Jay Weatherill to lead Victorian childcare review
Benita Kolovos
Former South Australian premier Jay Weatherill and senior bureaucrat Pamela White have been appointed by the Victorian government to lead its review into early childcare safety.
The premier Jacinta Allan on Thursday issued a statement confirming the appointments.
Weatherill currently serves as executive director of democracy at the Susan McKinnon Foundation and previously led the Minderoo Foundation’s Thrive by Five early learning reform campaign.
White has held senior roles across the Victoria Public Service for three decades, including in child protection, disability, housing, youth justice, emergency management and education. She currently chairs the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority and serves on the CFA Board.
Allan says the “short and sharp review” will report back by 15 August and the government will adopt every recommendation and implement them as quickly as possible.
Key events
Circling back to O’Neil, she was also asked about reform to the childcare sector following allegations of sexual abuse by a worker in Melbourne.
O’Neil said as a parent in Victoria, this was a “huge thing” that had happened to the community.
We have got parents around Melbourne at the moment who are having to have conversations with their children, young children, that no parent should have, and I want to acknowledge this is causing huge pain for people around us.
We need child care to be affordable for Australian families but that should never take away from our ultimate obligation to provide safe environments for the most vulnerable people in the community … A lot will have to change at the state level and Commonwealth level.
Asked about a national watchdog, as had been proposed by the Greens, O’Neil said a number of positive reforms had been raised, including a national register of childcare workers and tightened working with children checks.
When I saw the reporting of this, my first reaction was not of as a parliamentarian. My first reaction was as a parent, with a 3-year-old daughter who uses the system every day.
Petra Stock
Transport disruptions continue as the weather eases in NSW
Boaters were urged to keep off the water over coming days, as dangerous swells, strong winds and debris continued to create hazardous conditions.
People travelling on the roads or public transport were also advised to check conditions and allow extra travel time, according to Transport for New South Wales.
Buses continued to replace trains on the Central Coast and Newcastle line due to overhead wiring repairs at Dora Creek, after an incident on Tuesday where high voltage wires came down on a passenger and freight train.
Virgin Australia said flight schedules continued to be affected by the weather conditions, with several cancellations on Thursday morning.
Jay Weatherill to lead Victorian childcare review
Benita Kolovos
Former South Australian premier Jay Weatherill and senior bureaucrat Pamela White have been appointed by the Victorian government to lead its review into early childcare safety.
The premier Jacinta Allan on Thursday issued a statement confirming the appointments.
Weatherill currently serves as executive director of democracy at the Susan McKinnon Foundation and previously led the Minderoo Foundation’s Thrive by Five early learning reform campaign.
White has held senior roles across the Victoria Public Service for three decades, including in child protection, disability, housing, youth justice, emergency management and education. She currently chairs the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority and serves on the CFA Board.
Allan says the “short and sharp review” will report back by 15 August and the government will adopt every recommendation and implement them as quickly as possible.
Clare O’Neil says increase in proportion of social housing to 6% an ‘aspiration’
Turning to social housing, O’Neil was asked about recommendations for our proportion of social housing to increase from 4% to 6% in order to alleviate housing stress.
She said it wasn’t a target that had been adopted, but it was “definitely an aspiration”.
We are building 55,000 social and affordable homes over a five-year period; in the nine years a Coalition government were in power, they built 373. I’m not pointing the finger, I’m just giving you the contrast.
The biggest shortages are in the social and affordable space … when you are walking around seeing the visible increase in the homeless population, that reflects that we do not have social and affordable housing for people.
Asked if the housing crisis was putting people off having children, O’Neil replied: “Absolutely”.
This crisis has been building since the 1980s … we don’t need the view of the housing minister, we have the voice of Australians, many of whom are telling us they are delaying having children, not going into jobs that are suitable for them, not undertaking further study because they can’t do it because they need to save for a home … we have got to build more homes more quickly, that is a big, complex task that will be my focus of the coming three years.
Federal minister for housing to target ‘crazy thicket of red tape’
Clare O’Neil, says tackling the “crazy thicket of red tape” facing builders will be crucial to meet the government’s target to build 1.2m homes by 2029. It is equivalent to 250,000 new homes a year.
O’Neil said it was a “hugely bold and ambitious target”, but that was what was needed.
This target is designed to galvanise change around the country at state, local and federal level to help us build more capacity in our construction sector.
She said the housing crisis came back to something “quite simple”:
We need to change the capacity of all builders out there to construct homes. I’m really clear, it has become too hard to build housing our country.
I want builders on building sites building homes, not sitting in the office, dealing with endless forms. There are three things we need to do to address this. You have got to tackle this crazy thicket of red tape faced by builders when they are trying to put up homes, we’ve got to address issues with innovation in the sector, and make sure that we build a workforce that we need.
No Australians believed to be involved in Bali ferry disaster
No Australians were believed to be onboard a ferry that sank on its way to the Indonesian resort island of Bali.
