Australia news live: teacher shortage a crisis ‘10 years in the making’, Clare says; flood waters delay Queensland trains | Australia news

Teacher shortage ‘10 years in the making’: Jason Clare

The education minister, Jason Clare, just spoke with ABC Breakfast about Australia’s teacher shortage. He labelled it a “crisis”:

[There are] not enough young people going to university to want to become a teacher, [and] too many people leaving the profession. This is something that’s 10 years in the making. It will take us some time to fix, but it’s something we have to turn around here.

Clare said that over the past 10 years, the rates of people studying teaching at uni has fallen by 12%. While Victoria has seen a 10% increase in offers, the rate of people who finish the degree is low:

We’ve got 80,000 people at uni studying teaching, that’s good, but only 50% will actually finish the degree, and another 20% will quit in the first three years as a teacher.

He pointed to the difficulty in doing unpaid prac, and said more support is needed for teachers in the early years of their career.

Q: Are there more things you can do immediately to alleviate what is an unprecedented situation?

Clare said bringing teachers from overseas is one element of this – with 2,000 visas granted – but also encouraging people to return to the profession:

There’s 300,000 teachers in our schools right now but there’s another 100,000 teachers who are registered, [have] the qualifications, but have chosen to keep the registration but not teach. Part of [our plan] is encouraging them to come back as teachers or mentors for those teachers in their early years and provide them with the support they need.

Education minister Jason Clare
Education minister Jason Clare. Photograph: Dean Lewins/AAP

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Key events

Some properties in Winton, in the central west of Queensland, are at risk of becoming isolated for six to eight weeks due to floodwaters.

West of Winton towards Boulia, the Middleton community has recorded about 450mm of rain since the weekend, as large parts of the state faced flooding overnight.

Winton mayor Gavin Baskett told AAP:

The Boulia road through to Alice Springs has currently got three metres of water over the crossings.

Some of the crossings are at the highest (flood levels) some graziers have ever seen them.

Winton’s local disaster management group has been activated with some properties bunkering down for a long, isolated period in floodwaters.

Baskett:

They are all graziers out there, lucky it isn’t tourist season.

– from AAP

Earlier this morning, attorney-general Mark Dreyfus spoke to the 7am podcast and was asked about Robodebt.

Specifically, he was asked about the discrepancy between the 57 recommendations listed in the report, versus the “full 56” he accepted in his official response to the royal commission.

Cait Kelly had all the details about this late last year – one of the recommendations was later classified as a “closing observation”, which called for significant changes to the Freedom of Information act:

Speaking to 7am, Dreyfus was asked why he said there was one less recommendation than the report lists? He replied:

There’s a… it is perhaps terminological, but there’s a bit at the end where [royal commissioner] Catherine Holmes offered an observation about cabinet process, but it’s not actually a recommendation that she makes. It’s an observation about cabinet process.

Q: But in the report, it says the following is a list of 57 recommendations?

Dreyfus:

Well, we don’t agree with the observation that she made about cabinet process.

He is again pressed on the technicality of the number of recommendations:

We’ll have to agree to disagree. But, it’s that bit about cabinet process was, not something that really strictly fell within the terms of reference. It was something that arose [as] an observation at the end. It’s couched as a final observation by Catherine Holmes. We’re concerned with her recommendations that go to the way in which governments make decisions, in which departments make decisions, the way in which those decisions can be reviewed…

Oxfam Australia call for UNRWA funding to be reinstated

Oxfam Australia, along with 19 other aid organisations, has called on donor nations to reinstate funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).

At the weekend, foreign minister Penny Wong announced Australia would pause its funding to UNRWA while an investigation is under way into several employees accused of taking part in Hamas’s 7 October attacks in Israel.

Of the 12 employees who have been accused by Israel of taking part in the attacks, nine were immediately sacked, one was confirmed dead and two were still being identified.

Australia is one of 10 donor countries that have withdrawn funding from the UN agency:

In a joint statement, Oxfam said the aid cuts come amid a “rapidly worsening humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza”, where the population is facing starvation, looming famine and the outbreak of disease while under bombardment.

The statement reads:

We urge donor states to reaffirm support for the vital work that UNRWA and its partners do to help Palestinians survive one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes of our times. Countries must reverse these funding suspensions, uphold their duties towards the Palestinian people and scale up humanitarian assistance for civilians in dire need in Gaza and the region.

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QFES is asking those in south-east Queensland to keep up-to-date with the latest road closures as multiple areas are affected by flooding this morning:

With multiple areas in southern and south-east QLD affected by flooding this morning, it’s important to stay informed and act quickly.

Keep an eye on your local council disaster dashboards, and stay up-to-date with the latest road closures at https://t.co/ytoLMqnKzb

Avoid… pic.twitter.com/dsL1vQJ21h

— Qld Fire & Emergency (@QldFES) January 29, 2024

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Queensland town of Jandowae urged to ‘go to higher ground’ as flood waters rise

Another emergency alert has been issued in Queensland, this time for Jandowae in the Western Downs region.

The local council is advising of dangerous flooding at Jandowae Creek and said flood water may continue rising with additional rainfall today.

Residents are being advised to “warn neighbours, secure belongings, and go to higher ground”.

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‘It was horrifying’: witness describes Sydney shark attack aftermath

A vet and her neighbours are being praised for saving the life of a shark attack victim who dragged herself out of the water at a Sydney Harbour beach, AAP reports.

The woman, who is in her late 20s, was bitten on the right leg by a suspected bull shark in Elizabeth Bay around sunset yesterday.

Michael Porter had just arrived home from work when he heard faint yells for help through his open window. He told Nine’s Today program:

It was horrifying, I’ve never experienced anything like it.

Lauren, the victim, was trying to pull herself up off the side the harbour pool, trying to get into the safe enclosure.

Her leg was sort of trailing behind her – behind her was all red blood.

The whole thing was totally surreal and I still haven’t processed it all, to be honest.

He was quickly joined by several other neighbours, including a “hero” vet named Fiona who applied tourniquets to stem the bleeding.

The victim’s significant wounds meant “blood was everywhere” and, while in little pain, she struggled to maintain consciousness before paramedics arrived and rushed her to nearby St Vincent’s hospital for surgery.

Porter:

Fiona is a hero and I believe she saved her life.

I’m not sure what would have happened but it wouldn’t have been good.

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Teacher shortage ‘10 years in the making’: Jason Clare

The education minister, Jason Clare, just spoke with ABC Breakfast about Australia’s teacher shortage. He labelled it a “crisis”:

[There are] not enough young people going to university to want to become a teacher, [and] too many people leaving the profession. This is something that’s 10 years in the making. It will take us some time to fix, but it’s something we have to turn around here.

Clare said that over the past 10 years, the rates of people studying teaching at uni has fallen by 12%. While Victoria has seen a 10% increase in offers, the rate of people who finish the degree is low:

We’ve got 80,000 people at uni studying teaching, that’s good, but only 50% will actually finish the degree, and another 20% will quit in the first three years as a teacher.

He pointed to the difficulty in doing unpaid prac, and said more support is needed for teachers in the early years of their career.

Q: Are there more things you can do immediately to alleviate what is an unprecedented situation?

Clare said bringing teachers from overseas is one element of this – with 2,000 visas granted – but also encouraging people to return to the profession:

There’s 300,000 teachers in our schools right now but there’s another 100,000 teachers who are registered, [have] the qualifications, but have chosen to keep the registration but not teach. Part of [our plan] is encouraging them to come back as teachers or mentors for those teachers in their early years and provide them with the support they need.

Education minister Jason Clare. Photograph: Dean Lewins/AAP

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Train delays in Brisbane and Sunshine Coast because flood waters over tracks

Flood waters are covering the train tracks at Moreton Bay in Queensland – where more than a dozen rescues occurred overnight – leading to delays for commuters.

Translink says the Caboolture, Sunshine Coast, and Redcliffe Peninsula line trains are delayed up to 60 minutes. The trains are stopped due to flooding over tracks at Bray Park, Moreton Bay in Brisbane’s north.

Here is the latest from Translink:

Buses are now operating to get you moving again between Geebung and Narangba stations on the Caboolture and Sunshine Coast lines.

Buses are now operating to get you moving again between Geebung and Petrie stations on the Redcliffe Peninsula line.

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Man’s body pulled from water in Hobart

An investigation is under way after a body was pulled from the water in the Tasmanian capital, AAP reports.

The body of the man was recovered at around 10pm on Monday near Franklin Wharf in Hobart.

Tasmania police said in a statement:

An investigation is underway into the circumstances prior to the man entering the water.

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Flood emergency warnings issued in Forest Hill and Laidley in Queensland

Sticking with the weather in Queensland, and two emergency alerts were issued early this morning for the Lockyer Valley council area.

An emergency alert was issued at 4.40am (local time) for the town of Forest Hill, warning that flooding may occur and water levels may rise rapidly.

Residents in low lying areas are encouraged to enact their emergency plan.

Another emergency alert was issued for Laidley at the same time, advising people in low-lying areas to enact their emergency plans because of potential flooding.

The Laidley state high school’s evacuation centre is open for those seeking safe shelter, the alert said.

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Queensland crews conduct 13 flood rescues overnight

The Queensland Fire and Emergency Service conducted 13 rescue jobs overnight as parts of the state’s south-east were lashed with rain and flooding.

A spokesperson said 13 swift-water rescue jobs were completed overnight. Majority of these were in the Moreton Bay region, where people were trapped in their homes with rising flood waters.

Rescue jobs were also completed in Somerset, Lockyer Valley and Darling Downs.

Meanwhile, the SES received 28 requests for assistance in the Moreton Bay area in the past 24 hours.

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No one should have to ‘ring around’ to find a bulk-billing GP, Greens MP says

The Greens MP Stephen Bates says “no one should have to ring around for hours” to find a bulk-billing GP, after the health minister Mark Butler encouraged people to do so.

As Josh Butler reported, the health minister yesterday encouraged Australians to “ring around” doctors in their area and “vote with your feet” to find GPs offering bulk billing. This comes as concerns continue over whether enough is being done to stop medical clinics winding back subsidised visits.

Bates claimed that only around 5% of GPs in his electorate bulk bill new patients. He wrote on X:

Stop treating healthcare as a market place and telling people to ‘vote with their feet.’

No one should have to ring around for hours trying to find affordable healthcare. It should be free at the point of use.

Around 5% of GPs in my electorate bulk bill new patients.

Stop treating healthcare as a market place and telling people to “vote with their feet.”

No one should have to ring around for hours trying to find affordable healthcare. It should be free at the point of use. https://t.co/kBKOiGH00r

— Stephen Bates (@stephenbatesmp) January 29, 2024

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Broad tax reform should be an issue at next election, Chaney and Daniel say

Zoe Daniel agreed that we need to have a broader conversation around Australia’s tax system and the economy.

I think broad-based tax reform, big structural changes, that is the kind of thing that you would take to an election and quite frankly, given where we are in the electoral cycle, we wouldn’t be able to get it done in time anyway.

It is the kind of structural policy shift that the government could build, to take to the election. It will have to happen eventually. It is inevitable. So the government at some point is going to have to be brave and step into this conversation, which is affecting all different parts of our society and economy in different ways … it has to be everything on the table.

Kate Chaney agreed with the sentiment and said because it is “politically unpalatable to talk about tax … nothing ever changes”.

I completely agree that it should be an election issue at the next election.

Chaney argued the government needs courage, but also the opposition – so that if they don’t like a proposal or reform “they come up with an alternative and give people a choice”.

But that will actually depend on having that conversation with the community about why change is needed, and building some momentum behind it, and building an appetite so that we can see that the necessary changes, rather than focusing on what it all means for me, if one little bit of the tax system is changes.

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‘We need to put down our weapons’ when it comes to economy, Kate Chaney says

Kate Chaney argued that both sides of politics need to “put down our weapons” and engage in a broader conversation about the country’s economy:

We have a situation where we have an ageing population, over reliance income tax … inadequate revenue for our natural resources and compared to other countries, lower consumption tax and smaller base, we have a structural deficit. We can’t pay for the things that we think we deserve, and we need to have a broad conversation … over the next 20 years about how we’re going to pay for this.

Both sides are willing to talk about tax cuts, but no one’s worried about where the money’s actually going to come from.

In the 80s we managed to have some significant economic reform, and a big part of that was that the Liberal party didn’t just block it for the sake of it, willing to talk about what actually was good for the country and how we’re going to get there. We need to put down our weapons and have a similar discussion now about what our economy looks like over the next 20 years.

Independent MP Kate Chaney. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

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Zoe Daniel on tax changes: ‘There is strong support in the community for this shift’

The independent MPs Kate Chaney and Zoe Daniel are speaking to ABC RN and are asked for their thoughts on the stage-three tax cut changes.

First up, Chaney said that “on balance” she does support them:

The reality is we are just frozen on tax reform. And we can’t actually say you can never change your mind ever on anything. When circumstances change, we also need to be able to change policy.

Daniel said she was still finalising her position and speaking to her electorate of Goldstein for their thoughts:

I’ll wait to see the actual legislation but at this point, there is strong support in the community for this shift … I’ve had a lot of people contacting me who earn more than that [$180,000] threshold saying, look, it would be great to have that money, but other people need it more.

Independent MP for Goldstein, Zoe Daniel. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

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