News live: governor general warns of ‘fragility’ of Australian democracy on Gough Whitlam dismissal anniversary; Wiggles admit likely consumer law breach

12.55am GMT NSW shop landlords could be jailed for allowing tenants to sell illicit tobacco and vapes under new laws Landlords who knowingly allow their tenants to sell illicit tobacco and illegal vapes could be fined up to $165,000, sentenced to up to a year in prison or both, under legislation planned by the New South Wales government. The changes, expected to be introduced to state parliament this week, would create an offence for commercial landlords who do not notify authorities or take steps to evict a tenant running illicit tobacco and vaping businesses from their premises. They follow the first stores being shut down in Sydney last week under state laws cracking down on a spiralling black market for cigarettes and vapes, amid a $3.3bn hole in the federal government’s finances from the declining legal tobacco excise. The NSW health minister, Ryan Park, said the proposed penalties were the result of a consultation with landlords, retailers and health advocates, and struck “a fair and reasonable balance”. Read more here: Related: NSW shop landlords could be jailed for allowing tenants to sell illicit tobacco and vapes under new laws 12.41am GMT Flight crews were unaware Melbourne runway was shortened in 2023 near-miss, report says Two passenger planes only narrowly avoided colliding with construction vehicles and workers during take-off at Melbourne airport in 2023 because the flight crews were unaware the runway had been shortened by nearly 1,600 metres, an Australian safety investigation has found. On Tuesday, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau released its final report into the two incidents, which took place in September 2023 while a Melbourne airport runway was temporarily shortened for resurfacing works. In the first incident on 7 September that year, a Malaysia Airlines Airbus A330-300 with 247 people on board overran the runway while taking off for a flight to Kuala Lumpur, passing less than 7 metres above workers and construction vehicles. Eleven days later, a Bamboo Airways Boeing 787-9 also lifted off beyond the temporary end of the runway, narrowly missing workers by 4.5 metres. No physical injuries were recorded and the planes continued with their planned flights. ATSB’s investigation found that flight crew expectations, workload and time pressure meant that critical information relating to the runway length was received but not absorbed or factored into their take-off calculations. The ATSB’s chief commissioner, Angus Mitchell, said the incidents were very serious and “it was by luck in this case that we didn’t have an impact”: Thankfully, no workers were physically injured as the jet blasts impacted the works area, but this was a terrifying event for those on the ground … The risk controls in place at the time to prevent occurrences such as this were procedural in nature. Whilst it is a fundamental part of responsibility to review and correctly understand all relevant information when preparing for a flight, these and previous incidents show that this process is susceptible to human error, considering the potentially catastrophic consequences of a loaded and fully fuelled aircraft impacting a work site on takeoff. The incidents have prompted changes to domestic and international practices on notifying flight crews about critical information to reduce the capacity for human error in take-off procedures. Updated at 12.56am GMT 12.26am GMT Coles ‘comforted by the science’ in continuing to sell Tasmanian-farmed salmon In response to local teenager and Coles shareholder, who asked if Coles wanted to be associated with the potential extinction of the endangered, endemic Maugean skate, Peter Allen said: As a parent, I do care for the future generation. I think as far as where Coles is concerned … no, we don’t want to be associated with the extinction of the Maugean skate. Allen said the company had “substantially reduced” the amount of salmon they had taken out of Tasmania’s Macquarie Harbour since 2019. He said the company was “comforted by the science” but was open to making further changes in the future. Updated at 12.47am GMT 12.11am GMT Coles rejects shareholders’ request to stop selling Tasmanian salmon Coles’ board has rejected a request from shareholders to stop selling Tasmanian-farmed Atlantic salmon due to concerns about its negative effects on the environment. At the company’s annual general meeting in Melbourne, its chair, Peter Allen, has been facing questions from shareholders, including Tasmanian locals who have spoken passionately about the natural environment. At the start of the meeting earlier this morning, Allen foreshadowed the line of questioning by saying the supermarket had already “taken a heightened approach to our due diligence practices in relation to salmon farming”. He said: We will continue to review our due diligence processes as they relate to seafood sourcing, together with any scientific updates in relation to Macquarie Harbour specifically, and will consider our position in light of any developments. We believe our current and planned actions remain the most