1 hour ago
Teal gets $60,000 Farrer byelection boost
Tom McIlroy
The teal candidate for Farrer, Michelle Milthorpe, has received a big donation to start her campaign in the upcoming byelection.
Milthorpe ran second to Sussan Ley in last May’s federal election, and is set to run to replace the former opposition leader when she formally quits parliament in the coming weeks. The Liberals, s and One Nation are all expected to run in the rural NSW seat as well.
Milthorpe has received a $60,000 campaign donation from the Regional Voices Fund. The fund gives money to support regional independent candidates and has links to Climate 200.
Timing for the byelection will be set by the speaker once Ley resigns the seat.
Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature
Ima Caldwell
Groovin the Moo announces 2026 return with scaled-back event
Regional music festival Groovin the Moo has announced it will return this year, ending a two-year hiatus following consecutive cancellations.
In a shift from its traditional format of touring regional areas across Australia, the festival will return on 9 May as a single-day, single-stage event held in Lismore, northern New South Wales, on Widjabul/Wia-bal Country.
Organisers said they are “taking the first step” in Lismore, after looking for “the most sustainable way” to bring the festival back to life after a difficult period for the Australian live music industry.
We’re groovin again! Last year we made a promise to find the most sustainable way to bring back Australia’s most-loved regional festival. In 2026, we’re taking the first step in Lismore.
The lineup for the event will be released soon, the festival says.
Allow Instagram content?
This article includes content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click 'Allow and continue'.
Caitlin Cassidy
Palestine advocates back report into university campus racism
The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (Apan) says anti-Palestinian racism is “entrenched” in society after a landmark report by the Australian Human Rights Commission found nine in 10 Palestinian students and staff had experienced racism on campus.
The report, released today, found the rates of racism was highest for Palestinian and practicing Jewish respondents, followed by First Nations, Chinese, Jewish (secular), Middle Eastern and Northeast Asian respondents (over 80%).
The executive officer of Apan, Katie Shammas, called on the federal government to back the commissioner’s recommendation it adopt an anti-racism framework in its own polices and practices to lead the way for reform to the university sector.
We are finding students and university staff being accused of ‘blood libel’, being expelled or placed on probation, and having their movements monitored on university campuses.
This only indicates a rampant culture of silencing and erasure of Palestinians and their allies, including members of the Jewish community, something that has also been raised in the AHRC report.
Caitlin Cassidy
Greens renew calls to scrap controversial antisemitism report cards after release of racism at universities report
The Greens have accused the federal government of “cherry picking” types of racism after the race discrimination commissioner’s report found particularly high levels of anti-Palestinian racism alongside anti-Jewish racism in its report into universities.
The report made 47 recommendations, including embedding anti-racism into governance, curriculum, training, leadership, staffing and student support.
The deputy Greens leader and anti-racism spokesperson, Senator Mehreen Faruqi, said the report laid bare a “terrifying truth”:
Racism is not an exception in our universities, it is the rule, and it is harming students and staff across racial and religious groups … The promise of education is being poisoned by racism.
The prime minister must urgently adopt the report’s systemic whole-of-racism reforms and scrap the sham one-sided antisemitism report cards, which have been roundly criticised. Cherrypicking one type of racism over others does nothing to dismantle structural racism embedded in policy and practice. It only entrenches the systems of discrimination we should be dismantling.
The Albanese government has been gaslighting and dismissing anti-Palestinian racism for the last two years of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, but with Palestinian respondents experiencing the highest levels of racism the government can no longer refuse to accept this reality.
Ima Caldwell
Bulldogs ‘deeply shocked’ after former player Matt Utai shot in Greenacre
The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs say they are “deeply shocked and saddened” following news that former player Matt Utai is in hospital after being shot multiple times in Sydney’s west.
In a statement this morning a club spokesperson said Utai “is a beloved part of the Bulldogs family”.
He played 127 first-grade games for the club and was instrumental in the 2004 Premiership.
Our thoughts are with Matt and his family during this extremely difficult time. We are hoping and praying for his full recovery.
The Club also asks that the privacy of Matt and his family be respected at this time.
Teal gets $60,000 Farrer byelection boost
Tom McIlroy
The teal candidate for Farrer, Michelle Milthorpe, has received a big donation to start her campaign in the upcoming byelection.
