Australia news live: NSW police say neo-Nazis rallying in Sydney ‘may well be recruiting’; PM plays down being booed at tennis | Australian education

Josh Butler

Health minister Mark Butler says Australians should “ring around” doctors in their area to find GPs that are offering bulk billing, as concerns continue over medical clinics winding back subsidised visits – and whether the government’s extra incentives are having a big enough impact.

Butler was speaking in Canberra today, to announce a special commemorative edition of the Medicare card would be released this year for the system’s 40th anniversary. (We had all the details on this just below). But talking up the legacy of the health insurance scheme obviously led to questions about whether enough doctors were actually still offering fully bulk-billed appointments.

Butler said the tripling of bulk billing incentives, announced in last year’s budget, was a “very strong incentive” and that the government was receiving “anecdotal feedback… that there has been a significant return to bulk billing”. The government is collecting data about bulk billing stats, and Butler said some of that would be released.

Asked if the system would be a “name and shame”, Butler said no, but added that people could do their own research:

We want patients to know, if one practice in their area has changed their behaviour around bulk billing and other hasn’t, it’s entirely your right to vote with your feet… People can ring around and ask ‘are you bulk billing a consultant for my kid who’s 14? Are you bulk billing me, I’m a concession card holder?’

We want an active community discussion about this. This is a big investment on behalf of taxpayers made in the budget last year.

Butler went on to say the government would be keeping a “close eye on gap fees and general practice charging behaviour”.

We want to see a response from general practice to the very significant investment on behalf of taxpayers.

Natasha May

‘A little piece of history in your wallet’: special Medicare cards commemorate 40th anniversary

This Thursday will mark 40 years since Medicare services started, and the government is releasing a special-edition card to honour the occasion.

People who get a new or replacement card from 1 February until 31 December will be sent a commemorative 40th anniversary edition.

Digital cards in Medicare online accounts, the Medicare Express Plus app and the myGov app will automatically update to the 40-year anniversary design from 9 February.

The health minister, Mark Butler, says:

The celebration acknowledges Medicare is the foundation of our health system, ensuring all Australians have equitable access to health care when they need it, regardless of where they live or their ability to pay.

The minister for government services and the NDIS, Bill Shorten, said:

If you’ve been putting off updating who’s on your Medicare card, it’s a great opportunity to do so – and get a little piece of history in your wallet.

If you aren’t due for a replacement card but want a commemorative card you can use the digital edition, for secure and convenient access on the go.

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has shaken off the frosty reception he received at the Australian Open men’s final.

Last night, Albanese was met with a booing crowd at the tennis. Much like the treasurer, Jim Chalmers – who earlier said it’s a “well-worn Australian tradition at sporting events for that to happen” – Albanese told Fox FM:

It’s a bit of tradition in Australian sport, isn’t it?

The NSW premier, Chris Minns, also argued that booing is a “great Australian tradition” at sporting events. He told the Today show:

I’ve been to many sporting events over the years and I don’t think I’ve ever heard a prime minister or a politician get a cheer.

I’m sure there [was] people sitting in their seats who [were] quietly cheering. But it’s a great Australian tradition to boo a politician at a sporting event.

Just earlier, the NSW police minister, Yasmin Catley, was speaking to the media following the gathering of neo-Nazis in Sydney at the weekend.

Police broke up a white supremacist demonstration in a Sydney park yesterday, the third straight day public safety powers were used to disrupt the group over the weekend. Earlier today, the premier, Chris Minns, signalled that the Nazi salute would be explicitly banned in the state.

(You can read that earlier in the blog here).

Speaking this afternoon, Catley said police responded “swiftly, with action” on the weekend when 60-odd men from the group were on a train, “dressed … in a clearly intimidating way”.

[Police] made sure that when they were collected together on that train travelling, that they weren’t able to go into the city to disturb the peace or whatever it is that they wanted to do. We know that they have been violent, so that did not occur …

Catley said the group “may well be recruiting”, but because police acted “they were not able to achieve their goal”.

The truth is that they may well be recruiting, but the reality is that the police’s swift action ensured that they were not able to achieve their goal, and that was to spread their toxicity, to go into the city and to disrupt.

Lisa Cox

Greens call on NSW to regulate to stop asbestos-contaminated products being sold as clean soil

The NSW Greens say the Minns government must make sure the right system of regulation is in place “to stop asbestos and lead contaminated products from being sold as clean soil”.

It follows Guardian Australia’s story today that revealed the state’s environment regulator knew for more than a decade that producers of soil fill products made from construction and demolition waste were breaching regulations meant to limit the spread of contaminants in the environment:

Recovered fines are made from the residue left in skip bins after all other large recyclable material has been removed. They are processed into soil fill that can be used in construction and landscaping projects in NSW.

The NSW Greens environment spokesperson, Sue Higginson, said:

There are 700,000 tonnes of recovered fines that are reused in NSW every year, and we now know that about half of them would not be able to pass compliance checks if they were subject to them.

The [Environment Protection Authority] has known that these contaminated products have been returning to the environment and communities for years, but political failure and a lack of resources has meant that they couldn’t intervene.

Higginson said it was “gut wrenching” that childcare centres and other high-risk areas may have been exposed to contaminants despite the EPA trying to toughen the regulations under the previous government.

The EPA walked away from proposed changes in 2022 after pushback from the waste and construction industries and negative media coverage.

Higginson said:

The EPA needs to be fully resourced to address this statewide issue and the government must ensure that there is a suitable regulatory environment to stop asbestos and lead contaminated products from being sold as clean soil.

Henry Belot

‘Hung out to dry’: government apologises to public servants after criticism over ship unable to pass under bridge

The federal government has defended public servants after its $528m icebreaking research vessel was denied permission to pass underneath Hobart’s Tasman bridge.

In August last year, the 160-metre-long RSV Nuyina was denied permission due to safety concerns about its “directional stability”. The port authority has previously alleged the ship was 10 metres wider than initially planned.

Sean Sullivan, the deputy secretary of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, said staff at the Australian Antarctic Division had been unfairly blamed for the decision. Sullivan said public servants had been diligently working with the port authority for many years.

We started consultation with the harbour master back in 2013-14. It was ongoing and it became monthly during 2018 while the ship was being built. The harbour master had all the plans. We had conditional approval from the former harbourmaster with respect to passage under the bridge.

What has been in the public domain has been perceived by people as [AAD staff] being incompetent, but that is as far from the truth as possible. They did an amazing job.

Sullivan also apologised to public servants for not publicly defending them “as much as I probably should have” once port authority’s decision became public.

I think they genuinely felt that they were hung out to dry and, again, it probably comes back to an apology for me [as] I haven’t been seen to support them as much as I probably should have.

Henry Belot

Bullying and harassment still too high among Antarctic division, senate inquiry told

The head of the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) has raised concerns about the “cultural safety” of staff and high rates of bullying and harassment.

Last year, an independent review identified “significant cultural problems” within the division and instances of bullying, sexual harassment, gender discrimination and a culture of fear that stopped people speaking out.

At a Senate inquiry this morning, the AAD’s leader, Emma Campbell, said recent internal staff surveys revealed there was still a lot of improvements to be made:

I will say […] cultural safety continues to be a concern. Bullying and harassment continues to be at levels that are higher than anyone would like.

An inquiry into the Antarctic division has been told that its staff made 110 referrals to the government’s ethics and professional standards body for investigation. Around 40 of those referrals related to bullying and harassment allegations.

Sean Sullivan, the deputy secretary of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, said his team was determined to change the culture.

The feedback from my staff in the division is that we are making progress, but it’s hard. It’s hard work. We are not shirking it. We are in it for the long haul.

Natasha May

New social media campaign aims to change young Australians’ attitude to tanning

If you’ve been to the beach this summer you’ll know the plethora of sun tents lining the sandbanks are largely the province of families, but many young Australians continue to work on their tans.

The one in three young people who believe it’s fine to suntan is the reason the government is kickstarting a $7.3m campaign across social media to change the attitudes of 18–30 year-olds.

More than 50 digital content creators, including melanoma survivor and Olympic swimmer Sam Short, will be spreading sun safe messaging as part of the end the trend campaign across platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Spotify and YouTube.

The health minister, Mark Butler, said:

Young people can think they’re bulletproof and that’s certainly the case when it comes to skin cancer. They think it won’t happen to them, but the sad fact is – it can.

We’re partnering with people they’ll listen to so we can help normalise sun protection and keep younger Australians safe from skin cancer.

The rollout comes as melanoma researchers Prof Georgina Long and Prof Richard Scolyer were named 2024 Australians of the Year, pledging to use their platform to urge Australians to be sun safe and stop glamourising tanning.