responsible and effective path to sustainable seafood sourcing and disclosure. Updated at 12.31am GMT 11.54pm GMT Governor general worried about ‘fragility’ of Australian democracy The governor general, Sam Mostyn, is worried about the “fragility” of Australia’s democracy, voicing concern about a “collision of apathy and disinformation” in Australian society. Mostyn spoke earlier at old Parliament House on the 50th anniversary of Gough Whitlam’s dismissal by then governor general John Kerr. In a speech, she reflected on watching the dismissal on television at the time in 1975: I hope young Australians across the country feel the same curiosity about our system … but as you all know, I hold that hope against a tide of mounting evidence, now 50 years on from those events, Australians’ general interest in and understanding of our democratic institutions is much weaker than we need it to be. That we need to pay close attention to the potential fragility of our system today. Pointing to recent findings from the McKinnon Index, which showed Australian trust in democracy – particularly going people and in rural areas – was falling, Mostyn said Australia needed “an energetic, collaborative effort” to reverse, particularly in civics education for students. Mostyn also went on to claim some recent headlines about her had “drawn a long bow”, in media interviews ahead of the dismissal anniversary. She said she would not judge her predecessor John Kerr as a person, but spoke more broadly about transparency. I could not imagine a situation in modern Australia where a prime minister would be surprised or blindsided by a governor general in the circumstance that occurred in 1975. Importantly, nor am I taking a more expansive approach to my role or redefining any of the core principles of responsible and representative government. Updated at 12.07am GMT 11.38pm GMT Wiggles admit likely consumer law breach after omitted headband safety warning In a court-enforceable undertaking signed by Anthony Field, the blue Wiggle himself, the Wiggles have admitted their Emma Bow headbands likely breached consumer law. Between June 2022 to March 2024, the Wiggles allegedly sold more than 3,100 headbands to consumers without providing mandatory safety warnings for the four button batteries in each headband. The headbands were recalled in August 2024. Button batteries pose a “significant risk to vulnerable young children”, according to the ACCC, due to their small and shiny appearance. The deaths of three Australian children have been linked to the batteries in incidents unrelated to the headbands. The ACCC requires all products containing button batteries to have safety information and warnings. In an ACCC media release this morning, the organisation’s deputy chair, Catriona Lowe, outlined the dangers of button batteries, saying: “If swallowed, a button battery can become stuck in a child’s throat and result in catastrophic injuries, and even death, in as little as two hours.” The Wiggles have also committed to dedicating an episode of their podcast “Wiggle Talk” on button battery safety. Updated at 11.42pm GMT 11.22pm GMT CBA quarterly profit lifts to $2.6bn Commonwealth Bank has reported a jump in its quarterly cash profit to $2.6bn amid robust growth in its home loan and deposit books. The result, up 2% from a year ago, was helped by higher mortgage volumes across the industry, backed by the Reserve Bank’s three interest rate cuts this year. Australian house prices have been rising at their fastest rate in about four years amid fierce competition from buyers, which has benefited lenders through increased loan activity and mortgage sizes. CBA is Australia’s biggest bank and boasts the country’s largest mortgage loan book. Its quarterly results to 30 September show that loan arrears are stable, with those falling more than 90 days behind on their credit card and home loan repayments largely unchanged from the last quarter. Personal loan arrears have dropped. 10.59pm GMT Tim Wilson says it’s important Australia ‘set sovereign targets like net zero’ Tim Wilson has said Australia should set its own emissions reduction target without being tied to rules governed by the Paris agreement, which the Turnbull government ratified in late 2016. The Goldstein MP, who is the only Liberal member in an urban seat after the 2025 May election, told Sky News this morning it was important that Australia “set sovereign targets like net zero that we control, we define, and then we go on and develop a plan on how to implement them on liberal principles”. Wilson continued: I find the idea that we would outsource to a globalist standard like the average of OECD emissions, frankly, bizarre, and I don’t really see that that’s a tolerable policy. Liberals will meet in Canberra tomorrow to settle the opposition’s energy and emission reduction policy. Read more about the state of play from my colleague, Dan Jervis-Bardy, below: Related: ‘They didn’t realise how pissed off we would be’: Sussan Ley risks losing MPs regardless of where net zero debate lands Updated at 11.10pm GMT 10.39pm GMT ‘Free speech is not about the right to vilify’, prime minister says Albanese said states and territories were right to introduce new penalties to limit masked