Thanks for staying with our live coverage today. Here were Thursday’s top stories:
Parliament’s sitting fortnight is now over but Senate estimates continues and there’ll be plenty more news to keep across tomorrow. See you then.
Unions NSW welcomes medicinal cannabis changes
Unions NSW has endorsed a long awaited reform proposed by the Minns government to allow motorists who use medicinal cannabis to drive on New South Wales roads without fear of a severe penalty.
The government announced on Thursday it would introduce legislation which would provide drivers with a medicinal cannabis prescription a medical defence if they are caught with a limited amount of the THC component of cannabis in their system.
Unions NSW secretary, Mark Morey, said:
For too long, working people have lived with the fear that a single roadside test could end their career over a legal medication.
That fear has kept people off treatment they need. It has cost some of them their jobs and their licences for no good reason.
A cleaner who drives between sites, a hospital worker on shifts, a delivery driver, these are all people doing the right thing by following their doctor’s advice. Until now, the law has treated them like potential criminals for it.
If a driver is not impaired, there is no reason to drag them through proceedings that could stop them paying their mortgage. We don’t do this to people taking any other prescription.
Israeli influencer denies recording nurses with aim to get them fired
More on the case against two Australian nurses accused of making antisemitic comments to an Israeli influencer.
On Monday, the influencer, Max Ilinsky, appeared before the Downing Centre district court and was cross-examined by the nurses’ lawyers over allegations he recorded the video illegally.
Ilinsky told the court while under questioning from Greg James KC that he questions “Israeli haters” on Chatruletka about their opinions, and that he records the videos for his “protection”. He said he doesn’t always upload the videos to social media.
Asked by James if he was aware that recording someone without their knowledge was illegal in Australia, Ilinsky said “I’m not a lawyer so I don’t know the law”. He said he had researched the legality of recording videos before and came across different opinions.
Ilinsky told the court he recorded the videos to “warn out people” and that up to five people across the world had been fired after their opinions were aired via his videos. The court heard that he had faked his location via a VPN so that it showed him as being in Canada, not Israel.
He denied that his intention in recording the videos was to get people fired.
My intention was to get it to the authorities so they could review it and decide.
Case against two Australian nurses accused of antisemitic comments could collapse
The case against two Australian nurses accused of making antisemitic comments to an Israeli influencer might collapse if video footage is struck out of court, AAP reports.
Ahmad Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh are accused of being menacing and offensive when they allegedly said they would refuse to treat Israeli patients and threatened violence towards them.
The pair are due to face a trial at the end of August, but the key piece of prosecution evidence might yet be excluded if it is ruled to have been obtained illegally.
Israeli national Max Ilinsky, popularly known as Max Veifer, recorded video of his conversation with the nurses on the platform ChatRoulette in 2025.
The platform, known as Chatruletka in Israel, randomly matches people from across the world to facilitate conversations.
Lawyers for Nadir and Abu Lebdeh argued in Sydney’s Downing Centre district court on Thursday the video showing the exchange was recorded illegally and should not be used as evidence.
Even though Veifer recorded the conversation from his home in Israel, the voices of the nurses being recorded without their consent at Bankstown hospital in south-western Sydney was an illegal invasion of their privacy, Nadir’s barrister said.
“This man [Veifer] is running his own private … vigilante activity,” Greg James KC said.
He doesn’t care what legal regime may prevail to obtain the recordings.
Crown prosecutor Justin Hannebery KC argued in court the online chat did not have the same expectations of privacy because of the random nature of the connection between the nurses and Veifer.
“Not all private conversations are created equal,” Hannebery said.
It isn’t exactly (a chat) with a close personal friend where that expectation might be regarded as absolutely heightened.
Judge Michael McHugh is set to hand down his decision on whether the video can be used as evidence on 23 June.
Greens may not decide whether to back Labor’s taxes until inquiry is over, says McKim
Nick McKim, the Greens’ treasury spokesperson, says the party may be weeks from deciding on whether to pass Labor’s tax reforms.
The reforms have passed the house and will go to a Senate review. McKim has told the ABC:
Well, we are always happy to talk to anyone who wants to make a fairer tax system in Australia … But in terms of any discussions with the Coalition or with Labor or with other crossbenchers, we are happy to talk to anyone who wants fairer tax system.
McKim said the Greens were still yet to take a position on the tax legislation but would “factor in” a view on whether Labor’s changes were a “step in the right direction”.
He suggested they may not reach a view until the end of the inquiry.
Once the inquiry is over we will have more to say about our position, substantively and on amendments.
Asked specifically if the Greens wanted to pass the laws by the mid-winter break, McKim said:
Well, if we do decide to support this legislation, that is one of the things that we’ll be considering. So I’m sorry, it’s pretty boring, but I’m not going to rule it in or rule it out at this stage …
We’re not saying we won’t pass it in the upcoming two weeks.
What about the Liberal offer of a deal on the NDIS?
McKim:
The Liberals have effectively said that they would be open to a longer inquiry on the National Disability Insurance Scheme cuts if they get a longer inquiry into the tax package … of course we’re thinking about that.
