Car crashes into Russian consulate building’s gates in Sydney
Caitlin Cassidy
A man is in custody after a car crashed into Sydney’s Russian consulate building this morning.
In a statement, NSW police said about 8am on Monday, officers were called to the building on Fullerton Street in Woollahra following reports of an unauthorised car parked in the driveway.
They said when police arrived and attempted to speak to a man, 39, who was behind the wheel, he allegedly drove into the consulate’s front gate.
The man was arrested and taken to Surry Hills police station where he was assisting police with inquiries.
A 24-year-old constable injured his hand in the incident and was treated by paramedics at the scene. There were no other reports of injuries, police said.
“Inquiries are continuing,” police said.
A spokesperson for NSW Ambulance confirmed they received a call to attend the address just after 8am. The man was treated on the scene for a cut to his hand and did not require hospitalisation, they said.
Key events
Josh Taylor
Coalition, Greens raise concerns about viability of age assurance following report release
Both the federal opposition and the Greens have raised questions about whether technology aimed to keep under 16s from accessing social media from December will be workable, following the release on Sunday of the report on the trial of the technology.
As Guardian Australia reported, the report found that for facial age estimation technology, errors were “inevitable” particularly for users aged on two years either side of 16.
The shadow communications minister, Melissa McIntosh, said it showed “those who are 13 could sneak through the cracks and have social media accounts.”
The Greens digital rights spokesperson, Senator David Shoebridge, said the risks of age assurance technology include mass surveillance, biometric data collection, big tech control, and systematic bias against girls and people of colour.
The government’s report on age assurance tech admits ‘implementation depends on the willingness of a small number of dominant tech companies’ meaning we’d be handing even more power to Big Tech to decide who gets online access. Labor surely understands this is bad!
The age assurance trial findings accidentally prove the social media age ban is unworkable and it is time to rethink this flawed approach.
Penry Buckley
NSW premier: “If you go to a rally and the Nazis turn up, it’s not one you should be at”
NSW premier Chris Minns has joined the ranks of politicians condemning yesterday’s rallies. Minns told reporters he was “probably as confused as most people” about the protests’ origins.
I just want to say, if you go to a rally and the Nazis turn up, it’s not one you should be at, and no one can deny that they were there. No one can deny that racist language was used. I mean, we can have civil debates about policy issues that affect the country, but this tipped into far more than that…
[Hate speech] laws apply to everybody, and they apply equally, and if you stand up and indulge in racism, then you’re subject to the full force of the law. The point I’m making is that police … will make the decision, not governments. That’s the way our system operates.
Minns was also asked about the arrest of a man this morning after a car allegedly crashed into Sydney’s Russian consulate building. He said he was aware of the incident but is yet to briefed by police.
Australian social fabric being ‘steadily eroded by extremism’, Sussan Ley says
Australia’s social fabric is being “steadily eroded by extremism” says Sussan Ley, in a statement following yesterday’s anti-immigration rallies.
The opposition leader says since the 7 October 2023 attacks in Israel and the outbreak of war in Gaza, new pressures have been placed on Australia’s social cohesion and there have been “multiple failures” by the government to keep the community safe.
Ley says Anthony Albanese must show leadership to repair social cohesion in Australia.
We have seen cherished landmarks like the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House turned into backdrops for division, with people supporting terrorist organisations and holding up images of the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Iranian regime … People of goodwill have been present at recent demonstrations, but their voices were hijacked by those seeking to glorify terrorism. That can never be accepted.
This is a moment that demands leadership. Our society is resilient, but its fabric is being steadily eroded by extremism. Australians expect their leaders to rise to the challenge, to call out hate in all its forms, and to bring the country together.
Sarah Basford Canales
Price urges Australia to ‘start being a lifter and stop being a leaner’ in US alliance
Jacinta Nampijinpa Price says Australia needs to “start being a lifter and stop being a leaner” when it comes to its alliance with the US.
The shadow defence industry minister used most of her keynote speech at the bush summit in Darwin today to criticise the Albanese government and defence was no exception.
Officials within Donald Trump’s administration have been openly scathing of Australia’s defence spending amid tensions over the Aukus pact and trade tariffs.
Price said she was “confounded” by a recent Newspoll survey that found more Australians were worried about Trump’s tariffs than the Chinese Communist party’s military aggression. She said:
In other words, they’re more worried about the sanctions of a long-standing democratic ally than an authoritarian regime.
The NT Liberal senator said Australia must lift its defence spending to 3% of its GDP – up from its trajectory to about 2.4% of GDP by 2033-34 – and should “quickly realise” its future is with the US, not China.
