Jacinta Allan asks Liberals to ‘please explain’ preference deal – as it happened

And with that, we are going to put the blog to bed. Before we go, let’s recap the big headlines: The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, travelled to Japan today as part of another diplomatic tour to secure Australia’s fuel and energy supply chains. The government has said Australia has more fuel now than before the Iran war. The big defence spend continued, with the government promising three-quarters of a billion dollars to build 268 new Bushmasters in Bendigo, Victoria, over the next seven years to 2033. NSW police said they believe two children have died after a fire tore through a home in Bowen Mountain, at the foot of the Blue Mountains, overnight. Emergency services were called just after 2am amid reports of a fire. A man and four children were able to escape the house, but two others were unaccounted for at the time. Northern Territory police are calling for urgent public assistance to locate Sharon, a five-year-old girl missing from an Alice Springs town camp, at Marshall Court, Old Timers Camp, Alice Springs. In a press conference, NT police said they are looking for 47-year-old Jefferson Lewis, who is known to police. Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull called the Liberal party’s decision to preference One Nation in the Farrer byelection, “a retrograde move”. He said: “One Nation – apart from preying on racism and division, its whole MO for 30 years, Pauline Hanson’s MO would be to divide Australia”. The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, held a press conference earlier today to announce that a “record” $1.04bn will be allocated in next week’s state budget to rebuild, repair and resurface roads across the state. Thank you for spending part of your day with us. We will be back tomorrow to do it all agian. Kevin Rudd backs climate projects that ‘deliver price outcomes’ Speaking on the same climate and energy panel as Turnbull, former prime minister Kevin Rudd said climate and energy policies that delivered for working families would have staying power, if - “the good folks in communities right across Australia conclude in their head, in their hearts and in their pocketbook, that this is sustainable for them for the future.” Policy continuity will be supported if we continue not just good messaging about this, but actually deliver price outcomes, security of supply, electricity supply outcomes, new industries and new jobs, which people touch, see, feel, hear and have in their daily experience. Otherwise, they conclude it’s all bullshit and therefore it doesn’t work. He said there had been a change in the “political and popular firmament” since the war in Iran. Let us seize the opportunity presented by what is now unfolding in Iran and the strait of Hormuz – and frankly the shock which working people across the world are now experiencing in terms of continued hydrocarbon dependency. They are experiencing the physical terror of becoming insecure in their supply of what they need to drive to work if they’re still using a gasoline-based car. ⁠If you’ve got an EV at the moment, or frankly, if you’ve got a hybrid, you are much less dependent on what comes out of the geopolitics of the Gulf at present. So I’ll just leave that as a word of encouragement, and it’s out of adversity that can also precede opportunity. Rudd was speaking on a panel with former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, Christiana Figueres, diplomat and architect of the Paris Climate Agreement, and Anna Skarbek, chief executive officer of Climateworks Centre, in conversation with Thom Woodroofe, for the launch of his book Power, Prosperity & Planet: Climate and Energy Policy for All. NSW Health is advising people in Sydney to be alert for signs and symptoms of measles after being notified of a confirmed case. The case is a returned traveller from Japan where the number of measles cases have recently been rising. A full list of locations the person visited while unknowingly infected, is available on the NSW Health website. People who attended these locations should watch for symptoms of measles. These locations do not pose an ongoing risk. There is now an increased risk of measles in NSW, with 45 cases confirmed since 1 January 2026. Victoria anti-corruption commission makes recommendations after investigating officer who assaulted child The Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission’s (IBAC) Focused Police Complaints Team (FPCT) has made two recommendations to Victoria police after the finalisation of Operation Fig. Operation Fig investigated allegations a 12-year-old child was assaulted by a Victoria Police senior constable in February 2025, in Melbourne’s south. IBAC charged the senior constable with common assault in November 2025. In February 2026, they pleaded guilty to the charge in Moorabbin magistrates