Alice Springs mayor touts ‘positive impact’ of curfew measures but domestic violence still a ‘calamity’
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, met with the mayor of Alice Springs last night to discuss the results of a recent youth curfew.
A two-week curfew for young people was announced in March, and later extended by six days, after violence outside a town pub the day prior.
Mayor Matt Paterson told ABC RN he had a one-on-one meeting with the PM who “didn’t say much [but] did a lot of listening”.
Paterson suggested there was a “calamity of issues” where police are spending 80% of their time responding to domestic violence related incidents, rather than doing “proactive policing”.
That’s one of the issues that I spoke about with the prime minister that we need to address … I know there’s a national conversation going on about that at the moment, but the extra resources at the moment are clearly having a positive impact in the community.
Paterson said the local crime level is down when compared to before the curfew, and attributed this to the extra resources – with a large police presence in Alice Springs until the end of June.
I think there’s a bit of a different feeling within the community [like] everyone’s taken a breath and feels a little bit more safer.
Key events
Anne Aly discusses personal experience as victim-survivor and how this informs her work
Labor frontbencher Anne Aly just appeared on ABC RN, speaking about her personal experience as a victim-survivor of family violence. She described how this has informed her approach to the current national debate:
I often describe it as a tiny little crack in the bone somewhere in your body, that like, you know, you can move on from that situation – as I have, you can go on to achieve a lot of things as I have been blessed and fortunate to be able to do – but there’s always a piece of you that you carry with you through your life, and these past few months have been incredibly difficult.
And I know that, you know, for anyone listening who themselves is a victim-survivor, they’ll recognise what I [see] every single day re-traumatises you and it’s just really gut wrenching and heartbreaking.
As the minister for youth, Aly said she channels her experience into developing programs and policies, pointing to a youth advisory group on the prevention of gender-based violence.
I recognise that it took me 20 years to start talking about my experiences that’s how traumatising it is for a lot of women … These figures show us [that some women] are living in fear, walking on eggshells, fearing for their lives in their own homes, when some of our women are being tracked, surveilled, threatened, they have perpetrators turning up at their work.
Billie Eilish announces world tour, including 12 Australian shows
In some entertainment news from overnight: Grammy-winning pop star Billie Eilish announced her world tour overnight, which includes 12 shows across Australia’s east coast next year!
But in sad news for our friends across the ditch, there are no New Zealand dates on the lineup.
Eilish is set to perform four shows in Brisbane (February 18, 19, 21 and 22), four shows in Sydney (February 24, 25, 27 and 28) and four shows in Melbourne (March 4, 5, 7 and 8).
The tour is for her upcoming album Hit Me Hard and Soft, scheduled to be released on 17 May.
Alice Springs mayor touts ‘positive impact’ of curfew measures but domestic violence still a ‘calamity’
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, met with the mayor of Alice Springs last night to discuss the results of a recent youth curfew.
A two-week curfew for young people was announced in March, and later extended by six days, after violence outside a town pub the day prior.
Mayor Matt Paterson told ABC RN he had a one-on-one meeting with the PM who “didn’t say much [but] did a lot of listening”.
Paterson suggested there was a “calamity of issues” where police are spending 80% of their time responding to domestic violence related incidents, rather than doing “proactive policing”.
That’s one of the issues that I spoke about with the prime minister that we need to address … I know there’s a national conversation going on about that at the moment, but the extra resources at the moment are clearly having a positive impact in the community.
Paterson said the local crime level is down when compared to before the curfew, and attributed this to the extra resources – with a large police presence in Alice Springs until the end of June.
I think there’s a bit of a different feeling within the community [like] everyone’s taken a breath and feels a little bit more safer.
Should Australia go nuclear? Why Peter Dutton’s plan could be an atomic failure
Year in, year out, there’s a good chance someone in politics has suggested nuclear power as an answer to Australia’s energy problems. Guardian Australia’s Matilda Boseley explains why in this new video below.
Modern-day nuclear energy is climate friendly compared with coal and gas. But going nuclear isn’t practical for Australia – and it’s an idea that’s more than likely coming directly from the Coalition’s “delaying action on climate change” handbook.
‘This absolutely is a national crisis’: Ed Husic on violence against women
Ed Husic also spoke about measures the government is taking to address violence against women, following national rallies at the weekend.
An urgent national cabinet meeting has been called for tomorrow to discuss the issue. Husic told ABC News Breakfast it was important for federal, state and territory leaders to come together on this:
I think the bigger thing is, as a nation, you are seeing people say that they don’t accept, won’t accept and shouldn’t accept the continuing violence that’s leading to death with women, and that men need to take accountability and stand up on this.
This absolutely is a national crisis. Too many women have not only lost their lives this year but in previous years as well, every year I recall my colleague, the member for Newcastle, Sharon Clayton, who reads the names of women who have lost their lives as a result of domestic violence in the parliament and it is a shameful roll call and we all need to step up.
It is not just about governments or me being here as a politician rattling off different elements of things that are being done at a government level, we all have to work together on this and end this shameful roll call and everyone deserves to be able to live in peace in our community.
Australian researchers to return home after quantum computing work overseas
Ed Husic has been making the rounds on breakfast programs, also speaking to ABC News Breakfast about the $1bn quantum computing investment for Brisbane.
He went into more detail about the work of PsiQuantum co-founder Jeremy O’Brien:
This is a firm that [had] its start effectively in the work that was done by its co-founders at the University of Queensland, Professor Jeremy O’Brien in particular – some of his work is the most cited in quantum research on the planet.
They left our shores, because effectively they didn’t think we had an interest or a desire to back this type of technology. They have now set up a firm considered a global front-runner in the race to build the world’s first fault-tolerant computer. These Australians want to come home to ensure that we can become a tech manufacturing powerhouse now. It is huge.
Husic said the company would keep its IP and maintain its presence in the US. He said quantum computing technology would unlock potential “to create new medicines or to optimise the way energy networks operate in the transition to net zero”.
Minister says investment for $1bn quantum computing to be released in batches
Industry and science minister Ed Husic just spoke to ABC RN about the $1bn quantum computing company to be built in Brisbane. Daniel Hurst had all the details about this announcement earlier in the blog here.
He said the precinct in Brisbane will allow Australian founders – like Jeremy O’Brien who did a lot of his research work at the University of Queensland – to come home and “set up the world’s first fault tolerant quantum computer on Australian soil”.
What it will mean longer term, not just from the jobs that are instantly created … is what it does to the whole quantum ecosystem in this country, what it’ll enable broader Australian industry to do.
And the other big thing out of this is we are sending a signal to the rest of the world that we want our nation to be a centre for quantum growth, a frontier technology that will be important for the global economy as well.
Husic admitted this was a “frontier technology” and “there are never guarantees with frontier technology”, with the “finish line in this global race … estimated to be 2026-27”.
So if there aren’t results by 2026-27, will the government pull the plug?
We’ve set this deal up, but we [have] conditions along the way, expectations about performance milestones, as we release the investment in batches depending on performance.
So we’ve tried to get the balance right to manage the protection of taxpayer dollars with the investment in our economic and industrial capability long term.
Discovery brings universal flu vaccine one step closer
A vaccine that can fight off all forms of influenza is one step closer to becoming a reality thanks to a discovery in Melbourne, AAP reports.
Scientists at the Doherty Institute have identified nine new similarities between different types of the influenza B virus, which can be particularly dangerous for children.
Killer T-cells in the immune system each reacted strongly to those nine fragments, which lead researcher Katherine Kedzierska likened to a “target” for future vaccines that aim to fight off all forms of the flu:
The findings are significant as they pave the way for the design of potential vaccines.
She said identifying parts of the virus that did not change was the “ultimate goal in the quest for a universal influenza vaccine”.
Such vaccine would potentially not require annual reformulations or vaccinations, although occasional boosts may be needed as we age or for those with underlying health conditions. We would perhaps not need to get vaccinated annually but periodic boosting every five or 10 years.
The study was published in prestigious journal Nature Communications today.
Authorities have recorded 42,000 laboratory confirmed cases of the flu in Australia so far in 2024 and more than 289,000 cases in 2023.
Triple zero emergency hotline access to be strengthened
Josh Taylor
In response to the Optus network outage late last year that left millions without mobile coverage and thousands unable to make triple zero calls, the federal government will establish a new custodian to set industry rules on network outages and testing regimes to avoid repeat issues in the future.
The announcement came in response to 18 recommendations made by the Richard Bean review into government lessons from the outage, released today.
The new rules will set out how, what and when telcos communicate with customers during and after an outage, and will require the companies to have plans in place and explain to the regulator what they will do in the event of a major outage.
The government will also review and update legislation regulating triple zero.
The communications minister, Michelle Rowland, said:
Australians need to have confidence in our telecommunications services, particularly when it comes to Triple Zero. Last year’s Optus outage and the Telstra Triple Zero fault earlier this year highlights vulnerabilities in the system.
This review is the most comprehensive examination of the Triple Zero ecosystem in over a decade. It means we have a workable blueprint to implement changes that will help improve the resilience of telecommunications in this country.
The Review identified opportunities every part of the system need to do better, and these recommendations will help us do just that.
The review highlighted that the cause of triple zero calls failing to connect to other mobile networks during the outage was related to Optus’s 3G network. While Optus has since fixed the issue, the report noted that the end of 3G later this year will also resolve that issue.
Good morning
Emily Wind
And happy Tuesday! Thanks to Martin for kicking things off. I’m Emily Wind, and I’ll take you through our rolling coverage today.
See something that needs attention, or have a question about the day’s news? You can get in touch via X, @emilywindwrites, or send me an email: [email protected].
Let’s get started.
Police investigate death of woman near Perth
Police in Western Australia are investigating after a woman was found dead in her home south of Perth.
At about 7.15am on Monday, police responded to a call at an address in Yangebup, a suburb about 25km south of central Perth, where they “located the woman deceased”.
A 54-year-old man is assisting police with inquiries.
Police said the man and woman are believed to be known to each other, and that there is no ongoing threat to the public.
The investigation is ongoing.
A neighbour told WA Today the woman was in her 70s and her son moved out of the home.
Daniel Hurst
Quantum computing set for Brisbane has been a decade in the making
Let’s bring you some more reaction to the announcement of nearly $1bn in federal and Queensland government support for a quantum computing company to set up its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Brisbane:
The CEO and co-founder of PsiQuantum, Prof Jeremy O’Brien, said a utility-scale quantum computer would be an invaluable tool for Australia’s critical industries, “from revolutionising the processes and tools the pharmaceutical industry uses to develop new drugs to designing vastly more efficient batteries for electric vehicles to enhance the economics and efficiencies of the EV industry”.
O’Brien said:
We founded this company on our shared conviction that quantum computing is the most profoundly world-changing technology that humans have discovered, and that to deliver on the promise of quantum computing you need a utility-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer.
I’ve held this belief since I was a professor at The University of Queensland over 20 years ago, and our team at PsiQuantum has been working towards this goal for nearly a decade.
Daniel Hurst
$1bn quantum computing to be built in Brisbane
A leading quantum computing company will set up its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Brisbane as part of a nearly $1bn deal to be announced by the federal and Queensland governments today.
A quantum computer is a new kind of experimental device which uses the bizarre properties of subatomic physics to do some kinds of calculations much more quickly and easily than a standard, silicon-chip computer – potentially doing things such as cracking encryption.
Quantum computing is expected to deliver immense data-processing power, helping to drive advances in areas like new medicines, AI and the net zero transition.
The two governments say the deal will create up to 400 new highly skilled ongoing jobs and will enable the company – PsiQuantum – to “build the world’s first fault tolerant quantum computer in Brisbane”.
Such a computer will be able to perform a large number of calculations with extremely low error rates. PsiQuantum, which is based in Palo Alto in California, has already attracted support from private investors, but will now also have access to $470m in equity and loans from the Australian government and the same from the Queensland government.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said the government must “make bold investments today if we want to see a Future Made in Australia” – an emerging major theme of next month’s federal budget.
The Queensland premier, Steven Miles, whose Labor government is well behind in the polls with a state election due in October, said the announcement was “as significant for Queensland and the nation as the first silicon microprocessors were to California that established Silicon Valley”.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news coverage. I’m Martin Farrer bringing you the top overnight stories before my colleague Emily Wind takes up the strain.
The rate of women killed by an intimate partner in Australia increased by nearly 30% in 2022-23, compared to the previous year, according to data released by the Australian Institute of Criminology last night. More than $300m additional annual government funding is needed to meet demand for legal aid services related to family violence, the national peak body has warned, as Australia grapples with a crisis of murdered women. The stories come as a woman has been found dead in her home south of Perth. A man is assisting police with their inquiries. More coming up.
The Assyrian bishop who was stabbed in a terrorist act at his Sydney church earlier this month has spoken of how he has lost the use of his right eye after the attack. Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel referred to the attack while he was speaking at the Assyrian Christ the Good Shepherd church in Wakeley during an evening mass on Sunday, almost two weeks after he was allegedly stabbed by a 16-year-old. Meanwhile, the boy’s parents appeared on ABC’s 7.30 last night. We’ve got details of what they said coming up.
BHP has said it hopes to secure a $40bn settlement over the 2015 Samarco disaster, when the collapse of a dam left at least 19 people dead, 700 homeless and spread unprecedented levels of pollutants across the rivers and landscape of Brazil. BHP said it had offered the settlement to the Brazilian authorities in partnership with fellow miner Vale, its 50:50 joint venture partner in a local subsidiary, Samarco. More coming up.
And today the federal and Queensland governments will announced $1bn in funding that will see a quantum computer built in Brisbane. What’s a quantum computer? We’ll tell you soon.
