NSW Icac says Gladys Berejiklian probe unlikely to be finalised before state election
Michael McGowan
The New South Wales anti-corruption watchdog says it is now unlikely to finalise its probe into the former premier Gladys Berejiklian before the March election, citing the complexity of the investigation.
Operation Keppel began as an investigation into the former Wagga Wagga MP Daryl Maguire before widening to include Berejiklian after details of her “close personal relationship” with him were revealed in 2020.
Berejiklian resigned as premier in 2021 after the Independent Commission Against Corruption revealed it had widened its probe to include whether she broke the law by failing to report his alleged conduct. Berejiklian repeatedly denied any alleged wrongdoing, including during her grilling at a fresh set of hearings in October 2021.
The commission had been expected to hand down its findings last year, but it has repeatedly pushed the finalised report, including as recently as October.
On Wednesday the commission confirmed the commissioner, Ruth McColl, was “continuing her work in relation to the Operation Keppel report” but was now unlikely to deliver the final report until the second quarter of this year.
In a statement, the commission said:
Substantial parts of the report have been drafted. At the same time, it must be recognised that the report concerns complex matters of law and fact, two public inquiries which proceeded over 30 days, over 2,800 pages of transcript, 516 exhibits comprising approximately 10,600 pages and 957 pages of submissions (the last of which were received on 18 October 2022).
It is necessary that the issues relevant to the investigation are addressed carefully. Ms McColl is working to complete a draft of the report as soon as possible but, given these matters, it is not possible to specify a date by which it will be completed.
It said that once the report was complete it would still need to be subjected to “review, editing and production processes” and was “now unlikely” to be handed in during the first quarter of the year. Icac said:
On the information presently available the Commission anticipates it is more likely to be available for furnishing in the second quarter of 2023.
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John Howard releases statement on death of George Pell
The death of George Cardinal Pell in Rome has taken from us a person of enormous influence, not only in the Catholic Church, but in the nation more generally.
He was a strong and determined religious leader. His episcopal motto was ‘be not afraid’. In the senior roles he held in the Church, he displayed consistent courage in expressing Christian views in the public space. Believers and non-believers alike were left in no doubt where George Pell stood on issues.
His deep and compassionate faith sustained him during more than 400 days in prison for alleged crimes which many, me included, believed should never have been the subject of charges. Cardinal Pell’s trust in Australia’s justice system was vindicated when the High Court of Australia unanimously quashed his conviction.
A great sports lover, having been an accomplished Australian Rules player, he then embraced the more widely played Rugby codes in Sydney. Until recent years he and his late sister were regulars during the traditional New Year Cricket Test in Sydney. We often spent time together at the cricket discussing all manner of issues.
I liked and respected the late Cardinal a lot. His passing is a great loss to the intellectual and spiritual life of our country.”
Teal independents say safeguard mechanism revamp ‘falls short’ and has ‘room for improvement’
Zali Steggall, the federal member for Warringah, says the Albanese government’s proposed changes to the safeguard mechanism “falls short”.
Govts proposed improvements to Safeguard Mechanism could be more ambitious. Overall cap on emissions promising, but falls short by not setting higher decline rates & allowing unfettered use of offsets to achieve reductions. #auspol Link to my statement: https://t.co/v7dfV3Tayf pic.twitter.com/qKqaQDHULC
— 🌏 Zali Steggall MP (@zalisteggall) January 11, 2023
Kate Chaney, the federal member for Curtin, thinks there is “room for improvement”, but says the proposal still “looks pretty good”.
NSW Icac says Gladys Berejiklian probe unlikely to be finalised before state election
![Michael McGowan](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2019/01/14/Michael_McGowan.png?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=904e5f85f1a30c146403f2a1fa364ca2)
Michael McGowan
The New South Wales anti-corruption watchdog says it is now unlikely to finalise its probe into the former premier Gladys Berejiklian before the March election, citing the complexity of the investigation.
