Clarkson denies any ‘wrongdoing or misconduct’ – as it happened

Alastair Clarkson denies any wrongdoing following Hawthorn racism review

Alastair Clarkson has released a statement following confirmation from North Melbourne his start date as coach – originally slated for 1 November – will be “delayed” for an investigation into conduct at the Hawthorn Football Club during his tenure to take place.

He says he was “shocked” by the allegations and wasn’t interviewed by authors of the report, nor has he been provided with a copy.

Updated at 04.04 EDT

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What we learned today, Wednesday 21 September

With that, we will wrap the blog for the evening.

If you’ve got a public holiday tomorrow, I hope you spend it to your heart’s content. Here were the major developments of what has been a very busy news day:

The AFL world has been rocked by allegations of racism in the wake of a damning report at the Hawthorn Football Club which alleged the club was involved in separating First Nations players from families and demanded a pregnancy termination.

The North Melbourne football club confirmed incoming coach Alastair Clarkson, who was Hawthorn coach at the time of the allegations, would “delay the start of his tenure” to allow him time to participate in an investigation announced by the AFL. He was due to begin at North on 1 November. Clarkson denied any wrongdoing and said he was “shocked” by the allegations. The Brisbane head coach and former Hawthorn staffer, Chris Fagan, will also take a leave of absence.

The Bureau of Meteorology has warned heavy rainfall may develop on the NSW mid-north coast from Thursday afternoon, bringing flash flooding. Six-hourly rainfall totals of 60 to 80mm are possible, with isolated falls up to 120mm predicted. Twenty-four-hour isolated rainfall totals may reach 200mm.

More than 100 whales are presumed dead after a mass stranding at Macquarie Harbour on Tasmania’s west coast, near the town of Strahan.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission will investigate the rising cost of childcare and out-of-pocket costs hitting family budgets, with an extra $11m commitment from the government.

A Tiwi Islander has won a landmark case in the federal court, with drilling to be halted at a multibillion-dollar Santos gas project north-west of Darwin.

The Albanese government has signed a global pledge endorsed by more than 90 countries committing them to reversing biodiversity loss by 2030. Also today, the government opened up expressions of interest for the Ambassador First Nations People to the public.

Updated at 05.20 EDT

Storms and rain forecast across most of NSW as Wee Waa cut off by floods

A rain band is forecast to deliver widespread showers and thunderstorms across most of NSW as the small town of Wee Waa is cut off by flood waters, AAP reports.

Severe thunderstorms with large hailstones, heavy rainfall and damaging winds are forecast for parts of inland NSW and southern Queensland on Wednesday, the Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Jenny Sturrock said.

A severe weather warning has been issued for the state’s central west slopes and plains, with six-hourly rainfall totals of up to 60 to 70mm expected, triggering a risk of flash and riverine flooding.

Flooding is already impacting Dubbo, Gunnedah and Tamworth, with Parkes, Wellington, Coonamble, Gilgandra and Peak Hill also at risk.

Helicopters are preparing to fly in supplies to the town of Wee Waa, between Narrabri and Walgett, as flooding cuts off road access. A strong western front is expected to fill the already swollen Namoi River on Wednesday evening, stranding the town which has a population of about 2,000.

The Lachlan, Narran and Macquarie rivers are already experiencing major flooding.

Further rainfall across Wednesday night was likely to exacerbate flood conditions throughout NSW and down to northern Victoria and up to southern Queensland, Sturrock said. Falls are likely to concentrate around the coast on Thursday.

Light to moderate falls across saturated catchments have the potential to trigger significant flood responses, and Sturrock urged the community to stay up to date with warnings from the BOM.

Many catchments in the north-west, central west and south-west are already dealing with flooding after heavy recent falls saturated catchments and filled dams.

Residents in north-western Gunnedah and Wee Waa are facing their third flood in a year as five houses were inundated when the Namoi River peaked at over eight metres on the weekend, the State Emergency Service said.

In the the state’s central west, Dubbo received 30mm of rain by 3pm, on the lower end of the predicted rainfall.

“The intensity of rain we’ve anticipated hasn’t fallen yet,” the SES spokesperson, David Rankin, told AAP.

That’s really good news but we aren’t out of the woods – it could come later tonight.

Updated at 05.11 EDT

Victorian Labor and Coalition unite to thwart Greens bill to end coal power by 2030

The Andrews government and the Victorian opposition have united to thwart a bill by the state’s Greens party to end coal mining and burning by the end of the decade.

