NSW premier promises a fare-free day on Sydney trains
Chris Minns said there would be a fare-free day on Sydney’s train network once industrial bargaining has been concluded.
Taking a question from reporters, he said the priority is to have “a regular, reliable service [so people] can get to and from work [when] the train is expected to be there”.
Part of it has been signal failures. There’s no doubt about it. I’m not blaming the union for that. I’m not blaming industrial action. It was a signal failure. We need to be very clear about when the system doesn’t work, people can’t get home …
We’ve put tens of millions of dollars into a maintenance program. We’re seeing less of it across the system, but it’s a huge pain, massive pain for commuters when it happens.
Key events
Benita Kolovos
Victoriam government’s main concern is repeat offenders – premier
Jacinta Allan also spoke about a Guardian Australia report this morning that showed the government has slashed resources for community crime prevention programs in recent years, with only $12.9m allocated in 2024-25 – a 46% reduction from the previous financial year.
She said the government has given police funding to do prevention work instead, adding that her government’s particular concern was with repeat offenders:
We’ll continue to look at what further preventive measures need to be taken. But right now we have a particular issue with a group of offenders who are engaging in a repeat pattern or behaviour with some of the worst of offences, and that’s what our tough new bail laws are focused on.
Benita Kolovos
Allan reiterates parliament will sit until ‘tough bail bill’ passed
Jacinta Allan also had a crack at the opposition, who is planning to move an amendment in the Victorian upper house today to remove the word “tough” from the government’s “tough bail bill”.
She said this “says it all about the political games that the Liberal party is focused on, not community safety”.
This is a tough bail bill that brings in the toughest bail laws in the country. The question for the Liberal party is: why are they focused on semantics and not outcomes? …
Seriously, focus on the substance of the issue here. Get this bill passed through the parliament. Don’t keep shifting the goalpost. Don’t get out in your liquid paper pen and cross out words. Get up and do the work. Do the hard work. Sit in the parliament, pass the bill. That’s my expectation. That’s the community’s expectation.
She said parliament would continue to sit this week until the bill passes.
Benita Kolovos
West Gate Tunnel cost blowout one that builders ‘need to sort out’ – Allan
Jacinta Allan was also asked about another project – the West Gate Tunnel – which the Herald Sun this morning reported will need an extra $1bn to get finished in time.
According to the report, the builders of the tunnel – which will link the West Gate Freeway to CityLink – have faced soaring costs due to construction price pressures and will request extra funds from Transburban.
Allan said she expected Transurban and its builders to foot the bill for any additional costs.
That sounds like something that the contractors and Transurban need to sort out. We have an agreement signed, a contract signed between the government, Transurban and its contractors, CPB and John Holland. If there are any issues to be worked through, that’s to be worked through by Transurban and its builders, consistent with the contract that has been signed with the government.
Asked if she could guarantee there would be no further blowouts on the project, Allan said:
My expectation is that the project be delivered consistent with that agreement that was signed.
Agreement signed to start building Melbourne airport line
Benita Kolovos
The Victorian and federal governments and the operators of Melbourne airport have this morning signed an agreement to push ahead with the construction of a long-awaited train line.
The federal infrastructure minister, Catherine King, the Victorian transport infrastructure minister, Gabrielle Williams, and Melbourne airport chief executive, Lorie Argus, held a press conference at Tullamarine this morning to mark the agreement, committing to work “collectively, in good faith” to deliver the project
As part of the agreement, a steering committee of senior officials will be set up to progress the works.
It comes after the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, last month announced the federal government will pour additional $2bn into the project, taking its total investment to $7bn in an effort to end delays.
Speaking to reporters outside parliament, the premier, Jacinta Allan, said it’s time all parties work together to get it delivered:
I’ve been incredibly frustrated, as have Victorians, at some of the delays that have been caused because of the lack of agreement to deliver the airport rail. There’s three partners to this project – the federal and state governments, who are the funding partners, and the delivery partners …
We need the cooperation and the support of the airport because, whilst they’re not putting in any funding to the project, we need to work through the arrangements of how to deliver this project within the area that they lease from the federal government.
Krishani Dhanji
Albanese vows to defend PBS against potential US tariffs
The prime minister says the government will defend the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme as US drug companies urge the Trump administration to view the scheme as an “unfair trading practice”.
The US president, Donald Trump, has promised further tariffs and will look at targeting the agriculture, vehicle and pharmaceutical sectors next.
The Labor government has just announced further reductions to medicine costs under the PBS and Anthony Albanese has been spruiking the changes while doing the radio rounds in Queensland, telling Nova Brisbane:
The pharmaceutical benefits agreement was introduced by a Labor government way back with Curtin and Chifley, and we are defending it, and we want to reduce the cost of medicine. The maximum cost will reduce to $25 – now that’s more than a 20% cut.
Those allegedly involved in caravan plot don’t meet threshold of hate speech laws – Minns
Chris Minns said the charges those allegedly associated with the Dural caravan plot are facing “are very serious” but don’t meet the threshold of hate speech laws:
Hate speech laws are serious and they’re ubiquitous in the community, and they need to be confronted. But they’re not the same as allegedly being involved in a plot to sow fear and be responsible for the destruction of property and burning down community facilities. I mean, it’s a different, it’s a different measure. These laws that we introduced are not at that seriousness level.
