princess Alexandra hospital was diagnosed with COVID-19 after contact with a patient, and it sparked an eight-day response in greater Brisbane that involved banning visitors from hospitals and aged care centres.
READ MORE:Health experts confirm PNG variant
Matthew Denholm10.48am:Tasmania set to head to the polls early
There is rising speculation Tasmanians will soon be heading to the polls, tipped for May 1.
Premier Peter Gutwein is expected to announce the election later this morning, with multiple sources confirming a “significant announcement” will be made.
The early election – not due until March 2022 – would be an attempt by the government to capitalise on strong polling, reflecting widespread public approval of Mr Gutwein’s handling of the pandemic.
Latest polling, by EMRS in February, showed the Liberals on 52 per cent to Labor’s 27 per cent and the Greens 14 per cent.
The Gutwein government slid into minority earlier this week, after speaker Sue Hickey quit the Liberals in the wake of being dumped by preselectors.
READ MORE:Gutwein flags early election after minority blow
Richard Ferguson10.36am:Laming not fit to sit in parliament: Albanese
Anthony Albanese says controversial Liberal MP Andrew Laming is not fit to sit in parliament, after he was forced to apologise for attacking two of his female constituents online for years.
Scott Morrison on Friday labelled Dr Laming’s conduct “disgraceful” and gave him a dressing down in the Prime Minister’s office the day before.
Dr Laming apologised in parliament on Thursday for attacking charity worker Alix Russo and Sheena Hewlett – the wife of a Redwood City councillor – online.
Nine News reported that he had falsely accused Ms Russo of misappropriating charity funds for several years. Ms Hewlett said as well as harassing her and her husband on social media, Dr Laming had once hid in bushes and took photos of her in a park.
The Opposition Leader said if Mr Morrison did not kick Dr Laming out of the Liberal Party, he would personally campaign against him in his Queensland seat.
“Andrew Laming isn’t fit to continue as a member of parliament,” Mr Albanese said.
“And if the Liberal Party want to continue to associate themselves with him as what a federal public representative would be, then I’ll look forward to campaigning with the Labor candidate in that seat and sending a message.
“Not just to Andrew Laming, but to the entire country, that that sort of behaviour is completely unacceptable by removing Andrew Laming from the parliament.”
READ MORE:PM blasts Liberal MP’s ‘disgraceful’ harassment
Richard Ferguson10.33am:‘Real damage’ awaits Australia on Sunday: Albanese
Anthony Albanese says the end of JobKeeper wage subsidies on Sunday will do “real damage” to the economy and the Australian people.
Scott Morrison is going ahead with the end of wage subsidies as employment numbers bounce back.
But the Opposition Leader on Friday said jobs reliant on JobKeeper will disappear and businesses will close. Treasury told senate estimates this week that 150,000 jobs are considered at risk.
“They are withdrawing support, while the basis for that withdrawal is not being delivered. And that will place real pressure on individuals, real pressure on businesses,” Mr Albanese said in Adelaide.
“And the government is too obsessed with being in damage control to be concerned about what they should be concerned about.”
READ MORE: JobKeeper becomes JobLoser
Greg Brown10.20am:We must support coal miners, ALP told
Paterson MP Meryl Swanson has urged Labor MPs, union leaders and the party’s environmental activists not to “scare the shit” out of coal industry workers by preaching to them about the need to transition out of their mining jobs.
Ms Swanson, the daughter of a coalminer, spoke out at a private caucus briefing on Wednesday from the Hunter Jobs Alliance, which was attended by more than a dozen Labor MPs, including Anthony Albanese and energy spokesman Chris Bowen.
The Hunter Jobs Alliance is a partnership between the Labor Environment Action Network, the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and the Electrical Trades Union and is aimed at transforming coal communities into regions that help Australia become a “renewables superpower”.
Ms Swanson, a NSW Right MP who represents a coal seat in the Hunter Valley, urged MPs and members of the alliance to be careful about the way they talked about taking action on climate change, arguing that coal workers should not feel demonised as Australia transitions to a low-emissions future.
Stephen Lunn10.03am:Women unlikely to bridge pay gap until 2046
Equal pay is still a generation away, with women unlikely to bridge the gender pay gap until 2046.
While the remuneration gender pay gap has fallen from 24.7 per cent to 20.1 per cent in the last seven years, it is set to take another 25 years for it to disappear entirely, new research shows.
A report by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency and the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre also reveals wide disparities in the pace of change for female workers, with the pay gap closing more quickly for executives than for other parts of the economy.
But it concludes that overall “a level of apathy” has set in among large Australian corporations looking to make progress on gender inequity in the workplace, including pay.
Richard Ferguson8.56am:PM blasts Liberal MP’s online harassment
Scott Morrison has blasted Liberal MP Andrew Laming’s online harassment of two of his female constituents, saying Dr Laming’s online comments were “disgraceful”.
