Australia news live: independent Sophie Scamps quits parliamentary sports club after Pocock ban; more police join Porepunkah manhunt | Australia news

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Bishop says ANU staff and students ‘accept’ she won’t resign

Julie Bishop has claimed community support for her to stay on as chancellor at the Australian National University after announcing the institution will break even in 2026.

The former politician has resisted calls to follow ANU’s former vice-chancellor, Prof Genevieve Bell, who resigned in September amid widespread concerns over a controversial restructure program. More than 2,000 staff and students signed a union-led petition demanding Bishop’s resignation earlier this year.

Bishop defended her record as chancellor of the ANU, saying she had community support. Asked about staff and student calls for her to resign, Bishop told Senate estimates:

That’s not the feedback that I’ve been getting, senator. In fact, the deans have confirmed their support for me. The council has confirmed their support for me …

I have met with many staff and students. I’ve met with the [staff union] representatives. I’ve met with the [student association] representatives, and they accept the council’s position in relation to my role.

She said the organisation expected to return to a break-even financial position at the end of 2026, after record years of operating losses and budget deficits.

Budget balance was the aim of ANU’s restructure program, which has seen course cuts, allegations of toxic work culture and at least 399 redundancies since it began in 2024.

Julie Bishop at Senate estimates on Friday. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPShare

Updated at 03.11 EDT

‘We need a bigger scheme’: transport bureaucrat on alleged multimillion-dollar kickbacks

Returning to the NSW Icac, the commission has heard about the ways in which a former transport bureaucrat sought to increase earnings from kickback schemes under which he allegedly received more than $11.5m.

In a text message of November 2018, Ibrahim Helmy wrote to alleged co-conspirator Peter Le:

We need a bigger scheme … One that will make us back everything.

Helmy admitted he had previously encouraged Adam Spilsted, operations manager of contractor Direct Traffic, to apply for work in other regions of NSW, but denied he told him to use fake addresses to suggest the company had depots in those areas.

Several of the addresses used in the company’s application for government work allegedly referred to caravan parks in western NSW, while others were found to be made up. “I don’t even know what caravan parks are,” Helmy told the commission today, although he later clarified that he did.

Helmy admitted that from 2019 he began to receive payments from Direct Traffic, initially in the form of $1000 Australia Post gift cards, under an agreement that he would receive a percentage of the contracts it was awarded.

Helmy admitted to creating a spreadsheet which showed he was owed about $680,000 as of June 2021, but said it did not accurately reflect a sliding percentage scale he had allegedly agreed with Spilsted. He said:

I don’t know why this one says 3% all the way through.

Helmy will give further evidence to the inquiry next week.

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Updated at 02.25 EDT

Multiple properties in Porepunkah searched in hunt for fugitive Dezi Freeman, police say

Victoria police have provided an update on the search for fugitive and alleged police killer Dezi Freeman.

An additional 33 officers from the Public Order Response Team were involved in an additional sweep of the Porepunkah area today, police said.

Freeman has not been seen since he fled after allegedly shooting dead two police officers on 26 August. Last month, police announced a $1m reward for information leading to Freeman’s arrest.

In a statement, police said they had searched a number of private properties in Porepunkah over the past two days:

Victoria Police continues to maintain a significant presence in the Porepunkah area.

We are committed to using every available resource and the necessary skills required to find Freeman.

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Updated at 02.08 EDT

Pocock says many MPs he had spoken to were not aware of the gambling industry’s sponsorship when they joined the sports club:

We didn’t know that behind this was actually this registered lobbying organisation.

On Friday morning, Anthony Albanese accused Pocock of “getting himself in a story” and praised the sports club for raising money for charity.

Asked about the prime minister’s response, Pocock said he had brushed it off as a minor issue:

I actually think this highlights some of the big problems in this place when it comes to the influence of vested interests and a government putting there interests ahead of everyday Australian.

Almost 80% of people want to see a ban on gambling ads.

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Updated at 02.14 EDT

Pocock likens gambling sponsorship of parliamentary sports club to ‘buying social license’

Independent ACT senator David Pocock is speaking to the ABC about his parliamentary sports club ban after raising concerns about its sponsorship by the gambling industry.

Asked about the impact of the sponsorship, Pocock says it highlight’s the sectors “soft power”:

It shows at a micro level why gambling companies are sponsoring sports so much. Because it is about human connection and for them it’s about buying social license … more and more we know this is becoming a problem for young people.

Independent senator David Pocock. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPShare

Updated at 02.04 EDT

Independent MP Kate Chaney calls Pocock’s sports club ban ‘completely ridiculous’

Independent MP Kate Chaney is speaking to the ABC.

Asked about David Pocock’s parliamentary sports club ban, she said it was “completely ridiculous”.

He’s a very well respected parliamentarian but also sportsman.

If he gets kicked out when he just states the facts it says less about him and more about the powerful, vested interests that are used to getting their way.

Kate Chaney. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPShare

Updated at 01.28 EDT

Liberal MP takes a swipe at Pocock’s sports club ban

The criticism over the decision to boot David Pocock from the parliamentary sports club is coming in thick and fast.

Liberal MP Simon Kennedy took a swipe at Pocock’s ban, which came after he raised concerns about the club’s sponsorship by the gambling industry. Kennedy said the government needed to do more on gambling.

The prime minister’s the [president] of the sports club and he’s also been sitting on the Murphy Review for more than 830 days. The PM and Labor have a gambling problem … The prime minister needs to stand up, respond to the Murphy report and protect vulnerable Australians.

Kennedy has been pressing the government to take action to curb online sports betting TV ads during sports matches.

