A decorated journalist says he was “utterly surprised” when a recording of a secret call emerged amid his legal battle with alleged war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith. 

Nick McKenzie portrayed the former elite soldier as a war criminal in reports he penned for Nine newspapers in 2018 – a claim which a judge later found was true on the balance of probabilities. 

But a secretly recorded call in which the journalist claims he “breached my f***ing ethics” sparked a fresh bid by Roberts-Smith to overturn the war criminal finding.

In the call, McKenzie tells a former lover of Roberts-Smith that the soldier’s ex-wife and her best friend Danielle Scott were “actively briefing” him on the former soldier’s legal strategy.

“I was utterly surprised,” McKenzie on Friday said about the secret recording that emerged in March. 

Yet he accepted the ex-lover had raised concerns about his ethics and claimed he had shared privileged information with her when she threatened to sue him and Nine over their conduct in the case.

The award-winning journalist accepted that receiving legally privileged information would be wrong but maintained he had never possessed such information.

He said he had shared all relevant information with his lawyers, who did not advise him the information was privileged or that he had acted improperly. 

Roberts-Smith’s lawyer Arthur Moses SC asked whether McKenzie had considered how Ms Scott knew about Roberts-Smith’s legal tactics. 

The journalist replied it was a natural conclusion the information was “hearsay” that had arisen when the soldier’s ex-wife was “gossiping” to her best friend, who in turn told him. 

McKenzie resisted suggestions from Mr Moses that he was lying or trying to deceive the Federal Court. 

As he strode out of the courtroom in Sydney after five long hours of cross-examination, the journalist locked eyes with Roberts-Smith and the pair exchanged a cold look. 

Roberts-Smith rose to prominence in 2011 after he was awarded Australia’s highest military honour, the Victoria Cross, for single-handedly taking out machine-gun posts to protect pinned-down colleagues in Afghanistan.

But his reputation was tarnished in 2018 when McKenzie wrote explosive reports alleging the special forces veteran was complicit in the murder of four unarmed men during his deployment in Afghanistan.

In June 2023, Justice Anthony Besanko found the reports had been proven on the balance of probabilities – a lower standard than in a criminal proceeding. 

An appeal against those findings was heard in early-2024.

But Roberts-Smith has claimed this week McKenzie’s alleged use of unlawfully obtained details should also be considered before the court decides on the appeal.

Audio of part of the call was sent anonymously to Roberts-Smith’s lawyers in an email titled “Secret McKenzie recording” after the hearing concluded.

“We’re not learning like we anticipated most of it. One or two things now we know, which is helpful,” McKenzie is recorded saying.

“I shouldn’t tell you. I’ve just breached my f***ing ethics in doing that, like this has put me in a s*** position now.”

McKenzie, who has won 16 Walkley Awards, admitted in evidence on Thursday that he had “on occasion” used deceptive methods to obtain information in his role as a journalist if the matter was in the public interest. 

“I try to act within the law. There (are) occasion(s) where as a journalist there can be things that you might do that conflict with the law,” the journalist said. 

Closing submissions on the bid to re-open the appeal were heard on Friday afternoon.

A decision is expected at a later date.

Lifeline 13 11 14

Open Arms 1800 011 046

Powered by more than 250 tonnes of batteries and with the ability to carry 2100 passengers, Hull 096 has been hailed as one of Australia’s greatest exports. 

The 130m-long vessel, officially launched in Hobart by shipbuilder Incat on Friday, is the world’s largest battery-electric ship.

It was commissioned by South American ferry operator Buquebus and will take people, as well as 225 vehicles, between Argentina and Uruguay. 

“I’ve been in the marine business for nearly 70 years. This is the biggest moment in that 70-year history,” Incat chairman and founder Bob Clifford said. 

Incat said the vessel, which will sail under the name China Zorrilla – a Uruguayan actress – was “one of the most significant export achievements in Australian history”. 

Once fully fitted, it will feature the largest retail shopping space on any ferry, spanning 2300sq m. 

It carries a 40-megawatt energy storage system and will charge via ports on each side of the River Pate. 

Mr Clifford said it could charge as quickly as 40 minutes, depending on the availability of electricity. 

“It is the future of short-sea shipping. This technology is good for 50-100 miles,” he said. 

“It won’t be long before it is 200 miles. The advancement is going to continue.”

Construction of Hull 096 was made possible by a $60 million low-interest commercial loan provided through the Tasmanian Development Board.

It will undergo further fit outs and is expected to be put through sea trials in Hobart’s River Derwent by the end of 2025.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff said Tasmania had long been a leader in maritime innovation.

“Incat’s latest achievement is a testament to our state’s world-class shipbuilding capabilities and proud seafaring heritage,” he said. 

Mr Clifton said Incat had expansion plans and companies, particularly in Europe, were crying out for electric ships. 

There were 10 larger ships “in the works”, he said. 

“Within five years I would seriously hope to be building four ships a year. I think that’s only the beginning,” he said. 

“We have a head start, we are leading the world with this type of lightweight ship.” 

Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton have made last-ditch bids to convince Australians why they should lead for the next three years.

On the penultimate day of campaigning before Saturday’s election, public polling has Labor in the driver’s seat to form government with an outside shot at retaining majority.

But the prime minister insists the government isn’t getting ahead of itself, after being scarred by an upset defeat to Scott Morrison in 2019. 

“I don’t take the Australian people for granted. I’m working my guts out to ensure there’s a majority government,” Mr Albanese told reporters in Brisbane on Friday.

With 76 seats needed to form an outright majority, the major parties’ tallies have shifted since the last election because of defections to the cross bench and seat redistributions.

Labor holds 78 seats and the coalition 57.

Despite facing dire polling and a surge in early voting, the opposition leader remained confident the coalition could still pick up seats.

Almost 5.7 million people had cast their vote and more than 1.5 million postal ballots were returned by Thursday night, accounting for about 40 per cent of eligible voters.

Mr Dutton said he expected “big surprises” on election night.

The election had the hallmarks of 2019, where polling was different to the outcome, he said, claiming candidates had been receiving “pretty remarkable” feedback on pre-poll booths.

Mr Albanese hit Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania on Friday, while Mr Dutton started in South Australia, where the coalition is looking to win Boothby and sandbag Sturt, before heading to Western Australia to target key seats lost in 2022.

Mr Dutton stood alongside Tangney candidate Howard Ong at a 4WD store in Perth, where he again championed his policies to bring down petrol prices.

Labor won the seat with a 2.8 per cent margin in 2022, following a 12 per cent swing away from the Liberals.

“It’s a significant decision for people to make because this is a sliding-doors moment,” Mr Dutton said in Perth.

“I have been coming to WA for 25 years and to watch it at different periods where it’s been down … but when it’s booming, when it’s racing, it is an exciting place, and it will be racing under a government that I lead.”

The prime minister started the day on the attack in Mr Dutton’s Brisbane-based seat of Dickson, which Labor contends is winnable because of its less than two per cent margin but the coalition is confident will be retained.

Greens leader Adam Bandt cast his ballot in his electorate of Melbourne, where he predicted a “renter rebellion” at the election.

Mr Dutton is working to defy history with no party having formed government after one term in opposition since 1931.

The record is set to stay if national polls are to be believed, with the coalition trailing significantly and a seat-by-seat poll released on Thursday by YouGov predicting it could sink to its lowest seat total since the 1940s.

YouGov predicted Labor was on course for 52.9 per cent of the national two-party preferred vote, ahead of the coalition on 47.1 per cent, with the government picking up 84 seats against the opposition’s 47.

Labor’s support was slightly less at 51.5 per cent to 48.5 per cent for the coalition on a two-party preferred basis in the final Freshwater Strategy Poll published by The Australian Financial Review on Friday.

It gave Labor 74 seats and the coalition 64.

The opposition’s campaign has been littered with missteps and backtracks amid a lack of policy clarity and comparisons between Mr Dutton and US President Donald Trump.

Despite Labor’s increased electoral fortunes, its primary vote hasn’t received a major uptick as Australians increasingly look to minor parties and independents. 

Sluggish retail spending and stagnant trading volumes are yet another reason for the Reserve Bank to cut interest rates, economists say.

Retail trade rose a lower-than-expected 0.3 per cent in March for an annual pace of 4.3 per cent, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported on Friday.

Retail volumes were flat over the quarter, despite hopes of a 0.3 per cent uptick for the month.

“Overall, this is a rather weak set of data highlighting the slow recovery in consumer spending in Australia,” AMP economist My Bui said.

After first quarter inflation data earlier this week showed headline and underlying inflation falling into the Reserve Bank’s target band, the retail figures gave the central bank even more reasons to cut the cash rate at its May 20 meeting.

“The household consumption recovery is still sluggish and there are big downside risks to global demand from Trump’s trade war,” Ms Bui said.

“Retail sales account for 30 per cent of overall household consumption; thus, today’s data does not present an optimistic outlook for Q1 consumption growth.”

Friday’s figures implied the Reserve Bank’s cash interest rate cut in February had little impact on spending in March. That cut to 4.10 per cent was the first in four years.

However, consumption growth fundamentals remained healthy, with the labour market in a tight position and inflation trending lower, Oxford Economics head Sean Langcake said.

“Interest rate cuts and greater government support through election promises will keep some momentum in consumer spending,” he said.

“However, the hit to confidence and heightened uncertainty generated by tariff announcements will hold spending back in the coming months.”

Retail spending continued to grow at a steady pace, ABS business statistics head Robert Ewing said, with food-related spending in supermarkets and grocery stores the main driver of growth.

Turnover for the month totalled $37.3 billion.

Food retailing had the largest rise in turnover, up 0.7 per cent, along with other retailing, while sales fell 0.5 per cent for cafes, restaurants and takeaway food, along with services and department stores.

Spending on clothing, footwear and accessories rose 0.3 per cent in the month.

The Australian retailers Association welcomed a month of steady growth, but said conditions continued to be challenging.

“With a delay in interest rate relief, household budgets remain tight and retailers are operating in a highly competitive and volatile environment with rising business costs,” chief industry affairs officer Fleur Brown said.

“Any signs of stability in consumer spending are a welcome boost to business confidence, but we remain far from a retail recovery.”

The statistics bureau also released the producer price index, a measure of inflation for sellers of goods and services.

It rose 0.3 per cent in the March quarter to be up 3.7 per cent over the year.

A raft of government fees and charges will rise, including car registration and fines, as a state’s year-long freeze comes to an end.

The former Queensland Labor government froze the state’s fees and charges in the 2024 budget to provide cost-of-living relief for residents.

This meant costs that usually rise each year with inflation, such as licences or car registration, did not increase.

Car registration was also slashed by 20 per cent for a year from September 16, 2024, in Labor’s pre-election sugar hit, but it did not win the party another term in power after a nine-year reign.

However, the fees and charges freeze is coming to an end from July 1, when all costs will rise by 3.4 per cent, the Liberal National government says.

Government products such as driver’s licences will rise under the change, with the five-year option increasing from $198.35 to $205.09.

“The Crisafulli government is working tirelessly to repair the state’s finances after a decade of Labor’s fiscal vandalism and that includes restoring respect for taxpayers’ money,” Treasurer David Janetzki said in a statement on Friday.

The rise is the same as previous increases under the former Labor government before the freeze, but is above Brisbane’s annual consumer price index in the March quarter of 2.7 per cent and the national rate of 2.4 per cent.

The increase will temporarily exclude car registration, with prices to remain cut by 20 per cent until September 16, 2025, before the previously frozen cost increases by 3.4 per cent.

Car registration for a four-cylinder vehicle in Queensland currently costs $708, including compulsory third-party insurance and traffic improvement fees.

The cost to Queensland drivers is not the lowest in Australia, but is cheaper than some other states. 

NSW is slugging drivers of a four-cylinder car $718, including registration and the motor vehicle tax, while Victoria costs $906 with CTP.

South Australia comes in at $660, including CTP, while Western Australia is $364 if your car weighs under 1300kg.

Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton have just one more day to convince voters they should lead the nation, as the election campaign nears the finish line.

The prime minister and opposition leader will embark on a last-minute blitz of marginal seats across Australia on Friday, the final full day of campaigning before polls open.

Having already visited Western Australia and South Australia, Mr Albanese will look to round off the remaining four states as part of his six-state whistle-stop tour in the election’s last days.

Meanwhile, Mr Dutton is hoping to gain ground in battleground electorates during his sweep of 28 marginal seats for the frenetic final week.

The opposition leader will be out to defy history and the polls to become the 32nd prime minister, with no party having formed government after just one term in opposition since 1931.

The coalition has also been trailing in national opinion polls, while a seat-by-seat poll released on Thursday by YouGov revealed the opposition could sink to its lowest seat percentage since the 1940s.

While some campaign techniques have stayed the same, the 2025 election has been defined by a shift of party leaders appearing on podcasts, with new media and online influencers having a large role.

Hannah Ferguson, Cheek Media Co chief executive and co-host of the Big Small Talk podcast, said 2025 was the first election where political parties realised the influence of large online audiences, which had been untapped.

“This is the first time politicians have realised the power of us,” she told AAP.

“An influencer has a level of engagement where they are talking politics and have a rapport with a dedicated audience who like and trust them.”

Mr Albanese has made several podcast appearances throughout the year, including with Abbie Chatfield and the Betoota Advocate, while Mr Dutton has been on podcasts with businessman Mark Bouris and Olympian Sam Fricker.

Ms Ferguson said podcast appearances were a way to tap into previously unreachable audiences for political candidates.

“It’s easy to say Generation Z listen blatantly to information, but it’s more complex than that. The politicians who bother to show up want to prove they want different voters,” she said.

“(Audiences) feel like they’re opting into receiving communications.”

The influence of online creators and podcasters has become even more powerful during the traditional media blackout period for election advertising on TV and radio, with online measures not affected.

A day out from polling day, Ms Ferguson said the prime minister had made better use of appealing to voters through podcasts and online platforms than his opponent.

“He has followed suit with the strengths of Greens and teals with engaging in different demographics and new media, and reaching voters he would have lost,” she said.

Consumers are slowly starting to dip into their pockets and spend on retail, but many are still spooked by interest rates putting pressure on home budgets.

Retail trade data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Friday will reveal Australians’ mood when it comes to consumer confidence.

Economists are predicting meagre rises, with AMP Capital chief economist Shane Oliver forecasting a 0.4 per cent increase across monthly and quarterly turnover indices.

The first interest rate cut in four years in February and tax cuts that are still working through the system are giving consumers a slight boost in consumer sentiment, he said.

“But by the same token, it’s still going to be fairly constrained because interest rates are still pretty high, household incomes and budgets are still under a lot of pressure,” Dr Oliver said.

“We’ll still see a situation where consumers are still fairly cautious.”

An early peek of the sentiment was revealed when Coles and Woolworths unveiled 3.7 and 3.4 per cent respective increases in sales over the quarter.

Deflation had started to take hold on products including broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and tomatoes, and in the packaged space, with cereal, tea, dental, healthcare, dishwashing and cleaning goods at Coles and long-life pantry, cooking, freezer and snack items at Woolies.

The major supermarkets revealed Australians were opting for more affordable home brand items.

The retail spending figures will play an important role in the Reserve Bank’s decision on whether to continue slashing interest rates on May 20, Dr Oliver said.

The March quarter predicted growth is likely to present as sluggish following on from a December period marked by bumper sales.

“We used to have sales skewed more into December, which can affect the March quarter numbers. But now the sales discounting with Black Friday starts in November and it’s distorted the numbers,” the chief economist said.

“When you look at it in context, it’s consistent with continued moderate recovery and consumer spending.”

Subterfuge and a secret call are in the spotlight as an award winning journalist faces questioning over claims he illegally obtained information about ex-elite soldier Ben Roberts-Smith’s legal strategy.

Nick McKenzie wrote a series of reports for Nine newspapers in 2018 describing the former soldier as a war criminal, an allegation a judge later found was true on the balance of probabilities.

Roberts-Smith is pushing to reopen his appeal against the judge’s finding, which he said involved a miscarriage of justice because McKenzie unlawfully obtained details about the former soldier’s legal strategy. 

McKenzie told the Federal Court on Thursday that he had “on occasion” used deceptive methods to obtain information in his role as a journalist if the matter was in the public interest. 

He escaped conviction in 2010 for illegally accessing restricted information after he and his colleagues gained unauthorised access to the Australian Labor Party database. 

Under cross examination by Roberts-Smith’s lawyer Arthur Moses SC, McKenzie accepted his methods had been unlawful but didn’t agree he had crossed a line as a journalist. 

“I try to act within the law. There (are) occasion(s) where as a journalist there can be things that you might do that conflict with the law,” the journalist said. 

“There are situations where it’s our job to find information that has been hidden.”

McKenzie received privileged information from Roberts-Smith’s ex-wife Emma Roberts and used it to shape his defence to the defamation suit, the former elite soldier alleges. 

In a taped call between the journalist and Roberts-Smith’s ex-lover – known as Person 17 – he explains Ms Roberts and her friend Danielle Scott had been “actively briefing us on his legal strategy”.

“I shouldn’t tell you. I’ve just breached my f***ing ethics in doing that, like this has put me in a s*** position now,” McKenzie said. 

He maintains that he didn’t know any of the information he received was privileged and says he passed on relevant communications to his lawyers. 

The journalist said there was “at times desperation” and “intense anxiety” throughout the seven years of Roberts-Smith’s defamation proceedings and subsequent appeal. 

He had continued to investigate and search for evidence that would assist him and Nine in winning the case, the court was told. 

“Throughout the whole proceeding, I was really anxious to prove that Ben Roberts-Smith was a war criminal and we had to find evidence to do that,” McKenzie said. 

He will continue to be quizzed on his journalistic methods and ethics when he returns to the stand on Friday. 

The call that sparked the renewed bid to clear Roberts-Smith’s name came after his appeal concluded in early 2024 but Mr Moses argues the matter should be considered before the judges hand down their decision. 

If his appeal is unsuccessful, only the High Court could overturn the war criminal finding.

Roberts-Smith rose to prominence in 2011 after he was awarded Australia’s highest military honour, the Victoria Cross, for single-handedly taking out machine-gun posts to protect pinned-down colleagues in Afghanistan.

His reputation, however, was tarnished in 2018 after McKenzie’s explosive reports alleging the special forces veteran was complicit in the murder of four unarmed men during his deployment in Afghanistan.

In June 2023, Justice Anthony Besanko found the reports had been proven on the balance of probabilities – a lower standard than in a criminal proceeding. 

Tesla chair Robyn Denholm has denied a Wall Street Journal report that board members had contacted executive search firms to find a new replacement for CEO Elon Musk.

The Journal had reported on Wednesday that Tesla’s board members had reached out about a month ago to several executive search firms to find the company’s new CEO, citing people familiar with the discussions.

Denholm said on X the report was “absolutely false” and said the EV maker’s board is “highly confident” in Musk’s ability to “continue executing on the exciting growth plan ahead”.

Musk also said on X the report was a “deliberately false article”.

Musk said last week he would cut back significantly on the time he devotes to the Trump administration and spend more time running Tesla.

Musk’s work at his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), where he has led efforts to cut federal jobs, has been one of the most controversial aspects of the Trump presidency, and his time away from Tesla has been an additional concern for investors as sales of its ageing EV line-up have been on the decline.

His embrace of far-right politics in Europe has also led to protests against Musk and the company as well as vandalism at its showrooms and charging stations across the US and Europe.

The board members met Musk and asked him to acknowledge publicly that he would spend more time at Tesla, the WSJ report said.

But it was unclear if Musk – also a member of the board – was aware of succession planning, or if his pledge to spend more time at Tesla has affected the efforts, the report added.

Some Tesla directors, including co-founder JB Straubel, have been meeting with major investors to reassure them the company is in good hands, the WSJ said.

Activist investors have long accused Tesla’s board of lacking independence and failing to rein in Musk.

Denholm, hand-picked by Musk whose controversial pay package she defended, has also drawn criticism for her own pay package along with questions about whether that compromised her oversight of Tesla and Musk.

Denholm has dismissed the allegations and a spokesperson has said her pay was fair.

In March, Denholm sold $US33.7 million in the electric vehicle maker’s stock, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The eight-person Tesla board, which also includes Musk’s brother Kimbal Musk and James Murdoch, has been looking to add an independent director, the report said.

A shortage of medications used to treat ADHD could leave more than one million Australians paying more for substitutes.

The nation’s health regulator says certain drugs used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are in short supply, and the shortage could last until the end of 2025.

“We understand it can be frustrating when you are unable to get your preferred brand of a medicine, but using other brands, including overseas-registered products, may at times be unavoidable during these shortages,” the Therapeutic Goods Administration said.

“Please note that certain medicines a pharmacist can substitute may cost you more, and in some cases you may require a new prescription.”

Several brands, including Janssen-Cilag and Teva Pharma’s Concerta and Teva-XR products and Novartis and AFT Pharmaceuticals’ Ritalin LA and Rubifen LA products were impacted, the TGA said.

They affect different doses across the brands with some being low in stock since September.

The shortages of Concerta and Ritalin LA products are put down to manufacturing issues, while the shortage of Teva-XR and Rubifen LA products is due to increased demand caused by the unavailability of other methylphenidate products.

The health regulator has urged patients and caregivers to speak to their pharmacist about supply and their prescribers early to develop a treatment plan.

To reduce the impact of shortages, it has approved a supply of overseas-registered Concerta tablets.

The Australasian ADHD Professionals Association said Australia was experiencing a “perfect storm” as it faces a shortfall in medication.

“Australia is facing an escalating shortage of ADHD medications, and while emergency alternatives like a Swiss-registered Concerta are technically available … the lack of PBS listing and long import delays make them inaccessible for most families,” it said.

The association said the active ingredient used in the drugs was produced in several countries, including China, India and the United States.

In the US, where the pharmaceutical companies make the products, the Drug Enforcement Administration imposes strict annual production quotas to prevent abuse.

“Even if demand increases legitimately or shortages loom, more (of the active ingredient) cannot be produced without a green light from the (regulator),” the association said.

ADHD is a developmental disorder that begins in early childhood and affects people’s ability to control thoughts, words, actions and emotions.

More than one million Australians live with the condition, amounting to one in every 20 people.