The attorney general, Michelle Rowland, has written to the privacy commissioner over potential concerns surrounding smartglasses.
Rowland said the products, which are growing in popularity, had significant implications, especially for women and children who could be disproportionately affected by “inappropriate recording, harassment, surveillance or other harmful conduct”.
Rowland said in a statement:
double quotation markPrivacy is an essential part of all our lives; it allows us to be who we are with dignity and without fear.
Unlike other forms of technology, smart glasses may be used more discreetly, making it harder to know when you are being recorded.
The government is continuing to work on the next phase of privacy reforms to ensure our privacy laws are fit for purpose in the digital age.
That’s where we’ll leave our live coverage for today.
Before we go, let’s go over the day’s top headlines:
Australian National Imams Council president said he was placed on “kill list” by Islamic State while giving evidence to the royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion.
The Alan Jones trials continued at Downing Centre local court, with complainant J, the first alleged victim, continuing to give evidence.
Atlassian’s share price has surged after the Sydney-founded software giant beat investor expectations with stronger-than-predicted financial results.
South Australia’s Royal Adelaide Show has cancelled all bird shows and exhibits as H5 bird flu numbers continue to rise. The state has recorded 119 out of 155 cases nationally. In Victoria, a temporary housing order for chicken and egg producers with 50 or more birds has been introduced.
The attorney general, Michelle Rowland, has written to the privacy commissioner over potential concerns surrounding smartglasses days after Kmart sells out of low-cost rival to Meta camera glasses across Australia.
Travellers on domestic and international flights at Sydney airport have faced major delays and cancellations after Airservices Australia reported “operational restrictions to safely manage projected airborne and departure demands”.
The federal inquiry into racism, hatred and violence directed at Indigenous peoples is continuing in Melbourne, with unions and national education and training organisations giving evidence.
Thanks for joining us, have a lovely weekend!
Second NSW Liberal frontbencher expected to give evidence to Icac
The NSW shadow finance minister, Eleni Petinos, will give evidence to Icac, making her the second Liberal frontbencher to appear before the commission’s Operation Rosny following the state’s shadow attorney general, Damien Tudehope.
The NSW opposition and Liberal leader, Kellie Sloane, has confirmed Petinos, who is on maternity leave, is expected to appear before the commission. In an interview with 2GB, she said:
double quotation markWell, [Petinos] is a witness, but she’s assisting the inquiry. She’s not a person of interest. I would encourage any of my team or people within the Liberal party or outside of the Liberal party to assist the inquiry to help provide support their evidence. That doesn’t mean they’ve done anything wrong … And you know, if anything comes up that isn’t that, then I’ll consider it at the time.
The second allegation being investigated by the corruption watchdog is that between 2020 and 2023, fugitive property developer Jean Nassif made prohibited donations solicited or accepted by Liberal figures in exchange for the pursuit of outcomes sought by Nassif, including the removal of the then building commissioner, David Chandler.
On its first day, the inquiry heard an October 2021 phone call featuring Nassif, in which he allegedly claimed he had paid for Chandler’s removal, and that “the fair trading minister is gonna to be one of my girls”.
The inquiry heard that two months after the call, the then Liberal premier Dominic Perrottet appointed Petinos as fair trading minister in a reshuffle. In July 2022, Chandler handed in his resignation following an investigation into his conduct that had been requested by Petinos, which later cleared him of any wrongdoing.
Counsel assisting Peggy Dwyer SC said evidence would determine if Nassif’s call was “an incidence of wishful thinking that serendipitously came to pass” or the result of work by conservative factional group the Reformers. Perrottet and Petinos have not been named in Icac’s allegations and are not accused of any wrongdoing.
Progressive ‘Free Palestine Party’ thwarted in bid to rival right-wing provocateur Avi Yemini’s party using similar name
The would-be progressive “Free Palestine Party” has been knocked back in its attempt to stop right-wing provocateur Avi Yemini from using the name “Free Palestine” to funnel votes to conservatives.
The Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) sent out a press release earlier today, stating it had refused the application by the “Free Palestine Party” to register as a political party.
The VEC said it was required by law to refuse the application because the party’s name resembled that of an unrelated recognised political party, causing likely confusion or mistake.
In this case, “Free Palestine Party” resembled the name of the registered political party “Free Palestine”, the VEC said.
It might seem confusing, but the latter party, “Free Palestine”, is a separate entity, linked to Yemini. It was formally recognised by the VEC on Wednesday.
Yemini, a former Israeli soldier and self-styled investigative journalist who creates content for his YouTube channel, Rebel News Australia, applied to register “Free Palestine” as a political party with the VEC on 2 May.
When he announced his plans for the party in April, Yemini said he would use it to funnel votes to conservative parties and “flow our preferences on to parties that want to free Palestine from Hamas” at the November state election.
