Australia news LIVE: Federal seat of North Sydney abolished; Defence Minister strips medals from ADF officers

Queensland Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski has described the death of a Gold Coast police officer, identified as Senior Sergeant Brendan Wiblen, as absolutely devastating.

Wiblen, 58, died on Wednesday near Glen Innes in NSW while riding in the annual Wall to Wall memorial ride for fallen officers.

The Queensland Police Service said Wiblen had a distinguished career spanning 28 years, working as both a district duty officer and an officer in charge.

“This is a heartbreaking loss for our entire service, particularly for Brendan’s colleagues on the Gold Coast, who worked closely with him day in and day out,” Gollschewski said.

“His passing will have a significant impact on officers who not only valued his leadership but also considered him as a dear friend.”

South Eastern Region Assistant Commissioner Brian Swan said Wiblen was a dedicated officer, who was highly thought of by his colleagues and known for his attention to detail.

Victoria’s police minister has said that peaceful protesters caught in violent confrontations only have themselves to blame as a third day of demonstrations outside the Land Forces weapons convention in Melbourne continue.

Police were out in force again early this morning, maintaining no-go lines near the convention centre ahead of visitors to the expo arriving.

Police Minister Anthony Carbines said peaceful protesters who were caught up in violence at the rally “only have [themselves] to blame”.

“It would be naive to think that if you’ve got yourself caught up in troubles down there, then you have probably put yourself in the wrong place,” he said.

“And I think they need to take responsibility for their actions.”

Police said 27 officers were treated for minor injuries, while rally organiser Caroline Da Silva said there were eight to 10 times the number of activists injured in the melee.

“We are not deterred,” Da Silva said.

Protesters claim many types of weapons on display inside the convention centre have been used on civilians in the Gaza conflict.

“People are very angry about this expo. It’s particularly on the nose given there’s already very strong community sentiment about the genocide in Gaza,” Da Silva said.

AAP

A major policy change for aged care is being debated among Labor caucus members in Canberra after Opposition Leader Peter Dutton signalled his support for a reform package that aims to make the system more sustainable.

The changes are expected to require older Australians with more wealth to pay a bigger share of their aged-care costs.

The Labor caucus meeting, called for this morning, is another sign that the policy could be revealed before parliament rises today because the government cannot commit to the draft law unless it has approval from the caucus.

Dutton has not made a public commitment to back the changes, but he backed the concern about financial sustainability in an interview on 2GB today.

“I want sustainability in the aged care system. I want people to know that when your mum or dad, grandma or grandpa go into an aged care setting, that they’re getting the best care provided,” he told 2GB host Ray Hadley.

“And so we’ve been in discussions with the government to have a look at what they’re proposing, and then we’ll make a decision as to what our next step will be.”

Aged care providers have called on both major parties to agree on a package, which is expected to include more federal spending, after months of warnings that nursing homes and other centres cannot afford to keep operating under the current rules.

Whooping cough cases in NSW have reached their highest level since 2016, prompting an urgent plea for people in close contact with babies to get vaccinated.

More than 12,000 cases of whooping cough were reported from January to September this year, the latest NSW Health respiratory surveillance report reveals.

Cases are increasing in all age groups but are highest in school-aged children. NSW Health’s Dr Christine Selvey said her department was working with the Education Department and the early childhood sector “to increase awareness and provide information to families and staff about the importance of vaccination, early diagnosis and treatment”.

She said whooping cough vaccines were free for all pregnant women, who are recommended to be vaccinated between 20 and 32 weeks – allowing the antibodies to be transferred to their unborn babies.

Whooping cough is a highly contagious respiratory tract infection caused by the Bordetella pertussis bacterium. It is particularly dangerous for babies, but easily prevented by vaccines.

It is common for outbreaks of whooping cough to occur every few years as immunity wanes, typically spiking in the spring and summer months.

