![\"Sarah](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1789011977_429_Sarah_Basford_Canales.png\")
Sarah Basford Canales<\/p>\nNew head announced for the main public-sector unionSarah Basford Canales<\/p>\n
The main public-sector union has appointed a new national secretary after its former head Melissa Donnelly was named the Australian Council of Trade Unions\u2019 secretary last month.<\/p>\n
This morning, the Community and Public Sector Union\u2019s deputy secretary, Rebecca Fawcett, was promoted to national secretary. Fawcett worked as the CPSU\u2019s lead in the first round of APS-wide bargaining and played a role in the Your Rights at Work campaign against the Howard government\u2019s WorkChoices laws in the mid-2000s.<\/p>\n
Fawcett said:<\/p>\n
double quotation markCPSU members do essential work for the Australian community every single day. They deserve secure jobs, fair pay, safe workplaces, and public services that are properly staffed, properly funded and properly valued.<\/p>\n
Together, we have won important improvements, but there is more to do. We will keep fighting to bring public sector work back in-house, strengthen protections around AI and automated decision-making, and make sure workers have the pay and conditions they need during a cost-of-living crisis.<\/p>\n
Updated at\u00a023.24 EDT<\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n In pictures: pub choir comes to parliament<\/p>\n Politicians across the divide put down the political playbook and picked up a music score instead, this morning singing from the same song sheet for the parliamentary pub choir.<\/p>\n I\u2019m told they sang Weather with You by Crowded House \u2013 a pub classic!<\/p>\n Parliamentarians including Liberal frontbencher Angie Bell, Labor MPs Susan Templeman and Louise Miller-Frost, and independent MP Sophie Scamps sing. Photograph: Mick Tsikas\/AAPThe Parliamentary Pub Choir experience. Photograph: Mick Tsikas\/AAPShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a023.41 EDT<\/p>\n One Nation video \u2018contemptible\u2019 and \u2018lowest of low\u2019: Canavan<\/p>\n Jumping back to the earlier Coalition<\/a> press conference, the Nationals leader, Matt Canavan, was also asked about the One Nation cartoon video and said it was \u201ccontemptible\u201d to call anyone who has served the nation a traitor.<\/p>\n Canavan said the it was difficult for Pauline Hanson to distance herself from labelling Andrew Hastie a traitor because the video was branded and authorised by her party.<\/p>\n He also called for the video to be taken down.<\/p>\n double quotation markIt\u2019s, I think, contemptible to call anybody that\u2019s served our nation those words \u2026 It was the lowest of low political acts, particularly from people who haven\u2019t served themselves.<\/p>\n Now they\u2019re distancing themselves from it, it\u2019s like \u2018oh it\u2019s not us, we didn\u2019t say it\u2019. Well it\u2019s got their branding all over it, it\u2019s authorised by them, give me a break.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a023.34 EDT<\/p>\n New head announced for the main public-sector union The main public-sector union has appointed a new national secretary after its former head Melissa Donnelly was named the Australian Council of Trade Unions\u2019 secretary last month.<\/p>\n This morning, the Community and Public Sector Union\u2019s deputy secretary, Rebecca Fawcett, was promoted to national secretary. Fawcett worked as the CPSU\u2019s lead in the first round of APS-wide bargaining and played a role in the Your Rights at Work campaign against the Howard government\u2019s WorkChoices laws in the mid-2000s.<\/p>\n Fawcett said:<\/p>\n double quotation markCPSU members do essential work for the Australian community every single day. They deserve secure jobs, fair pay, safe workplaces, and public services that are properly staffed, properly funded and properly valued.<\/p>\n Together, we have won important improvements, but there is more to do. We will keep fighting to bring public sector work back in-house, strengthen protections around AI and automated decision-making, and make sure workers have the pay and conditions they need during a cost-of-living crisis.<\/p>\n Rebecca Fawcett in August. Photograph: Mick Tsikas\/AAPShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a023.24 EDT<\/p>\n Carbon credits for native forests bill expected to pass, despite Greens split<\/p>\n The plan to allow states to earn carbon credits<\/a> for protecting native forests that had been earmarked for logging is expected to pass the Senate despite three Greens crossing the floor.