Australia news live: Liberals call for Lidia Thorpe to face privileges committee; eastern states brace for more rain | Australia news

Adeshola Ore

Victorian government promises more training for renewables sector

The Andrews government will inject $6m to train workers in Victoria’s offshore wind sector through a new purpose-built centre, if re-elected at next month’s state election.

The wind training centre will be based in Melbourne and the government will also commission a review into regulatory requirements in the sector to improve worker safety.

In March, the government announced Australia’s first offshore wind targets to generate enough energy to power to 1.5m homes by 2032.

The Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) say they “warmly” welcome the government’s announcement of an additional $375m for aid and development to Pacific countries.

ACFID has been calling for assistance to be increased to meet the rising needs in developing countries, particularly those within the region, in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, and as climate change events gather pace.

The chief executive of the council, Marc Purcell, said:

Human development went backwards due to the pandemic, and Australia should be providing more support. In challenging economic and geostrategic times, an increase to ODA [Overseas Development Assistance] is critical.

The needs of our regional partners are clear: investment in health systems strengthening, climate change adaptation, gender equality, economic livelihoods and social protections.

The aid budget is about $4.5bn a year, which represents 0.20% of Australia’s gross national income. The OECD average is 0.33%.

ACFID has been concerned about the prospect of temporary, targeted and supplementary measures ending over the next two years, which would see the ODA budget lose $460m. Purcell said:

The new funds would address this drop off.

A coroner has concluded Belgian backpacker Theo Hayez is dead but she is unable to determine the cause or manner of his death, AAP reports.

New South Wales coroner, Teresa O’Sullivan, said suicide appeared to be highly unlikely and there was no reason for the 18-year-old to intentionally vanish.

But she could not make a finding on the two competing theories put forward at the inquest into his disappearance more than three years ago.

The competing theories were that he had a terrible accident as he tried to climb towards the lighthouse at Byron Bay or that one or more persons caused his death and disposed of his body.

She said:

Sadly, there is just insufficient evidence before me to substantiate or exclude either theory.

He was reportedly last seen about 11pm on 31 May 2019 when he was ejected from the Cheeky Monkeys bar in Byron Bay.

Police were alerted six days later, when he failed to return to his hostel and could not be found or contacted.

A large-scale search was launched, with only a hat believed to belong to Theo located.

Police in February announced a $500,000 reward for anyone with significant information about Theo’s case. The coroner said:

I hope if there is any further information to be known, the reward would provide a motivation to come forward and contact Crime Stoppers.

O’Sullivan acknowledged the sadness and loss experienced by Theo’s family and friends, some who travelled from Belgium to Byron Bay for the inquest.

It is obvious from the evidence he had a bright future ahead of him.

She concluded by making recommendations to cut the red tape involved in searching for missing persons.

Adeshola Ore

Victoria proposes new standards to protect gig economy workers

The Andrews government has pledged to implement new minimum standards to better protect the state’s gig economy workers.

Under the standards – to initially be voluntary – gig economy companies would be required to consult with their workers about changes to work arrangements and tell workers how much they could expect to earn from each job. Workers would also be able to call on a dedicated support service.

The Victorian government said it would implement the standards if re-elected at next month’s election and aim to enshrine compliance with them in law next year. The reforms follow an independent review into the sector that was released in 2020.

Victoria’s industrial relations minister, Tim Pallas, said the standards would provide gig workers, who lack bargaining power, with clarity:

We know platforms want to do the right thing by the people they engage to do their work – we expect an enthusiastic response to these important reforms.

Earlier this month, New South Wales Labor proposed giving gig economy workers worker’s compensation and portable leave entitlements if the party wins next year’s state election.

Victim/survivors of child sexual abuse will be involved in decision making over the future of the redress scheme, with the government committing to appoint a victim/survivor to the governance board.

