Australia news live: body found in search for missing teen; 26 January citizenship ceremonies no longer mandated for local councils

From 2h ago

Immigration minister scraps rule forcing local councils to hold citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day

Local councils will no longer be forced to hold citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day, after Labor has reversed a Morrison government ruling.

SBS’s Finn McHugh reports:

Rules introduced in 2019 under then-prime minister Scott Morrison forced local governments to hold citizenship ceremonies on 26 January or be stripped of their right to conduct them. Mr Morrison at the time said compelling local councils to do so would stop them from “playing politics with Australia Day”.
Immigration Minister Andrew Giles on Friday revealed Labor would walk back that restriction but said it remained the government’s “strong expectation” that councils would hold ceremonies on the date.
Councils will now be able to hold ceremonies three days before or after 26 January, in what the government described as a “pragmatic” decision to make processing more efficient.
Mr Giles has also reinstated the rights of the City of Yarra and Darebin City councils to hold ceremonies. Both were stripped of that right in 2017 by then-prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, who blasted them as “out of step with Australian values”.
For some Australians, particularly among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, 26 January is not a day of celebration. It is seen as a day that commemorates the 1788 arrival of British settlers at Sydney Cove where they raised the Union Jack. For Indigenous people, it remains a day of mourning and is referred to as “Invasion Day” by some.

It comes after earlier this month Merri-bek became the third Melbourne council to stop holding citizenship ceremonies on 26 January. You can read more about that from Adeshola Ore:

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There were 24,652 new cases in the weekly reporting period and 26 people are in intensive care.

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The number of cases and deaths are both down on the previous week’s figures.

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This week’s cases have dropped by more than 3,000 since last week’s high of 27,790.

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The 84 deaths recorded are one less than last week’s 85.

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This week we reported 24,652 new cases with a daily average hospital occupancy of 675 and 26 patients in ICU.
84 deaths were reported in the past 7 days.
Our thoughts are with those in hospital, and the families of people who have lost their lives. pic.twitter.com/dJZgaM6Rrh
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) December 15, 2022

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There were 40,695 new cases in the weekly reporting period, and 37 people are in intensive care.

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Cases have only risen very slightly on last week’s 40,194, indicating the wave is decelerating though not yet ebbing.

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Deaths, which always lag cases, have had a big jump since 48 last week.

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COVID-19 weekly update – Friday 16 December 2022
In the 7 days to 4pm Thursday 15 December:
-40,695 new cases of COVID-19 have been recorded: 16,614 rapid antigen tests (RATs) and 24,081 PCR tests.
-74 lives lost pic.twitter.com/YJr14oCFBV
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) December 15, 2022

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A body has been found in the search for a missing teenager who fell off a boat while fishing at a lake on the Victoria-New South Wales border.

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No formal identification has taken place but police believe it is that of the missing 16-year-old.

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The boy and a friend were fishing in a tinnie on Lake Mulwala, at Yarrawonga, when they were hit by a wave and thrown overboard on Sunday morning.

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A good Samaritan managed to bring one boy to shore using a flotation device but could not find the other.

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The body was found in the lake at about 6.30pm on Thursday, four days after he was last seen.

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A report will be prepared for the coroner.

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– from AAP

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More than a dozen academics, business leaders and social groups will work on a new government taskforce to review welfare payment rates before each budget, and issues for unemployed and disadvantaged Australians.

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The Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee will meet for the first time on Friday. It will be chaired by former Labor MP and community services minister Jenny Macklin. On the board are familiar faces including trade union chief Sally McManus, Business Council boss Jennifer Westacott and Australian Council of Social Services chief executive Cassandra Goldie; academics including Dr Angela Jackson, Prof Peter Whiteford and Prof Ben Phillips; and representatives of the Brotherhood of St Laurence, the Marninwarntikura Women’s Resource Centre, and Leah Van Poppel, chair of Victorian NDIS Community Advisory.

