Work begins on Daniel Andrews statue commemorating more than 3,000 days in office
Work has commenced on a statue to honour former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews’ tenure exceeding 3,000 days in office.
The state government confirmed that Meridian Sculpture, the company responsible for statues of the other four Victorian premiers who reached this milestone, was selected through a standard procurement process.
The total cost of the statue is $134,304, and work is already underway.
A Victorian government spokesperson stated:
"Daniel Andrews led Victoria through some of its toughest moments and never stopped fighting for working people. Under a policy introduced by the Kennett government, Victorian premiers who serve more than 3,000 days in office are recognised with a statue along Treasury Place in honour of their service to the state."
The government indicated that installation details would be finalised closer to completion.
How a Sydney civic masterpiece was rescued
Once a grand sandstone masterpiece where returned soldiers gathered in marble corridors awaiting lottery draws, the Department of Lands building on Sydney’s Bridge Street experienced significant changes over the 20th century.
As bureaucracy expanded, the building’s Victorian interior was transformed with numerous cubicles, office partitions obscuring Australian red cedar joinery behind particleboard, and ornate vaulted ceilings concealed by suspended acoustic tiles and fluorescent lighting.
However, the building, which served as the engine room of New South Wales’ colonial expansion for over a century, was recently honoured with one of the top awards at the 2026 National Trust (NSW) heritage awards.
Transgender woman Roxanne Tickle wins discrimination appeal
Roxanne Tickle, a transgender woman, has won a landmark discrimination appeal in the federal court after being denied access to a women-only social media app.
On Friday, Justice Melissa Perry upheld an August 2024 finding that Tickle was discriminated against based on her gender identity, and supported Tickle’s cross-appeal that she experienced two instances of direct discrimination by the Giggle for Girls app and its founder, Sally Grover.
The app and Grover had challenged a prior ruling by Justice Robert Bromwich, which found they indirectly discriminated against Tickle by barring her access because they believed she was a man.
The full bench upheld Bromwich’s decision and found Tickle was discriminated against both when excluded from the app based on her gender-related appearance and when her access was refused to be restored.
Tickle’s access was blocked in 2021 after she uploaded a selfie during registration.
Justice Perry stated:
"The full court has found that Giggle For Girls and Ms Grover both excluded Ms Tickle from the Giggle app and refused to re-admit her on the basis of her gender-related appearance by reference to her selfie. This amounted to direct discrimination by reference to a characteristic that pertains to people of Ms Tickle’s gender identity, being a transgender woman."
"Ms Tickle has been successful in her cross appeal under the act, gender identity is defined as meaning gender-related identity and gender-related characteristics, including appearance."
The court confirmed that the discrimination violated Section 22 of the Commonwealth Sex Discrimination Act 1984 when read with Section 51B of the same act.
Following the judgement, Tickle said:
"I’m very pleased by the outcome of my case, and I hope that it assists trans and gender diverse people and their loved ones to heal. The court unanimously found that I was unlawfully, directly discriminated against. The ruling clearly reinforces what the Australian community stands for, that all women are protected from discrimination by law, trans women, cis women, lesbian women, queer women, straight women, First Nations women, women of colour, migrant women, women with disabilities, all women.
I brought my case to show trans people that you can be brave and that you can stand up for yourself. In the process, I surprised myself at just how brave I could be. Young Roxy would be surprised but overjoyed."
NDIS on track for another budget overspend
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is projected to exceed its budget again, according to new data released one day after the federal government announced measures to reduce the scheme’s future costs.
The latest figures indicate the scheme is approximately $350 million over the July 2025 budget forecasts, with a growth rate of about 11.3% in the year to March 2026.
While plan inflation decreased in the quarter from January to March, the number of participants increased by 13,014, bringing total participants to 774,456.
These figures follow a review of eligibility and funding designed to save around $2 billion over the next four years.
Budget papers forecast an average growth rate of 3.6% until 2030, a figure still higher than the 2.5% offered by Health Minister Mark Butler last month.
Coalition says neo-Nazi groups seeking to ‘destroy Australian way of life’
The Coalition has supported the federal government’s listing of the National Socialist Network (NSN), also known as White Australia, as a prohibited hate group.
Shadow Minister for Home Affairs and Immigration Jonno Duniam described the listing as a “welcome development” for Australians.
This is the second group to be listed under the laws, following the Australian chapter of Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir earlier this year.
Duniam stated:
"Let’s be absolutely clear, the modus operandi of these neo-Nazis is to destroy the Australian way of life. Our message to them is that your ideology of hate has no place in our society and that if your criminal organisation persists, it will be shut down and your members punished.
Australians do not want to see people avoid justice simply by tearing down a banner and re-emerging under a different name. This recommendation, along with that of Hizb ut-Tahrir, shows that the laws we backed in January of this year are responsible and effective.
The listing sends a clear message that organisations that seek to undermine our society and spread extremist ideology have no place in Australia."
Duniam added that the opposition will continue to support measures that strengthen Australia’s national security.
ECAJ responds to NSN designation as hate group
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) welcomed the designation of the National Socialist Network as a prohibited hate group.
Co-chief executive Peter Wertheim said:
"The ECAJ has been calling for this measure since 2021. We told a parliamentary committee at the time that groups like NSN were operating at a level just below the threshold required to list them as a terrorist organisation but were using social media in the same way as terrorist groups to groom and recruit impressionable young men to join them.
It doesn’t matter what they call themselves, or how they structure themselves, these groups use all the well known techniques of thuggery and menace that Nazis have always used against Jewish communities and other groups they have targeted. This announcement is welcome and will send a much-needed message that these groups and their hateful, racist ideology have no place in Australia."
Jim Chalmers responds to the budget’s critics on our Australian Politics podcast
Political editor Tom McIlroy and economics editor Patrick Commins spoke with Jim Chalmers about criticisms of his “reforming” and “ambitious” budget, which, while historic, is said to benefit only a relatively small number of Australians.
Daniel Andrews statue design considerations
In 2023, as Daniel Andrews approached the 3,000-day milestone, Peter Corlett, commissioned to design the four premier statues near Melbourne’s Treasury Gardens, shared his vision.
Corlett said:
"When he came out to claim credit for the last election, where he held his two fists in the air – that was a great image, a rare showing of emotion from the premier.
Other people have said it has to be of him in his North Face jacket. We’ll see."
Victorian treasurer grilled on Suburban Rail Loop costs
At Victorian budget estimates, Treasurer Jaclyn Symes and Department of Treasury and Finance Secretary Chris Barrett faced questions regarding the cost of the Suburban Rail Loop project.
The budget shows the state government has committed about $11.8 billion for the first stage, SRL East, a 26km tunnel stretch between Cheltenham and Box Hill, and signed $13 billion in construction contracts.
Liberal MP Richard Riordan questioned how the government’s estimated total cost of $34.5 billion for SRL East remains unchanged years after the business case release.
Symes responded:
"You build in contingencies when you have projects, particularly that are going to be delivered over many years.
When we do that costing, if we know that it’s happening over a long period, and in the case of Suburban Rail Loop, it’s happening over … [the] mid 2030s, we don’t just assume that whatever the cost was in 2021 is also going to be the cost of materials, say nine years later. We inflate that by an amount."
Riordan noted the federal government’s $6 billion investment is “well short” of the one-third total cost sought by the state. Symes replied:
"I don’t think you would expect a federal government to give us the entire amount when we’re not spending the entire amount right at the start."
Josh Taylor will continue coverage from here. Enjoy your weekend!
Migrants a scapegoat for poor planning, inquiry told
Migrants fill critical labour gaps, secure local jobs, and enrich Australian culture but are often wrongly blamed for longstanding challenges such as housing supply, a parliamentary inquiry was told.
Tim Ryan, Chief Executive of the Australian Meat Industry Council, told the inquiry in Canberra:
"The fundamental need for migrant labour is complementary to our ability to employ locals."
The inquiry is examining the economic, social, and cultural value of skilled migration amid a rise in anti-immigration rhetoric.
Labor faces increasing pressure from One Nation and the Coalition to reduce migration to lower demand for housing and services.
However, National Farmers’ Federation workforce relations general manager Michael Pyers warned that changes to migrant numbers would significantly impact Australian producers, citing a shortage of about 170,000 workers.
Tickle reflects on hate faced during gender affirmation
Roxanne Tickle shared her experiences of hostility since beginning her gender affirmation in 2017, noting a small minority of people invested significant effort into ridiculing and threatening her.
"There is so much hate and bile cast on trans and gender diverse people, simply because of who we are. Usually, by those who refuse to meet us or engage with us. Sometimes it’s difficult to remember that most Australians are kind and believe in allowing everyone to be free to live their life in dignity and be free to be who they truly are.
The hate has not just affected me; it’s hurt so many other trans and gender diverse people, a number of them my friends, and it is not what the Australian community stands for. For that small minority, the decision to choose hate over friendship and community has removed them from a place they would have been welcomed, and can still be welcomed. My trans friends are some of the kindest and most empathetic people I have ever met.
I now look forward to getting on with the rest of my life, in the community that we all know and love, one that embraces freedom and equality for all women."
Eleven Australians set sail from Turkey on flotilla to Gaza
Eleven Australians have departed from Turkey on a flotilla bound for Gaza, aiming to deliver humanitarian aid and raise awareness of the ongoing situation in the region.
The group’s departure comes amid heightened tensions and international calls for aid access to Gaza.
Authorities continue to monitor the flotilla’s progress and the political implications of their journey.