<\/p>\n It will be backed by Labor, seven Greens and other crossbenchers, including independents David Pocock and Lidia Thorpe. The vote has been brought forward to this afternoon.<\/p>\n The Greens leader, Larissa Waters, said in a statement that the party would support the disputed carbon credit method after improving it, but would oppose other upcoming carbon credit legislation that would produce a larger number of credits.<\/p>\n double quotation markThe fight against Labor\u2019s carbon credit greenwashing starts with the Greens opposing 40% of the offsets used by these big polluters to hide their emissions.<\/p>\n For years, Labor has created a system that allows big polluters to buy get-out-of-jail-free cards instead of cutting their emissions, and the consequences of this broken system are being felt around the country by communities living with the floods, fires and heatwaves. That ends now.<\/p>\n Waters did not directly address in the statement that three senators would cross the floor. The Greens said the deal with Labor would ensure credits from a native forest project could not be sold to coal and gas companies if the state government promised that would be the case.<\/p>\n The NSW premier Chris Minns said this for the koala park, but his commitment was not legally enforceable.<\/p>\n Other changes include an increase in how much logging has to be reduced in an area for a project to qualify for any carbon credits \u2013 rising from 20% to 30% from 2030 \u2013 and closing a loophole that could have been used to classify regrowing native forests as a loggable plantation.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a022.59 EDT<\/p>\n Three Greens senators to cross the floor on koala park bill Back on the fight inside the Greens over the use of carbon credits to create a koala park that we mentioned earlier \u2013 three Greens senators have declared they will cross the floor and vote with the Coalition<\/a> against the deal the minor party reached with Labor.<\/p>\n Tasmanians Nick McKim and Vanessa Bleyer and Western Australian Jordon Steele-John said they did not support the carbon credit method that lets states earn carbon credits<\/a> for protecting native forests that had been earmarked for logging and would vote \u201caccording to our consciences\u201d.<\/p>\n As we have reported, the issue has sharply divided the party and the broader environment.<\/p>\n In a statement, the trio said \u201cpeople of good heart and clear mind can, and have come to a different position on this issue\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n double quotation markWe understand the position that others have taken, and we hope they can understand ours.<\/p>\n We want Greens members and supporters to know that we do not support the relentless commodification of nature, and will not be part of making it easier and cheaper for big carbon polluters to keep emitting as [this method] does.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a022.53 EDT<\/p>\n Majority believe government moving too slowly on domestic violence, polling shows<\/p>\n Nearly three quarters of Australians believe the federal government has been moving too slowly on domestic violence, while just over a quarter (27%) of Australians believe the federal government\u2019s response to recent high-profile gender-based violence instances has been adequate, according to new polls.<\/p>\n Polling for the Women and Girls\u2019 emergency centre, conducted in July and September, of more than 1,000 Australians shows the majority believe the government isn\u2019t doing enough to curb domestic violence and would support an increase in funding for services.<\/p>\n The July poll found 71% Australians believe Labor has responded either \u201cmuch too slowly\u201d or \u201csomewhat too slowly\u201d to domestic and family violence.<\/p>\n Nicole Yade, the chief executive of WAGEC, said two years after the government declared domestic and family violence as a national crisis, \u201cAustralians are clear that the pace of change does not match the scale of the crisis\u201d:<\/p>\n double quotation markThe message from the community is simple \u2013 Australians are saying enough is enough. Action simply cannot wait until after yet another woman or child is harmed.<\/p>\n These results that show that the response to the devastating headlines that have dominated the news over recent weeks simply does not meet the moment.