Dr Laming apologised in parliament on Thursday for attacking charity worker Alix Russo and Sheena Hewlett – the wife of a Redland City councillor – online.
Nine News reported that he had falsely accused Ms Russo of misappropriating charity funds for several years. Ms Hewlett said as well as harassing her and her husband on social media, Dr Laming had once hid in bushes and took photos of her in a park.
Mr Morrison said on Friday that he had hauled Dr Laming for a dressing down in the Prime Minister’s office over the accusations and told him to apologise.
“I found that disgraceful and called him into my office and told him to apologise and he did so,” Mr Morrison said in Melbourne.
“He’s very clear about my expectations.”
In one Facebook post, Mr Laming questioned whether money was going on Ms Russo’s personal credit card for a Queensland charity that prepares hampers for the homeless.
“Reasonable question, what proportion of Night Ninjas donations go on Alix’s personal credit card and is her personal use separated?” Mr Laming’s Facebook comment states.
In another, Mr Laming said: “You got nasty. Threatened self-harm. Unfortunately for you, I make the rules and you follow them.”
In tears, Ms Russo told Nine News that all of Night Ninjas financial records were available on the regulators website and the claims were baseless. But she said the allegations left her “suicidal”.
“I don’t want to be attacked anymore,” Ms Russo said.
“To be tarnished and discredited and defamed. To our Prime Minister: this man needs to stop. He cannot continue to target his community like this.”
Dr Laming in parliament withdrew his attacks on Ms Russo and Ms Hewlett and said he was sorry for the harm he had caused them.
“I want to unreservedly apologise to both Ms Hewlett and Russo and I express my regret and deep apologies for the hurt that my communication may have caused,” he said.
“Today in this house I want to retract those comments and issue a public unreserved apology.
“There are many lessons in this for me in this experience, not just about words but the impact words can have on others, and I have made a concerted effort to understand the impact of these responses upon others and demonstrate a clear change in the way I communicate.”
Additional reporting: NCA Newswire
READ MORE:Dossier of lewd acts to spark sackings
Ellie Dudley8.48am:Bring back Bishop: NSW Liberal MP’s demands
NSW Liberal MP Catherine Cusack has again blasted Scott Morrison for his handling of sexual assault allegations and lewd acts in Parliament House, this time writing a to-do list for the Prime Minister.
Earlier this week, Ms Cusack fired off a series of tweets calling on Mr Morrison to speak with female MPs and seek their assistance in fixing parliamentary culture.
Dear Prime Minister I am not your wife/mother/daughter. I am a female Liberal MP. I know you love family as do I - and mean well but you clearly do not understand anything about our political experiences. Pls talk your women MPs. If they feel safe- they will tell you!
— Catherine Cusack (@katieqs) March 23, 2021
She has now released a list of demands for Mr Morrison, including bringing back former foreign minister Julie Bishop as the sexual assault crisis deepens.
Prime Ministerial to do list:
— Catherine Cusack (@katieqs) March 25, 2021
1. Phone Brittany
2. Get rid of Eric Abetz 🙄
3. Recall Julie Bishop to help
4. Meet your Women MPs - permission to speak
5. Federal Liberal Party Inquiry for women tell their stories and suggestions
6. Believe the women (we are not making stuff up)
The list also included a phone call with alleged rape victim and former staffer Brittany Higgins and a request for the PM to meet with female MPs.
READ MORE:Higgins Pty Ltd mulls her next move
Richard Ferguson8.47am:Morrison offers to meet Higgins anywhere in Australia
Scott Morrison says he is willing to meet alleged rape survivor Brittany Higgins anywhere in Australia.
The Prime Minister last night extended an invitation to the former Liberal staffer as his government continues to come under pressure over the allegations Ms Higgins was raped in Parliament House.
On Friday, Mr Morrison said he understood if Ms Higgins did not want to meet in Parliament House and would accommodate her wishes if she wanted to meet.
“We have sought to respect her privacy and her wishes on this,” he said in Melbourne.
“And I could also appreciate why she wouldn’t necessarily want to meet in Parliament House. That would be totally understandable. We can arrange to meet in other cities.”
READ MORE:Jobs and tax deliver $23bn boost to budget
Angelica Snowden7.41am:Morrison to tour CSL’s vaccine manufacturing site
Scott Morrison is set to tour Melbourne’s COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing site.
It comes days after more than 800,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine were approved for release by the Therapeutic Goods Administration from the CSL-Seqirus site on Tuesday.
Approval of the jabs will significantly boost Australia’s rollout effort which is currently behind government targets.
Phase 1b of the rollout started on Monday, and targets people aged over 70, Indigenous Australians and those with pre-existing medicinal conditions.