protests. Because what that enables is to encourage activity where people aren’t being identified. If people are engaged in legitimate political activity, they shouldn’t be frightened of being identified. Free speech is not about the right to vilify and to engage in antisemitic behaviour and to encourage hatred and division and violence, which is where this all leads. He said neo-Nazi activity had no place in modern Australia. Updated at 10.48pm GMT 10.24pm GMT Albanese backs new laws that could limit use of masks and balaclavas at protests The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, endorsed new laws limiting the use of masks and balaclavas at protests, part of law enforcement efforts to crack down on neo-Nazi activities around the country. A group of about 60 far-right extremists gathered outside the New South Wales parliament at the weekend, the latest in a string of protests by men wearing black clothing and spreading antisemitic hate. Speaking on ABC radio in Melbourne, Albanese said efforts by NSW and other states to limit masks in public settings were appropriate: Hate has no place in our society, and the sort of vilification that we’ve seen, the fact that Nazis in New South Wales notified the police and were essentially given permission to conduct such hateful activity is completely unacceptable. The New South Wales premier has made that clear. Updated at 11.01pm GMT 9.59pm GMT No smoking gun link between 5% deposit scheme and spike in home prices, experts say Property prices grew at the fastest rate in more than two years following the federal government’s expanded deposit guarantee scheme kicking in, but there is not enough evidence of a direct link between the two, housing experts told AAP. Home values grew 1.1% in October, which coincided with places for the 5% deposit scheme being uncapped and property eligibility expanded, housing data group Cotality found. Economists had predicted the scheme would boost demand and further drive up already growing prices, and the federal opposition was quick to pounce on the figures. But Cotality’s head of research, Eliza Owen, said while the deposit scheme was one of many factors influencing strong growth, especially in the lower to middle end of the market, it was difficult to establish a causal relationship. Supporting the case the scheme had an impact is evidence that it drove demand in homes under eligibility price caps, Owen said. They increased by 1.2%, compared with 1% for dwellings above – a difference of 22 basis points. Updated at 10.01pm GMT 9.42pm GMT NSW police commissioner says he would have sought legal advice if he had been briefed before neo-Nazi protest Mal Lanyon says he was “disappointed” he wasn’t briefed on Saturday’s neo-Nazi rally outside the state’s parliament, given the “high-profile” nature of the group and if he had been, he would have sought legal advice on objecting to the demonstration. About 60 men clad in black called for the abolition of a supposed Jewish lobby at the protest, with speakers repeating antisemitic tropes. The decision by NSW police to not oppose the protest was condemned as “unfathomable” on Sunday by one Jewish group. Speaking on ABC’s 7.30 on Monday evening, Lanyon again blamed a “communication error” for allowing a form one application for the protest to be approved without his consultation and said he wanted to “make sure that I’m certainly over those matters of significance”. He said there was “nothing there” in the application that indicated there was a risk to public safety if the protest went ahead, but if he had been briefed, he would have asked to see if there were sufficient grounds to object to it in the supreme court: I understand the deep distress of the Jewish community. I truly do. And obviously we work very closely with senior leaders within the Jewish community … I find the actions of this group absolutely reprehensible, but obviously we have to work within legislation as police. Lanyon said police continued to investigate whether hate speech had been used at the rally, including in consultation with legal experts. Updated at 9.44pm GMT 9.23pm GMT Angus Taylor says leadership challenge against Ley ‘not something I’m focused on’ Angus Taylor, the shadow defence minister, said he is not “focused” on a leadership challenge against Sussan Ley amid grumblings over her hold on the Coalition. Related: ‘They didn’t realise how pissed off we would be’: Sussan Ley risks losing MPs regardless of where net zero debate lands Taylor spoke to Channel Nine’s Today this morning, where he was asked about rumours he was mulling challenging Ley for the top spot. He said: Well, that’s just not right. I’m focused on making sure we’ve got the policies we need coming together to hold this government to account and to be contestable at the next election. Taylor was asked to “categorically” rule out a challenge to Ley, but he demurred, saying: “It’s not something we’re planning.” It’s not something I’m focused on. I’m focused on what I just described. I’m focused on making sure Australians have what they need to have an affordable life, a better standard of living. Amanda Rishworth, the minister for employment, was sitting alongside Taylor at the time. She was asked if his