court. After the guilty plea, the magistrate dismissed the charge. As a result of Operation Fig, IBAC has made recommendations, which are not made public, to the Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police. IBAC Deputy Commissioner Liana Buchanan said it is vital that police build community trust, particularly through their interactions with vulnerable community members like children. This matter, in which the police officer ultimately acknowledged guilt, highlights just how important it is that police officers operate within the law they enforce. At the announcement we mentioned earlier, Jacinta Allan was also asked what she thought of reports that the Liberal party plans to preference One Nation above Labor at the next election. She responded: That’s a really important question for the leader of the Victorian Liberal party to finally come clean and be upfront and honest with the Victorian community. No more weasel words. The time for that is over. It’s time for the leader of the Victorian Liberal party to be honest, transparent and open with the Victorian community about the preference deals with One Nation. Victorians deserve a “please explain” from the Victorian Liberal leader. Guardian Australia spoke to two senior Victorian Liberal sources who said the party had yet to determine preferences but that it was likely One Nation would be favoured ahead of Labor, though the order would depend on the individual seats. They pointed to the byelection in Nepean, where Labor is not fielding a candidate but it preferenced the Libertarian candidate second, followed by One Nation third and then the community independent, Tracee Hutchinson. SA eases emergency measures as deadly algal bloom appears to have disappeared Months after tonnes of dead marine life were left strewn along beaches, authorities are easing emergency measures as toxic algal bloom levels decline. Extensive monitoring showed the harmful Karenia algae had all but disappeared from South Australian waters, the premier, Peter Malinauskas, said on Monday: For a sustained period, we have not seen high levels of Karenia – in most instances, we’ve seen effectively zero along the state’s coastline. Some coastal regions experienced “serious devastation” to marine life that was unprecedented in living memory and recovery would take time, Malinauskas said. We have more here: That’s all from me! Cait Kelly will pick up the blog from here. Take care. The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, held a press conference earlier today to announce that a “record” $1.04bn will be allocated in next week’s state budget to rebuild, repair and resurface roads across the state. Allan said it was “biggest roads blitz in the state’s history”, with 70% of the funds going to regional Victoria. She went on: To give you a sense of the size and scale of the funding, that is enough to fix 200,000 potholes – or if you want to use a different metric, to remove 200,000 graffiti tags. The funding will be spent to rebuild, repair and resurface arterial roads, maintain bridges and traffic lights, mow, slash and spray grass and weeds along roadsides and to repair or replace signs. About $37m will be spent to clean up 10 of Victoria’s busiest freeways with rubbish and graffiti removal and mowing. They are: Monash Freeway Princes Freeway West Western Freeway West Gate Freeway Hume Freeway Calder Freeway Western Ring Road South Gippsland Freeway Mornington Peninsula Freeway Tullamarine Freeway Road conditions have emerged as a key issue in Saturday’s byelection in Nepean. The issue is expected to remain top of mind for many voters, especially in the regions, through to the November state election. NT police call for help locating man allegedly linked to abduction of five-year-old girl Northern Territory police are calling for urgent public assistance to locate Sharon, a five-year-old girl missing from an Alice Springs town camp. Here’s what they had to say earlier. McDonald’s to open on Melbourne street once dubbed ‘world’s coolest’ after winning legal challenge McDonald’s is poised to open a 24/7 takeaway outlet on a Melbourne street once dubbed the “world’s coolest” after the fast food giant won its legal challenge against the local council’s attempt to block the new restaurant. Victoria’s civil and administrative tribunal (Vcat) has upheld McDonald’s application for a review of Darebin city council’s decision to reject its application to turn 323 High Street in Northcote into one of its stores. Darebin councillors voted 6-3 at a planning meeting in November last year to reject the application for minor works that would have transformed the dilapidated building into a McDonald’s convenience restaurant. Most of the councillors voted in line with residents against McDonald’s after listening to impassioned submissions and a petition signed by more than 11,000 people that said the outlet would “compromise Northcote’s unique character”. But Vcat member Michael Deidun said the building already had a planning permit allowing it to become a cafe or restaurant, which applied regardless of whether the site’s operator was McDonald’s or a smaller business. Read more here: Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has called the Liberal party’s decision to preference One Nation in the Farrer byelection, “a retrograde move”. Speaking at a climate and energy panel on Monday, Turnbull said: I mean, look at the Liberal party – the party I’ve led in the parliament, in opposition and in government – instructing its voters to give preferences to One Nation in the byelection in Farrer. I mean, that would have been inconceivable during my time as prime minister, or indeed, Tony Abbott’s, or John Howard’s. Now, One Nation – apart from preying on racism and division, its whole MO for 30 years, Pauline Hanson’s MO would be to divide Australia – is, of course, right out there in the climate change denial business. It says, climate change is rubbish, the science is not yet proven. [One Nation] is literally out of the dark ages in terms of economic reality. You get a mainstream party, like the Liberal party – the party I’ve led twice, as I said – preferring that. It’s very, very sad. It’s a really retrograde move. And I hope the Liberal voters in Farrer do not preference One Nation at all. They should put One Nation last, in fact. Turnbull was speaking on a panel with former prime minister Kevin Rudd, Christiana Figueres, diplomat and architect of the Paris Climate Agreement, and Anna Skarbek, chief executive officer of Climateworks Centre, in conversation with Thom Woodroofe, for the launch of his book, Power, Prosperity & Planet: Climate and Energy Policy for All. Cheap spirits, pricey condoms: how war in the Middle East is shifting the way Australians spend As soon as petrol prices started to rise in response to the Middle East conflict, many Australians – already grappling with high living costs – changed their spending habits. Beyond cutting back on driving, households are slicing deeper into their budgets, with some even forgoing healthcare. Here are four shifts in consumer behaviour, as observed by businesses across the country: Australian shares slump as US-Iran peace talks stall Australia’s share market has started the week lower after a planned second round of US-Iran peace talks fell apart and as closure of a key energy transport route continues to wreak havoc, AAP reports. The S&P/ASX200 slipped 0.26% as the broader All Ordinaries fell 0.17%. The Persian Gulf conflict continued to simmer with the strait of Hormuz – an arterial route for a fifth of global oil and gas supplies – entering a ninth week of effective closure. Beside the headline risk presented by geopolitics, market volatility could also be fuelled this week by central bank decisions, US company earnings, and macroeconomic data and events, including local inflation figures for March. The Australian dollar is buying 71.68 US cents, up from 71.23 US cents on Friday at 5pm. Angus Taylor condemns Anzac dawn service hecklers as ‘un-Australian’ Angus Taylor, the opposition leader, yesterday joined others in denouncing the people who booed at Anzac Day dawn services but said he believes welcome to country acknowledgments are overused. Take a listen. Calls for plane crash-style investigations as road deaths rise From AAP: Plane crash-style investigations into car collisions could help reduce a growing number of fatalities on Australia’s roads, according to data from the Australian Automobile Association (AAA). In the 12 months to 31 March, 1,326 people died in crashes across the country, 39 more than the previous corresponding period. Pedestrian deaths also surged by 16.4% while cyclist deaths rose by 4.4%. This is the 34th consecutive month that Australia’s 12-month deaths total rose, marking a 20.9% rise since the federal government’s 2021 road safety strategy was agreed to with the aim of eliminating all deaths and serious injuries by 2050. Blue Mountains fire not suspicious, police say Police said the fire not being treated as suspicious. The mother was on her way to Queensland and is coming home to be with the family. Asked if it was suspicious, police said: As I said before, it is a matter for the coroner. We will put together the brief of evidence for the coroner to determine time, date, place and cause of death. Police say they believe two children have died after a house fire in the foothills of the Blue Mountains. Police said: There was four children including an adult male inside the house. There was a further two children that were unaccounted for. We have located the bodies, we believe to be that of the two children, but, of course, as you can appreciate, it is a coroner’s investigation and we can’t confirm those details until a formal investigation has taken place. The dad and four children were