AEC confirms container of ballot papers in Barton went missing but says it did not affect result
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has confirmed one container of ballot papers for the NSW seat of Barton was temporarily misplaced during the count, with a transport officer found to have possession of the container.
The AEC said, however, it was recovered still sealed and undamaged and did not affect the outcome in Barton.
In the seat, which Labor retained with Ash Ambihaipahar winning 61.66% of the two-party preferred vote, the AEC said all votes had been counted in the Hurstville polling place on election night. Once the ballot papers were transported securely for a second count as required, the AEC identified that one of two containers for House of Representative ballots at the polling place had not been returned.
A spokesperson for the AEC said it was determined an authorised transport officer “inadvertently maintained possession of the single missing container.”
The container was recovered with all uniquely coded security seals unbroken and without any damage.
All ballot papers were still in the recovered ballot paper transport container and were promptly returned to the counting centre and have undergone fresh scrutiny. The fresh scrutiny count matched the initial count and the election in the Division of Barton was unaffected by this incident.
The AEC said it was investigating the incident to see what could change to prevent it happening again in future elections.
This shouldn’t have occurred, and the AEC is deeply concerned that on this single occasion our process did not prevent the issue on polling night when ballot papers were initially returned.
Key events
‘A day is a long time in politics’
Liberal vice president Fiona Scott was asked how long she thinks new leader of the party Sussan Ley will last on the Today show earlier this morning. She said:
I don’t know. I mean, a day is a long time in politics!
When the host responds “that is not exactly a ringing endorsement,” Scott clarifies “it won’t be a day, [I’m being] cheeky” and thinks “Sussan is fantastic”.
Foreign minister Penny Wong’s response? “Ouch!”
Jonathan Barrett
Woolworths is cutting prices from today. Expect more supermarket competition – but not an all-out price war
Woolworths is cutting prices on hundreds of products from Wednesday, raising hopes the supermarket sector is entering a new period of intensifying competition, colloquially known as a price war.
But after a bruising period for the supermarket sector, marked by allegations of price-gouging during a cost-of-living crisis, shoppers may be sceptical of seeing any relief.
Is the era of fast-rising grocery prices and supercharged supermarket profits really coming to an end? Read more here:
NSW health minister will support state abortion bill but says it will ultimately be a conscience vote
The NSW minister for health, Ryan Park, said he supports the abortion bill being debated in NSW parliament this week, noting that the amendments made in the legislative council make it a bill he can support, and that ultimately it will be a conscience vote in the parliament.
He told RN Breakfast it was an issue that weighed heavily on MPs.
From my perspective as a feminist, I take the view that we need to try and make sure that this of this level of healthcare and this accessibility, this type of healthcare, is improved across New South Wales. But I also respect having listened to and spoke with a number of colleagues across the parliament, as well as in the community, that this is a tough issue for many people, and certainly when I spoke last night in the parliament on this.
I encourage members to have a look at the bill, but also encourage people to make their contributions in a respectful way, because for many people, this is a deeply personal issue, and I think as legislators, we have to reflect that as well.
He said the legislation will make abortions much more accessible for women in regional, rural and remote areas by allowing nurse practitioners and endorsed midwives to carry out this type of healthcare.
Park said he hopes NSW doesn’t go down the pathway of the “Americanisation of the abortion debate”, as the opposition leader, Mark Speakman, claimed it has in NSW.
A parent group with more than 20,000 members will challenge one of Australia’s largest energy companies in court over claims it misled customers about emissions from its products, AAP reports.
Representatives from EnergyAustralia will appear in the NSW Federal Court on Wednesday to defend the lawsuit filed by Parents for Climate in August 2023.
The group claims the company misled more than 400,000 customers using its Go Neutral products, which EnergyAustralia allegedly marketed as “carbon neutral” due to the purchase of offsets, and claimed consumers would have a “positive impact on the environment” by purchasing them.
But Parents for Climate will argue EnergyAustralia’s claims were misleading and deceptive, chief executive Nic Seton said, in a lawsuit that will become the first greenwashing case launched against an energy firm in Australia.
It’s one of the most ambitious things that our organisation has ever done. It’s an Australian first in that no other product has been tested on these grounds of making carbon-neutral claims based on offsets.
The charity, represented by Equity Generation Lawyers, will seek a declaration that EnergyAustralia misled customers about greenhouse gas emissions, a corrective statement to customers, and restrictions on its future marketing.
EnergyAustralia withdrew its Go Neutral products for new customers in November but a spokesperson for the company said it was committed to offering customers clean energy solutions.
“We have been working closely with Parents for Climate over the last number of months,” the spokesperson said.
“We remain optimistic we can resolve this issue together.”
Jonathan Barrett
Mortgage arrears hit six year highs at CBA
More Australians are falling behind on their mortgage repayments, according to a trading update at Commonwealth Bank, with arrears now at six-year highs.