Husic skewers Labor’s ‘disingenuous’ sell for new Aukus deal
Ed Husic says his Labor colleagues have been “disingenuous” in claiming Australia is better off under the revised Aukus submarine plan.
Australia is now set to get three secondhand US Virginia class submarines as it awaits the nuclear-powered successors. Previously, Australia was going to get two second-hand Virginias and one new one. Husic asked about the deal in a Labor caucus meeting.
Husic has told the ABC:
The reason I spoke up is I feel really strongly when countries don’t do the right thing by us … This deal was changed and we were supposed to get two subs and a new sub. We now have got three [old] subs. And it looks like our US friends have asked us to take the sub-optimal option …
We are being told that this is now a better deal and it is more efficient and it’s more cost-effective, but you can’t retrofit reasons to something that wasn’t explained that way in the first place. I would say that’s disingenuous. … If this was a better option then why wasn’t it the first option?
Husic referred to Malcolm Turnbull’s arguments that the secondhand subs will have a shorter lifespan and that the US and UK parliaments are more open to scrutinising the deal than Australia’s has been.
Ed Husic has said the backlash to his criticism of the Aukus agreement is unhealthy for Labor and designed to suppress dissent.
Labor frontbencher Mark Butler said Husic’s comments were just those of one backbencher. Pat Conroy said the comments were disingenuous.
Husic has just told the ABC:
There were a lot of others that phoned me or spoke to me after the meeting, welcoming the comments as well. I’m really concerned about the culture that exists at the moment in the party that you’ve seen. Like, I asked one question in one caucus meeting and I’ve had all these ministers lined up this week to respond to the things I’ve said, and it’s designed to sort of put a heavy blanket, heavy layer, to stop people from doing exactly what I’ve done . … It’s right for me to be able to ask questions and not necessarily have the pile-on that we did.
Husic said the party reaction to his comments would discourage other MPs from speaking up on issues.
I think the sort of emphasis on rigidity and the emphasis on compliance is not healthy for the party.
And quite frankly, if I may say, I don’t even think Anthony [Albanese] would have tolerated this when he wasn’t leader. You know, he often spoke up on things that he cared about, and good on him, when it was big enough for those calls to be made.
RBA governor says Australia is not suffering stagflation
The term “stagflation” has been getting a good run of late, as the global oil crisis delivers the twin blow of higher inflation and weaker growth.
But Michele Bullock, the RBA’s governor, does not believe it’s the right description of what is going on.
She was asked in estimates whether there was at least a “pulse” of stagflation, a phenomenon that became famous during the oil shock of the 1970s when unemployment and consumer price growth were both in double digits.
“No, I wouldn’t even use the term stagflation in the current circumstance,” she said.
I think we are in a supply shock and stagflation is about … a prolonged period of high inflation and very poor growth and poor employment outcomes. We’re not in that situation.
That’s a little more optimistic than Bullock’s deputy sounded back in April:
The Australian National University council approved its controversial $250m cost-cutting program without clear evidence it was needed or urgent, ignored key factors and failed to consider other options, says the national auditing office, in a scathing review of the university’s financial management.
The review found the Renew program, which led to the resignation of the then vice-chancellor Genevieve Bell, cost more than $35m to implement and achieved an ongoing annual saving of $74.8m, and warned revenue and people risks remain.
The report says that while there are long-term sustainability issues around ANU’s finances, including an overreliance on international students for income, there was no immediate financial crisis at the time that Bell announced the program in 2024.
While the draft report raises questions about the long-term sustainability of ANU’s financial situation, it includes the assessment that the university was not in immediate financial crisis at the time Bell announced the cost-cutting program, dubbed Renew ANU, in 2024.
The independent senator for the ACT, David Pocock, called the report a tough read, and said it justifies the community’s outrage at the “manufactured financial crisis”.
The ANAO’s report highlights a swathe of failings, finding that Renew ANU was approved without a clear understanding of the problem, the options available, or the implementation risks.
Zara, H&M and Sephora pay $596,000 for late financial reports
Three major fashion and beauty retailers have paid a combined $596,000 after allegedly failing to lodge their financial reports when they were due, the corporate regulator says.
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission said it sent them infringement notices, resulting in the payments, which Asic said were not an admission of guilt.
Zara’s parent company, Inditex Australia Pty Ltd, paid $198,000 for failing to lodge its report for the financial year ending 31 January 2025.
H&M, or Hennes & Mauritz Pty Ltd, paid an infringement notice of $198,000 for failing to lodge its report for the financial year ending 30 November 2025.
Sephora Australia Pty Ltd paid an infringement notice of $198,000 for failing to lodge its report for the financial year ending 31 December 2024.
Asic said all three companies had now lodged their outstanding financial reports.
The regulator announced its focus on late lodgement and non-lodgement of financial reports in August 2025 and has since issued 24 infringement notices totalling over $4.5m for alleged financial reporting breaches.
Jane Hume has dismissed as “nonsense” suggestions the Liberals could partner with One Nation to take on Labor.
