Updated at\u00a001.36 EDT<\/p>\n
Key events<\/p>\n
What we learned, Tuesday 16 June<\/p>\n
And with that, we are going to put the blog to bed. Before we go, let\u2019s recap the big headlines:<\/p>\n
The Australian federal police will begin conducting \u201cinquiries\u201d into abuse and sexual assault allegations<\/a> made against Israeli authorities by Australian members of the Global Sumud flotilla after meeting Penny Wong yesterday afternoon. The AFP confirmed it had met members in the group at Parliament House and \u201cbegun inquiries into allegations made by a representative of the group\u201d.<\/p>\n Australia Post issued a renewed call for people to secure their dogs after reporting more than 1,200 dog-related incidents<\/a> affecting its posties over the last six months, an average of nine incidents a day.<\/p>\n The Reserve Bank left its official interest rate<\/a> on hold at 4.35%, after economic activity slowed and unemployment hit a four-year high. The widely expected decision on Tuesday will bring little relief to mortgage holders, already strained by the RBA\u2019s three consecutive rate hikes earlier in 2026.<\/p>\n The Bureau of Meteorology officially declared an El Ni\u00f1o \u2013 the phenomenon linked to hotter and drier conditions for Australia \u2013 is now locked in place in the tropical Pacific Ocean. In an update, the bureau said El Ni\u00f1o was now \u201cunder way in the tropical Pacific\u201d and that the higher than average sea surface temperatures were coinciding with changes<\/a> in the atmosphere.<\/p>\n Police in NSW and Victoria have arrested two men as investigations continue into Dezi Freeman\u2019s movements following the Porepunkah shooting <\/a>of two police officers last year.<\/p>\n Thank you for spending part of your day with us. We will be back tomorrow to do it all again.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a003.43 EDT<\/p>\n Business and property groups urge Victorian government against legislating right to work from home<\/p>\n The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and other employer groups held a press conference this afternoon to urge the state government not to legislate a right to work from home two days a week.<\/p>\n As we reported earlier<\/a>, the premier, Jacinta Allan, introduced legislation to parliament today, which if passed will enshrine the right to work from home for those who can reasonably do so in the Equal Opportunity Act.<\/p>\n But Sally Curtain, the chief executive of VCCI, says the government shouldn\u2019t go ahead with the bill. She told reporters:<\/p>\n double quotation markThere are much higher order priorities to introduce in our legislative program today than mandating work from home. That is already working incredibly well. What we\u2019re seeing from our members and businesses is that they are making decisions on where they are going to employ or whether they\u2019re going to grow their business in Victoria based on this sort of legislation. Adding more red tape today is the worst possible outcome for jobs in this state.<\/p>\n Cath Evans, from the Property Council, said a \u201clarge proportion\u201d of workers were already being offered flexible work, while Keith Ryan from the Housing Industry Association called the bill a \u201ccomplete waste of time\u201d and a \u201cmassive distraction.\u201d.<\/p>\n Allan however, has defended the policy, saying rightwing political parties across the country were keen to \u201cwind back people\u2019s opportunities to work from home\u201d so it needed to be enshrined in law.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a003.22 EDT<\/p>\n Queensland government clears way for convicted paedophile Ashley Paul Griffith to be extradited to NSW<\/p>\n Ashley Paul Griffith, often dubbed Australia\u2019s worst paedophile, will be able to be extradited to NSW \u201csoon\u201d.<\/p>\n Last week he lost an appeal against his life sentence for 307 sex offences against 73 Queensland victims between 2003 and 2022.<\/p>\n He is also alleged to have offended in NSW.<\/p>\n The Queensland attorney general, Deb Frecklington, said she had received correspondence from both the NSW and federal attorneys general about extraditing Griffith to face additional charges.<\/p>\n She said:<\/p>\n double quotation markHe will be able to be removed to New South Wales to face those charges.<\/p>\n Frecklington said the extradition could happen \u201csoon\u201d.<\/p>\n double quotation markThe matter goes through the court to be determined, so I need to be careful with that, but to say the federal Attorney General, the NSW Attorney General, and I have actioned what we can do to get him moved, but it is up to the court to make that final signoff.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a002.52 EDT<\/p>\n RBA governor says jobs still top of mind in inflation fight<\/p>\n Michele Bullock, the Reserve Bank governor, says the central bank \u201chas not lost sight of the jobs market\u201d in its battle to bring inflation back to target.<\/p>\n Unemployment unexpectedly jumped to 4.5% in April and the highest since late 2021, but Bullock said she expected it to \u201cdrift\u201d up towards 4.7%.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are not forecasting recession,\u201d she clarified, reprising earlier comments that the economy would not shrink this quarter.<\/p>\n She added that even though the jobless rate was \u201chigher than we were expecting\u201d, the labour market was \u201cstill a little bit tight\u201d.<\/p>\n double quotation markI want to make sure people understand we still have in mind the labour market.<\/p>\n But Bullock was also clear about the trade-offs the RBA was trying to manage.<\/p>\n double quotation markIf lowering interest rates or easing monetary policy to stimulate the labour market results in inflation, that will just be a bad outcome all round.