Australia news live: NSW Health investigating legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Sydney; Victoria’s crime rate up 15% amid spate of theft

NSW Health investigating legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Sydney’s Potts Point

NSW Health issued an urgent alert to people who have been in the central Sydney suburb of Potts Point over the past 10 days, warning them to be vigilant for symptoms of legionnaires’ disease.

Three people living in Potts Point, aged in the 40s to 70s, have recently developed the disease who are not known to each other. Legionnaires’ is caused by an infection with Legionella bacteria and can occur when bacteria from sources like cooling towers on top of large buildings become contaminated. It is not spread from person to person.

Dr Vicky Sheppeard, health unit director for the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District, said all three have been admitted to hospital. She said:

Legionnaires’ disease can develop up to 10 days after exposure. Symptoms include fever, chills, a cough and shortness of breath and may lead to severe chest infections such as pneumonia.

Health officials have sampled all cooling towers within 500m of the residents’ homes.

Legionella bacteria is not spread from person to person. Photograph: Phanie/Alamy

Key events

Man faces court over allegations he made threats against Albanese

A man accused of threatening to cause “serious harm” to prime minister Anthony Albanese and making a “menacing” social media post faced court earlier today. Dale Byrne, 42, appeared in court in Melbourne’s south-east after being charged with two commonwealth offences in March, AAP reports.

Court documents revealed Byrne is charged with threatening “to cause serious harm to a commonwealth official” and using a carriage service “in a manner that a reasonable person would regard as menacing”.

The man’s bail conditions include that he cannot come within 100 metres of state or federal politicians, including Anthony Albanese. Photograph: Lukas Coch/EPA

The first charge carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison if proven. Magistrate Fran Medina noted the two offences remained the “subject of negotiation” and had not been finalised.

Byrne’s bail conditions include that he cannot come within 100 metres of state or federal politicians, including Albanese. He will return to court on 10 July.

Lisa Cox

Conservation group alarmed after NT abandons commitment to 2030 emissions target

One of the Northern Territory’s peak conservation organisations has expressed alarm the Finocchiaro government has abandoned a commitment to a 2030 emissions reduction target.

The NT environment minister, Josh Burgoyne, told a budget estimates hearing that the government had not adopted a target it took to the election to reduce the territory’s emissions by 43% on 2005 levels by 2030, as reported by the ABC. Burgoyne told the hearing that an overarching commitment to net zero by 2050 remained in place.

‘This is more than a broken promise – abandoning our climate targets is like pouring petrol on a fire,’ Kirsty Howey said. Photograph: AAP

The executive director of the Environment Centre NT, Kirsty Howey, said:

This is more than a broken promise – abandoning our climate targets is like pouring petrol on a fire.

You can’t claim to be serious about climate change while fast-tracking new gas projects like fracking in the Beetaloo and the Middle Arm gas and petrochemical hub, and abandoning emissions targets completely.

Without immediate action to slash emissions, Darwin and much of the Territory will become unliveable within decades.

The NT government’s abandonment of a 2030 target follows an earlier decision to scrap the territory’s 50% renewable energy target by 2030.

Sarah Basford Canales

More from the Israeli ambassador, who said Australia remains a ‘friend’

Amir Maimon, Israel’s ambassador to Australia, says Australia remains a “friend” despite recent “hiccups” in the countries’ relations. Earlier this month, Penny Wong announced Australia would join the UK, Canada, New Zealand and Norway in placing financial sanctions and travel bans on two Israeli government ministers for “inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank”.

It followed a series of statements by Australia in recent months in the United Nations over Israel’s actions in its campaign within Gaza. Wong’s Israeli counterpart, Gideon Sa’ar, described the decision as unacceptable and said it was “outrageous that elected representatives and members of the government are subjected to these kind of measures”.

Penny Wong with the Israeli ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, in 2024. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Maimon told journalists in a briefing this morning there had been “a shift” in the language since Labor was elected into government in May 2022 but the two countries maintained “very good communication”. He said:

We still consider Australia as a friendly country. There are hiccups in our relationship. It’s only normal. I think that it’s true about every country.

Asked whether criticism by longstanding friends and allies of Israel in recent months over Gaza had permanently damaged some of those relations, Maimon said:

In every relationship, there are ups and downs, and even if I think that Israel is right in the way we are handling the campaign in Gaza, it doesn’t mean that that’s how it is viewed in other capitals, but we have very close exchanges with our friends.

We [might] not always agree about everything, but relationships are not based only on one issue. You measure the quality of relationships by the volume of trade, by the volume of exchange, of high level visits, by the number of agreements, by the accessibility to the leadership and the quality of the communication, by the flow of tourism from both countries.

Man charged after SUV driven through Melbourne shopping centre yesterday

Victoria police have charged the man arrested earlier today in connection with a Toyota LandCruiser that drove through a shopping centre in the suburb of Preston yesterday afternoon.

Police arrested the man, 27, in East Melbourne and have now charged him with multiple counts, including: Two counts of aggravated and intentional exposure of police officers to risk by driving; reckless conduct endangering life; theft of a motor vehicle; hand stolen goods; driving while disqualified and criminal damage. He will appear before court today.

Officials said they tried to corner the LandCruiser in a car park yesterday, before the vehicle allegedly took “evasive action” and drove through the middle of the shopping centre. No one was injured in the incident.

Sarah Basford Canales

Israel’s ambassador to Australia asks for recognition of ‘dirty job’ taking on Iran

The Israeli ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, says he expects the world to recognise the “dirty, dirty job” it is doing by taking on Iran.

Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran on Friday, targeting 100 major locations, including nuclear facilities and missile sites, and killing senior military commanders and scientists. The countries have traded airstrikes in the days since amid the escalating conflict threatening to destabilise the region.

In a briefing for Australian journalists this morning, Maimon was asked what role Australia should play in the conflict as speculation grows that the US might soon play a larger military role in the conflict. Maimon said:

I expect the entire international community … those who believe in the democratic values, all those countries that recognise the threat that Iran is posing, not just towards Israel, to the entire region. And Iran, I didn’t mention it, is engaged in ongoing efforts to destabilise the entire region, not just Israel. They are engaged in ongoing efforts to undermine the moderate Arab states.

So I believe, as the German chancellor said, I expect the international community to recognise that Israel is doing the dirty, dirty job, you know, for the … international community. … The world will be better without a nuclear Iran.

Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, seen in 2023. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/EPA

The ambassador later said he believed Iran and their proxies would be weaker after Israel’s attacks, describing them as “evil forces”. Maimon said:

It’s important to emphasise that we are now fighting against the evil forces. We are doing a great service to Europe and to the free world.

Government’s approach to higher education ‘not working’, Coalition says

Caitlin Cassidy

The Coalition government says Australia’s decline in global university rankings should be a “sobering message” for the Albanese government that current funding and policy settings towards higher education aren’t working.

Dozens of Australia’s top universities dropped in the QS World University Rankings, released today, including the nation’s highest performer, the University of Melbourne, which tumbled seven places to 19th.

The University of Melbourne is now ranked 19th in the QS World University Rankings. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

The federal shadow education minister, Jonno Duniam, said the government must “take note” of the slide down in rankings:

These results are a disappointing and sobering message to the government that the current mix of policies and funding towards higher education institutions are not leading to the results that Australians expect, and our economy demands. We want education policies that meet the 21st century skills that our economy demands, not just funding injections from which Australian taxpayers cannot see a reasonable return on their investments.

Duniam also called out the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, for only mentioning the word “education” once in his National Press Club address on Wednesday which was focused on productivity. Duniam added:

Rather than simply talking about productivity, the Labor government must put in place policy settings that actually improve educational outcomes that lead to tangible productivity gains.

The decline in global rankings was particularly attributed by industry insiders to bipartisan attacks on international students, including a proposed cap that was rejected by the Coalition before bringing a tougher policy to the election.

NSW Health investigating legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Sydney’s Potts Point

NSW Health issued an urgent alert to people who have been in the central Sydney suburb of Potts Point over the past 10 days, warning them to be vigilant for symptoms of legionnaires’ disease.

Dr Vicky Sheppeard, health unit director for the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District, said all three have been admitted to hospital. She said:

Legionnaires’ disease can develop up to 10 days after exposure. Symptoms include fever, chills, a cough and shortness of breath and may lead to severe chest infections such as pneumonia.

Health officials have sampled all cooling towers within 500m of the residents’ homes.

Legionella bacteria is not spread from person to person. Photograph: Phanie/Alamy

Luca Ittimani

Net migration hit two-year low over 2024

Net migration slid to a two-year low over 2024, dragging Australia’s population growth rate to just 1.65%, its slowest pace since 2022.

The population rose from less than 27m to 27.4m by the end of 2024, more than three-quarters of which was due to migration, as Australia welcomed more than 340,000 immigrants on net.

Arrivals fell by a fifth, to less than 600,000, while departures rose to more than 250,000, trending towards the federal government’s projection of a net figure of 335,000 for the year ending June 2025.

The population rose from less than 27m to 27.4m by the end of 2024. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

On a quarterly basis, the December quarter saw one of the lowest net migration figures since 2021, less than 70,000, second only to the June quarter 2024.

An extra 7,500 babies were born over the year of 2024 compared with 2023, helping lift the natural population growth rate, made up of births net of deaths. Natural growth was still just 105,000, close to where it has been since 2022 and well below its pre-pandemic norm.

Every state and territory saw its population grow over the year, with migration by far the biggest contributor. More than half of new migrants moved to New South Wales and Victoria, but the two biggest states also lost residents moving interstate. Queensland and Western Australia were the biggest beneficiaries of interstate migration.

NSW Health issues Covid warning as case numbers rise

NSW Health has urged everyone to protect* themselves against Covid as cases rise across the state.

The statement said:

The latest NSW respiratory surveillance report shows 3,475 people in NSW testing positive for Covid in the week ending 14 June, an increase of more than 10% compared with the previous week.

The upswing in Covid has come at the same time as influenza is on the rise and at moderate levels in NSW.

Most people with Covid do not test for the virus, so the latest figures represent a small proportion of all people who have the virus.

Rates of Covid notifications have increased since early May 2025 and concerningly, the rate with the largest increase is in people aged 90 and over.

*You can protect yourself from catching Covid by wearing an N95 respirator mask indoors in public places. Ensuring you are up to date with your Covid vaccination helps to lower the risk of developing severe disease, hospitalisation and death.

A woman wears an N95 mask, which protects the user from inhaling aerosol particles from viruses including Covid. Photograph: Cindy Ord/Getty Images

More on the unemployment rate

We have more here on the unemployment rate, which has remained at 4.1% in May, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

Sean Crick, the ABS head of labour statistics, said:

Despite employment falling by 2,000 people this month, it’s up 2.3% compared to May 2024, which is stronger than the pre-pandemic, 10-year average annual growth of 1.7%.

This fall in employment, combined with a drop in unemployment of 3,000 people, meant that the unemployment rate remained steady at 4.1% for May.

The employment-to-population ratio fell 0.1% to 64.2%, and the participation rate fell 0.1% to 67.0%.

“Despite the slight fall in the employment-to-population ratio this month, the female employment-to-population ratio rose 0.1 percentage points to a record high of 60.9%,” Crick said.

Hours worked increased 1.3% in May, following lower levels in the previous two months coinciding with the Easter holiday period and severe weather disruptions.

Unemployment rate holds steady at 4.1%

Patrick Commins

The unemployment rate has held at 4.1% in May, new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows.

The number of employed Australians dropped by 2,500 in May, after full-time employment rose by 38,700, more than offset by a 41,100 drop in the number of part-time workers.

Economists had predicted employment would lift by 20,000 and that the jobless rate would be steady.

A chart shows Australia’s resilient jobs market

Former Nine reporter who accepted $50,000 from billionaire finds new job

Alex Cullen, a former reporter for Nine’s Today, has landed a new radio job in Melbourne nearly six months after he left the network over accepting a $50,000 prize from a billionaire real estate investor.

The billionaire, Adrian Portelli, challenged the media to refer to him as the “McLaren man” on air rather than the “Lambo guy”, a moniker bestowed after he showed up for a house auction for the reality show The Block in a yellow Lamborghini. Portelli offered to give $50,000 to the first television presenter that called him by the new name.

Cullen appeared to be the first to do so during a live cross from the Australian Open in January, and Portelli later shared a screen grab of a $50,000 bank transfer to the reporter. Cullen later returned the money, which was then donated to charity, but left Nine shortly afterwards.

Cullen’s new job is with GOLD FM’s Christian O’Connell Show in Melbourne. He wrote on social media:

Well this is exciting and people often say I have a head for radio. Can’t wait to join.

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Caitlin Cassidy

‘Wake-up call’ for Australian universities as 70% suffer a fall in latest global ranking

Dozens of Australia’s top universities have dropped in a global ranking amid a “turbulent year” for higher education, as attacks from Donald Trump’s second administration exacerbated years of disruption for the embattled sector.

The University of Melbourne, Australia’s highest performer, dropped seven places to 19th in the QS World University Rankings, run by the global higher education specialist Quacquarelli Symonds, while the University of Sydney dropped from 18th in the world to 25th.

The University of Melbourne has dropped seven places to 19th in the QS World University Rankings, while the University of Sydney fell from 18th to 25th. Photograph: Agenzia Sintesi/Alamy

The University of New South Wales, the nation’s second best performer, dropped from 19th to 20th.

The rankings, released on Thursday, drew from millions of academic papers and insights from 127,041 academics across 1,501 universities in 106 countries.

Patrick Commins

New jobs figures coming out at 11.30am

New jobs figures out later this morning are expected to show Australia’s labour market is staying strong despite a marked slowdown in growth in early 2025. Official data at 11.30am are expected to show the unemployment rate steady at 4.1% in May and pretty much where it has been since this time last year.

The consensus forecast among economists is for a 20,000 rise in the number of employed Australians, although jobs growth has been stronger than expected recently and hiring for the May election may swing the figures around a bit. The labour market has come out of the Covid-19 pandemic in better shape than when it went in.

Participation in the labour force is around record highs – a source of much pride for the Albanese government. Photograph: Steven Markham/AAP

Participation in the labour force is around record highs – a source of much pride for the Albanese government. Experts have linked jobs growth with the rapid expansion of government-funded services, such as health and aged care.

Before the health crisis, the jobless rate was in the low 5s, and there was a view that it couldn’t go much lower without triggering higher inflation. It doesn’t appear a barrier to cutting rates now.

Financial markets expect the Reserve Bank to deliver three rate cuts by December, according to ANZ figures this morning, with an 80% chance of the first cut at the end of the next board meeting on 8 July.

Qantas plane damaged after incident with air bridge in Brisbane

A Qantas plane was damaged at Brisbane international airport last night after an incident with an air bridge that reportedly left the front windscreen cracked. The airline said it is investigating “how an aerobridge made contact with the front of one of our aircraft”.

No one was injured during the incident and all passengers aboard the Boeing 737-800 aircraft disembarked the plane via stairs. Qantas said:

The aircraft will be inspected by engineers in Brisbane and repaired before returning to service.

Qantas said it is investigating ‘how an aerobridge made contact with the front of one of our aircraft’. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

Luca Ittimani

News Corp boss earns $42m as highest-paid CEO of Australian-listed company

News Corp’s chief executive has become the highest-paid CEO of an Australian-listed company, a new analysis of CEO pay has found.

CEOs of ASX-listed companies are still being paid 55 times more than average workers in Australia but the gap is yet to widen to extremes seen overseas, according to the annual analysis from the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors (ACSI).

News Corp chief executive Robert Thomson was paid nearly $42m in 2024, a $300,000 rise on the previous year. Photograph: Mark Lennihan/AP

Robert Thomson, who heads up the American media company News Corp, was paid nearly $42m in 2024, a $300,000 pay rise compared with the previous year, when he was the second-highest-paid Australian chief.

‘Small group’ of Australians have left Israel during ‘fluid’ situation, Wong says

Sarah Basford Canales

A “small group” of Australians have gotten out of Israel via land crossing as the number of passport holders requiring help to leave the region nears 3,000.

The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, told ABC Breakfast this morning the Department of Foreign Affairs had assisted the stranded Australians overnight, describing the ongoing situation as “fluid”. As of Thursday morning, about 1,500 Australians in Iran have registered with Dfat’s portal for assistance leaving the country while there are 1,200 in Israel.

All commercial flights in Israel and Iran remain grounded and local embassies have shut. Photograph: Mohamed Azakir/Reuters

All commercial flights in Israel and Iran remain grounded and local embassies have shut.

Wong said the situation on the ground was “very difficult”:

Obviously, the situation on the ground is fluid. Iran is a, is a very complicated situation, a very risky situation. I think we all know that our travel advice remains the same, and that it is that people, if you are able to leave safely, you should do so. If not, shelter in place.

Australians in need of emergency consular assistance can contact the Consular Emergency Centre on +61 2 6261 3305 (if you’re overseas) and 1300 555 135 (in Australia).