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Key events
British pop-rock star Rod Stewart is not only down under touring Australian stadiums, but also the nation’s Bunnings stores.
Stewart, who is a model train enthusiast, yesterday visited the Balgowlah Bunnings in Sydney’s northern beaches, a week after he was spotted at the hardware and gardening chain in Melbourne.
In an interview with 3AW radio station on Thursday the singer said he visited the store for model train supplies, he wasn’t afraid to admit:
I love Bunnings.
Rod Stewart spotted at Bunnings in Balgowlah feeling somewhat disappointed to hear that they only do snags in bread on the w/e. pic.twitter.com/KAVX0ElSQD
— Stanley Johnson (@BrandDNA) April 3, 2023
Henry Belot
Sportsbet defends political donations as ‘common networking’
Sportsbet has defended political donations to federal politiciansincluding then shadow communications minister, Michelle Rowland, before last year’s federal election.
When the donations were revealed by The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, federal crossbenchers called for Rowland to resign or be sacked given she had a policy responsibility for interactive gaming.
Rowland has since confirmed she will no longer accept donations from the gambling industry.
Here’s what Sportbet’s chief executive, Barni Evans, told the parliamentary inquiry into online gambling harm:
We seek to understand changes and thinking regarding policy and we seek to ensure the political system is aware of trends affecting the business community too.
This is just an example of common networking and engagement between the business community and other elements of the community and the democratic process.
We fully disclose any of our behaviour and activity in this space through the Australian Electoral Commission.
Independent MP Kate Chaney asked Evans whether he was aware about the level of community concern about the political donations. Here’s his response:
We are aware of that sentiment in the broader community but I think our job is to comply with all of the regulations, which we have done in all instances.
Daniel Hurst
Trade minister ‘not far away’ from China trip
The trade minister, Don Farrell, has said he is “not far away” from embarking on a trip to Beijing to meet with his Chinese counterpart, although he wouldn’t specify whether that meant within the next few weeks.
In early February Farrell held a 90-minute virtual meeting with China’s commerce minister, Wang Wentao. This was the first meeting between an Australian trade minister and a Chinese commerce minister in three years. Shortly after that meeting, Farrell announced that he had “accepted an invitation from Minister Wang to travel to Beijing in the near future to continue our productive dialogue”.
In an interview with Sky News today, Farrell said of the forthcoming trip:
Look, we’re not far away. I think I can tell you that …
The discussions are going well. I don’t want to pre-empt how they might finish, but all the messages that are coming back to me from China are very, very positive.
Asked about the potential impact of the Aukus nuclear-powered submarine plans – announced last month – on the stabilisation of the relationship, Farrell said there was “none whatsoever”. He said:
We’ve got officials up there [having talks with counterparts in Beijing] this week … Things are going well, but of course, it’ll take some time to turn this ship around and we’re working very hard on it.
Farrell was reluctant to be specific about whether China could be accepted into the regional trade bloc known as the CPTPP.
He stressed that Australia had “raised very publicly our concerns about the trade impediments that China has imposed on Australia” and would seek to apply the same high standards that applied to the UK’s own application to join. He inadvertently mentioned Taiwan in the list of “countries” that are seeking to join (a descriptor that doesn’t fit with Australian government policy, but is likely just a slip of the tongue):
So the good thing about the United Kingdom trade agreement was that we’ve established the boundaries or the rules for accession. So, there’s a range of countries, including China, Taiwan, perhaps Korea, Ecuador, Costa Rica. A lot of countries want to join that agreement because it’s obviously very good for long-term trading arrangements. We’ll consider all of those applications on their merits, but bear in mind this, it’s got to be a unanimous decision.
WA law reform needed to improve abortion access, federal inquiry hears
The Greens senator Larissa Waters is sharing on Twitter what’s being heard at a parliamentary hearing into universal access to reproductive healthcare which is taking place in Perth today.
