Carroll says erecting statue for Victorian state leaders a ‘stupid waste of money’
Benita Kolovos
In a sometimes fiery press conference, Carroll described the Jeff Kennett-era policy of erecting a statue for state leaders who have served more than 3,000 days in office as a “stupid waste of money”. On Saturday, he scrapped the $134,000 statue of Daniel Andrews.
This morning, he said 50% of the contract had already been paid out:
double quotation markI am aware of design work completed and 50% of the contract being paid. I have now set up a process where the contract will be fulfilled for an alternative subject, an alternative location based on an independent panel that will give me advice. This was a Jeff Kennett, stupid waste of money, 3,000 days. In the Labor party, our statues are fixing up our roads, building better hospitals and better schools.
Updated at 00.29 EDT
Key events
Luca Ittimani
First home loan applications hit three-month high, brokers’ company says
First home buyers’ loan applications hit a three-month high in August, Loan Market reports.
The mortgage brokers’ group has previously recorded falling loan applications from all groups over the months leading up to June, in the wake of interest rate rises and the budget’s cuts to investor tax breaks.
Investor loan applications fell back to their lowest numbers so far this year in August, after a slight pickup in July, Loan Market said. Separate Reserve Bank data earlier this week showed credit growth for property investors slowed sharply in July.
First home buyers’ applications bounced back from their decline and rose 6% from July to August, Loan Market reported. We reported on early signs of this recovery last week:
While separate data on other owner-occupier applications was not reported, pre-approvals for owner-occupier loans have dropped 12.6% in August 2026 compared to the same month last year, the group said. Investors’ pre-approvals have more than halved, down 55% in August 2026 from 2025.
ShareAustralia to provide $8m in humanitarian and disaster relief supplies for Nepal
The Australian government is providing $8m in humanitarian support to Nepal, including nearly 1,500 hygiene kits, hundreds of menstrual kits and 2,200 solar lights with phone chargers.
An air force aircraft carrying the humanitarian and disaster relief supplies was set to arrive in Nepal today.
The plane will also carry five large community lighting towers, 432 shelter tool kits that include shovels, saws and machetes, and nearly 900 tarpaulins and rope.
There are 18 Australian response team personnel in Nepal to support the crisis response, the government says.
RAAF and Australian Aid workers prepare an aid shipment at RAAF Base Amberley. Photograph: LACW Taylor Anderson/DFATShare
Updated at 01.01 EDT
Chalmers hails ‘resilient’ economy, but experts less impressed
Patrick Commins
Here’s what Jim Chalmers, the treasurer, had to say about this morning national accounts figures which showed economic growth was weak but better than expected in the June quarter:
double quotation markThis is a robust result in challenging international circumstances. It shows the resilience of Australia’s economy in the face of global uncertainty and conflict.
Annual growth in Australia was as strong or stronger than every major advanced economy – equal to the United States and much stronger than the rest.
While global circumstances are challenging and people are under pressure, we’ve got a lot going for us and we can see some of this reflected in today’s figures.
Photograph: Susie Dodds/AAP
And here are a couple of (less positive) early impressions from economists: Stephen Smith, a partner at Deloitte Access Economics, said:
double quotation markToday’s national accounts data confirm that the Australian economy is going sideways.
Without the spending on motor vehicles, household consumption growth would have been closer to just 0.1% in the quarter – far too weak to suggest households are shrugging off cost-of-living challenges.
Today’s accounts show too little growth and too much inflation.
Brendan Rynne, chief economist at KPMG, said:
double quotation markThe latest national accounts data … reveals an Australian that is at the crossroads.
Growth is stalling, it is cheaper to hire people than it is to invest in capital, productivity is continuing to go backwards, wages are falling in real terms and the ‘free gift’ that improving terms of trade offers has reversed.
These results continue to raise the bigger policy picture of what needs to happen differently to turn around Australia’s declining standard of living.
The outlook can best be summarised as continuing to muddle along.
Updated at 00.55 EDT
Albanese says the government retains hope for positive news out of Nepal, but it’s a ‘very difficult time’ for many
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is speaking in Palau, where he is visiting for the Pacific Islands Forum. He said today’s news that another five Australians had been confirmed safe in Nepal after the floods was good news, but the government still holds grave fears for the 38 other missing citizens.
double quotation markWe hope, of course, for positive news … and we’re doing everything we can to work with authorities. We think of all of the families at this very difficult time. And also for the very broader Nepalese–Australian community that is a large and growing larger community as well.
This is a very difficult time.
Updated at 00.30 EDT
Tom McIlroy
Social media ‘one of society’s biggest challenges’: Chalmers
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, says social media algorithms are one of the biggest challenges facing society today, hitting out at the business model of big platforms seeking to polarise users.
Sexual consent campaigner Chantel Contos spoke today at the National Press Club in Canberra and Chalmers was asked about her push for platforms to be required to offer opt-in functions for algorithms.
“From a personal point of view, if you made a short list of the biggest problems that we’ve got in our society, I think the role of social media would be on that list,” he said.
Chalmers said content on big platforms is too often divisive and violent.
double quotation markWhat President Obama said not that long ago, which is social media has become about affirmation rather than information … I think that’s a really neat way of describing what we’re up against as a country.
It is a huge challenge, and our society, our social cohesion, the way that we come at big problems, including in my part of the shop, in the economy, is hampered, not helped, by the way that algorithms are dominating people’s day.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAPShare
Updated at 23.50 EDT
Communications minister expects Telstra to act ‘without delay’ after report into network failure
Anika Wells, the federal communications minister, said she expects Telstra to act “without delay” on the findings and recommendations in an independent investigation into the telco’s nationwide network failure in July.
The report found a lack of ownership and oversight of curtain functions led to the outage, which was triggered by a software update not being done on a GPS card. An ongoing and separate investigation by the industry watchdog could result in fines of up to $30m per breach.
Wells said in a statement:
double quotation markThis was an outage that should not have happened, and it caused an extraordinary disruption across the country which impacted people, businesses and transport.
What this report has unearthed is concerning and clearly shows there have been preventable failures.
Anika Wells. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP
Wells went on:
double quotation markAustralians rightly expect to reach Triple Zero when they need it most, and telcos are legally obligated to ensure that connection occurs.
The industry must learn from its mistakes and continue to rebuild trust with Australians by ensuring networks do not succumb to preventable failures.
ShareCarroll says erecting statue for Victorian state leaders a ‘stupid waste of money’Benita Kolovos
In a sometimes fiery press conference, Carroll described the Jeff Kennett-era policy of erecting a statue for state leaders who have served more than 3,000 days in office as a “stupid waste of money”. On Saturday, he scrapped the $134,000 statue of Daniel Andrews.
This morning, he said 50% of the contract had already been paid out:
double quotation markI am aware of design work completed and 50% of the contract being paid. I have now set up a process where the contract will be fulfilled for an alternative subject, an alternative location based on an independent panel that will give me advice. This was a Jeff Kennett, stupid waste of money, 3,000 days. In the Labor party, our statues are fixing up our roads, building better hospitals and better schools.
Updated at 00.29 EDT
Benita Kolovos
Victoria premier’s pothole blitz continues with $270m commitment
The Victorian premier, Ben Carroll, was in Epping, in Melbourne’s north, this morning to announce that if re-elected, his government will spend $270m to improve an intersection that locals say isn’t safe.
The funding also includes the doubling of the number of lanes from two to four across 3.6km of Findon Road.
The announcement follows his press conferences on Sunday and Monday about his pothole blitz.
Carroll was asked about the edict sent out by police management to ignore increasingly overcrowded cells when making bail decisions, first reported by the Herald Sun. He said it was “the right thing” that cells were “more full” than before.
Carroll said:
double quotation markI want to congratulate the chief commissioner, and I want to congratulate every hard-working Victorian. People being put into custody, whether it’s a police cell or a jail cell, is the right thing. I make no apology for our cells being more full than they ever have before. This shows our laws are working. That we’re focusing on making sure there’s accountability, that there’s consequences.
He said a “very simple way to not go into a cell” was to not “do the wrong thing in the first place”.
Carroll also denied he had plans to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 14 despite it being in Labor’s party platform. He said he’s seen many Labor policies “get developed” but “not implemented” during his 30 years in the party.
Ben Carroll. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAPShare
Updated at 23.13 EDT
Tiny wallaby detected for the first time in 50 years
Australia’s second smallest wallaby, the nabarlek, has been detected at two new locations in Western Australia’s vast Kimberley region, described as like “finding a needle in a haystack”.
A nabarlek captured on a motion sensor camera in the north of Dambeemangaddee Country. Photograph: Australian Wildlife Conservancy
Images and scats showed the 1.2kg rock-wallaby on Yampi Sound Training Area on Dambeemangaddee Country – one of 20 priority places in the federal government’s Threatened Species Action Plan.
A second population was also confirmed around 170km away in the north-east of Dambeemangaddee Country – the first detections of the species on mainland Dambeemangaddee Country in over 50 years and the first record for Yampi Sound Training Area.
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Updated at 23.24 EDT
Australians stay at home and splurge on EVsPatrick Commins
High fuel prices dragged on household spending in the three months to June, with Australians filling up their car less and putting off overseas travel as airlines pushed up their fares to compensate for more expensive jet fuel.
National accounts figures showed consumption lifted by a weak 0.4% in the quarter – but even that was double the previous quarter’s pace.
The Middle East conflict disrupted overseas travel, slashing the usual pilgrimage north of the equator.
Grace Kim, Australian Bureau of Statistics’ head of national accounts, said “the number of Australians travelling overseas for the northern hemisphere summer fell for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic”.
Instead, we splurged on fuel-efficient and electric vehicles, with record sales of EVs and hybrids bolstering spending and the economy.
Vehicle purchases jumped by 10% in the quarter as Australians continued to shift away from gas guzzlers in an attempt to protect themselves from pain in the pump, both today and in the future.
The household saving rate lifted to 6.5%, from 6.4% in March.
A public EV charging station in Sydney. Photograph: Jessica Hromas/The GuardianShare
Updated at 22.39 EDT
Tom McIlroy
One Nation’s popularity slips as Albanese records lowest approval as prime minister
Labor’s national primary vote has dropped five percentage points in a month, falling to 26% in the latest Guardian Essential poll as Anthony Albanese records his lowest approval rating as prime minister.
And despite One Nation’s win in Saturday’s Secret Harbour byelection in Western Australia, the poll showed the national primary vote for Pauline Hanson’s party dropping five percentage points since May. The party recorded a primary vote of 23% in the latest poll, down from a peak of 28%.
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson. Photograph: Joel Carrett/EPA
Labor and the Coalition both recorded primary votes of 26% in the new results. That position represented a rise for the Coalition, from 22% in July, while Labor was down from 31%.
The poll has a margin of error of about 3%.
Read more:
Updated at 22.06 EDT
Women leaving management roles due to home demands
Australian women are less likely than men to stay in high-paid roles because of domestic expectations, AAP reports, despite entering those roles at the same rate.
Equality Agency’s chief executive, Christine Castley, said most companies were still struggling to retain females in the best-paid positions, particularly in industries saturated by men, as they were expected to do a far greater share of at-home labour.
Women were far more likely to take on part-time roles than their male counterparts as a result, and most management jobs are full-time positions.
“That means people who are predominantly in the part-time workforce generally tend not to stick with it because they have to make choices about priorities,” Castley said.
double quotation markThat choice is usually falling on women, particularly when it comes to family responsibilities.
Promotion of paid parental leave for both genders and flexible working hours were key to creating better retention in management roles, she said.
Equality Agency’s CEO Christine Castley. Photograph: Darren England/AAPShare
Updated at 22.13 EDT
Economy grows by 2.1% in year to JunePatrick Commins
Australia’s economy expanded by 0.4% in the three months to June, marking an expected, if less marked, slowdown in annual growth from 2.5% to 2.1% as rising interest rates and the high cost of living take their toll.
National accounts figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed the three-monthly growth rate in real GDP ticked up from 0.3% in the March quarter.
Economists had expected the economy to grow by only 1.9% in the year to June, and 0.3% in the quarter, which suggests the economy is not slowing as quickly as the RBA predicted in its latest set of forecasts.
Grace Kim, ABS’s head of national accounts, said:
double quotation markEconomic growth remained subdued in the June quarter as households continued to behave cautiously. While increased spending and business investment occurred in pockets of the economy, imports supported much of the growth, moderating its contribution to overall GDP growth.
Updated at 21.40 EDT
Telstra outage driven by lack of oversight and expertise, investigation finds
Telstra did not prioritise systems that caused a major nationwide network failure and lacked the technical expertise to properly maintain them, AAP reports.
An independent investigation into the telco’s 8 July network failure, which left thousands of Australians unable to make calls or access data, was released on Tuesday.
A lack of ownership and oversight of the functions that led to the outage were identified as key contributing factors by Technology Audit Partners in the report. The investigation also found a further eight triple-zero calls did not go through to emergency services during the outage.
The outage was triggered by a software update not being done on a GPS card, which resulted in incorrect date information.
A separate ongoing Australian Communications and Media Authority investigation into the outage could result in fines of up to $30m per breach.
A Telstra sign. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAPShare
Updated at 22.26 EDT
Hiker missing overnight on South Australia’s Mount Remarkable found ‘safe and well’
Some good news from South Australia this morning: a missing hiker has been found “safe and well” after failing to return from a hike yesterday at Mount Remarkable.
Officials were first notified she had not returned around 9pm last night, but said the woman was found about 10am this morning.
She was uninjured and did not require any medical treatment.
Updated at 22.07 EDT