Senior ministers to retire before Victoria’s election – as it happened

What we learned today, 23 June 2022

And with that, we are going to put this blog to bed. Before we go, let’s recap the big stories from today:

• NSW premier Dominic Perrottet increases fines for wildcat strikes.
• Northern Territory’s Howard Springs quarantine facility to close.
• Housing market posted first monthly decline since September 2020.
  
• Perrottet ordered investigation into John Barilaro trade job appointment.
• Samsung agreed to pay $14m penalty over misleading claims on Galaxy phones.
• Four wounded in ‘random’ stabbing attack in New Zealan attack.
• Western Australia’s mining industry failed to protect female employees, inquiry found.
• Fruit and vegetable shortages likely for another six weeks.
• Victoria’s deputy premier James Merlino and other senior ministers to retire before election.
• Western Australia eyes interim emissions reduction target.

Thank you for spending the day with us - we will be back tomorrow!

23 Jun 202204.42 EDT

Christopher Knaus

Coalition government spent $6m prosecuting whistleblowers

The former Coalition government spent almost $6m prosecuting Bernard Collaery, Witness K, Richard Boyle and David McBride over their actions in exposing wrongdoing and misconduct, new data shows.

Figures provided to the Guardian show the costs of the prosecutions has almost doubled in two years, leaving taxpayers with an exorbitant legal bill well before the cases have reached trial.

From AAP:

An interim plan to slash government emissions by 2030 shows Western Australia is serious about tackling climate change, the premier says.

The state government on Thursday announced it will target a whole-of-government emissions reduction of 80% below 2020 levels.

It will apply to emissions from all state government agencies, including transport, health and education, and government trading enterprises.

Much of the savings will come from WA closing its state-owned coal-fired power stations by the end of the decade.

“Action on climate change is crucial to diversifying the WA economy, creating long-term jobs, managing environmental impacts, and protecting the health and wellbeing of Western Australians,” the premier, Mark McGowan, said.

“This interim target sends a signal to the broader economy that we are serious about tackling climate change and setting up Western Australia for a healthy, prosperous, low-carbon future.”

Energy efficiency measures, reduced government vehicle emissions and the use of local offsets will help the government achieve the target.

McGowan last week announced state-owned generator Synergy would close the Collie coal-fired power station in October 2027 and the Muja station two years later.

The public servant responsible for handing John Barilaro a plum $500,000-a-year trade job in New York City told the recruitment firm searching for an appropriate candidate that it would be handled as an “internal matter”.

On 3 October, the day before Barilaro announced he would resign from parliament, Amy Brown, the chief executive officer of Investment NSW, told a representative of recruiter NGS Global the job would now be a “ministerial appointment” and that her services were no longer required.

23 Jun 202204.14 EDT

Steph Harmon

A self-published book has been shortlisted for the Miles Franklin for the first time in the award’s 65-year history, with Michael Winkler’s cult hit Grimmish clearing the final hurdle before Australia’s most prestigious literary prize is announced on 20 July.

Announced on Thursday evening, Grimmish joins Michael Mohammed Ahmad’s The Other Half of You, Michelle de Kretser’s Scary Monsters, Jennifer Down’s Bodies of Light and Alice Pung’s One Hundred Days to compete for the $60,000 prize.

Queensland budget reply speech focuses on lifting women’s participation

Queensland’s Liberal National party says it will have two women controlling the state’s economic leavers and bring back the state’s productivity commission if it wins government.

The opposition leader, David Crisafulli, used his budget reply to announce policies aimed at closing the gender pay gap, increasing women’s workforce participation and lifting economic productivity.

Melbourne quarantine hub could house refugees fleeing Afghanistan and Ukraine

From AAP:

Melbourne’s purpose-built quarantine hub could house hundreds of refugees fleeing war-torn Afghanistan and Ukraine.

Victorian authorities are in discussions with federal counterparts about alternative ways to use the largely vacant $200m Centre for National Resilience at Mickleham, the premier, Daniel Andrews, confirmed on Thursday.

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The centre, built by the commonwealth and operated by the state, was opened as a 500-bed site in February and initially housed unvaccinated international travellers, before the state dumped its seven-day quarantine requirement.

It has since been scaling back capacity to 250 beds from 1 July, while offering accommodation to Covid-positive people who prefer not to isolate at home.

There were 55 residents at the facility as of 11pm on Wednesday, according to data on the state’s Covid-19 accommodation program.

Military not doing enough to stop suicide, defence force chief says

From AAP:

Australia’s defence force chief has admitted the military is not doing enough to stop suicide and suicidality in members and veterans, but says the armed forces are on the right path.

General Angus Campbell was testifying on the fourth day of the latest round of Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide hearings in Townsville, less than two weeks before his tenure ends on 6 July.

“Defence is not doing enough to reduce the incidents of suicide and suicidality,” he told the inquiry after arriving in Queensland on Thursday.

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“We are on a continuing journey, but I think that we’re in the right place in terms of the direction we’re going,” he said.