taken to Penrith hospital. They are still currently in hospital and being treated for smoke inhalation and minor burns. How the shift from coal stalled in Australia’s most polluting state For all involved, it felt like Queensland’s transition away from coal-fired power was happening at speeds never seen before. It was 2024, and the rubber was hitting the road hard on the Labor government’s plans to get the power grid almost entirely off coal by 2035. But that October the Liberal National party led by David Crisafulli won government, bringing a sharply different approach to energy in Australia’s highest-emitting state. “There’s been a bit of whiplash,” the chief executive of the Queensland Renewable Energy Council, Katie-Anne Mulder, says with only a hint of understatement. Legislated renewable energy targets were repealed. Rumours of a new coal-friendly energy plan swirled and then materialised in late 2025. Read more here: Sabastian Sawe breaks two-hour marathon barrier In case you missed it, there was a major milestone in the running world this weekend: Kenyan Sabastian Sawe broke the two-hour marathon barrier. Here’s what he had to say after the feat: Northern Territory police are calling for urgent public assistance to locate Sharon, a five-year-old girl missing from an Alice Springs town camp, at Marshall Court, Old Timers Camp, Alice Springs. In a press conference, NT police said they are looking for 47-year-old Jefferson Lewis, who is known to police, but has not been located and may be able to assist with their investigation. A police official said: We do believe Sharon has been abducted, and we believe Mr Jefferson may be able to provide us with some information. We can confirm that he is believed to have been in the area around that time and staying at the residence. He currently remains one of the few people who were in old timers camp at the time, and who has not made themselves known to police, Police say the man is known to authorities for domestic and family violence-related offences. Around 1:35am, police received reports that Sharon could not be located at her residence on Marshall Court, Old Timers Camp, Alice Springs. She was last seen wearing a dark blue short sleeve T-shirt with a white ring stripe around the neck and white ring stripe around the end of the sleeves, and a pair of black boxer-style underwear. How can Australia be the world’s fourth-largest black truffle producer? Black truffles aren’t native to Australia but, since the first oaks and hazelnuts were planted in the 1990s, the local industry has flourished, becoming the largest producer outside Europe. Now, scientists have identified the environmental factors that appear to have contributed to that success. Many types of fungi produce truffles, a fruiting body that grows underground. But a handful of species, including French black (or Périgord) truffles from Europe, are considered gourmet delicacies, highly prized for their earthy bouquet and rich, savoury notes. They were introduced relatively recently, with the first host trees planted in Tasmania in 1995, the first black truffles harvested in 1999 and Australia’s first exports in 2007. Read more here: Victoria motorcyclists will be able to use bus lanes across three main roads in Melbourne The Victorian minister for roads and road safety, Ros Spence, has announced motorcyclists will be able to use bus lanes along three key routes in central Melbourne. Following a successful trial, motorcycles can now use bus lanes along: Eastern Freeway, west of Chandler Highway and Hoddle Street (westbound) Victoria Parade, between Hoddle Street and Nicholson Street (westbound) Victoria Parade, between Nicholson Street and Hoddle Street (eastbound) She said clear signage will show where motorcycles are permitted, making it easier for riders to know when they can safely enter a bus lane. Spence said the trial found no negative safety impacts for riders or other motorists and no impact on bus travel times. Riders using the routes also felt more confident on the road. Motorcyclists remain over-represented in road trauma, accounting for 21% of lives lost in 2025 despite making up less than 4% of registered vehicles. Spence said: Motorcyclists are some of our most vulnerable road users, and we’re making practical changes to help them stay safer on our roads. This is about helping riders avoid traffic, travel more safely and get to their destination sooner. NSW police said two bodies have been discovered after a fire tore through a home in Bowen Mountain, at the foot of the Blue Mountains, overnight. Emergency services were called just after 2am amid reports of a fire. A man and four children were able to escape the house, but two others were unaccounted for at the time. The two bodies are believed to be those of the unaccounted for individuals. They have yet to be identified, but a formal process is under way to ID them and determine how