The government needs to start being a lifter and stop being a leaner when it comes to our alliance with the US. If this government truly believes in a free, open and stable Indo-Pacific, then it must quickly come to realise which major power stands for those goals, and which major power stands against those goals.
Being concerned about immigration ‘does not mean you are racist’, Jacinta Price says
Jacinta Nampijinpa Price “congratulates” protesters at anti-immigration rallies yesterday, and says the community should be allowed to express concerns over a “lack of infrastructure to accommodate the millions of people” moving to Australia.
Speaking to Sky News after her appearance at the bush summit, Nampijinpa Price said she condemned the neo-Nazis who turned up to the protests, but said most of the people at the protests weren’t.
She says just because people are concerned about migration into Australia “does not mean that you are racist”.
Those marches that were being held yesterday were for reigniting the spirit of Australia, teaching our children to be proud, to call themselves Australian once more, but that yes, we should be allowed to address concerns about the fact there is lack of infrastructure to accommodate the millions of people now that we’re seeing the prime minister bring into our country, effectively vote-stacking the country for the benefit of Labor.
That last point is one the Coalition has previously made – trying it on ahead of the last election and claiming that Labor were fast-tracking citizenship ceremonies to gain votes. Home affairs minister, Tony Burke, said at the time that the additional ceremonies were due to long backlogs in the system.
Jacinta Price says Labor is moving Australia towards a ‘state-directed, controlled economy’
Sarah Basford Canales
Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has delivered a speech at News Corp’s bush summit in Darwin this morning, proposing Australia “unleash the magic of the marketplace” like former US president, Ronald Reagan, to lift productivity.
The Nationals-turned-Liberal senator flirted with McCarthyism in her keynote speech, accusing the Labor government of moving Australia towards a “state directed, controlled economy”. She said:
Labor has embraced the same statist ideas that have devastated economies and people, wherever and whenever they have been implemented … Labor’s big government, big spending, big taxation and big interference agenda is a handbrake on productivity. We need real solutions to re-energise the economy, we need to do what Ronald Reagan did, and unleash the magic of the marketplace.
Price said one area she wanted to reform to lift productivity was land rights, which she said needed to be reviewed and modernised to lift “economic development”.
The land councils are not functioning as they were intended. There’s administrative bottlenecks and excessively long processing times for leases, and that inhibits private property ownership and the commercialisation of land. They also can be very paternalistic as well, which is a mindset where the preservation of culture and tradition on those lands holds back economic development … it’s about protection of land as a right, the preservation of culture, locking the gate, defending Aboriginal people and their land from the intrusion of outsiders, whether miners, pastoralists, tourists, anyone without a permit, even their own future government. As I’ve said before, there’s a racism of low expectations when it comes to Indigenous Australians and Indigenous Territorians.
Daisy Dumas
Victorian Greens condemn far-right extremists
The Victorian Greens have condemned the “deeply disturbing” action of far-right extremists over the weekend, calling for “urgent action” to stop hate from spreading.
In a statement this morning, the party said there was “absolutely no place for this disgusting racism and hate in our community, or anywhere”.
The leader of the Victorian Greens, Ellen Sandell, said:
The storming of Camp Sovereignty by far-right extremists assaulting people and committing awful acts of violence are deeply disturbing.
First Nations people are leading a movement for truth and justice that makes our whole community stronger, and this racist attack is an attack on all of us.
Far-right extremism has been growing for years, preying on and radicalising young men online. The Greens’ inquiry set out a clear roadmap to stop this hate from spreading, but it wasn’t taken seriously enough. Now is the time for real, long-term investment to tackle extremism at its roots.
The Victorian Greens spokesperson for multiculturalism, Anasina Gray-Barberio, added the attacks were “a stark reminder why we must stand together against hate”.
She said:
We deserve better, to live proudly in who we are, in a community free from hate and fear.
Read more here:
Penry Buckley
War of words over workplace compensation at NSW estimates
The NSW industrial relations minister, Sophie Cotsis, is appearing before budget estimates today, where she has had a heated exchange with Liberal MP Damien Tudehope over the government’s controversial workplace compensation reforms.
The bill, which has been sent to a parliamentary inquiry, would lift the threshold at which people with a psychological injury can receive ongoing financial support or claim damages, and limit their compensation payments to 2.5 years.
Tudehope has asked the minister whether the government consulted with injured workers before making the decision to lift the threshold for whole person impairment (WPI) to 31%
“You’ve told us today [that] this is all about saving dollars … so did you actually talk to injured workers?” he said.
Cotsis said she has met with workers who have expressed concerns, but said the changes are needed to alleviate the burden on struggling state insurer icare, which was inherited from the previous government. She said:
When we came into government, we saw a massive spike in the number of psychological injuries … the reality is that [the former Coalition] government left people to languish in a system.
