Cricketer Usman Khawaja will get assembly with PM on Gaza
Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja has met with the prime minister, after he advised the media that assembly had been cancelled.
Khawaja had arrange the assembly, forward of two roundtables one playing adverts and the opposite on Gaza.
This morning, he was advised the assembly could be cancelled, which he stated was “disappointing” however that he has numerous “love and respect” for Anthony Albanese.
Effectively, one thing modified – as a result of we’ve now been advised that the assembly did go forward. We’ll chase extra particulars on how that dialog went down.
Key occasions
The federal government’s laws to enshrine penalty charge entitlements into regulation has handed parliament.
You possibly can learn extra in regards to the objective of the invoice right here:
The Coalition was crucial of the laws, saying that while they’re supportive of penalty charges, the federal government hadn’t launched impression assertion on the have an effect on of the laws on small companies.
Shadow small enterprise minister Tim Wilson said this morning that there was nonetheless confusion over whether or not the laws would impression present awards.
Penry Buckley
NSW transport minister challenged on toll income from sinkhole-plagued street
Returning to NSW funds estimates, transport minister John Graham has been requested why the monetary forecasts on this yr’s state funds embrace toll income from the troubled M6 motorway venture.
As Guardian Australia has reported, the opening of the “unbuildable” motorway in Sydney’s south has been pushed again from 2025 till at the very least late 2028, following geological points together with a 245-metre part tormented by sinkholes.
NSW Liberals deputy chief Natalie Ward asks: “What number of automobiles are going by means of the M6 … to generate these tolls?”
Graham says: “That’s why there’s zero income assumed for the present monetary yr.”
The transport minister says the federal government’s expectation on the time of the funds in June was that the primary stage of the motorway could be producing income from customers within the “outer years” of the forecast, which extends to 2028-29.
‘Unusual’ to see ‘kickback’ about Marles’s US journey, Jim Chalmers says
Tom McIlroy
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has talked down any distinction in statements between Washington and Canberra over Richard Marles’s go to to the White Home this week.
American officers have this morning denied the defence minister had a proper assembly together with his US counterpart, Pete Hegseth, throughout a last-minute journey, casting doubt on the federal authorities’s account of the go to.
Marles is again in Canberra on Thursday and will face questions in regards to the journey in query time this afternoon.
Chalmers stated the journey was priceless no matter whether or not Marles met Hegseth.
The deputy prime minister of Australia met with the vp of the US and Secretary Rubio has quite a lot of roles. Essential roles.
I haven’t had a debrief from Richard on the discussions he had with the protection secretary as nicely, however by any goal measure going to the US and assembly with folks of that seniority within the administration, when we have now so many points at play … I discover it fairly unusual fairly frankly to see a few of this kickback in regards to the journey.
Sarah Basford Canales
Human Rights Regulation Centre says ATO whistleblower avoiding jail time a ‘small ray of sunshine’
The information that Richard Boyle will keep away from jail time is a “small ray of sunshine” on the finish of a “sorry saga”, the Human Rights Regulation Centre has stated.
HRLC affiliate authorized director, Kieran Pender, stated the courtroom’s ruling at the moment was a wake-up name for the Albanese authorities to do extra to guard whistleblowers.
Pender stated:
At this time concludes a sorry saga that has been devastating for Richard Boyle and undermined Australian democracy. Whereas the no-conviction sentence is a small ray of sunshine, this by no means ought to have occurred. Richard Boyle made the courageous determination to talk up when he witnessed wrongdoing, for years he has confronted prosecution and punishment.
The Albanese authorities should not stand idly by as whistleblowers are punished, they have to act with pressing regulation reform and the institution of a whistleblower safety authority, to make sure prosecutions like this by no means occur once more.
Penry Buckley
NSW transport minister: ‘extremely seemingly’ work has been redone on delayed metro extension
The NSW transport minister, John Graham, is showing earlier than funds estimates at the moment, the place the opposition has sought to pin him down on the opening dates of additives to Sydney’s high-speed metro community.
Extensions to the present metropolis line, through Sydenham to Bankstown within the internal west, in addition to a line connecting the new Western Sydney airport to the town’s rail community, have been pushed again by delays, together with industrial disputes with the rail unions resolved earlier this year.
Graham says it’s “extremely seemingly” that development work to transform stations and platforms on the Bankstown extension, initially promised to open late this yr, has needed to be redone, contributing to delays. He has not dedicated to a extra exact completion date for the multibillion greenback venture than a while in 2026.
“It’s not that the federal government is hiding info. We’re clear that it’s going to open in 2026, that’s the very best info we’ve acquired for the time being and as we transfer to the high-speed testing, we shall be actually clear with these communities.”
He additionally wouldn’t decide to a begin date for the airport line, initially deliberate to open alongside the brand new terminal in 2026, however which has been delayed by as much as a yr, partially due to a dispute with the personal consortium constructing the road.
Bob Katter responds to journalist who mentions Lebanese heritage
Andrew Messenger
Bob Katter has advised a journalist “I punch blokes within the mouth for saying that” throughout a press convention the place he threw his assist behind the anti-immigration, so-called “March for Australia” rallies deliberate for 31 August.
The unbiased MP for Kennedy had simply advised a journalist at a press convention in Brisbane he wished to deport individuals who had attended a pro-Palestine rally.
“You’ve acquired Lebanese heritage your self … ” a channel 9 reporter, Josh Bavas, then requested, earlier than Katter lower him off.
“I punch blokes within the mouth for saying that, don’t you dare say that,” Katter stated, in a loud voice.
My household have been on this nation for 140 years …
I’ve, on many events, punched blokes within the mouth, proper? So I’m restraining myself at the moment. Don’t say it!
He then refused to take any extra questions from Bavas.
Chalmers ‘grateful’ for Usman Khawaja assembly about Gaza
Jim Chalmers joined the PM in assembly with Usman Khawaja at the moment, and says he was grateful to Albanese for making time for Khawaja, and grateful for the Australian cricketer coming to Parliament Home.
Khawaja is in Parliament Home targeted on two key points at the moment: tackling playing promoting and advocating for stronger motion in opposition to Israel and growing humanitarian assist for Gaza.
Chalmers stated that they had a superb dialogue, and clarified that the assembly was about Gaza. He calls Khawaja a buddy and a “great humanitarian”.
We’ve got numerous respect [for Khawaja], and we listened to him on the problems, as you’d anticipate … he’s a pacesetter of actual substance, not simply the chief of within the religion group, however a pacesetter extra broadly. And so I take his contribution very critically. I’m grateful … that he’s made the time to come back and speak with us immediately about these points.
I did see that there was some protection about whether or not that assembly would go forward, and I’m happy to have performed a job in ensuring that it did.
Commerce minister ‘dissatisfied’ US elevating import tariffs on submit
Leaping again to that press convention with Jim Chalmers, Don Farrell and Tim Ayres, Farrell says he was “dissatisfied” by the US elevating tariffs on submit being despatched to the US, and has raised the problem with the administration.
The brand new tariffs, introduced earlier this week, have forced Australia Post to temporarily suspend sending most parcels over the to the US.
Farrell says he raised the problem with the final counsel of the US Commerce earlier this week
[I expressed] our disappointment in regards to the utility of those tariffs on small companies in Australia, about 3,000 of them. They’re usually mum and pop operations which have had it profitable product going into the US …
We’ve got stated to the Individuals, firstly, we don’t agree with what you’ve carried out, however should you’re going to do it, and also you’ve acquired to do it in a manner that folks can adjust to these, these, these operators got lower than a month to make adjustments to get their product into the US. And I’m hopeful that there’s results of our representations.
ATO whistleblower Richard Boyle avoids jail
Sarah Basford Canales
Richard Boyle has averted jail time for blowing the whistle on unethical debt restoration practices on the Australian Taxation Workplace.
The previous tax workplace worker obtained a 12-month good behaviour bond on Thursday morning, avoiding a conviction after admitting to four criminal charges linked to his 2017 publicity of the ATO’s practices in Might.
In Might, Boyle pleaded responsible to disclosing protected info to a different entity, making a document of protected info, utilizing a listening machine to document a non-public dialog and recording different folks’s tax file numbers.
The commonwealth director of public prosecutions withdrew 15 prices, whereas 5 others have been dropped in March.
Final yr, South Australia’s courtroom of attraction dominated that Boyle was not protected by federal whistleblowing legal guidelines – as a result of the fees associated to not his whistleblowing however to steps Boyle had taken whereas getting ready to blow the whistle internally, together with taking pictures of paperwork and recording conversations.
– with AAP
Cricketer Usman Khawaja will get assembly with PM on Gaza
Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja has met with the prime minister, after he advised the media that assembly had been cancelled.
Khawaja had arrange the assembly, forward of two roundtables one playing adverts and the opposite on Gaza.
This morning, he was advised the assembly could be cancelled, which he stated was “disappointing” however that he has numerous “love and respect” for Anthony Albanese.
Effectively, one thing modified – as a result of we’ve now been advised that the assembly did go forward. We’ll chase extra particulars on how that dialog went down.
Luca Ittimani
Qantas’ share value jumps to document excessive as revenue soars
Qantas has achieved a document market worth of $18bn after revealing a giant increase to its revenue margin by holding ticket costs regular in 2024-25 whereas having fun with decrease gas prices.
Early buying and selling after the corporate handed down its annual earnings outcomes noticed Qantas’ share value leap 10% to a document excessive. It was value simply half as a lot a yr in the past.
Outcomes launched on Thursday confirmed the group’s working margin picked up over the yr from 10.4% to 11.1%. Jetstar grew its margin for the third yr in a row, to 13.7% and as excessive as 16% for home flights.
Throughout the group, ticketed passenger income and ticket gross sales each rose by about 7%, reaching practically $17bn from 56m tickets, so unit income held regular.
Prices fell for the second yr in a row as gas costs slipped, which means air fares surged relative to the value of jet gas, confirming analysis from the competition watchdog earlier in August.
All these income will imply shareholders obtain $400m in dividends on high of the $400m payout awarded in February, which was the corporate’s first dividend fee since 2019. A share buy-back meant earnings per share is on the highest because the pandemic started.
Qantas has forecast robust journey demand for the remainder of 2025, additional lifting income from passengers, and an additional $50m elevate in earnings from its frequent flyer program.
