Australia news live: Albanese joined world leaders on phone call to discuss Ukraine; Qantas faces hefty fine over outsourcing | Australia news

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Qantas hit with $90m penalty after illegally firing baggage handlers and ground staff

Qantas must pay a $90m penalty for illegally firing more than 1800 ground workers during the pandemic, taking the full cost of its controversial outsourcing decision to more than $200m.

Justice Michael Lee handed down his decision on the airline’s penalty in the federal court of New South Wales.

Lee said the carrier would have to pay “no less than $90m” which he said was “slightly less than 75% off the maximum penalty”, and that $50m of the penalty would go to the Transport Workers’ Union (TWU).

Photograph: Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty Images

He reserved his decision on to whom the $40m balance should be paid. Lee described the lengthy legal battle between the TWU and Qantas as “no ordinary case” and said:

As to whether Qantas is truly contrite or rather engaging in performative remorse, I have hesitation in reaching a conclusion.

I do think persons of responsibility within Qantas do now have some genuine regrets, but this more likely reflects the damage this case has done to the company, rather than a remorse for the damage done to the affected workers.

Lee’s decision comes about nine months after Qantas and the Transport Workers’ Union agreed on a $120m payout for the sacked workers.

Qantas is due to release its financial results for the past year on 28 August, and the true cost of the outsourcing saga has far eclipsed the $70m the carrier had previously budgeted to cover it.

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BlueScope profits tumble to about a tenth of previous year

Australia’s largest steelmaker, BlueScope, repeated calls for an east coast gas reserve after reporting its profits tumbled to $84m in 2024-25, just over a tenth of the previous year.

The company, which is leading a bid for the struggling Whyalla steelworks in South Australia, saw net profit after tax fall from 2023-24’s $806m after taking a $440m hit to its underperforming coated steel products arm of its American business. Sliding global steel prices also dragged down revenue.

Bluescope still earned most of its revenue in the US, producing nearly 3m tonnes of steel at its North Star mill in Ohio, which was boosted by Donald Trump’s 25% tariffs on steel and aluminium imports, later hiked to 50%.

The Whyalla steelworks in Whyalla, South Australia. Photograph: Isabella Ward/AAP

The company’s annual report, released this morning, did not point to significant tariff impact on its Australian business, which saw lower earnings as prices slipped, despite rising domestic sales due to increased construction work.

Bluescope remains interested in expanding locally by buying out the Whyalla plant. The company earlier in August announced it was leading a consortium but would only make an offer if it could see a return on investment. Bluescope told investors it had submitted a non-binding, indicative expression of interest and believed the plant had potential for low-emissions iron productions.

But the company gave a warning to investors (and the Albanese government): “NO GAS, NO ‘FUTURE MADE IN AUSTRALIA’”. Electricity costs also dragged down Bluescope’s Australian earnings in the 12 months to June, seeing it repeat its calls for an east coast gas reserve and criticise the sector’s current approach: “prioritising massive exports over domestic market, since 2015”.

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Updated at 20.34 EDT

Terence Stamp, star of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, dies at 87

Terence Stamp, one of the stellar faces of British 60s cinema, who had a second act from the late 1970s as a character actor in the likes of Superman: The Movie, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and The Limey, has died aged 87.

His family said in a statement that he died on Sunday morning. “He leaves behind an extraordinary body of work, both as an actor and as a writer, that will continue to touch and inspire people for years to come,” they said. “We ask for privacy at this sad time.”

Photograph: AJ Pics/Alamy

Stamp became one of British cinema’s glamour figures in its most fashionable decade, scoring early high-profile roles in Billy Budd and The Collector for the directors Peter Ustinov and William Wyler respectively.

In 1994 he played the trans cabaret performer Bernadette Bassenger in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, for which he received Bafta and Golden Globe nominations, followed by a lead role in Steven Soderbergh’s revenge thriller The Limey.

The subsequent decades saw more high-profile castings as interest grew in his earlier work, including roles in Star Wars Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Wanted and The Adjustment Bureau.

Read more here:

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Environment groups say nature ‘too important’ to leave out of reform conversations

The environment sector, which has been given limited representation at the summit, held its own roundtable last Friday. A representative from Watt’s office attended. The groups said half of Australia’s GDP and 75% of export earnings were reliant on nature.

Dr Jody Gunn, the chief executive of the Australian Land Conservation Alliance, said:

Nature’s economic role is too important to leave out of national reform conversations. If we ignore nature, productivity suffers. If we invest in the solutions it brings, we all win – with stronger regional economies, better disaster resilience, and healthier communities.

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Updated at 20.13 EDT

Conservation groups call for better representation at economic summit

Twenty of Australia’s leading environment groups have written to treasurer Jim Chalmers asking for better representation for the environment at this week’s economic roundtable.

The groups, including the Australian Land Conservation Alliance, BirdLife Australia and WWF Australia, warned that without nature-based investment and reform, the ongoing decline of Australia’s natural capital would erode productivity, economic growth, and disaster resilience.

In a communique to Chalmers and environment minister Murray Watt, they’ve called for measures including:

Phasing out subsidies that harm nature.