the fire broke out. The man and four children who escaped the blaze were taken to the hospital for treatment for smoke inhalation and minor burns. ‘Extreme mouse situation’ in parts of WA and SA Andrew Wiedeman, the southern region director at Grain Producers Australia, told RN this morning there is an ongoing “extreme mouse situation” in Western Australia and parts of South Australia. He said in some areas, the group is seeing thousands of mice per hectare. Particularly in the Geraldton area, we’re seeing numbers of calculated numbers of around 8,000 to 10,000 a hectare, which is just an extreme mouse situation. Once it gets over five to six, you’re talking plague proportions. … At the end of the day, that certainly is a plague and we’re now looking at trying to put control measures to try and help farmers through. He said without additional control measures, the numbers of mice would cause “a lot of grief” for many farmers as they’re sowing seeds. You can read more on the issue here: Concern grows for missing 5-year-old girl in Alice Springs Concerns are mounting for a girl missing in Alice Springs as the search for her enters its second day, AAP reports. The girl, Sharon, was reported missing from her residence at Old Timers Aboriginal town camp at about 1.30am on Sunday after being put to bed. A search involving about 50 police officers, members of the Northern Territory Emergency Services and a police helicopter was unable to find her on Sunday, with the search set to resume early on Monday. Det Acting Supt Michael Ordelman told reporters it was probable Sharon wandered out of her home, but police were not ruling out suspicious circumstances. Because of the amount of time Sharon had been missing, police held “mounting concerns” for her safety, he said. Police have appealed to the public to contact them with any information that may lead to finding Sharon. Firefighters say two missing in Blue Mountains house fire are children Back to that house fire in the Blue Mountains we reported earlier: AAP reports the two missing people are believed to children, adding four people have been hospitalised after the fire ripped through a country home, causing the roof to collapse. The two missing people are believed to be young children, firefighters told the Today Show. Police have established a crime scene. “There are parts of the home that are still hot and smouldering and many parts of the home have collapsed,” RFS commissioner Trent Curtin told Today. Firefighters are moving into the home with hose lines to gain access to the areas where they can search for the unaccounted for people. The four hospitalised include a man in his 30s, a male in his late teens and two primary school-aged boys. SA premier ‘deeply saddened’ by booing at Anzac Day ceremonies The South Australian premier, Peter Malinauskas, said he was “deeply saddened” by the booing at Anzac Day ceremonies on Saturday. He told RN this morning: When I thought about it a bit more as the … day rolled on, I couldn’t help but feel a bit angry about it as well, which I think is a human response to a tragic set of circumstances. I don’t want to exaggerate it, but nor do I want to dismiss it. I think there was a couple of people that partook in the activity. And the reason for the anger is it’s just so self-indulgent. Malinauskas said he believes those who participated in the booing made Anzac Day about themselves. Any act of self-indulgence or any attempts to commandeer Anzac Day away from the cause that it actually represents, I think should be responded to with a full-hearted response by leaders around the country just about how outrageous it is. Two people are unaccounted for after a fire at a home in Bowen Mountain, at the foot of the Blue Mountains in NSW. NSW police said emergency services were called just after 2am to reports of a blaze. On arrival, firefighters extinguished the flames, which caused extensive damage. Five people escaped the fire, but two more are unaccounted for. An investigation is under way. Red and yellow flags at many NSW beaches set to come down as ‘traumatic’ summer season ends It’s the last day of the patrol season for Surf Life Saving NSW, with the red and yellow flags set to come down at many of the state’s beaches at the end of the day. Steven Pearce, the CEO of Surf Life Saving NSW, told RN Breakfast this morning it had been a traumatic summer for many patrolling the state’s beaches, pointing to a spate of shark attacks, the Bondi shooting and the number of drownings in recent months. Pearce said: It’s been probably one of the most tumultuous and traumatic summers we have seen because of the amount of shark attacks we’ve been involved with. Obviously, the response to the Bondi shooting and the drownings. So the volunteers have done a great job and I think everyone’s looking forward to scaling back a little bit just over these autumn and winter months. Marles said on RN