Key events
Andrew Messenger
Queensland nurses union to pause industrial action
Queensland’s nurses union will pause stage two industrial action, as negotiations for a new pay deal continue.
The news came just days after the state’s teachers walked off the job for the first time since 2009. The union is currently conducting conciliation in the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission.
It made the decision to pause all protected industrial action for three weeks, the remaining period of conciliation, until 2 September, as a show of good faith.
In a message sent to members yesterday, union secretary Sarah Beaman said the union was “closer than ever to securing an in-principle agreement”.
In the message to members the union says preparations for full strike action continue, in case a deal isn’t done.
Housing minister defends government’s plans for 1.2m homes, says crisis ‘very hard problem to solve’
The housing minister, Clare O’Neil, is speaking about the government’s pledge to build 1.2m new homes in Australia by 2029. She said just 2,000 social and affordable homes have been built of a five-year target of 55,000. But she defended questions on Radio National if the government would meet those targets, saying they were part of a “national aspiration” worth pushing towards.
O’Neil said it remained “too hard” to build a home in Australia, but said the upcoming economic roundtable would hopefully address some of those concerns:
Our housing crisis has been cooking for 40 years because it is a very hard problem to solve.
I’m doing every single thing that I can as housing minister federally to make sure that we meet the target or get as close to it as we can. The target will depend on lots of different things … It will depend on what state governments do. It will depend on what interest rates look like.
I can tell you is that having a big, difficult target is exactly the kind of thinking that is going to need to snap us out of what is a 40-year-old problem confronting our country.
Erin Patterson due back before court today, with more dates to be set
Erin Patterson is due back before court today for a mention hearing, AAP reports.
The 50-year-old mother is scheduled to appear remotely via video at the supreme court in Melbourne. Dates for her pre-sentence hearing, known as a plea, are expected to be set during her court appearance.
Plea hearings allow victims and their families to deliver statements to the court about how the crime has affected them. They also allow defence lawyers and prosecutors to argue matters for the judge to take into account in deciding Patterson’s sentence.
Patterson faces up to life in prison after being convicted of three murders and one attempted murder over a toxic beef wellington meal she served in July 2023.
Graham Readfearn
Federal government to spend $2.8m protecting captive birds from bird flu arrival
Australia is the only continent in the world to have so far escaped the arrival of the virulent bird flu strain H5N1 that has caused mass deaths among wild birds and marine mammals around the globe.
Since the disease was discovered in Europe in 2021, there have been fears an arrival here could have devastating consequences for wildlife – in particular our native and threatened birds.
The environment minister, Murray Watt, is announcing a $2.8m package today to help 23 programs that are breeding threatened birds in captivity to protect those birds if the strain arrives. And many scientists think it is a case of when, not if.
Watt will be at Taronga Zoo in Sydney later today, where funding will be used to introduce extra efforts such as building barriers and deploying PPE for staff working with two threatened bird breeding programs – the Regent honeyeater and the Plains wanderer. Watt said:
Captive breeding programs are a vital safety net for our most threatened species. They help boost populations, maintain genetic diversity, protect biodiversity and give our unique wildlife a fighting chance for the future.
Good morning
Good morning and welcome. Nick Visser here to take you through the start of today’s news.
Erin Patterson is due back in court a month after she was convicted of killing three members of her estranged husband’s family after serving a death cap mushroom-laced lunch. She has a mention hearing scheduled today, where dates for her pre-sentence hearing, known as a plea, are expected to be set.
Victoria police have issued hundreds of fines to riders on e-bikes, scooters and bikes working for food delivery services, part of a crackdown on dangerous riding in Melbourne. Thirty-seven fines were issued on Tuesday alone after many riders were allegedly found travelling on the footpath, riding through red lights and using their phones while riding.
We will also be following updates on the effort to expel MP Gareth Ward from New South Wales parliament, which could happen later today.
Stick with us.
