Author: Morgan

The Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (Macs) has refused to let a non-binary teacher use their preferred pronouns and title, in a case that has put state and federal anti-discrimination laws on a legal collision course.

Two years ago, non-binary teacher Myka Sanders – who uses they/them pronouns and Mx for their title – asked Sacred Heart Girls College in Oakley, Melbourne if their gender identity could be recognised at school.

Their employer, Macs, refused, saying it went against “the ideas of Catholic anthropology”. Macs is the sixth largest education organisation in the country.

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The Independent Education Union (IEU), which is supporting Sanders, took the matter to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal over the school applying what they believed were unlawful actions against Myka.

But Macs successfully argued its defence relied on federal legislation so could not be heard by the tribunal. The matter is scheduled to be heard in the magistrates court next month.

Macs has allowed Sanders to use their chosen name, which appears on their ID and birth certificate, but has refused to use their pronouns and deliberately continued to use he/him, in certain instances, such as meeting minutes, Sanders said.

“I love working with the staff there. I love working with the students. It’s great, but it’s also really depressing, because I’m not allowed to be me,” Sanders told Guardian Australia.

LGBTQ+ Victorians are protected from discrimination in religious schools by the state Equal Opportunity Act. The act prohibits religious bodies from discriminating against someone on the basis of their identity, unless it is deemed “proportionate”.

But federally, the sex discrimination act holds broad exemptions for religious schools.

Ruth Gaze, a discrimination law expert at Melbourne University, said most of the time state and federal anti-discrimination laws work in harmony, with conflict between the two largely uncharted.

“Because both laws deal with nominally the same area, which is sex discrimination based on gender identity and employment, the question is: which law prevails?” she said.

Gaze said the case could be an unprecedented test, with ramifications for both sides.

If the court decides the Equal Opportunity Act applies, “then the churches will come in and start lobbying the Victorian government in a big way” to adopt an exception, Gaze said.

But if the court decides the act doesn’t apply, “then people in the gender [diverse] community, and in fact, all of those vulnerable communities, will then face discrimination at work in schools again”.

While the federal debate around religious discrimination has stalled, the union said this case highlighted why changes need to be made.

The general secretary of the Independent Education Union Victoria Tasmania, David Brear, said the IEU was “deeply concerned that in 2025” an employer would refuse to use the correct gender identity. “What is even more troubling is that Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools is using this case to challenge significant parts of Victoria’s Equal Opportunity legislation.”

Brear said the case could have national ramifications. He called on the Albanese government to “uphold its 2022 election promise” and bring federal legislation into line with states like Victoria and Tasmania.

“Myka is standing up not only for their own rights, but for the rights of everyone working for a faith-based employer,” Brear said.

“This case matters well beyond Victoria, and if we cannot defend anti-discrimination laws here, similar protections around the country will also be at risk.”

In a statement, Macs would not comment as “legal proceedings are under way” but it said all individuals of the school community were treated with respect and Sanders “remains a valued” member of staff.

‘Gut-wrenching’

In an email sent to Sanders in April 2024 and seen by Guardian Australia, the organisation said titles such as Mx went against “Catholic anthropology”.

“This personal decision by a staff member has consequences that affect the whole school community, as the decision illustrates an ideological shift from Catholic teaching and an inability of the staff member to uphold the vision and mission of the Catholic school,” it reads.

Sanders, who has worked at the school since 2022, said they were still trying to sign off on emails as Mx, but the school’s leadership has intervened, telling them to stop

“It’s gut-wrenching every time I see a colleague get married, or there’s a change of name or title,” Sanders said. “They get to do it without any issue whatsoever, but I’m not allowed to.”

They said if they had the opportunity to use their correct pronouns, it would “feel like the first time” they could “properly breathe out” since they had started working at the school.

The Danish prime minister has said the country was subjected to the “most serious attack on Danish critical infrastructure to date” after a drone incursion shut Copenhagen airport for several hours.

Mette Frederiksen said authorities were still investigating who was behind the suspected hybrid attack, but she said she could not rule out Russia.

Moscow has denied any involvement. The Kremlin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, accused Frederiksen of making “unfounded accusations”.

