AFL CEO says ‘actions of a few’ don’t define football industry amid Swans scandal
Luca Ittimani
The AFL CEO, Andrew Dillon, won’t say the game has a culture problem, saying the actions of a few Sydney Swans players don’t define the industry, after an incident that led to an allegation of sexual assault currently being investigated by Victorian police.
Separately, five Swans players have been stood down for the rest of the season for breaching club standards by “drinking … staying out late … and bringing women back to the hotel”. No one has been arrested or charged in relation to the investigation and the Guardian understands the players deny criminal wrongdoing.
Speaking to reporters in Melbourne just now, Dillon was asked if the AFL had a cultural problem. He said:
double quotation markI think the actions of a few don’t define the actions of the entire industry.
He also said the league also won’t investigate the Sydney Swans incident, including hair testing for illicit substance use, until the police have finished investigating.
The players have reportedly denied using illegal drugs. Dillon said the club’s penalties were adequate and brought “accountability”.
He downplayed fan walkouts at yesterday’s Swans’ men’s game in Sydney:
double quotation markLook, we saw an amazing crowd for the AFLW game, the highest crowd that the Sydney AFLW has had, over 16,000, and then we had a crowd of over 30,000 for the men’s game. There was some people that left the games in between, but that’s happened in other double headers. It was a special day for the Swans. It was a tough day.
Updated at 23.06 EDT
Key events
Luca Ittimani
Suspended Sydney Swans players not invited to AFL’s awards night
The AFL CEO says the five players stood down by the Sydney Swans won’t be invited to the Brownlow medal awards night.
The Brownlow medal is awarded to the best and fairest player in the AFL, awarded at the league’s annual awards night, this year on 21 September.
Andrew Dillon told reporters the invitations for the Brownlow will go out this week, but:
double quotation markThose players won’t be invited … They are still eligible for the Brownlow but they’re under a club suspension which goes til the end of the season.
When their suspension is completed, the players will return to the club, he said.
Updated at 23.42 EDT
Albanese maintains there will be ‘no change’ to WA’s share of GST while he is PM
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is speaking in Perth, where he said there will be “no change” to WA’s share of the GST while he is in the top job:
double quotation markWhat I believe is very clearly there will be no change to WA’s GST arrangements while I’m prime minister. That is my view.
That has consistently been my view. The floor of 75% will absolutely stay. I think that WA deserves that. Because WA contributes to the national economy, and helps to drive that economy.
The WA premier, Roger Cook, said West Australians would be “relieved and pleased to hear the words from the prime minister today that Western Australia’s arrangements for the GST will remain”.
Cook said:
double quotation markYou don’t come to Western Australia on 45 occasions without appreciating that the Western Australian economy is driving the national economy. And we are very pleased that the prime minister has backed WA.
Anthony Albanese speaks to media during a press conference at BAE Systems Australia in Perth. Photograph: Richard Wainwright/AAPShare
Updated at 23.24 EDT
Detectives investigating alleged corruption raid CFMEU Melbourne headquarters
Nino Bucci
Five people have been taken into custody after Victoria police investigating alleged union corruption raided properties including the headquarters of the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) on Monday.
Police said in a statement:
double quotation markDetectives from Taskforce Hawk executed warrants at six addresses this morning as part of a current investigation into information provided re secret commissions.
One of the warrants was executed at a premises on Elizabeth Street in Melbourne. Five people have been taken into custody and are being interviewed by police.
Further information will be provided later this afternoon.
The Elizabeth Street property is the headquarters of the Cfmeu. Taskforce Hawk was established to investigate allegations of corruption in the construction sector after revelations of alleged graft involving the Cfmeu on Victoria’s so-called Big Build.
The scandal was a leading contributor to the ousting of former Victorian premier Jacinta Allan. The new premier, Ben Carroll, announced a royal commission last week.
CFMEU signage at the union’s Melbourne office in 2024. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAPShare
Updated at 23.16 EDT
AFL CEO says ‘actions of a few’ don’t define football industry amid Swans scandalLuca Ittimani
The AFL CEO, Andrew Dillon, won’t say the game has a culture problem, saying the actions of a few Sydney Swans players don’t define the industry, after an incident that led to an allegation of sexual assault currently being investigated by Victorian police.
Separately, five Swans players have been stood down for the rest of the season for breaching club standards by “drinking … staying out late … and bringing women back to the hotel”. No one has been arrested or charged in relation to the investigation and the Guardian understands the players deny criminal wrongdoing.
Speaking to reporters in Melbourne just now, Dillon was asked if the AFL had a cultural problem. He said:
double quotation markI think the actions of a few don’t define the actions of the entire industry.
He also said the league also won’t investigate the Sydney Swans incident, including hair testing for illicit substance use, until the police have finished investigating.
The players have reportedly denied using illegal drugs. Dillon said the club’s penalties were adequate and brought “accountability”.
He downplayed fan walkouts at yesterday’s Swans’ men’s game in Sydney:
double quotation markLook, we saw an amazing crowd for the AFLW game, the highest crowd that the Sydney AFLW has had, over 16,000, and then we had a crowd of over 30,000 for the men’s game. There was some people that left the games in between, but that’s happened in other double headers. It was a special day for the Swans. It was a tough day.
Updated at 23.06 EDT
Benita Kolovos
Victorian Bar lashes Liberal plan to split the court of appeal
The Victorian Bar, which represents the thousands of barristers practising in the state, has lashed the Liberal party’s election commitment to split the court of appeal in two.
The opposition leader, Jess Wilson, yesterday announced the plan to create a dedicated court of criminal appeal alongside a separate court of civil appeal, and to appoint additional judges to the latter to set precedents for tougher sentences.
Legal and civil rights groups yesterday criticised the plan as an attempt to politicise the courts, which are independent of government.
In a statement this afternoon, the Victorian Bar president, Fiona Ryan SC, said the state was “fortunate to have a judiciary that is independent and apolitical, and which applies the laws enacted by parliament without fear or favour, and without any regard to their personal views. That independence is essential to the rule of law”.
She went on:
double quotation markThe Victorian Bar is deeply concerned about any threat to the independence of the judiciary. Courts must not be politicised. Judges must always be appointed on merit, and never with a view to influencing outcomes. Any suggestion that judges might be appointed to influence outcomes is to be condemned in the strongest terms. It is anathema to the separation of powers, which is the foundation of community confidence in the independence of the courts.
Ryan said while the group welcomes increased resources for the courts and additional judges, “is not yet clear how splitting the Court of Appeal will improve the administration of justice”.
Updated at 23.12 EDT
Luca Ittimani
Diesel prices back above $2.50 a litre in some cities
Diesel prices are back near recent highs of above $2.50 a litre as oil markets wait for the US to announce possible Iran sanctions.
Diesel in Melbourne is 255.4 cents per litre today, back where it was at the start of August, according to MotorMouth. Sydney has climbed to 247.1 cents, Brisbane is at 252.2 and Hobart 254.7.
Service stations have hiked their prices as wholesale and import prices rise. Commonwealth Bank analyst Vivek Dhar wrote today that Singapore diesel benchmark prices have kept spiking higher.
Oil production in the Gulf has recovered somewhat since the US went to war with Iran but diesel refining in the area has not, Dhar wrote.
Petrol prices have risen again amid conflict in the Middle East and Russia. Photograph: Hollie Adams/Reuters
Global diesel prices have also been particularly under pressure as Ukrainian strikes have disrupted exports from Russia, which had been a stopgap. Dhar predicted diesel prices would be slower to return to normal than oil in the coming year.
Oil prices are still volatile. The Brent crude oil benchmark has spent nearly a week above US$90 a barrel. The US is expected to announce new economic sanctions on Iran and allies on Monday US time.
Dhar said CBA expects Brent oil futures to trade between US$70‑100 a barrel in the next four months. While US$70 might seem low, he says the oil market was already oversupplied before the war and will be again even if just 50% of trade through the strait of Hormuz resumes.
Updated at 22.25 EDT
NSW premier supports extending antisemitism royal commission
Penry Buckley
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, says he supports extending the royal commission on antisemitism after calls for an extension by the federal opposition were rejected by the Albanese government.
The royal commission, established following the Bondi attack, is holding its final scheduled hearing block this week. Last week, the shadow federal education minister and prominent Jewish MP Julian Leeser brought an unsuccessful motion to extend its reporting date to allow it to hear from further witnesses. This morning, the shadow home affairs minister Jonno Duniam reiterated the call to extend the royal commission on ABC Radio National.
At a press conference today, Minns said he had spoken to senior members of the Jewish community who were “satisfied both with the hearing they got and the platform that enabled them to make their case”, but did support an extension to allow further witnesses to appear. He said:
double quotation markGiven the expense and time that’s gone into the royal commission, and the fact that we’re not going to have another one, at least for a long period of time, and we are using this royal commission to get to the fundamental truths of what happened on the day, and also what happened in the lead-up to that day, particularly around antisemitism, I’m hopeful that it will speak to as large a number of people as possible, and genuinely get the perspective of the community.
If we need to go a couple of weeks longer, given that most of the expense was spent setting it up, that would seem to be money well spent because both the federal and the state government are relying on these recommendations to shape some of our policy.
Prior to Anthony Albanese’s announcement of the federal royal commission, Minns had announced plans for a state-led commission, which was superseded by the national inquiry.
NSW premier Chris Minns. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAPShare
Updated at 22.49 EDT
KPMG to cut nearly 400 staff in wake of audit leaks scandalLuca Ittimani
KPMG Australia is cutting 27 partners and about 360 employees in the wake of an audit leaks scandal that saw it cut off from new government contracts.
The audit and consulting giant today reported its revenue fell 1% year-on-year, to $2.26bn in the year 2025-26.
While the embattled audit arm had seen revenue grow 11%, its consulting revenue was down 16.9%. Most of the workers to be let go are from the consulting arm.
KPMG’s new chief executive, John Sams, said weak demand for its services was expected to continue beyond the next 12 months, blaming Australia’s weak economy. He said:
double quotation markThe professional services sector is also changing rapidly as client expectations evolve, AI reshapes the way services are delivered and government spending on consultants remains lower. We also recognise the challenges created by our own failings, and the work we must continue to do to rebuild trust …
After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to reduce our workforce and restructure parts of the firm. This is not a decision that has been taken lightly, and we know it will have a very real impact on people.
