Used laptops help kids ‘locked out of opportunity’

Used laptops help kids ‘locked out of opportunity’

For year 10 high school student Skye, Thursday nights used to mean a difficult choice: scouts or homework.

After class homework clinics with access to computers were only held once a week and clashed with her favourite extra curricular activity, leaving her to choose between keeping up with peers or pursuing a pastime she loved.

The rest of the time, she was forced to hunch over her phone to type out assignments.

“I didn’t really have any technology,” says the southwestern Sydney teen. 

“It was really hard to do assessments and stuff. On Thursdays, I’d have to stay back after school to use the computers but that was also when I had scouts. It was one or the other.”

Sydney school student Skye
Without a laptop, Skye was forced to choose between keeping up or pursuing a pastime she loved. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS)

Skye’s mum Elaine recalls watching her struggle to keep pace. 

“She was trying to keep up but without the access of a computer was finding it difficult,” she says, adding that most assignments need to be submitted online.

“When I was back in high school it was on paper but these days everything is technology and without that she would have had to do it all by hand.

“It just doesn’t work like that anymore.”

Being given a refurbished laptop through The Smith Family’s Learning for Life program, one of 10,000 that have been handed out over the past five years, has been transformative, mother and daughter say.

“She’s actually got two jobs from it as well as keeping up with schoolwork,” Elaine adds. 

“She also does scouts and even for that she needs to log her assignments and goals online. Without the laptop, none of it would have been possible.”

Completing homework on a laptop (file)
Digital devices have become vital for modern education, with laptops largely replacing textbooks. (Dan Peled/AAP PHOTOS)

Skye agrees the device has eased the pressure. 

“It is easier to do assessments,” she says. 

“It just makes life a little bit easier, especially when my brothers also need a laptop for their schoolwork.”

The Smith Family chief executive Doug Taylor concurs that computer access is not a privilege but a necessity.

“A digitally-connected laptop is exactly like the pen of yesteryear,” he tells AAP. 

“It’s the stationery of education really … without one, young people are being locked out of opportunity.

“They’re forced into big workarounds, going to libraries after hours, sitting in shopping centres for free WiFi.

“It’s increasingly one of those things that’s separating young people out and it’s not something we want to see.”

The Smith Family CEO Doug Taylor
Doug Taylor: computer access isn’t so much a privilege as it is a necessity. (HANDOUT/THE SMITH FAMILY)

Mr Taylor says digital exclusion has become “the new frontier of poverty” particularly as artificial intelligence transforms education and job markets. 

“The thing that is really going to either accelerate disadvantage or has the potential to level things up is AI,” he says.

“But if young people don’t have access, then they won’t have the same opportunities as their peers in using AI for their education.”

Ever since COVID, The Smith Family has been collaborating with WorkVentures, delivering refurbished laptops to help support students access technology through the National Device Bank

Having access to the appropriate technology is “no longer a nice-to-have”, says WorkVentures CEO Caroline McDaid.

“It’s essential for education, employment and social connection”.

The simplicity of the scheme is a “no brainer”, according to Mr Taylor.

Forty-four per cent of students supported by The Smith Family, all from low-income backgrounds, lack access to a connected laptop at home. Extrapolated across Australia, the figure represents about 400,000 children.

Meanwhile, two million devices are replaced by governments and businesses every year, most with a lot of life left in them.

“It’s one of those triple bottom line contributions,” says Mr Taylor.

“It’s has great social benefit, good use of corporate resources and obviously potential for a very large social impact. 

“It’s a really compelling opportunity for businesses, no question.

“And It’s not just (helping with) doing homework. It’s about building digital skills, which we know are critical for future jobs.”

A student works on his laptop at home (file)
An estimated 400,000 Australian kids are without access to a connected laptop. (Dean Lewins/AAP PHOTOS)

Ninety-three per cent of parents surveyed by the charity say they’ve seen their child’s learning improve as a result of receiving a laptop.

Elaine believes the case for corporate involvement is simple. 

“Please donate to kids that need it more, instead of throwing laptops into landfill,” she urges. 

“There are a lot of kids out there who need help, especially when it comes to laptops their parents can’t afford.”

That appeal is at the heart of a new partnership between The Smith Family and the Telstra Foundation.

