Australia news LIVE: ‘Significant’ protests for final day of weapons expo; Elon Musk labels Australian government ‘fascists’ over social media bill

Thanks for reading the national news blog. This is where we’ll end today’s coverage.

To conclude, here’s a look back at the day’s major stories:

• Twelve government officials involved in the robo-debt disaster breached public service rules nearly 100 times but only two have been identified in the final inquiry into the unlawful welfare clawback program, released on Friday morning.

• The long-time academics’ union boss appointed to help clean up the Victorian CFMEU branch suddenly resigned today, just weeks after his appointment.

• Banks, telcos and social media companies could be fined up to $50 million for failing to protect Australians from scammers under proposed laws to tackle scams released today.

• In NSW, state Liberal leader Mark Speakman has lost his battle to convince his federal counterpart Peter Dutton that two women must serve on the committee appointed to oversee a takeover of the troubled state division of the party.

• In Victoria, Treasurer Tim Pallas today declared the state Labor government wants Melbourne to host more Land Forces defence exhibitions, despite the violence and disruption that marred this week’s event.

• In Queensland, shocking allegations of children being abused and threatened with knives have been aired in court today as two Channel Seven reality show contestants – one accused of rape, the other of torture – appeared for their committal hearing.

• In Western Australia, the former environment spokesman for WA Labor has expanded his attack on his own party’s environmental reforms, labelling what he called a lack of consultation with green groups as “disgraceful”.

• In business news, the administrator of the trouble-plagued CFMEU has nominated three directors to the $94 billion superannuation fund Cbus, including union firebrand Paddy Crumlin, who last week railed against the union’s administration.

Thanks again for your company. Have a lovely night.

The ASX finished higher on Friday after a choppy start to trading, ultimately pushed up by rising commodity prices and positive economic data out of the US.

Loading

The S&P/ASX 200 gained 24.2 points, or 0.3 per cent, to 8099.9 at the close. The index had earlier hit a six-week high of 8143.6 points but cooled off at the end on weaker banks.

The mining sector enjoyed the greatest growth on the back of robust commodity prices: iron ore rose 2.5 per cent to $US95.05 a tonne, uranium and lithium also soared, while spot gold prices hit another record high, up 1.6 per cent to $US2552.34/oz as investors speculate over an impending rate cut from the US Federal Reserve.

Fortescue soared 5 per cent to sit among the biggest large-cap gainers at the close.

Read the full market wrap here.

Australia’s golden Olympians and Paralympians shone brightly as they met with supporters in Sydney, proudly displaying their medals while inspiring the next generation of Olympic champions.

More than 30 athletes and para-athletes were welcomed home at Sydney’s Tumbalong Park on a picturesque spring day earlier after 24 hours of wild, wet, and windy weather.

Thousands of fans, family and friends turned out in the sunshine at the reception to cheer as the Olympians and Paralympians reflected on their Paris accomplishments. Hundreds of school children lined a picket white fence as athletes went through the crowd, shaking hands, signing shirts and taking selfies.

At only 15, Ruby Trew is one of the youngest Olympians from the Paris Games. She competed in the women’s park skateboarding alongside fellow teenager Arisa Trew (no relation), who won gold in the event at only 14-years-old. Today, she walked along the fence while cheered by young fans, some her own age.

“I’m a schoolgirl as well and to see all these people who are my own age, it’s just so amazing,” she said.

AAP

In state news, the Victorian government wants Melbourne to host more Land Forces defence exhibitions, despite the violence and disruption that marred this week’s event.

But Treasurer Tim Pallas said the government might consider moving future events away from South Wharf’s Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, after mass protests against the expo caused transport chaos and prompted a police response that could cost Victorian taxpayers up to $15 million.

While the cost of policing protests was “irritating to a treasurer” the investment was vital to preserve people’s right to protest peacefully, Pallas said.

“Democracy comes at a cost,” he said. “We will do whatever we can to preserve it, even if it irritates the treasurer.”

Friday’s demonstration was relatively peaceful compared to the protesters’ clashes with police that made national headlines on Wednesday, but an anti-war protester was arrested today after she allegedly attempted to attach herself to a car with concrete on a major arterial road about 8am.

Read the full story here.

Banks, telcos and social media companies could be fined up to $50 million for failing to protect Australians from scammers.

In the federal government’s latest assault in the war on scams, companies could be penalised for failing to stop fraudsters from getting through to consumers in the first place, while victims will be given a clear pathway for redress if they are not at fault.