After a few more questions, the press conference wrapped up.
Minns says Sydney needs ‘way more, way more’ private development
Back at his press conference: Chris Minns says the houses at the proposed Rosehill development would be private, with “a mix of social housing put in there”.
That’s always [been] the idea … which is what Sydney needs. We need more private development in Sydney – way more, way more.
Minns went on to compare the cost of housing in Sydney to Melbourne:
[The] median house price in Sydney is $1.6m; the median house price in Melbourne is $1m. [The difference] between those two figures is the reason why we are considered a city without a future, because we won’t have young people [living here].
North-east Queensland town warned of flooding as river breaks banks
AAP has some more details about the flooding situation in north-east Queensland, as we flagged earlier:
The Lower Herbert River near Halifax rose past the major flood level of 5.5 metres this morning. Emergency services urged nearby residents to move their vehicles to higher ground as the river broke its banks.
For days, persistent showers and storms have been occurring across the Lower Herbert and Tropical Coast, with up to 200mm of rain recorded between Townsville and Innisfail each day.
Ingham, Cardwell and Townsville saw more than 200mm in the last 24 hours while 450mm was recorded at Cardwell Gap, leading to flash flooding.
Other towns like Trebonne recorded 348mm and flood-weary Ingham saw 267mm.
Today will be another rainy day for north-east Queensland with the risk of higher falls during the morning. The Bureau of Meteorology warned the intense downpours could continue into tomorrow, wherever thunderstorms arrive from the ocean.
NSW premier promises a fare-free day on Sydney trains
Chris Minns said there would be a fare-free day on Sydney’s train network once industrial bargaining has been concluded.
Taking a question from reporters, he said the priority is to have “a regular, reliable service [so people] can get to and from work [when] the train is expected to be there”.
Part of it has been signal failures. There’s no doubt about it. I’m not blaming the union for that. I’m not blaming industrial action. It was a signal failure. We need to be very clear about when the system doesn’t work, people can’t get home …
We’ve put tens of millions of dollars into a maintenance program. We’re seeing less of it across the system, but it’s a huge pain, massive pain for commuters when it happens.
Law will apply to anyone bringing batteries into NSW – Sharpe
Taking questions, Penny Sharpe said the legislation would apply to anyone supplying batteries into NSW, “regardless of where they come from”.
What this scheme will allow us to do, for the first time, is to have a line of sight on what’s coming in, whether they’re following the rules that are there, and we will have the ability to actually call them out for that.
She said the NSW government was working with the federal government in terms of importing.
But as a result of this scheme, this will be the first time that we’re able to understand the amount that’s coming in and be able to regulate that and to be able to force compliance on suppliers who currently have no requirements.
Sharpe optimistic NSW disposal of lithium batteries bill will pass
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, has been holding a press conference in Kingscliff, announcing the return of the Seas The Day surf festival.
The state’s energy minister, Penny Sharpe, has also been speaking about the product lifecycle responsibility bill introduced to parliament.
As we flagged earlier, the law would regulate the handling and disposal of lithium batteries used in electric scooters and bikes. Sharpe said:
We’re very optimistic that the bill will pass next week, but we need to take action. We cannot ignore it any more. We need batteries out of bins, out of trucks and out of waste facilities …
We don’t believe that this is onerous, but we do believe that it’s necessary to make sure that we can safely deal with these products that are incredibly important to decarbonisation, but also just to everyone’s life, because they love these products that have got batteries in them. But we have to make sure they’re safe.
Police investigating alleged theft of beloved disability support horse Rosie
Victorian police are investigating the alleged theft of a beloved disability-support horse from Axedale this week.
Rosie has helped more than 100 children with disabilities as a therapy horse over the past two years, police said in a statement. She is valued at $40,000, “but means even more to the young children who ride her”.
Investigators were told the horse was allegedly stolen from a property on Canny Road between 8pm on Monday and 8am on Tuesday.
Investigators are hoping someone has CCTV or dashcam footage of a vehicle towing a horse trailer in Axedale, Heathcote, Strathfieldsaye or Bendigo between Monday night and Tuesday morning.
Leading Sen Const Dan O’Bree said officers were extremely motivated to return this horse:
This is a case that’s caused a lot of pain to a number of vulnerable young children. Rosie means an awful lot to these kids and we want nothing more than to see her returned unharmed.
Someone out there will have seen something, or know something, and it’s important that they come forward.
Adeshola Ore
Victoria police say repeat child offenders ‘key reason’ for rise in crime
Victoria police say repeat child offenders are a “key reason” for the state’s increase in crime, in response to a release of the state’s crime statistics this morning.
Data released by the Crime Statistics Agency for 2024 shows the state’s number of recorded criminal offences increased by more than 13%.
There has been a focus on youth offenders in the state amid the debate about crime, with some saying there is a “youth crime crisis” in the state.
Victoria police says the number of child offenders decreased by 3% while the number of repeat offenders increased by 4.9%.
In simple terms, there are less children committing crime, but those who continue to offend are doing so more frequently.
