Allan says Victoria’s bail laws need to be tightened
Benita Kolovos
Also asked about the front page of the Herald Sun, which reported a youth offender had been bailed despite the magistrate admitting the public would want him remanded, Jacinta Allan said she could not comment on individual cases.
But she conceded the state’s bail laws needed to be tightened:
What is clear to me is that our current settings need to be changed, and also don’t align with community expectations.
She said she would be introducing legislation to “bring about that change … very soon”.
Key events
ASX slides lower as oil price weighs on energy stocks
The Australian share market has continued lower, AAP reports.
The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index had dropped 38.7 points, or 0.47%, to 8102.7, while the broader All Ordinaries had fallen 31.5 points, or 0.38%, to 8330.4 during early trading.
Only one of the local index’s 11 sectors were trading higher and energy stocks were leading the losses and trading more than 2% lower in early trading. Consumer staples stocks were in the green, but only just, up 0.1%.
Oil and gas giant Woodside was the worst performer in the top 200, down 4.4% to $23.07 per share in early trading.
With iron ore futures holding around $US100, mining giants BHP and Rio Tinto were both in the red, with BHP 0.3% lower and Rio down 1.3%.
The big four banks were mostly flat this morning, except for CBA, which gave up 0.3% to trade at $155.91 after going ex-dividend.
The Australian dollar was buying 63.35 US cents, up from 62.54 US cents yesterday afternoon.
Health alert as Victorian factory destroyed in suspicious blaze
A health alert has been sent out for locals near a suspicious fire that ripped through a factory near Melbourne airport, which we reported on earlier in the blog.
AAP reports that Victoria police believe a car was driven into the premises at Tullamarine, in the city’s north-west, and set alight about 3.30am Thursday morning. The building was completely alight when 80 firefighters arrived.
Crews managed to stop flames from destroying nearby businesses at the industrial park on Barrie Road. No one was inside the building at the time and there are no reports of injuries related to the fire.
Fire Rescue Victoria commander and incident controller, John Zuccarelli, said a car detailing business operated from the factory. Crews have not been able to enter the building due to the risk of the structure collapsing, so he could not reveal what was stored inside.
The damage is quite extensive and it be won’t be salvageable.
Gas and electricity to the site were switched off during the fire fight, with nearby power lines posing a danger.
The blaze sparked a health alert for smoke for residents living up to 2km away and locals were told to avoid the area. An arson chemist is investigating what took place and a crime scene has been set up at the site.
The fire is being probed by local investigators and not taskforce Lunar, a specialist squad investigating more than 100 firebombings linked to conflict between crime gangs over the profits of illegal tobacco.
Green fuel cash injection prepares market for take-off
An Australian low-carbon fuels industry could be closer to launching after a $250m investment in developing environmentally friendly fuels for planes, trucks and ships.
As AAP reports, the federal government announced the investment package today as part of its $1.7bn Future Made in Australia fund, to be put towards early-stage fuel innovations, demonstrations and deployment.
The eco-friendly fuel investment comes amid growing demand for sustainable aviation fuel worldwide and a recent report by the nation’s science agency, CSIRO, found Australia had the potential to lead the industry.
The $250m fund would be divided into grants administered by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, the energy minister, Chris Bowen, said, in order to foster Australia’s production of low-carbon fuels.
Australia has the knowhow and the skills to meet the crucial task of decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors such as aviation, heavy transport and mining that rely on liquid fuels.
Trump slight causes New Zealand to sack top diplomat
In some news from across the ditch via AAP: New Zealand’s high commissioner to the UK, Phil Goff, has been sacked for questioning the US president, Donald Trump’s, grasp of history.
Goff, the foreign and defence minister in Helen Clark’s government, will leave the role under orders from New Zealand’s foreign minister, Winston Peters.
The 71-year-old appeared at an event in London on Tuesday with Finland’s foreign minister, Elina Valtonen, when he made a thinly veiled attack on Trump:
President Trump has restored the bust of Churchill to the Oval Office. But do you think he really understands history?
Made aware of the comments by Wellington newspaper The Post, Peters’ office confirmed he would be removed from the job for the slight. A spokesperson said:
Phil Goff’s comments are deeply disappointing. They do not represent the views of the NZ government and make his position as high commissioner to London untenable.
We have asked the secretary of foreign affairs and trade, Bede Corry, to now work through with Mr Goff the upcoming leadership transition at the New Zealand high commission in London.
Goff is yet to comment on the matter. But on social media, Clark said it was a “a very thin excuse for sacking a highly respected former [New Zealand foreign minister] from his post”.
