Wild bird found sick with suspected bird flu in WA
The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Julie Collins, is speaking in Hobart about a suspected avian influenza or bird flu case.
If confirmed, the case would be the first of the deadly H5 strain to be detected in mainland Australia.
She says it was found in a single migratory wild bird that was found sick in an isolated area in southern Western Australia.
The initial testing at the Western Australian Laboratory has returned a suspected positive result for avian influenza.
Samples have now been sent to CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness for confirmatory testing, with results expected tomorrow.
We cannot confirm yet whether it is the strain of concern that is circulating at this stage known as the H5 bird flu.
There is no evidence of any mass mortality at this time, nor is there any evidence of infection in poultry.
Key events
Dan Jervis-Bardy
Chalmers dismisses reports of ‘frosty’ relationship with PM
Jim Chalmers says reports of a frosty relationship with Anthony Albanese are “rubbish”, insisting the pair are in lock-step on Labor’s contentious tax reforms.
The relationship between the treasurer and the prime minister is again in the spotlight after the government’s partial backdown on proposed changes to the capital gains tax.
Asked on Friday about media reports of a “frosty” relationship with the prime minister, Chalmers said:
It’s just rubbish, you know, and you shouldn’t believe that sort of trash that you read in some parts of the media. Now, I’ve talked to the prime minister almost every day since the budget. We work together very, very closely. On a personal level I’m very grateful to him for the work that we are doing together to bed down these really important changes.
Dan Jervis-Bardy
NDIS inquiry report delayed with doubts over bill’s passage
A Senate inquiry into sweeping changes to the national disability insurance scheme has delayed its findings for a second time, leaving the fate of the legislation hanging in the balance ahead of a sitting fortnight in Canberra.
The Labor-chaired committee was due to table its findings on a major redesign of the NDIS on Friday but the report has now been pushed back until Tuesday, 23 June.
It is the second time the report has been delayed after it was initially due to be published on Tuesday.
The inquiry – which ran for less than a month – heard widespread concerns from disability advocates, providers and the states and territories about Labor’s drastic plan to curb the scheme’s ballooning costs.
More than 240,000 participants are expected to be forced off the scheme by 2031 under the contentious changes, which are forecast to save almost $38bn over four years.
The government also wants to slash the stream of funding that participants use to hire support workers to allow them to engage with the community, in a move advocates warn will lead to more isolation and segregation.
The Greens are staunchly opposed to the changes while the Coalition is yet to confirm its support, leaving Labor without the numbers to get it through the Senate.
The Greens disability spokesperson, Jordon Steele-John, criticised the delay to the report’s release.
The Greens are frustrated by the delay in the release of this report. The government demanded that disabled people, their families and advocates rush to prepare submissions and evidence for the inquiry, yet it is now dragging its feet when it comes to publishing the findings. Disabled people deserve certainty, transparency and respect.”
She said the bird was found in the south of Western Australia, but Australia was prepared for bird flu. She says the results will come in tonight or early tomorrow morning.
We’ve undertaken a series of national exercises and we’ve invested $113m to strengthen our nation’s preparedness for the H5 bird flu, including an additional $11m in the most recent budget.
If it is confirmed to be the H5 bird flu, this will be sobering but not unexpected given the spread globally.
I want to reassure the public that we’re well placed to respond to and to manage this situation.
We have called together a meeting of the States and territories and the industry experts to get together this afternoon, and they are meeting as we speak.
It is my intention this afternoon to fly to Canberra to receive further briefings tomorrow, should that be required.
Wild bird found sick with suspected bird flu in WA
The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Julie Collins, is speaking in Hobart about a suspected avian influenza or bird flu case.
If confirmed, the case would be the first of the deadly H5 strain to be detected in mainland Australia.
She says it was found in a single migratory wild bird that was found sick in an isolated area in southern Western Australia.
The initial testing at the Western Australian Laboratory has returned a suspected positive result for avian influenza.
Samples have now been sent to CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness for confirmatory testing, with results expected tomorrow.
We cannot confirm yet whether it is the strain of concern that is circulating at this stage known as the H5 bird flu.
There is no evidence of any mass mortality at this time, nor is there any evidence of infection in poultry.
Tom McIlroy
Albanese government tells China it’s not happy with beef tariffs
The Albanese government has told China it is unhappy with a new 55% tariff on Australian beef exports, set to be imposed from this weekend.
The agriculture minister, Julie Collins, is expected to respond to the announcement from Beijing this afternoon, amid expectations the new tariff will be in place until at least the end of 2026.
