Caravan plot inquiry chair says body will seek warrants for staffers to be arrested
Jordyn Beazley
The committee for the inquiry into the NSW government’s handling of information about the caravan “fake terrorism plot” has agreed to seek arrest warrants for five Minns government staffers in a bid to force them to appear before an inquiry.
Earlier today, three of premier Chris Minns staffers and two of police minister Yasmin Catley’s staffers were due to appear before the inquiry. But they did not appear, despite a summons for them to do so. Given they are not members of parliament, declining to appear before a committee after being summoned can risk arrest.
Independent MP Rod Roberts, who chairs the committee, has confirmed that the committee has agreed to seek warrants for the staffers to be arrested, and then escorted to appear at the inquiry. However, it’s not yet clear on how likely the warrant will be approved.
Roberts will meet with the president of the legislative council, Nationals MP Ben Franklin, to present the case for why he thinks arrest warrants should be sought.
If Franklin agrees, he will then need to present the case to the NSW supreme court who will have the final say.
The staffers that were summoned to appear include: Chris Minns chief of staff James Cullen, and two of his deputy chiefs of staff, Edward Ovadia and Sarah Michael.
Police minister Yasmin Catley’s chief of staff, Ross Neilson, had also been summoned, and so had her deputy chief of staff, Tilly South.
Key events
Josh Butler
Canavan flags review of Nationals position on net zero
Matt Canavan says he has been tasked to review the Nationals’ position on net zero, and will involve the public in a process because “Australians deserve their say” on the climate and energy policy.
It comes as the Nationals at state and federal level reevaluate or seek to dump the policy. The party’s leader, David Littleproud, had previously said the net zero commitment from the Nationals would be reviewed.
Canavan, the Nationals senator from Queensland, tweeted this afternoon: “I have been asked by the Nationals party room to help measure the REAL cost of net zero.”
While the details of this are still being worked out, I welcome your input in coming months on what you think about net zero. We will have various ways that you can be involved, so watch this space!
He shared a screenshot of an article from the Australian Financial Review which reported fellow Nationals senator Ross Cadell was also on the internal party subcommittee and others may also join.
“For too long, we have shot first and asked questions later on net zero. The Australian people never got to vote on net zero. That needs to change. Australians deserve their say,” Canavan wrote.
It comes after weeks of some in the Nationals seeking to walk back the net zero commitment. As previously reported, the NSW branch had voted to dump net zero, as has the Country Liberal party in the Northern Territory.
Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce has been regularly posting on Facebook in opposition to net zero, writing just this afternoon:
The problem you all have as taxpayers is you have not been told what the total amount of the subsidies are you have now paid, the fruits of which are butchering the Australian power grid.
Martin Pegan
Former Neighbours actor asks to be spared conviction for alleged Nazi salute
The former Neighbours and McLeod’s Daughters actor Damien Richardson is asking to be spared a criminal conviction for allegedly performing a Nazi salute, AAP reports. Richardson, 55, faced Moorabbin magistrates court in Melbourne on Friday, charged with performing a Nazi salute on 14 September 2024.
Richardson is accused of intentionally performing the salute “whilst knowing that the symbol is associated with Nazi ideology” in a public place at Urban St restaurant in McKinnon, the court was told.
His lawyer, Peter Monagle, said Richardson was preparing material to hand to prosecutors asking he be given a diversion, which would mean he is spared a criminal conviction for the offence. The prosecution must agree to the diversion and then recommend it to a magistrate.
“The issues in dispute are legal,” Monagle told the court. “There was an action performed by my client, but there are provisions in the act that we say cover that, but the prosecution argues doesn’t cover that.”
Richardson, who is on summons, will next face court on 15 July. He starred as Gary Canning in Neighbours from 2014 to 2020, and also appeared in Blue Heelers, McLeod’s Daughters and Wentworth.
19-year-old allegedly stabbed at bus stop outside Wynyard station this morning
A 19-year-old was allegedly stabbed at a Sydney bus stop this morning, with NSW Police appealing to the public for information.
Officers were called to the corner of George and Angel St just before 5:30am after a man was found suffering a stab wound to his abdomen, police said in a statement.
Police rendered first aid until NSW Ambulance paramedics arrived and the man – aged 19 – was taken to St Vincent’s Hospital for further treatment.
A crime scene was established and police are investigating.
The alleged stabbing happened at a bus stop outside Wynyard Station on Carrington St in Sydney’s CBD around 5am, police believe.
Another man was seen in the area at the time of the incident, described as of Mediterranean/Middle Eastern appearance with facial hair, and was last seen wearing a beige-coloured hooded jumper and light-coloured pants.
