Australia news live: Woolworths workers continue strike as shelves go bare; worst state for business named

Sarah Basford Canales

Officials from the Attorney General’s department have dismissed concerns by Christian lobby groups that proposed hate speech laws would turn Australia into a “police state” by creating “thought crimes”.

At a parliamentary hearing on Monday, department officials were asked whether the legislation would extend to “psychological” harm caused by religious groups expressing their faith.

The bill, if passed, would extend existing offences of urging force or violence against specified targeted groups to protect people distinguished by sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, intersex status or disability.

The changes would lower the threshold for the offences, to punish a person who is “reckless” as to whether the violence urged will occur, rather than requiring that they intend it.

Jonathon Savery, director of the department’s counter-terrorism legislation section, said the changes related to “physical force or violence against a person”.

“They aren’t intended to encompass psychological or other sorts of mental harm. That’s consistent with the ordinary meaning of these terms, which the terms are intended to take, so, as evidenced by various sort of dictionary definitions that refer to physical coercion, exertion of strength, use of rough force.”

Savery noted the proposed laws explicitly say violence, and not harm – the latter can include mental harm.

Various religious groups raised the issue throughout the day’s hearing, expressing concerns that the laws could limit free speech and freedom to practice religion.

Rachel Carling, the public policy director of Christian Schools Australia, described the proposal as an “unacceptable limitation on the fundamental human freedoms of speech, thought and religion”.

“The bill, as it stands in our interpretation, risks encompassing legitimate debate and disagreement and risks covering the biblical teachings around, for example, sexuality and gender.”

The religious groups suggested adding “physical” before violence to provide them with “crystal clarity”. Savery later said adding the word is “unlikely to have a significant effect” because violence is outlined in other legislation.

Adeshola Ore

More than 60 imports of deadly synthetic opiod nitazenes detected at border: AFP

The Australian federal police say more than 60 imports of deadly synthetic opioids were detected at the nation’s border in the 20 months to September.

The synthetic opioids, called nitazenes, are often mixed with other substances such as MDMA and heroin without the user’s knowledge.

The AFP says between January 2023 and September 2024, the Australian Border Force detected 64 imports of nitazenes at the Australian border. The imports originated from Hong Kong, the United Kingdom and Canada and were primarily imported via the international mail stream, the AFP said.

AFP Cmdr Paula Hudson says it considers nitazenes to pose a greater threat to the Australian community than fentanyl:

Nitazenes are considered 10 times more potent than fentanyl and to put that in perspective, around two milligrams of fentanyl – or the equivalent of the size of two grains of salt – is considered lethal.

The AFP said there is no evidence that nitazenes are being manufactured in Australia.

Perry Kouromblis, main suspect in 1977 murders, boards plane flanked by detectives

Daisy Dumas

Morning all, Daisy Dumas here with the rest of the morning’s news. The first pictures of the main suspect in 1977’s Easey Street murders, Perry Kouromblis, have been made public.

In the 7News footage, Kouromblis is seen flanked by detectives on board a plane. The extradition process is under way after Kouroumblis was arrested at Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci airport in September, decades after the murders of Suzanne Armstrong, 28, and Susan Bartlett, 27, in January 1977.

Charges have not been laid and he maintains his innocence.

After almost three decades behind the mic, Robbie Buck has announced he is leaving ABC Radio Sydney, joining a growing list of names departing the national broadcaster from next year.

Buck told audiences on his show, Songs & Stories, that he would be going:

It’s a sad moment, I’ve got to say.

I’m stepping back from the ABC somewhat, which is a big move for me. I have been here over 28 years as a constant employee, and it’s been such a privilege to have been a part of this organisation.

I am hoping to still have a toe in the water here on the airwaves, and so I’m hoping to pop up from time to time, but it just seems like it’s the right time for me to step back.

Buck joins a list of high-profile ABC presenters – Richard Glover, Sarah Macdonald and Simon Marnie – who are departing the broadcaster from 2025.

He hosted the Songs & Stories radio show for the last 18 months, having previously hosted the ABC Radio Sydney breakfast show for eight years, four of those years co-hosting with Wendy Harmer.

South Australia has secured the title of best state to do business, narrowly beating Tasmania, which landed in second place.

Victoria came in last place in the business lobby’s rankings of state and territory regulatory frameworks and tax settings.

The top-performing state in the Business Council of Australia’s leaderboard sports the lowest payroll tax rate for large employers.

South Australia similarly ranked highly for stamp duty and land tax rates with businesses having fewer licensing and permit hoops to jump through than elsewhere. Its urban planning system, which takes into account the pace development applications are assessed, also outperformed other states.

But on retail trading hours, South Australia had among the most restrictive rules dictating when businesses can and cannot open.

BCA’s chief executive, Bran Black, said the report “highlights good practice regulations and planning systems across Australia that other states and territories should look to adopt”.

Picketers will continue their around-the-clock presence at Woolworths warehouses and say they will be there until a pay agreement is reached, Australian Associated Press reports.

United Workers Union members are blocking all entrances to a distribution centre in suburban Melbourne after Woolworths announced plans to reopen.

Plans to bring in staff yesterday fell through, but picketers at the Dandenong South site turned away logistics trucks trying to enter.

The strike action has seen supermarket shelves across Victoria stripped, with scenes akin to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Customers can expect to see ongoing empty shelves after the union failed to agree to allow workers to return to work as a result of the ongoing strikes, Woolworths said.

“The majority of our team at the Melbourne South Regional Distribution Centre want to return to work and be paid again, our customers are facing increasingly empty shelves, another union has endorsed our deal, and we are still at the negotiating table with the UWU,” a Woolworths spokesperson said.

“As long as they continue to block access to our site, our customers will continue to face shortages on shelves in Victoria.”

One store, on Collingwood’s Smith Street, had most of its toilet paper aisle emptied along with large portions of its bread and fridge sections.

The company and union returned to the negotiating table on Monday.

“We are hopeful of a breakthrough because our workers deserve to be safe at work,” United Workers Union National Secretary Tim Kennedy said.

Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories to get things started before Daisy Dumas takes the reins.

It may have passed a stack of new laws last week but the Albanese government is in election peril if our latest Guardian Essential poll is anything to go by, with voters deeply underwhelmed by Labor’s performance in the two critically important policy areas of housing affordability and improving wages.

The government has been rated “poor” by 53% of voters on its efforts to contain housing costs, according to today’s poll, while ministers also received surprisingly little credit for increasing wages, with 35% saying they had done a “poor” job on that score as well. More coming up.

Vanuatu has outlined its case in a landmark climate action brought before the UN’s top court, arguing that international law and the warming of the atmosphere demands broader action.

Beginning overnight, the Pacific state is leading two weeks of hearings at the international court of justice in The Hague, seeking an formal advisory opinion on whether high-emitting countries should do more to stave off climate catastrophe. More coming.

More than 1,500 Woolworths warehouse workers will strike for the 13th day running today in their fight for better pay and safety on the job. The industrial action has affected up to five distribution centres run by Primary Connect, the supermarket giant’s supply chain arm, and has led to some bare shelves in stores. More coming up.

And the Business Council of Australia has ranked all the states and territories on how easy it is to “do business” in them – in other words, which has the least tax and regulation. Victoria came last.