Australia’s national science agency has confirmed at a staff town hall meeting. it is sacking 92 members of its environment research team.
CSIRO staff members said they had been told the number of redundancies had been reduced from 102 after a months-long consultation period.
As Guardian Australia reported on Wednesday. about a third of the team working on the national climate model have been told they have lost their jobs.
Senior scientists said the cuts meant Australia could lose the ability to submit climate projections to form part of reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. have significantly reduced ability to forecast future damage to the country.
The cuts have been made despite CSIRO receiving an additional $387m in funding over the next four years in last week’s federal budget.
More to come on this story later today.
Some more on that story, the Jewish Council of Australia said it supported Australia’s decision to sanction Ben-Gvir. to demand a meeting with the Israeli ambassador but said Australia should go further, and issue country-level sanctions, and expel the ambassador.
The JCA argued Ben-Gvir was not a rogue minister in the government but represented “this far-right Israeli Government. its lack of regard for basic human dignity”.
In 2025, Australia sanctioned Ben-Gvir for inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.
Bart Shteinman, the executive officer of the Jewish Council of Australia, said the incident was yet another Israeli government betrayal of Jewish ethics. that:
double quotation mark Using Jewish symbols. the Israeli national anthem to mock captive human rights defenders, including the Jews among them, speaks volumes about Israel’s betrayal of Jewish values.
Ben-Gvir and the forces under his command do not represent Jewish Australians.
The federal government must move beyond its representations. It must take urgent action to ensure the immediate release of all Australian citizens who have been unlawfully abducted in international waters,. finally end Israel’s impunity by applying broad-based sanctions on its government.
Ben-Gvir has not commented on the footage or the criticism of it.
Jewish Council of Australia condemns Israeli minister’s treatment of detainees
The Jewish Council of Australia has described the actions of Israel’s national security minister - mocking detained human rights defenders - as “a stomach-turning display of cruelty”,. “another Israeli government betrayal of Jewish ethics”.
The council says Australia should issue country-level sanctions against Israel and expel its ambassador.
Video published by Israel’s national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir shows him taunting. humiliating international volunteers who are zip-tied, and forced to kneel in stress positions while the Israeli national anthem blared over loudspeakers.
Ben-Gvir, the leader of the far-right, racist Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party, mocked the bound human rights defenders, waving an Israeli flag. shouting “welcome to Israel, we are the landlords”.
As those detained scream in pain, Ben-Gvir yells: “give them to us for the terrorists’ prisons”.
Bart Shteinman, executive officer of the Jewish Council of Australia, said the footage was “a stomach-turning display of cruelty that flies in the face of human dignity”. that:
double quotation mark Forcing humanitarian volunteers onto their knees while bound and subjected to psychological torment is completely indefensible.
We stand in solidarity with these courageous activists, including Jewish Australian Annie Mokotow, who risked their safety to challenge the illegal maritime blockade. highlight the horrific deprivation in Gaza.
Nats senator Bridget McKenzie offers to help Pauline Hanson campaign in Brisbane
The Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie has offered to help Pauline Hanson campaign for a seat in Brisbane. amid rumours the One Nation leader could look to run for a Nationals-held seat instead.
Hanson has approached government departments to ask whether she could open a new office in the seat of Capricornia. in central Queensland, now held by the Nationals MP Michelle Landry. That seat has also been discussed as a possible home for Matt Canavan. if the Nationals leader decides to switch from the Senate.
McKenzie was on Sky News earlier,. claimed Hanson should instead look to the outer Brisbane seat of Blair, held by the Labor MP Shayne Neumann. McKenzie said:
double quotation mark I think ‘Pauline for Blair’ has a really nice ring to it.
She’ll be actually taking a seat off Labor. Because if you want to change the government in this country. if you want to kick Albo out of the Lodge, Pauline, you’re going to have to start winning Labor seats. I’ll even come and help you campaign, if that’s what you’re going to do.
The Sky host Kieran Gilbert interjected:
double quotation mark You’ll help Pauline campaign, seriously?
double quotation mark In the seat of Blair, absolutely. Let’s go.
With the surging One Nation vote leading to a corresponding cratering of the Coalition’s support. some in the rightwing parties have discussed whether they need to join forces, formally or otherwise.
While a formal minority government coalition between the Liberals, Nationals. One Nation has been rubbished by many, others have said there could be other types of cooperation on the right.
