Former independent MP Zoe Daniel’s son says his family faced threatening and abusive behaviour during the 2025 election campaign, and took aim at the Goldstein MP and the Liberal party for not publicly condemning the threats.
Arkin Daniel-Reid spoke to the parliamentary inquiry into the 2025 election and said his mum “didn’t want me to speak today” but that he couldn’t “stay silent”.
Evidence given to an inquiry is bound by parliamentary privilege.
Daniel-Reid, in a statement to the committee, described being “tailgated” and “high-beamed” by a car when he was driving in a vehicle with Zoe Daniel campaign stickers. He also said their family vehicle was “doxed”.
I was driving my car dressed in Zoe campaign stickers along the Nepean highway, I was then tailgated and high beamed … I changed lanes and tried to distance myself but was met with the same driver laughing and pointing at me in my rear-view mirror as if it was normal.
After [Daniel] was followed, abused, threatened and spat on, the straw that broke the camels’ back for me was the doxing of our family car. Someone took a photo of our car inside the located electorate office car park with the numberplate left unblurred, posting it to a Facebook page. My sister is often driven to school in that car and it had become the target of some sort.
Daniel-Reed said neither the Liberal party nor Tim Wilson “condemned” the doxing of the car.
A statement from the Liberal party on behalf of Tim Wilson [said] for my mum to apologise for using this very serious issue for political gain, with no public condemnation.
Australia ordered to pay Russia for embassy takeover
Australia can reclaim a proposed Russian embassy site but will need to compensate the country for the forceful takeover, AAP reports.
The High Court ruled as valid federal laws passed to reclaim land Russia had leased to build a new embassy in Canberra on national security grounds.
But the Commonwealth was liable to pay a reasonable amount of compensation for the acquisition under the constitution, it said in its judgment on Wednesday.
The Commonwealth will need to pay half of Russia’s cost for the case.
In 2023, Australia quickly passed laws to cancel Russia’s lease on a plot of land where it planned to build an embassy a few hundred metres from Parliament House.
Russia rejected the cancellation of the 99-year lease, which was granted by the Australian government in 2008, as hostile action amounting to “Russophobic hysteria”.
Minns: staff may not have known about neo-Nazi rally ‘because it was on the weekend’
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, says staff in his office may not have known in advance about Saturday’s neo-Nazi rally outside parliament “because it was on the weekend”.
The NSW Speaker, Greg Piper, has revealed his staff were told about the rally by parliamentary security. NSW police deputy commissioner, Peter Thurtell, has apologised after admitting he knew in advance about the event, which was approved by local police command, and the Sydney Morning Herald has revealed intelligence officers also knew.
The premier, the NSW police minister, Yasmin Catley, and the NSW police commissioner, Mal Lanyon, have all said they did not find out about the rally until after it happened.
Asked today why his staff were not notified by parliamentary security, whose procedure is reportedly to warn all MPs about protests outside parliament, Minns said:
If I were to speculate, I would suggest it was because it was on the weekend. The truth of the matter is, people work on the weekend and people come into the office on the weekend. So a glaring oversight. It’s a reason, not an excuse, and one that we need to fix as soon as possible.
On Monday, Minns told reporters a review into the rally would look into communication between police and the premier’s office, saying he didn’t know if an “errant email” may have referenced the rally before it happened.
Children could face life sentences for serious offences under Victorian government ‘adult time’ plan
Children as young as 14 who commit “serious crimes” will be sentenced as adults under a Victorian government plan to combat youth crime, AAP reports.
The state government said on Wednesday that it will adopt an “adult time for violent crime” laws similar to those in Queensland, which implemented the tough approach in 2024.
Children as young as 14 could be tried in adult courts, and possibly face life sentences under the proposed changes to be announced by the premier on Wednesday.
“We’re introducing Adult Time for Violent Crime,” the Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, announced in a social media post.
Read more here:
Former independent MP Zoe Daniel’s son says his family faced threatening and abusive behaviour during the 2025 election campaign, and took aim at the Goldstein MP and the Liberal party for not publicly condemning the threats.
Arkin Daniel-Reid spoke to the parliamentary inquiry into the 2025 election and said his mum “didn’t want me to speak today” but that he couldn’t “stay silent”.
Evidence given to an inquiry is bound by parliamentary privilege.