Australian farmers will be hit by the new tariff regime, introduced after exports from Australia reached a new quota of 205,000 tonnes, set by authorities in Beijing in December.
Countries including Brazil and Argentina are also included in the new rules, designed to benefit domestic farmers in China.
Trade ties between Australia and China have stabilised in recent years, after severe restrictions introduced by Beijing in response to the former Morrison government calling for an inquiry into the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Nick Visser
That’s all from me! Cait Kelly will take things from here. Have a nice weekend.
Jordyn Beazley
Protesters disassembling encampment at Waterloo public housing estate
Protesters are disassembling an encampment at the Waterloo public housing estate after police moved them on early this morning and arrested one woman.
The encampment was set up 25 days ago to obstruct the staged demolition of the southern part of the estate, which was scheduled to begin on 25 May.
On Wednesday, Homes NSW issued a formal notice to the encampment stating that anyone who remained past midday on Thursday would be considered a trespasser.
At 7am on Friday morning, police said they went to the encampment to “prevent a breach of peace” and that all protesters, except for one 22-year-old woman, complied with the direction to move on.
Police charged the woman who allegedly defied the move-on order with “enter inclosed land not prescribed premises without lawful excuse”. She was granted conditional bail and will appear before Downing Centre local court on Monday.
Footage posted to the encampment’s social media account showed police cutting a woman free from a lock-on device after she allegedly attached herself to a truck carrying demolition equipment.
One of the protesters, Rachel Evans, told Guardian Australia just after 2pm that the protesters were packing up and leaving soon. Evans vowed they’d be back “in some form” in the future.
The NSW government is demolishing Waterloo south, which housed vulnerable Sydneysiders in 750 public housing properties, to make way for 3,300 properties. It’s expected the $4bn redevelopment will take between 10 and 15 years.
Half of the new properties will be private, 20% will be “affordable” housing, and the remaining 30% will be a mix of public and community housing.
The tenants displaced by the redevelopment are being relocated to other social housing estates in nearby suburbs and have been promised they can return when the new homes are complete.
The advocates defending the homes have argued that the government’s plan to redevelop Waterloo is a renege on a “pre-election 2023 promise to save Waterloo”.
Court hears NSW police charged Palestinian Australian after anti-Isaac Herzog protest ‘without reasonable cause’
Jordyn Beazley
A 26-year-old Palestinian Australian is considering suing the state after police agreed in court on Thursday that his prosecution following the anti-Isaac Herzog protest was “without reasonable cause”.
Eyad Shadid was arrested near where a group of Muslim men were praying when they were grabbed by police officers at the 9 February protest outside town hall. Shadid was later charged with refusing to comply with a police direction and resisting or hindering an officer.
Last month, police withdrew both charges against him.
An application for costs, initially opposed by police but then agreed, was heard before the Downing centre local court on Thursday. Shadid’s lawyer Nick Hanna said that during the hearing the police prosecutor conceded that they gave no move-on direction.
Hanna said that the prosecutor also agreed the criminal proceedings against Shadid were instituted “without reasonable cause”.
The facts sheet, seen by Guardian Australia and which outlines the police’s initial reasons for charging Shadid, had alleged that he was given a move-on direction and that he was arrested because of his refusal to comply with it.
Judge Rami Attia ordered the force pay Shadid $9,900 in costs.
Hanna said:
By conceding that Mr Shadid was in fact never given a move-on direction, it necessarily follows their arrest of Mr Shadid had no basis and was therefore unlawful.
The next step for Mr Shadid will now be to consider bringing a civil claim against the state of NSW seeking compensation for the harm caused to him as a result of the arrest, which was violent and, in my view, plainly unlawful.
NSW police said in response to a request for comment:
Strike Force Laine continues to conduct inquiries into the public order event on Monday 9 February 2026.
As inquiries are ongoing, and a LECC investigation remains in place, it would be inappropriate to provide further comment.
Has Pauline Hanson’s federal campaign just begun? – Australian Politics podcast
For the first time in her 30-year political career, Pauline Hanson fronted the National Press Club this week. It was a blistering address, and a combative question-and-answer round with journalists – with Hanson attacking multiculturalism, the climate crisis, transgender rights, Indigenous policy, paid parental leave and the two public broadcasters.
Listen to our podcast digesting the speech, featuring longtime journalist Margo Kingston and political editor Tom McIlroy, here:
‘The Tassie devils in my neighbourhood keep stealing shoes and laundry, but I adore them’
This piece about thieving Tasmanian devils is a nice break from the news if you, like me, want to read something delightful.
