PM condemns abuse directed at Lidia Thorpe – as it happened

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What we learned; Thursday 5 October

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

Thank you so much for spending part of your day with us – we will be back tomorrow to do it all again.

Updated at 03.44 EDT

Flinders Island bushfire still burning

Firefighters are still trying to contain a bushfire burning near Mount Tanner.

The incident controller, John Duggan from Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service, said that while the advice level was removed from the bushfire today, it is imperative the communities of Pine Scrub and Leeka stay informed and prepared.

Duggan said:

Firefighting activities are ongoing to contain a bushfire which has been burning near Mount Tanner on Flinders Island since Monday.

Rain on the fire ground over the last 48-hours has subdued fire behaviour, and crews will remain in the area containing the fire for the foreseeable days. This may include back burning operations when conditions are favourable to bring the fire to containment lines.

Updated at 03.34 EDT

Save the Children applauds Australia rejoining Green Climate Fund

Save the Children has welcomed the federal government’s announcement that Australia will rejoin the Green Climate Fund, the world’s largest dedicated climate fund that finances significant climate adaptation projects in developing nations.

Australia played a key role in establishing the multilateral Green Climate Fund (GCF), contributing $200m between 2015-2020 before withdrawing.

Save the Children Pacific regional director, Kim Koch, said:

Climate change is endangering the lives of children in developing countries around the world, including in the Pacific, every single day.

Rising sea levels, more damaging cyclones, and higher temperatures are just some of the challenges that the climate crisis is bringing to the doorstep of Pacific communities.

As a major global emitter, Australia has a responsibility to contribute to the solutions for children, families and communities who are worst affected by this mounting crisis.

Updated at 02.54 EDT

Commonwealth Ombudsman says disability services bill is ‘silent’ on complaint handling

The commonwealth watchdog has warned the bill to modernise disability services needs to include a more consistent oversight regime to crack down on providers who break the rules.

The bill, which was introduced last month ahead of the royal commission into violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of people with disability’s release on Friday, would update decades-old laws governing funding for people with a disability, who aren’t already on the NDIS.

It will look to streamline funding arrangements and implement certification requirements and codes of conduct for non-NDIS providers.

But the Commonwealth Ombudsman, in its submission to the Senate inquiry looking at the proposed changes, says it is otherwise “silent” on how the social services department will actually monitor complaints and incidents.

In its current drafting, the bill says monitoring of providers will be set out in “departmental guidance, individual funding agreements, or in delegated legislation”.

The ombudsman’s submission continued:

This approach increases the risk of inconsistent and non-transparent oversight mechanisms that, while tailored to each provider, could generate confusion for users of the services who may seek to escalate a complaint, and may impair the ability of the department to understand and analyse compliance issues across a range of providers.

The DSI Bill is otherwise silent on how complaints and incident reporting systems would be overseen.

Instead, the ombudsman suggested there be annual reporting on the volume of complaints and incidents reported, resolution rates, the size of any backlogs, as well as thematic reporting on systemic issues.

The Senate inquiry will hear from witnesses in a public hearing on Monday.

Updated at 02.29 EDT

Liberal senator says $528m vessel being unable to pass under a bridge is ‘embarrassing’

Jonathan Duniam has told the ABC that Australia’s $528m research vessel cannot safely pass underneath a bridge in its home port city.

The RSV Nuyina, which resupplies Australia’s three Antarctic stations and conducts crucial climate research, is berthed at Hobart’s Macquarie Wharf, to the south of the Tasman Bridge. But its refuelling station at Selfs Point is a short distance upstream on the other side of the bridge.

Earlier this year, Tasmania’s port authority denied the ship permission to pass underneath the bridge because it was concerned the ship could collide with the bridge. In 1975, 12 people died when a cargo ship crashed into the same bridge, causing part of it to collapse.

Yesterday, the port authority told a Senate inquiry that the government was told what the appropriate dimensions were in 2018. It said this advice should have been listened to. The width of the ship was expanded on multiple occasions after 2018.

Duniam, who was an assistant minister in the Coalition government when the ship was commissioned, said while the ship could technically fit under the bridge, its “windage” area was too large to safely turn without hitting the beam. The port authority has also raised concern about the ship’s hull and its beam.

Here’s what Duniam told the ABC:

“The fact is, it is an embarrassing turn of events and it should not have happened this way. We should have been able to do everything we could to prevent this from being the case.

The RSV Nuyina. Photograph: AP

Updated at 02.41 EDT

Greens leader backs calls for protection against abuse

Thorpe’s former party leader, Adam Bandt, has echoed calls for a respectful referendum debate.

We have known for some time that First Nations politicians and indeed, some other politicians as well, have been on the receiving end of … threats including from the far right.

I am pleased that the government is starting to take it seriously and my hope is that the government will ensure that there is enough resources so that politicians and other public figures who have been on the receiving end of these kind of hate attacks get the protection they deserve.

Updated at 01.58 EDT

Measles warning issued in NSW

NSW Health is urging people to be alert for signs and symptoms of measles after being notified of a confirmed case who was infectious on an international flight into Sydney.

An adult passenger acquired their infection while travelling in Africa.

People may have been exposed to the case in these locations and should monitor for symptoms:

The director of the northern Sydney public health unit, Sean Tobin, said these locations do not pose an ongoing risk but urged people who may be susceptible to measles and were on the flight to be alert for symptoms until Wednesday 20 October.

Those most likely to be susceptible to measles are infants under 12 months of age who are too young to be vaccinated, anyone who is not fully vaccinated against the disease, which may include some adults; and people with a weakened immune system

Symptoms of measles include fever, sore eyes, and a cough, followed three or four days later by a red, blotchy, non-itchy, rash spreading from the head and neck to the rest of the body.

It can take up to 18 days for symptoms to appear after an exposure, so it is really important to stay vigilant if you’ve been exposed, and if you develop symptoms, please call ahead to your GP or emergency department to ensure you do not spend time in the waiting room with other patients.

Updated at 01.33 EDT

Dutton says Albanese calling voice referendum has given rise to ‘radical lunatics’

The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has blamed the prime minister for putting the country on a path of divisiveness that has led to Nazis targeting independent senator Lidia Thorpe …

The content that neo-Nazis (inaudable) it is completely unhinged and unacceptable and should be condemned in the strongest terms.

I’m really worried at the moment because as we know the prime minister has got us and parked on a path which divides our country.

(It) gives rise in this environment to radical lunatics to make comments like they’ve made in relation to that Lidia Thorpe.

Updated at 01.19 EDT

Tasmanian government to face more challenges

Australia’s only Liberal premier has dodged the immediate risk of a snap election but will face more headaches and likely a no-confidence motion when parliament resumes.

Former attorney general Elise Archer quit Tasmania’s parliament on Wednesday after the premier, Jeremy Rockliff, threatened to call an election if she didn’t leave or agree to provide confidence and supply.

The Labor opposition has provided the government with a pair, meaning one of their members will drop out from voting on motions.

But the Labor leader, Rebecca White, flagged bringing forward a no-confidence motion in the premier.

“I don’t think anyone can have confidence in this premier,” White said on Thursday.

“I think it is incumbent on the parliament to test whether or not this premier does maintain confidence of the broad parliament.”

The Tasmanian premier, Jeremy Rockliff. Photograph: Loic Le Guilly/AAP

Updated at 01.11 EDT

Acoss calls for government support to pay energy bills

Australian Council of Social Service is urging the federal government to provide cost-of-living relief to people on low incomes to help them pay energy bills as Australia heads into a forecast extremely hot summer.

It comes as the Australian Energy Regulator’s latest state of the energy market report shows energy affordability is a major issue for people on low incomes who bear a disproportionate cost burden.

The Program Director of Climate and Energy at Acoss, Kellie Caught, said :

As we head into a summer of extreme heat, the federal government needs to deliver a substantial package to urgently address energy affordability for people on low incomes

There was some one-off help delivered in the last federal budget, but this will not be sufficient to help people on the lowest incomes who are facing dramatic increases in housing costs as well as food and energy

Updated at 01.07 EDT

New South Wales SES busy with wind-damaged properties

In the 24 hours to 12 pm NSW SES volunteers responded to 291 incidents, the organisation said in a statement.

Since the the poor weather began on 1 October 2023, there have been 436 incidents.

The assistant commissioner of the NSW SES, Sean Kearns, said most incidents were fallen trees and leaking, wind-damaged roofs:

NSW SES volunteers assisted with providing sandbags for a Tafe at Deniliquin and sandbagging of homes and businesses in Albury.

In Narrabri, Moree and Wee Waa, volunteers conducted assessments and assisted after roofs were ripped off buildings.

One of the hardest hit areas overnight was the state’s northern zone, where 113 incidents were reported.

Updated at 00.41 EDT

Qantas pilots end industrial action

Hundreds of Qantas pilots are back at work after a strike over a long-running pay dispute caused dozens of flights to be cancelled in Western Australia, AAP reports.

Network Aviation and the Australian Federation of Air Pilots are set to resume wage negotiations next week, with more than 200 pilots employed by the Qantas subsidiary demanding a 50% pay hike.

Qantas has offered a 25% pay increase but the pilots say that would only bring them up to the legal minimum under the award.

They want an increase comparable to the salary received by other Qantas pilots flying similar aircraft around the country.

Updated at 00.29 EDT

Anthony Albanese condemns abuse directed at Lidia Thorpe

When prime minister was speaking earlier he was asked about Lidia Thorpe referring to the referendum as a genocide. This is what he said:

I think that people need to be respectful during this debate. It is important that people are respectful with each other. I saw – I’ve seen the video that is referred to that is threatening towards Senator Thorpe and towards the government. And the sort of Nazi rhetoric and statements that are in that video have no place in discourse in Australian political life.

Updated at 01.48 EDT

Thanks for joining me on the blog today! Handing over to Cait Kelly, who will take you through the afternoon’s news.

Thorpe has ‘black army’ for protection

The independent senator told reporters she doesn’t feel safe and has hired her own “black army” for protection. She says hasn’t been able to stay at her own home for four months due to threats against her:

Where is my support? Where is my protection in this country? You want to paint me as an angry black woman. Well, you are about to see an angry black woman because I am not hiding this time. I’ve been in exile for four months. [For] four months I wasn’t allowed to be in my own home. Because people want to kill me out there. They don’t want my voice to be heard over the next nine days. They want to feel good about the referendum.

Independent senator Lidia Thorpe at the Royal Exhibition Building, in Melbourne. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

Updated at 23.59 EDT

Thorpe accuses Albanese of wanting to ‘shut me down’ over voice

Senator Lidia Thorpe has held a press conference in Melbourne after she was sent a video of a balaclava-clad man making racist remarks, performing the Nazi salute and burning the Aboriginal flag earlier this week.

Standing outside of the Royal Exhibition Building – the home of Australia’s first parliament – Thorpe accused the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, of wanting to “shut me down” over the voice referendum:

This building behind us is where it all began in 1901. The racist constitution came out of this building, this caused nothing but pain and misery for my people in this country.

The referendum is an act of genocide against my people. And the prime minister knows exactly what he’s doing.

Albanese had earlier condemned the video, saying it was “quite horrific”.

Updated at 23.46 EDT