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The economic inclusion group was set up after a request from senator David Pocock, as a condition for his support in siding with the government on its industrial relations bill.

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Treasurer Jim Chalmers and social services minister Amanda Rishworth said:

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Its primary functions will be to provide advice on economic inclusion including policy settings, systems and structures, and the adequacy, effectiveness and sustainability of income support payments ahead of every federal budget.
\n
The committee will also look at options to reduce barriers and disincentives to work, including in relation to social security and employment services. Further, it will explore options for tailored responses to address barriers to economic inclusion for long term unemployed and disadvantaged groups, including place-based approaches at the local level.
\n

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The group will meet “at least every quarter” and its findings or recommendations will be publicly released weeks before the May budget.

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However, a statement from the government says the group’s review is “not binding on the government”.

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Chalmers said:

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I’m looking forward to engaging with this really impressive group of people to explore ways to tackle disadvantage in our communities in a responsible, meaningful way.
\n

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Rishworth added it would “give important advice to government in tackling systemic disadvantage and economic inclusion, including examining the adequacy of income support payments”.

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We need to look at addressing complex social problems and entrenched disadvantage in new and innovative ways and this committee will help bring some of the creative solutions to deal with the systems and structures that are barriers for those facing disadvantage.
\n

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Good morning! Natasha May on deck with you now.

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NSW Health have put out a warning overnight not to consume Riviera Farms branded baby spinach following cases of possible food-related toxic reactions.

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To date, nine people from four separate and unrelated households across Sydney have required medical attention after developing poisoning soon after eating the product.

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The impacted baby spinach was sold through Costco with an expiry date of 16 December 2022, the authority said.

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NSW Health have warned:

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The product is not safe to consume and people who have it should throw it out.
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Initial investigations suggest the presence of an accidental contaminant in the food product.
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NSW Health is working with the NSW Food Authority, as well as other jurisdictions, to investigate the issue further.
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Anyone who is concerned about exposure to the spinach should call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26.
\n

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NSW Health is urging anyone who experiences any unusual and severe symptoms to seek immediate medical attention by visiting their nearest emergency department. In the event of an emergency, call Triple Zero (000).

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NSW Health said reported symptoms can be severe, including:

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Delirium or confusion

Hallucinations

Dilated pupils

Rapid heartbeat

Flushed face

Blurred vision

Dry mouth and skin

Fever

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Good morning and welcome to our rolling coverage of the Australian news day.

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This is Martin Farrer getting the day under way and looking at some of the main stories overnight. Natasha May will be here to guide you through the day.

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Anthony Albanese has warned the gas industry not to “talk down” its prospects amid furious lobbying against his government’s energy price caps, which passed through parliament yesterday. He has faced some pretty tough criticism this morning with Santos boss Kevin Gallagher calling the plan a “Soviet-style” policy in an interview with the Australian newspaper. Our political editor, Katharine Murphy, says in her column that the policy got through the Senate despite cynical politicking by the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, who seems determined to fire up the climate wars.

","elementId":"3cb5ebd6-2c08-4780-a94f-a4d975b624d3"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

The fallout from the Wieambilla shootings is focusing concern on the security threat posed by rightwing extremists and more general anti-government radicals. To this end, Andrew Wallace, the deputy chair of parliament’s intelligence committee, has suggested that “foreign actors” may have tried to fan rightwing extremism around opposition to Covid restrictions in an effort to influence the the May federal election. He points out the link between the Wieambilla shootings and anti-government sentiment, and said May had been the first election where some MPs needed personal security.

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And in other news, conservationists have welcomed the reversal of a Coalition government policy to count burning native Australian timber as renewable energy, and the trade minister, Don Farrell, says he’ll be telling the European Union that our history as a migrant nation means they should let us keep calling feta feta and prosecco prosecco after we sign a trade deal. Plus: have you noticed a lot of deer around recently? No, not reindeer. This is serious.

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Key events

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