Many Sydney beaches closed for fourth day after shark sighting
Achol Arok
Beaches across Sydney’s eastern suburbs have been closed for the fourth consecutive day after a shark sighting.
The closures on Friday came after sharks were spotted at Bondi, Tamarama and Bronte beaches this morning, beginning around 8.30am.
Footage was posted to social media by the online platform Drone Shark App, which suggested the shark was a whaler.
Other beaches in the Waverley council area, including Tamarama and Bronte, have also been closed as lifeguards remain on alert.
Beaches in neighbouring Randwick, including Maroubra and Coogee, reopened this morning after being shut yesterday after drone patrols and visual inspections.
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Key events
Music stars sing out against big AI song scrape
Paul Dempsey is among the big-name Australian musicians finding their original songs in datasets used to train artificial intelligence, AAP reports.
A dataset search tool recently created by US publication The Atlantic reveals millions of creative works have been scraped from the internet to train the disruptive technology.
It includes a vast catalogue of work by Australian artists, with tunes by Kylie Minogue, Powderfinger, Nick Cave and Jimmy Barnes, and novels by Thomas Keneally and Peter Carey.
Dempsey told the AAP:
It’s frustrating this is happening. Every negotiated agreement and contract I’ve ever gone into in my career with whatever entity or record label, is all just rendered useless.
An artist’s ability to negotiate fair terms for the use of their content is just being ripped away from them.
The Atlantic cautioned that AI companies might omit works when training their models, so the inclusion of songs in datasets is not definitive proof they have been used.
Many Sydney beaches closed for fourth day after shark sighting
Achol Arok
Beaches across Sydney’s eastern suburbs have been closed for the fourth consecutive day after a shark sighting.
The closures on Friday came after sharks were spotted at Bondi, Tamarama and Bronte beaches this morning, beginning around 8.30am.
Footage was posted to social media by the online platform Drone Shark App, which suggested the shark was a whaler.
Other beaches in the Waverley council area, including Tamarama and Bronte, have also been closed as lifeguards remain on alert.
Beaches in neighbouring Randwick, including Maroubra and Coogee, reopened this morning after being shut yesterday after drone patrols and visual inspections.
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’.
What are your plans today for the Socceroos match?
“Working” for the arvo from the pub? A watch party in the park? Shoot me a message at nick.visser@theguardian.com and I’ll drop some of the best in the blog and pledge not to use them on the Guardian bosses …
Jack Snape
Can the Socceroos stop the nation?
The World Cup clash between the Socceroos and Paraguay represents a potential milestone for Australian football, as the team chase qualification for the knockout rounds for only the third time. For the broadcaster SBS, its significance may be even greater.
The match is the culmination of 11 straight men’s World Cup tournaments, and a commitment that stretches back to Mexico 1986. Its audience is expected to go close to – or exceed – the network’s record for any Socceroos match or World Cup fixture.
SBS director of sport Ken Shipp had this to say:
I hope this match stops the nation – there’s every chance it will, given the favourable timing, the unprecedented media coverage we’re seeing and the excitement around this young Australian team. If it does, then that will be the result of 40 years of dedicated work at SBS.
Read more here:
Patrick Beach in action during training this week. Photograph: Jason Henry/EPA
Thousands of pets could die if fire ants allowed to spread across Australia, report finds
A new report finds that if fire ants are allowed to spread across Australia, thousands of pets could be killed and households could be forced to spend upwards of $1bn a year.
The findings, published by the Australia Institute, come as invasive fire ants have been detected in several states, with Queensland hit the hardest so far. Almost all of Australia is suitable habitat for the insects.
The key findings from the report say state and federal funding to eradicate the ants is well below the $300m per year recommended by experts. If allowed to spread, stings could result in an extra 624,000 medical visits for humans and 2.3m visits to the vet for pets. Fire ant stings can cause allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis.
Those figures could see more than 30 people and thousands of pets die. Rod Campbell, the research director for the Australia Institute, said in a statement:
Fire ants are a potential economic and environmental disaster for Australia. If a murderer said that they planned to kill 30 random Australians each year, the response would be enormous.
That’s essentially what fire ants are doing – yet the response is minimal.
Fire ants. Photograph: Jono Searle/AAP
Unclear if Australians affected by Venezuelan earthquakes, Albanese says
Prime minister Anthony Albanese has said the government does not know yet if any Australians have been affected by the severe earthquakes in Venezuela, but it is a possibility as Australians are regular travellers to the region.
