Australian Base jumper reportedly dies in accident in northern Italy
Australian Base jumper James Nowland died earlier this week in an accident at a competition in northern Italy, according to multiple media reports and an account from his brother.
Nowland, 42, was in the Dolomites region and had jumped from the peak of Sass Pordoi during the event, Italy’s ANSA news agency reported. Investigators told the outlet they suspect his parachute didn’t open due to a technical issue. Doctors tried to revive the Perth man, but were unable to do so.
Nowland’s brother, Adrian Nowland, posted a tribute to Facebook, writing:
Rest in peace brother! Wish we had more times like this together! Hope you’re soaring through the clouds doing what you love forever ❤️
Separately but also in Italy, Felix Baumgartner, the skydiver who famously jumped from the edge of space, has died in a paragliding accident.
Key events

Kelly Burke
Australian production companies may have to pay millions in alleged unpaid super after ATO ruling
Major Australian production companies, including those that produce Neighbours and Home and Away, may be ordered to pay workers millions of dollars in alleged unpaid superannuation after a 2024 tax office ruling.
The Australian Writers Guild (AWG) is gearing up for a challenge against Screen Producers Australia (SPA), after a ruling by the Australian Tax Office last December found that screenwriters in most cases were providing a service to an employer, not selling a product, and therefore must be paid super.
The ruling, which was in line with the Superannuation Guarantee Act, means that for long-running television shows, decades of super backpay could apply, although the statute of limitations for an individual employee in Australia is six years.
Read more here:
Recovery team to move in on plane wreck found in Snowy Mountains
NSW police will begin a recovery operation after finding the wreckage of what is thought to be the plane that went missing en route from Victoria to the south coast of NSW earlier this week.
The recovery will begin around 12pm today to retrieve and examine the plane, which was located in the Snowy valley yesterday. Officials with the Riverina police district, PolAir, police rescue and the criminal investigation and crime scene unit will all assist in the matter.
NSW police said officials have not yet reached the site of the wreckage, and it is unclear if an human remains are part of it. As reported in the blog earlier, one man, 74-year-old David Stephens from Brogo, near Bega, was on board the missing aircraft.
Why is everyone suddenly talking about Donald Trump’s ankles?
The White House says the US president, Donald Trump, is experiencing swelling in his lower legs and bruising on his right hand, after photographs emerged of Trump with swollen ankles and makeup covering the afflicted part of his hand, Reuters reports.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt, reading a letter from Trump’s doctor at a press briefing, said both ailments were benign. His leg swelling is from a “common” vein condition, and his hand is bruised from shaking so many hands, she told reporters.
The disclosure sought to put to rest a raft of internet rumours that the 79-year-old might be suffering from a serious ailment.
You can read more about chronic venous insufficiency here:
Rockliff blasts Labor for pushing Tasmania into election state ‘did not want’
Tasmanian premier Jeremy Rockliff just spoke to the ABC, a day before the state heads to the polls. He maintained the election was not something the state wanted, blaming the Labor leader, Dean Winter, for the snap poll, but said the campaign had allowed the Liberals to put forward its plan for leadership once more. Rockliff said:
Tasmanians were very disappointed of course, that it’s a winter election, but nonetheless it’s an opportunity for our government to reaffirm our clear plan …
We cannot afford to have a Labor-Green government with the support again of radical independents, because that will put at risk definitely all the great work that Tasmanians are doing and have done over the course of the last decade.
Australian Base jumper reportedly dies in accident in northern Italy
Australian Base jumper James Nowland died earlier this week in an accident at a competition in northern Italy, according to multiple media reports and an account from his brother.
Nowland, 42, was in the Dolomites region and had jumped from the peak of Sass Pordoi during the event, Italy’s ANSA news agency reported. Investigators told the outlet they suspect his parachute didn’t open due to a technical issue. Doctors tried to revive the Perth man, but were unable to do so.
Nowland’s brother, Adrian Nowland, posted a tribute to Facebook, writing:
Rest in peace brother! Wish we had more times like this together! Hope you’re soaring through the clouds doing what you love forever ❤️
Separately but also in Italy, Felix Baumgartner, the skydiver who famously jumped from the edge of space, has died in a paragliding accident.