The bill would have brought forward the closure of the three brown coal-fired thermal power stations in the Latrobe Valley – Loy Yang A and B and Yallourn – which together generate about 70% of the state’s electricity.

But the state government and the Coalition voted to prevent the bill going to a vote in parliament’s upper house on Wednesday afternoon.

The Victorians Greens’ climate spokesperson, Ellen Sandell, said May’s federal election results, which saw more of the state vote for the party than ever before, highlighted voter’s frustration with “inaction” by the major parties on climate change:

The United Nations, global scientists and environment groups have made it clear that tackling the climate crisis requires states like Victoria to close all coal power stations by 2030. But right now, Labor has licensed Victoria’s coal plants to operate as late as 2048, which is outrageous.

Updated at 04.12 EDT

NSW SES urges people to be prepared for storms and flooding

The NSW SES senior manager of state operations, Dallas Burnes, has just appeared on the ABC to provide an update on the heavy rainfall and storms hitting the coast until the weekend.

He urged the community to remain prepared and keep abreast of the evolving situation, particularly with more people travelling on the Thursday public holiday. Some 17 flood watches are active across the state.

Those rivers are rising, however, we’ve got really good intel on how they’re tracking … we’re expecting our units locally will be able to respond as required.

Updated at 04.07 EDT

Longtime Play School host John Hamblin dies at 87

The former Play School host John Hamblin has died, aged 87.

Hamblin presented the ABC children’s program for almost three decades, appearing on more than 350 episodes of the show from the 1970s onwards.

Updated at 03.57 EDT

Fred Nile joins Labor and crossbenchers to block NSW flood plain harvesting regime

The NSW government’s flood plain harvesting licensing regime has been disallowed for a fourth time, after the Christian Democrat, Fred Nile, joined Labor and crossbenchers to again block it.

Nile said he was supporting the disallowance because First Nations people had not been sufficiently consulted.

He said he had received many representations about the poor water quality in the Murray-Darling River system and the impact this had on community and Indigenous peoples’ health, particularly in times of drought.

Labor and the Greens backed the independent Justin Field’s motion to again disallow the planned licensing regime because it would not deliver sufficient outcomes for the environment, and the government had failed to listen to the concerns of First Nations people.

The debate over flood plain harvesting – the practice of taking overland flows using levies and channels – has been running for more than two-and-a-half years. There have been two parliamentary inquiries and multiple attempts by the government to introduce a licensing regime.

But while all sides support licensing in principle, there have been major objections to the amount of water that the NSW government plans to allow farmers – mainly big irrigators in the north – to take.

“There is a gross inequity at its heart,” Field said of the government plan.

The current rules are not adequate because they privilege irrigators over others. If you outsource your natural resource policy to the National party and the interests that support them, you will destroy this state.

Labor’s water spokesperson, Rose Jackson, said Labor wanted to see flood plain harvesting licensed but not with the lowest possible requirements as the government proposed. But the government accused those opposing the licensing regime of being anti-farming and trying to wreak havoc on the food and fibre industry.

The disallowance means that the government will now need to do more studies to assess the impact of allowing irrigators to take overland flows, particularly the first flush of flows after drought.

Some licences that were granted earlier, while the regulations were in force, will be permitted to stand. The regulations that require metering will also be allowed to stand.

Updated at 04.04 EDT

Alastair Clarkson denies any wrongdoing following Hawthorn racism review

Alastair Clarkson has released a statement following confirmation from North Melbourne his start date as coach – originally slated for 1 November – will be “delayed” for an investigation into conduct at the Hawthorn Football Club during his tenure to take place.

He says he was “shocked” by the allegations and wasn’t interviewed by authors of the report, nor has he been provided with a copy.

Updated at 04.04 EDT

Greens say Santos ruling ‘sets the standard for consultation with traditional owners’

The Greens have released a statement following the federal court’s ruling today that Santos failed to consult with traditional owners over its Barossa gas project.

The Yamatji-Noongar senator Dorinda Cox said the ruling showed mining companies and governments “can’t be trusted” to do the right thing “without legislative pressure”.

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP) clearly states that free, prior and informed consent is a human right. We need to fast-track the Private Senator’s UNDRIP Bill and its implementation in our laws, policies and practice.

This judgement sets the standard for consultation with Traditional Owners. If Labor wants to talk about recognising First Nations people, they must start with their own departments.