Assistant minister to PM reiterates Albanese focused on cyclone response, not election
The assistant minister to the PM, Patrick Gorman, was also on Sky News where he reiterated Anthony Albanese’s focus is on Tropical Cyclone Alfred amid election speculation.
Gorman said the only person who can call an election is the sitting prime minister, and this was “not really something he’s spending time considering right now.”
Asked if Albanese should publicly rule out calling it this weekend, amid the cyclone, Gorman said:
[The PM] is focused, appropriately, on making sure that we get the support that Queensland and NSW needs. That’s where our focus is.
You can continue to speculate, I respect that that’s an important part of our democratic process, but it’s not something that we’re focused on right now.
Man shot dead by police in Queensland
Queensland police have shot a man on the Gold Coast after he allegedly “presented a firearm at police” and fled in a stolen vehicle.
Queensland police said about 8.15am today, a man wanted by police was sighted at Calvary Court in Labrador.
Police allege the man presented a firearm at police before fleeing in a stolen vehicle, which came to a stop on Brisbane Road in Arundel.
At 9.30am, police said a second confrontation occurred between the man and officers, and the man was shot by police.
Medical assistance was immediately rendered by police and paramedics who attended the scene. The man died from his injuries at the scene.
Police said there is no further information available at this stage.
Cash says PM playing ‘cat and mouse game’ over whether or not he is calling election
The shadow attorney general, Michaelia Cash, has accused the prime minister of playing a “cat and mouse game” over whether or not he will call an election.
Anthony Albanese fielded questions this morning over whether he would call an election this weekend, or early next week, but said his focus was firmly on the Tropical Cyclone Alfred response.
Speaking on Sky News, Cash accused the PM of “campaigning” and said:
I think the prime minister should give a very clear message to Australians, but in particular to Queenslanders, they don’t need to worry about our federal election over the next few weeks.
We are scheduled to go back to the parliament. March 25 is when the government has scheduled to bring down the budget. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done …
She said Albanese has the “opportunity to rule out calling an election.”
Stop playing a game of cat and mouse. Be clear. Don’t call an election.
Podcast: how do the major parties plan to win your vote?
Has the interest rate cut made any difference to how people intend to vote at the upcoming federal election?
In today’s podcast, Guardian Australia’s political reporter Dan Jervis-Bardy and Essential Media’s executive director, Peter Lewis, discuss how voters are responding to major political parties’ campaign rhetoric on key issues affecting their lives.
You can have a listen to the episode below:
Out of control bushfire south of Ballarat grows to 47 hectares
A watch and act alert has been issued for Buninyong and Scotsburn, south of Ballarat in Victoria, amid an out of control bushfire.
The alert, issued by Forest Fire Management Victoria, says the bushfire at Mount Buninyong has now grown to 47 hectares in size.
An alert was first issued yesterday for the same bushfire, which has since grown due to “steep terrain and exceptional dry fuel loads”.
Firefighters remain on scene with support from aircraft.
The situation can change at anytime. You must monitor conditions, remain vigilant and be ready to act.
Steggall says ‘flexibility is important’ amid speculation over when election will be called
Independent MP Zali Steggall said “flexibility is important” when it comes to calling an election, amid Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
Speaking on Sky News, she was asked about the timing of Anthony Albanese calling the election, and said she was assuming a 12 April poll date:
I think flexibility is important, and there is a very significant disaster unfolding … I welcome the fact that he and his government are currently focusing on the communities impacted, and they are preparing.
What I would say, though, is in the last budget, very little money was invested by his government on preparation, and so, this is a great opportunity to commit to investing in significant adaptation and preparation system.
Steggall has been making the rounds this morning, calling for both major parties to commit to legislating national climate risk and adaptation plans.
Caitlin Cassidy
La Trobe enters enforceable undertaking over staff underpayments
La Trobe has become the sixth university to enter an enforceable undertaking with the Fair Work Ombudsman after identifying more than $10.7m in staff underpayments.
About 6,700 staff were underpaid, performing across the university’s 10 schools as casual academics and professional staff between 2015 and 2022.
The ombudsman said the underpayments were caused by “systemic failures in compliance, central oversight and governance processes”, including incorrectly applying its enterprise agreements.
Individual underpayments range from $2 to $91,837, while 35 employees were underpaid more than $20,000.
A spokesperson for La Trobe said the casual staff underpayments were identified by the university through an independent review in 2020, and self reported to the ombudsman the following year.
Affected current staff had been fully compensated, while La Trobe continued to “proactively seek” some former staff who hadn’t responded.
The underpayments were unintentional, resulting from complex industrial agreements, inefficient and outdated systems and processes. La Trobe has since improved and simplified these systems and processes to prevent future errors.
