Sex Discrimination Commissioner calls on government to reverse census backflipAustralia’s Sex Discrimination Commissioner Dr Anna Cody has called on the federal government to reconsider its backflip on committing to have LGBTIQ+ related questions in the 2026 census.In a letter to assistant minister for employment, Andrew Leigh, Cody expressed concern and disappointment at the decision and said it carries “serious implications for the health, wellbeing and general equality of LGBTIQA+ Australians and their families”.Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Dr Anna Cody. Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/AAPCody noted that data from the census informs services and policies to reflect the needs of Australia’s diverse communities:
For LGBTIQA+ people, who face significant health disparities compared to the heterosexual and cisgender population, accurate population data would ensure that informed decisions can be made when investing in health and mental health services. It is a matter of practical, effective policy.
I am concerned that this decision will strengthen the voices of discrimination and division that seek to disrupt the nation’s social cohesion.
In the face of rising negative rhetoric, there may be concern about the harmful impacts that another public debate may have on LGBTIQA+ people and their families. However, while we must seek to minimise harm, the answer cannot be to do nothing.
​Cody wrote to Leigh, “I hope you will reconsider this decision.”ShareUpdated at 03.26 CESTKey eventsShow key events onlyPlease turn on JavaScript to use this featureAndrew MessengerWieambilla inquest hears statement from family of slain constable Matthew ArnoldThe mother of slain constable Matt Arnold has read out a statement on behalf of his family at the final day of the inquest into the Wieambilla massacre.Sue Arnold told the inquest the family waited for five hours to officially find out her 26-year-old son died. He was killed by a single bullet at about 4.37pm on 12 December, 2022, at a remote property in Wieambilla. The inquest has heard Nathaniel Train fired the bullet.
Why did it take Matt’s sister repeatedly refreshing shared Apple Watch fitness data to know something was wrong?
As the media were reporting three police officers were unaccounted for, family members began flocking to our home. We packed our bags in case we had to head out west to visit Matt in hospital.
A memorial service for the two police constables killed in the Wieambilla shooting tragedy was held in December 2022. Photograph: SUPPLIED/PR IMAGEShe said the family still have questions about the incident, which also claimed the life of constable Rachel McCrow and Alan Dare, and perpetrators Gareth, Nathaniel and Stacey Train.Arnold told the court “It’s time to turn words into real action – now!”
Those who protect us when we need them desperately need protecting. In Jan 2022 Queensland police announced the rollout of new integrated load bearing vests giving officers ‘added protection against offenders who may be armed with knives or firearms.’
Neither Matt nor Rachel ever received their vests. We will always wonder if they had been issued with such equipment and were wearing it would it have made a difference.
Share13 women have made claims of misconduct against Ovadia since he was sacked, court hearsAmanda MeadeThe Seven Network has alleged that 13 women have made claims of misconduct against Robert Ovadia since he was sacked for misconduct in June, the federal court has heard.The misconduct claims were raised at the first directions hearing for the unfair dismissal case Ovadia has brought against the Seven network and Seven’s news chief, Anthony De Ceglie.Barrister Vanja Bulut, for Seven, said:
Subsequent to the applicant’s dismissal, 13 more females have come forward with complaints in relation to his conduct, and they’re now subject to investigation.
The applicant has been put on notice of that. That is, my instructors have written to our learned friend’s instructors, setting out the additional allegations that have come to light subsequent to the dismissal and to the extent that those allegations are recorded in documents.
The crime reporter was sacked in June after allegations of inappropriate behaviour. Ovadia told Guardian Australia at the time:
Yes I’ve been sacked and there will be more to say about that in the appropriate forum at the appropriate time.
ShareUpdated at 03.41 CESTVictorian coroners court to hand down recommendations in trans suicide inquestThe coroners court of Victoria will today hand down recommendations in the trans and gender diverse suicide cluster inquest.Transgender Victoria says it is anticipated that coroner Ingrid Giles may make recommendations about Victoria Police’s relations with the trans and gender diverse community. CEO Son Vivienne said:
In a week where the federal government has abandoned LGBTQIA+ Australians in its plans for the 2026 census, we’re seeing a stark reminder of how this invisibility directly impacts our community’s well-being. When we’re not counted, we’re effectively erased from the data that shapes policy and services.
Transgender Victoria said its thoughts were with the families and friends of the deceased. It also thanked the coroners court of Victoria for the “respectful and sensitive manner in which the inquest was conducted.”ShareSex Discrimination Commissioner calls on government to reverse census backflipAustralia’s Sex Discrimination Commissioner Dr Anna Cody has called on the federal government to reconsider its backflip on committing to have LGBTIQ+ related questions in the 2026 census.In a letter to assistant minister for employment, Andrew Leigh, Cody expressed concern and disappointment at the decision and said it carries “serious implications for the health, wellbeing and general equality of LGBTIQA+ Australians and their families”.Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Dr Anna Cody. Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/AAPCody noted that data from the census informs services and policies to reflect the needs of Australia’s diverse communities:
For LGBTIQA+ people, who face significant health disparities compared to the heterosexual and cisgender population, accurate population data would ensure that informed decisions can be made when investing in health and mental health services. It is a matter of practical, effective policy.
