Rail unions back fresh industrial action across Sydney train network in lead-up to New Year’s Eve – as it happened
Elias Visontay
NSW government hits another hurdle in attempts to stop train strikes
The New South Wales government’s attempt to block industrial action across Sydney’s train network through legal means appears set for another hurdle, after rail unions negotiating for better pay voted to take fresh action in the lead-up to New Year’s Eve.
Late on Monday, the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) released the results of a fresh protected industrial action ballot it launched after the Minns government made an 11th-hour decision to seek a court injunction to block industrial action last week.
While the legal case related to the injunction was still playing out before the federal court on Monday, RTBU members have since voted in favour of taking fresh industrial action which would not be subject to the injunction.
Members overwhelmingly voted in favour of the action, with between 78% to just under 80% in favour between the Sydney Trains and NSW Trains workforces, according to results seen by Guardian Australia.
The vote means that RTBU members will be able to take industrial action as early as 28 December, covering a range of actions from 24-hour work stoppages, to declining distances of work for drivers, as well as decisions to deactivate Opal card readers.
You can read more about the pay dispute here:
Key events
What we learned today, Monday 16 December
With that, we will wrap up the blog for today. Have a great evening, and stay cool out there if you’re reading this from somewhere hot.
Here were today’s major developments:
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Former New South Wales police officer Kristian White has sought to appeal against his sacking from the force after he was convicted of manslaughter for fatally shooting a 95-year-old woman in a nursing home with a Taser.
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Parts of Australia sweltered through the day, especially in Victoria, which recorded its highest temperature – 47.1C – in five years, its hottest since the start of the catastrophic black summer bushfire season in 2019
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Austrac is taking gambling giant Entain to court, alleging “serious risk of criminal exploitation” by the company, which runs Ladbrokes and Neds.
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Two of four Australians who were hospitalised after a suspected mass alcohol poisoning event in Fiji have returned home. Fijian deputy prime minister, Viliame Gavoka, held a press conference earlier today, where he said the incident occurred at one bar, where “many” pina colada cocktails were served.
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The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has said he is not aware of any deals with Indonesia regarding the return of the remaining Bali Nine members to Australia. Chalmers said he believes their release was an “act of cooperation and compassion” by the Indonesian president, Prabowo Subianto.
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And the body of an international tourist, aged in his 20s, has been recovered from the water after he went missing near a popular swimming hole south of Cairns yesterday.
Sydney to face a scorcher on Tuesday as Melbourne cools down
Before we wrap up for the evening, here’s a look at what the Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting for capital cities tomorrow.
After a scorching day in Melbourne, relief is on the way for people in the Victorian capital later tonight when an expected cool change comes through.
Melbourne is set for a top of 24C tomorrow, with high chances of showers and a possible thunderstorm early in the morning.
It’s looking like it will be a sweltering day in parts of Sydney. A top temperature of 33C is expected in the CBD, but, as usual, it’s a different story for the city’s west.
The temperature is expected to reach 42C in Penrith and Richmond, 40C in Campbelltown and Liverpool and 38C in Parramatta.
A maximum temperature of 35C is forecast for Perth and a top of 34C is expected in Canberra. Adelaide, Brisbane and Hobart can expect maximum temperatures of 26C, 29C and 21C, respectively.
It’s going to be hot in Darwin, where the temperature is set to reach 36C.
You can read more of our coverage of today’s heatwave here:
Elias Visontay
NSW government hits another hurdle in attempts to stop train strikes
The New South Wales government’s attempt to block industrial action across Sydney’s train network through legal means appears set for another hurdle, after rail unions negotiating for better pay voted to take fresh action in the lead-up to New Year’s Eve.
Late on Monday, the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) released the results of a fresh protected industrial action ballot it launched after the Minns government made an 11th-hour decision to seek a court injunction to block industrial action last week.
While the legal case related to the injunction was still playing out before the federal court on Monday, RTBU members have since voted in favour of taking fresh industrial action which would not be subject to the injunction.
Members overwhelmingly voted in favour of the action, with between 78% to just under 80% in favour between the Sydney Trains and NSW Trains workforces, according to results seen by Guardian Australia.
The vote means that RTBU members will be able to take industrial action as early as 28 December, covering a range of actions from 24-hour work stoppages, to declining distances of work for drivers, as well as decisions to deactivate Opal card readers.
You can read more about the pay dispute here:
Kristian White applies for review of sacking by NSW police
Josh Taylor
Former New South Wales police officer Kristian White has sought to appeal his sacking from the force after he was convicted of manslaughter for fatally shooting a 95-year-old woman in a nursing home with a Taser.
White was sacked in early December just days after a jury found him guilty of the manslaughter of Clare Nowland.