The job cuts announced today at the CSIRO will hurt Australia’s ability to predict. adapt to the impacts of climate change, Science & Technology Australia warns.
Staff at Australia’s national science agency were told today that 92 jobs would be cut from its environment unit. with research programs reduced from eight to five years.
Ryan Winn, the chief executive of Science & Technology Australia, described the job cuts as “a very worrying development”. He said:
double quotation mark New funding for CSIRO announced in the federal budget was never going to save these jobs. It will be used to pay for infrastructure, like buildings and research equipment.
The climate modelling done by CSIRO and ACCESS-NRI contribute to global climate models. Australia is the only country in the southern hemisphere contributing to these … there will be flow-on effects for Australia. our Pacific neighbours’ ability to predict, adapt and respond to the impacts of climate change.
Susan Tonks, the secretary of the CSIRO Staff Association, said the cuts “hurt Australia’s core environmental science capacity, research that supports our oceans, atmosphere, our land, water. our climate”, adding:
double quotation mark Despite the extra funding support from the federal government – some $620m over the next four years – the CSIRO job cuts just keep on coming.
This extra funding support was promised to provide a more sustainable and stable organisation. We’re calling on CSIRO executive to make good on that commitment. rule out further job cuts until the end of the decade.
Minimum wage panellist suggests 6% boost could add inflation
A member of the Fair Work Commission’s panel to set minimum wages has suggested union demands for a 6% increase risk adding to inflation.
The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) has argued the 3 million workers on minimum. award wages should get a pay rise that exceeds inflation.
Employer groups, the Reserve Bank governor. now, it seems, the federal government, have warned big pay rises in today’s high-inflation environment risk adding to inflation pressures.
At an expert hearing yesterday. Mark Cully, a wage panellist, grilled the ACTU’s Thomas Greenwell on the claim a 6% rise wouldn’t add to inflation. He said:
double quotation mark Are you seriously contending. there would be no flow-on implications of a 6% increase to the rest of the workforce?
If that risk was to manifest itself. then I’m not sure how it ends up serving your members, because the consequence of that would be higher inflation … I’m just puzzled by how blithe you are about the immateriality of seeking a 6% wage increase.
Greenwell said enterprise agreements dominate Australia’s workforce. have seen increases of just 4.1%, while inflation is not presently being driven by wage growth and Australians still expect inflation to fall.
His ACTU colleague, Alister Kentish, said the wage panel should boost real wages as the RBA. government expect inflation from the US-Israel war on Iran and oil prices to ease quickly.
However, Adam Hatcher, panellist and FWC president, said:
double quotation mark Well, that inflation prediction is based on some brave assumptions about external events, isn’t it?
Kentish said the inflation prediction is based on the “best available material to the RBA. the commonwealth”, to which Hatcher said:
double quotation mark The best available data: what’s that? Truth Social, is it?
NSW is locking up a record number of people under the Minns government. which enacted major bail reforms in response to domestic violence. There were more than 14,000 people in jail in March.
The prison population grew by 1,200 in the four months to March, which was more than in the previous four years, according to Bureau of Crime Statistics. Research data released last week.
The abrupt rise in the prison population began in November, a month after Mal Lanyon became commissioner.
Bocsar data shows the surge is due to an increase in enforcement activity by NSW police. mostly around domestic violence offending, rather than any increase in crime.
double quotation mark The system is certainly stretched … We’ve got infrastructure for 15,600 inmates. there’s never been this many inmates before.
The Industrial Relations Commission is holding a hearing this afternoon over the strike.
A statewide strike across New South Wales prisons began this afternoon after officers walked off the job in solidarity with a local strike at Goulburn Correctional Centre,. in frustration over record prison numbers.
Troy Wright. of the Public Service Association, said the local branch at the Goulburn Correctional Centre moved a motion to strike over the state government’s plan to close facilities at Goulburn jail that date back to the late 1800s. He said the staff were concerned about job losses and the impact on the community.
In March. the NSW government announced two prison facilities would be closed in September under changes designed to make conditions safer for prisoners. This included facilities at Goulburn jail along with ageing facilities at Silverwater Women’s Correctional Centre.
Wright said staff at other prisons have joined the strike, sending prisons statewide into lockdown with only skeleton staff remaining.
He said the other facilities joined in solidarity. also in frustration because the “custodial population is the highest it’s ever been”.
Hi, I hope you’re having a good afternoon. I’ll see you through the rest of the day’s news.
That’s all from me. Catie McLeod will be your guide for the rest of the day. Take care.
More on the students injured after their school bus crashed in Sydney’s west this afternoon
NSW police said five students were injured and taken to various hospitals for treatment, including one with suspected fractures. They are in years 11 and 12 and range in ages from 16 to 18.
The remaining students. teacher were “shaken but not physically injured” and have all been taken home or back to school, officials said.
The driver has been taken to Westmead hospital for further treatment and mandatory testing.
Albanese government avoids calling for a real ‘real’ wage increase
The Albanese government seems to have stepped back from demanding wages rise faster than inflation after its officials avoided calling for exactly that.
The Fair Work Commission is set to decide how far to lift minimum. award wages for about 3 million workers in a few weeks, in its annual wage decision. Back in March, the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, called for a “sustainable real wage increase”.
Inflation is rising and is expected to reach 5% by June, on a headline basis. Trade unions are calling for a 6% wage boost, to exceed inflation.
At an expert hearing yesterday. government representatives refused to say the government wanted a wage boost that exceeded inflation, a commonly accepted definition of real wage increase.
The department of employment’s Matt Cowgill told the hearing the government was not calling for a specific number. An official suggested a boost of less than 5% would mean real wages would go backwards, to which Cowgill said:
double quotation mark I think that’s arguable … The government doesn’t take a position as to which of those measures. over which period of time, is the specific measure that should be used to assess whether an economically sustainable real wage increase has been awarded.
Chris Perks. from Treasury, said the budget forecast for 3.5% wages growth over the year to June 2027 was contingent on a similar wage decision of just 3.5%. He went on to say:
double quotation mark If nominal unit labour costs do not moderate as forecast then this could have implications for inflation, potentially weighing on growth. employment … An economically sustainable real wage increase is one that is consistent with inflation returning to the RBA’s target band in 2026-27.
A bus carrying dozens of schoolchildren crashed in western Sydney’s Erskine Park this afternoon, with multiple students. the driver taken from the scene via ambulance.
Fire. Rescue NSW said emergency services were called to the scene just before 1pm amid reports the bus had crashed into a tree. The vehicle had 41 students. teachers on board, who were able to get out of the bus after the incident. The driver remained trapped, but was able to be freed by specialist rescue firefighters and paramedics.
Five students and the driver were taken from the site of the accident via ambulance.
Police, Transport NSW and Department of Education officials were also on the scene after the incident.
The CEO of the Northern Territory’s peak body for Aboriginal community-controlled health services says the diphtheria outbreak is “serious” but “preventable”,. urged Territorians to check their vaccination status.
On Thursday, Donna Ah Chee, the CEO of the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory (AMSANT), welcomed a $7m commonwealth emergency support package, which includes additional vaccines, surge workforce support. expanded public health measures.
More than 220 cases of diphtheria have been recorded nationally in 2026. primarily in remote Aboriginal communities across the Northern Territory, South Australia, Western Australia and Queensland, making it the largest outbreak seen in Australia in decades.
Ah Chee said vaccination remained the “best protection against serious illness”,. that improving immunisation rates in remote communities required more than making vaccines available.
“Vaccination works, but access can be much more complicated in remote communities,” she said.
double quotation mark We know overcrowded housing. limited access to services can increase the spread of infectious diseases in remote communities and affect how quickly vaccines can reach people.
That’s why long-term investment in housing, a strong workforce and community-controlled primary healthcare remains so important.
Vaccination remains the best protection against serious illness.
Australia’s national science agency has confirmed at a staff town hall meeting. it is sacking 92 members of its environment research team.
CSIRO staff members said they had been told the number of redundancies had been reduced from 102 after a months-long consultation period.
As Guardian Australia reported on Wednesday. about a third of the team working on the national climate model have been told they have lost their jobs.
Senior scientists said the cuts meant Australia could lose the ability to submit climate projections to form part of reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. have significantly reduced ability to forecast future damage to the country.
The cuts have been made despite CSIRO receiving an additional $387m in funding over the next four years in last week’s federal budget.
More to come on this story later today.
Man charged with stealing camera equipment from Bondi shooting victim in aftermath of terror attack
New South Wales police have charged a man for allegedly stealing camera equipment from one of the victims of the Bondi beach terror attack in the aftermath of the shooting.
In a statement. police allege that the man had been at the Hanukah event before the shooting on 14 December, in which 15 people were killed.
During their investigation into the attack, detectives “identified that one of the victims – a 61-year-old retired police officer. photographer – had his camera equipment stolen in the aftermath of the attack”.
Peter Meagher. 61, a member of the NSW police for 35 years, was one of the victims of the Bondi shooting. In a statement released by police last year. Meagher’s family said he was “struck down in retirement while pursuing his passion for taking photos”.
Australia backs historic UN climate vote
Australia has voted in favour of a landmark United Nations resolution spearheaded by its Pacific island neighbours to strengthen state responsibility to act on climate change. AAP reports.
The 193-member global body endorsed an advisory opinion provided by the world’s top court on Wednesday. which notably warns a failure to curb fossil fuel production might constitute an “internationally wrongful act”.
The hard-fought legal opinion from the international court of justice delivered in July 2025 was first conceived by a group of Pacific students. initially taken up by Vanuatu.
The climate-vulnerable island nation, supported by its Pacific allies, was also the first to sponsor the UN general assembly resolution that passed with 141 votes in favour, eight against. 28 abstentions.
The Australia-based Climate Council chief executive. Amanda McKenzie, said the ruling left the federal government’s stance on fossil fuel exports exposed.
Australia, which has been pursuing significant domestic emissions cuts with ambitious renewables targets but remains a major exporter of coal. gas, voted in favour of the resolution.
Other big fossil fuel producers, including the US, Russia, Iran and Saudi Arabia, opposed the measure.
House prices to fall as almost half of homes for auction fail to sell
Australia’s housing market is slowing, with homes being pulled from auctions and prices starting to fall.
Almost half of all homes listed for auction nationwide last week failed to sell. sending Australia’s auction clearance rate to 50.4%, its lowest since pandemic lockdowns in May 2020, according to Cotality.
More than half of all homes up for auction in Sydney, Perth, Brisbane and Canberra did not sell.
Annabelle Mezieres, a Cotality economist, said:
double quotation mark Clearance rates holding in the low 50% range across the largest two capitals is likely to signal further downward price movement.
Median home prices have fallen slightly in the last month across the five biggest cities, separate Cotality data shows.
Sydney and Melbourne home values have each fallen 1.3% in the last two months to today, Cotality’s daily index shows. Prices in Brisbane and Adelaide are close to running flat this month, though Perth prices are still rising.
Homebuyers have been rocked by three back-to-back interest rate rises, resurgent living costs. now fewer investor tax breaks after Labor’s budget, as you can read here:
The Australian Electoral Commission has referred allegations about the voter enrolment of the Queensland sports. Olympics minister, Tim Mander, to the federal police for further investigation.
Mander has denied any wrongdoing. referred himself to Queensland election authorities after The Australian published stories alleging the former NRL referee and Scripture Union CEO had enrolled to vote at the home of an electorate officer after the breakdown of his marriage despite not living there.
The Electoral Commission Queensland passed the matter to the AEC.
In a statement on Thursday, the AEC said it had sought information about the matter that included an opportunity for Mander to provide information to support his enrolment claim. that:
double quotation mark While a determination has not been made. the AEC does consider that there is currently an absence of compelling evidence to determine Mr Mander resided at the enrolled address.
As such, on 19 May the AEC referred this matter to the AFP for their consideration,. any action they consider appropriate.
As the matters in question concern a potential criminal offence under the Criminal Code Act 1995. the appropriate authority to undertake any further investigation into these issues is the Australian Federal Police.
Mander told parliament last week he had complied with electoral laws “at all times” and that:
double quotation mark I updated the Electoral Commission of Queensland with my correct details when my circumstances changed.
I am currently enrolled at my permanent address. I have complied with the requirements of the Electoral Commission of Queensland at all times.
A woman in her 70s has died after she was hit by a police four-wheel-drive in far north Queensland.
Queensland police confirmed in a statement just before noon. the woman had died after she was hit by the car at an intersection in Cairns.
Police said emergency services were called to the intersection about 7am today.
Officers in the car gave her first aid before she was taken to Cairns hospital with life‑threatening injuries, police said,. she was declared deceased later in the morning.
Motorists have been told to avoid the area while the forensic crash unit investigates.
The case will also be examined by the Queensland police ethical standards command.
Police have asked witnesses or anyone with relevant information to contact them.
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