Police are urging anyone with information about this man to contact Sydney City Police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Rafqa Touma
Thank you to Nick Visser for rolling the day’s blog! I’ll keep you posted from here.
Nick Visser
That’s all for me. Rafqa Touma will take the reins from here. Enjoy the weekend.
Greens say it’s time to ‘actually do what First Nations people have been asking of us’
Greens leader Larissa Waters said earlier today the party welcomed a meeting of the joint council on Closing the Gap, which the Albanese government said would discuss Aboriginal deaths in custody. But Waters said the recent deaths of two men in custody in the NT reflected a lack of progress on the issue, challenging the new parliament to embrace “a real opportunity to take action”.
Waters said in a statement:
If the government is serious about closing the gap in health, education and incarceration rates, it’s time to actually do what First Nations people have been asking of us for decades. Healing starts with telling the truth and the Greens continue to call on the government to take urgent tangible steps towards Truth and Treaty in the 48th parliament.
It’s time to fund real action on closing the gap and properly resource community led solutions, and the Greens are ready to work with Labor to get it done.
Read more here:
Coalition frontbencher Julian Leeser on why a closer alliance with the US is necessary – podcast
In a year shaped by rising global tensions and growing concerns over social cohesion at home, the shadow attorney general, Julian Leeser, presents his views on Australia’s place in the world.
Caitlin Cassidy
Higher education union calls for new laws to address managerial ‘crisis’ facing universities
The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) has called for new legislation to fix a “governance crisis” hitting public universities after the education minister’s intervention into the Australian National University (ANU).
The president of the NTEU, Dr Alison Barnes, said it was a “watershed moment” for the embattled sector. The commonwealth holds special powers over ANU due to its establishment under federal legislation, however other universities were created under state or territory acts.
Barnes said new national and state legislation was “urgently needed” to address managerial failures across other institutions:
The situation at ANU has sparked an unprecedented ministerial intervention. Unfortunately, the problems at ANU are being replicated all around the country.
The ANU branch president of the NTEU, Millan Pintos-Lopez, said “a lot of staff are doing it tough at the ANU and will welcome this development”.
The expert council on university governance, newly established by the federal government to improve governance and performance in the sector, will provide recommendations around the makeup of university boards to education ministers in October.
The ANU was approached for comment.
Education minister intervenes to address crisis unfolding at ANU
Caitlin Cassidy
The education minister, Jason Clare, has launched an “unprecedented” intervention into the leadership of the Australian National University (ANU) by writing to the vice-chancellor and referring governance and management concerns to the higher education regulator.
The move follows continued backlash over the university’s leadership decisions, including an ongoing restructure that would shed more than 600 jobs to make savings of $250m.
In March, more than 800 ANU staff passed a no-confidence motion in the leadership of the vice-chancellor, Prof Genevieve Bell, and the chancellor, Julie Bishop.
Clare said following “significant concerns” raised by Labor colleagues he had written to ANU on 6 June “seeking assurances that they are managing these issues appropriately”. He had also forwarded criticisms raised by independent senator David Pocock to TEQSA.
At a town hall meeting held by Pocock on Wednesday, he accused management of “trashing” the university over its handling of the restructure, including breaching its enterprise agreement, and giving wrong information to the Senate.
The ANU was approached for comment.
Anne Davies
NSW budget unlikely to allocate extra funding for long-promised great koala national park
The long-promised “great koala national park” is not expected to get any additional funding in next week’s New South Wales 2025-26 budget despite being a centrepiece of the state government’s environment policy. The state treasurer, Daniel Mookhey, told Guardian Australia:
When it comes to the great koala national park, people will see that we’re making progress on it. We have put money aside in the last budget [$80m over four years] to allow a bit more than just planning work to be done – what we call the first stage of the park.
Mookhey said when the government was ready to make an announcement about the plan “the budget will reflect that decision”.
In March conservation groups implored the premier, Chris Minns, to declare the full 176,000 hectares to be assessed and included as part of the park in northern NSW to protect it from logging.
Read more here:
Caravan plot inquiry chair says body will seek warrants for staffers to be arrested
Jordyn Beazley
The committee for the inquiry into the NSW government’s handling of information about the caravan “fake terrorism plot” has agreed to seek arrest warrants for five Minns government staffers in a bid to force them to appear before an inquiry.
Earlier today, three of premier Chris Minns staffers and two of police minister Yasmin Catley’s staffers were due to appear before the inquiry. But they did not appear, despite a summons for them to do so. Given they are not members of parliament, declining to appear before a committee after being summoned can risk arrest.