I am concerned that this decision will strengthen the voices of discrimination and division that seek to disrupt the nation’s social cohesion.
In the face of rising negative rhetoric, there may be concern about the harmful impacts that another public debate may have on LGBTIQA+ people and their families. However, while we must seek to minimise harm, the answer cannot be to do nothing.
​Cody wrote to Leigh, “I hope you will reconsider this decision.”ShareUpdated at 03.26 CESTTwo bodies found in Queensland homeQueensland police are investigating the “sudden death” of two people in Mitchelton, in Brisbane’s north, this morning.Emergency services were called to a Kentville Street residence around 8.50am this morning.Queensland police said a crime scene has been declared and an investigation into the cause of the deaths is under way.ShareUpdated at 03.12 CESTStronger penalties needed for companies who don’t protect customers from scams: CBA headContinuing from our last post via AAP, CBA chief executive Matt Comyn told the committee that stronger penalties should be put in place for companies who don’t protect customers from scams.While Comyn said scam losses at the bank had been reduced by half in the past financial year, organisations such as the Commonwealth Bank should be required to pay back scam victims if protections aren’t enacted.
There should be a proportionate liability scheme, which says to all of these organisations, including, of course, us, that if you do not meet your obligations, then you will be required to reimburse customer losses.
This liability scheme should be simple, efficient and fair for customers with a single front door to access and resolve disputes across scams, fraud, cyber security and financial crime prevention.
The head of Westpac, Peter King, will also give evidence before the parliamentary committee later today. ANZ and NAB bosses will front up tomorrow.Share‘Extreme shocks’ felt over cost-of-living, CBA boss tells inquiryThe impacts of interest rate hikes and stubborn inflation are being unevenly felt across the economy, the head of the Commonwealth Bank says, with many experiencing “extreme shocks”.As AAP reports, the bank’s chief executive Matt Comyn appeared before a parliamentary committee into the big four banks today. While he said the broader economy was “fundamentally sound”, cost-of-living concerns were affecting the bank’s customers.
The effect of monetary policy is unevenly felt across the country with different experiences for borrowers and depositors … households are spending more on essentials and are cutting back on discretionary spend.
Households and businesses have experienced extreme shocks in recent years: lockdowns, a demand surge, inflation and rapid interest rate rises. Many of our customers are finding it difficult to deal with the higher cost of living.
CBA chief executive officer Matt Comyn. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPThe Commonwealth executive said it had made more than 130,000 hardship payment arrangements with its customers in the past year. He also said young people were being disproportionately affected by cost-of-living pressures:
Savings are being depleted, particularly by working families. Younger Australians, who tend to have lower incomes and smaller savings buffers, are the most sensitive to these changes in prices.
Savings had depleted by 11% for those between 25 and 34-years-old, the banking executive told the committee, which was double compared to other demographics.ShareUpdated at 03.02 CESTIncoming strategic advisor for Melbourne Symphony Orchestra provides update to subscribersThe Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s new strategic advisor, Richard Wigley, has issued a message to subscribers after its managing director stood down earlier this week.On Monday, Sophie Galaise left the organisation and former arts minister Peter Garrett was appointed to lead an external review. The MSO has received weeks of bad publicity after it cancelled the performance of an acclaimed pianist who had dedicated a piece to slain journalists in Gaza.In his message today, Wigley said it had been a “challenging time” for the MSO and the “negative headlines and stories” were having an impact on “everyone who loves this orchestra.”He said the MSO would continue to provide updates on the external review, as the terms of referenced are finalised.
In the meantime, please know that we are taking all possible steps to safeguard the reputation of the MSO.
The MSO is returning to Hamer Hall for the first time in almost three weeks tonight for an open rehearsal performance.ShareUpdated at 03.04 CESTBaby in stable condition after hot coffee allegedly poured on him by strangerThe baby boy who was hospitalised after hot coffee was allegedly poured on him by a stranger remains in a stable condition.The nine-month-old underwent surgery after suffering burns to his face and chest following what police described as a “cowardly” and random attack in a Brisbane park.In a statement this morning, a Children’s Health Queensland spokesperson said:
The baby remains in a stable condition at Queensland Children’s Hospital and continues to be closely monitored. The family is receiving support from Queensland Children’s Hospital social workers.
Police release CCTV footage after hot liquid allegedly poured on baby in Queensland – videoShareUpdated at 02.40 CESTEquality Australia says government repeating mistakes of Morrison government on censusEquality Australia has accused the federal government of “effectively denying the right of LGBTIQ+ people to be counted” and repeating the mistakes of the former Morrison government by choosing to exclude questions on sexuality and gender identity from the census.Its CEO, Anna Brown, said in a statement this morning:
Why must LGBTIQ+ communities wear the fallout of ‘divisive community debates’ when the topic of conversation is not only our legal protections but also our lives and right to exist. What the government is saying to us is that we are not worth having the hard conversations for, and they are dumping us in the too-hard basket.
