The inimitable Daniel Hurst has been bringing us updates from the media range inquiry right this moment, however in case you are eager to know extra you may learn his full report beneath:
20:32
An unique from Anne Davies:
A senior workers member in Liberal MP Craig Kelly’s workplace continues to work in his position regardless of a number of younger ladies – some as younger as 16 – coming ahead to NSW police to allege inappropriate behaviour within the office, together with an occasion of undesirable touching, and regardless of an apprehended violence order being granted in a single case.
In September final yr police from Sutherland, in Sydney’s southern suburbs, efficiently sought an AVO in opposition to Kelly’s longtime workplace supervisor, Frank Zumbo, whose job included hiring and managing interns and work expertise workers.
The proceedings had been reported within the native St George Shire Commonplace in July and September final yr and Guardian Australia understands they relate to claims that Zumbo kissed a 16 or 17-year-old intern on the neck.
You’ll be able to learn the complete story beneath:
Up to date
20:21
Daniel Hurst
Shortly after Kevin Rudd completed giving proof, Information Corp executives fronted the media range inquiry to argue that “democracy is messy” and relied on “the strong and open change of reports, views and opinions and a recognition that each one folks have a proper to listen to a variety of views”.
Michael Miller, the manager chairman of Information Corp Australasia, mentioned:
On any given day you’ll hear folks on the ABC extremely vital of the views of individuals on Information Corp platforms and people folks will probably be firing again. This isn’t democracy failing, that is democracy working.
Miller contended that it was outdated to take a look at the media market by way of print figures, as Rudd did. Miller mentioned gross sales of print newspapers had declined sharply and all established media corporations have needed to comply with their audiences on-line, including that “we live in essentially the most numerous information media market in Australian historical past”.
He mentioned the listing of the highest ten information web sites in Australia “paints an image of range, not monopoly”, with viewers numbers largest for the ABC adopted by 9 Information after which Information Corp’s information.com.au.
The highest 10 websites embrace three websites operated by 9, two from Information together with the websites of The Each day Mail and The Guardian, Seven Information and Australian Neighborhood Media.
Miller mentioned the Senate’s media range inquiry was itself “proof of our nation’s embrace of free speech” – earlier than taking a dig at Rudd.
A former prime minister’s objections to Information Corp that mobilised his social media followers too is largely why we’re right here. I respect the previous PM’s proper to carry his views. I believe the issue could be that he solely respects the views that agree together with his.
Miller additionally rejected considerations about Information Corp’s political affect, arguing election outcomes confirmed the newspapers didn’t essentially have the impression the critics say:
If the sloganeering had any fact the governments throughout the nation can be those that editors determine are greatest and other people would sing from one tune on the large points. Absolutely the reverse is true.
Australia has 9 federal, state and territory governments. 4 are Coalition. 5 are ALP. The newest Newspoll has the Federal ALP and Coalition sitting at 50 per cent every.
What this says is Australians are sensible folks. They make up their very own minds about what media they eat, who they again politically and what they really feel concerning the huge points.
Up to date
20:14
Brisbane siege enters a second day
A Queensland police spokeswoman has simply fronted media to provide an replace on this Brisbane siege scenario.
For “operation causes” Performing Inspector Michelle Piket couldn’t reply lots of the questions however the normal gist was that the scenario is ongoing, nobody has been injured to date, and police are nonetheless attempting to attain a peaceable final result.
Police attended an incident early yesterday morning, and consequently specialist police have been engaged, and are presently on scene…
Police are hoping for a peaceable decision and a protected final result for all and we’re presently working in the direction of attaining that as rapidly and as effectively as attainable.
There was unconfirmed stories of a collection of huge loud bangs within the space. That is unrelated to this matter and hypothesis round this isn’t useful in us attaining an acceptable final result.
She couldn’t affirm if the armed man had been cooperating with police if different folks had been nonetheless being held inside the house, or give an estimate of how for much longer the scenario may go on for.
The siege has now been happening for over 24 hours.
Up to date
19:59
Simply again to feedback from Gladys Berejiklian and her “penalties” v “incentives” debate on encouraging folks to get vaccinated.
The NSW premier says she hasn’t determined whether or not to implement it with a public well being order.
I’ve overwhelming confidence that ample numbers of people that work in our quarantine system or have the potential to work within the quarantine system will probably be vaccinated.
Whereas those that decline a vaccine received’t be punished, Berejiklian conceded they might be missed for ongoing employment within the resort quarantine system. She would “watch and see” earlier than deciding on whether or not to mandate resort quarantine employee vaccination in a public well being order.
These are the women and men who’re on the frontline day by day defending the remainder of us and I feel it’s solely truthful that people who find themselves in that scenario are supplied the vaccines first…
My sturdy desire is that individuals who have the vaccine are those who work within the quarantine system – there are literally thousands of folks from whom we are able to guarantee that’s the case.
That enables us to maneuver ahead and cut back the chance for everyone.
Up to date
19:31
So a couple of of those “Fb Prime Ten” lists are printed every day, however because the platform banned all conventional information content material on the location it’s attention-grabbing to see what has risen to fill the void.
On this case, it appears to be information adjoining satire pages.
19:25
Again to the South Australia Icac scenario, Premier Steven Marshall is talking now.