The latter is donating a total of $3.27 million – $500,000 for five years beginning in 2026, plus a one-off contribution of $770,000 this year. 

It has also promised to deliver 1000 laptops this year and an additional 8300 over the next five years. The Smith Family is aiming to deliver a further 21,500 in that same period.

Elaine and Skye
Elaine urges people to donate rather than send unwanted laptops to landfill. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS)

They are also calling for more businesses to follow suit.

“If your company refreshes laptop fleets, you can change a student’s school journey for life,” says CEO Jackie Coates.

“This approach not only helps close the digital divide but also supports environmental sustainability by reducing e-waste and promoting circularity.”

Elaine and Skye asked for their surname to be withheld for privacy reasons.

Custodian mulls legal action after gas project approval

Custodian mulls legal action after gas project approval

The federal government’s final tick of approval for Australia’s biggest gas project to continue operating until 2070 may have breached the environment minister’s international legal obligations, a traditional owner says.

Environment Minister Murray Watt green-lit the 40-year extension for Woodside Energy’s controversial North West Shelf development in Western Australia’s Pilbara region on Friday.

Murujuga traditional owner and Mardathoonera woman Raelene Cooper said the decision was “a slap in the face” and “a crime against humanity”.

Raelene Cooper
Raelene Cooper says a North West Shelf development extension “is a betrayal of future generations”. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS)

“This is not just destroying Murujuga country, but will impact communities all around the world,” she said.

“It is a betrayal of Aboriginal people, it is a betrayal of our Elders, it is a betrayal of future generations. It is a betrayal of all Australians.”

Ms Cooper said her lawyers had put Senator Watt on notice that the approval may have breached his statutory duties and international legal obligations.

“I will take some time to examine the full implications of these two decisions, and to seek further legal advice from my lawyers,” she said.

“I will have much more to say in coming days.”

Preliminary approval for the extension was granted to gas company Woodside in May and, since then, the company has been negotiating with government officials over the exact conditions placed on the processing hub.

Senator Watt said restrictions on the project will help protect world-heritage-listed Indigenous rock art near an onshore processing facility, while allowing gas and oil processing to continue.

Petroglyph of an emu
The Burrup Peninsula or Murujuga contains some of the world’s oldest and largest petroglyphs. (HANDOUT/SAVE OUR SONGLINES)

The government has also imposed extra legal protections on part of the Murujuga heritage site, forcing companies to consult with local Indigenous groups to protect the 40,000-year-old carvings.

In February 2022, Ms Cooper and Josie Alec applied for a declaration under section 10 of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act to protect sites on the Burrup Peninsula from injury and desecration.

They alleged damage included the removal of sacred sites and rock engravings, the degradation of rock engravings from industrial emissions and chemical discharge, and the degradation of cultural heritage values from visual and noise pollution.

Woodside Energy’s gas processing facilities and two fertiliser plants were said to be the cause of the harm in the application.

The Burrup Peninsula, which is about 27km long and also known as Murujuga, contains some of the world’s oldest and largest petroglyphs.

Its rock art landscape was listed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as a heritage site in July.

The inscription recognises the First Nations cultural value of the more than one million engravings at the site, some of which are thought to be more than 50,000 years old.

Woodside said it was committed to protecting the Murujuga rock art after Senator Watt announced the approval decision.

‘Not just lip service’: Muslim community wants action

‘Not just lip service’: Muslim community wants action

Weary of bomb threats to mosques and schools and mounting levels of persecution, Muslims in Australia are calling on the government to take Islamophobia seriously.

More than 50 recommendations to tackle prejudice against Muslims have been outlined in a landmark report by special envoy to combat Islamophobia Aftab Malik.

They include enacting federal religious freedom laws, updating religious discrimination legislation and reviewing counter-terrorism policies in an effort “to engender a fair, respectful and inclusive environment”.

Mr Malik’s report released on Friday with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese comes days after a man placed a device at a Gold Coast mosque in an alleged bomb hoax and an Islamic school in Brisbane received a bomb threat that forced the evacuation of hundreds of students and staff.

The Islamophobia Register’s Queensland-based executive director Nora Amath said Muslims felt targeted and afraid against the backdrop of recent anti-migrant rallies.

“We’re seeing an escalation of intensity,” she told AAP.

“For the very first time, we’re seeing back-to-back physical assaults and back-to-back bomb threats which is all very concerning.”

Dr Amath said the fear was compounded for Muslim women when they were in public by themselves or with other women.

“They are seen as easy targets … who are weak and vulnerable because of misrepresentations that they are submissive and oppressed,” she said.

A file photo of Nora Amath
The Islamophobia Register’s executive director Nora Amath says there’s an escalation in intensity. (Flavio Brancaleone/AAP PHOTOS)

Islamophobic incidents had “skyrocketed” since 2023 with a 150 per cent increase recorded by November 2024, Mr Malik said the register’s research showed.

Muslim women and girls accounted for three-quarters of all Islamophobia victims, three-fifths of physical assaults and every target of reported spitting incidents, the report said.

Most of the perpetrators were men.

One in three Australians also had expressed negative views about Muslims, research has found.

Australian National Imams Council senior advisor Bilal Rauf said the report strengthened the case for religious protections, which the peak religious body has lobbied for.

Aftab Malik
Special envoy to combat Islamophobia Aftab Malik’s report had more than 50 steps to tackle prejudice (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS)

He said the onus was on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his government to take the recommendations seriously, “so it’s not just lip service”.

The Australian Muslim Advocacy Network was more critical, saying it did not share the government’s rationale for establishing the Islamophobia and anti-Semitism envoy roles but welcomed the recommendations.

The network supported new measures to treat hate crimes more seriously without expanding crimes and police powers or restricting free speech. 

“The recommendation to establish independent scrutiny panels to improve the way hate crimes are policed is a positive step,” the network said.

“All communities deserve equal protection from hate, and applying different standards creates unfairness in a multicultural society.”

Clashes on cards as counter rallies flood city streets

Clashes on cards as counter rallies flood city streets

Cities risk being flung into chaos as rival groups plan to shut down streets in counter-protests, with police anticipating clashes between troublemakers.

National rallies will be staged under the Australia Unites banner, made up of several splinter groups, on Saturday.

Organisers say the turnout will highlight Australians’ displeasure over worsening cost-of-living pressures, declining health outcomes, rising violence, financial strain and environmental policies that serve corporations.

Opposing groups led by Indigenous and Palestinian activist groups have planned a National Day of Action against racism and fascism in the same cities in response to neo-Nazis allegedly raiding an Indigenous camp in Melbourne on August 31.

Police in Victoria anticipate troublemakers among far-left and far-right groups will use protests as an excuse to pick a fight, warning of extended delays in Melbourne’s CBD.

Violent brawls broke out between anti-immigration protesters and anti-fascism groups, which led to police deploying pepper spray to separate demonstrators.

A group of men dressed in black had clashed with people at Camp Sovereignty in King’s Domain on August 31, following the March for Australia rally in the city.

Pro-immigration protesters
Indigenous and Palestinian activists will lead a National Day of Action against racism and fascism. (Darren England/AAP PHOTOS)

The camp is a burial site with the remains of Indigenous people from 38 clans. It was first created in 2006 to coincide with the Commonwealth Games and re-established in 2024.

Ten men, some with links to neo-Nazi groups, have been arrested and charged in relation to the alleged assaults and affray.

Victoria Police say among the four groups set to turn out, those with far-right and extreme ideologies, as well as far-left and opposing views, will seek conflict and confront each other.

They could not discount the chance neo-Nazis would again take to the streets while a leader in the group remains behind bars.

Police are seen separating differing protest groups during a rally
Police had to separate opposing protest groups during rallies in August. (Darren England/AAP PHOTOS)

Victoria’s Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny said the government supported peaceful protest but rebuked any protesters who planned to engage in harm and violence.

“Do not ever use the cloak of protest to go out there and cause crime,” she said.

“There is no place for protests that spread harm, that spread hate, that spread fear and violence, and there is certainly no place in Victoria for neo-Nazis.”

Rallies will occur in Sydney, Hobart, Canberra and Brisbane but their state police forces have not warned of similar clashes.

Officers deployed in Melbourne will have extra powers to search people for weapons and can direct people to remove face coverings.

Armani tells heirs to sell part of his fashion empire

Armani tells heirs to sell part of his fashion empire

After a lifetime of spurning would-be business suitors, the late Italian designer Giorgio Armani is instructing his heirs to sell a 15 per cent minority stake in his vast fashion empire, with priority to the French conglomerate LVMH, the eyewear giant Essilor-Luxottica or the cosmetics company L’Oreal.

Armani gave control of 40 per cent of his business empire to his longtime collaborator and head of menswear Leo Dell’Orco, and another 15 per cent each to niece Silvana Armani, the head of womenswear, and nephew Andrea Camerana, according to his business will posted online Friday by the Italian daily La Repubblica.

The Armani Foundation, which he established in 2016 as a succession vehicle, will control the remaining 30 per cent.

Giorgio Armani at Milan Fashion Week in 2019
Giorgio Armani wanted LVMH, Essilor-Luxottica or L’Oreal to buy a stake in his empire. (AP PHOTO)

Armani, one of the most recognisable names and faces in Italian fashion, died on September 4 at the age of 91.

Two wills, one for his business empire and the other for his private property, were deposited with Italian tax authorities on Thursday, and widely reported by Italian media on Friday.

The Armani Group declined to comment.

Both had been rewritten by Armani earlier in 2025, partly by hand on the back of a sepia-coloured envelope.

Armani remained a rarity in Italian fashion, retaining tight control of his fashion empire in the face of advances from LVMH and Gucci, now part of the Kering group, and from Kering itself, as well as the Fiat-founding Agnelli family heirs.

Giorgio Armani's funeral in the village of Rivalta, Italy
The hearse leaves at the end of designer Giorgio Armani’s funeral in the village of Rivalta, Italy. (AP PHOTO)

But in his business will, he specified the Armani Foundation should sell a 15 per cent stake not before one year and within 18 months of his death, with preference to LVMH, Essilor-Luxottica or L’Oreal or to a fashion group “of similar standing”.

His niece Roberta, who has long served as a liaison between Armani and his red-carpet clients, and his sister Rosanna, each were allotted a 15 per cent non-voting share in the company.

Armani maintained a 2.5 per cent stake in the French-Italian eyewear giant, worth 2.5 billion euros ($A4.4 billion), of which 40 per cent goes to Dell’Orco and and the rest to family members – just a part of the distribution of his vast personal fortune that included homes in Milan, New York, the Sicilian island of Pantelleria and St Tropez on the French Riviera.

The final Emporio Armani and Giorgio Armani collections designed by Armani will be presented during Milan Fashion Week, which opens on September 23.

In his will, Armani specified that future collections should be guided by “essential, modern, elegant and understated design with attention to detail and wearability”.

Stocks firm on Fed rate cut bets, gold on a tear

Stocks firm on Fed rate cut bets, gold on a tear

Global stocks are on track for a weekly gain as expectations for rapid-fire US rate cuts promise to lower borrowing costs globally, a relief to stressed bond markets and a drag on the dollar.

European shares dipped 0.2 per cent in opening trade on Friday, while Nasdaq and S&P 500 futures were off 0.1-0.2 per cent, having hit new peaks overnight.

The MSCI All Country World Index nonetheless remained on track for a 1.7 per cent weekly gain.

Gold, meanwhile, was on track for a fourth weekly gain in a row and traded near record levels, in a sign that investor concerns about global economic uncertainties persist.

Stock markets across Asia had earlier made strong gains, while Chinese stocks hit a three-and-a-half-year high, spurred by extravagant expectations for AI-related earnings growth.

The US consumer price report had been the last major hurdle to the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates next week, and while it showed an increase in prices, markets remained focused on weak job numbers in the previous week.

“Even if we have some weaker numbers on the job market, the markets are really focusing on the Fed impact that will give a new boost to growth in the future,” said Amelie Derambure, senior multi-asset portfolio manager at Amundi.

Veronica Clark, an economist at Citi, said the bank continued to expect 125 basis points of Fed rate cuts over the next five meetings.

Futures markets show a 93 per cent chance of a quarter-point cut to 4.00 per cent-4.25 per cent next week, and a seven per cent chance of a half-point cut.

The yield on benchmark 10-year Treasury notes rose 3 bps to 4.043 per cent, having fallen below four per cent for the first time since April on Thursday.

In currency markets, the dollar index – which measures the greenback against six peers – edged 0.2 per cent higher to 97.757.

The dollar gained 0.5 per cent versus the yen to 147.89, after Japanese and US finance ministers on Friday released a statement reaffirming that neither country would target currency levels in their policies.

The euro shed 0.1 per cent to $US1.171725, having received a modest fillip on Thursday when the European Central Bank kept rates unchanged and signalled that it was in a “good place” on policy.

“This suggests the governing council is not inclined to ease in the absence of a large growth shock,” said Greg Fuzesi, an economist at JPMorgan.

“We have thus moved back our call for a final rate cut from October to December.”

After the meeting, ECB sources told Reuters the December meeting would be the most realistic time frame to debate whether another cut was needed to buffer the economy.

Markets imply only a one-in-six chance of a December easing.

Britain’s economy recorded zero monthly growth in July, in line with forecasts but showing a sharp drop in factory output, weighing on sterling which was down 0.3 per cent at $US1.3536.

In commodity markets, gold firmed 0.3 per cent to $US3,644 an ounce, just off the record top of $US3,673.95 hit early in the week.

Oil prices were subdued after the International Energy Agency predicted an even larger record oil surplus in 2026 as OPEC continues to pump more product.

Brent was broadly flat at $US66.38 a barrel, while US crude eased 0.1 per cent to $62.31 per barrel.

‘Climate fail’: huge gas project approval ignites fury

‘Climate fail’: huge gas project approval ignites fury

A decision to approve an operating licence for the nation’s biggest gas project until 2070 is a shameful betrayal that will impact generations, conservationists say.

The federal government green-lit the 40-year extension for Woodside Energy’s controversial North West Shelf development in Western Australia’s Pilbara region on Friday.

Environment Minister Murray Watt said 48 restrictions on the project would help protect world-heritage-listed Indigenous rock art near an onshore processing facility, while allowing gas and oil processing to continue.

“The conditions will ensure that this project will be operated in a way that does not cause unacceptable impacts to the Murujuga rock art,” he said.

Environmental advocates have reacted angrily to the extension, accusing the Albanese government of unleashing a “carbon bomb”.

Carbon emissions from the North West Shelf during its lifetime would be 13 times greater than Australia’s total annual emissions, the Australian Conservation Foundation said.

“No matter where Australian gas is burned, it puts people and nature in harm’s way by fuelling more extreme weather,” the group’s climate program manager Gavan McFadzean said.

Conservation Council WA executive director Matt Roberts called it a “dangerous climate fail”.

“This is a mistake of intergenerational proportions,” he said.

A file photo of Raelene Cooper
Murujuga traditional custodian Raelene Cooper raised the possibility of international legal action. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS)

Murujuga traditional owner and Mardathoonera woman Raelene Cooper said the decision was a “crime against Murujuga and a crime against humanity”.

“This is not just destroying Murujuga country, but will impact communities all around the world. It is a shameful act and a shameful decision,” she said.

“It is a betrayal of Aboriginal people, it is a betrayal of our elders, it is a betrayal of future generations. It is a betrayal of all Australians.”

Greenpeace WA spokesman Geoff Bice said the Albanese government had caved into the pressures of the oil and gas industry.

“It runs directly counter to the climate science and it’s counter to the wishes of the Australian public,” he said.

Australian Marine Conservation Society chief executive Paul Gamblin said the decision was “condemning us to nearly half a century more of massive carbon pollution”.

The Woodside Headquarters is seen in Perth,
Woodside Energy says it is committed to protecting the Murujuga rock art. (Aaron Bunch/AAP PHOTOS)

Preliminary approval for the four-decade extension was granted to gas company Woodside in May and, since then, the business has been negotiating with government officials over the exact conditions placed on the processing hub.

Senator Watt said the final restrictions were more specific than those originally set down and would require the site to reduce emissions of some gases by up to 60 per cent.

The government has also imposed extra legal protections on part of the Murujuga heritage site, forcing companies to consult with local Indigenous groups to protect the 40,000-year-old carvings.

Independent Senator David Pocock described the approval as “a betrayal of Australians”.

“It’s a betrayal of the people and places we love,” he told AAP.

Murray Watt
Murray Watt says conditions placed on the gas project will help protect rock art. (Fraser Barton/AAP PHOTOS)

Some Pacific leaders have warned locking in the project would hurt Australia’s credibility on climate change and harm the nation’s standing in the region.

Senator Watt rejected those suggestions, telling reporters in Brisbane the decision complied with international law, saying Labor had “massively advanced” Australia’s contribution to fighting climate change.

The federal opposition and the Chamber of Minerals and Energy WA welcomed the decision, as did Woodside.

The company said it was committed to protecting the Murujuga rock art.

“This final approval provides certainty for the ongoing operation of the North West Shelf Project,” executive vice president Liz Westcott said.

Religious protections push to combat Islamophobia rise

Religious protections push to combat Islamophobia rise

Australian Muslims would be granted stronger religious freedom and racial discrimination protections under a sweeping plan to tackle Islamophobia.

Special envoy to combat Islamophobia Aftab Malik recommended federal religious freedom laws, updated racial discrimination protections and a review of counter-terrorism policies for prejudice against Muslims.

An at times emotional Mr Malik outlined the violence, discrimination and prejudice the Muslim community faced when his report was released on Friday.

“Muslim women in particular face the brunt – many are physically assaulted, spat or shoved or subjected to threats simply for wearing a headscarf,” he said alongside the prime minister in Sydney.

“This prejudice undermines the core value of mutual respect, fairness and compassion.

“It also disproportionately disenfranchises Australian Muslims, who are not asking for special treatment, but equal recognition of harm.”

Islamophobic incidences had “skyrocketed”, with the Islamophobia register recording a 150 per cent increase by November 2024, Mr Malik said.

One in three Australians had expressed negative views about Muslims, with the community rated the most negatively viewed group, research found.

Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia Aftab Malik
Special envoy to combat Islamophobia Aftab Malik says incidences have “skyrocketed”. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS)

“The reality is that Islamophobia in Australia has been persistent, at times ignored and other times denied, but never fully addressed,” Mr Malik said.

The special envoy declared the scourge remained “a deeply ingrained societal challenge” and needed to be tackled with the same urgency that was given to other forms of discrimination.

He said the report was a “historic opportunity” for the nation to address Islamophobia.

“It’s a moment where we decide who we are as a country, and whether we are prepared to take the necessary steps to ensure that every person in Australia, regardless of faith, ethnicity or background, is safe, valued and treated with dignity,” he said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia “must stamp out the hate, fear and prejudice that drives Islamophobia and division in our society.”

“The targeting of Australians based on their religious beliefs is not only an attack on them, but it’s an attack on our core values,” he said.

Aftab Malik, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese,  Anne Aly
Aftab Malik says the report is a “historic opportunity” for the nation to address Islamophobia. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS)

Recommendations were broken down into specific areas, including better hate crime data collection by law enforcement and mandated religious sensitivity training for all Australian Federal Police officers.

Counter-terrorism legislation was singled out because of “narratives depicting Islam as intrinsically associated with violence, extremism
and terrorism” after attacks.

Mr Malik called for a review to identify potential discrimination in the application of national security laws and the creation of a panel of diverse Muslim community representatives to advise on future reforms.

Recommendations included formally recognising the International Day to Combat Islamophobia on March 15, establishing a parliamentary inquiry into Islamophobia and creating a duty for employers to stamp out racial discrimination.

Strengthening Australia’s online safety laws to stamp out hate, addressing foreign actors spreading Islamophobia as part of broader foreign influence operations and more funding to research evidence-based programs to combat Islamophobia were also flagged.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he will review the report’s 54 recommendations. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS)

Mr Malik called for clarity on migration law to ensure the minister could refuse visas to people promoting hate speech, “including those with a history of promoting Islamophobic hatred”.

Mr Albanese said he would review the 54 recommendations as he remained non-committal to reintroducing religious freedom laws shelved by Labor when an agreement couldn’t be reached with the coalition.

“I have said to faith leaders as well that I certainly support religious discrimination legislation, but I don’t support starting a debate that leads to rancour,” he said. 

But he said he hoped to work with Sussan Ley as a new opposition leader in the area.

The recommendations did not go as far as anti-Semitism envoy Jillian Segal’s report, which called for the government to cut funding to universities, programs or academics that enabled or failed to act against anti-Semitism.

Green tick for major gas plant expansion despite fears

Green tick for major gas plant expansion despite fears

Expansion of a massive gas development has cleared its final regulatory hurdle despite fierce opposition from some traditional owners.

Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt has formally approved the 40-year extension of Woodside’s North West Shelf project, imposing 48 conditions on the gas hub in a bid to protect ancient rock art located nearby.

Local Indigenous groups argue expansion of the site in Western Australia’s Pilbara region could damage the 40,000-year-old Murujuga petroglyphs, one of the world’s largest and most diverse collections of rock engravings.

Environment Minister Murray Watt
Environment Minister Murray Watt has formally approved the North West Shelf gas project expansion. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS)

Environmental advocates and some Pacific leaders also criticise the North West Shelf extension, warning it could lock in more than four billion tonnes of climate pollution.

The federal government insists it can protect the environment and the rock art, while also supporting jobs associated with the gas project.

Preliminary approval was granted to the extension of the North West Shelf project in May, allowing Woodside to continue processing oil and gas until 2070.

The final project approval will slightly change the conditions imposed on the network of wells and processing facilities.

The federal government says the new restrictions are more specific than those in the preliminary approval.

Under the government’s restrictions, Woodside will be required to cut emissions of certain gases from the site by as much as 60 per cent.

Senator Watt has also placed extra legal protections over parts of the Murujuga rock art.

Murujuga traditional custodian Raelene Cooper on Thursday said the government would be at risk of international legal action for threatening the heritage status of the rock art if it greenlit the project.

It would also weaken Australia’s standing among Pacific neighbours, undermining Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s efforts to firm Australian influence in the face of Chinese pressure at the Pacific Islands Forum earlier in the week.

“We are all asking the same question across Australia and the Pacific – what is this government doing?” she said.

‘Disgust, anger, grief’: mother’s rage at abuse charges

‘Disgust, anger, grief’: mother’s rage at abuse charges

A mother who performed her own detective work is appealing for parents to be given more information about childcare abuse allegations as a police investigation continues.

Her plea was made outside Sydney’s Parramatta Local Court following a brief hearing for a childcare worker charged with creating and transmitting child abuse material.

The man in his 30s, who cannot be named due to a court order, was charged in July after police seized about 1.4 million files from electronic devices at his home.

Child drawing (file)
Police seized about 1.4 million files from electronic devices at the childcare worker’s home. (Joel Carrett/AAP PHOTOS)

After Friday’s hearing, the mother, who also cannot be named, told reporters she did her own investigation into the case after finding out her children may have been in contact with the accused at a centre.

“Disgust, anger, grief, everything,” the woman said when asked for her feelings outside court.

“There’s lots and lots of people who are blindsided by this person.”

A lack of communication between investigators and parents was also called out, with the mother calling for clarity from the Australian Federal Police.

“We’ve contacted the AFP and had absolutely no information come back from them about the access that he’s had to our children,” she said.

The AFP said it was preparing a response.

The case comes as the childcare centre undergoes a national reckoning over widespread allegations of abuse and neglect.

The AFP also delayed revealing the identity of alleged Victorian offender Joshua Dale Brown, who was charged with sexually abusing eight children under the age of two.

Childcare worker wipes table (file)
The mother was hoping for suppression to be lifted for more clarity on children who were affected. (Dean Lewins/AAP PHOTOS)

The mother was able to use her own investigative skills to identify the case listing and be present in court on Friday despite the man’s identity and his prior places of employment being suppressed.

“We were hoping that the suppression order would have lifted so we could get some more clarity and information as to who’s been affected,” she said.

More than 550,000 unique images were identified on the devices of the man when his house was searched in June, federal police said on Thursday.

“The number of files does not provide any indication of the scale of the alleged offending,” Detective Superintendent Luke Needham said in a statement.

“Rather, this indicates the volume of work required by investigators from the AFP’s Victim Identification Team.”

The man, who is in custody, is facing seven counts of using a child to make abusive material and an eighth charge relates to the transmission of child abuse material.

A federal prosecutor told the court on Friday it was “a large brief” of evidence.

The man’s case will return to court on November 21.

1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)

National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028

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