Brown said the notion that acknowledging the existence of LGBTIQ+ Australians in the census would be a threat to social cohesion is “absurd”.The ABS’s proposed new test questions would have asked about gender, sexual orientation and variations of sex characteristics. Photograph: Jenny Evans/Getty ImagesEquality Australia made a human rights complaint against the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the former federal government after the 2021 census failed to properly count LGBTIQ+ people.
The reasons for considering legal action are the same today as they were in 2021, when we filed a complaint to the Australian Human Rights Commission alleging several breaches of the Sex Discrimination Act.
Our legal action was followed by a statement of regret from the ABS last year for the hurt and harm caused when the census failed to properly count our communities in 2021.
By blocking these vital census questions, the government is effectively denying the right of LGBTIQ+ people to be counted and repeating the mistakes of the former Morrison government.
ShareUpdated at 02.35 CESTMelissa DaveyVictoria should establish nicotine licensing scheme and regulatory authority, committee saysVictoria should establish a nicotine licensing scheme and an active regulatory authority to better manage vaping and tobacco products, a report tabled to the state parliament this morning has recommended.Health experts have long argued Victoria needs a licensing scheme to monitor where tobacco products are stored and sold, and where they are imported to.They have said this lack of oversight and enforcement drives illicit sales, and that centralised data collection would make it easier to identify discrepancies or suspicious patterns that indicate illicit activity.The report found several drivers have contributed to the extensive black market in illicit vapes and cigarettes, including the price differential between legal and illicit cigarettes, absence of a licensing scheme, lack of enforcement activity and minor penalties for illegal activity.The “low‑risk high‑reward” nature of illicit tobacco and vapes has attracted overseas crime syndicates to what is a lucrative market, the report found.There is no scientific evidence to show that e‑cigarette use is healthier than smoking tobacco, the report found. Photograph: Diego Fedele/AAPThe Department of Health and local councils in Victoria are not currently taking enforcement action for reasons including weak current legislation, safety concerns and lack of resources, the report found. Responding to illicit tobacco is also a strain on police resources.The report also says the benefits from the decline in tobacco use are under pressure from an increase in vaping, with estimates of more than 500,000 regular and non‑regular vape users aged over 14 in Victoria (as of March 2023).There is no scientific evidence to show that e‑cigarette use is healthier than smoking tobacco, the report found, and the increase in students vaping while at school has increased to such an extent that schools now spend resources on addiction education.ShareUpdated at 02.32 CESTDams shut off after high-level ‘forever chemical’ findsThe detection of synthetic “forever chemicals” has disrupted drinking water supplies in the NSW Blue Mountains with two dams isolated in the area, AAP reports.Medlow Dam and Greaves Creek Dam, which sit upstream of the region’s main drinking water dams and filtration plant, have been closed off following testing in recent weeks, WaterNSW says.Those tests for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) showing the untreated water in Medlow Dam has levels exceeding Australian drinking water standards. WaterNSW said in a statement:
Whilst this dam does not supply the water filtration plant directly, this part of the system has been disconnected from supply while further investigations are conducted.
Two dams in the NSW Blue Mountains have been disconnected from water supplies after testing. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAPTests on 31 July and 16 August in Medlow Dam both showed combined levels for two groups of PFAS substances were above 0.094 milligrams per litre. Downstream of Medlow, Greaves Creek Dam recorded about 0.058 micrograms per litre, while the Upper Cascade Dam had levels as high as 0.037 micrograms per litre.Australian standards limit levels of those chemical groups to 0.07 micrograms per litre.ShareTwo treated for burns after lithium-ion battery fire in SydneyTwo people have been treated for burns after an e-skateboard exploded in a Sydney home overnight.Two Fire and Rescue NSW trucks and eight firefighters responded to the incident at Roseville at 2:20am this morning.In a statement, FRNSW said a sleeping 26-year-old male woke to the sound of popping and cracking, finding the room full of smoke and the e-skateboard’s lithium-ion battery starting to flame.He and another occupant removed the device from the house, sustaining burns to their hands and suffering smoke inhalation in the process, FRNSW said. Both were transported to hospital for treatment.This comes after two separate lithium-ion incidents in Sydney just this week.Yesterday a 15-year-old was riding a borrowed e-bike to school when it burst into flames in Alexandria. A firefighter who was passing by stopped to assist and the boy continued to school, unharmed. A faulty battery was confirmed as the cause of the blaze.Meanwhile, FRNSW investigators found a faulty battery had caused a major house fire in Merrylands on Tuesday, after the battery went into “thermal runway”.ShareUpdated at 02.30 CESTFirefighters responded to more than 90 fires across NSW yesterdayThe New South Wales Rural Fire Service said the responded to more than 90 fires across the state yesterday, amid warm weather and extremely windy conditions.Yesterday, the greater Sydney and Illawarra areas had a “high” fire danger rating, but this has dropped back down to “moderate” today.According to the RFS there are currently 26 grass and bushfires across the state – all under control.ShareUpdated at 02.05 CEST