Rockliff says he expects crossbenchers will allow Liberals to form government
Jeremy Rockliff says he’s reached out to potential collaborators in the crossbench today.
Rockliff:
My view is that the crossbench, in the cold, hard light of day, will recognise the party – being the Liberal party – with the most number of seats are able to, of course, form a cabinet and they recognise that over the course of the last 16 months, since the March 2024 election, that I have reached across the chamber, I have listened – yes, I’ve learnt a lot as well of course – and my resolve to working collaboratively with crossbenchers has only been enhanced and strengthened by my experience over the course of the last 12 months.
He says he’s had “good conversations” with independent Craig Garland and spoken to Peter George. He says he’s “reached out” to Kristie Johnson and to Carlo Di Falco from the Shooters and Fishers party.
Key events
Why Mildura is demanding its moment in the sun
The banks of the Murray are sandy and broad as they wind around the city of Mildura in Victoria’s far north-west. They are beloved by locals and visitors – and were also the feature of a recent, much maligned tourism campaign, fronted by actor Shane Jacobson and surf life-savers, likening the inland river city to the far north Queensland coast.
The $390,000 campaign, which bills Mildura as “tropical north Victoria”, has been widely panned by locals since it launched a year ago. But it’s not the first time the city has taken the loud and brash approach to putting itself on the cultural map in the last few years. American rock band Kings of Leon played there in 2022, then earlier this year, Lenny Kravitz announced he would take in the Murray on his national tour.
So what’s going on in Mildura? Why is it trying so hard to grab the nation’s attention – and is it working?
Read the full story:
Hikers rescued in Tasmania after being stranded overnight by heavy snowfall
A family of six hikers, including three children, were rescued from a Tasmanian national park on Sunday morning after being stranded overnight due to heavy snowfall and taking shelter in a hut.
Tasmanian police said they received a distress call from the family shortly after 4.30pm on Saturday, after snow meant they could no longer access the walking track.
Search coordinator Callum Herbert said the hikers were advised to return to a nearby hut and wait for a rescue crew. Rescuers were dispatched on foot due to extreme weather conditions preventing helicopter access to the area.
Herbert said:
The rescue team reached the walkers at the hut shortly before midnight, finding them all safe, but cold and wet.
Given their condition and the hazardous environment, including strong winds and nearly one foot of snow, we determined it was unsafe to walk them out during the night.
Medical assistance, food and sleeping bags were provided overnight to ensure everyone could remain safely sheltered.
The helicopter was sent in once conditions allowed this morning, and the group was safely returned to the visitor centre about 10.30am.
Jeremy Rockliff is asked what he would do differently to ensure he can collaborate with the crossbench, given the crossbench supported the vote of no confidence that forced the election.
Rockliff says:
We are here because Dean Winter forced an election … I work with the crossbench and there are a number of crossbenchers that actually did not support the very personalised no-confidence motion … and a number that did. And you know, Mr Garland has said he would approach things a little differently. So I’m looking forward to working with the crossbench, whoever is elected, in a very mature, measured, of course, a good, engaging way because Tasmanians expect this parliament to provide four years of certainty, stability, and that’s exactly why I’m committed to getting on with the job.
Voters would ‘look very poorly’ on Labor if it formed government with Greens, Rockliff says
As we reported earlier, the Tasmanian Labor party has said it will not do a deal with the Greens to form government. Rockliff avoids directly answering a question about whether he would consider a Labor government illegitimate, but he says:
I would believe that, you know, Tasmanians would look very poorly on, on a premier that made key commitments not to do any deals with the Greens and reneged on that deal and that commitment.
And I think and I believe very strongly that with the lowest primary vote for over a century, no increase in seats – but also a government that has increased its vote in terms of the Liberal party, with at least the same number of seats. And as [Dean] Winter said, he will give me the opportunity first to form government. And that’s exactly what I intend to do.
Rockliff says MPs should not ‘hold parliament to ransom’
Asked about how he was going to work with independents or other members of parliament with differing positions on very strongly felt environmental issues like salmon farming and logging, Jeremy Rockliff doubles down on his support for mining and the salmon industry.
He says:
I will never resile from the fact that I support our traditional industries when it comes to our mining industry, of course, our salmon industry, farmers, foresters in an on a very sustainable basis. The Labor party also, I would hope, would stick to their commitments they made to those key sectors as well.
Again, not every single member of parliament can have 100% of what they want, 100% of the time. And Tasmanians would look very poorly on any individual member of parliament, whether that be in a political party or not, that held the parliament to ransom.
We need to listen to everyone’s views and have a very sensible conversation in a very measured way about exactly the key policies that Tasmanians and key areas that Tasmanians care about.
Rockliff says election shows ‘resounding’ support for AFL stadium
In response to a question about how he now sees the issue of the Tasmanian AFL team playing out, Rockliff claims two-thirds of Tasmanians voted for pro-Devils and pro-stadium candidates.
Rockliff continues:
That is resounding. We’ve always made it very clear our position when it comes to the stadium, the Devils, but also the economic flow-on benefits from such infrastructure investment, and two-thirds of Tasmanians voted, if you like, yes stadium and yes team. And so again, we need to get on with the job.
Rockliff says he expects crossbenchers will allow Liberals to form government
Jeremy Rockliff says he’s reached out to potential collaborators in the crossbench today.
Rockliff:
My view is that the crossbench, in the cold, hard light of day, will recognise the party – being the Liberal party – with the most number of seats are able to, of course, form a cabinet and they recognise that over the course of the last 16 months, since the March 2024 election, that I have reached across the chamber, I have listened – yes, I’ve learnt a lot as well of course – and my resolve to working collaboratively with crossbenchers has only been enhanced and strengthened by my experience over the course of the last 12 months.
He says he’s had “good conversations” with independent Craig Garland and spoken to Peter George. He says he’s “reached out” to Kristie Johnson and to Carlo Di Falco from the Shooters and Fishers party.
Rockliff says election shows Tasmanians ‘expect parliament to last four years’
The Tasmanian Liberal leader and incumbent premier, Jeremy Rockcliff, is speaking in Tasmania, reiterating that he intends to go to the governor and seek the recommissioning of the Liberal government.
Rockliff says:
What Tasmanians clearly voted for yesterday was an end to the political games. They expect a parliament to work together and they expect the parliament to last four years. That is my commitment as premier, to ensure that we have a four-year parliament to provide that certainty and stability for the Tasmanian people – a strengthened team of an already strong team with people such as Gavin Pearce and Bridget Archer joining our team as well. So thank you to Tasmanians.
Sarah Basford Canales
Coalition flags more ‘sensitive’ approach to international students
The Coalition has walked away from its call for Australia to slash 80,000 international students from higher education institutions, with the opposition’s education spokesperson promising a more “sensitive” approach after the party’s crushing election defeat in May.
During the federal election campaign, the then opposition leader, Peter Dutton, claimed that cutting foreign student numbers would free up more housing and rental opportunities. Dutton said students were “taking up accommodation that should be occupied by Australian citizens”.
The approach was heavily criticised by the university sector and described by tertiary bodies as “isolationist” and akin to the “Donald Trump anti-migration card”.
Jonathon Duniam on Sunday conceded the policy under Dutton wasn’t “as constructive as it could have otherwise been” as the Coalition continued to review its platform.
Read more on this story:
Ben Smee
Four killed in two-vehicle accident in central Queensland
Four people have been killed in a traffic crash in the Queensland central highlands, between the remote coal mining towns of Comet and Blackwater.
Police say all four died at the scene of the two-vehicle accident, which has closed the Capricorn Highway in both directions. It is expected to remain closed “for some time”.
Two more people were taken to Emerald, where they are being treated in hospital for serious injuries.
Tasmanian Labor leader maintains he won’t do deal with Greens to form government
Ben Smee
The Tasmanian opposition leader, Dean Winter, says his party won’t do any deal with the Greens, as the state’s political leaders pick over the carcass of Saturday’s election.
The poll, brought on after a no-confidence motion in the premier, Jeremy Rockliff, appears to have barely shifted the status quo.
The Liberals remain the party with the most seats, and saw a small swing, but will probably have to govern in a minority.
Labor does not appear able to form government without the support of the Greens and others on a large crossbench.
Winter spoke to reporters this afternoon and, while he hasn’t ruled out attempting to form government, he maintained the position that Labor would not make concessions to the Greens.
Winter said:
What I do want to reiterate is that Tasmanian Labor will not do deals with the Greens.
I repeated that hundreds of times during the election campaign, and I will not change that. Tasmanian Labor believes in Tasmania. Labor believes in jobs safe, secure, well-paid jobs, and we support traditional industries that have been supporting Tasmanian regional communities.
I’ve already been speaking to the business community this morning to reassure them that Tasmanian Labor won’t be changing from our support for those things, but we will seek to collaborate better with the crossbench, where we can find common interests that Tasmanians want to see.
Tasmanians want to see their parliamentarians behaving maturely like adults and working together towards a Tasmania that’s better.
Contact tracing under way after man diagnosed with rare mpox strain in Queensland hospital
Queensland health authorities fear the number of hospital staff potentially exposed to a rare strain of mpox could grow, after the condition was detected in an overseas traveller, Australian Associated Press reports.
At least 19 community members and 40 staff at a hospital have been exposed to the man, who recently returned to Australia from Africa.
The patient was diagnosed with a rare strain of Clade 1 mpox after he presented to Logan hospital, south of Brisbane.
He was not contagious during his journey to Australia, health officials say.
“Those close contacts that he has been in contact, including at the emergency ward and in other locations, are being contact traced right now and identified at this stage,” health minister Tim Nicholls said on Sunday.
“At the moment his family are asymptomatic, that is, they’re not showing any signs of the Clade 1 mpox, but they are isolating.”
The man’s family includes children at high school, primary school and childcare centres and those institutions are being identified, Mr Nicholls said.
Health officials do not expect the number of community contacts to increase, but the number of hospital contacts could grow.
Mpox is a viral infection that typically displays mild symptoms of fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes or fatigue, followed by a skin rash or lesions.
“The contagion window we define as being four days before the onset of symptoms, until after the skin lesions have crusted over,” Dr Geoffrey Playford from Metro South Hospital Service said.
There have been 135 cases of Clade 2 mpox in Queensland over the past year.
Only once before has Clade 1 been detected in Australia, after a returning traveller tested positive for the virus in NSW in May.
Luca Ittimani
Banks cutting interest rates for deposits faster than the RBA’s official cash rate
Leading banks are racing to cut interest rates offered to savers, despite the Reserve Bank leaving the official cash rate on hold this month, as households flood banks with deposits.
Major lenders have cut the rates offered to savers faster than the RBA has cut its own key interest rate since the start of 2024 – narrowing returns paid to customers and boosting bank profits.
Rates have fallen further for standard or online accounts, which have no conditions, though conditional bonus account rates are also sliding as banks cut their losses. Only four banks are now offering widely accessible accounts with interest rates of 5% or more, Canstar’s database shows.
The slide is a sign banks are taking advantage of Australians’ high demand for savings accounts instead of competing for deposits, a Canstar analyst says.
Read the full story here:
Queensland police detail rescue of ducklings from Brisbane storm drain
Queensland police rescued eight ducklings from a storm water drain while conducting routine patrols near an inner-city busway on Tuesday, AAP reports.
The duckling rescue occurred after two constables spotted a baby duck on the road at Spring Hill before chirping led them to a drain which contained eight other baby ducks.
The ducklings were retrieved and placed into a Woolworths cold bag, before being taken to the RSPCA to recover.
The duckling rescue, and Queensland police’s press release about it, comes just days after the acting commissioner, Shane Chelepy, said “social issues” including domestic violence case management and mental health response were not the “core business” of policing.
You can read more about Chelepy’s comments here:
Man dies in police custody in Victoria
A man has died after being taken into police custody overnight in Gippsland in Victoria’s east.
Police attended a home in Traralgon, a regional city in Latrobe Valley, about 12.50am on Sunday after reports of a man behaving erratically, Victoria police said in a statement.
Police attended and arrested a man out the front of his residence.
Shortly after being taken into custody, he became non-responsive.
Despite the best efforts of emergency services to revive the man, he died at the scene.
The exact circumstances surrounding the man’s death are yet to be determined.
The homicide squad will investigate the death with oversight from the professional standards command, police said.
