Debris balls wash up along NSW beaches again
The Central Coast council said yesterday debris balls are washing ashore along a slate of beaches, and has urged residents not to touch any of them. The balls are grey-coloured and about 10-40mm in size.
The pollution has been spotted at The Entrance beach, Grant McBride baths, Blue Bay beach, Toowoon Bay beach, North Shelly beach, Shelly beach and Blue Lagoon beach.
🚨 NOTICE: Debris Balls washed ashore The Entrance Beach, Grant McBride Baths, Blue Bay, Toowoon Bay, North Shelly, Shelly Beach, Blue Lagoon
Advice is:
• Avoid these beaches until further notice
• Do not touch
• Report sightings to Council, 4306 7900https://t.co/kTA4mfCZj8 pic.twitter.com/WC6STtSvx7— CentralCoastCouncil (@CCoastCouncil) August 21, 2025
Current advice is to avoid those beaches until further notice.
Authorities do not yet know what the balls are made of, or if they’re related to the debris balls that washed up on Sydney beaches over the past year. The council said:
There is no evidence available at this stage to confirm the source of origin of these debris balls. Debris balls washed ashore could be from a variety of sources or locations such as stormwater, sewerage networks, ships from local or international locations.
Council is taking a precautionary approach in managing a potential risk of these items. We will keep the community updated.
Key events
Queensland police vow to arrest pro-Palestine marchers
Police are vowing to arrest or charge pro-Palestine protesters if they unlawfully block traffic on a big city bridge after a magistrate denied legal protection for a proposed march, Australian Associated Press reports.
Chief magistrate Janelle Brassington ruled yesterday that Sunday’s planned march by up to 10,000 people across Brisbane’s Story Bridge would be declared an unauthorised protest.
Rally organiser Remah Naji said outside court that participants would still gather at the march’s planned starting point in a nearby park.
“The plan is still to go ahead with a peaceful assembly … we are considering our options at this stage,” she said.
Acting assistant commissioner Rhys Wildman said police would act to protect the safety of the community and maintain access for emergency vehicles to the large arterial road crossing the Story Bridge.
We have to make it quite clear that anyone participating in a protest which is not authorised faces the prospect of enforcement action being taken against them, whether that’s on the day or post-event.
There are a range of offences that are open to investigators to utilise, and we will have a significant policing presence this weekend to manage whatever response the protest organisers wish to take.
Read our story on yesterday’s ruling here:
Tech Council chief says AI presents opportunities for Australian artists
Damian Kassabgi, the CEO of the Tech Council of Australia, said earlier there was a “degree of national unity” at the roundtable on the future of AI, but he noted that artists and creatives had benefited greatly from technology that had already been developed. He told RN Breakfast:
Certainly there is going to be change in the arts world. … There are more clicks, there are more audiences, there are more opportunities for Australians to reach international audiences than ever before due to technological change …
From our perspective, we do want to see AI models trained in Australia … but at the same time we see there’s no reason why we can’t be partnering with industry to ensure that we get a good outcome for all …
There is a national sovereign argument here to ensure the models that are being trained are being trained based on Australian content, which is what we want. But we want that to be done in a fair way with opt-in, opt-out rules.
Kassabgi said Spotify’s royalty payments to Australian artists was an example, adding:
Artists have benefited from the internet, and there’s no reason that they can’t benefit from the next generation.
ACTU secretary says agreement with tech sector on AI use of creative content ‘really positive thing’
Sally McManus, the secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, says an agreement with the tech sector about AI use of creative content is a “really positive thing”, and says tech companies seem prepared to “deal in a fair way” with Australian artists.
McManus spoke to RN Breakfast this morning after saying yesterday a “breakthrough” agreement had been reached amid concerns by creative professionals that AI companies have used their content to train their models. She said:
I thought it was a really positive thing that the Tech Council recognised what the problem was and are prepared to deal in a fair way. It’s not that they weren’t before, but it was recognising that this had to be resolved and saying, ‘yes, you know, there should be compensation’.
And so starting those talks is a really positive thing, obviously, for artists and obviously for academics and dare I say, journalists.
McManus says it is still too early to say what that breakthrough would mean practically.
We want the best for people out of this, so I wouldn’t want to start limiting or for that matter, you know, starting those negotiations here on RN.