Sexual Health Quarters says it is subsidising thousands of dollars of reproductive healthcare every month for clients who can’t afford the co-payment. However, it says the situation is not sustainable:
We don’t turn anyone away, but this is not a sustainable practice for us. Access to contraceptives and termination needs to be free.
Waters says clinical providers all agree that law reform is essential in WA to address abortion access, with the state lagging behind others.
Lily, the co-founder of The Abortion Project, tells the hearing terminations can cost anywhere between $7 (if you have a healthcare card) and $2,200 in WA, largely due to inequitable legislation across states and territories.
Sexual Health Quarters says that it’s difficult to find information about service providers in WA, even for clinicians wanting to make a referral or find a pharmacy that stocks MS-2 Step. It says a publicly available map of services is needed so people can get timely access to care.
The requirement for two clinicians to approve abortion in WA presents a very significant barrier in regional areas, particularly if your local doctor is a conscientious objector, Waters says the hearing has been told.
Senator Jordon Steele-John asks:
How do we build a system that ensures that a person’s right to conscientiously object does not impact somebody’s ability to access healthcare?
The hearing is told that there’s no requirement for anyone – in WA or nationally – to report that they are a conscientious objector, which makes it difficult for people seeking abortion care to manage that risk.
Independent MP calls on Albanese government to act on Medicare review
The independent member for Kooyong, Monique Ryan, a paediatric neurologist before entering parliament, has called on the Albanese government to act on the Philip review.
The review by health economist Dr Pradeep Philip released today found that Medicare compliance errors were likely costing taxpayers $1.5bn to $3bn a year.
The health minister, Mark Butler, said the problem was repeatedly highlighted to the former government in no fewer than five separate reviews between 2016 and 2021.
Ryan said that Medicare was no longer fit for purpose, but that the Albanese government has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to lead that reform.
It’s no surprise that the Philip report has identified major issues with Medicare; our once world-class system is no longer fit for purpose and it needs major reform.
The Albanese government has a once in a generation opportunity to lead that reform. pic.twitter.com/DtzYTzXKct
— Dr Monique Ryan MP (@Mon4Kooyong) April 4, 2023
Henry Belot
AFL receives a cut of gambling turnover on matches, McLachlan confirms
The AFL boss, Gillon McLachlan, has confirmed the organisation receives a cut of gambling turnover on its matches beyond official sponsorship deals with wagering companies.
The confirmation comes as fans, players, clubs, politicians and health experts raise serious concerns about the sport’s reliance on gambling revenue and the volume of ads encouraging people to place a bet on AFL matches.
The AFL’s revenue from “product fees” on gambling is rarely spoken about by senior executives and is not commonly known by fans. McLachlan did not state how much money the product fees generate but said it was “a percentage of the volume of turnover on our sport”.
Here’s what McLachlan told a parliamentary inquiry into online gambling harm:
We have product fee arrangements with all the wagering operators where we get a percentage of their operations on the AFL.
Most online gambling companies are registered in the Northern Territory for tax minimisation and have an annual turnover of nearly $50bn, according to the NT regulator. The AFL’s official wagering partner, Sportsbet, estimates the Australian sports betting market is worth $8.2bn a year.
Last year, the gambling industry veteran Matthew Tripp, who now runs News Corp-affiliated gambling company Betr, told Nine Newspapers the product fees were “the engine beneath the might of the AFL”.
The AFL is not the only sport to receive product fees from the gambling industry, but the revenue they generate has increased significantly in recent years as online wagering has exploded in popularity.
Tamsin Rose
NSW premier Chris Minns to receive TikTok briefing this afternoon
The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, will be briefed on national security developments regarding TikTok this afternoon.
Speaking in Lismore on Tuesday, the leader said he would have more to report soon:
I know the recent moves in the last 24 hours from the commonwealth government in relation to that and I understand the Victorian government’s made a similar statement and a similar policy pledge. I’m taking briefings on that this afternoon when we’ve completed our run through Lismore and I’ll have more to say in the coming days about this.
Paul Karp
Liberal party ‘needs to talk more about’ past achievements, Dutton says
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has given a press conference in Albury alongside deputy Liberal leader, Sussan Ley.
In front of a bed of flowers at a local nursery, Dutton sported glasses and a soft grey houndstooth jacket, looking more like a genial academic than a former Queensland cop. Perhaps we are finally seeing the fruits of Dutton’s promise in 2018 while challenging Malcolm Turnbull for the leadership that he would “smile more”.
Dutton also put a new spin on the Coalition’s record, arguing that getting the budget back to balance (once) was not an end in itself but “about providing a better outcome for families”.
He said:
We have a lot of things that we’re good at. One of the things that we’re not good at is selling what we’ve done and how effective we’ve been in the past, and we need to talk more about that. The highest uptake of solar per capita anywhere in the world is in our country, as a result of Liberal-National party investments and policy decisions. So, lots more we can talk about, and we will.
Dutton brushed off the once-in-a-century defeat at the Aston byelection, telling reporters “we’re looking forward now”.
He said:
The opportunity for us is to make sure we work on the policies that are relevant to Australians. Australians heard the government promise that they were going to reduce power prices and reduce mortgages. And instead under Labor in the 10 months they’ve only gone up. I think there are many things we’ve been able to support the government on and we’ll continue to do that, but we want to make decisions that are going to help families and small businesses not hurt them.
Access to healthcare, funding and legal protections needed for LGBTQ+ people, Georgie Stone tells NPC
Georgie Stone is delivering a call to action for the nation’s leaders how they can support the trans community at the National Press Club:
I call on our political leaders, our law and policymakers, community leaders and our nation to stand with trans people by supporting the following calls to action.
First, we need increased funding for family support organisations that are working to protect and uplift families of trans youth who are distressed or under attack.
Second, we need to ensure and protect access to life saving gender affirming health care for transgender diverse and non-binary young people.
Third, we need to extend legal protections to stop the harmful spread of misinformation, vilification and hate speech to further protect vulnerable LGBTIAQ+ communities.
Stone receives a standing ovation from the audience at the conclusion of her address.
Opposition supports TikTok ban
Daniel Hurst
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has voiced support for the federal government’s ban on the use of the TikTok app on government devices.
Speaking to reporters in East Albury, Dutton said:
If the government has advice that it’s unsafe to have TikTok on those government phones, then they’re acting on that advice and we would support that decision.
Dutton questioned, however, why the government had not announced the ban sooner. Dutton suggested that the government might have its “own reasons” for not announcing it last week or the week before, and he was “sure that’s an answer they can provide to you”.
(The Australian newspaper quoted an unnamed source this morning as claiming there may have been some link to the Aston byelection that was held on Saturday, but the government has denied this.)
Dutton said MPs should heed the advice:
I think if the director general of security is giving advice to members of parliament, they should follow it.
Dutton went on to caution younger Australians to take care with what information they share online.
Allies celebrating at WorldPride ‘also have to stand with’ trans people ‘when it’s uncomfortable and scary’: Georgie Stone
Circling back to Georgie Stone’s address at the National Press Club, she’s urging allies to not only celebrate at WorldPride, but to also support the community as they have come under attack:
We need our allies to shoulder some of the burden. Because you can’t celebrate with us at WorldPride and then scatter when the attacks come. If you want the pride and the glitter and the confetti, you also have to stand with us when it’s uncomfortable and scary, too.
Holmes à Court tweets retort to Gerard Rennick over coalmining remarks
Australian businessman and convener of Climate 200, Simon Holmes à Court, has hit back at a tweet from LNP Senator for Queensland Gerard Rennick.
Rennick questioned why mining coal was singled out from mining copper, lithium, cobalt and nickel. Holmes à Court provided his own analogy to explain it to the senator.
next from @SenatorRennick?
“when you are told that eating babies is bad, but eating bread, potatoes and carrots is good, you know you are being conned.”
rennick, you are a first class idiot. https://t.co/8lWHBIXDIQ
— 💧simon holmes à court (@simonahac) April 4, 2023
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