Mental health ward closures begin in NSW
Natasha May
Mental health ward closures have already begun in NSW following the mass resignation of psychiatrists, but the industrial relations hearing won’t take place until March.
The directions hearing of the NSW Industrial Relations Commission arbitrating the workforce crisis and the resignation of more than 200 psychiatrists in the public system has just taken place.
The doctors union says there has been an agreement with the government to seek expedited arbitration which will occur from 17 March, over 5 days.
Dr Pramudie Gunaratne, chair of the NSW branch of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, says as the majority of psychiatrists resignations are taking place today, ward closures have already begun.
At Cumberland hospital its acute mental health ward and rehabilitation mental health wards have closed, Gunaratne said.
I anticipate far more closures.
Key events
Further test results of mysterious grey ball-shaped debris which closed nine beaches
The Northern Beaches council has released further test results from the mysterious grey ball-shaped debris which closed nine beaches earlier this month.
It said it had passed the latest results onto the Environmental Protection Authority for further analysis, to help “locate the source of the pollution incident.”
In addition to the hydrocarbons identified during testing last week, the council said the latest results “indicate the presence of saturated fatty acids, along with faecal coliforms and E-coli.”
Northern Beaches mayor Sue Heins said she hoped the source could be identified to this “can stop this from happening at other beaches.”
We are continuing to conduct regular inspections of our beaches and encourage the community to report any sightings.
Council said a small number of “marble-sized balls mixed in with pumice” had been cleaned up from harbour beaches this week, including at Little Manly and West Esplanade, and that it continues to monitor and clean up as needed.
Misinformation warning ahead of federal election
Voters have been warned to expect more disinformation being used at the upcoming federal election, AAP reports.
Australia’s Election Integrity Assurance Taskforce has urged voters to be wary of claims being spread online in the lead-up to the poll, while also expressing concern about the threat of foreign interference.
In a report published ahead of the election, the taskforce said the national poll could be undermined by cyber criminals in Australia and overseas – and that while foreign actors could seek to disseminate misinformation during the campaign, the bulk of it was likely to come domestically.
While disinformation directed covertly by a foreign power is foreign interference, most disinformation does not involve a foreign power. The shifting online environment involves the use of inauthentic activity to try and influence public debate, and generative artificial intelligence to produce false narratives
The taskforce said globally elections were not immune from interference, and Australia may not be an exception.
Foreign interference is a more prolific threat than ever before. Individuals or groups engaging in these actions, and those assisting them are often difficult to identify, and their links to foreign powers may not be immediately apparent.
Natasha May Mental health ward closures have already begun in NSW following the mass resignation of psychiatrists, but the industrial relations hearing won’t take place until March.
The directions hearing of the NSW Industrial Relations Commission arbitrating the workforce crisis and the resignation of more than 200 psychiatrists in the public system has just taken place.
The doctors union says there has been an agreement with the government to seek expedited arbitration which will occur from 17 March, over 5 days.
Dr Pramudie Gunaratne, chair of the NSW branch of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, says as the majority of psychiatrists resignations are taking place today, ward closures have already begun.
At Cumberland hospital its acute mental health ward and rehabilitation mental health wards have closed, Gunaratne said.
I anticipate far more closures.
Cheap loans for farmers under green bank scheme
Farmers will soon be able to take out loans discounted by the government-owned green bank to cover the cost of planting native trees and shrubs on their land to draw down carbon.
As AAP reports, the concessional loans courtesy of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) and Rabobank are intended to cover the upfront cost of planting native trees on their properties before the vegetation starts sequestering carbon dioxide and paying itself off via carbon credits.
The agribusiness financier will kick in 0.15% of the discount and the government-owned green bank 1%, with the latter committing $200m towards the endeavour.
CEFC head of natural capital, Heechung Sung, said environmental planting sequestration had not been as popular as the lower cost techniques, such as human-induced regeneration methods that involve letting pastures regenerate and running fewer cattle and sheep.
By providing concessional loans and leveraging Rabobank’s relationship with agribusiness clients to educate them on the opportunity, Sung is hopeful more farmers will take the leap and produce more of the high-quality environmental planting credits.
