Queensland minister referred to federal police over electoral enrolment allegations
Ben Smee
The Australian Electoral Commission has referred allegations about the voter enrolment of the Queensland sports and Olympics minister, Tim Mander, to the federal police for further investigation.
Mander has denied any wrongdoing and referred himself to Queensland election authorities after The Australian published stories alleging the former NRL referee and Scripture Union CEO had enrolled to vote at the home of an electorate officer after the breakdown of his marriage despite not living there.
The Electoral Commission Queensland passed the matter to the AEC.
In a statement on Thursday, the AEC said it had sought information about the matter that included an opportunity for Mander to provide information to support his enrolment claim and that:
While a determination has not been made, the AEC does consider that there is currently an absence of compelling evidence to determine Mr Mander resided at the enrolled address.
As such, on 19 May the AEC referred this matter to the AFP for their consideration, and any action they consider appropriate.
As the matters in question concern a potential criminal offence under the Criminal Code Act 1995, the appropriate authority to undertake any further investigation into these issues is the Australian Federal Police.
Mander told parliament last week he had complied with electoral laws “at all times” and that:
I updated the Electoral Commission of Queensland with my correct details when my circumstances changed.
I am currently enrolled at my permanent address and I have complied with the requirements of the Electoral Commission of Queensland at all times.
Man charged with stealing camera equipment from Bondi shooting victim in aftermath of terror attack
New South Wales police have charged a man for allegedly stealing camera equipment from one of the victims of the Bondi beach terror attack in the aftermath of the shooting.
In a statement, police allege that the man had been at the Hanukah event before the shooting on 14 December, in which 15 people were killed.
During their investigation into the attack, detectives “identified that one of the victims – a 61-year-old retired police officer and photographer – had his camera equipment stolen in the aftermath of the attack”.
Peter Meagher, 61, a member of the NSW police for 35 years, was one of the victims of the Bondi shooting. In a statement released by police last year, Meagher’s family said he was “struck down in retirement while pursuing his passion for taking photos”.
Read more here:
Australia backs historic UN climate vote
Australia has voted in favour of a landmark United Nations resolution spearheaded by its Pacific island neighbours to strengthen state responsibility to act on climate change, AAP reports.
The 193-member global body endorsed an advisory opinion provided by the world’s top court on Wednesday, which notably warns a failure to curb fossil fuel production might constitute an “internationally wrongful act”.
The hard-fought legal opinion from the international court of justice delivered in July 2025 was first conceived by a group of Pacific students and initially taken up by Vanuatu.
The climate-vulnerable island nation, supported by its Pacific allies, was also the first to sponsor the UN general assembly resolution that passed with 141 votes in favour, eight against and 28 abstentions.
The Australia-based Climate Council chief executive, Amanda McKenzie, said the ruling left the federal government’s stance on fossil fuel exports exposed.
Australia, which has been pursuing significant domestic emissions cuts with ambitious renewables targets but remains a major exporter of coal and gas, voted in favour of the resolution.
Other big fossil fuel producers, including the US, Russia, Iran and Saudi Arabia, opposed the measure.
Luca Ittimani
House prices to fall as almost half of homes for auction fail to sell
Australia’s housing market is slowing, with homes being pulled from auctions and prices starting to fall.
Almost half of all homes listed for auction nationwide last week failed to sell, sending Australia’s auction clearance rate to 50.4%, its lowest since pandemic lockdowns in May 2020, according to Cotality.
More than half of all homes up for auction in Sydney, Perth, Brisbane and Canberra did not sell.
Annabelle Mezieres, a Cotality economist, said:
Clearance rates holding in the low 50% range across the largest two capitals is likely to signal further downward price movement.
Median home prices have fallen slightly in the last month across the five biggest cities, separate Cotality data shows.
Sydney and Melbourne home values have each fallen 1.3% in the last two months to today, Cotality’s daily index shows. Prices in Brisbane and Adelaide are close to running flat this month, though Perth prices are still rising.
Homebuyers have been rocked by three back-to-back interest rate rises, resurgent living costs and now fewer investor tax breaks after Labor’s budget, as you can read here:
Queensland minister referred to federal police over electoral enrolment allegations
Ben Smee
The Australian Electoral Commission has referred allegations about the voter enrolment of the Queensland sports and Olympics minister, Tim Mander, to the federal police for further investigation.
Mander has denied any wrongdoing and referred himself to Queensland election authorities after The Australian published stories alleging the former NRL referee and Scripture Union CEO had enrolled to vote at the home of an electorate officer after the breakdown of his marriage despite not living there.
The Electoral Commission Queensland passed the matter to the AEC.
In a statement on Thursday, the AEC said it had sought information about the matter that included an opportunity for Mander to provide information to support his enrolment claim and that:
While a determination has not been made, the AEC does consider that there is currently an absence of compelling evidence to determine Mr Mander resided at the enrolled address.
As such, on 19 May the AEC referred this matter to the AFP for their consideration, and any action they consider appropriate.
As the matters in question concern a potential criminal offence under the Criminal Code Act 1995, the appropriate authority to undertake any further investigation into these issues is the Australian Federal Police.
Mander told parliament last week he had complied with electoral laws “at all times” and that:
I updated the Electoral Commission of Queensland with my correct details when my circumstances changed.
I am currently enrolled at my permanent address and I have complied with the requirements of the Electoral Commission of Queensland at all times.
Woman dies after being hit by police car in far north Queensland
A woman in her 70s has died after she was hit by a police four-wheel-drive in far north Queensland.
Queensland police confirmed in a statement just before noon that the woman had died after she was hit by the car at an intersection in Cairns.
Police said emergency services were called to the intersection about 7am today.
Officers in the car gave her first aid before she was taken to Cairns hospital with life‑threatening injuries, police said, but she was declared deceased later in the morning.
Motorists have been told to avoid the area while the forensic crash unit investigates.
The case will also be examined by the Queensland police ethical standards command.
Police have asked witnesses or anyone with relevant information to contact them.
Jonathan Barrett
ATO issues $1,650 fine to 97-year-old woman who had not ‘prioritised tax obligations’ after husband’s death
The Australian Taxation Office fined a 97-year-old Brisbane woman $1,650 because she had not “prioritised her tax obligations”, despite the recent death of her husband who managed their financial affairs.
The decision was only overturned after her accountant posted details of the incident on LinkedIn – catching the attention of industry associations and the tax ombudsman, who issued a stinging rebuke direct to the ATO.
After a lifetime of submitting tax returns on time, the elderly Brisbane resident lost her husband in mid-2023, according to details provided to Guardian Australia by accountant Nathan Watt.
Her circumstances were further complicated by the sale of the tax practice formerly used by the couple.
Read more here:
Jobless rate jumps to 4.5%
Patrick Commins
The unemployment rate climbed to 4.5% in April, from 4.3% in the month before, as the number of employed Australians dropped by 18,600.
The unexpected lift in the jobless rate threatens a lengthy period of extraordinary job market resilience, as economists predict the global oil crisis will drive a sharp slowdown in growth this year.
Full-time employment fell by 10,700 people, and part-time employment decreased by 7,900, the Australian Bureau of Statistics data showed.
New Zealand finance minister to Australians annoyed with CGT changes: ‘where the bloody hell are you? Come over.’
Nicola Willis, New Zealand’s finance minister, said the country would be willing to welcome any Australians hoping to “start or grow a business” and have an “epic opportunity” to do so amid Australia’s upcoming changes to negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount.
Willis spoke to Sky News this morning, saying New Zealand had a “very simple tax system” with a “low rate” of taxation. She went on:
We keep it simple, we allow you accelerated depreciation and deductibility on your capital investments. And you’ve got a government that is very pro growth, anti-red tape.
We’re on a reforming mission to make this one of the best places in the world to do business.
Willis had a simple message for Australians: “Where the bloody hell are you? Come over”.
On the flip side, many New Zealanders have looked to Australian shores for opportunity. Read more about that shift here:
Dan Jervis-Bardy
Taylor says gas tax would be ‘harmful’ as Hanson prepares to unveil Norwegian-style policy
The opposition leader said a gas tax would be “harmful”, trading relationships would be damaged, investors would take capital elsewhere and projects wouldn’t proceed.
The One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson, is scheduled to address the gas conference later this afternoon, where she is expected to unveil a policy to replace the PRRT with a 10% royalty on all offshore oil and gas production.
Hanson will also reportedly push a Norwegian-style scheme in which the Commonwealth takes an equity stake in projects in exchange for helping to cover exploration costs.
Dan Jervis-Bardy
Taylor tells gas industry to ‘start making noise’
The Liberal leader, Angus Taylor, has urged the oil and gas industry to “start making noise” and fight their detractors in a speech reaffirming the Coalition’s opposition to a 25% export tax.
Taylor used an appearance at the Australian Energy Producers conference in Adelaide on Thursday to renew his commitment to abandon a net zero emissions target, scrap the safeguard mechanism and promote more “digging and drilling” to achieve what he describes as “energy abundance.
The opposition leader also issued a message to the oil and gas industry, which is fighting against a campaign to replace the petroleum resource rent tax (PRRT) with a flat 25% tax on gas exports.
The federal government balked at changes in last week’s federal budget but will face ongoing pressure – including from Labor-aligned trade unions. Taylor said:
We have a government that’s hostile to your sectors and doesn’t appreciate the Australians who work in it – or what they do for our country. The Coalition can’t take the fight up for your sectors alone. You need to start making noise. You need to use every campaign tool at your disposal – especially social media. Push back against your detractors.
Bomb response unit determines suspicious item at Avalon airport a laser hair removal device
Victoria police say the suspicious item found at Melbourne’s Avalon airport this morning was determined to be a laser hair removal device.
The bomb response unit conducted checks after emergency officials were called to the domestic terminal around 6am, prompting the terminal’s evacuation and closure.
Melbourne’s Avalon airport reopens
The domestic terminal at Melbourne’s Avalon airport is now reopen and operations have resumed.
A spokesperson for the airport said Victoria police have deemed the item is no longer a risk. They added:
Today’s response demonstrates the vigilance of the screening and security processes, with precautionary measures taken immediately to ensure the safety of passengers, staff and the broader community, which will always remain our highest priority.
Passengers are encouraged to chat with their airline for flight updates.
A ‘very serious outbreak of a very serious disease’, health minister says of diphtheria spread
The health minister, Mark Butler, is speaking about the diphtheria outbreak in the Northern Territory and neighbouring Queensland and WA. He said the federal government has been providing thousands of vaccine doses to be administered to remote communities, adding a booster is a highly effective way to protect yourself.
“This is a very serious outbreak of a very serious disease,” Butler said. The health minister went on:
Obviously we also need to ensure that there are adequate doses of antibiotics for those who have acquired the infection, particularly the respiratory form of the infection, because that can be a very, very serious disease as well. …
There are sufficient doses of vaccines, I’m told, in the Territory, but the need for additional workers to get out and get the needles into the arms that need them.
Back to the shutdown at Melbourne’s Avalon airport this morning
Several travellers have called into local radio this morning to discuss their snarled travel plans. David told 3AW Breakfast that he arrived on the scene before a schedule flight to Brisbane, but he couldn’t get in the terminal. He said:
There’s people queued up for miles. They blocked it off at the entrance way where the roundabout is, people actually walking out on foot from the airport. They’re sort of blocked us off.
I’d love to know what’s going on.
He went on to say “no one’s telling us a thing”, adding people had been leaving the airport on foot after it was shuttered.
Stuart said he saw similar scenes while driving past Avalon airport, telling 3AW:
I’ve just come past Avalon … there’s cars everywhere out in the front, and people have even pushed their luggage trolleys all the way from the airport … to outside the premises on the road.
Sarah Collard
Minister for Indigenous Australians speaks on the latest on the growing diphtheria outbreak
Malarndirri McCarthy, the minister for Indigenous Australians, was just on ABC’s News Breakfast program speaking about growing concerns on the worst diphtheria outbreak in decades with more than 220 cases across the Northern Territory, Western Australia and Queensland, largely affecting First Nations communities.
The federal government announced a $7m support package to further support national and Aboriginal-controlled community health responses to the disease; McCarthy said the package will immediately support vaccination drive efforts.
“We have seen programs rolling out in places like Yuendumu in language. We know that we’ve got over 100 Aboriginal languages. We need to ensure that the communication is there, not misinformation, McCarthy said.
We certainly saw that through Covid and we need to ensure that the right information is getting out to our remote and regional communities.
The federal government and health authorities are urging those in affected areas to ensure they are vaccinated and up to date with their inoculations.
We know that the immunisation rates have been there for our children … Our call is really to adults to not think that you are immune, make sure you’re getting checked. So, it’s really important that adults also know that this isn’t just about children. This is actually all people of all ages.
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