Independent MP Rod Roberts, who chairs the committee, has confirmed that the committee has agreed to seek warrants for the staffers to be arrested, and then escorted to appear at the inquiry. However, it’s not yet clear on how likely the warrant will be approved.
Roberts will meet with the president of the legislative council, Nationals MP Ben Franklin, to present the case for why he thinks arrest warrants should be sought.
If Franklin agrees, he will then need to present the case to the NSW supreme court who will have the final say.
The staffers that were summoned to appear include: Chris Minns chief of staff James Cullen, and two of his deputy chiefs of staff, Edward Ovadia and Sarah Michael.
Police minister Yasmin Catley’s chief of staff, Ross Neilson, had also been summoned, and so had her deputy chief of staff, Tilly South.
Amanda Meade
Chalmers pays tribute to ABC’s Peter Ryan after 45 years in journalism
Treasurer Jim Chalmers paid tribute to ABC senior business correspondent Peter Ryan, who is retiring today after 45 years in journalism, 35 of them at the ABC. Chalmers said:
Peter Ryan is an absolute legend. Every day as you wake up and you think about what’s happening in the economy, if you only needed to listen to one voice to be sure that you got its essential elements, it would be Peter’s.
ABC news director Justin Stevens said Ryan has metastatic thyroid cancer and is moving to palliative care and focusing on his wife, Mary Cotter, and daughter Charlotte.
Recognised with the Order of Australia medal in 2022, Ryan has reported for flagship radio programs AM, The World Today and PM and his roles have included Washington bureau chief, head of TV news and current affairs in Victoria, executive producer of Business Breakfast and founding editor of Lateline Business. Ryan recently gave advice to colleagues:
Work closely with top people – shut up and absorb like a sponge. Maintain a fastidious contact book – some low-profile contacts could soon move into higher powered roles or more importantly work in back rooms where the big decisions are often made.
Show up to work early and prove that you’re ready to take on the big story of the day. Try to have a Plan B in your back pocket just in case your original brilliant idea doesn’t go anywhere and the EP comes walking your way.
Finally: Be kind and caring to people who need it.
Court case of Molly Ticehurst’s accused murderer delayed
The man accused of the domestic violence murder of Molly Ticehurst was due to face court today, only for his case to be delayed for another two months, AAP reports.
Daniel Billings, 30, was due to face Parkes local court charged with the domestic violence murder of Ticehurst. It would have been the first time Billings has appeared since June 2024.
But as Ticehurst’s parents and a large group of relatives and friends watched on from the small public gallery, the court was told Billings would not appear and the matter was adjourned until August.
Ticehurst, a 28-year-old childcare educator, was found dead in her home at Forbes, in the NSW central-west, in the early hours of 22 April 2024. Billings, her former boyfriend, is charged with her domestic violence murder, along with 16 other offences. He was also charged with four counts of stalking and intimidating Ticehurst, destroying her property and aggravated animal cruelty against her 12-week-old dachshund puppy in 2023.
Four more serious charges, including one count of aggravated sexual assault, were laid last December.
Legal documents before the court accused Billings of threatening to cause Ticehurst further physical harm during the alleged aggravated sexual assault.
Billings has not entered pleas. The case returns to court on 15 August.
Rafqa Touma
Sydney Trains working with NSW police after vandalism prompts rail cancellations
Critical cables were cut by vandals at Guildford, suspending all trains between Cabramatta and Granville, a Transport for NSW spokesperson said. Signalling failures were detected in the area around 3am today, the spokesperson said, noting:
Incident response teams were dispatched and found that critical cables had been cut by vandals.
Sydney Trains are working closely with NSW police, who are investigating the matter.
Repair teams are on site, and once the cables are repaired signalling engineers will test the signalling system.
Transport for NSW expect services to be restored for the afternoon peak.
Buses are replacing trains on the T2 Leppington and Inner West and T5 Cumberland lines.
More from McCarthy’s call on states to remove hanging points from Australia’s prisons
The minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy, says she has raised the presence of hanging points in prisons “directly” with her colleagues after a Guardian Australia investigation last week.
In a five-month investigation of 248 hanging deaths spanning two decades, the Guardian found that 57 inmates had died using hanging points that prison authorities and state governments knew about but failed to remove.
The hanging points often remained despite repeated suicides and explicit coronial recommendations that they be removed, in one case allowing 10 hanging deaths from a single ligature point at Brisbane’s Arthur Gorrie prison over 20 years.
Read more from Guardian Australia’s Christopher Knaus and Ariel Bogle here:
