Australia news live: Uluru Dialogue accuses Dutton of ‘deception’ over voice; Kamahl and MC Hammer back yes vote

Uluru statement’s architects accuse Dutton of ‘deception’ on voice

The Uluru Dialogue, who are architects of the Uluru statement from the heart, have called out Peter Dutton for spreading “misinformation” and “deception” on the Indigenous voice to parliament in an op-ed he wrote that was published in the Daily Telegraph today.

In a statement, the Uluru Dialogue said Dutton’s opinion article “demonstrates a level of ignorance and misinformation that is alarming in a man who is seeking to be the prime minister of our country”.

In the statement, the group fact-checked the claims made by Dutton in the op-ed.

On Dutton’s claim that “a voice would be the most consequential change to our system in history. There is no similar constitutional body anywhere in the world – and there is nothing ‘modest’ about the proposed change before us,” the Uluru Dialogue responded:

The 93 new words proposed for the constitution make it absolutely clear: “The Voice may make representations to Parliament and the Executive Government”. The parliament is free to ignore those representations. There are similar structures set up around the world, and indeed in Australia at state and local government levels, to give voice to First Nations peoples.

Uluru Dialogue leader Megan Davis. Photograph: Mark Brake/AAP

On Dutton’s claim made in the op-ed that “because we are all Australians, we are treated equally under the law. A Voice will change this fundamental democratic principle”, the Uluru Dialogue responded:

Contrary to his claim here, our founding fathers actually recognised that inequities exist in any society and that we can use our laws to address them; that is why the constitution established a senate in which Tasmania has as many senators as New South Wales, despite having far fewer people. The founders actually recognised the importance of giving Tasmanians a ‘voice’ through representation, that might otherwise be drowned out by the larger states. The constitution also contains a races power. All Australians are not treated equally.

The constitution has always divided by race, to the detriment of our people. A voice corrects this.

Updated at 01.37 EDT

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What we learned today, Friday 22 September

What happened? Quite a lot!

Thanks for your company today, until next time!

Updated at 03.45 EDT

Year after year we continue to see unsafe bassinets make it on to the shelves.

Roberts-Smith appeal to be heard next year

Ben Roberts-Smith’s appeal against his lost defamation action will be heard by the full bench of the federal court in February next year.

Justices Nye Perram, Anna Katzmann and Geoffrey Kennett will hear the appeal from 5 February to 16 February 2024.

Roberts-Smith, a former SAS corporal and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, sued the Age, the Sydney Morning Herald and the Canberra Times for defamation over a series of 2018 articles he alleged falsely portrayed him as a criminal who “broke the moral and legal rules of military engagement” and “disgraced” his country and its army.

He denied all wrongdoing and said the allegations against him were motivated by spite and jealousy.

However, in June, justice Anthony Besanko dismissed his application in its entirety, finding the newspapers had proven to a civil standard – on the balance of probabilities – that Roberts-Smith was complicit in the murder of four unarmed prisoners while serving in Afghanistan, including kicking a handcuffed man, a father of six named Ali Jan, off a cliff before ordering him shot dead.

Updated at 03.04 EDT

Legendary rapper MC Hammer is still busting moves on the referendum (yes I know that was Young MC). He’s been posting all afternoon!

First Dog on Dromaius novaehollandiae, not to be confused with Phylidonyris novaehollandiae:

Gallagher was also asked about the Covid inquiry. She said the independent review team was a good opportunity to get the desired outcome – “how to be best prepared for the next time a pandemic arrives”.

She said:

The independent nature of the review team means they should determine how they conduct their inquiry. I don’t accept that you just need coercive powers [as in a royal commission] in order to get people to engage on this. I think most Australians … want a constructive engagement.

And then there’s the Rupert Murdoch news. Gallagher is asked about the scrutiny she came under over the death of senator Kimberley Kitching, when she was referred to as one of a group of “mean girls”. She said:

I accept not every media outlet in a functional democracy will … be supportive of the work I do and that is how we operate, we understand that …

Updated at 02.39 EDT

Finance minister Katy Gallagher is up on the ABC now, talking about today’s budget surplus news:

Gallagher said:

Obviously we are pleased with how the final budget outcome has occurred. We are having a turnaround in the books, the biggest surplus in nominal terms in 15 years.

The economy has performed stronger than had been expected at budget time. It is actually a good thing and we are reflecting that in the final outcome.

Updated at 02.20 EDT

Man arrested after allegedly fleeing fatal Queensland crash

Police have arrested a man in a muddy drain after he allegedly fled a fatal traffic crash north of Brisbane on Friday morning.

A 72-year-old female driver died and a female passenger was seriously injured after the Suzuki Swift they were travelling in collided with a Holden Commodore utility in Kippa Ring.

Police were called to the intersection of Anzac Avenue and Oleander Street at 6.55am and later located a 27-year-old man, who allegedly bolted from the scene.

The male driver was found in a drain 4km away from the intersection at around 9am.

Police allege the ute he was driving was stolen from a home in Stafford this week.

Charges have yet to be laid while police continue to investigate.

Updated at 02.19 EDT

We were “building a response as we were flying the plane”, Butler said, “like every country was”.

We don’t want to do this next time, we don’t want to do that in the next pandemic, and all of the health advice is that there will be a next pandemic. We want to use those lessons to be able to build a system, using these experts that we put together on this panel, using all the feedback they get.

Butler is asked why it’s not going to be a royal commission. He said people want to “participate freely”, so they won’t need the power to summon people or the sort of evidence gathering powers you would need to investigate misconduct, maladministration or criminal activity.

Updated at 02.17 EDT

States will also be examined at Covid inquiry, Mark Butler says

Health minister Mark Butler is telling the ABC that suggestions the states will escape scrutiny in the Covid inquiry are wrong. He says the inquiry was discussed at national cabinet and that premiers would appear.

He said:

Everyone here, everyone in our country, has a shared commitment for us to do as well as we possibly can the next time [a pandemic] strikes and that means having an honest conversation about what went well and about what didn’t go so well.

It would take years to look at all of the decisions, he said, and “this is about looking forward, this is about being constructive, not some divisive, destructive political point-scoring process”.

Updated at 02.15 EDT

Conservation group launches court action over planned SA rocket launches

Conservationists are ramping up the fight against a rocket launching facility in South Australia. The Nature Conservation Society of SA is launching legal action against the state government’s extension of an approval at the Whalers Way site.

The society’s president, Patrick O’Connor, said they had “no other choice” in their fight to save habitats and wildlife from the disruption as well as the increased bushfire risk.

He said:

Whalers Way is no place for rocket launching, from a ‘temporary’ facility or otherwise. The Malinauskas government was elected last year on a platform that included protection for our biodiversity – our precious plants and wildlife. After all, we’re in the midst of an extinction crisis.

This latest approval by the current state government flies in the face of that commitment, including to legally protected areas such as this one at Whalers Way.

Here’s one I prepared earlier:

Updated at 02.08 EDT

Attorney general set to release national guidelines on coercive control

Another from the excellent people at AAP. The federal government is expected to release guidelines on coercive control:

Insidious, traumatic but less-visible forms of abuse are in the spotlight as the federal government attempts to tackle family and domestic violence.

Coercive control is a form of abuse where perpetrators display a pattern of controlling and manipulative behaviour designed to intimidate, isolate or control.

About 3.6 million Australians – 2.2 million women and 1.4 million men – have experienced emotional abuse by a partner at some point since the age of 15, a 2022 analysis by the Australian Bureau of Statistics found.

The abuse underpins domestic and family violence and can have traumatic and pervasive impacts on survivors and their loved ones, although its less-obvious signs can make it harder to recognise and address.

The attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, is expected to release a set of national guidelines on coercive control after a meeting with his state counterparts in Perth this afternoon. He said:

Though coercive control is almost always present in instances of family and domestic violence, we don’t currently have a shared understanding of its nature or impacts on individuals.

A consistent, national approach is critical to creating better community awareness, which is the first step toward eliminating this insidious threat.

About 3.6 millions Australians have experienced emotional abuse by a partner at some point since the age of 15, an analysis last year found. Photograph: kieferpix/Getty Images/iStock

The national principles to address coercive control in family and domestic violence will outline the impacts and features of coercive control while offering resources and advice on how those affected could respond.

During the drafting process, the government consulted survivors, academics, members of the legal sector, representatives from frontline services and other experts on family and domestic violence.

Additional resources for First Nations communities will be released in the coming months.

In August, governments across the country set targets for ending violence for the first time, such as a 25% annual reduction in female victims.

Targets have also been set to encourage more people to reject violence against women.

The NSW state government has also taken steps to address a specific form of coercive control after announcing an $8.1m investment in legal initiatives to help those experiencing financial abuse.

Updated at 01.49 EDT

Do you care for a Murdoch montage? The video team has put together this snacky edit:

Rupert Murdoch steps down as chair of Fox and News Corp – video

Discovery of first world war medals prompts hunt for owner

AAP reports that the police want the public’s help tracking down the rightful owner of two first world war medals:

An old cardboard box containing the war medals was handed in to police after being found near the St Kilda marina on Monday.

The British and Victory medals were awarded to William Hutchinson, who is believed to have been born in Ballarat in 1895 before leaving Australia for Cairo, Egypt, in 1915. King George V instituted the British Medal in 1919 to mark the end of the second world war and to record service given between 1914 and 1920.

The Victory Medal, emblazoned with the words “the great war for civilisation” on the reverse, was also issued to certain allied force members who entered a theatre of war from 1914 to 1918.

Through inquiries with the RSL, Border Force and National Archives of Australia, police have established Hutchinson’s listed next of kin was his father, who also went by William Hutchinson.

He lived in Coburg, Richmond, Burnley and South Melbourne before his death.

Police have not been able to identify a living next of kin, releasing images of the medals in the hope they are recognised and can be returned to their rightful owner.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers.

Updated at 01.21 EDT

Thanks, Jordyn, and hello world! It’s been a funny sort of a day, writing about my old boss Rupert Murdoch. Ah, the memories. And now, on with the show!