Luca Ittimani
Cold winter for home sales keeps prices rising
Homebuyer demand has surged well ahead of supply after an unusually slow winter for auction listings, as interest rate cuts inflate Australians’ borrowing capacity.
Advertised listings are typically lower in winter but even fewer owners than usual put their homes on the market in August, dragging the number of listings one-fifth below its average, data from property analysis firm Cotality shows.
Short supply has seen a greater share of listings sold, with the rate of successful sales – or the nation’s clearance rate – hitting 70% in late August, the highest in 18 months.
Buyers in August bid house prices up by about $10,000 in Brisbane, Sydney and Perth and about $7,500 in Adelaide, with the national median home prices rising to nearly $850,000.
The three-month pace of price increase has steadied at 1.8%, after rising in early 2025 on the back of lower interest rates and booming borrowing capacity. Tim Lawless, Cotality Australia’s research director, says further increase is unlikely:
What is more likely is that home values will rise at a more sustainable pace, with demand dampened by affordability constraints, more normal rates of population growth and cautious lending policy.
Senate to debate social cohesion at 1pm today
The Greens didn’t have to move to suspend standing orders. After a vote on McKenzie’s motion on cross-portfolio estimates failed (see earlier in the blog), Katy Gallagher moved a motion to debate Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi’s motion on social cohesion later today.
The Greens and Coalition stood up at the same time this morning to suspend standing orders (but for quite different reasons), but Michaelia Cash got the first call.
It means there’ll be a discussion on social cohesion and the protests on Sunday at 1pm today. We’ll be staying tuned for that.
Queensland cancels fourth stage of Gold Coast light rail link
Andrew Messenger
The Queensland government has cancelled the fourth stage of Gold Coast Light Rail, after years of Nimby opposition to the project.
The single-line service, also known as the G:Link, has been progressively built in stages since 2009. It currently operates between the heavy rail line at Helensvale and Broadbeach South.
A third stage currently under construction will extend it to Burleigh Heads.
Stage four would have taken it through the wealthy suburbs of the southern Gold Coast, added stops at the airport, and terminated at Coolangatta.
Many residents of the area oppose the project on the basis that it would allow poorer residents from the north into the south, bringing crime, and also permit new development in the exclusive area.
The deputy premier, Jarrod Bleijie, announced the decision on Monday morning. He said residents wanted infrastructure that would not disrupt “the unique character of their community,” and wanted to”protect what they value most in their community and their lifestyle.” The government instead plans to provide a bus service.
The light rail was designed to reduce the Gold Coast’s long-standing car dependency; public transport user share has dramatically increased since the first stage opened in 2014.
Hanson accuses Indigenous activists of resurrecting the voice to parliament
Tom McIlroy
Pauline Hanson has accused Indigenous activists of trying to resurrect the failed voice to parliament proposal, hitting out at racial division and claims of an “Aboriginal industry” in federal politics.
The Senate is this morning debating scheduling for estimates hearings on Indigenous affairs, after the Albanese government axed a traditional standalone day of questioning on the topic.
Labor last week won support for a condensed schedule for October’s rounds of estimates, which involves folding Indigenous affairs into the other packed days of hearings. Labor has agreed to three extra days of estimates hearings later in the year as part of the changes.
The One Nation leader has used the debate to issue a broadside against Indigenous affairs spending this morning, saying there is corruption and a lack of accountability.
Closing the gap has been a huge big issue… What have they done now? Closed the gap on only four out of 19 issues.
We constantly hear about the incarceration. We hear about people who do not attend schooling. We hear about the domestic violence. We hear about the sexual abuse of children … I’ve been speaking about it for the last 30 years, but nothing’s changed.
Hanson has accused Labor of not listening to Indigenous people around the country, but instead taking advice only from “the elites”:
Those people wanna claim that they are Indigenous. Really? Are they truly Indigenous? Are they truly representing the true Indigenous people out there.
The government’s Senate leader, Penny Wong, told the chamber she wanted to disassociate Labor with Hanson’s comments.
Opposition motion to suspend standing orders in Senate fails
Michaelia Cash’s motion in the Senate to suspend standing orders to move a motion on the government dropping cross-portfolio estimates has failed. The cross-portfolio estimates include hearings on Indigenous affairs matters, as well as the Murray-Darling Basin plan.
Senator Bridget McKenzie now has another go to suspend standing orders with an almost identical motion – this time about the Murray-Darling Basin plan.
Katy Gallagher moves quickly to get a vote on McKenzie’s motion. Like Cash’s, it’s unlikely to pass.
