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Well, that’s all from us today. Thanks for following along with our live blog, but if you’re only just joining us, then here are the biggest headlines of the day:
Broede Carmody will be with you bright and early tomorrow morning to take you through the news of the day.
Star Entertainment Group’s boss, Robbie Cooke, says he is committed to rebuilding the company’s reputation after its Sydney casino licence was suspended for failing to stem criminal activity and money laundering.
Cooke, who started at Star today, conceded it had been a “very weird” first day in the office, and told this masthead he was heartened by the NSW casino watchdog’s faith in him, and Star’s ability to regain the Sydney licence.
New Star chief executive Robbie Cooke faces a huge job.Credit:James Alcock
The NSW Independent Casino Commission today also imposed a record $100 million fine on Star. However, it decided against permanently revoking Star’s licence to operate in Sydney. Instead, the casino will continue to operate under an independent manager.
“It was heartening, but the reality is I won’t be happy until we get the business back to suitability, and I’m not going to rest on any laurels until we get there,” Cooke said.
He added that the $100 million fine was “very significant” and rejected claims that the regulator had not gone hard enough with the penalties imposed.
Read the full story here.
The Australian sharemarket tumbled today, weighed down by a negative lead from Wall Street, as inflation fears grip global markets.
The S&P/ASX 200 slipped 1.4 per cent, or 94.4 points, to 6664.4 at market close. All sectors closed weaker, with energy and mining stocks hit especially hard by the slump in commodity prices.
Fears of inflation and recession have gripped Wall Street.Credit:NYSE
Dan Murphy’s owner Endeavour Group was up 1.46 per cent after reporting strong sales in its first quarter; Pilbara Minerals and healthcare outfit Ebos Group were also in the green, up 2.13 per cent and 2.46 per cent, respectively.
Elsewhere, Liontown Resources jumped 4.89 per cent; Core Lithium added 5.19 per cent; and Insurance Australia group edged up 1.66 per cent after announcing an on-market by back of up to $350 million, following a High Court decision on business interruption on Friday.
Read the full wrap here.
London: Leading British figures have called on Prime Minister Liz Truss to stand down after less than six weeks in the job, as the Conservative government braces itself for a further week of infighting following the chaos caused by now dumped mini-budget measures.
Truss, who is fighting for her career after she was forced to reverse several economic policies, including scrapping the 45 per cent income tax bracket and axing a planned rise in corporate rates, will appeal to moderate Tory MPs to save her premiership after it was reported that powerbrokers had held secret discussions about ousting her and arranging a “coronation”.
Britain’s Prime Minister Liz Truss is fighting for her career.Credit:AP
MPs are demanding a change to the party’s constitution that would mean grassroots members would be out of the selection process for a new leader, in a bid to avoid another protracted contest.
Truss, who was appointed by the late Queen on September 6, will address the faction known as the “One Nation” group of centrist Conservatives, following a weekend in which three of her MPs called on her to quit and her new chancellor tore up the agenda on which she was elected by party members.
Read the full story here.
Over to some international news now, and the central Shevchenkivskyi district of Ukraine’s capital Kyiv has been rocked by blasts early on Monday for the second time in a week, with Mayor Vitalii Klitshchko saying several residential buildings were damaged.
“Rescuers are on the site,” Klitshchko said on the Telegram messaging service, adding that as a result of what he said was a drone attack, a fire also broke out in a non-residential building.
There was no immediate information on casualties.
A medical worker runs past a burning car after a Russian attack in Kyiv, Ukraine last Monday.Credit:AP
Shevchenkivskyi district, a busy hub with universities, student bars and restaurants, was hit by several explosions on Monday last week when Russia ordered the biggest aerial offensive against Ukrainian cities in retaliation for a blast on a bridge linking mainland Russia to Crimea.
Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian president’s staff, said the attacks were carried out with so-called suicide drones.
“Russians think this will help them, but such actions are just their convulsions,” Yermak said on the Telegram messaging app.
Ukraine has reported a spate of Russian attacks with Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones in recent weeks. Iran denies supplying the drones to Russia, while the Kremlin has not commented.
Reuters
Health Minister Mark Butler has commissioned a report on the Health Department’s existing compliance and audit programs following revelations billions of dollars were being rorted or wasted from Medicare each year and the system was failing to detect fraud or errors.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers has also signalled Medicare rorting could form part of the government’s audit of wasteful spending amidst attempts to rein in budget costs as the peak doctors’ group said the claims had been grossly inflated.
Health Minister Mark Butler says it’s important every Medicare dollar is spent on patient care.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
A joint investigation by this masthead and ABC’s 7.30 has uncovered instances of doctors billing for dead patients and radiologists over-servicing cancer patients, which highlight flaws in the Medicare system that makes it easy to rort.
Dr Margaret Faux, the country’s leading expert on Medicare, estimated the annual cost of Medicare’s waste and rorts of about $8 billion equated to roughly 30 per cent of its annual budget – and more than the annual cost of running the Air Force.
Butler said the overwhelming majority of Australia’s medical professionals did the right thing, but it was important that every dollar in Medicare was spent directly on patient care.
“In light of reports in the Channel Nine papers today, I’ve asked my department to provide me with an analysis of Dr Faux’s work, and a report on the department’s existing compliance, audit and Professional Services Review programs,” he said in a statement.
Read the full story here.
Law enforcement bodies have defended powers that can block an Australian citizen from entering the nation if they’re a suspected terrorist risk after serious concerns were raised.
Temporary exclusion orders can be made to prevent an Australian from returning for up to two years if the home affairs minister reasonably suspects the person could become involved in terrorist activities.
ASIO Director-General of Security Mike Burgess.Credit:James Brickwood
Eight orders have been made since the laws were put in place in 2019.
Australian Security Intelligence Organisation head Mike Burgess said the biggest risk to Australians remained a lone actor terrorist attack without warning. He said foreign fighters who had joined terrorist organisations could still hold extremist views and lean towards violence.
“If they return to Australia they’re likely to bring home capabilities learned in a conflict zone,” he said.
“Some … may pose a latent threat to the security environment.”
Australia Federal Police’s Ian McCartney said the orders provided law enforcement agencies with more time to assess and respond to such threats.
“Information not just for ourselves but for our intelligence partners to have a better-informed risk assessment,” the deputy commissioner of investigations said.
McCartney said the AFP had used the order numerous times to reduce risk.
But Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay said the laws had been used to target relatives or associates of Australian foreign fighters who might not have engaged in criminal conduct.
“Australian citizens who are not themselves involved in terrorism, should not be prevented from returning to Australia,” she told a parliamentary committee reviewing the laws on Monday.
AAP
Good afternoon, and thanks for following along with our live coverage of today’s news. If you’re only just joining us, then here are today’s headlines at a glance:
Health Minister Mark Butler has just released a statement regarding one of the big stories of the day: that Medicare is facing about $8 billion worth of waste and rorts every year.
Here’s what the Labor frontbencher has to say about Adele Ferguson and Chris Gillett’s reporting:
Australians are rightly proud of Medicare and of the committed group of doctors and other health professionals who deliver Medicare services.
Australians know that the overwhelming bulk of Australia’s doctors and health professionals are honest, hardworking and comply with Medicare rules.
But they also understand that, after nine years of cuts and neglect, every dollar in Medicare is precious and must be spent directly on patient care.
All governments must apply strict compliance standards to any publicly funded system – including Medicare – to ensure that the small minority that do the wrong thing are picked up quickly and dealt with.
In light of reports in the Channel Nine papers today, I’ve asked my department to provide me with an analysis of [a particular doctor’s] work, and a report on the department’s existing compliance, audit and professional services review programs.
Serious concerns have been raised over national security laws that can block an Australian citizen from entering the nation if they’re a suspected terrorist risk.
Temporary exclusion orders can be made to prevent an Australian from returning for up to two years if the home affairs minister reasonably suspects the person could become involved in terrorist activities.
Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay said the orders should only be made against a person who had been part of terrorist activities.
She said the laws had been used to target relatives or associates of Australian foreign fighters who might not have engaged in criminal conduct.
“Australian citizens who are not themselves involved in terrorism, should not be prevented from returning to Australia,” she today told a parliamentary committee reviewing the laws.
Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security Chris Jessup said the laws were quite broad in that being “directly or indirectly a risk to security” didn’t require the person to be a specific threat.
Meanwhile, the Law Council’s David Neal said the information given to the minister by security agencies could be inaccurate and there was no opportunity for review in the case of mistaken identity or a wrong determination.
AAP
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