Australia news live: Dutton’s office asked Rinehart’s company for lift on her private jet; NSW Health warning over potential virus risk at Sydney cosmetic clinic | Australia news

Benita Kolovos

Victoria’s V/Line reports highest ever patronage

V/Line has reported its highest ever patronage after the government capped fares on all regional train and coach services in Victoria.

In its 2023-24 report, tabled in parliament today, the regional rail provider said 23.8m trips were taken in the financial year – the highest patronage ever recorded on the V/Line rail network.

In his foreword, V/Line’s chief executive Matt Carrick wrote:

This growth has been spurred by record investment in our network and the introduction of the regional fare cap, which capped the daily price of a regional fare to the price of a metropolitan fare. Since the introduction of the regional fare cap, patronage on our service has continued to go from strength to strength, with many of our passengers taking advantage of reduced fares to travel around the state for major events and festivals, and to connect with family and friends.

The annual report said its busiest day ever was 24 April 2024 – the day before the Anzac Day public holiday. The biggest increases in patronage were on the long-haul routes including the Albury, Echuca, Swan Hill and Warrnambool lines.

It said by the end of the 2023-24 financial year, the fare cap had saved passengers $74m since it was introduced.

Under the fare cap, which was introduced following the 2022 state election, anyone can travel anywhere in the state serviced by the V/Line without paying more than $10.60 a day – even less on weekends and for concessions.

Rafqa Touma

Thanks for joining me on the blog today! Handing over to Cait Kelly, who will keep you updated with the afternoon’s news.

Amanda Meade

ABC journalist Matt Peacock dies aged 72

Matt Peacock, the ABC journalist who uncovered the corruption and spin of the asbestos industry over three decades, has died aged 72 after a short battle with pancreatic cancer.

Peacock was the author of Killer Company: James Hardie Exposed, which detailed his role in uncovering the asbestos scandal. In 2012 his dogged ABC journalism was portrayed by actor Ewan Leslie in the ABC miniseries Devil’s Dust.

Towards the end of his 40-year career at the ABC he was a senior reporter on 7.30 and the staff elected director on the ABC board.

ABC chair Kim Williams said Peacock was dedicated to pursuing the health impacts of asbestos in different communities, defending the marginalised and giving a voice to people who needed their story to be told.

“Our audiences trusted him and knew him as a courageous and principled journalist who pursued those who hid from their responsibilities,” Williams said.

He loved the ABC and believed in its integrity and standards, and he urged his colleagues to uphold these values without compromise. Matt further represented these values as staff elected ABC Board member from 2013 where he tirelessly advocated for the role of the ABC and the importance of the journalism it delivered. After retiring from the ABC, he was just as vocal as a member of the ABC alumni.

NSW Health has issued a public health alert for blood-borne virus risk, advising clients of Fresh Cosmetic Clinic to get tested “due to infection control breaches in the clinic,” as put in a media release.

Dr Vicky Sheppeard, director of South Eastern Sydney Local Health District Public Health Unit (SESLHD PHU), said clients who had injections or underwent any invasive procedure – such as breast implants, facial or nasal line carving – should “see their GP as soon as possible and ask to be tested for blood-borne viruses”.

Fresh Cosmetic Clinic is no longer operating at 630 George Street, according to the statement.

Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) notified SESLHD PHU of concerns relating to “potential risks to public health arising from practices at the Fresh Cosmetic Clinic”.

SESLHD PHU inspected the clinic on 22 October and reviewed evidence provided by the HCCC. They identified some procedures conducted the clinic “may have posed a risk to clients of exposure to blood borne viruses such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C or HIV”.

Sheppeard said:

Blood borne viruses can be spread between clients where injections or invasive procedures are carried out without stringent infection control.

People infected with blood borne viruses may not show symptoms for many years, so it is important to be tested to see if there is silent infection. There are effective treatments for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV.

NSW Health and the HCCC are working to consider whether any other action needs to be taken.