In response, a counter-group calling itself the “Free Palestine Party” was set up. Guardian Australia has contacted the group for comment.
According to its website, its creation was “spurred on by Avi Yemini’s plot to create a fake ‘Free Palestine’ party to deceive Victorian electors at the next state election”.
The “Free Palestine Party” applied to register with the VEC on 2 June, a month after Yemini lodged his application to register “Free Palestine”.
You can read more about Yemini’s plans here:
The Victorian government has introduced a temporary housing order for chicken and egg producers with 50 or more birds, in a precautionary step to protect the poultry industry from H5 bird flu.
The measure, which will apply for an initial 14 days, will affect hundreds of businesses in Melbourne and along coastal areas.
The state’s agriculture minister, Michaela Settle, said the proactive approach was introduced to ensure that eggs and chicken remained affordable for consumers.
double quotation markWe’re working proactively to ensure that eggs and poultry are protected, and that Victorians can continue to afford and find them on the shelves.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has assured free range farmers that they would be able to continue to use the free range label.
Victoria has recorded 47 positive cases in wild birds, with new detections at Yambuk, Apollo Bay and Clyde, a south-eastern suburb of Melbourne.
There is currently no detection of H5N1 bird flu in poultry in Victoria or in Australia.
Second-year constable praised as “hero” cop for rescuing toddler from Charleville siege
A second-year constable who rescued a toddler from a siege in Charleville while in “grave danger” has been praised as a hero cop.
The 18-month-old child’s mother died at a house in the regional town, after police arrived to reports of a serious assault on Wednesday evening.
The southern region assistant commissioner, Matthew Vanderbyl, said police were confronted by Michael Waltke, who they believed to be armed, and were in grave danger.
Vanderbyl said the child appeared in a doorway covered in someone else’s blood. She was “scooped up” by a male officer who took her to safety, he said.
“That police officer took that distressed child and did what anybody who has young children or knows young children would do, and just held that child close to his chest, and turned himself away from the scene of danger,” Vanderbyl said.
The officers then “quite rightly” withdrew to a safe distance, Vanderbyl said.
“You have to feel for a child who has potentially seen what I … suspect that she has seen in that scene,” he said.
Expert forensic police are still at the scene, and the investigation continues.
Andrew Leigh backs ACCC inquiry into alleged food mislabelling allegations
The assistant minister for competition, Andrew Leigh, a has welcomed the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) confirmation that it will investigate allegations of food mislabelling raised by an ABC Four Corners report.
In statement on Friday, the ACCC said it had “initiated inquiries” into the claims. The ACCC Commissioner, Luke Woodward, said:
double quotation markIt is important that consumers can be confident that any claims made on food labelling, packaging and in advertisements are truthful, accurate and not misleading.
We know that consumers may be guided by non-price factors, including claims about the country of origin or supply chain, when choosing which food products to buy.
At a press conference, Leigh echoed his comments on the inquiry’s importance:
double quotation markAustralians shouldn’t be duped by misleading labels. Australians should be able to walk into a store and know that what it says on the tin is accurate.
VIC Liberal party endorses Roshena Campbell to replace Moira Deeming ahead of election
The Victorian Liberal Party has endorsed Roshena Campbell as its Upper House candidate for the Western Metropolitan Region.
Campbell replaces Moira Deeming, who was removed as a candidate after a state party vote following a legal saga stemming from an assault allegation she made against former leader Matthew Guy.
Campbell, who now serves as Melbourne’s current deputy lord mayor, will appear on the top spot on the Liberals’ upper house ticket this November. She said in a statement:
double quotation markThis State is broken. And I want to be part of the team with the experience and the Plan to fix it.
The West is the heart of multicultural Victoria, and I am passionate about ensuring our multicultural communities are heard and supported.
I’m proud to join Jess Wilson’s new Liberal Team in the West, to finally deliver the West’s fair share.
NSW opposition leader will ‘let privileges committee do its work’ after two Liberals referred over Reformers allegations
The NSW Liberal leader, Kellie Sloane, has again backed Damien Tudehope after he became one of two Liberals referred to the parliamentary privileges committee following allegations they aided a factional group under investigation by the corruption watchdog.
Yesterday afternoon, the NSW upper house voted to refer Liberal MLCs Damien Tudehope and Chris Rath to the privileges committee, in a motion unopposed by the opposition, after allegations they aided members of conservative factional group the Reformers during a parliamentary inquiry in 2023.
The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) is investigating whether members of the Reformers allegedly solicited or accepted illegal donations in order to recruit or renew members to the Liberal party, a practice known as “branch stacking”, which is not illegal.