Campbell revealed he did not receive any handover briefings or have discussions regarding suicide and suicidality in the ADF when he took the top job in 2018.

The general was questioned about his statement responding to questions from the commission, including as to why there was no public annual reporting of suicide-related data by defence.

Campbell said he would take this up with the defence minister.

23 Jun 202203.31 EDT

Victoria’s deputy premier James Merlino and other senior ministers to retire before election

Benita Kolovos

The Victorian government is set to lose its deputy premier and other senior ministers ahead of the November election.

Several sources have confirmed to Guardian Australia that the deputy premier, James Merlino, police minister, Lisa Neville, and minister for tourism, sport and major events, Martin Pakula, are expected to announce their retirements as soon as Friday.

One Labor source has said reports that the health minister, Martin Foley, was also stepping down from cabinet were correct.

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Guardian Australia has attempted to contact all four ministers. It is believed they will remain in parliament until the election on 26 November but their cabinet positions will be filled in the coming weeks.

It comes after several Labor MPs, including the former attorney general Jill Hennessy and planning minister Richard Wynne confirmed last year they would be retiring at the election.

Blockade Australia says Sydney protest will go ahead

Blockade Australia’s Zelda Grimshaw addressed media this afternoon in relation to NSW police saying they are on high alert for protests from the group.

The acting assistant commissioner, Paul Dunstan, said police would be out in force across the city.

“This group remains intent on causing significant disruptions next week to motorists and members of the public through reckless and dangerous activities,” he told reporters on Thursday.

Grimshaw said:

It feels a bit like when you’re running towards a burning building to save your children, and the police tackle you to the ground and then charge you with assault police. But that burning building is our planet.

So we’re asking people to come and join us on June 27 on the streets of Sydney ... We invite everyone impacted by the destruction of our planet and by these rabid new anti-protest laws to come with us on June 27. Join us on the streets.

I’ll paraphrase Martin Luther King, when climate destruction becomes law, resistance becomes duty.

She said they were anticipating 10,000 people would join them on the streets on Monday.

Our climate is in absolute crisis. The Australian political and economic system has shown no sign of slowing down on climate destruction. So we’re here to stop that destruction and encourage other people to stand with us and stop our planet from burning.

Grimshaw was asked why they were not planning a lawful protest on Monday. She replied:

Sustained material disruption is necessary to force the political change that we need. We have seen decades of polite protests, and we are still opening new fossil fuel facilities in Australia, even with the resounding green election that we’ve just had.

Aged care providers see growing financial losses

The Aged & Community Care Providers Association interim CEO, Paul Sadler, has released a statement in relation to the latest StewartBrown figures, which show more than two-thirds of providers are operating at a loss.

Some 64% of residential aged care homes recorded an operating loss in the nine months to March 2022 with an average operating loss of $12.85 per resident per day, a position which has progressively worsened since 2018.

StewartBrown is predicting that losses will continue to grow, reaching $15.59 per resident per day by the end of June 2022.

Sadler says:

Based on these figures many providers could be forced to leave aged care unless there is additional funding to allow providers to meet the increasing costs of providing quality care and support.

It is clear that aged care workers need a significant pay rise but without additional support, aged care providers will be unable to attract more workers and to realise improvements in the quality of care.

Sadler says the Aged & Community Care Providers Association recently raised with the Albanese government two solutions to the immediate problem: an indexation adjustment to increase subsidies to providers; and legislation to introduce an independent pricing authority as recommended by the aged care royal commission.

We look forward to working with Ministers Butler and Wells on practical solutions which maintain important aged care and support services for older people.

23 Jun 202202.46 EDT

Melissa Davey

Rapid antigen test supplier rejects TGA allegations

A pharmaceutical company supplying rapid antigen tests to Coles and Woolworths has rejected allegations it did not provide up-to-date safety and efficacy data and adequate support to consumers.

On Wednesday the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) fined Hough Pharma $106,560 for “serial non-compliance” with regulatory requirements. All manufactures of therapeutic goods, including tests, drugs and medical devices approved for use in Australia, must continually provide safety and performance data to the TGA as requested.

23 Jun 202202.34 EDT

Josh Butler

Resources minister calls for action on harassment in mining industry

The resources minister, Madeleine King, says the report into sexual harassment in mining is “shocking reading” and has demanded the industry do more to stop assault.

King, MP for the WA seat of Brand, said she would work with her state counterpart Bill Johnston to reform the workplace.

“Sexual harassment and sexual assault is abhorrent and should not be part of any modern workplace. It is entirely unacceptable and must stop,” she said.

“The Australian government stands ready to help the resources sector stamp out sexual harassment, which has no place in the modern workplace.”

King said women’s participation in mining was currently at its highest level in history, with women making up 18.9% of the mining sector’s workforce.

“The health and safety of workers in the resources industry is paramount and every worker has the right to be treated with respect in the workplace. Female workers need to know they are safe at work, and that they have the right to have rewarding careers in the mining industry without being subjected to sexual harassment and assault,” she said.