Kelley Swain writes:
The thievery of these little creatures is endlessly amusing to me, but there have been, I’m told, a few rounds of inconvenience. Expensive hiking boots have had to be hauled out from beneath the house with a boat hook: with them came cushions from deck chairs that had come from neighbours down the road, and linens that could have made up a picnic.
Read more here:
Luca Ittimani
KPMG confirms staff leaked Optus information to colleagues bidding for Telstra contract
KPMG has confirmed its staff leaked Optus’ confidential information to colleagues bidding for an audit contract with Telstra.
In March, parliament heard a KPMG whistleblower’s allegations that colleagues had leaked information relating to Telstra. The firm could not substantiate those allegations.
But KPMG’s chair, Martin Sheppard, has told a parliamentary inquiry the firm confirmed in subsequent weeks there had been a leak related to the telco.
He said KPMG staff that audited Optus shared unredacted confidential information to the team bidding for the contract to audit Telstra.
Sheppard said the Telstra bid team shouldn’t have accessed it: “information moving through an ethical divider shouldn’t have moved through that divider”.
KPMG has previously acknowledged staff leaked information from another KPMG client, Lendlease, and another partner made an inappropriate comment but this is first time the firm has publicly detailed a third alleged breach of ethical standards.
The staff believed to have leaked Lendlease information are believed to have self-reported to the peak accounting body. But Sheppard could not confirm the staff involved in sharing Optus information had done the same thing.
KPMG searched laptop of whistleblower who warned of ‘culture of fear’, inquiry hears
Luca Ittimani
KPMG searched a whistleblower’s laptop over concerns he was leaking KPMG data after he reported other colleagues were leaking their clients’ data, a parliamentary inquiry has heard.
KPMG’s former head of audit, Julian McPherson, said he authorised a search of the whistleblower’s laptop on 30 May 2024. He said that was:
… in the context of us being concerned that the individual might be seeking other employment and we were concerned about whether information from KPMG might have been shared outside.
Later that day, the whistleblower emailed McPherson to again raise concerns over his colleagues’ actions, writing:
These are not isolated incidents but instead endemic within the organisation whereby profit and revenue growth is placed above everything else, including integrity, people, wellbeing and fundamentally doing the right thing. … The lack of speak up culture, the culture of fear, retribution and revenue growth at all costs is not acceptable.
McPherson said he first spoke to KPMG’s human resources team and then its legal team about that letter. He told the then chief executive, Andrew Yates, some time later.
McPherson said someone else authorised further laptop searches on 21 and 26 November 2024, this time to try to investigate the whistleblower’s allegations.
Yates said those searches uncovered evidence for the whistleblower’s allegations that had not previously been raised. He said KPMG only began investigating the allegations at that point and he did not tell the firm’s executive.
Ima Caldwell
‘Life can change in an instant’: nearly $340,000 raised for family of young siblings killed by car in Cabramatta
A fundraiser organised for the parents of two children who were hit and killed by a car on Wednesday in Sydney’s south-west has reached almost $340,000 by early Friday afternoon.
We previously reported that the GoFundMe page set up for the children’s family had reached over $115,000 in donations by Thursday afternoon.
The girl and her brother have been identified as Katherine, five, and Harry, aged 14 months – the only two children of mother Sok Ram and father Vundy Tha.
Katherine, who was in her first year of kindergarten, had just been picked up after receiving an award and was walking back to the family car with her mother when an SUV struck her and the pram carrying her baby brother.
Patrick Te, the fundraiser’s organiser, posted an update on the page yesterday:
From the bottom of my heart, thank you all for coming together to support Sokram and Vundy in this heartbreaking time. Each and every donation means the world to them – words truly cannot describe how deeply grateful they are …
Please, hold your children a little tighter tonight, cherish every precious moment, and stay vigilant on the roads. Life can change in an instant.
Sydney police searching area around Newtown apartment block after man found with chest injuries dies
NSW police are conducting a search of an apartment block and the surrounding area in Newtown, in Sydney’s inner west, after a man was found unresponsive with chest injuries inside a unit.
Police said emergency services were called to the block around 8pm on Thursday night amid a concern for welfare. On arrival, they found a man in his 60s unresponsive with the injuries. He was unable to be revived and declared dead at the scene.
A large contingent of police were seen searching through the bushes throughout the area on Friday morning.
A report will be prepared for the coroner. An investigation into the matter is ongoing.
