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Australia news LIVE: Health minister commissions Medicare review amid fraud revelations; Lehrmann trial continues in Canberra

Broede Carmody and Anna Patty
Updated ,first published

Key Posts

NSW government to take legal action against transport union strike action
Flood risk could affect mortgage lending: NAB’s Ross McEwan
Higgins an ‘inherently credible witness’, prosecutor tells jury
RBA deputy says people should expect more rate rises
Australia no longer recognises West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital: Wong
Faster internet speeds for 300,000 premises
Coalition wants judiciary to have final say over public anti-corruption hearings
Health minister acknowledges Medicare fraud
Flood rebuild will incur a ‘big bill’ but exact figure not yet known
Victorian floods: What you need to know

Summary of our main headlines today

By Anna Patty

Thanks for joining us today, and we hope you have a good night. Here’s a recap of some of our major headlines today:

  • NSW Transport Minister Elliott says he will take legal action against the rail union’s plans to switch off Opal card readers during peak evening hours from Thursday. The NSW government will seek damages from the rail unions in the Federal Court if they push ahead with planned industrial action this week.
  • Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced he has signed a “green economy agreement” with Singapore. Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said it was the first agreement of its kind between countries, and he hopes it will be a “pathfinder” for co-operation between other countries.
  • Victorians paid tribute to beloved actor, artist, and community activist Uncle Jack Charles with a state service at Melbourne’s Hamer Hall today, honouring his achievements, his connection to culture and his advocacy for First Peoples.

  • A joint investigation into Medicare by The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and the ABC’s 7.30 program has found that systemic rorting of Medicare is artificially inflating official statistics that claim almost nine out of 10 patients are bulk billed by their doctor and don’t pay any out-of-pocket costs. The investigation found errors and illegal practices by health practitioners are distorting the national figures.

  • Australia’s ambassador to Israel will be summoned to explain the Albanese government’s decision to no longer recognise West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a decision that drew a speedy rebuke from Israel’s prime minister.

  • British Prime Minister Liz Truss apologised for the economic chaos that has engulfed the country following last month’s mini-budget – conceding she went “too far and too fast” in her effort to slash taxes in the opening weeks in the top job.

Union says turning Opal readers safer option than allowing unsafe trains to run

By Anna Patty

The NSW rail union has accused the Perrottet government of being more interested in having a political fight than reaching an agreement, after the government announced it would take the union to court.

NSW Transport Minister Elliott today said he would take legal action against the rail union’s plans to switch off Opal card readers during peak evening hours from Thursday.

The government will seek damages from the rail unions in the Federal Court if they push ahead with planned industrial action this week.

RTBU secretary Alex Claassens.Brook Mitchell

Rail, Tram and Bus Union secretary Alex Claassens said the government was “more interested in using taxpayer dollars on legal fees than they are in reaching an agreement that guarantees the safety of commuters”.

Floodwater scenes in Western NSW

By Anna Patty

Footage of rising floodwaters around the western NSW town of Forbes shows vast areas including those surrounding the Newell Highway Bridge under water.

Thousands of residents have been hit with flooding despite a rainfall reprieve for much of the state.

The Lachlan River reached major flood level on Friday night, with access to Forbes’ business centre cut off.

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NSW government to take legal action against transport union strike action

By Tom Rabe

NSW Transport Minister Elliott says he will take legal action against the rail union’s plans to switch off Opal card readers during peak evening hours from Thursday.

The NSW government will seek damages from the rail unions in the Federal Court if they push ahead with planned industrial action this week.

NSW Transport Minister David Elliott Flavio Brancaleone

Elliott today warned the legal action against what he alleged was unlawful industrial action would potentially be very costly for the union. He said that the action could cost the government tens of millions of dollars and the government would seek to pull that cash back from the NSW Rail, Tram and Bus Union in the courts.

“That could be very expensive for the union,” Elliott said.