Updated at 03.28 EDT

Heavy rainfall and flash flooding likely on NSW mid-north coast

The Bureau of Meteorology has warned heavy rainfall may develop on the NSW mid-north coast from Thursday afternoon, bringing flash flooding.

Six-hourly rainfall totals of 60 to 80mm are possible, with isolated falls up to 120mm predicted. Twenty-four-hour isolated rainfall totals may reach 200mm.

The BoM says:

A surface low will move eastwards across the state today, before lingering about the coast or just offshore during Thursday and Friday.

The surface low will interact with an upper low and trough to generate persistent showers and embedded thunderstorms across the Mid North Coast district during Thursday and Friday morning before moving offshore later on Friday.

Severe weather is no longer occurring about the Central West Slopes and Plains and Central Tablelands districts, and the warning for this area has been cancelled.

Locations which may be affected include Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Taree, Woolgoolga, Sawtell and Dorrigo.

Updated at 03.12 EDT

As the news of the day has been rolling on, Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, has been addressing the nation, announcing a “partial mobilisation” of forces in Russia.

You can hop on to our dedicated live blog here:

Updated at 02.56 EDT

Alastair Clarkson to ‘delay start’ at North Melbourne following Hawthorn racism review

The North Melbourne football club has released a statement following allegations about the treatment of Indigenous players at Hawthorn when the incoming Kangaroos coach Alastair Clarkson was with the Hawks.

The club has confirmed Clarkson will “delay the start of his tenure” to allow him time to participate in an investigation announced by the AFL. He was due to begin at North on 1 November.

The matters raised are now with the AFL’s Integrity Unit and Alastair welcomes the opportunity to co-operate with any investigation relating to the claims.

Alastair was due to commence work with North Melbourne on November 1 however he will delay the start of his tenure to allow time to fully participate in the investigation.

Given the matters raised are confidential and the investigation is ongoing, the club will not provide any further comment at this time.

Updated at 02.55 EDT

Iranian-Australians gather in Sydney to protest death of Mahsa Amini

Iranian-Australians are gathering in Sydney this evening to condemn the killing of Mahsa Amini, and then others protesting her death, at the hands of the Islamic Republic government in Iran.

The 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman was taken into custody by the Islamic Republic’s “morality police” due to an “inappropriate head scarf”. Two hours later she was taken into hospital and eventually died from a brain stroke resulting from concussion. Amnesty International has called the cause of her death suspicious.

Iran Solidarity says:

We the Iranian Australian community condemn the killing of Mahsa Amini and the subsequent crackdown and killing of protestors on the streets of Iran. We hold the Islamic Republic and its representative Ebrahim Raisi and Ali Khamenei responsible for the latest violence.

We urge the international community and the United Nations to hold the Islamic Republic squarely responsible for theses deaths, but also hold this government to account for its continuous and horrendous human rights records – making human rights a priority and condition in the continuing nuclear negotiations.

The Australian academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert, who was previously detained in Iran, told ABC’s Afternoon Briefing that Iranian people have reached a “breaking point”:

They are desperate. The bravery and the courage of some of the acts of protests that we’ve seen in past days coming out of Iran is astounding … there really is this groundswell of rage and anger and exasperation with this morally, financially corrupt regime.

The Iranian delegation, including the Iranian president, the Iranian foreign minister and others are in New York right now for the UN General Assembly. They should be held to account for this.

Updated at 02.48 EDT

Absolutely tragic.

Burney is asked if she’s concerned the revelations against Hawthorn are just the latest in a long string of allegations, inquiries and reviews into racial misconduct within the AFL – including at Collingwood and Adelaide.

Is there a pattern here?

Well, you haven’t mentioned Michael O’Loughlin [former Sydney player] and what he went through at the hands of spectators. It just seems to me, and I believe the AFL understands this, that these sorts of incidents cannot go without consequences and I believe that there will be consequences in the light of these revelations.

It’s inconceivable that AFL or NRL could be what they are without the contribution of First Nations players. Both in the women’s and the men’s leagues … AFL holds a really special place in the Aboriginal community. That place has to be honoured which is why these revelations have to be treated seriously and properly investigated. There is no two ways about it.

Burney says it’s unlikely the “broader movement” of reconciliation will be harmed by the findings.