Milthorpe ran second to Sussan Ley in last May’s federal election, and is set to run to replace the former opposition leader when she formally quits parliament in the coming weeks. The Liberals, s and One Nation are all expected to run in the rural NSW seat as well.
Milthorpe has received a $60,000 campaign donation from the Regional Voices Fund. The fund gives money to support regional independent candidates and has links to Climate 200.
Timing for the byelection will be set by the speaker once Ley resigns the seat.
Caitlin Cassidy
Findings of racism study are ‘deeply troubling’, Universities Australia says
Universities Australia (UA) says it “stands ready” to work with the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) after the release of today’s report, which found racism was systemic on university campuses.
In a statement, the peak body said the accounts shared by almost 80,000 staff and students through its survey were “deeply troubling”.
Behind each response is a person who did not feel safe or respected in a place where they should have. To everyone who shared their story, we acknowledge both what you experienced and the courage it takes to speak about it.
UA backed the report’s calls for a national working group to develop a coordinated action plan for the sector, to help “translate its findings into consistent standards, stronger accountability and measurable progress across all institutions”.
Universities Australia stands ready to work constructively with the AHRC and the government to ensure this work begins without delay and delivers meaningful, transparent change.
Benita Kolovos
Victoria premier rejects call for royal commission into CFMEU
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, also rejected the opposition’s calls for a royal commission into the allegations contained in the Watson report. She said:
We’ve had a royal commission in this country that went into this industry, that went for years, that didn’t result in any outcomes, and clearly didn’t address the issues. The calls from, particularly the Liberal party here in Victoria, for [a royal commission] is not about this matter. It’s all about clawing back workers’ wages.
Allan again refuted Geoffrey Watson’s claim corruption in the union cost taxpayers $15bn. More on that claim here:
The premier said the figure was redacted from Watson’s final report by the CFMEU’s administrator, Mark Irving, as it was “untested” and “not properly founded”. She said Irving had the “responsibility and authority under federal legislation” to test the claim – not the state government.
She said:
I’m going to support the work of the federal administrator because his work is just so critically important … In the areas that I am responsible for, the Victorian government [is] taking action – supporting the work of Victorian police, passing legislation to both strengthen the labour hire regulations and also passing legislation to strengthen Victoria police’s powers around dealing with organised crime.
Benita Kolovos
Victoria premier has no plans to introduce follow the money laws
Earlier this morning, the premier, Jacinta Allan, held a press conference at Footscray Hospital, which opens tomorrow morning.
While there, she faced a barrage of questions related to the allegations of corruption in the CFMEU Victorian branch.
Asked whether she would give the state’s anti-corruption watchdog “follow the money” powers, as dubbed by the Greens, to allow them to investigate corrupt conduct by third parties and private subcontractors connected to government funding, Allan responded:
I’ve got no announcements to make regarding [the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission] Ibac today.
She said allegations detailed in a report by corruption fighter Geoffrey Watson SC were able to be investigated by Victoria police. Allan said:
The allegations that have been raised go to alleged criminal behaviour, and that includes alleged criminal corrupt behaviour, and as we have seen, Victoria Police have the tools and the powers as the independent investigative agency to respond to this matter. They are doing so - Taskforce Hawk has laid 70 charges against 15 individuals.
Tom McIlroy
Opposition calls for Labor to use powers to stop women from returning to Australia from Syria
The opposition has formally called on Labor to use temporary exclusion orders to stop a group of Australian citizens from returning to Australia from Syria.
A group of 34 women and children who are the wives, widows and children of dead or jailed Islamic State fighters had attempted to move to safety this week. The group were held for years without charge, but were forced to return to a detention camp in Syria after being released by Kurdish forces.
Liberal senator Jonno Duniam, expected to take a senior role in Angus Taylor’s new frontbench line up this week, called on the government to take strong action against the group.
“One avenue available to the government to stop these people from returning to Australia is a temporary exclusion order [TEO] – which is expressly provided so a government can protect its people,” he said.
These are people who have been part of a group that want to attack our way of life and are a very serious risk to our society.
TEOs allow the home affairs minister to legally prevent citizens from re-entering Australia for up to two years, if they are deemed a security risk.
They can cover minors aged 14-17, as well as adults, but require an Asio threat assessment.
