Ley says Coalition won’t ‘get out of the way’ despite strong Labor majority
Opposition leader Sussan Ley said she is ready to get to work in the new parliament, saying the millions of Australians who voted for the Coalition deserve a strong opposition. She said the party would not “get out of the way” despite a strong Labor majority, adding:
The real work in the parliament of Australia will start this week and I am up to the job, I am excited and I know all you are too.
Mr Albanese is giving interviews and suggesting we should just get out of the way. We will not …
Our job is to represent the millions of Australians who voted for us and the millions who maybe did not but still expect us to be the strongest and best opposition that we can be and we will be.
Key events
Death on the sand: fish and animal carcasses rot on Adelaide shores amid toxic algal bloom – video
Benita Kolovos
Revelation comes after other reports of Joshua Dale Brown being sacked
It comes after Nido Early School last week confirmed it terminated Brown during his probation period in July 2021, after he allegedly breached the company’s internal policies around handling of incident reports while working at their Werribee service.
And D.O.T.S Occupational Therapy for Children at Footscray also confirmed earlier this month Brown was terminated after 26 days working on its non-clinical admin team.
In a statement posted on Instagram on 1 July, the service’s director, Hannah Dunn, said:
We terminated his contract as he was not a good fit for our practice after 5 weeks of commencing.
In early July, police revealed Brown had been charged with more than 70 offences relating to eight alleged victims, aged between five months and two years old.
It has plunged the childcare sector into crisis, with both the Victorian and federal governments also under pressure to reform the rules and regulations that govern the industry.
Another childcare centre confirms they sacked Joshua Dale Brown
Benita Kolovos
Another childcare centre in Melbourne confirms it terminated alleged sex offender Joshua Dale Brown’s employment.
Wallaby Childcare has confirmed it let Brown go after he spent just five weeks working at its Sanctuary Lakes centre in early 2021. The company said in a statement:
The alleged offender worked at our service for a brief period of time, 5 weeks, in April-May 2021. He was terminated in probation as we felt he did not align with our company standards or values. As this is an active and ongoing police investigation we don’t want to make further comments and jeopardise any aspects of the investigation
The revelation was first reported by the Age at the weekend.
Littleproud says PM has forgotten Australians ‘doing it tough’
Nationals leader David Littleproud also spoke briefly, saying the Coalition’s fundamentals had not changed while attacking the Labor government and Albanese’s recent trip to China. Littleproud said:
Australians are still doing it tough and Anthony Albanese has been swanning around the international stage, has forgotten that there are Australian struggling to put dinner on the table tonight, are struggling to pay energy bills, who are unable to insure their own homes.
He said the Coalition would work with the government if possible, but remain a robust opposition to do what they believe is “right” for the nation:
We will agree where we can but where we must we will hold true to our values and beliefs and have the courage to stand up. We will do what is right for this country and articulate a different vision, where we need to and be constructive where we can.
Ley says Coalition will fight ‘on behalf of the struggling Australians’
Ley is appealing to Australians doing it tough amid the ongoing cost of living crisis. She said:
On behalf of the struggling Australians, we are here to take the fight up to them because every taxpayer works hard and deserves an opposition that takes the fight up to the government. It is vital that we do that. We are here for the values that we have always stood for as a Liberal party. For hard work, reward for effort, a government that gets out of the way. …
[Australians] want a parliament that understands their lives and what their lives are like and a government that gets out the way.
Ley added:
There is a lot of work to do and we are up for it.
Ley says Coalition won’t ‘get out of the way’ despite strong Labor majority
Opposition leader Sussan Ley said she is ready to get to work in the new parliament, saying the millions of Australians who voted for the Coalition deserve a strong opposition. She said the party would not “get out of the way” despite a strong Labor majority, adding:
The real work in the parliament of Australia will start this week and I am up to the job, I am excited and I know all you are too.
Mr Albanese is giving interviews and suggesting we should just get out of the way. We will not …
Our job is to represent the millions of Australians who voted for us and the millions who maybe did not but still expect us to be the strongest and best opposition that we can be and we will be.
Opposition leader Sussan Ley is set to address the Coalition party room a day before parliament resumes. We’ll bring you updates from that address shortly.
