Search to resume for three missing after Rottnest seaplane crash
Four people have been pulled from the water – but three are still missing – after a privately owned plane crashed into the sea off Western Australia’s popular tourist site Rottnest Island.
Rescue efforts – led by police and emergency services crews, but also involving civilian vessels – was still under way yesterday evening.
Police confirmed the seaplane was carrying seven people, including the pilot. Three people were pulled from the water suffering serious injuries, a fourth was rescued uninjured.
But three people remained missing, several hours after the plane went down at 4pm local time.
Key events
Sarah Basford Canales
Greens calling for laws to ‘Dutton-proof’ upcoming federal election leaders’ debates
The Greens want to see Labor pass laws declaring the ABC official hosts of the upcoming federal election’s leaders’ debates in a bid to “Dutton-proof” the event.
The minor party also wants to carve out its spot on the stage alongside the major parties’ leaders, claiming it is “more important than ever” given the possibility of a minority government.
The party’s communication spokesperson, Sarah Hanson-Young, will announce the proposal today, arguing voters deserved to watch the debate for free and for it to be moderated by the “most trusted media outlet in the country”. She said:
This is a simple and common-sense proposition; our national broadcaster should be the home of our national election debates. When it comes to our democracy and a fair and balanced leaders’ debate, we can’t leave it to the Murdoch[-owned] media.
During the 2022 federal election, three debates were held on commercial television, including one behind a paywall on Sky News.
The former prime minister, Scott Morrison, accepted invitations to appear on the commercial networks but refused a request by the ABC.
Months after Anthony Albanese was elected prime minister, the ABC called for legislation to ensure it hosts and broadcasts at least one leaders’ debate during a federal election campaign.
Hanson-Young said “election debates should be about providing information to Australian voters, not about securing ratings for billionaire media moguls”.
Good morning
Emily Wind
I’m Emily Wind, and I’ll be taking you through our live coverage this Wednesday on the Australia news live blog. If you have any tips, feedback or questions, feel free to reach out via email: emily.wind@theguardian.com.
Let’s go.
Search to resume for three missing after Rottnest seaplane crash
Four people have been pulled from the water – but three are still missing – after a privately owned plane crashed into the sea off Western Australia’s popular tourist site Rottnest Island.
Rescue efforts – led by police and emergency services crews, but also involving civilian vessels – was still under way yesterday evening.
Police confirmed the seaplane was carrying seven people, including the pilot. Three people were pulled from the water suffering serious injuries, a fourth was rescued uninjured.
But three people remained missing, several hours after the plane went down at 4pm local time.
The decision by Mark Zuckerberg to align himself more closely with Donald Trump may have repercussions for the political discourse in Australia in this election year.
In announcing that he was getting rid of factcheckers, the Meta boss, who controls Facebook, Instagram and Threads, said “factcheckers have just been too politically biased and have destroyed more trust than they’ve created”.
He added that Meta was going to “get rid of a bunch of restrictions on topics like immigration and gender that are just out of touch with mainstream discourse”.
Read our full story here:
Facebook’s factchecking has a fraught history in Australia – an RMIT-run service was reinstated in 2023 two months after a suspension over News Corp complaints:
However, its page now appears to have been deleted.
Forty more Bushmasters to be built in regional Victoria
Sarah Basford Canales
The Albanese government has announced it will build a further 40 of its Bushmaster protected mobility vehicles in regional Victoria after securing a $100m deal with defence contractor Thales.
The vehicles, known globally for their reliability, will be used by the Australian army and are expected to be based in Adelaide’s north once they are built.
The government said the deal would lock in more than 250 local jobs in Bendigo once production is under way.
The defence industry minister, Pat Conroy, said the government’s decision to invest in the armoured vehicles showed its “commitment to modernising the Australian defence force”.
This contract underscores the Albanese government’s commitment to providing the Australian defence force with the capabilities and equipment it needs to keep Australians safe. This additional investment will support hundreds of jobs, underscoring the Albanese government’s commitment not only to the people of the Bendigo region but to building Australia’s future.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer, bringing you the best of the overnight stories, and then it will be Emily Wind to take you through the rest of the day.
There’s a “massive gap between what people can realistically afford and home values” – that’s the verdict of a CoreLogic report into why the housing market is “buckling” under pressure from the cost-of-living crisis and rising rates. However, homeowners under pressure shelling out huge amounts on mortgages will be relieved that the data analysts think the downturn will be “short-lived”. Inflation figures out later this morning could have some bearing on whether rates will fall soon or not.
Anthony Albanese will travel to the Top End today after getting the ball rolling on the unofficial federal election campaign in Queensland this week. With the run-up to the election likely to be long and fractious, the prime minister will no doubt read with some concern this morning that Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg has thrown his lot in with the incoming Donald Trump presidency by saying he will dump factcheckers and “prioritise free speech”.
Three people are missing and three are in hospital with serious injuries after a private plane crashed into the sea off Western Australia’s popular tourist site Rottnest Island yesterday afternoon. A major police operation was launched after the incident at about 4pm, local time, with civilian vessels also helping with the rescue effort. A fourth person was rescued unharmed. The search for the missing passengers continues and we’ll let you know of any updates.
And the Labor government has announced a deal with defence manufacturer Thales to build 40 new Bushmaster vehicles for the Australian army at a cost of $100m. More on that in a few minutes.