<\/p>\n Tanya Plibersek delivered this speech yesterday responding to the sobering results of Australia\u2019s latest domestic, family and sexual violence report, released yesterday.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a023.09 EDT<\/p>\n Greens call on Labor to abandon gas reservation plan and legislate gas export tax<\/p>\n The Greens say Labor should ditch the gas reservation plan \u2013 which will require producers to hold up to 20% of their production for domestic use \u2013 and slap on a 25% gas export tax instead.<\/p>\n The government this morning released draft legislation for the scheme, with a slight watering down of the requirement from producers to hold a firm one-fifth of produce to \u201cup to 20%\u201d.<\/p>\n The Greens have been on this train for an export tax for a while \u2013 and just a few months ago so was seemingly every second person on social media (recall David Pocock\u2019s viral video asking department officials why Australia makes more revenue from the beer tax than the petroleum resource rent tax).<\/p>\n The government says the reservation scheme will lower power bills, but Greens senator Steph Hodgins-May says it \u201cwon\u2019t raise a cent for Australian households\u201d:<\/p>\n double quotation markWhen gas corporations say jump, Labor asks how high. Now the 20% reservation requirement is being watered down to appease the gas industry.<\/p>\n A gas export tax does what Labor claims its reservation scheme will do, but it also raises revenue to compensate Australians who have seen gas prices triple since exports started a decade ago \u2026 A gas export tax would raise at least $17bn a year. That\u2019s our gas and our money.<\/p>\n Senator Steph Hodgins-May in 2025. Photograph: Mick Tsikas\/AAPShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a022.47 EDT<\/p>\n NSW government\u2019s Great Koala national park carbon credit plan to go ahead A controversial plan<\/a> for the Minns government to allow big industry to use a new Great Koala national park to offset its climate pollution will go ahead after the Greens reached a deal with Labor, and decided not to vote with the Coalition to block it.<\/p>\n The minor party and environment advocates have been divided over a regulation introduced by the Albanese government that lets state governments earn carbon credits<\/a> for protecting native forests that had been earmarked for logging.<\/p>\n The Nationals want to kill the regulation, known as a carbon credit method, on the grounds it would hurt the forestry industry. They have introduced a disallowance motion scheduled in the Senate next Tuesday.<\/p>\n The Greens have the casting votes. They want the park \u2013 a promised 476,000 hectare reserve, including 176,000 ha of newly protected areas – but have been divided over whether it should be allowed to happen this way.<\/p>\n They reached a decision this morning to allow the carbon credit to stand. The details of the deal with Labor are expected shortly. More to come then.<\/p>\n You can read more about the issue here:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a022.20 EDT<\/p>\n NSW police rule out connections between fatal Punchbowl shooting and recent two shootings<\/p>\n NSW police have said a fatal shooting in Sydney on Wednesday night does not appear connected to recent fatalities allegedly related to an \u201congoing feud\u201d between \u201ctwo organised crime networks\u201d, but the victim was known to police.<\/p>\n A man was fatally shot in the car park of a Punchbowl community centre in the city\u2019s southwest on Wednesday evening. Police have said that a car was spotted driving away from the scene.<\/p>\n In a press conference about the incident on Thursday, acting assistant commissioner Grant Taylor, told reporters the \u201cshooting does not have the same hallmarks as the other shootings that have occurred over the last several months.\u201d<\/p>\n He said:<\/p>\n double quotation markThis shooting appears to be an individual person acting alone at this stage. We don\u2019t believe in the infancy of its investigation that it does relate to the ongoing feud between the two organised crime networks you are aware of.<\/p>\n The person who was killed last night is known to us. He is known to the Queensland police service. There are links to outlaw motorcycle gangs, and it\u2019s not impossible that that\u2019s why he was killed.<\/p>\n The fatal shooting comes two days after the New South Wales<\/a> premier, Chris Minns, announced measures to curb gangland violence in Sydney.