Benita Kolovos

Dump day at Victorian parliament

For those who celebrate, today is dump day at Victoria’s parliament.

As I wrote last year, dump day is when the government releases a bewildering number of annual reports at once, presumably so that journalists and other interested parties are rendered physically incapable of taking them all in.

Today though, 131 annual reports, including dozens of reports from Victoria’s health services and emergency service agencies, have been delayed until next sitting week.

The opposition finance spokesperson, Jess Wilson, says it’s “simply unacceptable”.

She said:

With so many government agencies sinking further into debt and services continuing to deteriorate under Labor, Victorians deserve to know the exact financial position of their frontline health, emergency service, justice and environment authorities.

We’ll let you know what we find as we trawl through the other 173 documents that have been tabled in parliament.

Peter Dutton’s office asked Gina Rinehart’s company for lift on private jet

Josh Butler

Peter Dutton has admitted his office asked mining billionaire Gina Rinehart for a lift on her private jet to a Bali bombing memorial, after claiming the government wouldn’t help him get a flight on a government plane.

Just days ago, Dutton said “no” when asked by a journalist if he’d personally asked Rinehart for help with flights. But on Thursday he conceded his office had in fact made such a request to Australia’s richest person.

Dutton declared the flight on his register of interests in November 2022, disclosing flights between Rockhampton, Sydney and Mackay “to attend Bali bombing memorial … courtesy of Hancock Prospecting”, Rinehart’s mining company.

He said on Thursday that his office was unable to secure commercial flights for that route, and that a charter jet would have cost about $40,000. Dutton claimed his office had requested a special-purpose flight, or a VIP jet available to politicians under some circumstances, but alleged the government “played games, and they didn’t offer that flight”.

“The cheaper option for the taxpayer was for my office to speak to Mrs Rinehart’s office as to whether the plane might be available. That was at zero cost to the taxpayer,” he said.

Just two days ago, Dutton had shrugged off questions about that flight. According to a transcript distributed by his office on Tuesday, at a press conference Dutton was asked by a journalist: “Have you ever personally asked Gina Rinehart to fly around Australia?”

His answer, according to the transcript, was a flat “no”.

Dutton’s answer on Thursday was that his office had spoken to Rinehart’s office about flights, a distinction to the question on Tuesday about whether he’d “personally” asked Rinehart herself.

A woman who was snorkelling in the middle of the ocean off the coast of Queensland has been bitten by a shark.

Paramedics were called to assist a woman in her 50s who was bitten by a shark about 10 hours offshore – or 200 km – from Mackay on Wednesday afternoon.

It’s understood she was on a boat in the middle of the ocean and snorkelling when the attack occurred.

She suffered lacerations to her lower leg.

Navy vessel HMAS Warramunga was in the area and caught up with the woman’s boat to provide medical assistance before sailing to Mackay Harbour.

Paramedics took over when she arrived at 12.45am on Thursday and transported the woman to Mackay Base hospital in a stable condition.

– Australian Associated Press

Peter Hannam

Australia’s export prices extend their retreat and why your cuppa is getting more costly

We usually focus a lot on demand in Australia but, as a trading nation, what’s happening globally has a big influence on our growth prospects.

As a commodity exporter, in particular, we can mostly thank China for pushing up the value of energy and mineral exports for the past couple of decades. And since China’s economy is now struggling – particularly the real estate bit that uses a lot of resources – commodity prices are generally sinking, as the ABS’s September quarter data shows:

Lower prices mean smaller mining profits (to the extent they remain in Australia) and smaller royalty payments (harder to avoid) flowing into government coffers. (Translation: there’s little chance of a third federal budget surplus in a row)

Weak Chinese demand extends to oil, which is why import prices of petroleum products are on the skids (despite Middle East tensions). The fact that electric vehicles account for half of all auto sales in China (easily the biggest car market nowadays), suggests oil demand there has peaked too.

And if you’re about to grab a coffee or tea, it’s worth noting how much prices of those commodities are rising.

Hope the charts don’t put you off your lunch.