Agriculture minister says biosecurity ‘everybody’s responsibility’ amid new fire ant detection
The agriculture minister, Julie Collins, says biosecurity is “everybody’s responsibility” after fire ants were detected in central Queensland for the first time this month.
Collins spoke to RN Breakfast amid criticism from the coalition the government was not spending enough to contain the outbreaks, noting Labor had invested approximately $2bn in biosecurity since coming into federal office. She said:
What I would say is that Australia has been quite successful in terms of trying to contain the red imported fire ants. Compared to how other countries are dealing with it, we have managed to contain the spread of it compared to other countries …
Obviously, biosecurity is everybody’s responsibility, and part of the program has been the public awareness campaign and making sure that people understand what they are.
The latest outbreak of fire ants in Queensland sparked deep concern as the invasive pest was found almost 800km from the closest known infestation zone.
Winter makes final appeal for majority Labor government
Winter encouraged Tasmanians heading to tomorrow’s polls to support Labor, describing a majority government as a pathway forward. He told the ABC:
My message to Tasmanians really is if you want a fresh start … the best way to deliver that is to vote Labor. Voting independents last time just delivered another Liberal government.
If you want a fresh start and a new government, the best way to achieve that is to vote Labor.
Tasmanian Labor leader says controversial AFL stadium important for retaining young people
Tasmania’s Labor leader, Dean Winter, confirmed his party supported the controversial Macquarie Point AFL stadium for the Tasmania Devils, describing it as deeply important for the state.
Winter spoke with the ABC this morning, a day before Tasmanians head to the polls for a snap election:
We support the Devils and we support building a stadium to get it done. We support that because we understand how important it is to the state.
We got to be honest and upfront … There is a budget crisis here, but we have an imperative to get an AFL team for our young people. …
We want to give them hope for the future and allow them to stay.
Recent polls show a large majority of Tasmanians want the estimated $1bn stadium deal to be torn up and renegotiated.
Ken Henry will be invited to Chalmers’ productivity roundtable
Jim Chalmers was asked about former Treasury secretary Ken Henry’s speech this week at the National Press Club, where he described the country’s environmental laws as “broken” and said they needed reform to boost the nation’s productivity.
Chalmers said Henry, now chair of the Australian Climate and Biodiversity Foundation, would be invited to participate in the economic roundtable next month, agreeing that environmental action was an important part of the government’s plans:
I think it’s an important part of it, and particularly when it comes to making the most of this energy transformation in our economy, we’ve quite deliberately put the energy transformation at the very core of the work that we’ve asked for productivity …
The energy transformation, net zero, these are important parts of our consideration when it comes to making our economy more productive. And this is one of the reasons why we’ll be inviting Ken Henry to the economic reform roundtable in August.
Kevin Hogan says PM should have same ‘exuberance’ to meet Trump as he did with China’s leader
Kevin Hogan, the shadow minister for trade, just spoke to RN Breakfast about Anthony Albanese’s visit to China this week, describing it a “working holiday” and dinging the PM for not having the “same exuberance … to meet with the US president”. Hogan said:
Look, I think it’s good that the prime minister went to China. I think it’s good that he did the panda thing and re-enacted Gough Whitlam’s Great Wall of China visit. I don’t have a criticism with that.
They’re an important trading partner. I’m glad the prime minister has visited there and been there because of that reason. I’m just also adding that it’s a real shame he doesn’t have the same exact exuberance about doing that with a US president.
Albanese did try to meet with Trump at the G7 last month, but the meeting was cancelled amid a spiralling crisis in the Middle East.
Chalmers: Australian economy, hiring rates not immune from Trump uncertainty
The treasurer, who has been speaking with other leaders and business officials in South Africa at the G20 this week, said there is a “real sense” that the uncertainty surrounding US president Donald Trump’s on-again, off-again tariffs is creating unpredictability in the market. Chalmers said that volatility was on employers’ minds when they were considering hiring workers, adding:
That’s certainly the feedback that we get around the place, you know, speaking with CEOs and meeting with company boards and the like and with economists.
You know, there is a real sense that this volatility and unpredictability and uncertainty is really a defining and an ongoing feature of the global economy, and our own economy is not immune from that.
And so, I think certainly people see this uncertainty and unpredictability as a new normal that requires us to have a shift in our thinking.