Strengthened environment laws and an independent environmental regulator.

Treating nature like other critical economic assets by measuring and maintaining its condition and forecasting how its loss will impact jobs, exports, and the cost of living.

More nature funding from both government and business.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPShare

Updated at 20.12 EDT

Most Australians think climate crisis making cost-of-living rise

Three-quarters of Australians believe the climate crisis is increasing the cost of living, and nearly two-thirds think coal, oil and gas companies should pay for the damage they’ve caused, new polling suggests.

Timed for release ahead of this week’s economic reform roundtable, the Essential polling was commissioned by the Make Big Polluters Pay Alliance, a new coalition of environment, aid, political and social justice organisations, including Oxfam Australia, Greenpeace, Climate Action Network Australia, Uniting Church of Australia, Human Rights Law Centre and more.

Photograph: Brook Mitchell/Getty Images

The alliance is calling for the Australian government to enact a climate pollution levy on coal, gas and oil corporations, and says the money raised from the levy should be put into a climate compensation fund to “meet the needs of communities on the frontline of climate impacts, and support everyday households facing rising costs from climate change and the clean energy transition”.

Essential surveyed a nationally representative sample of 2029 Australian residents aged over 18 in June and found that 77% of respondents accepted that major fossil fuel companies are contributing to climate change, 83% believe climate change is increasing the cost of insurance premiums and food prices, while 75% believe it is increasing the cost of living overall.

Some 62% of respondents thought fossil fuel companies should pay for climate damage.

Julie-Anne Richards, from Make Polluters Pay Alliance, said in a statement:

Australia’s coal, oil and gas corporations are making around $370 billion in revenue per year, but often pay little or no tax. They are pushing the costs of the climate pollution they produce and the climate change it creates onto communities. Everyday Australians are paying through higher insurance, food and other bill costs, as well as the costs of recovery from climate disasters. It’s time these big corporations pay their fair share.

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Man dead and another wounded after shooting outside Sydney pub

One man is dead and another has been taken to hospital with serious wounds after a shooting outside a Sydney pub.

Emergency services were called to the Harold Park hotel on Ross Street in Forest Lodge in Sydney’s inner west at about 6.40pm on Sunday.

New South Wales police said two people had been shot multiple times by unknown assailants who left the scene by car.

One man died at the scene while a second was treated by paramedics for gunshot wounds before being taken to hospital in a serious condition.

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Updated at 19.24 EDT

Shadow education minister says childcare safety reforms should come more quickly

Jonno Duniam, the shadow minister for education, said governments on both sides of the spectrum had failed for years to institute reforms on the childcare sector, issuing calls for the Labor government and states to act quickly to make such changes.

Duniam told RN Breakfast this morning:

Both governments of all persuasions have dropped the ball. The government I was a part of dropped the ball. We should have acted on that at the time. The fact that we didn’t and the fact that we are now hearing these stories means we failed. But regardless of who was in power and who didn’t do what, here we are today and we need to act.

The federal attorney general, Michelle Rowland, said Friday all states and territories had agreed to introduce new reforms on working with children checks by the end of the year.

Duniam said this morning that timeline should be quicker:

With the resources of eight states and territories and the commonwealth combined, I would be absolutely stunned if we could not get this thing off the ground in the next few weeks. So I hope that things do speed up. I hope that the end result is a national system.

Jonno Duniam says he hopes for a national system on working with children checks. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPShare

Updated at 19.08 EDT

Albanese spoke with world leaders about remaining ‘committed’ supporter of Ukraine

Anthony Albanese joined world leaders in a phone hook up overnight, discussing Ukraine’s talks on ending Russia’s invasion.

European leaders are set to accompany Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to the White House this week for talks with the US president, Donald Trump.

The talks overnight follow Trump’s Friday summit in Alaska with Vladimir Putin, which, despite a lot of hype, failed to produce any major new outcome.

Albanese said he spoke with British prime minister Keir Starmer and French president Emmanuel Macron, part of the so-called coalition of the willing, the group of countries committed to helping Ukraine. The Australian PM wrote:

Australia remains committed to supporting Ukraine and it was an opportunity to discuss next steps in achieving a just and enduring peace.

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Updated at 18.59 EDT

Qantas awaiting court decision on fine for unlawfully sacking staff

The federal court may soon hand down a hefty penalty to Qantas today in what would be the latest court blow for the nation’s largest airline, AAP reports.

Qantas outsourced its baggage handlers, cleaners and ground staff in 2020, in a move the court ruled was designed to curb union bargaining power in wage negotiations. The airline said in December it would pay $120m in compensation to more than 1,800 people it illegally sacked.

The Transport Workers Union has since sought an additional penalty of $121m over the move to outsource those jobs, while Qantas has urged the court to impose a “mid-range” penalty between $40m and $80m.

The airline has argued the actions were a mistake, not a deliberate breach of the law.

Photograph: Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty ImagesShare

Updated at 18.39 EDT

Study finds e-bike delivery riders breaking rules in Melbourne

Delivery riders on e-bikes caught speeding and riding the wrong way down city streets have triggered calls for tougher safety and compliance regulations, AAP reports.