Liberal senator says Chinese media portraying Albanese as ‘supplicant’ to Beijing
Liberal senator Dave Sharma had a harsh words after Anthony Albanese’s trip to China last week, saying he believes Chinese media had cast the prime minister as a “supplicant” to Beijing after the visit. Sharma told Sky News this morning:
My read of it is that Chinese state media has basically portrayed Anthony Albanese’s visit as that of a supplicant. Now, I don’t think that was [his] intention, but that’s clearly how Chinese state media has portrayed this visit. …
I think the message that China is seeking to broadcast here is – countries like Australia, close US allies – are coming to pay fealty to Xi Jinping. I think it’s unfortunate that Australia has, under Anthony Albanese, has allowed itself to be portrayed in that way.
The trip has drawn flak from others in the Coalition. Kevin Hogan, the deputy leader of the Nationals, described the prime minister’s visit as a “working holiday” last week.
What’s the full story on South Australia’s algal bloom?
Rising sea temperatures and a lack of action about the unfolding catastrophe have left experts increasingly concerned about the health of the state’s marine ecosystems.
Senior reporter Tory Shepherd speaks to Nour Haydar about why experts say this disaster is “climate change happening”.
Caitlin Cassidy
Group of universities call for clarity on international student numbers ‘as soon as possible’
A coalition of 14 Australian universities have issued a joint statement calling for a more sustainable and equitable international education system.
The statement, issued on behalf of Innovative Research Universities (IRU) and the Regional Universities Network (RUN), said universities needed clarity “as soon as possible” on international student allocations for 2026.
After Labor’s failed international student cap, numbers had been controlled via Ministerial Direction 107, which gave visa processing priority to “low risk” sandstone universities and students from “low risk” nations, disproportionately affecting applicants from south Asia.
The statement said the bodies’ universities were “characterised by more diverse student cohorts than the sector as a whole”, with a smaller proportion of international students than large Group of Eight institutions, but the direction had disproportionately impacted regional and outer suburban universities.
Any changes to government policy and the subsequent allocation of student places should support greater diversification of both student numbers and source countries, and address areas of persistent concentration.
Ministerial Direction 107 led to further concentration of international student numbers at large metropolitan universities, while shrinking the diversity of Australia’s international student markets.
Reported crocodile sighting in Noosa
Queensland officials are investigating reports a crocodile was seen at the Noosa Spit this weekend. A spokesperson for the state’s Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation said:
We are aware of social media reports regarding a reported crocodile sighting today at the Noosa Spit and are investigating the matter further.
The Boyne River near Gladstone, some 300km to the north, is commonly considered the southern boundary of typical crocodile habitat.
The official urged the public to report crocodile sightings using the QWildlife app, or by filling out a form on its website, noting:
We investigate every crocodile sighting report we receive.
Josh Butler
Watt says SA’s algal bloom won’t be solved overnight
Murray Watt said the government was concerned about the event, but conceded it was “a naturally occurring phenomena that is not going to be solved overnight”. He said:
We all want to see those beautiful beaches return to the state they’re normally in. We want to be able to see recreational and commercial fishers be able to get back to what they’re doing and we want to see all those incredible species returned to health.
We will continue working to support the South Australian government’s response.
Watt said he would meet with the SA government on his visit and tour some affected beaches:
I have been in regular contact with Minister Close and our departments have been working closely together on the response to the bloom.
Last week I sent the head of the oceans and marine division of the department to South Australia to meet with the state government and local scientists, and to inspect the algal bloom itself. Her reports back to me confirmed the severity of the algal bloom and emphasised the need for more monitoring of the situation.
Two dead after light plane crash in Queensland
Two people died after a light plane crashed in south-eastern Queensland on Sunday afternoon, AAP reports.
Emergency services said a twin turboprop Reims Cessna F406 aircraft crashed into a grass area at Devon Park, near Oakey, west of Toowoomba about 3pm on Sunday.
Two men believed to have been onboard the aircraft died in the crash, police said, with investigators saying forensic testing was ongoing to identify them.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said it would transport the recovered aircraft wreckage to its technical facilities in Canberra for further study.