earlier the additional Bushmasters would amount to a “major reinvestment” in Australia’s protected mobility fleet. The heart of this spend is what we’re doing in Bendigo in the production of an additional 268 Bushmasters. And the vast majority of them are destined for the Australian army. He said the commitment to keep making the vehicles in Bendigo reflected a real “vote of confidence” in their work. The big defence spend continues, with the government promising three-quarters of a billion dollars to build 268 new Bushmasters in Bendigo, Victoria, over the next seven years to 2033. You might already be familiar with the Bushmaster fleet – they’re the vehicles donated to the Ukrainian military to combat Russia. The government says the vehicles are “critical to the integrated force”, with the Netherlands set to buy a fleet. The deputy prime minister and defence minister, Richard Marles, is also announcing $450m of funding towards upgrades of the Hawkei protected mobility vehicles. The spend follows the government announcing an extra $53bn of funding for Australia’s defence capabilities over the next decade earlier this month. Marles said: This announcement is great news for Australian industry and great news for regional Victoria. The Australian-built Bushmaster and Hawkei are recognised as world-leading protected mobility vehicles – supporting not just the Australian Defence Force, but the defence forces of our international partners as well. Richard Marles says booing at Anzac Day services ‘disgraceful’ The defence minister, Richard Marles, said booing at Anzac Day dawn services was “disgraceful”, saying a welcome to country was simply a respectful thing to do. Marles told RN Breakfast: Anzac Day is a day on which we show respect. And to have booing in the face of that is profoundly disrespectful and in my mind goes against all that Anzac Day stands for … Indigenous Australians deserve that respect … Indigenous Australians who served in our defence force deserve that respect. And that’s what we should be thinking about. Marles said he didn’t agree with Angus Taylor when asked if welcomes to country were “overused”. You know, Australians around the country in different contexts engage in welcome to countrys, and that’s a good thing. Nationals MP says welcome to country is generally a ‘good part’ of ceremonies Nationals MP Michael McCormack said he thinks welcome to county ceremonies are generally a “good part” of ceremonies after the opposition leader, Angus Taylor, said on Sunday he thought they were overused. Taylor made the comments after booing incidents at some of Saturday’s Anzac Day dawn services. McCormack said he believed that booing seemed to be almost “orchestrated” and was unacceptable. But when he was asked if he agreed with Taylor’s view on welcome to country, McCormack told RN Breakfast: I can, if you have several speakers and every one of them takes a lot of their speech time to do welcomes to country when it’s already been done. If you do it at the start, you do it appropriately, I think most people find that to be a good part of the ceremony, and then you get on with what the actual event is all about. And I think that’s probably appropriate. The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, will travel to Japan today as part of another diplomatic tour to secure Australia’s fuel and energy supply chains. The government has said Australia has more fuel now than before the Iran war, after underwriting several additional shipments, but Wong is on her way across Asia to make sure the supplies keep coming. Wong will travel to China on Wednesday and Korea on Thursday, and said Australia will “continue working with international partners to help secure the supplies we need – including diesel, petrol and fertiliser – and ensure Australia is prioritised as a reliable energy partner”. The Middle East conflict and closure of the strait of Hormuz continue to disrupt global energy markets, with Asian refineries and the Indo-Pacific region disproportionately affected. Direct, in-person engagement with counterparts across our region will help ensure we are coordinating effectively as these disruptions continue to unfold. Earlier this month Wong travelled to Singapore, after the PM, who also visited Malaysia and Brunei. Good morning, Nick Visser here to guide you through the day’s news. Here’s what’s on deck: The foreign minister, Penny Wong, will travel to Japan today, part of a diplomatic trip to secure fuel supplies that will also include visits to China and South Korea. She said the effort will help “ensure Australia is prioritised as a reliable energy partner”. The government will spend three-quarters of a billion dollars on 268 new armoured vehicles over the next seven years, which will be built in regional Victoria. Defence minister Richard Marles also announced $450m in funding upgrades towards protected mobility vehicles. Stick with us.