LIVE: NSW Transport Minister to address rail union’s plans to switch off Opal card readers

By

NSW Transport Minister David Elliott is expected at 4pm to address the rail union’s plans to switch off Opal card readers during peak evening hours from Thursday. Watch live below:

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Netball Australia seeks compromise with goal shooter after committing to mining giant sponsorship deal

By Melissa Woods

Netball Australia is working to reach a compromise with Indigenous goal shooter Donnell Wallam after re-affirming a commitment to its sponsorship deal with mining giant Hancock Prospecting.

Donnell Wallam has issue with Hancock Prospecting’s netball sponsorship.Getty

The cash-strapped organisation today issued a statement reinforcing its support for the partnership, saying the four-year deal with billionaire Gina Rinehart’s company, worth $15 million, underpins the Diamonds program.

Wallam, a Noongar woman from Western Australia, raised concerns about NA’s four-year sponsorship with Rinehart’s company.

The 28-year-old took issue with Hancock Prospecting’s record on Indigenous matters, which date back 40 years to Rinehart’s late father, Lang Hancock, who proposed that some Indigenous people be sterilised to “breed themselves out”.

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Flood risk could affect mortgage lending: NAB’s Ross McEwan

By Clancy Yeates

National Australia Bank chief executive Ross McEwan said the lender was looking at the impact of weather risks on its mortgage portfolio, saying repeated flooding could affect its appetite to lend in high-risk areas.

Speaking at a business event in New Zealand, McEwan responded to a question on climate risks and housing loans by saying NAB was starting to look at weather patterns, which already affect insurance.

McEwan said changing weather patterns could push up insurance premiums in certain areas, before adding “and more from the banking perspective, if these areas are going to be constantly flooded, do we have a problem with our funding of these areas?”

National Australia Bank chief executive Ross McEwan.Louie Douvis

McEwan pointed to the recent flooding in Victoria as an example.

Singapore PM offers help to Australia to investigate Optus cyberattack

By Nick Bonyhady

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has offered assistance to Australia’s cybersecurity agencies investigating the enormous data breach disclosed last month by Optus.

Optus is owned by the Singaporean telecommunications giant Singtel, which is majority owned by a government investment fund.

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra today. Alex Ellinghausen

“Our cybersecurity and telecommunications agencies have also reached out to the Australian counterparts and stand ready to support to provide support to the Australian government should our assistance be needed,” Lee said at a press conference at Parliament House today.

He emphasised that Optus, despite its ownership, was headquartered and run from Australia and governed by Australian law.

The ‘kamikaze’ drones that attacked Ukraine

By Broede Carmody

Earlier today, we told you that Ukrainian cities have been attacked for the second time in the span of a week by explosive drones during morning rush hour.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country’s armed forces managed to shoot down some drones before slammed into buildings and infrastructure.

Here’s a look at some drones Russia is using, according to Ukrainian authorities:

More on the weapons Russia is using in Ukraine here.

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Albanese unveils ‘green economy agreement’ with Singapore

By Broede Carmody

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has just revealed that Australia has signed a “green economy agreement” with Singapore.

“The green economy agreement signals collective resolve to confront challenges as we transition our economies to net zero,” the PM told reporters at Parliament House in Canberra.

“It will support clean energy innovation, unlock business opportunities and create jobs, and help deliver our emission targets while positioning Australia as a renewable energy superpower.”

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had this to say:

It is the first such agreement of its kind between countries, and we hope that it will be a pathfinder for other countries simply to co-operate with one another to deal with what is a global problem.

We’ll be sure to bring you the specifics of the final agreement as they come to hand. But in a joint vision statement ahead of the negotiations, both countries said they wanted to reduce barriers to trade when it comes to environmental goods and services and explore “new opportunities in green growth sectors”.

During the press conference, Albanese confirmed that he and his Singaporean counterpart had also discussed the recent Optus data breach. As regular readers of this blog will know, Optus’ parent company – Singtel – is based in Singapore.

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