Federal independent Kylea Tink has been left politically homeless after the Australian Electoral Commission announced the abolition of her North Sydney seat on Thursday, forcing her to leave parliament at the next election or displace another teal candidate.

The AEC recommended the seat’s abolition in June following plans to reduce the number of electorates in NSW from 47 to 46 to meet population changes.

Tink initiated a campaign called “Save North Sydney”, calling on concerned residents to lodge objections to the proposal, that were ultimately unsuccessful.

The first-term MP, who won her seat during the “teal wave” of the 2022 election, now has a limited number of options at the federal level. Her electorate is divided between the teal seat of Warringah, the Liberal held seat of Bradfield – that is set to be contested by independent challenger Nicolette Boele – and John Howard’s former seat of Bennelong, currently held by Labor.

A change was also made to the electoral division of Cook, which was formerly named after Captain James Cook, but which will now also honour Joseph Cook, who was prime minister from 1913 to 1914.

New maps for NSW’s federal electorates will be released on October 10.

New parents are set to receive a superannuation boost on top of government-funded paid parental leave, with laws locking in 12 per cent super payments for up to six months passing the House of Representatives today.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it was critical reform that “will help narrow the gender gap in retirement savings”.

“The first months of your child’s life are so special, exhausting at times, but uplifting every day ... you can’t put a price on spending that precious time with your new bub, and you shouldn’t pay a price for it either,” he said.

With the Coalition backing the government changes, the super payments are all but assured to become law for an estimated 180,000 families each year. The changes will apply to eligible parents with babies born or adopted from July next year.

While government-paid parental leave is currently at 22 weeks, it will be expanded to six months from 2026. The maximum amount parents will receive in superannuation will be $113 a week from 2025-26.

Families will get up to $3000 in total in super during the entire six months of parental leave.

AAP

A Queensland police officer has died in a motorcycle crash while participating in a memorial ride for his fallen colleagues.

The serving police officer was participating in the Wall to Wall Ride of Remembrance on the Gwydir Highway, around 20 kilometres east of Glen Innes, when the 58-year-old lost control while trying to overtake another rider.

The ride left Brisbane on Wednesday with the Queensland police officers making their way to Armidale when the officer lost control.

The motorcycle went down an embankment and crashed. He died at the scene.

Queensland Premier Steven Miles shared his condolences on social media.

“Devastated to hear an off duty Queensland police officer has died during the Wall to Wall memorial ride near Glen Innes,” he said.

“My deepest condolences to family, friends and all members of the Qld Police Service.”

The circumstances of the crash are under investigation.

The Tax Office has signalled it will continue to chase a record $100 billion in unpaid tax, revealing huge amounts of outstanding employee entitlements such as superannuation and withheld tax on wages.

The nation’s tax commissioner, Rob Heferen, this morning said the agency would be “firmer and faster” dealing with unpaid tax which would then flow back to the broader community.

Bankruptcy experts have noted a lift in both corporate and personal insolvencies over the past year as business operators find themselves unable to pay their debts.

Heferen said collectable tax debt had now reached $50 billion while overall debt had reached more than $100 billion. In 2023-24, the ATO collected about $600 billion in tax.

“It’s the largest it’s ever been, and it’s money that could be benefiting all Australians,” he told the Tax Institute summit in Sydney today.

“This debt is not disputed, most of it has been self-reported, and it’s largely made up of amounts that have been withheld from employees’ wages and collected from consumers as GST – but not passed on to government.

“Even more worryingly, it includes some employee entitlements, such as superannuation.”

Heferen said the tax office was seeking to ensure tax was paid in line with the law and to ensure all businesses faced a level playing field.

“Paying tax isn’t optional, and it’s our responsibility to ensure a level playing field,” he said.

“This is critical for supporting other creditors and businesses who are doing the right thing and paying on time, and who themselves can often be left out of pocket by businesses who aren’t taking steps to manage their financial situation.

“You can expect that we will be firmer and faster in dealing with unpaid GST, (pay-as-you-go-withheld) and super.”