Research published on Monday found widespread non-compliance among commercial delivery e-bikes across Melbourne. E-bike riders were recorded reaching speeds of up to 54kmh in some city hotspots, with almost one in five exceeding 25 kmh.

More than 27,000 vehicles were monitored in the study, with almost half being delivery worker e-bikes.

Published by Monash University and commissioned by the Victorian Automotive Chamber of Commerce, the data focused on hotspot areas. They included Swanston Street in the CBD and Swan Street in nearby Richmond, which had the highest rates of speeding.

The highest levels of footpath riding and wrong-way travel were on Elizabeth and King streets, in the CBD.

Peter Jones, the chief of the Victorian Automotive Chamber of Commerce, said:

This report confirms what riders, pedestrians, and other road users have suspected – many of these delivery e-bikes are operating as unregistered motorbikes, without the safeguards or enforcement that applies to other vehicles.

Photograph: Blake Sharp-Wiggins/The GuardianShare

Updated at 18.34 EDT

Anzac Bridge fully open after crash

An update from our earlier post for Sydneysiders: The Anzac Bridge is back to normal after a crash snarled commuters this morning.

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Updated at 19.05 EDT

Chair of Productivity Commission optimistic about this week’s economic summit

Danielle Wood, the chair of the Productivity Commission, spoke to RN Breakfast this morning to say she’s optimistic the economic summit will be a catalyst for meaningful change. Wood said:

When I think about just the amount of productivity conversation we’ve had over the last month, I think it’s pretty extraordinary. But within that, I think the breadth of ideas coming forward really matter.

Productivity Commission chair Danielle Wood. Photograph: Dean Lewins/AAP

She was asked about the commission’s proposal to cut the company tax rate for all but the biggest businesses, an idea the government doesn’t seem thrilled by. Wood said:

Look, you know, governments will always have to make their own calls on hard decisions like tax. What we are trying to do is put some ideas out there about how you actually do reform, but you do it in a sensible way for the budget.

Read more here:

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Updated at 18.12 EDT

Gallagher says productivity roundtable will be ‘genuine meeting’ of all sectors

Finance minister Katy Gallagher said this morning the productivity roundtable, set to kick off tomorrow, will be a “genuine meeting” between different coalitions that will hopefully reach a consensus on ideas to boost productivity around the nation. Gallagher told RN Breakfast:

It is a genuine meeting of civil society, the union movement, industry leaders and government to look at some of these challenges we have got across our economy and see if there is areas of consensus and in the last couple of weeks with the coverage of the ideas and submissions that are coming forward to that meeting, there is no shortage of ideas.

She went on to point to the hope for “excellent” discussions around AI and an effort to figure out new ways to tackle the housing crisis.

Finance minister Katy Gallagher. Photograph: Dean Lewins/AAPShare

Updated at 18.11 EDT

Lambie says UN should send peacekeepers to distribute Gaza food aid

The independent Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie says the United Nations should send peacekeepers into Gaza to help protect and distribute food, as Israel’s bombardment of Palestinians continues amid growing alarm over starvation and malnutrition.

Lambie made the call in an email to supporters overnight. She said it would be a “protective mission”:

The ‘blue helmets’ – as we call them in our militaries around the world- could be sent in with the sole job of securing food aid and making sure that it is distributed to the people who need it. To make this happen would require UN authorisation

Because this is a protection mission and not a peacekeeping or peace enforcement mission, the international community should have no hesitation in supporting it.

Jacqui Lambie: ‘Children are starving, mothers are sobbing.’ Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

The senator said she would seek to take out advertising in newspapers and online calling for the move, with her email seeking donations for an ad push.

Children are starving, mothers are sobbing because they can’t feed their children, let alone themselves.

UN peacekeepers have a long history of assisting in humanitarian efforts, including providing security for the delivery of aid. If we are to ease the starvation of children in Gaza, we need blue helmets protecting those aid convoys.

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Updated at 18.04 EDT

Crash closes part of Sydney’s Anzac Bridge during morning commute

A crash between a car and a motorcycle on Sydney’s Anzac Bridge has snarled traffic during the Monday morning commute. Transport for NSW reports the crash took place just after 6.30am, with at two of four lanes closed into the city and one closed westbound.

The agency is cautioning there will be major delays this morning.

The Anzac Bridge. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAPShare

Updated at 18.08 EDT

Good morning

Good morning and happy Monday. Nick Visser here as we dive into another week of news. Here’s what’s on deck:

Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie says the UN should send peacekeepers into Gaza to help distribute food, saying the effort would be a “protective mission”. Lambie said because it would not be a peace enforcement mission, the international community should have “no hesitation” supporting it.

New research on e-bike safety found widespread non-compliance with regulations among commercial e-bike delivery across Melbourne. Some riders were recorded travelling far above speed limits, the wrong-way on streets and driving on footpaths in city hotspots.

Qantas will find out today if it will face a hefty fine for outsourcing baggage handling at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Transport Workers Union has urged a court to levy the maximum penalty of $121m, which would come on top of a $120m compensation payment it made to ground staff who lost their jobs.

Let’s get to it.

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Updated at 17.38 EDT