Over a Daryl

GLAD-HANDING

In the latest updates out of ICAC, the ABC reports that disgraced former Wagga Wagga MP Daryl Maguire organised a 2016 meeting with then-treasurer and secret partner Gladys Berejiklian over a major local transport project that, although “vehemently” opposed by the roads minister at the time, went on to receive tens of millions in state and federal funds.

Additionally, The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Maguire has admitted to using his position to make money; for example, “having a glass of red” was code for an off-the-record meeting with a property developer and the former chief of staff to the then-planning minister, and he admitted to accepting thousands of dollars in cash on multiple occasions at Parliament House as part of a visa scam.

The paper also reports that the former staff member of Maguire’s who told the inquiry she was instructed to delete material from his electorate and parliamentary offices, Sarah Vasey, is now working for Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack.

Berejiklian yesterday survived two no-confidence motions against her, and, according to the ABC, maintains she had no knowledge of Maguire’s wrongdoing.

PS: In the latest from Australia’s game of mates, The Australian ($) reports that Queensland Labor received thousands from gambling giant Tabcorp, big four consultant KPMG and gas company Santos, among others, who got to meet with respective state ministers at their ‘Business Partnership Program’ fundraiser.

CLUSTER FLUSTER

According to the ABC, NSW is battling a COVID-19 outbreak at the A2Z Medical Clinic at Lakemba as well as new cases at tutoring schools — Al-Jabr – A Different Class of Mathematics in Auburn and ACE Tutoring in Parramatta — and Westfield Mount Druitt.

Down in Victoria, The Age reports that news of Shepparton’s cluster has sparked a testing rush that quickly overwhelmed the regional city’s capacity, while the groups calling on Dan Andrews to reduce the lockdown’s economic and mental health burden under this weekend’s update now includes a leading economist, the state’s peak lawyers’ group, one of the nation’s largest grocery retailers, psychiatrists and doctors.

Following news that the Shepparton cluster was sparked by a truck driver who withheld details of his trip from contact tracers for more than a fortnight, Victorian chief health officer Brett Sutton has warned he is considering using GPS information from phones, which the state’s laws currently enable.

PS: According to the ABC, WA’s chief health officer Dr Andrew Robertson has told a COVID hearing that the state could reopen its border to most states and territories because they already meet health requirements and have their own “generally” satisfactory border controls in place.

CROSSING A THIN BLUE LINE

NSW Police officers have been filmed by University of Sydney student media outlet Honi Soit throwing both a student and a law professor to the ground at a rally held yesterday against the Morrison government’s university cuts.

As The Guardian reports, professor Simon Rice says he was trying to move past the protest when he was shoved by officers with “disproportionate force”, while student Shovan Bhattarai says she now has “a deep graze” on her arm and “bruises” up the side of her body after police threw her into a gutter.

Further north, the NT News ($) reports that three police officers have been accused of misconduct after restricted footage of a cop car hitting a Palm Island teenager was leaked and shared on Snapchat.

GREAT BARRIER GRIEF

According to The Guardian, a study by Townsville’s ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies has found that, across multiple bleaching events from 1995 and 2017, the number of small, medium and large corals in the Great Barrier Reef has fallen by more than 50%.

The publication also reports that Australia’s banking and insurance regulator, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, estimates the country should be spending about $3.5 billion a year to prepare for climate change-related natural disasters, warning the cost of responding after the fact is likely to be 11 times greater.

PROGRESS CORNER: Earlier this week, RenewEconomy explained that the International Energy Agency hailed renewables as the new “king” of electricity, while the ABC reports that BHP Group has announced it has received deferment requests from Chinese coal customers.

MOMENT OF TRUTH: DUELLING NON-DEBATES

Donald Trump and Joe Biden will hold competing town hall events on a night The Guardian reports was originally scheduled for the second presidential debate, which was binned after Trump backed out of the virtual event.

According to CNN’s live blog, Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett faces continued questions on abortion rights and Obamacare at day three of her confirmation hearing; as the ABC reports, Republicans have lauded her as “unashamedly pro-life”.

Finally, CNN also notes that Republicans have installed unauthorised, possibly illegal, ballot dropboxes in California, a weird flex for a party that has worked to dismantle the post office this year.