Albanese said the government would continue to monitor the situation, but “it’s not clear yet if Australians are caught up in this”. He told the ABC:
Australians are great travellers, of course, right around the world. Given the numbers that have been impacted, it certainly is possible that Australians are caught up in it …
Our heart goes out to anyone here who has relatives or friends in Venezuela, because this is one of the worst earthquakes that we’ve seen in recent times, with catastrophic human consequences with a massive loss of life, but also massive infrastructure damage, and real consequences for the people of Venezuela.
The Guardian has reached out to Dfat for comment.
Nine news boss says Stefanovic episode ‘challenging’ and freedom of speech remains core to network’s mission
Fiona Dear, the director of news at Nine, wrote an email to staff today about the decision to part ways with Karl Stefanovic.
She said Nine had worked “tirelessly to build a news and current affairs brand built on trust and respect and we will always fight to uphold that”, adding:
Protecting freedom of speech is at the core of 9News and Current Affairs. We have a rich history of interviewing controversial figures, and journalists have an obligation to ask difficult questions. Part of what makes us tick is trying to understand why people are the way they are, or think the way they think. We welcome open debate and challenging norms with constructive, balanced arguments.
Dear went on to write that, as journalists, “we play a critical role in society to question, challenge, and hold people to account regardless of where they come from or which political party or views they represent”.
She acknowledged it had been a challenging episode for the broadcaster, with more information about future plans to come “very soon”.
Sarah Abo and Karl Stefanovic. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP
The National Anti-Corruption Commission is shrouded in privacy and complexity which could mean important investigations are not occurring, politicians are expected to be told, according to Australian Associated Press.
A parliamentary committee launched an inquiry into the NACC’s functions in March, following several conflict of interest accusations and scrutiny of its efficiency since it was established three years ago.
Many Australians referring potential corruption to the watchdog did not understand how to do so due to the privacy surrounding it, a submission to the committee from the Human Rights Law Centre said:
(The) high threshold for investigations can be difficult for a referrer to understand.
It can also be difficult for referrers to properly communicate the information in a way that makes it possible for the commission to understand if it meets the requisite threshold.
Chalmers says people will forget fuss over tax changes by the next election
The federal treasurer, Jim Chalmers, was on Radio National earlier spruiking the tax changes, which passed parliament last night.
He said the government sees the changes to the capital gains tax discount and negative gearing as a “win for workers, for first home buyers and for future generations”. Chalmers said negotiations with the Greens were par for the course as all legislation evolves before its final incarnation.
When asked if the tax changes would hang around Labor’s neck for two years until the next election, he had this to say:
I think the substance of what is changing here is more important. We are delivering cost of living help, we’re delivering real change via the tax system …
It is my view that every time there’s tax reform, people say the sky will fall in, people say that it is disastrous. But typically what happens, in time, is people look back on big tax reform and wonder what all of the fuss is about. I’m confident that will happen again.
Albanese says Stefanovic saga ‘unfortunate’, but ‘words do matter’
The prime minister was asked by the ABC about Karl Stefanovic’s departure from Nine. He had this to say:
It’s a matter, of course, for Channel 9, but words do matter, and what people who are very prominent in our public discourse do, and how they conduct themselves, matters as well.
And it’s unfortunate, the way that what has been a very big career has ended in this way.
But that’s a matter for Karl Stefanovic, to think about his actions and the decisions that he’s made. And Nine have made a consequential decision.
Albanese says employers should treat anyone watching the Socceroos today ‘kindly’
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, was just asked about lunchtime today, 12pm, when the nation will stop as the Socceroos take the pitch at the World Cup.
He said employers should treat anyone watching the game “kindly, and with thoughts of our national interest” in a lighthearted interview with the ABC. He went on:
It will be an important day.
The PM said a ministry meeting will end sharply at 11.30am “so people can get in front of their TV screens”, but he wasn’t “giving people instructions”:
It will be a great couple of hours. I’m sure the whole of Australia will cheer on the Socceroos. …
I know that Australian workers will be, of course, very passionate about the Socceroos, and I know that Australian employers will be generous in their approach to these things.
A bit of common sense should apply.
Anthony Albanese: ‘It will be a great couple of hours. I’m sure the whole of Australia will cheer on the Socceroos.’ Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP
‘Let’s work together’ to strengthen exclusion powers, shadow home affairs minister tells government
Jonno Duniam, the shadow minister for home affairs, has said the Coalition would be willing to work with the government to strengthen laws around temporary exclusion orders after an Australia woman with links to the Islamic State was given authorisation to return to Australia.
The decision, announced by the home affair minister, Tony Burke, came after the government was advised it could no longer enforce a criminal exclusion order.