One person dead, two in critical condition after stabbing in Merrylands
One person is dead and two others are in critical condition after a stabbing in Sydney’s west this morning.
NSW police said emergency services were called to Merrylands about 10am. Officers on scene were told a man had allegedly stabbed multiple people before leaving the area on foot.
Paramedics treated three people on scene for serious injuries, including the person who died. The two others were taken to an area hospital in critical condition.
Police arrested a man later this morning, who has been taken to Granville police station. No charges have been filed. A crime scene has been established and an investigation is ongoing.
Caitlin Cassidy
Race discrimination commissioner says racism ‘pervasive’ across university sector
The race discrimination commissioner, Giridharan Sivaraman, said the findings of the study were deeply troubling and universities were falling short of their duty of care to students and staff.
Racism at university is not confined to isolated incidents or individual behaviour – it is systemic. Racism is pervasive across the sector, affecting many groups in serious ways … The attack on Camp Sovereignty, the antisemitic terror attack in Bondi and the recent alleged attempted bombing targeting First Peoples on 26 January in Perth – these are the horrifying outcomes when racism in our society isn’t addressed.
The report made 47 recommendations for the federal government and universities, including a national framework for anti-racism in tertiary education, better accountability and a more diverse leadership and workforce.
Only 11 universities were found to have advanced, standalone anti‐racism strategies.
Sivaraman said the report showed the “critical importance” of the federal government endorsing and funding key recommendations of the Anti-Racism Framework, which the commission delivered in November 2024.
We cannot wait any longer as racism continues to impact the lives of many in visceral ways.
Racism is ‘systemic’ at Australia’s universities, report finds
Caitlin Cassidy
Racism is “systemic” at Australia’s universities, the race discrimination commissioner says, with a landmark report finding seven in 10 respondents have experienced indirect racism, rising to nine in 10 Palestinian and Jewish students and staff.
The Australian Human Rights Commission’s national study was commissioned in 2024 to investigate the prevalence and impact of racism at universities for the first time. The federal government received the report in December but it was not publicly released until Tuesday.
Of the 76,000 students and staff that were surveyed as part of the study, 70% had experienced indirect racism, including hearing or seeing racist behaviour directed at their community. Some 15% had experienced direct racism at university.
The rates were highest for religious Jewish and Palestinian respondents (over 90%), followed by First Nations, Chinese, Jewish (secular), Middle Eastern and Northeast Asian respondents (over 80%).
At the same time, just 6% of people who experienced direct racism make a complaint to their university, with many citing fear of consequences and low trust in university complaints systems.
Prime minister says government has ‘no sympathy’ for anyone with links to Islamic State fighters
Albanese spoke more about the 34 women and children with links to dead or jailed Islamic State fighters who were sent back to a Syrian detention camp this morning.
Earlier this morning he said the government would not assist with repatriation efforts. He added to ABC Radio Melbourne:
We have no sympathy, frankly, for people who travelled overseas in order to participate in what was an attempt to establish a caliphate to undermine and destroy our way of life.
It’s unfortunate that children are impacted by this as well. But we are not providing any support. And if anyone does manage to find their way back to Australia, then they’ll face the full force of the law if any laws have been broken.
Lanyon again calls for release of 85-year-old mistakenly kidnapped: ‘this incident is disgraceful’
Lanyon was asked about the current status of missing 85-year-old Chris Baghsarian. He said:
This incident is disgraceful.
It is clearly a case of mistaken identity and it shows the disregard that those involved in organised crime have for individuals. The fact Mr Baghsarian has been taken and not returned at this stage, despite the fact we have been very clear that you have the wrong person.
Can I ask that you show some respect, show dignity and ensure Mr Baghsarian is returned to his family.
Lanyon says restrictions worked ‘very well’, but time to get community back to ‘what is normal’
Lanyon said the recent protests had “very little” role in the decision to end the restriction on public assemblies, but said they were in place during Israeli president Isaac Herzog’s visit earlier this month because he had “significant concerns about the safety of the community” at the time.
He said:
I am satisfied that conditions that led to the extension last time do not exist now …
There was significant animosity towards that head of state. There was a need for a police force to ensure we provide protection to that head of state. There were large events that were planned around the visit of that head of state. We didn’t want there to be conflict between protesters and the head of state.
He added the restrictions had worked “very well”, but it was now time to get the community “back to what is normal”.