Operation Keppel began as an investigation into the former Wagga Wagga MP Daryl Maguire before widening to include Berejiklian after details of her “close personal relationship” with him were revealed in 2020.
Berejiklian resigned as premier in 2021 after the Independent Commission Against Corruption revealed it had widened its probe to include whether she broke the law by failing to report his alleged conduct. Berejiklian repeatedly denied any alleged wrongdoing, including during her grilling at a fresh set of hearings in October 2021.
The commission had been expected to hand down its findings last year, but it has repeatedly pushed the finalised report, including as recently as October.
On Wednesday the commission confirmed the commissioner, Ruth McColl, was “continuing her work in relation to the Operation Keppel report” but was now unlikely to deliver the final report until the second quarter of this year.
In a statement, the commission said:
Substantial parts of the report have been drafted. At the same time, it must be recognised that the report concerns complex matters of law and fact, two public inquiries which proceeded over 30 days, over 2,800 pages of transcript, 516 exhibits comprising approximately 10,600 pages and 957 pages of submissions (the last of which were received on 18 October 2022).
It is necessary that the issues relevant to the investigation are addressed carefully. Ms McColl is working to complete a draft of the report as soon as possible but, given these matters, it is not possible to specify a date by which it will be completed.
It said that once the report was complete it would still need to be subjected to “review, editing and production processes” and was “now unlikely” to be handed in during the first quarter of the year. Icac said:
On the information presently available the Commission anticipates it is more likely to be available for furnishing in the second quarter of 2023.
![Christopher Knaus](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2019/05/27/Christopher_Knaus.png?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=f34ff3e2f4b1dcf87f0a5b0824961336)
Christopher Knaus
Abuse survivor network calls for Catholic church to avoid funeral service with full honours for Pell
SNAP, a network of 25,000 abuse survivors based in the United States, has called for the Catholic church to avoid a “funeral service with full honors for Cardinal Pell”.
In a statement, the group said:
We hope Catholic officials will show compassion to abuse victims and betrayed Catholics by avoiding a funeral service with full honors for Cardinal Pell. Restraint would be appropriate unless the church hierarchy wants to deepen already deep wounds.
In our view, Pell’s serious wrongdoing is already ignored and minimized by the church’s hierarchy.
The group encouraged abuse survivors to seek support from trusted friends and families or from support groups.
Louise Milligan: ‘Think about how painful it is’ for victim survivors
ABC reporter Louise Milligan, who has reported extensively on Cardinal Pell, tells ABC News how alleged survivors of child abuse may take news of Pell’s death.
This is the end of a very dark chapter in the life of the Australian church which is connected to the life of the international church. George Pell was at the pinnacle of that history in Australia and then rose to become the third most senior Catholic in the world.
For victims and survivors, including complainants who made allegations against him, it is, I think, still brings up all of that pain. And the pain never goes away.
I would always say to people to think about those people. Think about how painful it is for those people and have a bit of empathy and kindness towards those people.
Aerial shots show Broome-bound freight pushing through roads inundated with water, amid flooding in Western Australia.
Amazing shots of Broome bound freight crossing the flooded Roebuck Plains under strict main road permits today. Thank you to all of the emergency support workers, transport workers and people on the ground assisting with the recovery effort in the Kimberley! pic.twitter.com/hHnnAeZk8Z
— Senator Glenn Sterle (@GlennSterle) January 10, 2023
Thinking of survivors of child sexual abuse and their families today.
Too many children were let down by powerful adults that never believed them and failed to protect them.
My heart is with all the victims and survivors who will never get justice and those who will keep fighting— 💚🌏 Sarah Hanson-Young (@sarahinthesen8) January 11, 2023
Community disenchantment means Catholic church’s influence ‘waning rapidly’: Francis Sullivan
Francis Sullivan, CEO of the Truth, Justice and Healing Council, tells ABC news the Catholic church’s influence is “waning rapidly”.