Paterson says Tony Burke’s comments during Israel-Australia row ‘reckless and inflammatory’
James Paterson was asked what Australia should do to repair relations with Israel after home affairs minister Tony Burke struck back at Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s criticism of Australia.
Paterson says Burke’s remarks amount to “incredibly reckless and inflammatory rhetoric at the worst possible time, both domestically and internationally,” adding:
We need to be turning down the temperature, not turning it up. And I don’t think Tony Burke contributed to that. … I respect the intent of a Labor colleague to want to defend the prime minister. But to use the inflammatory language that Tony Burke used, I think was grossly irresponsible. …
I do not think it helps social cohesion to use the kind of inflammatory language that he did. I think he should frankly apologise.
He was asked about Netanyahu’s own criticism and if the Israeli leader had gone too far, too. Paterson says:
I think Benjamin Netanyahu is entitled to protect his own position as well, but I don’t think it’s been constructive to the Australia-Israel relationship, the contribution he’s made, or the public debate here in Australia. But I note that this is not the first time that foreign leaders have criticised Australian prime ministers.
Coalition says if Labor tries to raise taxes after roundtable it would be ‘major breach of faith’ with Australian people
James Paterson, the shadow minister for finance, says if the government moves to increase taxes it would be a “major breach of faith with the Australian people”. Paterson spoke to RN Breakfast after the conclusion of yesterday’s roundtable, where Chalmers said there was a longer-term process to consider major reform on the matter.
Paterson says:
No Australian voted for higher taxes at the election, and so it seems that Jim Chalmers isn’t on the same page as the prime minister because he was unwilling to repeat that commitment at his press conference yesterday. And he is leaving open the door to higher taxes, and particularly on people’s retirement savings, on family trusts, on a whole range of other things.
When those questions were raised during the election campaign, Jim Chalmers and the Labor party said that was a Liberal Party scare campaign. So, if they go ahead and try and increase taxes, that’ll be a major breach of faith with the Australian people.
Paterson adds that the Coalition agrees there are “inefficiencies” in the tax system that could be improved, but pointed to Albanese’s election pledge that the government would only move on policies he campaigned on.
Angus Taylor joins Netanyahu in attacking Albanese
Benjamin Netanyahu continued his attacks on Anthony Albanese last night in an interview on Sky News, calling him a “weak” leader who had “forever tarnished” his reputation.
Mark Butler led the fight back for the prime minister and called Netanyahu’s comments “frankly ridiculous”, adding Australia would not change its position “because of a particular position taken by any other world leader”.
The shadow defence minister, Angus Taylor, told Sky that Albanese’s decision to recognise Palestine showed he had “capitulated to the left of his party” and was “unrealistic” for Israel to accept while Hamas remained in control of Gaza.
Read our full story here:
Roundtable agrees environmental laws review should be sped up
Guardian Australia’s Tom McIlroy and Patrick Commins dug into some of Jim Chalmer’s plans for reform, including a rapid overhaul of the country’s environmental laws.
Chalmers said the three-day event had agreed the environment minister, Murray Watt, should proceed more quickly than a planned 18-month timeline. It was one of a flurry of announcements, including progress on road user charging for electric vehicles and a longer-term process to consider major tax reform.
Read more here:
Chalmers says Australia will work to make intergenerational fairness ‘defining’ principle of the country
Treasurer Jim Chalmers said one of the “defining moments” to come from the economy roundtable was making “intergenerational fairness” a defining principle of the country.
He told RN Breakfast this morning:
I’d say we’ve made a lot of progress in our economy the last few years and the best way to sustain that progress, to lift living standards, to make people better off over time is to make our economy more productive, more resilient and make our budget more sustainable. And those were the three major issues that we grappled with over the course of the last three days …
One of the defining outcomes of this economic reform roundtable was building consensus and momentum around ensuring that intergenerational fairness is one of the defining principles of our country, but also of our government. And that’s certainly something that we will pick up and run.
Chalmers wouldn’t say if the government would consider changing the treatment of family trusts or reducing the capital gains discount.
Good morning, and happy Friday. Nick Visser here to take over for Martin Farrer. Let’s get started.
Krishani Dhanji
Early education operator calls for national system to track workers
Still with that childcare summit, our team are reporting this morning that one of Australia’s largest early education providers says a national system to track childcare worker misconduct is the key to keeping children safe.
