NSW government announces new powers to crack down on illegal hate preaching venues
The Minns government said this morning it will give councils new powers to crack down on illegal hate preaching venues, including allowing utilities to be cut off if operators ignore planning laws and cease-use notices.
The government said in a statement the effort was part of reforms meant to shut down “factories of hate”, including strengthening penalties for non-compliance and ensuring shutdown notices carry renewed weight. A release from the NSW government said:
Freedom of religion is a fundamental right in NSW. But that freedom does not extend to operating unlawfully or putting community safety at risk.
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, said in a statement:
There is no place in NSW for hate, intimidation or extremism masquerading as community activity. These reforms give councils real powers to act when premises are operating unlawfully and spreading division. If operators ignore the law and refuse to shut down, councils will be able to cut off utilities and close them for good.
Read more here:
Key events
Man charged with murder after death of detainee at Sydney detention centre
A man has been charged with murder after the death of a detainee at a detention centre in south-west Sydney.
NSW police said emergency services were called to the Villawood detention centre around 6.35am on Sunday following reports a male detainee had died. On arrival, they located the body of a man, 51, suffering a serious wound.
A crime scene was established, and following inquiries police arrested another detainee, a 29-year-old man. He was arrested and taken to Bankstown police station and charged with murder.
He was refused bail and will appear before local court today.
Former Adelaide writers’ week director says festival in ‘crisis’
Jo Dyer, the former director of Adelaide writers’ week, said she believes the Adelaide festival is in “crisis” after multiple board members resigned after the disinvitation of Randa Abdel-Fattah.
Dyer spoke to RN Breakfast this morning, saying the festival appeared to no longer be a “functioning organisation”:
Adelaide writers’ week and the festival more broadly is clearly now in complete crisis. The program was due to go to print this week. And as you’ve said, at the moment, the numbers of authors that have withdrawn are approaching 100. There really is, at the moment, not a viable writers’ week program.
Dyer levelled heavy criticism at the board, saying it appeared to her the body had bowed to political pressure over Abdel-Fattah’s appearance:
The issue here is the board has taken a decision to disinvite someone because of pressure from the government, because of, it appears, the politics, if not the nationality of the author in question and fears about what she may or may not say.
It’s how an organisation responds to that pressure and whether or not it stands firm as a protector of the freedom of artistic expression.
More than 300 structures lost in Victoria bushfires, minister says
Vicki Ward, Victoria’s emergency services minister, is providing an update on the ongoing firefighting effort in the state.
She told RN Breakfast upwards of 300 structures have been lost, but noted that figure included buildings like sheds. But she said it’s likely at least 100 homes have been lost overall, “if not more”.
Eleven recovery centres are open in Victoria that can provide assistance to anyone in need, and Ward said the state government was rolling out personal hardship assistance payments alongside the federal government’s disaster relief payments.
She said roadblocks and barriers to entry remained important to keep people safe, noting people should abide by those restrictions and avoid fire scar areas:
We need to have … qualified people, who know what they’re doing, going in there to check to make sure that roadways are safe because trees can just fall on people.
We do not want to see those kinds of incidents. We do not want to see people who have done the right thing, who have left early, who have saved their lives, the lives of their families, then go back into a fire area only to be harmed, possibly killed by a falling tree.
Meta removes access to nearly 550,000 accounts in first month of under-16s social media ban
Meta said this morning it has removed access to almost 550,000 accounts belonging to people believed to be under 16, its first compliance report a month after the landmark social media ban law went into effect.
That figure includes about 330,000 Instagram accounts, 173,000 Facebook accounts and nearly 40,000 on Threads. The company said compliance was a “multi-layered process that we will continue to refine”.
Meta said while it was taking all steps necessary to comply with the law, it continued to speak with the Australia government to “find a better way forward” instead of “blanket bans”, adding:
As we’ve stated previously, Meta is committed to meeting its compliance obligations and is taking the necessary steps to remain compliant with the law. That said, we call on the Australian government to engage with industry constructively to find a better way forward, such as incentivising all of industry to raise the standard in providing safe, privacy-preserving, age appropriate experiences online, instead of blanket bans.
Adelaide festival chair resigns amid ongoing writers’ week crisis
The chair of the Adelaide festival board, Tracey Whiting, is the latest person to resign after a controversial decision to disinvite the Palestinian Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah from the 2026 writers’ week program.
Whiting said her resignation overnight would allow the body to “refresh its leadership and its approach to these circumstances”. As we reported yesterday, three other board members resigned from the festival this weekend.
Whiting wrote on LinkedIn about her decision:
Recent decisions were bound by certain undertakings and my resignation enables the Adelaide Festival, as an organisation, to refresh its leadership and its approach to these circumstances.
My tenure as Chair has been immensely enjoyable, as has working with the terrific AF team. I look forward to the future success of the Adelaide Festival.
I have no further comment.
Good morning
Welcome to the Australia live news blog for Monday 12 January.
Major Victorian bushfires that have left at least one person dead and hundreds of structures destroyed are expected to burn for weeks, including the Longwood blaze in the state’s north. Cooler conditions could offer some relief to firefighting efforts, but for many small communities, the damage has already been done. More soon.
After days of intense buildup, ex-Tropical Cyclone Koji ran out of power as it crossed the Queensland coast, downgraded to a tropical low – but forecasters warn the threat is not over as Queensland braces for more devastating floods. Thousands were meanwhile without power, AAP reported, as authorities worked around the clock to restore electricity to affected areas.
And the chair of the Adelaide festival board, Tracey Whiting, is the latest person to resign after a controversial decision to dump the Palestinian Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah from the 2026 writers’ week program. Three board members resigned on Sunday. We’ll have more on that soon.
And the Golden Globes kick off in the US a bit later – we’ll have rolling coverage of the awards, red carpet highlights and more – stay tuned.