Tudehope, who has stepped aside from his roles as shadow attorney general and Liberal leader in the upper house after being called as a witness in Icac’s inquiry, on Tuesday admitted to the watchdog he leaked a confidential draft parliamentary inquiry report on the allegations to a member of the Reformers in 2023.
Last week, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that Rath helped members of the Reformers evade summons during the parliamentary inquiry that preceded Icac’s investigation. He received a caution from the privileges committee at the time, but yesterday marks his second referral over the same issue. Following yesterday’s vote, Rath, who is not named in Icac’s allegations, apologised again for the incident. Tudehope, who has not been named in Icac’s allegations, was absent from the chamber.
Asked if she would take action following Tudehope’s referral at a press conference today, Sloane said:
double quotation markI’ll wait for the finding of that, and I don’t have that yet. Damien is on the backbench for the duration of the ICAC inquiry, and I’m not going to run parallel inquiries; I’ll let the privileges committee do its work and we’ll see what they say.
Continuing from last post …
Frank Gaffer, a First Nations organiser with the Victorian branch of the Australian Education Union, said that before 2026 there was no way for teachers in public schools to report racist incidents.
double quotation markPrior to this year, if you were to report racism as a staff member of a school, you had to report it under the option of other or psychosocial safety, but there was no actual data collection of racism for educators within public schools.
But current reporting mechanisms can also be unsafe, said Kimberley Reed, also from the Australian Education Union, who told the committee that lodging a complaint or an incident could lead to further harm.
double quotation markReporting it can actually lead to further incidences of racism because often Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are the only staff member in their school, so if someone has made a report of racism and it’s addressed with the person, whether they’re named or not, people know exactly where it came from.
The federal inquiry into racism, hatred and violence directed at Indigenous peoples is continuing in Melbourne, with unions and national education and training organisations giving evidence.
The committee heard evidence about the lack of cultural safety in Australian schools and universities for First Nations educators and students. Research indicated that at least 20% of Indigenous teachers who left the profession did so because of racism and discrimination.
Witnesses giving evidence raised concerns about a chilling impact on reporting racist incidents at universities, citing fears about speaking out, harmful or inappropriate curricula in schools and the over representation of Indigenous students excluded from educational settings.
The committee heard evidence of targeted racist graffiti against an Indigenous teacher and emails from educators questioning the existence or impact of Stolen Generations policies, which forcibly removed tens of thousands of Aboriginal children from their families until the 1970s.
That’s all from me! Achol Arok will be your guide into the weekend. Take care.
Three people charged, six in custody after alleged assault of Townsville boy
Three people have been charged and six others arrested after an alleged serious assault of a boy in Townsville last month.
Queensland police said the 17-year-old boy was found with serious injuries on 18 July in bushland after he was allegedly assaulted and tied to a tree. He was taken to the hospital in stable condition.
After investigations, officers charged three people, including a boy, 13, a woman, 35, and a girl, 14. They face charges including unlawfully detaining or confining, assault occasioning bodily harm and torture.
On Friday morning, six other people were taken into custody in relation to the investigation. They have not been charged.
‘Overjoyed’: Police drop charges against protesters arrested at 2024 coal port blockade
More than 100 protesters who were arrested after blockading the world’s largest coal port in 2024 have had their charges dropped.
NSW police on Friday confirmed charges relating to Rising Tide’s 2024 demonstration at Newcastle port had been withdrawn.
Imala Cush, who had just finished high school when she was arrested at the protest, celebrated the result.
double quotation markI’m overjoyed.
This has been a weight for the past two years and to finally have them dropped gives me hope for the climate movement and the strength of protests as a whole in this country.
The government cannot scare us away from fighting for a future.
Others who were arrested at the blockade said police should have withdrawn the charges earlier. Ecologist Susan Duncan said it would have “saved a lot of people time and heartaches”.
Almost 200 people were arrested as they paddled into the shipping channel in kayaks to prevent vessels from travelling through the Port of Newcastle.
Most of the arrested protesters were charged with operating a vessel to interfere with others’ use of waters and causing obstruction to a major facility, which could result in up to two years in prison.
A NSW police spokesperson said the decision to withdraw the charges followed a “review of the outstanding matters, taking into account the outcomes of cases already determined by the court and the available evidence in the remaining prosecutions”.
Matters from the 2025 Rising Tide event remain before the courts.
Melbourne Royal Show monitoring bird flu situation before September event
Organisers of the Melbourne Royal Show say they are monitoring the evolving H5 bird flu situation before the event, planned for 24 September to 4 October.
The show’s general manager, Hannah von Bibra, said organisers would take all necessary measures to ensure the safety and well being of animals, exhibitors and visitors.
double quotation markWe are monitoring the H5N1 avian influenza situation, and are working closely with Agriculture Victoria, the Melbourne Royal Poultry Committee and veterinary advisers to assess the potential risks as it unfolds in Victoria.