The Prime Minister will tour the manufacturer, located in Melbourne’s north and hold a press conference at about 8.20am.
READ MORE:People with rare blood clot disorder ‘should not have COVID-19 jab’
Ellie Dudley7.33am:Dutton hints at reshuffle ‘next week’
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has deflected questions regarding his rumoured appointment as Defence Minister in Scott Morrison’s cabinet reshuffle.
Linda Reynolds – who has taken medical leave after former staffer Brittany Higgins claimed she was raped in her office – is expected to remain in cabinet but lose the defence portfolio.
Attorney-General Christian Porter, who was accused of a historic rape from 1988 and is also on medical leave, is expected to change roles as well.
“I think the prime minister has been very clear that he wants them to remain in cabinet,” Mr Dutton told Channel 9’s Today.
He then denied being asked to take up the position of Defence Minister.
“I’m very happy to be the Home Affairs Minister,” he said.
“I think the PM has been clear in relation to Linda and Christian’s positions, that is he wants them in the cabinet. If there is an announcement, he will make it next week.”
If Mr Dutton takes up the defence portfolio, he would be the sixth person to hold the position in eight years.
READ MORE:Porter, Reynolds will stay in cabinet: PM
Ellie Dudley7.05am:PM ‘more concerned with political management’: Swan
Former Treasurer Wayne Swan has condemned the Morrison government’s decision to roll back JobKeeper, claiming it is “more consumed with political management” than issues affecting Australians.
“The vaccine rollout is not going well,” he told Channel 9’s Today.
“JobKeeper is finishing this weekend (and) up to 200,000 people may be unemployed as a consequence of that.
“There are very big issues on the government’s plate at the moment and they look like they are consumed with political management rather than the delivery of the key policy that matters to people on a daily basis.”
Mr Swan said Prime Minister Scott Morrison “clearly doesn’t comprehend women”, despite his offer to meet with former Liberal staffer and alleged rape victim Brittany Higgins.
“He had an early warning system for this after 2007 when he first came into the parliament. We had Australia’s first female prime minister Julia Gillard,” he said.
“The treatment that she received, the disrespect with which she was received, by many in the political establishment, was truly shocking. Things clearly have not improved since that time.”
“The changes that Labor have made over time to ensure more equal representation of women in parliament have led to a better culture in the party, more talented people being elected, and ultimately better and more representative Labor governmentsâ€#auspolhttps://t.co/wIbxvMTWPe
— Wayne Swan (@SwannyQLD) March 25, 2021
READ MORE:Jason Falinski — PM, Tories have a better way of boosting women
Ellie Dudley6.50am:NSW evacuation orders rescinded as flooding recedes
All rivers in New South Wales have finally peaked and are beginning to fall, SES Assistant Commissioner Sean Kearns said.
While the SES still has 14 evacuation orders in place, the rain has stopped and the emergency services continue to focus on clean-up efforts.
“The floodwaters are starting to recede,” he said.
“As a result of that we actually have been able to rescind 23 evacuation orders and evacuation warnings across a number of areas around the Mid North Coast and the Hawkesbury-Nepean area.”
The SES has responded to more than 12,0000 requests for assistance — 500 in the past 24 hours. During that time, there have also been 1000 flood rescues, 32 of which were in the past 24 hours.
“This was for people that had been stuck in floodwater, whether that was floodwater around their house or when they’ve been in vehicles that have been caught out in floodwater as well,” Mr Kearns said.
He added that the SES was “starting to move into assessing the damage” which would be a “prolonged effort”.
READ MORE:Disease risk hampers flood clean-up efforts
Ellie Dudley6.25am:Biden pledges 200 million vaccinations in first 100 days
Joe Biden has doubled his COVID-19 vaccine target for the United States, promising 200 million doses will be administered in his first 100 days of office.
The US President cracked his 100 million dose target 58 days into his administration, in the same week he signed a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill that sends money to most Americans.
“I’ve been hired to solve problems, not create division,” Mr Biden told a press conference on Thursday.
“I know it’s ambitious, twice our original goal,” Mr Biden said. “But no other country in the world has even come close — not even close — to what we are doing, and I believe we can do it.”
Mr Biden provided an update on US troops in Afghanistan, saying “it’s going to be hard” to get them out by May 1 as previously indicated by former president Donald Trump.
“We will leave; the question is when we leave,” he said.
Asked whether he envisions US soldiers still in Afghanistan in 2022, Biden said: “I can’t picture that being the case.”
Biden also promised to “respond accordingly” if North Korea escalated its missile testing, but also offered diplomacy after Pyongyang fired two suspected ballistic missiles into the sea.
READ MORE:North Korea launched short-range missiles, US says
Olivia Caisley5.10am:More sackings loom from dossier of lewd acts
The whistleblower who exposed Coalition staff performing lewd sex acts in female MPs’ offices says he has passed on information to Finance Minister Simon Birmingham and Labor senator Kristina Keneally that could lead to further staff sackings and expose serving MPs.
Senator Keneally took to Twitter to reveal that someone in her office had spoken with the whistleblower — who calls himself Tom the Whistleblower on social media — and had been given a “verbal briefing”.
100% correct. Exactly what I have stated. Thank you @KKeneally and your team for their assistance â¤ï¸ https://t.co/voHgoUosQg
— Tom the Whistleblower (@BlowingTom) March 25, 2021
The whistleblower, whose Twitter handle is @BlowingTom, has also admitted to some of the conduct he was revealing and said MPs often had sex in a Parliament House room reserved for meditation or prayer.
Senator Birmingham said further investigations were underway to find out whether other staffers were involved. He said the government was “working to resolve these issues and get to the bottom of these allegations.”
“I assure everyone that we are not going to tolerate the behaviour that has been alleged and are taking all steps possible to ensure appropriate consequences,” the Finance Minister said.
See below the statement from @Birmo. Interesting to see others thoughts? Doesn’t appear action will be taken quickly. pic.twitter.com/zRtQ1ftXGT
— Tom the Whistleblower (@BlowingTom) March 25, 2021
Material provided by the whistleblower and seen by The Australian shows at least four Coalition staffers swapping images and videos on Facebook Messenger over a two-year period ending last year.
In a video shared among the group, one Coalition staffer performs a sex act on another man in a room he claims is the Parliament House office of an MP for whom he works.
Tom the Whistleblower on Thursday disputed claims made by Mr Morrison that the lewd sexual acts had not occurred under his leadership.
“First of all, the PM lied when he said that he was not PM when these matters occurred,” he tweeted. “These events happened from 2015-2020. They happened during his tenure. Today I have met with @birmo chief of staff and given ALL evidence in relation to the matter, including evidence that one of the staffers involved works in @DaveSharma office.”
I guess you can’t please everyone all the time 🤷â€â™‚ï¸ but, I will defend myself. I love woman. I have two daughters that are amazing and adjusted! As for gay men. I love them so much that I married one. So I guess they have no idea about who I am. ðŸ³ï¸â€ðŸŒˆðŸ³ï¸â€ðŸŒˆðŸ³ï¸â€ðŸŒˆðŸ³ï¸â€ðŸŒˆ #Imagaymanpic.twitter.com/of1RW9qY3R
— Tom the Whistleblower (@BlowingTom) March 25, 2021
Read the full story here.
Will Glasgow5am:China a ‘vindictive, unreliable trading partner’
Australia’s ambassador to Beijing says China is a “vindictive’’ and “unreliable’’ trading partner and Foreign Minister Marise Payne has described human rights violations in Xinjiang as “among the world’s most egregious’’, as the diplomatic rift between the countries deepened.
Graham Fletcher, Australia’s ambassador in Beijing, said the federal government did not know if China was able to “objectively reassess” its position after 10 months of trade tensions.
“So we’ve got a stand-off. Both sides are very determined … because it’s so public, it’s actually harder for either side to make any such adjustments,” Mr Fletcher told an online briefing of the Australia China Business Council from Beijing on Thursday.
“I’m not sure China realises the damage that is occurring both in Australia and internationally. It’s been exposed as quite unreliable as a trading partner and even vindictive.”
Read the full story, by Will Glasgow and Geoff Chambers, here.
Geoff Chambers4.45am:Jobs return, tax surges deliver $23bn budget boost
Australia’s economic recovery has cut the nation’s coronavirus-induced budget deficit by $23.1bn, with more than 2.8 million people coming off welfare and wage subsidy payments since the peak of the pandemic.
Ahead of the JobKeeper wage subsidy ending at the weekend, Finance Minister Simon Birmingham will release updated financial statements on Friday showing that a surge in tax revenue and a greater than expected number of people moving off welfare has boosted the budget bottom line.
With all the jobs lost during the pandemic now restored, government payment forecasts have been reduced by $12.3bn, fuelled by $4.4bn in lower JobSeeker dole payments and a drop in demand for grants and other subsidies, including the JobKeeper scheme and cashflow boost.
Read the full story, by Geoff Chambers and Patrick Commins, here.
More Coverage
Housing plans count for nothing without honesty on migration
Here’s the vision: everyone living in high-rise apartments close to railway stations in the middle suburbs. Windows, sunlight, ventilation and carparking all optional. Current minimum size requirements to be scaled back.
RAP over the knuckles for reconciliation frauds
There are two Indigenous projects on foot in Australia: ‘reconciliation’ and ‘closing the gap’. The former demands special rights for Indigenous people. The second demands equal opportunities for every Australian.