Adass Israel synagogue investigation has ‘international connections’, police say
Victoria police just held a press conference after a third man was charged over the alleged Adass Israel synagogue arson attack in Melbourne in December 2024, as we reported a moment ago.
A police official said the investigation did have “international connections”, adding to reporters:
You would be aware that this investigation does have international connections. We will continue to work collaboratively with our international partners to assist and also draw information from them.
In particular, there are a number of jurisdictions who are undertaking their own investigations, which is appropriate.
But we are very fortunate that the strong relationships that we have enable us to to draw upon information that they can provide us to assist our investigation.
Tony Modra’s wife thanks first responders who helped AFL great after accident
Tony Modra’s wife has thanked the two first responders who rushed to the AFL great’s aid after a truck accident, AAP has reported.
Modra is in a critical condition in an Adelaide hospital with head injuries after an accident on his cattle property on Thursday afternoon.
The former Adelaide and Fremantle star was injured when a tree branch was believed to have broken through the windshield of a truck he was driving.
Former Crows captain Mark Ricciuto, who remains one of the injured footballer’s best friends, relayed text messages from Erica Modra on his Triple M breakfast show on Friday morning.
“She just wants to say a very big thank you to the first responders, called Sarah and Anthony, who saved his life and helped talk through to Erica while things were going down,” Ricciuto said.
She wants to thank the MFS and the emergency personnel at the Victor Harbor hospital who stabilised him and got him sorted until the intensive care team took control and looked after him.
She said he’s going all right. It’s pretty amazing that he’s got through it.
Luca Ittimani
KPMG’s ex-CEO tells inquiry firm treated whistleblower as someone with ‘employment’ issues
Andrew Yates, who resigned as KPMG’s chief executive, has admitted the firm failed a whistleblower after they reported their colleagues were leaking their client’s documents
Yates has told a parliamentary inquiry he had felt he was managing the whistleblower appropriately until this year.
The inquiry heard the whistleblower wrote to the head of audit, Julian McPherson, in May 2024 saying they were facing retaliation from colleagues for speaking up. Yates said he understood the whistleblower was only someone with workplace “employment” issues, until November 2024 when investigations went further.
Yates said KPMG had sought to agree a deed of release to resolve the dispute by 2025, until the whistleblower said they had been rejected from another job after a reference from a KPMG person.
The whistleblower no longer works for KPMG.
Yates said:
In this case we didn’t get it right. I don’t think we made the whistleblower feel comfortable through the process, in terms of that whole concept of speaking up …
I feel that we could have made the process easier and I also feel probably we could have made it a more humanistic approach.
Senator Paul Scarr put to Yates that the KPMG whistleblower “suffered a horrendous personal mental and career cost”. Yates said he was “deeply distressed” to hear that.
Victoria police charge third man over alleged Adass synagogue attack in 2024
The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCTT) has charged a third man over the alleged Adass Israel synagogue arson attack in December 2024.
The Airport West man, 20, has been charged with criminal damage by fire (Arson), conduct endangering life and theft of motor vehicle.
It will be alleged he is one of three individuals who broke into the Ripponlea synagogue and deliberately set the fire.
Victoria Police acting assistant commissioner Paul O’Halloran:
While over 18 months have passed since the fire at the Adass synagogue, we have remained firmly focused on ensuring those who bring harm to our community are put before the court.
It doesn’t matter what role someone may play, if you are involved in an incident such as this, then I can assure you police and our partner agencies will do everything we can to fully investigate and hold you to account for your actions.
It’s clear these incidents are designed to create fear and distress, when people of all faiths and backgrounds deserve to feel safe in our state.
Kyle Sandilands reveals new show and says Pauline Hanson is ‘one of my favourite people’
Former breakfast radio kingpin Kyle Sandilands has revealed plans for a new subscription-based show after reaching a $12m dollar settlement with his previous employer, AAP reports.
The shock jock also aired claims he engaged in days of discussions with One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson, over the party’s political messaging after being fired from ARN Media earlier this year.
One Nation chief of staff James Ashby told The Sydney Morning Herald this morning Sandilands was “not working” for One Nation in any capacity, formal or informal.
Sandilands said he had changed his opinion on Hanson and One Nation member Barnaby Joyce from several years ago and now thinks they are “very inspirational”.
“I was with Pauline Hanson for a couple of days, just spending some time with her camp since all this saga happened, just working on getting their messaging across which I think has been well received,” he told the Game Changers podcast released on Friday.
She is really a surprise, she’s like one of my favourite people now and I didn’t like her that much prior.