<\/p>\n New laws being introduced in the state include new aggravated offences for conspiracy to commit gang-related murder. The maximum penalty will be increased to life imprisonment.<\/p>\n Last week, police confirmed that shootings in Glen Alpine on Tuesday<\/a> and in Merrylands on Wednesday<\/a> were both being investigated as mistaken identity killings by organised crime groups.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Ben Carroll backs South Australian premier on value of migration The Victorian premier, Ben Carroll, says he backs his South Australian counterpart Peter Malinauskas\u2019 impassioned defence of migration.<\/p>\n Malinauskas said in a speech in Sydney last night that populism has well and truly arrived in Australia and the government should push back against it \u2013 and said this morning that Labor should be speaking more positively about migration.<\/p>\n Carroll told reporters at parliament this morning that he had recently discussed the issue with Malinauskas and they were on the same page:<\/p>\n double quotation markIf you look at the Victorian economy, if you look at the entrepreneurs, look at the small business leaders \u2013 overwhelmingly, they have been migrants that have come here. We know a strong, diverse economy is essential for Victoria\u2019s prosperity and its future.<\/p>\n Whether it\u2019s our healthcare professionals, whether it\u2019s our labourers, whether it\u2019s the people that are working on our farms \u2026 strong diverse growth is so critically important, and we do need to make sure that we have an economist view when discussing immigration, because we want to grow our economy and we want to make sure that we have the workforce that will sustain our economy and our population.<\/p>\n Ben Carroll. Photograph: Asanka Ratnayake\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Asked whether he agreed with Malinauskas that the debate around cutting immigration was a race to the bottom with One Nation<\/a>, Carroll said people needed to be \u201cmore sensitive\u201d that they were sending the wrong signals to the rest of the world.<\/p>\n double quotation markIn Victoria, our biggest export is international education. We send the wrong signals to China, to India, that international students don\u2019t matter. It doesn\u2019t matter what you change at the commonwealth level; the signal itself can have a real chilling effect on our economic growth. So we\u2019re proud that we treat our international students as if they\u2019re members of our own family.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a022.41 EDT<\/p>\n Bowen says no backdown gas reservation \u2013 but it\u2019s starting late<\/p>\n Circling back to the revised plan to reserve up to 20% of locally produced gas for Australian use, Chris Bowen says it\u2019s not a backdown but a few key elements have changed.<\/p>\n The reservation will now kick in from July 2028 instead of July 2027, which the government said would align with companies\u2019 cargo planning.<\/p>\n The resources minister will have discretion to cut companies\u2019 supply obligations all the way to zero if they wish. Bowen said:<\/p>\n double quotation markSome people said to us in feedback \u2018make sure you don\u2019t oversupply the market so much that it\u2019s counterproductive\u2019.<\/p>\n The government says the reserve should push prices down but Bowen said it was not setting any target or ceiling on prices.<\/p>\n They have also split out the west coast market from the east coast market. The resources minister, Madeleine King, said the government was not looking to mess up Western Australia\u2019s reservation and would release the state from federal obligations if it was already well supplied. King said:<\/p>\n double quotation markIf they are working through that well, then they should be able to continue to do that.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a021.38 EDT<\/p>\n Taylor says Albanese should have registered honorary golf club membership<\/p>\n Angus Taylor says the prime minister should have publicly disclosed his honorary membership of the Marrickville golf club which received $6m in funding as part of an invite-only grants program.<\/p>\n Anthony Albanese says he only recently became aware of the honorary membership and someone had \u201capparently\u201d given it to him back in 2012.<\/p>\n Upon my last check a couple of minutes ago, the PM hasn\u2019t updated his register to include the membership. Full yearly membership is $1,100 a year while a two-year social membership is $5 according to the ABC.