<\/p>\n Updated at\u00a002.20 EDT<\/p>\n RBA governor says economy will slow, not shrink<\/p>\n The RBA does not expect the economy to shrink in the three months to June, Michele Bullock says.<\/p>\n Growth slowed sharply at the start of the year, amid rising interest rates, higher inflation, and the start of the US-Israel war on Iran at the end of February.<\/p>\n Since then, consumer confidence has fallen off a cliff as surging fuel costs bit into household budgets, and there has been desultory talk that a recession may be on the cards.<\/p>\n But the RBA governor, during her press conference, said \u201cwe\u2019re not forecasting that the economy is going to shrink in this quarter\u201d.<\/p>\n double quotation markWe are forecasting that growth is going to slow, but growth has to slow. And the key reason for that is that we have excess demand.<\/p>\n And unless demand grows more slowly than the supply side of the economy for a time, we\u2019re not going to get inflation down.<\/p>\n We think it will grow slowly, but that\u2019s what\u2019s needed to try and get inflation down.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a002.00 EDT<\/p>\n Rate rises have been \u2018tough\u2019 for households, Bullock says, but RBA prepared to hike again Three interest rate hikes this year \u201care tough for households\u201d, the Reserve Bank governor, Michele Bullock, says, as she warned it could \u201ctake some time\u201d for oil to begin flowing freely through the strait of Hormuz again despite the announcement of a ceasefire.<\/p>\n The RBA monetary policy board held rates steady at 4.35% today, as widely expected. But as in the statement accompanying that decision, Bullock warned that the bank could still hike again.<\/p>\n She said:<\/p>\n double quotation markI want to be very clear that inflation remains too high.<\/p>\n Today\u2019s decision does not rule out further tightening in monetary policy if that is what is required to bring inflation down.<\/p>\n Leaving rates on hold today will allow the board to assess how these previous increases are flowing through the economy.\u201d<\/p>\n She told assembled journalists that \u201creports that an agreement has been reached to end the conflict in the Middle East are welcome\u201d.<\/p>\n double quotation markIf the conflict does end and the strait of Hormuz is reopened, this should support the flow of commodities and lower prices.<\/p>\n But this could take some time, and an orderly resolution is still not assured, meaning there are still upside risks to inflation and downside risks to growth.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a001.52 EDT<\/p>\n Ombudsman finds prisoners unlawfully locked in cells for up to three months in NSW centre<\/p>\n An ombudsman investigation has found that prisoners at a correctional centre on the New South Wales south coast were unlawfully locked in their cells alone for 24 hours a day for up to three months, depriving them of contact visits and daily exercise.<\/p>\n The NSW ombudsman released its investigation into the management and treatment of prisoners in protective custody at South Coast correctional centre in Nowra finding their treatment was \u201cunlawful and oppressive\u201d.<\/p>\n It found that prisoners who were in protective custody for their safety were locked in their cells for 24 hours a day for periods ranging from two weeks to three months.<\/p>\n The investigation, which was launched after complaints were made by four prisoners to the ombudsman in April last year, uncovered that about 30 prisoners had faced this treatment.<\/p>\n It also found that protective custody prisoners at Parklea correctional centre, the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre and Shortland Correctional Centre had been locked in their cells without their daily entitlement to exercise between January and April 2025.<\/p>\n The state is legally required to give prisoners a minimum of 2 hours of access to outdoor exercise daily.<\/p>\n The report said:<\/p>\n double quotation markProlonged confinement to a cell, without access to exercise, can lead to significant physical deterioration and psychological harm, and compound the challenges inmates face when reintegrating into society upon release.<\/p>\n The ombudsman, Paul Miller, said the issue was \u201cforeseeable and avoidable\u201d after arose from policy changes. This included a change in 2020 which saw prisoners in protected custody held in isolation rather than held together with other vulnerable prisoners.<\/p>\n The report also found Corrective Services NSW\u2019s conduct during the investigation was \u201cunlawful and wrong\u201d after it failed to provide the requested documentation within the required timeframes.<\/p>\n Miller said:<\/p>\n double quotation markHad we not received any complaints, it is not clear how long the situation at South Coast Correctional Centre and the other centres would have persisted.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a001.51 EDT<\/p>\n That\u2019s all from me. Cait Kelly is here to guide you through the rest of the arvo. Take care!<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Two men arrested as police investigate Dezi Freeman’s movements after Porepunkah shootings<\/p>\n Police in NSW and Victoria have arrested two men as investigations continue into Dezi Freeman\u2019s movements following the Porepunkah shooting of two police officers last year.<\/p>\n Victoria police said in a statement:<\/p>\n double quotation markPolice have executed seven warrants this morning at properties across Victoria and New South Wales as part of the ongoing investigation by Taskforce Summit into the movements of Desmond Freeman after he fatally shot two on-duty police in Porepunkah last year.