Australia news live: heated words between Watt and Paterson in Senate estimates as home affairs secretary questioned about Dural caravan plot

Emily Wind

Many thanks for joining me on the blog today, Catie McLeod will take you through the rest of our rolling coverage. Take care.

Andrew Messenger

Brisbane bus drivers to strike on Friday

Brisbane’s bus drivers have delayed industrial action to the end of the week due to “more productive negotiations”.

The Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) said it had suspended strike action planned for Wednesday due to negotiations with Brisbane city council being “more progressive after its last stoppage”.

Drivers stopped work on Thursday last week from 4am to 6am over a pay dispute with the council. The union had planned to strike during peak hour on Wednesday, from 4pm to 6pm. There will be more negotiations on Wednesday.

The RTBU secretary Tom Brown said the union “will always bargain in good faith”.

We are not going to pass up the opportunity to reach an agreement, we will postpone our action.

The industrial action only affects drivers in the Brisbane city council, not other routes in south-east Queensland.

Josh Taylor

IVF provider says cyber-attack gained access to sensitive patient information

IVF provider Genea has said a cyber-attacker has gained access to a system containing sensitive patient information including medical history, diagnoses, treatments, doctors’ notes and medication information.

Guardian Australia reported last week that patients of IVF services provider Genea had been informed that the company had detected suspicious activity on its network and was working to figure out what had been compromised.

In an email to patients today, the Genea CEO, Tim Yeoh, revealed patient management systems had been accessed by an unauthorised third party, but it was unknown what personal information within those systems had been compromised.

Yeoh said the information in that system includes: full names, emails, addresses, phone numbers, Medicare card numbers, private health insurance details, Defence DA number, medical record numbers, patient numbers, date of birth, medical history, diagnoses and treatments, medications and prescriptions, patient health questionnaire, pathology and diagnostic test results, notes from doctors and specialists, appointment details, emergency contacts and next of kin.

Yeoh said at this stage there was no evidence that financial information such as credit card details or bank account numbers had been compromised, but the investigation is ongoing.

Heated exchanges over when PM was briefed on Dural caravan

Krishani Dhanji

There’s been a long back and forth in Senate estimates over when the prime minister was briefed on the Dural caravan plot.

The shadow home affairs minister, James Paterson, has been trying to dig out more details on when the PM was briefed on the plot, before it became public last month.

Department secretary Stephanie Foster said she wouldn’t answer as it was an “ongoing investigation”, and that questions should be directed to the agency in charge, which is the federal police (who will be in front of Senate estimates tomorrow).

The questioning from Paterson got quite heated, with the shadow minister saying the government was “embarrassed”, with Murray Watt – who’s representing the home affairs minister in the Senate – retorting that Paterson was more interested in “political point scoring” than finding those responsible.

Greens senator David Shoebridge also asked the department when it was made aware of the caravan filled with explosives. Foster said she’d take all those questions on notice.

Earlier, Paterson asked what the protocols were around informing the government and relevant minister on security incidents. The department said there were “guidelines”, but they could change on a case-by-case basis.

Cait Kelly

Call for national approach to efficiency standards while protecting renters

Continuing from our last post: Joel Dignam, executive director of Better Renting, said “too many” renters were in “substandard housing that is too hot in summer, too cold in winter and too expensive to keep at a healthy and comfortable temperature”.

Renters across Australia should be sharing in the benefits of a transition to efficient electric homes that are healthier to live in and cheaper to run. While owner-occupiers can make choices to cut their energy bills and improve their home’s comfort, renters are entirely in the hands of their landlord.

A national approach is needed to help states and territories implement strong energy efficiency standards while ensuring protections for renters. We’re calling for federal leadership to do their part so that all Australians can have a healthy home and affordable energy bills.

Cait Kelly

Funding sought to make rental properties more energy efficient

Renting advocates have paired up with industry organisations to call for targeted funding for landlords to make their investment properties more energy efficient.

A total of 120 organisations – including Better Renting, NSW Tenants Union, Acoss and the Real Estate Institute of Australia – have called on the federal government to step in to ensure renters can access the benefits of home energy upgrades and meet climate emissions reduction targets.

The four big ticket items are support for:

• Landlords to access energy assessments or energy audits that are shared with renters.

• Establishing a “one-stop-shop” to assist landlords to access appropriate finance, subsidies, tradespeople and compliance information

• States and territories to implement mandatory energy performance disclosure at the point of lease, to support the implementation of mandatory energy performance rental standards, so that renters know the energy performance of the property before they sign.

• Real-estate industry and strata management training, education and support.