response was “convincing”. “Well, no,” she replied. Updated at 11.40pm GMT 9.04pm GMT John Howard says the Whitlam episode empowered Australians to better decide the country’s future RN’s Sally Sara spoke to former prime minister John Howard this morning about his own reflection on Gough Whitlam’s removal. Howard called Whitlam an “outstanding parliamentarian”, and one of the best he ever saw. Sara asked Howard what political lessons the country learned from Whitlam’s tenure and dismissal. He said: I think the greatest lesson is that we have a very durable and workable constitution, which ultimately allowed the people of Australia to decide the country’s future. And there wasn’t any doubt that once the Australian people had a clear run at deciding who was going to govern their affairs, what their answer was. And in the end, it was resolved, and they had a say, and they decided to give Malcolm Fraser the biggest majority since federation. 8.51pm GMT Albanese reflects on moment Whitlam removed The prime minister spoke more about Whitlam in an interview with Radio National Breakfast this morning. Albanese recalled being in year 7 when Whitlam was removed, saying he “skipped off” school to attend a rally in Sydney’s Domain. He recounted: For someone like my mum, who’d waited a long, long time, 23 years to see the election of a Labor government, it was seen to be this intervention that was very unfair, that was something that they didn’t expect could ever happen in Australia. Albanese was asked about any parallels between a rise in distrust in institutions after the Whitlam episode, and distrust in government in modern times. He said: The world has obviously changed substantially. All the things that are undermining trust in institutions, of course, misinformation, disinformation that comes from social media conspiracy theories out there, the polarisation to the far left and the far right. The difficulty in 2025, I think, of ascertaining the truth, and just some agreement about facts is far more difficult. … People benefit from the fact that the sources of information can be many and instantaneous, but with that has also brought challenges and a greater silo effect. 8.37pm GMT Read the Guardian’s coverage of Gough Whitlam’s removal from 50 years ago Prime minister Anthony Albanese said Gough Whitlam’s removal was a “calculated plot” to remove a democratically elected government during a speech last night at Old Parliament House. The remarks came ahead of the 50th anniversary today of governor general Sir John Kerr’s move to dismiss the Labor government, on 11 November 1975. “The dismissal was a calculated plot, hatched by conservative forces which sacrificed conventions and institutions in the pursuit of power,” Albanese said last night. Related: Gough Whitlam’s dismissal ‘a calculated plot’ to remove elected government via partisan ambush, PM says The Guardian, then only a UK newspaper, covered Whitlam’s dismissal 50 years ago under the headline “Australia in turmoil as Whitlam is fired”. You can read an archived version of that article online here: Related: Australia in turmoil as Whitlam is fired 8.25pm GMT Impassioned locals voiced opposition to new fast food restaurant Nevertheless, councillors listened to impassioned submissions from locals who raised concerns about safety risks, health and wellbeing, rubbish, and the detriment to the suburb’s unique character. Greens councillor Julie O’Brien, who introduced the motion opposing the development, said she didn’t believe the neglect of the existing building should be rewarded by leasing it out to McDonald’s. She added: Our role as councillors isn’t to make the least risky decision every time, sometimes it’s about making the right one. Residents in the council chamber applauded as O’Brien’s motion was passed, rejecting the McDonald’s and setting the council up for a potential legal confrontation should the company appeal the decision in the Victorian civil and administrative tribunal (Vcat). Three councillors, including the mayor, voted against O’Brien’s motion, one of whom cited concerns about the potential cost of a Vcat appeal. 8.17pm GMT Melbourne council rejects new 24-hour McDonald’s store on inner north High Street A proposal to open a 24-hour McDonald’s in the inner Melbourne suburb of Northcote has been rejected by the local council after opposition from community members including a petition that garnered more than 11,000 signatures. Darebin councillors voted 6-3 at a planning meeting on Monday night to reject the application for minor works at 323 High Street Northcote which would have transformed the dilapidated building into a McDonald’s convenience restaurant. At the start of the meeting, council staff told councillors planning permission was not required because the building was in a commercial zone and didn’t need a permit to become a convenience restaurant. The staff said the site had already been granted a permit for redevelopment in 2021 and the new application was simply to amend the permit so that the building could be turned into a McDonald’s store. 