While farmers have no regulatory obligation to produce carbon credits, Sung said customers were demanding change and companies were under pressure to decarbonise their supply chains.
Faith Affairs Council to ‘review stronger legislation’ in NSW
The NSW Faith Affairs Council said it would be working with the state government in coming weeks to review stronger legislation, after the attack of a childcare centre in Maroubra overnight.
In a statement, the council said that to specifically target a childcare centre and “threaten the safety of innocent children is horrifying”.
Acts of hatred are not acts of religion. We condemn antisemitism. We condemn hatred directed against any community in Australia.
We call on religious and community leaders to condemn this anti-religious act of violence, and proactively promote harmony and understanding across our multicultural and multifaith communities.
We will be working with the NSW government over the coming weeks to review stronger legislation.
Conservation Foundation urges strong climate action from government as Trump withdraws from Paris agreement
The Australian Conservation Foundation has reacted to the US president, Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the US from the Paris climate agreement.
Climate policy adviser Annika Reynolds said the move was “deeply concerning” but “not a surprise”, and would “not halt the push for climate action in the US or around the world.”
Around the world, governments, businesses and communities will continue to push for action to tackle climate change, irrespective of what the US president does.
The US emits around 14% of global emissions. The Paris agreement covers around 97% of global emissions. Even after the US withdraws the agreement will still cover about 83% of the world’s climate emissions.
It is up to Australia and the other remaining 193 nation signatories to the Paris agreement to accelerate decarbonisation efforts and build up the clean energy trade relationships that will be the foundation of future global stability.
Reynolds urged the Albanese government to see the US withdrawal as an “opportunity to ramp up its Future Made in Australia agenda and commit to a strong 2035 emissions reduction target”.
There are heatwave warnings in place for a number of states and territories in the coming days. In Western Australia, the Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting temperatures from the high 30s to the mid 40s.
Severe heatwave conditions are expected to persist over much of the southern and inland WA this week, and gradually ease over the west coast by the weekend.
In NSW, severe heatwave conditions are expected to build over north-east parts of the state before easing later in the week and over the weekend.
The NSW RFS said windy conditions would lead to elevated fire dangers between Wednesday and Friday, with several parts of the state forecast to reach a high danger rating.
The @BOM_au has forecast heatwave conditions for parts of the state over coming days, with inland temperatures to reach the mid-40’s. Windy conditions will lead to elevated fire dangers between Wednesday and Friday, with several parts of the state forecast to reach High. pic.twitter.com/qQfZ0MDot8
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) January 21, 2025 Severe heatwave conditions are expected to build over broad areas of southern and central Queensland this week and persist until at least the weekend.
And in the Northern Territory, maximum temps in the low to mid 40s are forecast, with severe heatwave conditions building over southwest parts, expected to persist for at least the remainder of the week.
Natasha May NSW psychiatrists Industrial Relations Commission hearing under way
An urgent hearing is now taking place at the NSW Industrial Relations Commission that the state government has asked to arbitrate the workforce crisis involving the resignation of more than 200 psychiatrists in the public system.
The doctors union with Dr Pramudie Gunaratne, chair of the NSW branch of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, will be holding a press conference after the decision at 1pm AEDT outside the commission in Parramatta.
I’ll be bringing you the latest from that conference here on the blog so stay tuned.
Jonathan Barrett Australian dollar slides as traders react to Trump tariff comments
The Australian dollar has been whipsawed as investors react to mixed messages concerning Donald Trump’s plans to impose tariffs on its trading partners.
The Aussie rose 1.2% overnight to 62.60 US cents, and continued its ascent after Asian markets opened to trade just under 63 US cents by lunch time in Australia after Trump stopped short of imposing tariffs on his return to the presidency.
Instead, he directed federal agencies to evaluate US trade relationships with the potential targets of his tariffs, which are China, Canada and Mexico.
Given tariffs are widely seen as inflationary, any signs of a pull-back from the tough tariff rhetoric that marked the US election campaign should deflate the value of the US dollar.
But the Australian dollar, and other non-US currencies, then fell sharply after the US president told reporters he was thinking of imposing 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico.
He said the action could come on 1 February, according to Reuters.
The Australian dollar dropped immediately to 62.1 US cents before recovering slightly, while global stock markets also shed value.