In a statement, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said the Australian government expressed its “sincere condolences to those impacted by the ferry accident in the Bali Strait”.
The Consulate-General in Bali is receiving regular updates. We will continue to monitor the situation closely.
Australians in need of emergency consular assistance should contact the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on 1300 555 135, or +61 2 6261 3305 (if calling from overseas).
Four people had died, 31 had been rescued and 30 were missing as of Thursday afternoon. The boat was carrying 53 passengers and 12 crew members, as well as 22 vehicles.
Mr Squiggle celebrated at National Museum
One of Australia’s most beloved television characters, the pencil-nosed blue-haired puppet Mr Squiggle, is being celebrated with an exhibition at the National Museum.
Mr Squiggle and Friends was the life’s work of multi-talented puppeteer Norman Hetherington and was on television for four decades, with the program’s final episode airing on 9 July 1999.
As the voice and operator of the Mr Squiggle puppet, he completed more than 10,000 drawings during that time – many of them upside down, and with his friend Blackboard telling him to “Hurry up!”.
The museum acquired the Hetherington collection in 2024, including more than 800 objects, such as scripts, props and production notes.
About 300 of those are going on show at the museum in Canberra and Mr Squiggle’s friends Blackboard, Rocket, Bill the Steam Shovel and Gus the Snail will be on display too.
AAP
New South Wales SES responds to over 6,000 calls during wild weather
The NSW State Emergency Service (SES) has responded to 6,135 calls and 10 flood rescues and more than 4,000 incidents.
There have been 471 incidents in the 24 hours to 2.30pm.
NSW SES deputy commissioner Debbie Platz said the focus today has been on clean up and damage assessments, particularly along the NSW South Coast, as severe weather conditions eased across the state.
Our volunteers and emergency service partners have been kept incredibly busy responding to a large number of fallen trees, downed power lines, damaged properties and vehicles, as well as flood-related tasks. Overnight we’ve seen the easing of weather conditions, which has led to all emergency warnings being downgraded, including at the Central Coast, Burrill Lake and Lake Conjola.
Despite the easing conditions, Platz warned there may still be hazards about in affected areas.
We’ve seen a huge number of trees and power lines come down during this event, and there has been damage to property. We ask the community to remain vigilant and take care in storm impacted areas.
More than 2,000 NSW SES volunteers and emergency service partners have been involved in the response. Three storm teams have also deployed from the ACT SES to assist affected communities.
Parent advocacy group backs Greens on early childhood commission
The Parenthood have come out in support for a national, independent early childhood commission to lead early childhood education and care reform and enforce nationally consistent standards.
Georgie Dent, CEO of The Parenthood, said national oversight was “urgently needed” to protect children and ensure quality care.
Right now, there’s no clear way to ensure early learning services across Australia meet minimum safety and quality standards.
Our national quality framework is world-leading – but if those minimum requirements are not being implemented and enforced, it doesn’t count. An independent Early Childhood Commission would help to fill this role.
Dent said the body had been recommended by the Productivity Commission’s landmark review into the sector and would provide “national leadership and coordination”.
It would oversee safety, quality, access, workforce and funding. It would ensure that public money is used well, that children are protected, and that services are accountable for the care they provide.
At the moment, it is possible for services that do not meet the minimum quality standards to continue to operate, using taxpayer funding through the childcare subsidy. This is unacceptable.
We need an independent body to oversee safety, quality, access, workforce and funding in early childhood education. Keeping children safe should never be a partisan issue – it’s a national responsibility that demands leadership, accountability and action from every level of government.
Dual-cab utes reign supreme in Australia as sedan and hatchback sales fall off
Dual-cab utes are driving Australia’s automotive market, representing the top four bestselling vehicles in the country and one in every four new models sold.
The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries revealed the trends in sales figures on Thursday, which showed motorists bought more than 120,000 vehicles to recover from a sales slump earlier in 2025.
Electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles also continued to climb in popularity during the month, although sales of passenger cars, such as sedans and hatchbacks, fell again.
While regularly ranking highly among Australia’s bestsellers, utes claimed all four top places in June, with the Ford Ranger in pole position with more than 6,200 sales.
The Toyota HiLux, Isuzu D-Max and BYD Shark 6 utes filled the other top spots, which chamber chief executive, Tony Weber, said highlighted the enduring popularity of the workhorse vehicles.
The figures also revealed a spike in popularity for BYD’s Shark 6 plug-in hybrid electric ute, which was snapped up by almost 3,000 motorists, more than double its sales in May. The boost lifted BYD to become Australia’s fifth bestselling vehicle brand during June, surpassing longtime electric rival Tesla that ranked in tenth place.
– AAP.
Learner motorcycle rider caught allegedly travelling 80km/h above speed limit
In Tasmania, a 17-year-old learner motorcycle rider will appear in court and has had his bike seized after he was intercepted allegedly travelling 80km/h above the speed limit at Turners Beach on the north coast of the state yesterday.