Every worker in every state should be subject to mandatory reporting, they say.
Read the full story here:
Krishani Dhanji
Education minister commits $189m for childcare safety package
The education minister, Jason Clare, is putting $189m on the table at today’s meeting with his state and territory counterparts to fund a childcare safety package, including a national education register, mandatory safety training, and CCTV for a limited number of services.
The register, training and CCTV are at the top of the federal government’s agenda for the meeting and have been flagged as important areas of reform by Clare.
He’s putting forward a national assessment for CCTV in up to 300 services – in 2024 there were almost 15,000 childcare subsidy approved childcare services. Services have raised concerns about the cost of installing CCTV cameras.
The government is also proposing a mandatory mobile phone ban from 1 September this year for all childcare services – although Guardian Australia understands there may be some hold out from Queensland on a full ban.
Clare says the government will fund 1,600 additional unannounced spot checks by commonwealth officers at centres, and look at tougher penalties to deter breaches and to provide more information for parents on the condition of childcare centres.
No parent should ever have to wonder if their child is safe when they drop them off at childcare. We need a national register to ensure we know who is caring for our children, and their work history.
We also need mandatory child safety training. The overwhelming majority of childcare workers are awesome at what they do caring for our children. They are just as angry as everyone else.
We also need to ban personal phones and ramp up inspections to make sure centres are up to scratch.
Australia signs international statement to allow media access to Gaza
It’s been a busy night for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Before the release of the statement about the West Bank, it also emerged that the government had signed a letter with 26 other countries demanding that the international press be given immediate access to Gaza.
Germany and the UK were among the other nations who signed the statement from the Media Freedom Coalition (MFC), an international advocacy group that the UK helped to create.
It said:
In light of the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, we, the undersigned members of the Media Freedom Coalition, urge Israel to allow immediate independent foreign media access and afford protection for journalists operating in Gaza.
Journalists and media workers play an essential role in putting the spotlight on the devastating reality of war. Access to conflict zones is vital to carrying out this role effectively. We oppose all attempts to restrict press freedom and block entry to journalists during conflicts.
Read our full story here:
Australia calls West Bank settlement plan ‘unacceptable’
Australia has joined 20 other countries in condemning Israel’s plans to expand Jewish settlements on the West Bank.
In a move likely to further enrage Benjamin Netanyahu and his right wing-dominated ruling coalition, foreign minister Penny Wong said the Israeli plan for the E1 area east of Jerusalem was “unacceptable and a violation of international law”.
She was joined by the foreign ministers of Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the UK and the European Commission.
In a statement posted on her government webpage overnight, Wong said:
The decision by the Israeli higher planning committee to approve plans for settlement construction in the E1 area, East of Jerusalem, is unacceptable and a violation of international law.
We condemn this decision and call for its immediate reversal in the strongest terms.
[Israeli defence minister Bezalel] Smotrich says this plan will make a two-state solution impossible by dividing any Palestinian state and restricting Palestinian access to Jerusalem. This brings no benefits to the Israeli people. Instead, it risks undermining security and fuels further violence and instability, taking us further away from peace.
The government of Israel still has an opportunity to stop the E1 plan going any further. We encourage them to urgently retract this plan.
Unilateral action by the Israeli government undermines our collective desire for security and prosperity in the Middle East. The Israeli government must stop settlement construction in line with UNSC Resolution 2334 and remove their restrictions on the finances of the Palestinian Authority.
Here’s the full story from our UK colleagues:
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the best breaking stories before Nick Visser picks up the slack.
Jason Clare will meet state and territory education ministers today to discuss how to reform the childcare sector after a series of abuse scandals. The federal minister will pledge $189m at today’s meeting to fund a childcare safety package, including a national education register, mandatory safety training and CCTV for a limited number of services. More details shortly.
Australia has joined 20 other countries in condemning Israel’s plans to expand Jewish settlements on the West Bank. It comes after Benjamin Netanyahu appeared on Sky News last night alleging that Anthony Albanese had “forever tarnished” his reputation by backing Palestinian statehood. The government also signed an international statement demanding international media be given access to Gaza. More shortly.
Queensland police chiefs have said that pro-Palestine protesters will be arrested if they try to march across the Story Bridge in Brisbane on Sunday. The planned march was banned yesterday by the chief magistrate, who said it would not be safe. More coming up.
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