The MP, who replaced former prime minister Scott Morrison and regularly plays matches organised by the club, said Pocock should be reinstated.

He joked:

We beat Pocock and Queensland in last year’s touch footy State of Origin – but even I wouldn’t wish Pocock off the team. Without him, [Liberal MP] Phil Thompson will be Queensland’s fastest player, and that’s saying something.

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Updated at 01.37 EDT

Qantas hackers move deadline to tomorrow

Just a quick update on the Qantas data hack.

Scattered Lapsus$ hunters, the hackers claiming to hold troves of Qantas customer data, among almost 40 other companies, now suggest the deadline to post the data if a ransom is not paid will be at 11.59pm on 10 October New York time. That means 2.59pm Saturday AEDT.

That is according to posts on the dark web that have been shared on the open web, as well as reports from cybersecurity researchers monitoring the situation.

These things can change, but we will keep an eye out.

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Updated at 01.21 EDT

Independent MP Sophie Scamps latest to quit parliamentary social sports club

Independent MP Sophie Scamps says she is quitting the federal parliamentary social sports club after cross-bencher David Pocock was banned.

Guardian Australia today revealed the independent ACT senator – a former Wallabies captain – was banned from attending the club in Parliament House after he raised concerns about the gambling industry sponsoring it. In a statement, Scamps, the member for Mackellar, said:

I’m out of there. It is beyond ridiculous that the Parliamentary Sports Club boots out one of our premier sports people and a sitting Senator for telling the truth about the gambling industry …

I am appalled that a club set up to provide parliamentarians with the opportunity for a spot of healthy recreation was advertised as an opportunity for lobbyists to rub shoulders with politicians. I just wanted to play a bit of sport and meet some of my colleagues across the political aisle. I feel used.

Sophie Scamps. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

Scamps said the gambling industry was doing “enormous harm”, particularly to children by normalising gambling through sport.

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Updated at 02.57 EDT

No tolls on Victoria’s new West Gate Tunnel over January weekends

Road toll operator Transurban won’t charge drivers using Melbourne’s new West Gate Tunnel on weekends this summer.

The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, took to social media on Friday to share a letter from Transubran confirming the discounted travel.

It comes after she wrote to the road toll operator on Thursday, asking it to match the government’s commitment for free public transport on weekends from the moment the Metro Tunnel opens in early December until 1 February.

The West Gate Tunnel’s opening will follow later in December.

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Updated at 01.38 EDT

Video: Reserve Bank governor blames high house prices on lack of supply

Circling back to Senate estimates, the Reserve Bank of Australia’s governor, Michele Bullock, appeared earlier today. She blamed high house prices on a lack of supply, rather than on monetary policy.

Bullock was responding to a question from the Greens senator Nick McKim on whether the RBA played any role in the nation’s housing price spike.

Watch Bullock’s answer here:

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Updated at 00.44 EDT

Severe weather warnings for Tasmania and parts of mainland Australia’s south-east

The Bureau of Meteorology provided a weather update a little earlier.

Sarah Scully, a senior meteorologist, said a strong cold front was bringing damaging wind gusts to Australia’s south-east.

She said severe weather warnings were in place for all of Tasmania, the lower south-east corner of South Australia, southern Victoria and NSW’s southern ranges.

Winds were expected to ease soon in South Australia and western Victoria, Scully said.

She said the eastern parts of Victoria and NSW would start to get respite this evening, while in Tasmania, winds were expected to ease tomorrow morning.

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Updated at 00.47 EDT

Two dead in Tasmania as wild winds lash state

Two people have died on a private property in Tasmania’s north-west after a tree fell in wild winds. It comes amid wet weather and severe wind across the state, with gusts reaching 139km/h in the state’s south-west.

Emergency services were called to the scene about 12.10pm, police said.

According to the ABC, the state police’s acting commander, Brenda Orr, said: “It appears that the severe weather has resulted in a tree falling on private property, resulting in the death of those two people. No other people have been injured.

“Both people were on private property, out in the open, when a tree fell.”

A fallen tree on Back Cam Road, Somerset, Tasmania, on Friday. Photograph: DPFEM Media

Tasmania SES said it had responded to 72 requests for assistance today, with most due to wind-related damage.

Chris Irvine, the Tasmania SES’s acting assistant director of operations and resources, said volunteers had been assisting the community since the early hours of the morning.

Irvine said widespread gusts of up to 110km/h were expected across the state this afternoon, before easing this evening.

Members of the public should take all precautions for their own personal safety and be aware of the potential for falling trees and branches.

The most destructive winds were now isolated to the far north-east of the state and would continue to ease early this afternoon, the SES said.

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Updated at 00.26 EDT

Australian made more than 240 representations to Iraq before detained citizen was released, Dfat says

The Australian government has made more than 240 representations to Iraq regarding Australia man, Robert Pether, who was detained in a Baghdadi prison for four years until his release in June.

In Senate estimates, Department of Foreign Affairs (Dfat) officials confirmed those representations also included discussions by the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong. The official said the most recent was by Wong with her Iraqi counterpart at the UN general assembly last month, following Pether’s release.

Robert Pether. Photograph: Suppied

While Pether was released from jail months ago, he remains in Iraq due to a travel ban placed on him. Pether’s wife, Desree Pether, said he needed urgent medical care and was unable to receive it in Iraq due to the ban.

The department’s first assistant secretary, Elizabeth McGregor, said Australia continued to advocate for the ban to be lifted.:

We are working tirelessly, tirelessly to secure the lifting of that travel ban that is on him.

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Updated at 00.03 EDT