Backbencher Fraser Ellis suspended his membership of the Liberal celebration whereas he’s investigated by the anti-corruption watchdog, pushing the celebration right into a minority authorities.
Marshall wouldn’t touch upon the investigation right this moment:
I’m not going to touch upon the costs. His made it clear that he will probably be suspending his membership of the Liberal celebration. He’s not a member of the Liberal celebration. I’m simply getting on with the necessary jobs which are in entrance of us in the intervening time.
The premier mentioned Ellis wouldn’t be nominated as a Liberal candidate within the subsequent election.
You’ll be able to’t be a candidate in case you aren’t a member of the celebration and Fraser Ellis isn’t a member. He’s suspended, he suspended his membership.
Up to date
19:08
An replace on the siege scenario at a house in southern Brisbane.
Police have denied that pictures have been fired on the incident, which entails an armed man, a girl and presumably a boy.
Cracks and bangs had been heard within the space on Friday morning with some media reporting the sounds as attainable gunshots.
Police informed AAP these information stories of pictures being fired are incorrect.
A collection of loud noises heard within the space are from an unknown origin and should not associated to this incident.
The standoff started about 11am on Thursday at a home close to the Banoon practice station at Sunnybank.
The armed man is known to be associated to the lady he’s holding however police received’t affirm stories he’s additionally holding a five-year-old boy.
The person is thought to police and so they have visited the house earlier than.
Up to date
19:03
We’ve been talking a good bit right this moment about these textual content messages that allegedly present a Liberal staffer speaking to Brittany Higgins after she was allegedly raped inside a ministerial workplace, discussing how he would assist her and converse to a different staffer from the prime minister’s workplace concerning the scenario.
These texts are necessary because the prime minister has repeatedly said that nobody from his workplace was conscious of the alleged rape till earlier this week. After this report, Morrison remained agency that he knew nothing concerning the allegations, and was informed that everybody in his workplace was additionally unaware. He mentioned there can be an inquiry into precisely who knew what and when.
This was reported by Information.com.au politician editor Samantha Maiden, and haven’t been independently verified by Guardian Australia. She printed screenshots of the textual content dialog on Twitter this morning.
18:53
Flags in NSW are being flown at half-mast to honour Cobar mayor, Lilliane Brady,who’s being farewelled with a state funeral in her central western city, stories the AAP.
Brady, the city’s beloved and feisty matriarch, was the state’s longest-serving feminine mayor when she died earlier this month on the age of 90.
She was famend for her no nonsense strategy and dogged fundraising for these in her 4,000 sturdy group, in addition to a contempt for paperwork throughout her almost 23 years as mayor.
She sat on the native council for 40 years and deliberate to retire in September.
Her funeral service will happen at Drummond park in Cobar right this moment.
Up to date
18:48
Hostage negotiators had been on Friday morning persevering with efforts to influence an armed man holed up in a Brisbane property since Thursday morning to give up.
Police say the standoff on the property, close to Banoon practice station in Sunnybank, began about 11am on Thursday.
They received’t affirm media stories the person is holding a five-year-old youngster hostage however mentioned on Thursday night there have been quite a lot of folks nonetheless within the house.
The person is thought to police and officers have visited the situation earlier than.
“Police are concentrating on coming to a peaceable decision to the incident,” performing inspector Mick Ackery mentioned. “Specialist police are making all makes an attempt to interact with the individual in the home.”
You’ll be able to learn the complete report beneath:
Up to date
18:44
Ben Butler
And now to the query nagging on the minds of Guardian readers: how are the share costs of Australian media corporations faring in the course of the Fb information ban?
It’s a little bit of a blended bag. Shares in 9 Leisure, which along with its TV community owns the previous Fairfax mastheads (the Age, Sydney Morning Herald and Monetary Overview) fell 4.66% yesterday, and are down one other 0.56% in early commerce this morning.
One other TV community with print pursuits, Seven West Media, which owns the West Australian and WA regional mastheads, rose 1.89% yesterday however this morning has nearly gone again to the place it was earlier than Faceaggedon, dropping 1.39% in commerce to date.
Its regional affiliate, Prime Media Group, shed 3.7% yesterday and is flat in early commerce right this moment.
Australia’s largest media outlet, Information Corp, dropped simply 0.57% yesterday and the identical to date right this moment.
However Southern Cross Media, which owns the Triple M and Hit radio networks in addition to regional TV broadcasting, fell 4.9% yesterday and is off one other 2.15% this morning.
These sorts of rises and falls aren’t even significantly uncommon within the media sector, which is turbulent at the very best of occasions.
And a number of the media corporations that, anecdotally at the least, rely essentially the most on Fb visitors, reminiscent of Each day Mail Australia, aren’t listed anyway.
Up to date
18:39
Victoria’s well being minister, Martin Foley,appears fairly assured that theses three information instances pose no an infection risk to the general public.
The three instances are from the identical household. Two mother and father and a baby. Two members of that household had been earlier residents of stage three on the Vacation Inn at Tullamarine airport and had been main contacts for that individual outbreak.
One member of the family, who was not on the Vacation Inn, was thought of a secondary contact and had been isolating from different relations. All three had unfavourable exams – a number of unfavourable exams between the tenth and twelfth of February. All have been quarantining at house throughout their infectious intervals.