Tehan: Coalition ‘not at all’ embarrassed for targeting government over arrest of immigration detainee revealed to be wrongful
Daniel Hurst
The Coalition’s immigration spokesperson, Dan Tehan, says his side of politics is “not at all” embarrassed for targeting the federal government over the arrest of a man released from immigration detention – only for Victoria police to withdraw the charges.
On Thursday Victoria police said a 44-year-old Richmond man who had been released as a result of the high court ruling on indefinite detention had been charged with sexual assault, stalking and two counts of unlawful assault.
Just hours after the Coalition made the alleged assaults the centrepiece of its pursuit of the government in parliamentary question time on Thursday, Victoria police revealed they had cleared the former detainee and now allege another man – who there is no reason to believe was released from immigration detention – was involved in the incident.
The ABC’s David Speers asked Tehan whether the developments were “a bit embarrassing for your colleagues who with ripped into the government over a wrongful arrest. Tehan replied:
Not at all. The facts were the facts at that time.
And it’s a warning to the government that sadly – and none of us hope for this, none of us hope for this, and that’s why want the government to take action – it is likely we are going to see reoffending unless they’re keeping the community safe and on the ball.
Pressed on whether the Coalition should be more careful on specific cases, Tehan said the Coalition was “perfectly entitled to go after the government” on the basis of a Victoria police statement.
Key events
We have just experienced our ninth consecutive record month of global heat, as observed by Guardian Australia’s Peter Hannam.
Graham Readfearn
What’s paralysing thousands of rainbow lorikeets?
Dr Tim Portas pulls the patient from a cardboard box, wraps him in a towel and touches a cotton bud on his eye to see if he can blink.
Patient number 1,433,093 is one of about 3,500 Rainbow lorikeets that have come into the RSPCA’s wildlife hospital near Brisbane since the beginning of the year with a mystery paralysis.
This bird is one of the lucky ones. He can swallow and walk – albeit with a drunk-like gait, staggering across the triage room floor – so it’s a quick injection of fluids and off to the aviary.
Across the corridor in the bird ward, a few dozen lorikeets are paired up in cages for more intensive care and hand feeding.
In recent weeks, about 100 paralysed lorikeets a day have been coming in to the hospital.
For more than a decade, Australia’s most often sighted bird – a ridiculously colourful and gregarious high-speed parrot with an ear-piercing screech – has been going down with a mystery syndrome.
But this year, the numbers afflicted with so-called lorikeet paralysis syndrome (LPS) have been far and above anything seen before.
Now scientists are searching for the cause:
Noisier world linked to increase in hearing loss
With one in seven people globally expected to have tinnitus at some point, Australian researchers are raising awareness on how to prevent deafness and hearing loss, AAP reports.
It is estimated 1.5 billion people worldwide have measurable hearing loss in light of increasing life expectancy and more noise exposure.
Signs of early hearing loss come in the form of tinnitus, commonly described as a ringing or roaring sound with a lack of external stimulus.
Matthieu Recugnat from Macquarie University says it’s almost like hearing cicadas in a closed room.
Recugnat told AAP:
But it is a lot more complex than that because people will be different and have different perceptions.
It has different impacts on their lifestyle and on their quality of life in general.
Technology and its increased prevalence means sounds are closer than ever and Recugnat expects cases of tinnitus to increase.
A correlation between hearing loss and general occupational and non-occupational noise as well as more young people using devices for music, means awareness needs to be spread, he said.
Liberals pledge health reforms ahead of Tas election
Tasmania’s Liberals have promised to upgrade the state’s under-pressure hospitals as the party formally launches its election campaign, AAP reports.
The premier, Jeremy Rockliff, will pitch to party faithful in the state’s north on Sunday afternoon in the lead-up to the 23 March poll, held more than a year ahead of schedule.
A recent opinion poll indicated neither major party would be able to reach majority government, with more than one-third of voters set to support minor parties or independents.
According to January health data, 46% of hospital emergency department presentations weren’t seen within the clinically recommended time.
The chief executive of Ambulance Tasmania in February told an inquiry one quarter of emergency cases didn’t receive an ambulance within the desired time.
Rockliff said a re-elected Liberal majority government would recruit 44 doctors and 25 nurses at the Royal Hobart hospital emergency department and undertake $187m in capital upgrades.
We will be able to ensure the [hospital’s] recently expanded [emergency department] will be firing on all cylinders 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Rockliff also promised to double the size of the emergency department of the Launceston general hospital, with construction to begin in 2025.
He also pledged a range of new buildings, wards and specialist service units at the North West Regional and Mersey Community hospitals at a cost of $175m.
‘Quite weak’ economic growth expected: Jim Chalmers
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has warned “quite weak” economic growth is expected this week, AAP reports.
He told his international counterparts at G20 talks last week:
The soft landing we seek at home and in the global economy is assumed but not assured.
A bunch of other key data releases are scheduled this week, starting on Monday with January building approvals data, a marker of upcoming construction activity.
On Tuesday, the ABS will release balance of payments and government finance data for the December quarter.
Lending indicators for the month of January are due from the bureau on Thursday, as well as international trade in goods for the same time period.
‘The harm has been dealt with’: Asio boss on former politician turned spy
Daniel Hurst
The Asio boss, Mike Burgess, has said the unnamed person he accused of being recruited by foreign spies is no longer a politician “but this happened when they were a politician”.
Burgess has sat down for a small number of interviews in the wake of his annual threat assessment speech, when he alleged that a former Australian politician “sold out their country, party and former colleagues” after being recruited by foreign spies. He has not said the level of government – federal, state or local – the political party or the gender of the person involved.
In an interview with Guardian Australia’s politics podcast – released today – Burgess confirmed that the activities of the former politician were legal at the time because they pre-dated Australia’s 2018 espionage and foreign interference laws.
Asked whether Asio had confronted the person directly, Burgess said he would not divulge operational details except to say “this person knows who it is” and “the harm has been dealt with”.
In a separate interview with SBS News, Burgess said of the individual:
[They are a] former politician now – the matter is resolved – but this happened when they were a politician.
Pressed on whether this happened when they were serving in a parliament in Australia, Burgess said: “Correct.”
In the Guardian Australia podcast, Burgess explained why he was resisting calls to name the individual. Burgess also expanded on broader security threats to diaspora communities in Australia, offered to relinquish one of Asio’s questioning powers, and gave an update on a complaint raised by Australian citizen Daniel Duggan as he fights extradition to the US. You can hear the full interview here:
More on growth report likely to show households in pain
Countering areas of weakness should be business investment, which appeared to have been buoyed by non-residential building.
A result in line with NAB forecasts would be pretty close to where the Reserve Bank expects economic activity to be tracking for the December quarter.
“But the outlook for 2024 and 2025 will be increasingly important with policy in restrictive territory and the bank still hoping to hold on to as much of the labour market gains over recent years as possible,” economists Alan Oster, Gareth Spence and Brody Viney said.
– Australian Associated Press
Tehan: Coalition ‘not at all’ embarrassed for targeting government over arrest of immigration detainee revealed to be wrongful
Daniel Hurst
The Coalition’s immigration spokesperson, Dan Tehan, says his side of politics is “not at all” embarrassed for targeting the federal government over the arrest of a man released from immigration detention – only for Victoria police to withdraw the charges.
On Thursday Victoria police said a 44-year-old Richmond man who had been released as a result of the high court ruling on indefinite detention had been charged with sexual assault, stalking and two counts of unlawful assault.
Just hours after the Coalition made the alleged assaults the centrepiece of its pursuit of the government in parliamentary question time on Thursday, Victoria police revealed they had cleared the former detainee and now allege another man – who there is no reason to believe was released from immigration detention – was involved in the incident.
The ABC’s David Speers asked Tehan whether the developments were “a bit embarrassing for your colleagues who with ripped into the government over a wrongful arrest. Tehan replied:
Not at all. The facts were the facts at that time.
And it’s a warning to the government that sadly – and none of us hope for this, none of us hope for this, and that’s why want the government to take action – it is likely we are going to see reoffending unless they’re keeping the community safe and on the ball.
Pressed on whether the Coalition should be more careful on specific cases, Tehan said the Coalition was “perfectly entitled to go after the government” on the basis of a Victoria police statement.
Growth report likely to show households in pain
The Australian economy is losing its sheen and tipped to post another weak growth result in the December quarter national accounts, AAP reports.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics is due to release the nation’s economic report card on Wednesday.
Slowing growth is an expected consequence of higher interest rates and inflationary pressures, with the September quarter recording a modest 0.2% lift and coming in below economists’ expectations.
National Australia Bank is pencilling in another lacklustre 0.2% quarterly GDP print, to be up 1.4% over the year.
With the exception of the pandemic, this would be the lowest annual growth rate since 2000.
Economists at the bank, Alan Oster, Gareth Spence and Brody Viney, said the slowdown in household spending would be the main reason for weak growth, much like in September. They wrote in a national accounts preview:
That said, partial information this week suggests dwelling investment will also weigh.
(Keep an eye on the next blog posts for more on this)
PM congratulates new MP Jodie Belyea for ‘strong and positive campaign’
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, joined community leader Jodie Belyea at a polling station on Saturday, his 61st birthday, and praised the strong campaign she ran, AAP reports.
He said Peta Murphy had recruited Belyea to the party in recognition of her integrity and passion.
Beylea introduced herself to cheering supporters as “a mum from Frankston with two dogs and a mortgage”.
Congratulations to Jodie Belyea on her victory in the Dunkley by-election and winning the honour of serving her local community in Federal Parliament.
Jodie ran a strong and positive campaign and she’ll work hard every day as a champion for Dunkley in Canberra. pic.twitter.com/GtjDrYwni7
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) March 2, 2024
She wasn’t a career politician but someone who wanted to make a difference for her community, she said.
And I’m now going to be your strong local voice in Canberra.
Beylea also paid tribute to Murphy as “a fierce advocate for our community”.
The deputy opposition leader, Sussan Ley, said the result sent a message to the prime minister to “do something about the cost of living crisis”.
You can read more on Dunkley from Guardian Australia’s Paul Karp here:
More on Labor, Liberals looking for positives after Dunkley swing
Despite the swing against Labor, Community leader Jodie Belyea recorded a slight increase in the primary vote, taking it to almost 41%.
The Frankston Mayor, Nathan Conroy, clawed a near 7% increase in people putting the Liberals first, up to just over 39%.
Cabinet minister Jason Clare warned about drawing too much from a single byelection, which were always tough for governments.
The Greens vote went down and the fact the conservative One Nation and Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party weren’t in the field meant the Liberal primary vote would’ve gone up, he said.
“I hesitate to draw too many conclusions out of a byelection,” he said.
Cost of living was a major issue and it was something the government was addressing, he said, pointing to a revamped tax cut package that gave all Australians more in the pocket.
That’s what’s on everybody’s mind whether they’re paying bills at the supermarket or paying down their mortgage.
– Australian Associated Press
Guardian Australia’s Paul Karp says the Dunkley result shows the Liberal party’s “more of the same” is not a path to government – you can read his full take here:
(More to come in the next blog post)
Labor, Liberals look for positives after Dunkley swing
Labor and the Liberals are lauding local campaigns during the Dunkley byelection as both sides look for the positives after the Albanese government retained the seat against a swing, AAP reports.
Community leader Jodie Belyea held the Victorian seat for Labor despite a nearly 4% swing away from the government in Saturday’s byelection triggered by the death of MP Peta Murphy in December.
But despite pulling up short, the Liberals say the swing against the government has put them in good stead at the next election – due by May 2025 – with the seat’s margin cut from 6.3% to 2.5%.
Liberal frontbencher Jane Hume told Sky News:
6.3% isn’t marginal in anyone’s language, but this morning, it definitely is a marginal seat, in fact, is one of the most marginal seats in Victoria.
It was a really good campaign, we had a fantastic candidate, we left nothing on the field … so I think the Liberals should be proud and they should be really optimistic about our chances of the next election.
Hume also pointed to the fact the Liberals’ primary vote was the highest in a decade.
I want to make sure that we not overcook it here, there’s work to be done but at this stage in the electoral cycle, I think that we can take this as a very positive sign.
(More to come on this in the next blog posts)
Daniel Hurst
‘Immigration is too high’: Tehan
David Speers presses the point:
Surely you can tell me whether you want a bigger or smaller Australia?
Dan Tehan replies:
Well, what I can tell you is, immigration is too high in this nation. 1.6 million over four years is too high.* There is no plan to what’s occurring with immigration. We think that that number is far too high and we will announce our policy in the lead up to the election.
* Let’s pause to add some context. The government has not set this figure as a target or goal. Last year’s budget outlined forecasts for “net overseas migration” and the Coalition has added up the figures for each of the next four years.
But last year’s budget papers explained that these figures are part of a post-pandemic catch-up and are driven by “a rapid recovery in the stock of international students, skilled temporary visa holders and working holidaymakers”. At the same time, the budget says, “very low temporary migrant arrivals during the pandemic now means fewer departures – those who did not arrive cannot now leave”:
It will take more time for departures to return to normal because of the low arrivals during the pandemic. As such, the elevated forecast for net overseas migration in 2023–24 is largely driven by fewer temporary migrants departing Australia than usual, rather than a greater number of people arriving.
Coalition’s Tehan calls for reduced intake of international students
Daniel Hurst
On immigration policy, the shadow immigration minister, Dan Tehan, tells David Speers:
The intake of foreign students does need to be reduced, absolutely.
But Tehan won’t say to what level the intake should be reduced – he says the government is also trying to reduce the student intake:
Well, we’ve got to wait and see.
Obviously there’s a lot of conditions that you’ve got to look at, there are a lot of policies the Labor party have now in a very kneejerk reaction put in place – we have got to see what happens there but David, I guarantee you, one thing can I guarantee your viewers, there will be an immigration policy that will be announced before the next election and it will be very different to Labor’s immigration policy.
The interview quickly turns to farce:
Q: Do you want a bigger or a smaller population?
What I’ve said is we don’t want Labor’s big Australia. Labor are pursuing a big Australia.
Q: So you want a smaller population?
What we want is a better Australia. We will announce what our better Australia will look like in the lead-up to the election.
Daniel Hurst
Liberals well positioned to win back Victorian seats: Tehan
Asked by David Speers whether the Dunkley byelection sent a message to the Liberals that “you need to win seats in Victoria and you’re still not”, Dan Tehan says his party is well positioned to win back the Victorian seats of McEwen and Aston.
Tehan says “of course” the Coalition needs to release policy alternatives, but he endorses what Anthony Albanese previously said when he was opposition leader about the need to be “kicking with the wind in the last quarter” (ie pace yourself).
Tehan:
If we can keep taking the attack up to the government, keep unified, like we are, roll out policies between now and the next general election, we will be very, very competitive.
When will the policies be announced?
You will see them in the lead-up to the election.
Daniel Hurst
‘We’re back’: Liberal MP Dan Tehan on Dunkley byelection result despite loss
The shadow immigration minister, Dan Tehan, is the guest on ABC’s Insiders program this morning. Tehan, a Liberal, represents a Victorian seat. First up, he is asked about the Dunkley byelection result. He thinks the feeling among the Victorian Liberal party is “we’re back”.
Even though the Liberal party failed to win the seat, Tehan argues the swing shows the party can make inroads in Victoria at the next federal election. (Others have pointed out that the Greens primary vote dropped 4% and there was an absence of One Nation and United Australia party candidates, who won 8% at the 2022 poll.)
Tehan says of the swing to the Liberals:
That is sending Anthony Albanese a message. If he doesn’t think that, and he still wants to go to Katy Perry and Taylor Swift concerts and wants to continue to travel overseas constantly, get his republic minister to start laying the ground work for a republic referendum, well then he can go for it. Well, it won’t worry us.
Daniel Hurst
Dunkley result a ‘very positive sign’: Jane Hume
The Victorian Liberal senator Jane Hume, who is the shadow finance minister, told Sky News that despite the loss in the byelection, it was “the best primary vote that we’ve seen in about a decade in Dunkley”. Hume said:
This is a very positive result for us. Now, I want to make sure that we don’t overcook it here, there’s work to be done, but at this stage in this electoral cycle that we can take this as a very positive sign.
Asked whether Peter Dutton could seats in Victoria at the next federal election, she said: “I actually thought that Peter Dutton was really well received in Dunkley.”
Hume was dismissive when asked whether she was comfortable with the controversial tweet by the deputy Liberal leader, Sussan Ley, to vote against Labor “if you live in Frankston and you’ve got a problem with Victorian women being assaulted by foreign criminals”. (Read this story for details on Victoria police dropping charges against a former detainee on Thursday afternoon.)
Hume said:
I’ll be honest with you – the only people who have been talking about that tweet are either journalists or Labor staffers. I didn’t hear anybody talking about it on the booths yesterday.
Voters’ focus is on cost of living, Jason Clare says
Daniel Hurst
The federal education minister, Jason Clare, spoke to Sky News this morning about Labor’s victory in the Dunkley byelection, and continued to add to expectations of a further cost of living package in the May budget.
Clare said the result showed people were “not interested in political campaigns” but wanted to know what the government could do to help them with the cost of living:
I guess I hesitate to draw too many conclusions out of a byelection, but we did see the Greens vote go down, One Nation and Palmer weren’t in the field [this time] and that contributed to the Libs’ primary vote going up.
But the big issue for all Aussies, whether they’re in Dunkley or right around the country, is the cost of living. That’s what’s on everybody’s mind, whether they’re paying bills at the supermarket or paying down their mortgage. The tax cuts will help with that, inflation going down will help with that, wages going up will help with that.
We’re very conscious that that’s the big issue that Aussies face right now.
Good morning
Welcome to another Sunday live blog.
Peter Dutton’s Liberal party won a modest swing in the Dunkley byelection on Saturday night but fell short as Labor’s Jodie Belyea triumphed in the seat vacated by the death of the popular local MP Peta Murphy.
Sydney Mardi Gras celebrations continue as clean-up begins after Saturday night’s parade. Revellers made space to honour the memories of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies, who were allegedly murdered less than two weeks ago, as the parade passed near an inner-city home that has become a memorial.
And Jeremy Rockliff’s Tasmania Liberals have promised to upgrade state hospitals, as the party formally launches its election campaign.
We’ll be bringing you live news updates throughout the day – stay tuned.