Duniam told RN Breakfast that while the director of Asio said officials were prepared for the woman’s return, monitoring her was sure to cost the taxpayer “a lot of money” and questioned if more could have been done to keep her out of the country.
If the government does believe that this individual should be excluded from the country for a longer period, then let’s work together to strengthen those laws. Of course, there may well be legal challenges, but we’re open to working with the government on that.
I’d rather the individual not be here. … This is a person who is not a friend of our country. This is a person who turned their back on Australia.
‘I’m free, truly independent,’ Karl Stefanovic says
Karl Stefanovic just released a statement following the announcement he will leave Nine immediately.
Karl Stefanovic speaks to his fans in a YouTube video. Photograph: The Karl Stefanovic show/YouTube
In a YouTube video, Stefanovic says:
So I’m free. Truly independent. I didn’t get the chance to thank my free to air audience for 21 years, so thank you for riding the ups and downs.
It wasn’t easy this last couple of days, but we rolled on. So here’s what I believe in: the public deserve to hear perspectives. … so on my show I’ve spoken to people who have different perspectives, I know that winds some people up.
Sometimes I agree with everything a guest says, sometimes I don’t. But importantly you get to make up your mind. …
Freedom of speech, here and around the world, is what this show is about. You don’t have to listen to my show, you have the power.
At the end of the video, Stefanovic runs from the camera, jumps in the air, and clicked his heels together.
Karl Stefanovic with Tommy Robinson. Photograph: The Karl Stefanovic Show/Facebook
Good morning, Nick Visser here to take the reins. Let’s see what Friday holds after a busy week in parliament.
Defence ‘hasn’t performed as well as it could’, minister says
Performance issues in the defence department have been found to be more widespread than expected with “congested” decision making, as Labor undertakes the biggest overhaul in five decades, Australian Associated Press reports.
The federal government in December announced an independent delivery agency would be set up to tackle cost blowouts and project delays, as Labor pours billions of extra dollars into defence over the decade.
Australian defence industry minister Pat Conroy. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP
Defence industry minister, Pat Conroy, said inaccurate cost estimation and a lack of discipline in project management were behind lacklustre delivery.
“The analysis we commissioned found that the problems were more widespread than I thought,” he told AAP.
The processes have been setting up people (to fail), so the system as a whole has meant that defence hasn’t performed as well as it could.
Parts of the department were spending too much time in meetings, which resulted in a lack of action and decision making at the top end becoming “too congested”, Conroy said.
What we’ve seen is fragmented accountability … if everyone is accountable, that means no one’s accountable.
The defence industry minister will outline progress made on the reform in an address to the National Press Club next Thursday.
He will position Labor as the party of defence to tackle growing support for One Nation, as well as address discontent within his own party at the government’s approach.
“That intellectual framework is really important to flesh out, because we have to constantly make the case for why investing in defence is progressive,” Conroy said.
“It’s both about the rise of far-right populism, but also talking to the base of the Labor party about why this is important.
“You want to fight for a progressive Australia, but you also have to defend a progressive Australia.”
‘Right time for Karl to move on from Today and from Nine,’ network CEO says
In an internal email sent to staff, seen by Guardian Australia, Nine’s chief executive officer, Matt Stanton, said “you would have seen a lot of media reporting around Karl Stefanovic and his future here at Nine”.
“We’ve … announced this morning that after more than 20 years it’s the right time for Karl to move on from Today and from Nine,” the email says.
Karl has been a fixture on our screens for over two decades, so we know this is a significant change for our viewers and all of us here at Nine, however it’s the right time to make it.
Who is Tommy Robinson?
Here’s a hot-off-the-presses explainer of the controversy that appears to have cost Stefanovic his planned long and cruisey farewell from Nine:
Karl Stefanovic to leave Nine immediately, network confirms
Karl Stefanovic is leaving Nine immediately, the network said in a statement this morning.
It follows days of controversy in which the highly paid Today presenter used his independent podcast series to interview British far-right activist Tommy Robinson.
“Nine Entertainment and Stefanovic have agreed that it is no longer possible for him to continue hosting Today at the same time as his independent podcast,” a Nine Entertainment spokesperson said.
“While Karl and Nine had previously agreed he would leave Today at the end of this year, they have subsequently decided he will leave the network immediately.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Nick Visser with the main action.
Nine has confirmed this morning that Today host Karl Stefanovic is leaving the network “immediately” as it was “no longer possible” for him to both host Today and run his independent podcast. More on this soon.
We’re also kicking off with some rather frank comments from the defence industry minister, Pat Conroy, about his own department, which he says “hasn’t performed as well as it could” and spent too long in meetings without making decisions.
And there’s plenty of more news to come, stick with us.
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