We saw through the royal commission the absolute horror the community felt when it realised the degree to which the church would conceal and do everything to protect its image, even though the damage to survivors was so obvious.
And the persistence and inertia that the hierarchy of the church has demonstrated for decades has only led to great disenchantment and disinterest now, from so many Catholics and the wider community. And in turn, the church’s influence in areas where it should have quite a lot of it is waning rapidly.
On Pell’s handling of sexual abuse complaints against clergy, Sullivan says:
The whole sex abuse scandal is prominent because he, along with others, administered the church in a period where they sought to contain rather than be completely open.
The Truth, Justice and Healing Council was established by Catholic representative bodies in response to the royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse.
Global economic growth forecast downgraded by nearly half
The World Bank has downgraded its global economic growth forecast for 2023 by almost half – from 3% to just 1.7%.
A sharp, long-lasting slowdown is expected to hit developing countries this year. The global economy is projected to grow by just 1.7% in 2023. #WBGEP2023
— World Bank (@WorldBank) January 10, 2023
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, says “this report leaves little no doubt the international economy is facing its third crisis in 15 years – following the hammer blows caused by the GFC and pandemic”.
We should be optimistic about the future of our economy and our country but realistic about what the deteriorating international outlook means for us in Australia.
Global prospects in 2023 will be shaped by the energy shock caused by the war in Ukraine, China’s Covid management, the fate of major economies, and the trajectory, severity and impact of interest rate rises around the world. And here in Australia, we know all too well our communities and economy are also facing greater threats from floods, fire, storms and drought.
While Australia won’t be immune from a global slowdown, the Albanese government is continuing its work towards creating a stronger, more inclusive and more resilient economy that can better withstand future shocks.
![Natasha May](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2021/09/07/Natasha_May.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=bef00e6cc039979168d26adb030c4d51)
Natasha May
Thanks for your attention this Wednesday morning. Take it away, Rafqa Touma!
![Daniel Hurst](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2020/03/30/Dan_Hurst.png?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=841ba2989a73d161b6a26127a9274808)
Daniel Hurst
Snap analysis on US jostling on Aukus
It’s worth taking a moment to step through why a group of US politicians felt the need to write to Joe Biden in strong support of the Aukus security deal – and where the points of contention remain as key decisions loom.
Under Aukus, Australia plans acquire at least eight nuclear-powered submarines with the help of the US and the UK, and March looms as the deadline for more details about which design will be adopted and the timeframe for construction. That’s why there is an uptick in activity to bed down exactly how this might be achieved.
The letter to the US president, published overnight, was signed by nine US House of Representatives members from both parties, including Democratic representative Joe Courtney who led the effort.
They were implicitly pushing back at an argument advanced recently by two key senators about risks to the US’s own submarine needs if the Biden administration agrees to sell one or two Virginia-class submarines to Australia this decade. The idea has been floated as a potential way to bridge the gap before Australia is ready to start building its own nuclear-powered submarines in Adelaide. Domestically built ones may not start to be operational until the late 2030s or early 2040s, but Australia’s existing conventional Collins class submarines will start to be retired in the late 2030s.
The stopgap idea is clearly being taken seriously by the Biden administration. But it’s well known that the US production line is already under stress as the US navy seeks to ramp up construction of its own submarines.
That is what led Democratic senator Jack Reed – the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee – and then-Republican senator James Inhofe to implore Biden not to stress “the US submarine industrial base to the breaking point”. Reed and Inhofe raised concern that “what was initially touted as a ‘do no harm’ opportunity to support Australia and the United Kingdom and build long-term competitive advantages for the US and its Pacific allies, may be turning into a zero-sum game for scarce, highly advanced US [nuclear submarines]”.
But the new letter by the Courtney-led bipartisan group says the US will gain from providing “our closest ally with an undersea capability to better posture itself in the region”. Courtney’s grouping says while it is essential for the US to stick to its own plan to build a minimum of two submarines a year to meet its own requirements, “we are supportive of expanding the industrial base to meet Aukus expectations”.