The proposed laws come in response to more Australians falling prey to predatory actors, who are increasingly using new technology such as generative AI to fleece victims.

It would go towards making Australia the toughest target in the world for scammers, Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones said.

“Australians are losing too much money to scams and, while we’ve bucked the international trend where scams are doubling every year, losses are still far too much,” Jones said today.

“The way to address that is to put strong obligations on the key businesses within the scam’s ecosystem.”

If enacted, the laws would enable the government to prescribe codes on high-risk sectors, obliging businesses to combat scammers and put in place internal dispute resolution mechanisms for customers.

AAP

Governments cannot expect Australian motorists to adopt electric vehicles in greater numbers without ongoing tax concessions or financial assistance, an inquiry has been told.

The House of Representatives and Senate are not sitting today, but the work of the lower house’s standing committee on climate change, energy, environment and water resumed in Canberra.

Loading

Representatives from the automotive and renewable energy industries appeared before the seventh sitting of the committee’s inquiry into the transition to electric vehicles.

A scarcity of electric utes and large SUVs was also preventing more regional motorists from making the transition, experts said, and the removal of hybrid vehicle tax concessions would give them little option but to buy diesel vehicles.

Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive Tony Weber told MPs electric cars made up 7.6 per cent of all new vehicle sales in 2024, but represented only 3.1 per cent of large SUVs and .01 per cent of utes.

Many large vehicle types popular with motorists were simply not yet available as electric vehicles, he said.

AAP

Former federal Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann has filed updated grounds of appeal in his defamation battle with Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson.

In a document filed on Friday, Lehrmann’s lawyer Zali Burrows identified four grounds of appeal, including that Federal Court Justice Michael Lee erred in finding that the media outlets had established a defence of truth.

Separately, his lawyer says that Lee made findings in relation to the truth defence that differed from Ten and Wilkinson’s case and “had not been the subject of submissions” by the parties or put to relevant witnesses for their response.

This was “contrary to the principles of procedural fairness and natural justice”, the amended notice of appeal says.

Burrows says Lee also erred in finding that Lehrmann would have been entitled to a “mere $20,000 in damages” if he had won his case.

She also claims Lee fell into error in determining the meanings conveyed by the media parties.

Loading

The updated appeal document is very similar to Lehrmann’s previous notice of appeal, which also identified four appeal grounds.

Lehrmann launched defamation proceedings against Ten and Wilkinson last year over a February 2021 interview with his former colleague Brittany Higgins, aired on The Project.

He claimed the broadcast conveyed a series of defamatory meanings including that he raped Higgins in Parliament House.

In a landmark decision in April, Lee found on the balance of probabilities that Lehrmann had raped Higgins, and was indifferent to whether she was consenting. He dismissed Lehrmann’s lawsuit.

Greens senator David Shoebridge has spoken at an anti-war rally outside a major weapons expo in Melbourne, saying it is important to call out what he described as Victoria Police’s “extreme violence”.

On Wednesday, protesters clashed with police as projectiles were thrown at officers, while police deployed rubber bullets, capsicum spray and other means to contain people. The demonstrations continued yesterday and today, but they were smaller and generally peaceful.

Speaking this afternoon at the rally, Shoebridge defended attending the protest saying he has always supported peace and non-violence, but also wanted to call out the Victorian police.

“We call out as well, the extreme violence that came from the Victorian police; this is not Chicago 1968, this is Melbourne in 2024,” he said.

“Who would have thought that the state government, here to protect arms manufacturers, would be putting rubber bullets and stun grenades, police horses, capsicum [spray] and tear gas against their own people. That was an obscene action of excessive force by the Victorian police.

“I am astounded that there’s not a single politician from Labor or Coalition who are at least troubled by that.”

Rising commodity prices pushed the ASX higher today with mining and energy stocks in the lead, helped by positive economic data out of the US overnight.

The S&P/ASX 200 gained 26.8 points, or 0.3 per cent, to 8102.5 at 12.30pm AEST, with four of the 11 industry sectors rising. The gains were pared back from a height of about 8140 points after an early session charge.

Loading

Mining had the greatest growth amid an increase in the price of materials: iron ore rose 2.5 per cent to $US95.05 a tonne, lithium went up, and spot gold prices hit another record high, up 1.6 per cent as investors speculate over an impending rate cut from the US Federal Reserve.

Sector heavyweights BHP and Rio Tinto rose 1.9 and 2.2 per cent respectively, while Fortescue soared 5.8 per cent to sit among the biggest large-cap gainers at midday.

Read the full story here.