8.12pm GMT Good morning, Nick Visser here to snag the blog. Let’s see what Tuesday holds, shall we? 7.58pm GMT Woman and child drown in Dandenong Creek A woman and child have drowned after falling into a river in Dandenong yesterday afternoon, police said. A witness reported two people had been swept away after falling into Dandenong Creek, near Allan Street, at about 3.45pm. It is believed the woman went to the aid of the child and then got into difficulty herself. Police found the pair in the water and carried out CPR but were were unable to save them. They have not yet been identified. Police will prepare a report for the coroner. Anyone who witnessed the incident or has information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or log onto www.crimestoppersvic.com.au 7.51pm GMT Paul Keating pays tribute to late ‘king’ of radio, John Laws Paul Keating says talkback radio heavyweight John Laws “partnered with” the former Labor prime minister in educating “middle ground” Australia. In a statement after Laws’ death, aged 90, on Monday, Keating recalled the 15 years he spent doing interviews with and for Laws during his time as treasurer and prime minister, “lifting John’s program to be one to be listened to in respect of wider and deeper national, social and economic issues”: In my terms, owing to John’s regard and general restraint, I was able to secure, without rude and perpetual interruption, which is the norm these days, 30 to 40 minutes of radio time to expatiate on complex issues whenever the issues suited. It was those long interviews … which let the public into the wider and deeper national issues then to hand ... John Laws led a public life he was entitled to be proud of. He certainly partnered with me ... in educating a big and substantial chunk of the middle-ground constituency. As it turned out, a large measure of the country’s economic literacy was to emerge from John’s program. Keating said Laws was “king” of the radio medium before the digital age, praising his “air of authority” and interviewing style: One of John’s strengths was that he knew what he didn’t know. But would know enough to kick off an interview, coming in where he thought, but letting the interviewee do most of the talking. Related: John Laws, Australian radio’s ‘Golden Tonsils’ who dominated airwaves for six decades – obituary 7.41pm GMT NSW Nationals to abandon net zero following federal colleagues NSW Nationals MPs will officially follow their federal counterparts in abandoning a commitment to net zero emissions by 2050 in a widely anticipated move that sets up a split in the Coalition and a test for the state’s embattled opposition Liberal leader, Mark Speakman. In a statement late last night, the NSW Nationals leader, Dugald Saunders, said the decision came after “in depth” party room discussions yesterday. They followed a briefing from a Nationals-aligned thinktank, the Page Research Centre, and senator Ross Cadell, whose policy position informed the federal party’s move. While the statement makes no specific reference to the 2050 net zero target, it said the party agreed “in principle” with the federal National party’s “cheaper, better and fairer plan”, under which the party explicitly said it would abandon net zero. Saunders said: We agree in principle with the federal Nationals’ cheaper, better and fairer plan. Regional NSW should not carry all the burden of Labor’s renewables rollout. Saunders said the party would work with its Coalition partners to reach “a clear, united position” on an energy policy with “affordability, reliability and the environment” at its centre. The move comes after grassroots Nationals voted to abandon net zero in June. Speakman, who faces a potential leadership challenge in the final sitting weeks of the year amid poor polling, was asked on Monday what would happen to the Coalition’s net zero commitments if the Nationals abandoned the policy. He said he would “cross that bridge when we come to it”, but that he supported “an aspiration of net zero by 2050”: I think it is pretty clear the way people voted in 2025 and 2022 at a federal level. Compare that with what happened in 2023 [state elections] where we had almost no losses in northern Sydney. People want a Liberal party with strong environmental credentials. Updated at 11.39pm GMT 7.35pm GMT Welcome Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it’ll be Nick Visser with the main action. Paul Keating has paid tribute to John Laws who died yesterday aged 90, saying the talkback radio heavyweight was the “king” of radio in the pre-digital age. The former Labor prime minister said Laws “partnered with” him in educating “middle ground” Australia about economics and had a legacy “to be proud of”. More coming up. NSW Nationals MPs will officially follow their federal counterparts in abandoning a commitment to net zero emissions by 2050, in a widely anticipated move that sets up a split in the Coalition and a test for the state’s embattled opposition Liberal leader Mark Speakman. More shortly. The NSW police commissioner says he would have sought advice on objecting to Saturday’s neo-Nazi protest in the supreme court but he was not asked for his opinion by the officers who made the decision to allow it go ahead. Mal Lanyon told 7.30 he understood the “distress” of the Jewish community but blamed an internal “communication error” which meant he wasn’t involved. More coming up.