Obviously the AFL is taking this very seriously. But the proof will be in the pudding and we’ll see what the outcomes of these allegations are. Linda Burney at the Garma Festival in Northern Territory, July 2022. Photograph: Carly Earl/The Guardian

Updated at 02.27 EDT

An investigation has been launched by the AFL in the wake of the revelations. Asked if it goes far enough or if there should be a “broader look” at culture, Burney says there’s “two issues” at play:

The first is that I have had conversations of course with Gillon McLachlan and Tanya Hosch this morning. And the investigation … is absolutely appropriate and I understand the make-up of that team will be announced later on today by the AFL.

But I would also say this – that every single sporting club in every code should look carefully at the way in which they’re dealing with First Nations players, to make sure their workplace is a safe one and a culturally appropriate one. That is what is needed in the light of these revelations.

She says she “won’t go into details” of the private conversations but they were centred around the immediate actions the AFL would take place, namely, an investigation.

McLachlan also made a commitment to keep Burney “abreast” of the investigation which she welcomed:

The allegations that have been made against Hawthorn are just horrendous. And it is inconceivable to me that a football club of the status of Hawthorn would put people through what they have put people through.

Updated at 02.18 EDT

Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney is appearing on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing following revelations and allegations of racism and mistreatment of First Nations players at the Hawthorn Football Club first publicised by reporter Russell Jackson this morning.

She says the report was “nothing short of sickening” and “every single sporting club, in every code” should look carefully at how their workplace is providing cultural safety and respect for First Nations players.

It is inconceivable in this day and age the sort of treatment and the allegations that have been made by the players involved … this has to be taken seriously, and I believe that it is.

Updated at 02.09 EDT

Government minister Richard Wynne is now making his valedictory speech to Victorian parliament’s lower house. Wynne is a Labor party elder – having been first elected in 1999 – and has served as a minister to premiers Daniel Andrews, John Brumby and Steve Bracks.

Prior to this, he served as a ministerial advisor at a state and federal level and as a councillor for the City of Melbourne, and had a stint as Lord Mayor between 1990 and 1991.

Richard Wynne, then minister for housing, in 2021. Photograph: Daniel Pockett/AAP

Wynne went through the highlights of his career, including when as mayor he gave the keys to the City of Melbourne to Nelson Mandela:

I remember [wife] Svetlana and I were there together completely overwhelmed that this extraordinary world leader had come to Melbourne. He came to Melbourne as one of the first places that he came to after his imprisonment … to thank people here in Melbourne and Sydney, particularly our friends in a trade union movement and particularly friends from my father’s union, the MUA, who did such an incredible amount of work to stand up against that vicious apartheid regime in South Africa. That was an amazing day in my life.

The Greens are hoping to capitalise on Wynne’s retirement to win his inner-city seat of Richmond, though he told parliament he’s confident Labor’s candidate Lauren O’Dwyer will fend them off:

The Greens political party will always seek to be two steps to the left of Labor and claim all of our progressive policy achievements as they criticize us … What a sad way to practice politics, to be always in the grandstand, never on the field of play, where the real work is done.

As a member for Richmond, I’ve seen off the Greens on six occasions. And my colleague Lauren O’Dwyer, who’s with us today, she’ll do it again in November.

Updated at 02.22 EDT

Victoria will scrap its public transport mask mandate from midnight on Thursday, bringing the state into line with most jurisdictions as it prepares to host the grand final match on Saturday.

On Monday, NSW and South Australia announced masks would no longer be required on public transport but the requirement remains in Queensland the ACT, despite national cabinet agreeing to drop the rule on domestic flights.

In Victoria, masks will no longer be required on public transport, in taxis or ride shares but will be recommended in indoor venues. Masks remain required in hospitals and care facilities.

The state’s health minister, Mary-Anne Thomas said the changes were “sensible”:

I thank the chief health officer for his advice on this matter.

As we move to living with Covid, it’s important we ensure enduring behaviour change in the community – and that means giving people the choice to wear masks to protect themselves and those around them.

Updated at 02.05 EDT

Tomorrow’s public holiday is shaping up to be a good one to spend indoors and whip out a puzzle or a challenging sudoku if you’re in Queensland.

Queensland Fire and Emergency has warned the public to “drive to conditions and never attempt to cross floodwater” as a band of rain and thunderstorms moves across the state’s south.

There are seven minor flood warnings active across Queensland. A severe weather warning is in place, with severe thunderstorms and damaging winds expected to persist on Thursday.

Updated at 02.00 EDT