As it happened: Opposition confirms support for 26 weeks of paid parental leave; Albanese speaks with new British PM; Business groups fight government over workplace law changes

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has decried the fatal attack on Aboriginal boy Cassius Turvey in Perth as racially motivated, as a growing chorus of Indigenous leaders express frustration over the response of WA Police.

Albanese told reporters on Friday: “This attack, that clearly is racially motivated, just breaks your heart.”

“We are a better country than that, and my heart goes out to the family and the friends.”

Cassius was wearing his school uniform and walking with friends when they were allegedly confronted by a utility full of people while walking along a Middle Swan street around 4.30pm on October 13.

Welcome to your five-minute update of the trading day, and how the experts saw it.

The numbers: The Australian sharemarket snapped a four-day winning streak on Friday, shedding 0.9 per cent, or 59.40 points to 6,785.7.

A 4 per cent dip in mining stocks weighed down the market after iron ore prices hit their lowest level since May 2020, but broad-based gains across six of the 11 sectors offset the miners’ losses and helped the local bourse finish 1.6 per cent higher for the week.

The lifters: Ramelius Resources closed 5.6 per cent higher; Logistics and infrastructure giant Qube rose 5.5 per cent; and Macquarie Group gained 2.3 per cent after reporting an interim net profit of $2.3 billion.

The laggards: AI computer chip manufacturer Brainchip shed 20 per cent after reporting first quarter profits of just $118,000; Imugene Limited closed 13.2 per cent weaker; and Silver Lake Resources slipped 8.2 per cent after releasing its quarterly activities report.

The governor-general’s secretary has maintained that David Hurley had no responsibility for communicating the appointment of Scott Morrison to administer five extra portfolios while prime minister.

Appearing at a Senate estimates hearing, Hurley’s official secretary Paul Singer defended the governor-general’s role in the secret ministries’ scandal, when Hurley appointed Morrison to administer the health, finance, treasury, home affairs and industry, science, energy and resources portfolios in 2020 and 2021.

Morrison did not inform parliament or most of his cabinet colleagues about the appointments, with the issue only emerging in the public domain in August.

Singer told the hearing it was a matter for the then-Morrison government to publicise the appointments.

Disappointing results from five of the biggest tech companies have erased hundreds of billions of dollars off their market value, gutting not just the share prices but also the net worth of their biggest investors.

Bloomberg’s index of the 500 richest people in the world shows Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin each losing more than $US7 billion ($10.9 billion) in a single day, and around $US40 billion each so far this year.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who remains the third-richest person in the world, has lost more than $US58 billion this year to date. Meanwhile, former Microsoft head Steve Ballmer is down $US24 billion.

The NSW government will create several zero-emission zones across Sydney, including at Blackwattle Bay and Central, as Infrastructure Minister Rob Stokes warned the city risked falling behind other global metropolises without immediate climate action.

Stokes said the government would not come close to addressing its goal of becoming a net-zero economy by 2050 without fundamentally transforming Sydney, which creates close to 40 per cent of the state’s carbon emissions.

Taking inspiration from the recent redevelopment of Barangaroo, Stokes said every government-led urban renewal project in Sydney would be designed as a net-zero precinct, with no fossil fuels to be used in their operation.

The number of Victorians waiting more than 24 hours in state hospital emergency departments has increased more than tenfold in a year, as hospitals grappled with severe staffing constraints, COVID-19 and flu over winter.

The latest quarterly health performance data released on Friday morning shows a dramatic surge in the number of people who have been stuck in emergency departments for more than 24 hours, as they waited for a bed to become available at hospitals.

The state government data, from the Victorian Agency for Health Information, shows that from July to September this year, 3676 people had their emergency department stays stretch for more than 24 hours, a more than tenfold increase in a year.