The firm said it was discussing further cuts to a small number of award-based jobs. Sams said KPMG would continue to assess its operating environment as it sought to stay financially sustainable. You can read about the firm’s difficulties here:
Leah Stewart recounts shark bite: ‘I’ll never forget its face’
Leah Stewart, the woman bitten by a shark at Sydney’s Coogee beach in June, will appear on next Sunday’s episode of 60 Minutes. A short clip of the interview includes the mother recounting coming face-to-face with a great white shark.
She said:
double quotation markIts face was horrific. I’ll never forget its face. It was a monster.
It was holding on to my leg, and I just thought of August. And I thought, ‘she’s not going to have a mum, she’s going to grow up without a mum’.
I couldn’t handle that, I didn’t want her not to have a mum.
Stewart went on to say: “I just thought I’ve got to, I’ve got to fight it. Do everything I can to be here.”
Updated at 22.13 EDT
Jobseeker payments now amount to just 68% of the pension
Cait Kelly
Australia’s unemployment payments have fallen so far behind the pension they now amounts to just 68% of the payment, a new research paper released today by the Australian Council for Social Services (ACOSS) has revealed.
A person aged 67 who is eligible for the age pension receives $600 a week, but a 66-year-old who loses their job receives just $409 a week to cover the same basic living costs.
In the 1970s, jobseeker and the pension were paid at the same rate and by the early 90s, jobseeker was still about 90% of the pension. But in 1997, the Howard government legislated pensions to be benchmarked to 25% of male total average weekly earnings – but left unemployment payments out of that legislation.
Pensions have risen in line with wage growth many times while jobseeker has not, and the pension was increased in real terms by more than $30 a week in 2009.
Now the pension is 60% of the minimum wage, while jobseeker is just 40.6%.
ACOSS’s CEO, Cassandra Goldie, called on the federal government to raise the jobseeker rate to two-thirds of the minimum wage:
double quotation markA 66-year-old and a 67-year-old face exactly the same rent, grocery bill and energy costs. There is no reason one of them should be living on $191 a week less than the other.
Woefully low income support is causing physical and mental harm and trapping people in a cycle of poverty and deprivation.
People who receive jobseeker are skipping meals and forgoing essential medications just to keep a roof over their heads.
We are one of the wealthiest countries in the world yet successive governments choose to keep 3.7 million people living in poverty. We know how to fix this problem, we just need politicians to act.
Updated at 21.47 EDT
Police identify man found with critical injuries on busy Melbourne walking trail
Victoria police have identified a man found with critical injuries on a busy walking trail in Glenroy, about 14km from Melbourne’s CBD, on Sunday afternoon, as reported earlier in the blog.
Police said in a statement:
double quotation markPolice would like to thank the media and public for their assistance. At this stage it is not believed he was assaulted, however the circumstances surrounding what has occurred is unclear.
The man remains in hospital in a serious condition.
Updated at 20.59 EDT
A little penguin break
We have some important photos of little penguins getting vaccinated against H5 bird flu to break up the day’s news:
Little penguins roam in their enclosure at Summerlands in Philip Island. Photograph: Joel Carrett/EPAMembers of the vaccination operations team process and administer a bird flu vaccination to the little penguins. Photograph: Joel Carrett/EPALittle penguins roam in their enclosure. Photograph: Joel Carrett/EPAThe ‘penguin parade. Photograph: Phillip Island Nature Parks/AFP/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 21.30 EDT
Ampol’s profit soars on war-linked price surges
Oil refiner and petrol seller Ampol has seen its interim earnings jump after it managed to secure fuel supplies to capitalise on the impact of the Middle East conflict on energy prices, AAP reports.
Net profit on a replacement cost basis – which excludes the impact of oil prices on inventories – jumped more than four times to $857.2m in the six months ended June 30, from $180.2m a year earlier.
Its statutory first-half result was even bigger at $1.4bn, against a loss of $25.3m in the first half of 2025.
Matt Halliday, the company’s chief executive, said:
double quotation markWhile the market dislocation provided a benefit to our financial results, our supply responsiveness, trading capabilities, refinery reliability, customer and supplier relationships, as well as the progress of our retail segmentation strategy all enabled Ampol to meet its customer needs.
Ampol is Australia’s largest transport fuel provider, accounting for about 15-20% of total refined fuel needs.
Photograph: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 20.25 EDT
Luca Ittimani
Apartment rents now cost more than half a typical worker’s take-home pay in all Australian capital cities
Renting a mid-priced unit in any of Australia’s capital cities now costs more than half a typical single worker’s take-home pay, spurring advocates to urge Labor to offer renters more protections.
New modelling shows someone earning $70,000 – close to the median annual income – would have to spend two-thirds of their earnings if they wanted to rent the median Sydney apartment.
Everybody’s Home, a housing advocacy group, released the analysis in its latest “Priced Out” report amid a political debate over rent hikes and the Albanese government’s tax reforms.
Read more here: