Australia news live: Tasmanian authorities begin euthanising stranded whales; PM announces $2.4bn fund to save Whyalla steelworks
Tasmanian authorities begin euthanising stranded whales
Donna Lu
Tasmanian authorities have begun euthanising false killer whales that beached on the state’s remote north-west coast.
Yesterday, authorities responded to a mass stranding of 157 animals near Arthur River. Challenging conditions and the site’s inaccessibility hampered rescue efforts, and the decision was made to euthanise surviving animals after failed attempts at refloating them.
Giving an update today, Brendon Clark, a liaison officer at the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service, said euthanasia was a last resort conducted for animal welfare reasons, adding:
The conditions that the team faced yesterday in attempts to refloat the whales proved very challenging and, in fact, dangerous to our staff … forecasts over the forthcoming days shows no likelihood of improvement in weather conditions, and so those challenging conditions trying to refloat animals into that exposed ocean will remain constant …
The team started euthanising animals yesterday afternoon, with 27 animals processed on site this morning. There still remains 38 animals alive, which means the natural process ran its course last night and we lost 25 additional animals overnight.
It is expected that the euthanasia process will conclude today, and then we will look at our options relating to carcass disposal.
The false killer whale, despite its common name, is a highly sociable species of dolphin. The animals form large pods that can predispose them to mass strandings.
Clark added as part of standard procedure, postmortem investigations “including full necropsies” would be performed on a number of animals “to help try to gain additional information as to why these types of events may be occurring”.
Key events
Benita Kolovos
Third assessment requirement for neurodiverse patients a barrier in regional Victoria, MP says
Continuing from our last post: Emma Vulin said the requirement for third assessments for patients with neurodegenerative conditions, which the government is planning to remove, was a barrier for people in regional Victoria.
Vulin said she had some “better days” and “tough days” battling her condition but it offered a new perspective to her work:
My perspective on life did change in a big way since my diagnosis, and I have stepped up, to try and be strong and to advocate for things like accessibility here at parliament and speak up for people that are living with disability. It’s quite special for me to be able to have a say in and work in this government that’s doing things for Victorians.
Benita Kolovos
Victorian minister with motor neurone disease speaks about VAD changes
Returning to the Victorian health minister Mary-Anne Thomas’s press conference at parliament earlier, where she announced plans to change the state’s voluntary assisted dying legislation to make it easier for terminally ill people to access this.
She was joined by the Pakenham MP, Emma Vulin, who announced her motor neurone disease diagnosis in April last year. Vulin said she never thought she would have to consider VAD but now is:
For people like me that have been diagnosed with a terminal diagnosis, it’s important that we ensure that people have accessible options. We have to remember it is an option, it’s a choice, and this is definitely something that I will be considering during my journey, and it’s good to know that I’ll have to see two doctors, not three any more, to get what I need moving forward.
Tasmanian authorities begin euthanising stranded whales
Donna Lu
Tasmanian authorities have begun euthanising false killer whales that beached on the state’s remote north-west coast.
Yesterday, authorities responded to a mass stranding of 157 animals near Arthur River. Challenging conditions and the site’s inaccessibility hampered rescue efforts, and the decision was made to euthanise surviving animals after failed attempts at refloating them.
Giving an update today, Brendon Clark, a liaison officer at the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service, said euthanasia was a last resort conducted for animal welfare reasons, adding:
The conditions that the team faced yesterday in attempts to refloat the whales proved very challenging and, in fact, dangerous to our staff … forecasts over the forthcoming days shows no likelihood of improvement in weather conditions, and so those challenging conditions trying to refloat animals into that exposed ocean will remain constant …
The team started euthanising animals yesterday afternoon, with 27 animals processed on site this morning. There still remains 38 animals alive, which means the natural process ran its course last night and we lost 25 additional animals overnight.
It is expected that the euthanasia process will conclude today, and then we will look at our options relating to carcass disposal.
The false killer whale, despite its common name, is a highly sociable species of dolphin. The animals form large pods that can predispose them to mass strandings.
Clark added as part of standard procedure, postmortem investigations “including full necropsies” would be performed on a number of animals “to help try to gain additional information as to why these types of events may be occurring”.
Unions welcome $2.4bn support package for Whyalla
The Australian Workers’ Union, Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union, Electrical Trades Union and Maritime Union of Australia have released a joint statement welcoming the $2.4bn package for Whyalla steelworks.
In a statement, they said this provides “long overdue certainty to workers and a community that have dealt with disruption and doubt for far too long”.
The unions said they would work closely with Whyalla management and the South Australian government to ensure that operations continue smoothly at the steelworks in the coming weeks and months.
The unions also welcomed the announcement of a national billion-dollar Green Iron Investment Fund, to “provide important support for all Australian steelmakers to manage the shift to new production methods and maximise the benefits of the transition”.
ME Bank passes on RBA rate cut ‘in full’ to customers
ME Bank has announced it will be passing on the full rate cut from the Reserve Bank to its customers. In an email, it said the 0.25% rate cut would be passed on to variable home loans “in full” from 8 March.
Specifics of defence treaty with PNG to come, Marles says
Just circling back to Richard Marles’ press conference in Brisbane earlier, alongside his PNG counterpart.
The defence minister said the “exact dimensions” of the defence treaty to be negotiated with PNG is “something that we need to work through”.
But the principle here is we want to walk down a pathway of a much greater interoperability, but towards a point of integration.
We really are working together as a team. That is the [basis] of the agreement that we will seek to negotiate and the specifics of what that then means, in terms of increased engagement in our respective countries, will be negotiated as we go forward.
Home affairs ‘super portfolio’ to return under Coalition, Paterson pledges
Sarah Basford Canales
The home affairs department will return to its former “super portfolio” status under a Coalition government, the shadow home affairs minister has promised.
James Paterson told 2GB today a 2022 change under the Albanese government to decentralise the US homeland security-style department lobbied for by Peter Dutton while minister had “seriously hampered our national security policy and operations apparatus”, describing it as an “unwise backward step”.
In 2017, under a Turnbull government, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation and the Australian federal police were put under the home affairs department, placing immigration, law enforcement and national security agencies under the same minister – who was then Dutton.
The move was heavily criticised by Labor in opposition and even some in the then Coalition government, including the former attorney general George Brandis. After Labor won government in 2022, Anthony Albanese moved to return Asio and the AFP to the attorney general’s department.
After a grim national security outlook outlined by the Asio chief, Mike Burgess, last night, Paterson said a Coalition government would return the department to its former structure:
We think it’s critically important that all of our law enforcement, intelligence and security agencies at the commonwealth level work together under one roof, reporting to one minister and have very clear expectations made to them about what we expect them to focus on and to prioritise so that we can get on top of this domestic antisemitic terror crisis that we have and all the other security and community safety crises that we’ve seen on this government’s watch.
PM says Australia monitoring Chinese warships off coast of Sydney
Taking a final question on the Chinese warships off the coast of Sydney, Anthony Albanese says they are “complying with international law”.
But as we do, we are monitoring the situation and observing what is going on, as you would expect.
You can read more on this below:
Albanese says Australia continues to stand with Ukraine after Trump labels Zelenskyy ‘a dictator’
Moving to international news, Anthony Albanese is also asked about Donald Trump’s attack on the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on social media, labelling him a “dictator”.
Albanese gave a general response on Australia’s position on Ukraine:
I speak for Australia’s interests and Australia stands with Ukraine in their struggle, which is a struggle not just for their own national sovereignty, but it is a struggle to stand up for the international rule of law.
As we brought you earlier, Peter Dutton was more pointed in his response, saying Trump had “got it wrong”.
Albanese says lesson from pandemic is need to be more resilient
Anthony Albanese is also asked if there is a market for Australian steel, given tariffs and global pressures, and responds “you bet there is”.
There is market right here.
He says the steelwork is “in our national interest”.
The idea that Australia would just be vulnerable for the shocks that can occur – a pandemic, international conflict, trade issues.
We live in an uncertain world, Australia needs to be more resilient. That’s one of the lessons of the pandemic. It’s one my government has learned, and it’s one that is to the core of what our values are.
Albanese on potential for nationalisation and job security
Back at the press conference, the prime minister is asked whether the federal government would allow nationalisation of the Whyalla steelworks?
Anthony Albanese says this is an “extraordinary opportunity” for buyers, with the “best quality magnetite”, “an extraordinary port facility and a future that the world is looking at”.
Asked if he can guarantee no job losses at Whyalla, the PM says “we will see jobs created, not lost”.
And asked what happens if Labor doesn’t win the next election, Albanese hits back and says “we’re confident we’re going to do that”.
My government’s a government that has policies that support blue-collar workers, that support jobs and Australia’s national interests.