Hume, the deputy Liberal leader, has told the ABC:
It’s nonsense. The Coalition has been in place for 80 years now and has served Australians well for generations … We are not One Nation. We will never be One Nation.
That last line (perhaps unintentionally) echoes comments from Labor’s Clare O’Neil earlier today.
Hume also claimed Bridget McKenzie’s now-infamous invitation to Pauline Hanson to join her in campaigning against Labor in Queensland had been misinterpreted.
Asked about her views on recommending voters preference One Nation, Hume said it depended on the candidates in competition.
My instinct is always to preference last the party or person that would do the most damage to the country … If there is a particular candidate that we feel is a danger, a problem, we would preference them last …
It depends on the particular candidate in the particular seat. But, you know, it might be that the Socialist party is worse, it might be that the Greens are worst, it might be that Labor’s candidate is the worst for the country. And we should make a decision based on which is the best candidate and which is the worst candidate.
Hume says Greens and Coalition both interested in NDIS and tax inquiries
Jane Hume, the deputy Liberal leader, hasn’t ruled out the chance the Coalition could work with the Greens to apply more parliamentary scrutiny to Labor’s tax reforms.
The Australian Financial Review has reported the Greens are open to a deal if the inquiry into the national disability insurance scheme gets extra time.
Asked if the Liberals and Greens would do a deal to extend the tax reform inquiry in exchange for a longer NDIS inquiry, Hume told the ABC:
We have said from day one we think these taxes should have appropriate scrutiny … I also believe that there should be an NDIS inquiry … Both the Greens and the Coalition can see benefit in not just an NDIS inquiry but through proper scrutiny of these tax changes.
Zookeepers hunting for a Tasmanian devil which escaped from a Gold Coast theme park – and has spent several nights on the lam – have reported “credible sightings” of the elusive carnivorous marsupial overnight.
The devil, called Mary, did a Houdini from Paradise Country in the dark early hours of Tuesday morning. Zookeepers suspect an “abnormally large leap” saw Mary clear the fence of a quarantine area. A dozen of the park’s wildlife team have been scouring the grounds since – alongside a drone operator with thermal imaging capabilities.
On Thursday morning, a spokesperson said “some credible sightings [came] through overnight” from the neighbouring Kopps Road area.
“So [we] will focus our efforts on this location again tonight when she is likely to be active again,” the spokesperson said.
Budget has not added to inflationary pressures, RBA says
Michele Bullock, the RBA governor, says the May budget has not changed the central bank’s estimates around total government spending, suggesting it has not made its inflation-fighting job more difficult.
“What matters for inflation is demand relative to supply, and fiscal public demand adds to aggregate demand,” Bullock said at estimates, when asked about the impact of measures such as the fuel excise cut.
Our assessment is that … relative to our forecast in May, this budget is not adding anything further to public demand than it was adding in our former forecasts.
Sarah Hunter, the RBA’s chief economist, added that spending by the states is “actually very important in all of this”.
Thanks Krishani Dhanji and hello readers. Stay with us for the rest of today’s breaking news.
Thank you so much for joining me on the blog this sitting fortnight!
I’ll leave you with the wonderful Luca Ittimani for the rest of the day’s news, take care.
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The prime minister labelled Tony Abbott a resurrected dinosaur while rebuking criticisms from the opposition on its tax changes.
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Having just passed the House of Representatives, the opposition used most of its questions to focus on the capital gains tax reforms and housing.
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Clare O’Neil told the opposition they can’t “out One Nation, One Nation” as the Coalition tested the government on the 51,000 permanent residents who have accessed the 5% housing deposit scheme.
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The independent MP Nicolette Boele asked the government why mining giant BHP received hundreds of millions in diesel credits when it posted a $15.5bn profit last financial year.
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Zali Steggall asked the government why it hasn’t banned advertising for gambling inducements as recommended by the 2023 gambling inquiry (she didn’t get an answer).
The Reserve Bank governor, Michele Bullock, has played down fears the global oil shock will trigger a recession, saying the “economy is still expected to grow” even in a more severe scenario where oil prices are “significantly higher”.
After three interest rate hikes this year, Bullock told Senate estimates “I recognise that this is a difficult time for many households facing cost-of-living pressures”, but that it was “important that we bring inflation under control”.
“If high inflation persists, it risks becoming embedded in price and wage-setting behaviour, particularly given the prolonged period over which underlying inflation has been above 3% since the pandemic.
“That would result in more persistent inflation and would require even higher interest rates, and for longer, to return inflation to target.”
There is a high degree of uncertainty about how the Middle East conflict will play out, Bullock noted, “but under a wide range of scenarios the conflict could well contribute to even higher global and domestic inflation”.
“The effects of the conflict on economic activity are less certain and expected to vary across countries, but for Australia we judge that it will weigh modestly on growth” – making it harder for the central bank to manage the trade-off between inflation and economic activity, she said.
While these are challenging conditions, the economy is still expected to grow, albeit modestly, even under these scenarios where oil prices are significantly higher than recent levels.
Anthony Albanese takes the final dixer for the fortnight and then calls time on QT.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: theguardian.com