Natasha May
More info on the Northern Beaches hospital transition back into public operation
Here’s some more information following on from that earlier post on the NSW Health team who will be on the ground at Northern Beaches hospital from today.
It will include up to 15 senior leaders from IT, patient safety and culture, clinical operations, workforce, finance and corporate services, according to a joint statement from the NSW treasurer and health minister.
Priority areas will include the IT systems and clinical applications used by Healthscope but not in use by NSW Health. The team will also identify other key areas where policy, procedure or practice gaps exist between how the hospital currently operates and how it will operate as part of the NSW Health system.
The state treasurer, Daniel Mookhey, said of this new team: “This is a critical next step as we progress towards ending the Liberals’ failed privatisation experiment at the Northern Beaches hospital.”
In their joint statement, the ministers said that:
It remains the preference of the NSW government that a negotiated agreement on the future control and operation of the Northern Beaches hospital can be achieved, but in the absence of agreement, the government has passed legislation to give it the authority to intervene and avoid a prolonged dispute for members of the community, hospital staff and NSW taxpayers.
McGrathNicol partner and appointed receiver Jason Ireland and Healthscope’s CEO. Tino La Spina, said:
McGrathNicol and Healthscope continue to engage constructively with the NSW government in negotiations for the future ownership and operation of the Northern Beaches hospital. We welcome this important step in the process.
McCormack claims wind towers ‘taller than’ Barangaroo are ‘coming to a valley near you’
Labor is trying to milk this anti-net zero bill debate for all it’s worth. Backbencher Alison Byrnes stands up to say her piece in response to Boyce:
I’m very pleased to speak on this today, to help show the farce that we all know it is.
Byrnes, who represents a coastal seat in the Illawarra area – which has been declared an offshore wind zone – says the clean energy transition means new jobs across the country.
Michael McCormack stands up next from the opposition benches – he’s with Barnaby Joyce, Llew O’Brien and Boyce who spoke earlier.
These wind towers, taller than, or as tall as Barangaroo, are coming to a valley near you.
McCormack accuses renewable energy companies of pitting farming families against each other, and coming to rural areas with “bags of cash” to buy agricultural land
These companies… they send out these shysters and they are buying one farmer off and not the farmer’s neighbour – they are making people who are generational friends [into] friends no longer.
This is not the regional Australia I know and love, these companies can quite frankly go to hell.
Barnaby Joyce’s repeal net zero bill being debated in House
The drama continues in Parliament House … and we now move to the House of Representatives, where Barnaby Joyce’s repeal net zero bill is being debated.
Nationals MP Colin Boyce starts, saying he wants to “put to bed” the link between wanting to repeal net zero and wanting to drop the net zero target:
This debate is not whether you believe in climate change.
The fact that we’re still talking about whether or not you believe in climate change in 2025 is … something.
Boyce says he’s trying to frame it in an economic sense, and says his electorate of Flynn – with its coal, heavy machinery and agricultural sectors – will be heavily impacted by the transition.
The success of Victoria is the ‘secret sauce’ of migration, deputy premier says
Benita Kolovos
Victoria’s deputy premier, Ben Carroll, was also asked about yesterday’s rally at a press conference this morning in Flemington. He said immigration is Victoria’s “secret sauce”:
Our migrants should be celebrated. They shouldn’t be, in any way, frowned upon.
The success of Victoria is indeed the secret sauce of migration. We know our migrants are ambitious, that our migrants create jobs, that they’re innovators. We’ll always celebrate them. We know that our diversity is our greatest strength, and we’ll stand up and make sure we speak [out] loud and proud of anyone that tries to destroy Victoria’s diversity.
Carroll said he was “appalled” by the attack on Camp Sovereignty and to see the Aboriginal flag burned. He went on:
It just goes to show the level of ignorance that we’re dealing with that people that attend a march against immigration would then go and attack a camp and destroy a flag of the first inhabitants of our country.
These people are our Indigenous people… Our Aboriginal people have been here for 65,000 years. We are all immigrants. This was their land, and we need to respect that … It was appalling to see what occurred yesterday on the streets of Melbourne, an appalling attack on the First Nations people of our state.
Asked about concerns from police on the ground that there weren’t enough resources to tackle the rally and counter protests, Carroll says officers did an “excellent job”:
There were six arrests. Anyone watching that footage would have thought that was a small amount of arrests. However, having said that, there’s a lot of footage. I witnessed a lady being thrown to the ground. I witnessed other people with blood all over their faces. I witnessed someone just trying to calm the situation then set upon. So there is lots of footage, and I hope those perpetrators are brought to account.