We recognise this is an evolving situation and will continue to work closely with Agriculture Victoria and industry experts to ensure any decisions prioritise animal welfare and the safety of all involved.
The comments followed an announcement that South Australia’s Royal Adelaide Show had cancelled all bird shows and exhibits as H5 bird flu numbers continued to rise.
Australia’s $50,000 parent visa takes so long to process that applicants die waiting
Wait times for visas to bring parents to Australia are so long that more than 1,500 applicants died before receiving their visa over a 21-month period to 31 March, new Department of Home Affairs data shows.
Reports of an upcoming overhaul of the nation’s migration system, including tougher rules for family visas, has intensified worry among Australians whose parents are waiting for their visas to be processed.
For applicants of non-contributory parent visas, which provide permanent residency for a fee of just under $9,000, the wait times are now an estimated 33 years.
Contributory parent visas have waiting times of about 15 years but cost almost $50,000 each.
Back in the Alan Jones trial, complainant J has told the court he stayed at the broadcaster’s farm at Fitzroy Falls on two occasions.
Under cross-examination by defence barrister Gabrielle Bashir SC, J told the court he remembered a well-known tennis player being a fellow guest but not another athlete.
Bashir asked during cross-examination: “Were you ever at a barbecue with [them]?”
J replied: “No.”
J told the court he did remember the tennis player being a guest, although he didn’t know who they were at the time.
Bashir is challenging J’s memory of his visits to the southern highlands property, suggesting in court he had mixed up the occasions and the dates.
J agreed his family was invited to visit the property and that he accompanied them. Bashir is challenging him about how many nights he stayed at the property and which vehicle he was driving.
The court is now in recess for lunch. The trial continues.
Back to the Alan Jones trial
The cross-examination of complainant J in Alan Jones’s indecent assault trial in Sydney’s Downing Centre local court is continuing.
Jones’s barrister, Gabrielle Bahsir SC, is putting to J that the defendant did not sit on a couch in the lounge room of his Fitzroy Falls property wearing a bathrobe, and Jones didn’t enter J’s guest bedroom, as the complainant alleged in court earlier this week.
Bashir said during cross-examination: “He wasn’t in your bedroom, was he?”
“Yes, he was,” J replied.
J struggled to recall parts of the evidence he gave earlier this week about the alleged indecent assaults at Fitzroy Falls, which he says took place on the couch, in the bedroom and at a pigsty.
Bashir said in court: “Are you prepared to accept you had no basis to give that evidence that Mr Jones spoke to you in a ‘passionate voice’ and pulled you in for a cuddle?”
J replied: “No, I just don’t remember it right now.”
Bashir put it to J that none of his accounts, including the alleged kissing and “penis wiggle”, ever happened. The complainant insisted in court that it all happened as he’d described.
J agreed with Bashir that he did not protect himself by barricading himself in his room or pushing Jones off him.
J told the court during cross-examination: “I didn’t [push him off] … I was very scared. In that room I was as scared as I’ve ever been. It’s like you don’t have control of your body. I was very scared.”
Jones has pleaded not guilty to 22 charges of indecent assault and sexual touching involving six men.
Travellers on domestic and international flights at Sydney airport have faced major delays and cancellations after Airservices Australia reported “operational restrictions to safely manage projected airborne and departure demands”.
Delays of up to 120 minutes were recorded across 75 Qantas and Jetstar flights, as well as four cancellations. Virgin Australia saw delays across 50 flights, while Rex was forced to off-load passengers after delays of up to an hour on the tarmac.
Airlines were advised the disruption was caused by staffing shortages at Airservices Australia.
The Airlines for Australia and New Zealand chief executive, Stephen Beckett, said the disruptions are unacceptable and “enough is enough”.
double quotation markWe need Airservices Australia to step up and support their traffic controllers to make sure there are enough of them, and their rosters are robust enough to make sure that this type of delay and disruption stops occurring.
The national network cannot grind to a halt because two or three people call in sick.
Airservices said the air traffic flow management measures had since been removed and “no further significant delays are anticipated”.
The attorney general, Michelle Rowland, has written to the privacy commissioner over potential concerns surrounding smartglasses.
Rowland said the products, which are growing in popularity, had significant implications, especially for women and children who could be disproportionately affected by “inappropriate recording, harassment, surveillance or other harmful conduct”.
Rowland said in a statement:
double quotation markPrivacy is an essential part of all our lives; it allows us to be who we are with dignity and without fear.
Unlike other forms of technology, smart glasses may be used more discreetly, making it harder to know when you are being recorded.
The government is continuing to work on the next phase of privacy reforms to ensure our privacy laws are fit for purpose in the digital age.
Source: Guardian - World News