Daniel-Reid, in a statement to the committee, described being “tailgated” and “high-beamed” by a car when he was driving in a vehicle with Zoe Daniel campaign stickers. He also said their family vehicle was “doxed”.
I was driving my car dressed in Zoe campaign stickers along the Nepean highway, I was then tailgated and high beamed … I changed lanes and tried to distance myself but was met with the same driver laughing and pointing at me in my rear-view mirror as if it was normal.
After [Daniel] was followed, abused, threatened and spat on, the straw that broke the camels’ back for me was the doxing of our family car. Someone took a photo of our car inside the located electorate office car park with the numberplate left unblurred, posting it to a Facebook page. My sister is often driven to school in that car and it had become the target of some sort.
Daniel-Reed said neither the Liberal party nor Tim Wilson “condemned” the doxing of the car.
A statement from the Liberal party on behalf of Tim Wilson [said] for my mum to apologise for using this very serious issue for political gain, with no public condemnation.
Minns government passes planning laws overhauling approvals amid environmental concerns
The NSW government has passed its landmark overhaul of planning laws, amid concerns the laws will apply to mining and power projects.
The bill, which passed the upper house yesterday, includes an overhaul of the Environmental Planning and Assessment (EPA) Act, and establishes a Development Coordination Authority, which the government has described as “a single front door” for advice on major developments across government agencies.
But the legislation, which will amend the EPA to include “housing delivery, climate resilience and proportionality” in its objects and remove regional planning panels, has drawn the concern of climate advocates and a failed amendment by the Greens, amid fears it could allow new mines to be fast-tracked.
As Guardian Australia NSW state correspondent Anne Davies has reported, Minns told a mining summit last month the laws would make a “huge difference” when it came to mineral exploration, although he told Guardian Australia new projects would still be subject to full environmental assessment under the changes.
In a statement today, Minns said:
The Bill’s passage represents a major step forward for NSW housing and planning reform.
For too long, NSW has been held back by a system that was slow, complex and out of step with the necessity to deliver more homes for those who need them.
A Qantas flight from Adelaide to Canberra diverted back to its departure point this morning after pilots reported a technical issue onboard and crew saw smoke in the flight deck. The airline said in a statement the plane landed safely shortly after takeoff, and engineers would be checking the aircraft later today.
“Our pilots are highly trained to handle situations like this and the aircraft landed safely after the appropriate procedures were conducted,” a Qantas spokesperson said in a statement.
Leah Blyth, a senator for South Australia, was on board the plane en route to Canberra for the Coalition’s net zero policy meeting. She spoke about the experience to FiveAA this morning:
Look, it wasn’t scary, it was unusual. Obviously we fly a fair bit … but I’ve never had a cabin sort of fill with smoke quite like that before. So that was certainly unusual.
MP Tony Pasin and senator Andrew McLachlan were also on the flight.
Blyth described the smoke as smelling “electrical”, but praised the airline’s staff for their handling of the incident:
Hats off to Qantas staff who were calm, cool and collected and they got us safely back on the ground with no incident.
It’s never nice being up in the air and smelling, sensing smoke.
All passengers are on a new aircraft that departed about half an hour ago.
NSW confirms state funeral for John Laws next week
The family of broadcaster John Laws has accepted an offer for a state funeral in New South Wales, the premier said this morning. Laws, a titan of talkback radio, died at home on Sunday. He was 90.
The funeral will be held on 19 November at St Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney.
Premier Chris Minns said in a statement:
On behalf of the NSW Government, I extend my deepest condolences to John’s family, friends, colleagues, and all who listened, learned and were challenged by him.
His legacy lies not only in the thousands of hours on air, but in the connection he forged with millions of Australians.
Climate 200 relaunches fund for community groups supporting independent candidates
Ahead of today’s meeting of Liberal MPs on the hot-button issue of net zero by 2050 emissions policies, campaign outfit Climate 200 has relaunched its fund for community groups looking to support climate-friendly independent candidates.
The Community Accelerator Fund is designed to raise and distribute more than $1m for community groups working ahead of the next federal election. Groups who did well at this year’s federal election but fell short against major party candidates, could again receive early-stage funding from Climate 200.
Climate 200’s post-election review found early funding was critical to success for local groups around the country, and that the sooner groups got to work, the more likely they would be successful. The moves come as some Liberal branches undertake early preselection and after the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, told Labor officials to move quickly to lock in candidates, giving them the best chance to build name recognition in key seats.
Climate 200’s money can go to recruitment of community organisers, placement of candidate recruitment ads, local events, volunteer training, and communications campaigns.
“As the Liberal party tears itself apart over net zero, community groups are getting on with the job of real leadership, working to get the political leaders they deserve,” co-convener Kate Hook said.
Removing CO2 from atmosphere vital to avoid catastrophic tipping points, leading scientist says
Removing carbon from the atmosphere will be necessary to avoid catastrophic tipping points, one of the world’s leading scientists has warned, as even in the best-case scenario the world will heat by about 1.7C.
Johan Rockström of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, who is one of the chief scientific advisers to the UN and the Cop30 presidency, said 10bn tonnes of carbon dioxide needed to be removed from the air every year even to limit global heating to 1.7C (3.1F) above preindustrial levels.
To achieve this through technological means, such as direct air capture, would require the construction of the world’s second-biggest industry, after oil and gas, and require expenditures of about a trillion dollars a year, scientists said. It would need to be done alongside much more drastic emissions cuts and could also have unintended consequences.
Rockström was among several leading climate experts who spoke at a first public event for the Science Council, which was set up as an advisory body by the Belém Cop30 presidency.
Read more here:
Tim Wilson warns Liberals of becoming ‘Nationals-lite’
Shadow minister Tim Wilson says his party would be “Nationals-lite” if they dumped or watered down their emissions reduction targets, ahead of the crucial party room meeting today.
Liberals will meet in Canberra at midday to discuss the net zero target. The meeting is expected to run for some time. We’re hearing comments from Liberal MPs arriving in Canberra, and Wilson wrote on X that: “Today is going to be a great day.”
“Liberals face a choice,” he continued.
“We can be Nationals-lite & outsource our emissions policy to globalists. Or we can lead, choose hope, a sovereign target, build energy, reindustrialise Australia & back small business!”
Wilson finished his post with a cheeky sign-off: “Welcome to Liberal country.”
Leah Blyth, a Liberal senator for South Australia, said predictions for how the Coalition moves forward on net zero remains the “million-dollar question” as members descend on Canberra today.
Blyth spoke to RN Breakfast, saying while she personally doesn’t believe net zero is “working for the Australian people”, she was looking forward to the broader opposition discussing if they should abandon the policy. She said:
It will certainly be a very good process for us to have a genuine debate and come up with a position that’s in the best interests of the Australian people. …
I think all of my colleagues are absolutely in favour of us doing our bit and to certainly have the minimal impact that we can on our natural environment. … I think the really important thing is everyone in the Coalition is committed to doing what’s right for our economy, for the environment and for the Australian people.
Blyth said her major hurdle with net zero remained the price tag:
I don’t think that we can be stewards of the environment if we can’t afford it.
Ken Henry says he hopes Coalition reflects on what they owe to future Australians during net zero debate
Ken Henry, the former federal Treasury secretary and now chair of the Nature Finance Council, said this morning he hopes members of the Coalition debating the opposition’s stance on net zero have a moment to “pause and reflect” on how they serve Australians.
Henry spoke to RN Breakfast this morning as MPs are set to meet in Canberra today to discuss the policy, a major thorn for opposition leader Sussan Ley and her hold over the Coalition.
Henry said:
If 25 years ago somebody had told me that this would be happening right now, in November 2025, I would have just simply laughed at them. I would hope that the people who are involved in the debates in the Coalition at the moment at some stage this week take the opportunity to pause and reflect and ask themselves what their role is.
And I would hope that in contemplating that reason, they understand the awesome responsibility that they owe to future generations of Australians.
He went on:
That their job is not all about worrying about the cost of living in the present, but that they do whatever they can in a functioning democracy to ensure that future generations of Australians enjoy even more opportunity than has been available to us.
And there’s no way they’re going to be able to argue that they’re looking after future generations whilst they continue to avoid achieving net zero in a timely fashion.
Staff at a childcare centre in the Northern Territory have been charged over the death of a toddler in 2023.
The NT education department said last night two charges had been laid against the Humpty Doo Community & Child Care Centre near Darwin and the three nominated supervisors who were on staff when Ebony Thompson died.
