Welcome to the Afternoon Update. The royal commission into defence and veteran suicide has handed down its final report.
The chair, Nick Kaldas, said the royal commission should be a “line in the sand” and a “call to action once and for all”. Speaking at Parliament House in Canberra, Kaldas said he believed there had been a “failure of leadership” and despite dozens of past inquiries and hundreds of previous recommendations the “dial hasn’t moved”.
The report’s recommendations include: a new executive agency to take responsibility for supporting defence members to transition into civilian life; a policy of mandatory discharge for defence members convicted of sexual and related offences; and fostering a strong culture of reporting unacceptable behaviour.
- Harris and Trump tied in latest polls | As Kamala Harris and Donald Trump prepare to go head to head on Wednesday morning Australian time, a poll reveals they are neck and neck in approval ratings. Trump is up one percentage point, 48%-47%, over Harris. It means a win for either candidate is within reach.
- Bridget McKenzie walks back comments calling for divesture powers on airlines | Writing in the Australian Financial Review, the Nationals senator called for powers to force Qantas to divest Jetstar, which she said may be one of the only ways to ensure competition in the Australian aviation market. McKenzie later clarified her stance, calling for the treasurer to “look at the tools on how he’s going to address excessive airfares”.
- Hunter Valley bus crash sentence ‘not about revenge’ | Addressing a packed courtroom, the Newcastle district court judge Roy Ellis said the bus driver, Brett Button, could expect a lengthy jail term, but told the victims’ grieving families “justice is not about revenge”. Button pleaded guilty to 10 counts of dangerous driving resulting in the deaths of 10 people and injuries to 25 others.
- Man who allegedly poured coffee on baby flees country | A warrant has been issued for the arrest of a 33-year-old foreign national who police say left the country on 31 August – just 12 hours before he was identified by police.
- Tax treaty between Australia and Slovenia | Australian businesses will be subject to reduced withholding tax rates under an agreement which will improve access to Slovenian technology. It’s the first tax treaty between the two countries and Andrew Leigh said it represents a “a significant milestone in the bilateral relationship”.
- South Australia wants social media ban for under 14s | Premier Peter Malinauskas said the proposal was backed by a “substantial and growing” body of research that shows social media addiction is causing children potentially long-lasting harm. He said social media companies “industrialise addiction” in children and penalties for breaches would be in “the seven figures”.
- Three children in critical condition after Melbourne house fire | The children, all aged under five, were taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries after a house fire in Melbourne’s north-west last night. No one else was injured.
- Broken Sydney train track causes cancellations | Major delays persisted into the afternoon despite the rail being fixed by 10am. Sydney Trains said it was investigating the cause of the issue.
Main image: Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian
