Key eventsShow key events onlyPlease turn on JavaScript to use this featureWhat we learned; Monday 2 SeptemberThat’s it for today, thanks for reading. Here is a wrap of the main stories on:We will see you back here tomorrow.ShareUpdated at 10.21 CESTSydney council loses court fight over inquiry, shutdownA local council embattled by claims of widespread dysfunction has failed in a court bid to stop the NSW government appointing administrators and holding a public inquiry, AAP reports.A damning interim report found problems with Liverpool city council’s recruitment processes, procurement irregularities and allegations of a toxic work environment.Justice John Robson found the interim report had been published without procedural fairness to the council.However, he rejected claims that the NSW minister for local government Ron Hoenig or the deputy secretary of the Office of Local Government Brett Whitworth showed actual or apprehended bias in releasing the report.He dismissed the majority of the case and ordered submissions on costs.Liverpool city council can appeal against the decision.ShareUpdated at 10.14 CESTSarah Basford CanalesClosing submissions in Reynolds-Higgins defamation trial continueRachael Young SC, Brittany Higgins’ lawyer, says Linda Reynolds’ damages must be assessed by “how far her reputation has fallen” since mid-2023, not when the allegations publicly aired in February 2021.Young says the evidence shows that “harm and hurt” to Reynolds from Higgins’ social media post in July 2023 was small or nonexistent.Young quoted a British politician, who once said: “For a politician to complain about the press is like a ship’s captain complaining about the sea.”Young said damages for politicians, whose reputation is often not changed as a result of defamation trials, have historically been quite small as a result.Higgins’ defence said the hurt and damage was primarily experienced in February 2021 and not as a result of the three social media posts published by Higgins in mid-2023.ShareUpdated at 10.08 CESTSarah Basford CanalesHiggins’ lawyer continues closing submissions in Reynolds’ defamation caseBrittany Higgins’ lawyer, Rachael Young SC, is now turning to one of her client’s social media posts in 2023, accusing Linda Reynolds of attempting to “silence” sexual assault victims.Young points to Reynolds’s submission to the ACT board of inquiry in 2023, run by Walter Sofronoff.In Reynolds’ 2023 submission, she said new or expanded offences should be introduced in the ACT. Those laws should prevent people from “deliberately publicising allegations of an alleged criminal act, where that person has a reckless disregard, or is recklessly indifferent, to the risk of hindering a court, tribunal, commission, board or other entity in the exercise of its functions in a legal proceeding or an investigation by doing so”.The senator said:
We submit that individuals should be deterred from using the media and/or Parliamentary forums to advance their own interests in relation to an alleged criminal offence that ought properly be the subject of the criminal justice processes.
When shown the submission in court last month, Reynolds said it was not her intention to recommend the laws extend to sexual assault complainants.Young said Higgins’ claim on social media that Reynolds was trying to “silence” sexual assault victims through the submission was justified.ShareDamaging winds still a threat in VictoriaA severe weather warning remains in place for a huge section of Victoria, according to the latest emergency warning.Vic Emergency says damaging winds could affect people from Warrnambool, in the state’s south-west, all the way to the far east of the state, stretching to the NSW border.Severe Weather Warning for damaging windsLocations which may be affected include Warrnambool, Geelong, Melbourne, Traralgon, Bairnsdale and OrbostDamaging winds continuing through southern Victoria, expected to ease later this eveningStay informed: https://t.co/T05ONtwAm3 pic.twitter.com/NeDXM84z4G— VicEmergency (@vicemergency) September 2, 2024

ShareSarah Basford CanalesEvidence from Linda Reynolds and her partner ‘confused’ and ‘inconsistent’, court toldBrittany Higgins’ lawyer, Rachael Young SC, has argued evidence given by Linda Reynolds and her partner, Robert Reid, was “confused”, “inconsistent” and “at worst … designed to minimise their keen and partisan interest” in the 2022 ACT criminal trial against Bruce Lehrmann.Young pointed to contemporaneous notes kept by Reynolds’ psychologist, April Jones, which noted the senator was “very distracted” by the case but was “comforted” that her partner, Reid, was attending the trial.The notes read: “Rob in Canberra keeping an eye on the case”.Young said Reid’s “interest” was an “understatement”, alleging he was a keen eye for the senator in Canberra while she was on an international trip.The criminal trial against Lehrmann for the alleged rape of Higgins in Parliament House was aborted due to juror misconduct. He pleaded not guilty and has always denied the allegations. A second trial did not proceed due to prosecutors’ fears for Higgins’ mental health.ShareUpdated at 09.21 CESTSarah Basford CanalesReynolds-Higgins case continuesReynolds’ lawyer, Martin Bennett, told the court during his opening arguments that pictures and correspondence of Higgins during her time in Perth showed a “young” and “vivacious” young staffer in the two months after her alleged rape.Reynolds told the court last month she was in “no way skilled or experienced to be having those sorts of conversations”.The fact she was smiling in pictures on the campaign trail “does not diminish the fact she was suffering distress”, Young added.Young pointed to a series of text messages she said showed Higgins was struggling during her time in Perth on the campaign.In one message, Higgins wrote she was “beyond shitty” with how her boss, Reynolds, was dealing with the alleged sexual assault, adding: “I was literally assaulted in [Reynolds’] office and I collectively maybe took 4 days off/was offered jack shit in terms of help.”Young added Reynolds failed to offer a “basic human response” by following up with Higgins about her welfare following the 1 April 2019 meeting and while she was campaigning in Perth.The trial continues.ShareUpdated at 08.55 CESTSarah Basford CanalesHere’s the latest from the Reynolds-Higgins caseRachael Young SC, Brittany Higgins’ lawyer, is outlining the ways she argues Linda Reynolds “mishandled” her former staffer’s allegation of rape.Young said Reynolds’ claim she was “not a counsellor” for Higgins was strictly true. But it remained that she was her boss and that the event had happened in her ministerial office.During a meeting between the Liberal senator and Higgins on 1 April 2019, Young said Higgins was concerned about losing her job and became upset after the upcoming federal election was raised.Young said Higgins had to choose between going to Perth to help with the Liberal party’s campaign or working from home in the Gold Coast to be with family and her support network.Young said given these events – and after being told by Reynolds she should talk to somebody else – show the meeting was mishandled.ShareUpdated at 08.54 CESTLisa CoxEnvironment watchdog powers may be weakened to pass parliament, PM saysAnthony Albanese says the government is considering watering down a proposal for a new independent environment watchdog in a bid to get the legislation through parliament.The Greens and crossbench senators have called on the government not to further weaken the “already weak proposal” for a new national Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by abandoning a plan to allow the regulator to handle development proposal decisions.Such a move would mean the proposed agency would only handle law enforcement and compliance.You can read more on this story here:ShareUpdated at 08.43 CESTSarah Basford CanalesReynolds-Higgins case resumesWe’re back from the lunch break in Perth for the defamation case brought by Liberal senator Linda Reynolds against Brittany Higgins.We’re resuming with Higgins’ lawyer, Rachael Young SC, who continues to deliver her closing arguments. We’ll update you shortly.ShareThe climate crisis and weather warningsThere’s a lot of wild weather about, and as we know, that’s because of the climate crisis. Here is a piece from Saturday in which Graham Readfearn spoke to some experts about some of the “gobsmacking” weather recorded in August:ShareUpdated at 08.11 CESTEmergency fire warning near Tomago in Hunter regionThe NSW rural fire service has issued an emergency warning for a blaze near Newcastle, in the state’s Hunter region.According to the warning, issued at 3.20pm, the fire is burning near Tomago, and anybody nearby is being warned to shelter immediately as it is too late to leave.According to the warning:
A bush fire is burning in the vicinity of Old Punt Road approximately 3km south of Heatherbrae. The fire is burning in an easterly direction towards the Tomago Road. The fire has burnt through 9 hectares and is yet to be controlled. People in the vicinity of Tomago Road and Westrac Drive are advised to seek shelter now or as the fire approaches to protect yourself from the fire. It is too late to leave.
EMERGENCY WARNING: Old Punt Rd Fire, TomagoThe fire continues to burn in an easterly direction towards towards Tomago Rd. If you are in the vicinity of Tomago Road and Westrac Drive you are in danger. Seek shelter now, it is too late to leave. https://t.co/lHgDeUWNRT pic.twitter.com/OYJH3i61b7— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) September 2, 2024

ShareUpdated at 08.28 CESTSarah Basford CanalesMore from the Reynolds-Higgins caseThe eighth and final piece of evidence was evidence and contemporaneous notes from AFP deputy commissioner Leanne Close.Close attended Reynolds’ office on 4 April 2019 for a meeting about the alleged sexual assault, documenting the discussion in an official diary at the time.Close’s notes record that Reynolds told her she and Brown “became aware on Tuesday that this happened on Saturday night – on my couch there”.The notes said the minister pointed to the couch and said “we found out through a DPS report”.Close provided evidence in the trial last month, saying she was “surprised” and immediately concerned when she realised they were meeting at the location of the alleged assault.“I was thinking, we’re sitting in the middle of a potential crime scene that hasn’t been forensically examined and I also was concerned about the security implications of two people being in the senator’s office having sex on a couch,” she said at the time.On Monday, Young said Reynolds’ claims she did not about Higgins’ alleged rape prior to 1 April 2019 should be rejected.The closing arguments will resume after the break at 2.15pm Perth time.ShareSarah Basford CanalesMore on the Reynolds-Higgins caseYoung said other pieces of evidence included Reynolds’ concern for Higgins’ involvement in the incident and limited memory prior to the 1 April 2019 meeting.Young said Reynolds knew she had been offered employee assistance services, that she was seeing a doctor following the incident and that Brown had gone to the finance department for further advice on how to help Higgins.As shown in an email to the court dated 29 March 2019, Finance’s advice said going to the police should be Higgins’ choice and that she should be made aware of sexual assault and family violence help line, 1800Respect.Reynolds also told the court in August she was comforted that Higgins’ father was visiting her in Canberra shortly after.Young said Reynolds’ instructions to Brown to refer the case to the Australian Federal Police demonstrated she thought a sexual crime might have occurred.No one “reasonable” involves the federal police unless they suspect a crime has occurred, Young argued.Share