About 3.40pm on Wednesday, police detected a Honda motorcycle allegedly travelling at 160km/h on the Bass Highway. The rider, a 17-year-old learner, was intercepted.
Police allege he was not displaying an L Plate, had an unroadworthy tyre on his bike, and was exceeding the maximum speed limit on his licence which was 80km/h.
Calls for federal paid placement scheme to include students working across allied health
The Health Services Union (HSU) is calling on the federal government to extend its new paid placements to students working across allied health, not just in key industries.
The payment, which came into effect on 1 July, offers $331 a week to eligible teaching, nursing, midwifery and social work students undertaking a mandatory placement.
Aside from social workers, all allied health students are excluded from the scheme, including occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech pathologists, podiatrists, pharmacists, radiation therapists and psychologists.
HSU national secretary, Lloyd Williams, said the payments would make a “huge difference” to thousands of students but “it makes no sense that the critical professions that fall under allied health are excluded”.
Leaving allied health behind has a major gender impact because it is a feminised workforce. For example, 98% of speech pathologists are women. Some students are travelling hours from home and are forced to pay accommodation and other costs just to complete their mandatory placement with no financial help whatsoever.
Often they’re completing thousands of hours of placements and taking time off their casual jobs without receiving a cent to help them keep their heads above water. We risk turning a workforce crisis into a catastrophe if we don’t break down barriers to study like placement poverty.
Greens to propose independent early childhood education and care watchdog
The Greens say new early childhood education and care safety measures announced by state and federal governments this week are not sufficient to keep children safe and a national, independent watchdog is required.
The independent commission was first proposed by the Greens in April after allegations of malpractice in the sector by Four Corners. It was costed at $1.5bn over the forward estimates.
The Greens spokesperson for early childhood education and care, Senator Steph Hodgins-May, will raise the watchdog when parliament resumes in just over a fortnight.
Earlier this week, the Greens called for a royal commission into the safety and quality of early childhood education and care, but were dismissed by the federal government who said there had already been a commission into child abuse.
Hodgins-May said an independent watchdog would “enforce quality standards, act swiftly on safety breaches, and drive a shift toward universal, high-quality care – not just retrospective patch-ups”.
Families are feeling anxious and are counting on us to act now. Reactive Band-Aid solutions won’t keep children safe or move us towards the child-centred system we need for the future.
Federal funding confirmed for Queensland venues, including new stadium
Andrew Messenger
The federal government will financially back the Queensland government’s new Victoria Park stadium plan.
Federal infrastructure minister Catherine King made the announcement after appearing as a self-described “surprise addition” at a Queensland Media Club event on Thursday, with the deputy premier, Jarrod Bleijie. The event was advertised as giving an update on plans for the games.
King said:
An agreement with Queensland will see both governments work together to deliver 16 new and upgraded venues across the state and a new Brisbane Stadium at Victoria Park. For us, it is about ensuring that when we hand the keys back after the closing ceremony, Queensland has the infrastructure it needs to build on this incredible legacy.
In another surprise, King and Bleijie signed a new funding agreement on the games at the event.
It means the federal government will shift funding from the Brisbane Live Arena to the stadium. King announced that the venue would host both opening and closing ceremonies.
Jordyn Beazley
Calls for Minns to repeal protest laws in wake of Hannah Thomas’ injury
A collective of human rights groups and a union have alleged that NSW police misused their power when attempting to move protesters on before Hannah Thomas was seriously injured.
Thomas, 35, a former Greens candidate who ran against the prime minister at the federal election, was arrested at a pro-Palestine protest in Belmore – which was attended by about 60 people on Friday – and was charged by police with resisting arrest and failing to comply with a direction to disperse.
She was subsequently taken to hospital and underwent surgery and expressed fears she could lose sight in her right eye after an interaction with police.
The letter, signed by the NSW Branch of the Australian Services Union, Amnesty International, Australian Democracy Network and the Jewish Council of Australia, said:
Reports from independent legal observers indicate that police gave move-on orders to individuals walking on the footpath near the intended protest site, on the basis of the protest being ‘unauthorised’. The Law Enforcement (Powers and Responsibilities) Act 2002 (NSW) does not allow police to move individuals participating in a public assembly on for this reason.
Further, reports indicate that police may have used the recently introduced places of worship move on powers in the Crimes Amendment (Places of Worship) Act 2025… in relation to one person on the basis of a place of worship being located near the protest site, despite the protest not being targeted towards this place of worship or impeding access to it.
The group urged the NSW premier, Chris Minns, to repeal the new laws that restrict protests near places of worship in the wake of Hannah Thomas’ injury. They said the incident reinvigorated concerns “the new move on powers were overly broad, ill defined, and would be used, not to protect worshippers, but to shut down peaceful assemblies and democratic expression”.
The places of worship move on powers must be either urgently amended to ensure they cannot be misused, or repealed.
NSW police have said after a preliminary review of body-worn video of her arrest that there was no information to indicate misconduct. Police have launched a critical investigation into the incident which will be overseen by the independent police watchdog.