A spokesperson for the NSW police confirmed a case had been filed in the Industrial Relations Commission of New South Wales to appeal against the sacking:
NSW Police have been advised a former officer who was attached to Monaro PD, has filed in the Industrial Relations Commission of New South Wales an application for review under s 181E of the Police Act 1990.
Given the matter is before the IRC no further comment can be made.
White used a Taser to shoot the great-grandmother, who was armed with a serrated knife and threatening police and staff, at her Cooma nursing home in May 2023. She died a week later from head injuries sustained when she fell backwards from the force of the Taser shot.
Austrac takes gambling giant Entain to court, alleging ‘serious risk of criminal exploitation’
Henry Belot
The financial intelligence agency has begun federal court action against gambling giant Entain, which runs the Ladbrokes and Neds brands, accusing it of “serious and systemic non-compliance with Australia’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing laws”.
In a statement, Austrac’s chief executive, Brendan Thomas, alleged Entain “did not develop and maintain a compliant anti-money laundering program and failed to identify and assess the risks it faced”:
We are alleging this left the company at serious risk of criminal exploitation.
Money laundering is often a symptom of serious criminal activity, including fraud, scams and corruption, all of which have equally serious effects on our communities.
Austrac has also alleged “third parties, including businesses and individuals, accepted cash and other deposits on behalf of Entain to be credited into betting accounts in ways that could obscure the proceeds of crime”.
It has accused the company of not conducting ‘appropriate checks on 17 higher risk customers, including examples where Entain did not appropriately deal with the risk that its online betting sites were being exploited by criminals to spend the proceeds of serious crime’.
This includes allegations that Entain deliberately obscured the identity of some high risk customers, on its own systems, through the use of pseudonyms to ‘protect their privacy’
Thomas said the Australian arm of Entain was “part of one of the world’s largest sports betting and gaming groups”:
The online betting sector, and all other businesses regulated by Austrac, must take their AML/CTF obligations seriously. This includes ensuring they have appropriate procedures to know who their customer is, even when they rely on third parties to process transactions.
Entain has been contacted for comment.
Man’s body found in Queensland swimming hole near ‘treacherous’ terrain, police say
A man’s body has been recovered from the water after he went missing near a popular swimming hole south of Cairns yesterday.
Queensland police Snr Sgt Rob Campbell has said the Babinda Boulders swimming hole is not on an authorised national park track and can be dangerous at this time of year.
At a press conference today, Campbell said:
This is quite treacherous terrain at this time of year because of the rainfall and the water coming through.
It’s not an authorised trail where it is so it’s not really a place that’s well maintained and kept, and it is rainforest as well.
Police said the man, an international tourist in his 20s, was reported missing about 2.20pm yesterday after he fell into the water and didn’t resurface.
Police, the State Emergency service, and Queensland Fire Department Swift Water Rescue crews immediately began searching for the man.
They suspended the search overnight.
After resuming this morning, police said they found the man’s body in the water about 11am.
Police have said the man is yet to be identified and they will prepare a report for the coroner.
Caitlin Cassidy
Northern Territory releases Atar results
Atar results are out for students in the Northern Territory, with 1,447 Year 12 graduates obtaining their certificate.
It’s an increase of 78 compared with 2023, but below the record 1,610 students that graduated in 2020. Some 257 of the graduates are Aboriginal students.
The NT’s minister for education and training, Jo Hersey, said the results were a testament to the commitment of senior secondary students across the Territory.
She said:
These results are also a reflection of students’ families, teachers and schools, who have supported our students throughout their studies to achieve such fantastic results.
Darwin high school topped the list, educating 13 of the top 20 students in the Territory. A total of 47 A+ merits – representing exceptional achievement in a subject – were handed out across seven schools.
Temperatures of 44C or higher hit Victoria’s west
Here are some more details from Weatherzone about today’s heatwave in Victoria.
As we mentioned before, the peak temperature so far of 47.1C was recorded just after 2pm in Walpeup, a small town in the Mallee region in the state’s northwest.
Temperatures have reached 44C or higher at several other locations in the Mallee and Wimmera districts including Mildura, where the temperature has peaked at 45.1C.
In Horsham, in the Wimmera region in the state’s west, the temperature has reached 44C.
At Hopetoun airport, north of Horsham, the temperature has peaked at 45.4C. This is also the site of the hottest temperature on record in Victoria, according to the Bureau of Meteorology, with 48.8C recorded on 7 February 2009.
Victoria’s southern coastline hasn’t escaped the heat today either, according to Weatherzone.
The temperature in the coastal city of Warrnambool, in the state’s west, reached 41.2C just after 1pm.
But that quickly changed, with the temperature dropping more than 10C in 30 minutes as a cooler west-southwesterly change pushed through.
It’s 36.9C in Melbourne now, according to the weather bureau.
Wherever you are, I hope you’re staying cool.
Victoria temperature hits 47C
The temperature in Victoria has hit 47°C for the first time since December 2019, according to Weatherzone meteorologist Ben Domensino.
In a post on X, Domensino said the last time it was this hot in the state was at the start of the Black Summer bushfire season.
The hottest place in the state so far today is 47.1°C at Walpeup, a town in the Mallee region south of Mildura, although Domensino said this could change in the coming hours.
The temperature in Victoria just hit 47°C for the first time since December 2019, during the Black Summer. The hottest place in the state so far today is 47.1°C at Walpeup, although this could change in the coming hours. pic.twitter.com/u3QE07ynjr
— Ben Domensino (@Ben_Domensino) December 16, 2024
Catie McLeod
Thank you to my colleague, Emily Wind, for taking care of the blog this morning. I’ll be with you until the end of the day.
Emily Wind
Many thanks for joining me on the blog today, Catie McLeod will be here to take you through the rest of today’s news. Take care.
Petra Stock
More than 50 Victorian schools and early childhood centres affected by extreme heat
As we flagged earlier, Victoria’s Department of Education has listed more than 50 schools and early childhood centres that have closed, relocated or switched to remote learning, as the state responds to the extreme heat and fire danger.
The schools and early childhood centres span numerous districts in the state, including the south-eastern, north-eastern, north-western and south-western regions.
Bushfire threat downgraded in West Wimmera
Earlier we reported a Watch and Act alert had been issued due to a bushfire at Casterton-Edenhope Road in the West Wimmera region of Victoria.
The Country Fire Authority says the threat has been reduced, lowering the bushfire to advice level – meaning there is no immediate danger, and to stay up to date in case the situation changes.
Gavoka says four of the six will be released from hospital today
Viliame Gavoka said the resort where this occurred is “very highly rated” with high standards.
We don’t think anything untoward happened, and that the industry itself is a very caring one. We have no fear that anyone would be doing anything untoward.
Asked if this was methanol poisoning, the deputy PM said “we would like to wait for the results of the tests”.
That would be really in the extreme … We don’t believe it’s possible in Fiji.
He said that of the six people who are ill, four will be released from hospital today – but due to privacy concerns he wouldn’t disclose the nationalities.
‘Many’ pina colada cocktails served on night tourists fell sick: Fijian deputy PM
Viliame Gavoka described pina colada cocktails as a “pretty harmless drink” and said “many” were served that evening across five bars at the resort – but those who have fallen ill were all at the one bar.
In the same bar, there were many pina coladas served that evening. And with this resort, there are five bars altogether … so in the other four bars, pina colada was also served. No ill effects. So we really want to get down to the toxicology and really get to understand what really happened.
Gavoka says ‘Everyone is in a state of disbelief’
Taking questions, Viliame Gavoka was asked whether there is any possibility this was a deliberate action. He said the bar was full that evening, and the bartender has 16 years’ experience and is “someone who is known for their caring attitude”.
Pina colada is the drink here. A lot of people drank pina colada but it only affected these six or seven people. I don’t think that is the case. I think there’s something else we need to identify.
He said those affected were from different travelling parties. Toxicology results could take three or four days, he said.
We’re really keen to see the result of that. Everyone is in a state of, you know, disbelief this has happened.
Deputy Fijian prime minister providing update on suspected alcohol poisoning cases
The deputy prime minister of Fiji, Viliame Gavoka, is speaking to reporters in Suva amid news Australians were in hospital amid suspected alcohol poisoning.
He said this was a “very isolated incident” and authorities are waiting on the results of ongoing investigations and lab tests.
The resort management has assured us that they have not engaged in practices such as substituting ingredients or altering the quality of drinks served to guests. The incident occurred at only one bar and six tourists, ranging in the age from young to older, fell ill. Management is concerned, as we are, and are fully cooperating with the minister of health and other authorities to identify what happened and to ensure the safety of all guests.
He said Fiji has close to a million visitors annually and “this is the only reported case of its kind that we have experienced in memory.”
Updated hottest temperatures so far today, in each state and territory
Earlier we brought you the hottest temperatures recorded so far in each state and territory today.
Some even higher temperatures have now been recorded, according to the Bureau of Meteorology, including:
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Queensland: Urandangi – 45.3C at 1.06pm
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NSW and ACT: Smithville – 45.1C at 1.12pm
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South Australia: Renmark Airport – 45.1C at 12.47pm
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Northern Territory: Jervois – 45C at 12.36pm
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Western Australia: Mardie – 41.3C at 11.07am
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Tasmania: Low Rocky Point – 36C at 2.10pm
Victoria still has the hottest temperature recorded so far today – 45.4C at Walpeup, at 1pm.