The minister for social services, Amanda Rishworth, will mark the fourth anniversary of the national apology to victims of institutional child sexual abuse with a range of announcements at a Relationships Australia event in Adelaide:

• A survivor voice will be appointed into governance arrangements for the ministers’ governance board to ensure victim-survivors are involved in decision making over the future of the redress scheme.

• The five year strategy for the National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse draft will be released and open for public consultation alongside the appointment of the new chief executive, Dr Leanne Beagley, who was most recently the head of Mental Health Australia.

• More than 600 non-government organisations have signed up to the redress scheme from charities to community groups, churches, schools and universities.

To date, the scheme has received more than 20,000 applications with 45 redress support services across the country aiming to improve access to practical and emotional support.

An independent review of the scheme was delivered in June last year. Efforts to improve the scheme are currently underway, but the Albanese government has committed to preparing a full transparent response to the review’s 38 recommendations by early 2023.

Benita Kolovos

Victorian opposition proposes Mildura to Melbourne flights for $100

The Victorian opposition has pledged, if elected in November, to cap return airfares from Mildura to Melbourne at $100.

Under the plan, those living within 150km of Mildura will be eligible for two $100 return flights to Melbourne in the next two years. If it proves successful, the Liberals and Nationals will extend the trial further.

Mildura is Victoria’s largest population centre without a passenger train, with residents facing travel times of up to nine hours one way to get to Melbourne via public transport or a six-hour drive.

There are up to eight plane flights a day between Mildura and Melbourne, which take a little over an hour one way but cost three times more than trains and coaches combined.

The opposition leader, Matthew Guy, said:

Part of Mildura’s beauty is its isolation, but that can come at a hefty price for those looking to get to Melbourne with return flights often costing more than $400. Our plan will make it easier and cheaper for locals to get to and from home, ensuring time spent with friends and family, or important appointments, aren’t missed.

Mildura is viewed as a must-win for the Coalition next month, with local police Sgt Paul Matheson running for the Liberals and former Swan Hill mayor Jade Benham running for the Nationals.

It is held by independent MP Ali Cupper, though an electoral redistribution ahead of the 26 November election would see it fall into National hands if the 2018 vote is repeated, albeit on a razor-thin 0.4% margin.

Liberals call to refer Lidia Thorpe to privileges committee

Paul Karp

The Liberals’ Senate leader, Simon Birmingham, has said that Greens senator Lidia Thorpe has “serious questions” to answer about her undisclosed relationship with a former bikie boss while she sat on parliament’s law enforcement committee.

Birmingham told Sky News the conduct “may well give rise to a privileges investigation and inquiry, and we will be pursuing those in the Senate in next week”.

The Liberal leader, Peter Dutton, and deputy, Sussan Ley, have gone further in saying she is unfit to sit in parliament – but the significance of a privileges committee referral is that it could result in an investigation about who knew what when and why Thorpe didn’t disclose the relationship to the committee or her party leader.

Labor’s manager of government business in the Senate, Katy Gallagher, has also signalled that Adam Bandt’s explanation and Thorpe’s resignation as deputy Greens Senate leader is not the end of the matter.

Gallagher told Channel Nine:

Well, you know, we need to understand a bit more of what’s gone on here and who knew what when, but I think there’s a serious issue here. I think the Senate deserves an explanation. Certainly the committee that she sat on deserves an explanation. And I think there’s probably more to go but I don’t think it’s going to be that easy to just flick it off as a “serious error of judgment”.

In a statement, Thorpe said she accepts she “made mistakes” and had “not exercised good judgment”. Thorpe acknowledged she did not advise Bandt of her relationship with Dean Martin, but insisted that confidential committee documents on how the AFP monitors outlaw motorcycle gangs were “treated in confidence”.

Thorpe said Martin’s history with the Rebels was a “past connection”.

Obviously, I’m concerned about the criminal activities of outlaw motorcycle clubs in general. But when we met, Mr Martin was no longer involved with that world.