Far from a zero-sum game, the potential for the United States to provide or build new submarines under Aukus, should that be the recommendation of the trilateral consultation, could very well be a ‘rising tide that lifts all boats’ …
We particularly believe that an expansion of our industrial base beyond two submarines would support the early provisioning of existing Virginia class submarines to be made available concurrent with the retirement of the Collins class attack submarines. These realities should not be viewed as a reason not to pursue US build submarine options in Aukus but rather as a unique opportunity to leverage the support and resources possible under Aukus to grow our industrial base to support both US and Australian submarine construction, recognizing that the full fruition of Aukus over many decades will result in Australia’s ability to domestically produce nuclear-powered submarines.
It should be pointed out that none of the US politicians who have been active on either side of this debate have been hostile to the broad security partnership known as Aukus. The contention is about exactly how the US can help Australia in the short to medium term without undermining its own submarine needs.
For his part, Reed popped up on Twitter overnight to made clear his recent letter should not be seen as opposing Aukus; he just wanted “responsible oversight and a stable industrial base”. Reed said Aukus was “central to ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific, dramatically improving the capabilities of our allies, and increasing our engagement in the region”.
Expect to see this debate heating up in the weeks ahead.
![Peter Hannam](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2022/07/01/Peter_Hannam.png?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=79eac68f28963e85663c23ea15fa31de)
Peter Hannam
Number of job vacancies slide further but remain far above pre-Covid levels
Another key number out today from the ABS is the one for job vacancies, and that result is a slight down arrow.
In November, vacancies totalled 444,000 – down 5% or 23,000 – from the August reading. That tally is now off 8% from the May peak.
The number of job openings, though, remains high by historic measures, and is still almost double the pre-Covid level of 228,000.
The number of businesses reporting at least one vacancy is still rising, with about 28% of firms looking for staff, according to Bjorn Jarvis, head of labour statistics at the ABS.
Jarvis said:
These figures continue to show the high demand for workers across many businesses and all industries, in a tight labour market.
Interestingly, vacancies to work in the public sector were up 6% while those in the private sector were down by that margin, compared with August.
Such large vacancy numbers might suggest the jobless rate, at 3.4% in November, might have further to fall before it inevitably starts to climb as the higher interest rates start to drag on the economy.
Next up, some retail numbers that are mildly therapeutic.
![Benita Kolovos](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2022/03/03/Benita_Kolovos.png?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=5eab712ba445dc6cf12cdc0f9a1eff16)
Benita Kolovos
Father of deceased ex-choirboy will continue civil action against Pell despite cardinal’s death
A father of a deceased ex-choirboy who alleged that Cardinal George Pell sexually abused him while he was archbishop of Melbourne will continue his civil action against the cardinal despite his death.
Pell was acquitted in 2020 after the high court quashed his convictions for child sexual assault related to allegations he molested two choirboys in the sacristy at St Patrick’s Cathedral while he was archbishop of Melbourne in 1996.
He served 13 months in prison before being released.
One of the choirboys died aged 31 from a drug overdose. His father filed a civil claim against the Catholic archdiocese of Melbourne and Pell in the supreme court in July last year.
The man is suing for damages for psychological injury, which he claims he suffered after learning of the allegations his son had been sexually abused.
The case is being defended.
His lawyer, Shine Lawyers chief legal officer, Lisa Flynn, has issued the following statement:
Shine Lawyers is progressing a civil claim on behalf of the father of a former altar boy who alleged he was sexually abused by George Pell.
The Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne is also listed as a defendant in this matter.
The claim will continue against the church and whatever estate Pell has left behind.
A civil trial likely would have provided the opportunity to cross examine Pell, and truly test his defence against these allegations.
There is still a great deal of evidence for this claim to rely on, and the court will be asked in due course to make its ruling on that evidence.