Australia news live: Karl Stefanovic to leave Nine immediately, network confirms

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‘I’m free, truly independent,’ Karl Stefanovic says

Karl Stefanovic just released a statement following the announcement he will leave Nine immediately.

In a YouTube video, Stefanovic says:

So I’m free. Truly independent. I didn’t get the chance to thank my free to air audience for 21 years, so thank you for riding the ups and downs.

It wasn’t easy this last couple of days, but we rolled on. So here’s what I believe in: the public deserve to hear perspectives. … so on my show I’ve spoken to people who have different perspectives, I know that winds some people up.

Sometimes I agree with everything a guest says, sometimes I don’t. But importantly you get to make up your mind. …

Freedom of speech, here and around the world, is what this show is about. You don’t have to listen to my show, you have the power.

At the end of the video, Stefanovic runs from the camera, jumps in the air, and clicked his heels together.

Key events

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‘I’m free, truly independent,’ Karl Stefanovic says

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Karl Stefanovic to leave Nine immediately, network confirms

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Welcome

Chalmers said people will forget about hubbub over tax changes by the next election and focus on positives

The federal treasurer, Jim Chalmers, was on Radio National earlier spruiking the tax changes, which passed parliament last night.

He said the government sees the changes to the capital gains tax discount and negative gearing as a “win for workers, for first home buyers and for future generations”. Chalmers said negotiations with the Greens were par for the course as all legislation evolves before its final incarnation.

When asked if the tax changes would hang around Labor’s neck for two years until the next election, he had this to say:

I think the substance of what is changing here is more important. We are delivering cost of living help, we’re delivering real change via the tax system …

It is my view that every time there’s tax reform, people say the sky will fall in, people say that it is disastrous. But typically what happens, in time is, people look back on big tax reform and wonder what all of the fuss is about. I’m confident that will happen again.

Albanese says Stefanovic saga ‘unfortunate’, but ‘words do matter’

The prime minister was asked by the ABC about Karl Stefanovic’s departure from Nine. He had this to say:

It’s a matter, of course, for Channel 9, but words do matter, and what people who are very prominent in our public discourse do, and how they conduct themselves, matters as well.

And it’s unfortunate, the way that what has been a very big career has ended in this way.

But that’s a matter for Karl Stefanovic, to think about his actions and the decisions that he’s made. And Nine have made a consequential decision.

Albanese says employers should treat anyone watching the Socceroos today ‘kindly’

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, was just asked about lunchtime today, 12pm, when the nation will stop as the Socceroos take the pitch at the World Cup.

He said employers should treat anyone watching the game “kindly, and with thoughts of our national interest” in a lighthearted interview with the ABC. He went on:

It will be an important day.

The PM said a ministry meeting will end sharply at 11.30am “so people can get in front of their TV screens”, but he wasn’t “giving people instructions”:

It will be a great couple of hours. I’m sure the whole of Australia will cheer on the Socceroos. …

I know that Australian workers will be, of course, very passionate about the Socceroos, and I know that Australian employers will be generous in their approach to these things.

A bit of common sense should apply.

‘Let’s work together’ to strengthen exclusion powers, shadow home affairs minister tells government

Jonno Duniam, the shadow minister for home affairs, has said the Coalition would be willing to work with the government to strengthen laws around temporary exclusion orders after an Australia woman with links to the Islamic State was given authorisation to return to Australia.

The decision, announced by the home affair minister, Tony Burke, came after the government was advised it could no longer enforce a criminal exclusion order.

Duniam told RN Breakfast that while the director of Asio said officials were prepared for the woman’s return, monitoring her was sure to cost the taxpayer “a lot of money” and questioned if more could have been done to keep her out of the country.

If the government does believe that this individual should be excluded from the country for a longer period, then let’s work together to strengthen those laws. Of course, there may well be legal challenges, but we’re open to working with the government on that.

I’d rather the individual not be here. … This is a person who is not a friend of our country. This is a person who turned their back on Australia.