<\/p>\n Taylor said:<\/p>\n double quotation markI think that\u2019s clear, they\u2019re the rules. He should register his interests. He should have registered his interests.<\/p>\n Angus Taylor at Parliament House today. Photograph: Lukas Coch\/AAPShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a021.34 EDT<\/p>\n The Coalition<\/a> opposes Labor\u2019s plan to give extra powers to the eSafety commissioner<\/p>\n As we mentioned earlier, the Coalition is voting against the government\u2019s separate bill that increases powers for the eSafety commissioner, including to request documents from tech platforms to ensure they\u2019re complying with the under-16s social media ban.<\/p>\n So there are two bills being discussed here \u2013 the digital duty of care bill and the increased powers for the eSafety commissioner for the social media ban.<\/p>\n The Coalition says both give the commissioner and the government too much power:<\/p>\n double quotation markWhat we don\u2019t support is giving strong, unfettered powers, frankly, to either the minister or the government or the eSafety commissioner. We don\u2019t support that \u2026 Freedom of speech matters.<\/p>\n Yes, absolutely, we must protect our children, we must protect Australians against undue harm. But it cannot be at the expense of \u2013 or allow political censorship, and that is exactly what is being allowed in this bill. I draw your attention to section 25(c). It\u2019s extraordinary how much discretion the minister has in this explanatory draft and that\u2019s unacceptable.<\/p>\n On the duty of care bill, Liberal senator Sarah Henderson is asked if there are any changes that could be negotiated to make those ministerial powers more palatable. Short answer: not really.<\/p>\n She says:<\/p>\n double quotation markI have no confidence in this prime minister to remove the really offensive parts of this bill. This is open-ended. There are no safeguards.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a021.35 EDT<\/p>\n Taylor says Hanson taking down \u2018traitor\u2019 cartoon is not censorship<\/p>\n The Coalition<\/a> says the government\u2019s digital duty of care bill should not infringe on free speech, so Angus Taylor is asked how he can then justify ordering Pauline Hanson to take down a cartoon labelling Andrew Hastie a traitor.<\/p>\n Taylor says he\u2019s not suggesting that it should be illegal for the cartoon video to be put up in the first place, but doubles down that the post in question should be deleted.<\/p>\n double quotation markAndrew Hastie served this country with distinction as a member of the Special Forces, the SAS. He served this country with distinction. I think it\u2019s wrong, and I have every right to say that I think it\u2019s wrong for that video to be up. Now, in the end, this is not a question of legality, this is a question of morality.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a021.19 EDT<\/p>\n \u2018She should take it down\u2019: Taylor joins criticism of Hanson and One Nation’s cartoon<\/p>\n Angus Taylor says Pauline Hanson should immediately take down a cartoon that labelled Andrew Hastie a traitor for giving evidence against Ben Roberts-Smith in his failed defamation trial.<\/p>\n Hanson has claimed she didn\u2019t call Hastie a \u201ctraitor\u201d, but has left the One Nation<\/a> cartoon video on her social media account for more than a month.<\/p>\n Taylor defended his frontbencher, telling journalists:<\/p>\n double quotation markShe should take it down. Andrew Hastie has served this country with distinction as an officer in the SAS. She should take it down.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a020.56 EDT<\/p>\n Digital duty of care draft bill \u2018unacceptable\u2019 to the Coalition<\/p>\n![\"Rebecca](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/6591.jpg\")
Rebecca Fawcett in August. Photograph: Mick Tsikas\/AAPShare<\/a><\/p>\nSarah Basford Canales<\/p>\n![\"Adam](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Adam_Morton.png\")
Adam Morton<\/p>\nAdam Morton<\/p>\n![\"Plibersek](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/7806.jpg\")
Plibersek on a mother\u2019s fears after release of domestic, family and sexual violence report \u2013 video<\/p>\nAdam Morton<\/p>\n![\"Jordyn](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Jordyn_Beazley,_L.png\")
Jordyn Beazley<\/p>\n![\"Benita](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1789011981_552_Benita_Kolovos.png\")
Benita Kolovos<\/p>\n![\"Luca](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1789011981_912_Luca_Ittimani.png\")
Luca Ittimani<\/p>\n