The percentage of CBA’s home loan book that is more than 90 days behind increased to 0.71% in the March quarter, which is the highest level since 2019 and above the lender’s historical average.
CBA is Australia’s biggest lender.
The data shows that while there has been some easing in cost-of-living pressures, those already behind on their repayments are falling further behind. It is often an insurmountable task for a borrower to recover from a deficit once they are more than three months behind on repayments.
CBA customers with personal loans also fell further behind, according to the quarterly update, with 90-plus day arrears also rising to six year highs.
The bank reported a cash profit of $2.6bn during the three months to 31 March, up from $2.4bn a year earlier. Its profit margins have remained stable.
Ted O’Brien refuses to make ‘vice-captain’s call’ on if nuclear policy will be kept or dumped
The newly appointed deputy Liberal leader, Ted O’Brien – who was responsible for advocating the party’s nuclear policy prior to the election – would not commit to keeping or dumping the policy at this stage.
He told ABC’s News Breakfast that he won’t be “making any vice-captain calls on policy”
We will engage with the Australian people, we’ll be driven by data and evidence, as well as big ears – listening to people – and then we’ll be regrouping as a party, as a party room, we’ll be having debate and, hopefully, these debates are robust. They need to be, for the sake of Australia, they need to be, before we then land on policy direction.
He said he had not had discussions with leader Sussan Ley about what portfolio he may have in the shadow ministry, noting Ley’s mother is unwell and Ley is spending time with her.
O’Brien said he’s “really proud” to have Jacinta Nampijinpa Price in the Liberal party and the Liberals and Nationals work best as a coalition. He said Price, who bowed out of the deputy run after Angus Taylor lost the vote for leader, will continue to play an important role in the party.
Bradfield margin narrows with just 59 votes separating the candidates
There are just 59 votes separating Liberal Gisele Kapterian and independent Nicole Boele in the Sydney seat of Bradfield on a two-party preferred count, with 1,687 votes still to be counted.
The ABC had initially called this seat for Kapterian, but has now put the seat back in doubt. It says, however, Kapterian is still favoured to win the seat.
If the margin holds, or if it narrows as the count progresses, Boele is likely to ask for a recount. The AEC in the 2016 election opted independently – that is ,without a request – to recount the seat of Herbert when the difference between the two candidates was less than 100 votes.
Liberals slipped from their core values, party vice-president says
On why the Coalition lost the election, Scott says there were “a range of challenges” but said the “Australian public didn’t see themselves in us in this election.”
Scott said the party has slipped from its core values, which should be uniting, around freedom of choice, of association, of voice, of worship, and a tolerant cohesive national society that rewards effort.
We need to build a platform around those things.
The other factor, she said is the Coalition – prior to 2022 – had been in government for nearly a decade, and there needed to be a rebuilding after that to evolve for new generations.
Scott said she was torn on whether quotas for female MPs should be introduced.
There’s been a challenge around female representation. As a woman, I haven’t felt myself hamstrung … even regarding going into one of the four vice-president’s roles, which there are two women and two men in that space. I do, though, believe that I can see the reason why a lot of women are pro quotas, and I’m not against quotas, but I think we need to ensure that there is a full diversity within our membership and within our female representation.
Scott said quotas could potentially had a negative impact on ensuring that multicultural communities are represented if a female candidate was chosen instead of someone representing those communities.
Liberal vice-president says appointment of Ley ‘unique opportunity’ for women of Australia and rebuilding of party
The Federal Liberal vice-president, Fiona Scott, says the appointment of Sussan Ley as the Liberal party leader is a “really unique opportunity, not just for the women within the Liberal party, the women within Australia, but really embodying what it is the Australian dream and how the Liberal party can now rebuild around that.”
Scott told ABC’s RN Breakfast the closeness of the vote between her and leadership rival Angus Taylor reflects the “broad church” of the Liberal party.
What I think we will see is the Liberal party will rally behind Sussan and Ted [O’Brien]. You know, it doesn’t mean that great talents in our party, like Angus [Taylor] won’t still provide superb input, same as Jacinta [Nampijinpa Price], and it’s good to have that diversity of perspective and view, but right now, I think the party room did make the right decision yesterday, and you know, it’s really important on us that we’ve been given the opportunity, maybe taking kicking and screaming to have to rebuild the party and take it back to basics and move forward from there. And I think Sussan is a is a step forward to say that we have listened.
Wong refuses to comment on if Husic could be breaching cabinet solidarity
Wong said she understands why former minister Ed Husic is upset about being excluded from the new ministry in the government. On whether it was over his comments in relation to Gaza, Wong said “we all share concern about what is happening in Gaza”:
We know how difficult it has been for the people of Gaza these last weeks and months. And we continue to join with others to call on Israel to ensure that aid is delivered.
Wong would not comment on whether Husic was close to breaching cabinet solidarity.