Faruqi says spate of racist hate ‘should never be tolerated’
Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi says the “appalling” attack on a Maroubra childcare centre in Sydney is “completely unacceptable and has no place in our society.”
In a statement, she said the “spate of Islamophobia, antisemitism and anti-Palestinian hate are racist and should never be tolerated”.
Many of these attacks bear the mark of neo-Nazi ideology which is a threat to all of us. Racism needs to be tackled at its root cause, without politicisation or weaponizations. My thoughts are with the communities who have been targeted.
Krishani Dhanji Anthony Albanese was asked again about Donald Trump‘s inauguration, saying he’s “optimistic” Australia will be able to avoid tariffs from the US.
Albanese said he had a “warm” first conversation with the president to congratulate him.
If you look at the changes that are occurring in the global economy, Australia is really well positioned. We have all of the mineral resources that will power the world this century, and as well we have a skilled workforce.
On whether Trump’s position on climate action will impact Australia’s policies, Albanese said we’re a “sovereign nation”.
[We] will continue to take action on climate change, not just because we have an interest in meeting the challenge. We know that Australia’s particularly been adversely affected by extreme weather events… We know that we’re particularly vulnerable.
Krishani Dhanji The prime minister has spoken to Channel 7 about the antisemitic attack at a childcare centre in Sydney overnight, and his decision to call a national cabinet meeting tonight.
Anthony Albanese said the federal police would brief state and territory leaders this evening:
We are seeing action … It’s very important that people know that this morning they went through the number of people who’ve not just been arrested, they’ve been charged, they’ve been denied bail.
Albanese said the penalties are already tough, and NSW and Victorian governments have signalled further changes to their legislation.
We, of course, have introduced legislation outlawing terror symbols like Nazi symbols, like the flag of terrorist organisations like Hezbollah. So we will continue, though, I mean, the law isn’t something that’s stagnant.
It’s something that must be consistently monitored to make sure that community standards are kept up.
Albanese wouldn’t say whether the acts should be designated as domestic terrorism, saying it’s up to the police to make that decision.
Vandalism and racist attacks in Sydney ‘have no place in our community’: Shoebridge
Greens senator David Shoebridge says the vandalism and racism across Sydney this past week has “no place in our community”, after the latest attack on a childcare centre at Maroubra. In a post to X, he wrote:
The vandalism and racism across Sydney over the past week, from Wiley Park to Dover Heights, and now the appalling attack on a childcare centre in Maroubra, have no place in our community.
The Nazi graffiti, fires, antisemitic, anti-Arab and racist attacks are despicable. Everyone deserves to be safe, these attacks make us all feel less safe and make it harder to reach the goal of peace with justice both here and abroad.
The Independent MP for Wentworth, Allegra Spender, has welcomed the prime minister’s move to hold a national cabinet meeting this afternoon to combat antisemitism. In a post to X, she said:
Now is also the time to strengthen federal laws against hate speech and vilification, which I will put forward when parliament returns in February.
Australian government reacts to Trump inauguration
Here’s our full story taking in the Australian government’s reaction to Donald Trump’s inauguration this morning:
Sarah Basford Canales Canavan on net zero and Paris climate agreement
Queensland Liberal National senator and known coal advocate, Matt Canavan, has never been one to shy away from his position on climate change and renewable energy.
This morning, as Donald Trump began signing a series of executive orders at his inauguration, Canavan reiterated his position against the Coalition’s policy to support net zero emissions by 2050. Canavan wrote in a post to X:
Net zero is dead, buried and cremated.
As one of his first acts as president, Trump signed an order he would pull the US out of the Paris agreement once more.
Last November, the climate change minister, Chris Bowen, declared the global agreement – to curb emissions and keep the rise in temperatures to below 2C above preindustrial levels – was working as it had brought the world back from “the brink of catastrophic 4C warming”. Canavan said on X:
There is no reason Australia should remain in Paris when China, India, Indonesia, and now the US, are not.
Mental health ward closures begin in NSW
Heatwave warnings across the country for days ahead
PM says Labor will continue to act on climate crisis despite Trump’s Paris call
AFP to brief national cabinet meeting: PM
Spender to bring forward legislation to strengthen federal hate speech laws
