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| Australia Covid news live update: Queensland reopens its border after nearly five months; WA to learn roadmap out of lockdown | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Follow all the day’s developments | Follow all the day’s developments |
| It’s time to have a chat about what’s going on at The Sydney Morning Herald. | |
| Overnight, the newspaper posted an article confirming that newly appointed editor, Bevan Shields, had called longtime opinion columnist Elizabeth Farrelly and ended her arrangement with the paper after she “failed to disclose that she had registered as a candidate for the Labor party in the Strathfield local government elections when she wrote a piece criticising Liberal and independent councillors in the electorate”. | |
| The writer has now issued a statement on the situation via a Facebook post, stating that it was “an oversight on my part” not to disclose her registration, but says she never actually intended to run for local government. | |
| The ABC is reporting this morning that the Victorian Greens have referred the government-owned logging agency VicForests to the state’s anti-corruption watchdog and the ombudsman. | |
| It follows the ABC’s reporting of allegations that VicForests had logged sites illegally and spied on a conservationist. | |
| The logging agency has denied it logged illegally and said it always complied with the law. | |
| The Greens’ Ellen Sandell has written to the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) and the ombudsman, asking them to launch investigations. | |
| Trade minister Dan Tehan has urged businesses not to hoard a chemical key to keeping Australia’s freight and logistics sectors on the road, reports AAP’s Georgie Moore. | Trade minister Dan Tehan has urged businesses not to hoard a chemical key to keeping Australia’s freight and logistics sectors on the road, reports AAP’s Georgie Moore. |
| Australia has about seven weeks’ worth of urea – used in the diesel exhaust fluid AdBlue – left amid a global shortage as China restricts exports. | Australia has about seven weeks’ worth of urea – used in the diesel exhaust fluid AdBlue – left amid a global shortage as China restricts exports. |
| The federal government is speaking to countries including Indonesia about shoring up Australia’s supply. It is also approaching Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Japan. Korea last month flew 27,000 litres of urea to Australia. | The federal government is speaking to countries including Indonesia about shoring up Australia’s supply. It is also approaching Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Japan. Korea last month flew 27,000 litres of urea to Australia. |
| Tehan told ABC radio this morning that the Covid-19 pandemic had highlighted the fragility of some supply chains: | Tehan told ABC radio this morning that the Covid-19 pandemic had highlighted the fragility of some supply chains: |
| He is confident Australia will be able to secure the urea it needs: | He is confident Australia will be able to secure the urea it needs: |
| Independent MP Andrew Wilkie has spoken to Radio National about the plight of Australian Julian Assange. | Independent MP Andrew Wilkie has spoken to Radio National about the plight of Australian Julian Assange. |
| Although attempts to extradite him from the UK to the US are ostensibly for their court system, Wilkie said “the reality is it’s always been intensely political” because he claims charges are politically motivated against Assange for “doing his job” as a journalist and reporting via WikiLeaks: | Although attempts to extradite him from the UK to the US are ostensibly for their court system, Wilkie said “the reality is it’s always been intensely political” because he claims charges are politically motivated against Assange for “doing his job” as a journalist and reporting via WikiLeaks: |
| Wilkie also called on Labor leader Anthony Albanese to commit to the same, if he is elected. Wilkie said jail “is killing” Assange. | Wilkie also called on Labor leader Anthony Albanese to commit to the same, if he is elected. Wilkie said jail “is killing” Assange. |
| On who he will help form government in a minority parliament, Wilkie said he had been burned by Julia Gillard reneging on his pokies reform, and in future he will treat “every vote on its merits including confidence and supply” – meaning no deal to support one side. | On who he will help form government in a minority parliament, Wilkie said he had been burned by Julia Gillard reneging on his pokies reform, and in future he will treat “every vote on its merits including confidence and supply” – meaning no deal to support one side. |
| Still, he said climate change will be important to him and Morrison has done “terribly” on the anti-corruption commission issue. | Still, he said climate change will be important to him and Morrison has done “terribly” on the anti-corruption commission issue. |