They included one count of inadequately supervising children and one count related to the protection of children from harm and hazards. Both charges were under the Education and Care Services National Law.
The infant was just 22 months old when she was found unresponsive at the childcare centre on 31 August 2023 after being unaccounted for during a period of around 10 minutes. She died in intensive care days later of a brain injury due to cardiac arrest.
A coroner’s findings, released in late October, determined Ebony was trying to get over a chicken-coop gate by standing on a tricycle and fell prior to her death.
Good morning, and happy Wednesday. Nick Visser here to take things over. Let’s get to it.
Homelessness advocate welcomes expansion of NSW crisis accommodation
A Salvation Army leader working first-hand with homelessness has said the NSW government’s crisis accommodation announcement responds to a system “under enormous strain”, with one in two people urgently seeking safe shelter currently being turned away.
The divisional commander of New South Wales/ACT Salvation Army, Major Robyn Black, said the charity is seeing people experiencing homelessness that they’ve “never seen before”.
“People who used to be volunteers at the Salvos are now finding themselves homeless, and people who are the working poor, people who still have a job and cannot afford rent in Sydney. We have the working homeless,” Black told Guardian Australia.
Black described the $130m funding and additional 200 crisis accommodation beds, announced by the NSW government today, as “a tangible and compassionate” response to homelessness.
“I think this is a fantastic step in the right direction. There are other factors at play [like] family and domestic violence, there’s a severe rental affordability crisis, there’s the increased cost of living. But at least this gives a chance of people having a roof over their head.”
The NSW government has today announced a $130m investment to add at least 200 crisis accommodation beds across the state for those in critical need of safe shelter.
Crisis accommodation will be expanded and upgraded to increase capacity and better support people experiencing homelessness, including domestic and family violence victims, young people and Aboriginal communities. The first of the 200 additional beds are expected to be available from next year.
The plan comes as homelessness has continued to rise each year under the Minns government, with a 35% increase in people sleeping rough in the state since 2023, according to the past three NSW Street Counts.
The minister for housing and homelessness, Rose Jackson, said the plan was “about making sure that when someone reaches out for help, there’s a door open, a bed ready, and the support they need to get back on their feet”.
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, said: “Whether it’s a mum and her kids escaping domestic violence, or a young person facing a night on the streets, this plan will deliver more safe and secure beds. Every new bed means one fewer person sleeping rough.”
Australia’s big four banks have provided $43bn to fossil fuel companies in the last decade, with ANZ and Westpac continuing to fund further gas expansion.
Expansions of coal, oil and gas projects accounted for $30bn of the funding, according to analysis by green advocacy group Market Forces released nearly 10 years on from the Paris agreement’s signing.
Each bank has endorsed the agreement and CBA has reduced its fossil fuel financing since changing its policies in 2024, with NAB indicating it will do the same, Market Forces’ report found.
ANZ has provided the most fossil fuel funding of the big four, accounting for over $10bn from 2016 to 2021 and a further $5.7bn since 2022. Westpac has become the second largest, lending $3.8bn since 2022 to companies such as Woodside and BP.
The report concluded the two banks’ policies were “little more than window dressing and greenwashing”. The big four would be breaking their own promises if they offered further financing to any of the 23 active customers with “egregious” fossil fuel expansion plans incompatible with the Paris agreement, it found.
Kyle Robertson, head of research at Market Forces, said ANZ and Westpac could still stop enabling the industry:
“Australia’s biggest banks have well and truly given their fossil fuel clients long enough to prepare. If they’re still not transitioning, it’s time to turn the money tap off once and for all.”
An ANZ spokesperson said the bank was a significant lender for the energy sector and aimed to move towards a lending portfolio accounting for net zero emissions in line with the Paris agreement. Westpac was contacted for comment.
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the best overnight stories and then Nick Visser will take up the slack.
Australia’s big four banks have provided $43bn to fossil fuel companies in the last decade, with ANZ and Westpac continuing to fund further gas expansion. A study by the green advocacy group Market Forces showed the expansion of coal, oil and gas projects accounted for $30bn of the funding. More details in a moment.
The NSW government is going spend $130m to add at least 200 crisis accommodation beds across the state for those in critical need of safe shelter. The Salvation Army said the move was a response to a system “under enormous strain”. More details coming up.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: theguardian.com