‘I’m free, truly independent,’ Karl Stefanovic says

Karl Stefanovic just released a statement following the announcement he will leave Nine immediately.

In a YouTube video, Stefanovic says:

So I’m free. Truly independent. I didn’t get the chance to thank my free to air audience for 21 years, so thank you for riding the ups and downs.

It wasn’t easy this last couple of days, but we rolled on. So here’s what I believe in: the public deserve to hear perspectives. … so on my show I’ve spoken to people who have different perspectives, I know that winds some people up.

Sometimes I agree with everything a guest says, sometimes I don’t. But importantly you get to make up your mind. …

Freedom of speech, here and around the world, is what this show is about. You don’t have to listen to my show, you have the power.

At the end of the video, Stefanovic runs from the camera, jumps in the air, and clicked his heels together.

Good morning, Nick Visser here to take the reins. Let’s see what Friday holds after a busy week in parliament.

Defence ‘hasn’t performed as well as it could’, minister says

Performance issues in the defence department have been found to be more widespread than expected with “congested” decision making, as Labor undertakes the biggest overhaul in five decades, Australian Associated Press reports.

The federal government in December announced an independent delivery agency would be set up to tackle cost blowouts and project delays, as Labor pours billions of extra dollars into defence over the decade.

Defence industry minister, Pat Conroy, said inaccurate cost estimation and a lack of discipline in project management were behind lacklustre delivery.

“The analysis we commissioned found that the problems were more widespread than I thought,” he told AAP.

The processes have been setting up people (to fail), so the system as a whole has meant that defence hasn’t performed as well as it could.

Parts of the department were spending too much time in meetings, which resulted in a lack of action and decision making at the top end becoming “too congested”, Conroy said.

What we’ve seen is fragmented accountability ... if everyone is accountable, that means no one’s accountable.

The defence industry minister will outline progress made on the reform in an address to the National Press Club next Thursday.

He will position Labor as the party of defence to tackle growing support for One Nation, as well as address discontent within his own party at the government’s approach.

“That intellectual framework is really important to flesh out, because we have to constantly make the case for why investing in defence is progressive,” Conroy said.

“It’s both about the rise of far-right populism, but also talking to the base of the Labor party about why this is important.

“You want to fight for a progressive Australia, but you also have to defend a progressive Australia.”

‘Right time for Karl to move on from Today and from Nine,’ network CEO says

In an internal email sent to staff, seen by Guardian Australia, Nine’s chief executive officer, Matt Stanton, said “you would have seen a lot of media reporting around Karl Stefanovic and his future here at Nine”.

“We’ve … announced this morning that after more than 20 years it’s the right time for Karl to move on from Today and from Nine,” the email says.

Karl has been a fixture on our screens for over two decades, so we know this is a significant change for our viewers and all of us here at Nine, however it’s the right time to make it.

Who is Tommy Robinson?

Here’s a hot-off-the-presses explainer of the controversy that appears to have cost Stefanovic his planned long and cruisey farewell from Nine:

Karl Stefanovic to leave Nine immediately, network confirms

Karl Stefanovic is leaving Nine immediately, the network said in a statement this morning.

It follows days of controversy in which the highly paid Today presenter used his independent podcast series to interview British far-right activist Tommy Robinson.

“Nine Entertainment and Stefanovic have agreed that it is no longer possible for him to continue hosting Today at the same time as his independent podcast,” a Nine Entertainment spokesperson said.

“While Karl and Nine had previously agreed he would leave Today at the end of this year, they have subsequently decided he will leave the network immediately.

Welcome

Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Nick Visser with the main action.

Nine has confirmed this morning that Today host Karl Stefanovic is leaving the network “immediately” as it was “no longer possible” for him to both host Today and run his independent podcast. More on this soon.

We’re also kicking off with some rather frank comments from the defence industry minister, Pat Conroy, about his own department, which he says “hasn’t performed as well as it could” and spent too long in meetings without making decisions.

And there’s plenty of more news to come, stick with us.