Chalmers says unemployment figures ‘unwelcome but unsurprising’, expects them to rise
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, just spoke to RN Breakfast from the G20 summit in South Africa about yesterday’s surprising jobs data, which showed Australia’s unemployment rate rising to 4.3% in June. Chalmers said:
This is unwelcome, but it’s also unsurprising. We’ve been saying for some time, including in our own budget forecast, that we expect a modest tick up in the unemployment rate. But it remains the case that over the last three years, the labour market in Australia has been a real source of strength at an uncertain time in the world.
And here at the G20, there are only two economies, including ours, where last year we saw continued growth, inflation with a two in front of it, and unemployment in the low fours.
Chalmers said he did not expect unemployment to hit the 5% mark, with a current forecast “somewhere around the middle fours”.

Henry Belot
Victorian regulator weighs unprecedented intervention in AFL’s fight with bookmakers over gambling revenue
The Victorian gambling regulator is considering whether to make an unprecedented intervention in a dispute between the AFL and bookmakers, which could set a limit on the league’s revenue from wagering.
Earlier this year, the AFL proposed a significant increase to the amount of money it receives from each bet placed on its game. The league also proposed a minimum $20,000 annual fee for all bookmakers, including small operators who focus on racing.
Leaked documents seen by Guardian Australia revealed the cash grab was justified as a way to address what AFL executives termed an “unprecedented” increase in “integrity risks” posed by the wagering industry, which has exploded in popularity in recent years.
The documents outlined concerns the AFL’s integrity system was seriously deficient and struggled to identify whether players, coaches and staff were using inside information to manipulate betting markets, in breach of their contracts.
Read Henry Belot’s report here:
Happy Friday
Good morning, Nick Visser here to take you through Friday’s news. Let’s get into it.
Surprise jobless hike may trigger interest rate relief
A surprise jump in the jobless rate could help cement the case for an interest rate cut, delivering welcome relief for homeowners, Australian Associated Press reports.
The unemployment rate bucked market expectations, rising from 4.1% to 4.3% in June, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Though the result was unexpected, ex-Reserve Bank economist Luke Hartigan said it met the central bank’s year-end unemployment forecast.
“This just adds information to say that some modest reduction in interest rates is warranted,” the University of Sydney economics lecturer told AAP.
After its July meeting, the central bank disappointed mortgage-holders and shocked market economists by opting to hold the cash rate at 3.85% in a split decision.
While the recent unemployment increase has put the rate at its highest level since November 2021, Dr Hartigan maintained other metrics showed the market was still relatively solid.
“This is the first uptick in a little while, so it’s a little bit concerning,” he said.
“But in the context of where the unemployment rate is now versus where it’s been in the past, it is still very low.”
Wreckage of missing plane located in Snowy Mountains

Jordyn Beazley
A plane that took off from Wangaratta in Victoria on Tuesday and never arrived at its planned destination on the south coast of New South Wales is believed to have crashed.
NSW police said yesterday that rescuers had located wreckage near the plane’s last known GPS location in the Snowy Mountains.
The only person on board the 1966 Beechcraft Debonair aircraft was 74-year-old David Stephens from Brogo near Bega.
In a statement to Bega District News, his wife, Lynda, said:
Unfortunately, David disappeared on his flight home on Tuesday … after having his aircraft inspected.
David has quite a bit of experience flying the plane, but we can’t know what situation he was facing, and we’ll only have answers once they locate the plane and, with that, David.
Emergency services were notified on Tuesday afternoon that the plane may have crashed.
A multi-agency rescue effort was then launched. NSW police now has carriage of the matter and will continue to investigate.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the breaking stories to start the day and then it’ll be Nick Visser to take the helm.
The wreckage of plane missing on a flight from Wangaratta in northern Victoria to the south coast of New South Wales has been located in the Snowy Mountains. Media reports say the only person on board was 74-year-old pilot, David Stephens from Brogo near Bega. More details to come.
Worried parents are looking for alternatives to childcare centres after sexual abuse allegations against a Melbourne man who worked at 24 facilities. For Parents, a parenting group, says the system is broken and needs to evolve to meet the needs of modern families. They believe government grants should be widened to include grandparents, nannies, au pairs and co-working spaces that allow parents to keep children close. More coming up.