<\/p>\n Warrants were executed by Victoria Police at three rural properties in Buckland, Stanley and Lucyvale from just after 6.20am on Tuesday, 16 June.<\/p>\n At the same time, warrants were executed by NSW Police as part of Strikeforce Namberta, in coordination with Taskforce Summit investigators, at four residential properties in Greenwich Park, Tarlo, Wombeyan Caves and Umina Beach.<\/p>\n Searches of those properties remain underway, and police have seized a range of electronic devices from the addresses.<\/p>\n A 64-year-old Lucyvale man was arrested in Wodonga and will be interviewed by police.<\/p>\n A 47-year-old Wombeyan Caves man was also arrested in Greenwich Park on unrelated outstanding warrants.<\/p>\n There are no further arrests at this time, however police are speaking with a number of occupants at the various premises.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a001.36 EDT<\/p>\n Michele Bullock from the RBA is up at 3:30. We will bring you that when she is on.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>BoM declares El Ni\u00f1o is now in place in Pacific Ocean The Bureau of Meteorology has officially declared an El Ni\u00f1o \u2013 the phenomenon linked to hotter and drier conditions for Australia \u2013 is now locked in place in the tropical Pacific Ocean.<\/p>\n In an update, the bureau said El Ni\u00f1o was now \u201cunder way in the tropical Pacific\u201d and that the higher than average sea surface temperatures were coinciding with changes in the atmosphere.<\/p>\n The east to west trade winds were weakening and pressure and cloud patterns were also consistent with El Ni\u00f1o, the bureau said.<\/p>\n Forecasts were pointing to a strong or very strong event, the bureau said, adding the strength did not \u201cnecessarily mean strong impacts on Australia\u2019s climate\u201d.<\/p>\n El Ni\u00f1o events are linked with extreme weather events around the world and, for Australia, tend to bring warmer and drier conditions in winter and spring to the south and east.<\/p>\n The US and Japan\u2019s meteorological agencies have already declared the El Ni\u00f1o as being in place, but both use slightly different methods and thresholds for making the declaration.<\/p>\n Climate experts have warned the weather extremes linked to El Ni\u00f1o are being supercharged by global heating, with hotter extremes, fiercer droughts and worse flooding.<\/p>\n The El Ni\u00f1o weather phenomenon is generally linked to hotter and drier conditions for Australia. Photograph: Charlie Riedel\/APShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a001.18 EDT<\/p>\n Chalmers is asked whether, if the government can\u2019t control inflation and the RBA doesn\u2019t cut rates, we will see more voters going to One Nation.<\/p>\n Chalmers:<\/p>\n double quotation markWe understand that the global uncertainty is intensifying and people have got legitimate concerns about where they fit in that story of churn and change.<\/p>\n And governments have got a choice whether to dismiss those legitimate concerns, whether to deny those legitimate concerns or to try and act to address them.<\/p>\n And we\u2019re trying to attract trying to act to address them.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a001.10 EDT<\/p>\n Labor reviewing fuel excise relief on weekly basis, Chalmers says<\/p>\n Asked about the fuel excise, Chalmers says:<\/p>\n double quotation markLook, we\u2019ve made it really clear that the fuel excise relief won\u2019t go on for ever, but that we will review it week-to-week basis to make sure that we\u2019re providing the support that we can responsibly provide.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve always said that that fuel excise relief will be temporary.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a001.11 EDT<\/p>\n Chalmers welcomes RBA\u2019s decision, but says world still faces economic uncertainty<\/p>\n The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, is speaking in Brisbane now after the RBA\u2019s decision. He said the global economy was still in a difficult place.<\/p>\n He said the government welcomes the decision from the RBA to keep rates on hold, the first decision since the latest budget was revealed. He went on:<\/p>\n double quotation markWe\u2019re pleased with developments in the Middle East but we\u2019re realistic about how long it will take for the global economy to normalise and what that means for us.<\/p>\n The end of this war can\u2019t come soon enough. Australians have already paid a really hefty price for this conflict on the other side of the world.<\/p>\n Chalmers said he knows Australians are still under pressure, pointing to a slate of cost-of-living measures.<\/p>\n![\"Benita](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1781602689_966_Benita_Kolovos.png\")
Benita Kolovos<\/p>\n![\"Andrew](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1781602689_940_Andrew_Messenger.png\")
Andrew Messenger<\/p>\n![\"Patrick](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1781602690_737_Patrick_Commins.png\")
Patrick Commins<\/p>\n![\"RBA](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/4509.jpg\")
RBA interest rates: governor Michelle Bullock explains decision to hold cash rate at 4.35% \u2013 videoShare<\/a><\/p>\nPatrick Commins<\/p>\nPatrick Commins<\/p>\n![\"Jordyn](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Jordyn_Beazley,_L.png\")
Jordyn Beazley<\/p>\n![\"Nick](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1781602691_32_Nick_Visser.png\")
Nick Visser<\/p>\n![\"Graham](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Graham_Redfearn.png\")
Graham Readfearn<\/p>\n
![\"Luca](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1781602693_549_Luca_Ittimani.png\")
Luca Ittimani<\/p>\n