Australia news live: auction clearances nudge up after weeks under 50%; state farewell for Richard Scolyer

From

53m ago

Shadow education minister labels university leaders ‘weak and spineless’ over antisemitism

Julian Leeser, the shadow minister for education, said the time for universities “mucking around” on definitions of antisemitism were over.

Leeser spoke to RN Breakfast this morning, saying:

Universities are the place where the next generation of leaders goes to be formed. And the fact that our vice-chancellors are so weak and spineless that they haven’t been able to crack down on this shows how much we need this definition adopted …

I think this week at the royal commission, this is the week where the vice-chancellors have to own up for their failures here, for their failures in allowing those encampments to persist and saying that that’s just the price Jews have to pay for free speech … for failing to provide a safe environment for Jewish staff and Jewish students, and allowing a culture of fear to take place.

Key events

15m ago

Dfat checking whether Australians caught in deadly blaze at Bangkok pub

28m ago

Digital passenger cards will be ‘much more efficient way’ to run the border, Burke says

53m ago

Shadow education minister labels university leaders ‘weak and spineless’ over antisemitism

1h ago

Richard Scolyer to be honoured in state memorial service at Sydney Opera House

1h ago

Welcome

Dfat checking whether Australians caught in deadly blaze at Bangkok pub

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Dfat) is investigating if any Australians were affected by a deadly fire at a pub in Bangkok overnight. At least 27 people were killed in the blaze and dozens more injured.

A Dfat spokesperson said:

Australians will be shocked to hear of the terrible loss of life in the restaurant fire in Bangkok. Our sincere condolences are with all those affected.

Australian officials are making urgent enquiries with local authorities to determine whether any Australians were affected. We stand ready to provide consular assistance.

Digital passenger cards will be ‘much more efficient way’ to run the border, Burke says

The home affairs minister, Tony Burke, said the end of the physical passenger cards and a transition to digital forms would be a “much more efficient way” to run the border.

He told RN this morning:

At the end of a long flight, people might not be at their best, and nobody knows … the full address off the top of their head of the hotel they’re staying at, or remembers the phone number of their next of kin.

What actually happens to all those paper cards? They are used sometimes:

From a home affairs perspective, there are times when we need to go back to those cards for information.

And at the moment, you’re going through warehouses trying to find the right box that’s got the right set of cards to be able to then decipher someone’s handwriting.

Lisa Cox

Great news for travellers: Australia to ditch paper arrival cards for incoming travellers

The days of filling out paper arrival cards are to end for millions of travellers arriving in Australia on international flights.

The Albanese government has announced it will roll out digital passenger cards to all Australian international airports and seaports after a “successful” trial on Qantas flights into Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.

The paper forms, which ask passengers arriving in Australia for personal information and to declare any food, plant or animal products, have long been an annoyance for travellers arriving on long-haul flights.

Read more here:

Shadow education minister labels university leaders ‘weak and spineless’ over antisemitism

Julian Leeser, the shadow minister for education, said the time for universities “mucking around” on definitions of antisemitism were over.

Leeser spoke to RN Breakfast this morning, saying:

Universities are the place where the next generation of leaders goes to be formed. And the fact that our vice-chancellors are so weak and spineless that they haven’t been able to crack down on this shows how much we need this definition adopted …

I think this week at the royal commission, this is the week where the vice-chancellors have to own up for their failures here, for their failures in allowing those encampments to persist and saying that that’s just the price Jews have to pay for free speech … for failing to provide a safe environment for Jewish staff and Jewish students, and allowing a culture of fear to take place.

Burke says there was a ‘reason’ woman with links to Islamic State was singled out with temporary exclusion order

Asked on ABC Radio National about a travel permit issued to an Australian citizen with links to Islamic State, after previously having a temporary exclusion order imposed on her, Tony Burke said he wouldn’t be surprised if the woman decided not to return to Australia.

“There is a reason why one person stood out from others in terms of the temporary exclusion order information,” the home affairs minister said when asked about the woman.

Burke added of those who have already returned to Australia:

I was surprised when all the remainder of the cohort returned, but I think they weren’t quite expecting that some of them would be met at the airport by the Australian federal police because we already had the evidentiary burden there to be able to press charges.

The minister went on to say:

Everybody who went to join [Islamic State] made an unconscionable decision … and while they were there, there were a range of unacceptable behaviours across the cohort.

Burke says definitions of antisemitism and Islamophobia on campuses about keeping students safe

Tony Burke, the home affairs minister, is speaking this morning, as universities across Australia will be required to adopt formal definitions of antisemitism, Islamophobia and racism against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Burke said the change was about making sure students felt safe on campus.

Time at uni should be a place where people feel completely safe. And clearly, for the last two years, for a whole lot of students, that just hasn’t been true …

It’s important that universities are given clear standards and metrics that they’re being measured against and that they’re measuring themselves against to make sure that the experience of a student in Australia, no matter who you love, no matter where you’re from, no matter what you believe, is an experience of safety.

Richard Scolyer to be honoured in state memorial service at Sydney Opera House

Richard Scolyer, the 2024 Australian of the year, will be honoured with a state memorial service on Monday, after his death from brain cancer on 7 June. He was 59.

AAP reports dignitaries including the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, NSW premier, Chris Minns, and governor general, Sam Mostyn, will attend the service at the Sydney Opera House.

Scolyer will be remembered as the pathologist who turned melanoma from being a common death sentence into a largely curable disease, through treatment that activated a patient’s immune system.

The prime minister called Scolyer one of Australia’s brightest lights and biggest hearts in a tribute after his death:

Every day, this remarkable man – the cancer specialist who became his own subject – took us into his confidence and he lifted us all in the process.

Welcome

Good morning, and happy Monday. Nick Visser to start off the week with the news of the day. Here’s what’s on deck:

Auction rates climbed slightly across the country, with the figures of homes sold in the combined capitals edging above 50% for the first time in weeks. Overall, 54.8% of homes sold at auction, including 57.5% in Sydney and 56.2% in Melbourne, the nation’s two biggest markets.

More than 350 people were charged under a new blitz targeting violent and sexual offenders on the NSW transport network. Officials said the operation involved high visibility patrols and proactive targeting of alleged offenders on buses, trains, ferries and the metro.

A state memorial service for pioneering cancer researcher Richard Scolyer will take place today at the Sydney Opera House. The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and other leaders will attend.

Stick with us.