Danish police said two or three large drones that were seen on Monday night close to the airport, which is also the main airport for southern Sweden, appeared to have been flown by a “capable operator” who was looking to show that they had particular capabilities. No suspects have so far been identified.

The drones in Denmark came from multiple directions, turning their lights on and off for several hours before disappearing.

Oslo airport, Norway’s main aviation hub, was also forced to close for three hours after two drones were observed there.

Tens of thousands of passengers were stranded in the Nordic region by the two incidents and flights had to be diverted. Authorities in Denmark and Norway are investigating whether the two sightings were related.

The Norwegian prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, accused Russia of violating Norwegian airspace three times in recent months.

Frederiksen said in a statement it was a reflection of “the times we live in and what we as a society must be able to handle”.

“The police assess that this is a capable actor and the Copenhagen police are working closely with PET [the Danish security and intelligence agency], the Danish armed forces and international partners on the investigation, which is in full swing,” she said.

“We are obviously not ruling out any options in relation to who is behind it. And it is clear that this fits in with the developments we have been able to observe recently with other drone attacks, violations of airspace and hacker attacks on European airports.”

She said in an interview it had to be seen “in the context of everything else that is happening in Europe”.

“We have seen drones over Poland that should not have been there, we have seen activity in Romania, violations of Estonian airspace, we have a hacker attack on European airports over the weekend and now drones in Denmark and Norway,” she told the Danish broadcaster DR on Tuesday morning.

“Therefore, I can only say that this is in my eyes a serious attack on Danish critical infrastructure.”

She said the incursion was intended to “disrupt and create unrest. To create concern. See how far you can go and test the limits.”

She added: “I cannot in any way deny that it is Russia. We are seeing a number of hybrid attacks and sabotage and attempted sabotage. What exactly has taken place in Denmark, the authorities are now investigating.”

Her Norwegian counterpart, Gahr Støre, said in a statement: “Russia has violated Norwegian airspace on three occasions this spring and summer.

“We cannot determine whether this was done intentionally or due to navigation errors. Regardless of the cause, this is not acceptable.”

He described the three Norwegian incidents this year as “smaller in scope” than those in Estonia, Poland and Romania, but they came after more than 10 years with no such incidents. He added: “They are nevertheless incidents that we view very seriously.”

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Two of the incidents were over sea areas north-east of Vardø, which is close to the Norwegian border with Russia, and the third was in an uninhabited area along the land border in East Finnmark. Gahr Støre said the border violations lasted between one and four minutes. According to the Norwegian government, the first incident, on 25 April, involved a Russian SU-24 fighter jet; the second, on 24 July, involved a Russian L410 Turbolet aircraft; and the third, on 18 August, involved a Russian SU-33 fighter jet.

Separately, on Monday night, a couple from Singapore, tourists in their 50s and 60s, were reportedly arrested for flying a drone in central Oslo. The drone is being examined by authorities and there is no suspicion that it is related to the drone sightings at Oslo or Copenhagen airports.

Jens Jespersen, a Danish police chief superintendent, said of the airport drone incident: “We have concluded that this was what we would call a capable operator. It’s an actor who has the capabilities, the will and the tools to show off in this way.”

He said it was too early to say whether the incidents in Denmark and Norway were connected. The PST said it was working to establish whether the Norwegian and Danish drone sightings were related.

The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, claimed Russia was behind the Copenhagen incident. Danish police declined to comment on the claim, saying they did not know.

Among the theories being investigated by police is that the drones may have been launched from ships. Copenhagen airport is a short distance from the Baltic and one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes where hundreds of Russian shadow fleet ships are understood to be passing through carrying crude oil on which sanctions have been imposed.

Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said she had spoken to Frederiksen about the Copenhagen incident, writing on social media: “While the facts are still being established, it is clear that we are witnessing a pattern of ongoing challenges at our borders.”

Mark Rutte, Nato’s secretary general, said it was too early to say whether the incident in Denmark was connected to Russian violations of airspace elsewhere in Europe.

Troels Lund Poulsen, Denmark’s minister of defence, said the country “must be better equipped against drones”.

Copenhagen police said an “intensive investigation” was under way.

“Since yesterday [Monday] evening the Copenhagen police have been conducting an intensive investigation regarding the presence of unidentified drones over Copenhagen airport. The investigation is being carried out in cooperation with, among others, the police intelligence service, Danish defence, Copenhagen airport, Naviair, and other relevant authorities,” it said in a statement.

“There were several larger drones coming from different directions, and they also left the airspace over and around the airport in various directions. It is still too early to say where the drones came from, but based on the drones’ flight patterns, the Copenhagen police assess that one or more so-called ‘capable actors’ are behind the drone flights.”

Copenhagen diverted 31 flights to other airports, which led to 100 flights being delayed or cancelled, affecting about 20,000 passengers.

There have been a number of disruptions at European airports in recent days. On Friday, a cyber-attack on check-in and boarding systems led to problems at London Heathrow, Berlin and Brussels.

A footloose moose called Emil, whose summer wanderings caused havoc on Austrian roads and railways, has been captured, sedated and released in a verdant nature reserve, leaving his legions of fans wishing him well on social media.

The approximately three-year-old male, believed to have come originally from Poland or the Czech Republic, rose to online fame in August with his chaotic odyssey through parts of Austria where moose sightings are rare.

Local authorities decided to take action this week when Emil appeared ready to jump a fence on to the A1 autobahn, posing serious danger to himself and motorists. Adult male moose, among the largest mammals in Europe, can reach a weight of 800kg (1,764lb).

“An accident – wildlife experts confirm – would have risked the lives of all involved,” the regional councillor who took the decision to catch and relocate the moose, Michaela Langer-Weninger, said.

Animal welfare officers, using drones and thermal-imaging cameras to track Emil, carried out the operation on Monday. He was tranquilised and gingerly lifted by eight firefighters into a transport trailer lined with straw.

He reportedly woke up slightly dazed during the journey to the Bohemian Forest. Emil was released into the Czech national park Šumava, where there is an existing population of about 30 moose. Upon arrival, the young bull began licking moss.

“To ensure Emil’s safety and to be able to track his future life in the wild, he is now wearing an ear tag with a GPS transmitter,” Austrian regional authorities said in a statement.

Emil became known as a Problem-Elch (problem moose) after repeatedly appearing in heavily populated areas and blocking roads, prompting blanket media coverage in Austria as the summer holidays wound down.

Two weeks ago, he occupied one of the busiest railway lines in the country by strolling into the embankment, halting traffic for four hours. He only budged when a locomotive advanced toward him at reduced speed.

Travellers began joking that any unexpected delays must be caused by the errant animal, reportedly named after Emil Zátopek, the Czech long-distance runner.

Images of the wilful moose grazing in a sun-dappled clearing, swimming in the Danube, gobbling apples straight from the tree, exploring a golf course and approaching the outskirts of Vienna captured the imaginations of Austrians.

As fanclubs popped up across social networks and an Emil Facebook group picked up 26,000 members, petitions surfaced calling for him to be left alone. However, authorities set up a Soko Elch (moose special taskforce) and called on the public not to take matters into their own hands.

Emil’s eventful trek had probably been primarily a search for shade and cooler temperatures, authorities said, as the late-summer weather in the region is generally too warm for moose.

“In the end, wildlife experts say everything went according to plan,” a spokesperson for the local agriculture office, Elisabeth Hasl, said of his placement in the Czech forest. “Now he can freely decide where he wants to wander next.”

Hundreds of social media users posted fond farewells and hopes that Emil would find a mate in his new home.

The UK is set to suffer the highest inflation among G7 nations this year, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has warned.

Amid resurgent food prices, with some retailers blaming the UK government’s £25bn-a-year increase in employer national insurance contributions for pushing up costs, the OECD predicts that inflation in the UK will average 3.5% in 2025.

The figure is well above even that of the US, at 2.7%, despite Donald Trump imposing the biggest tariffs since the 1930s on imports – a policy generally expected to push up prices.

The OECD said UK inflation would slow to 2.7% next year, still well above the Bank of England’s 2% target.

The Bank has pointed to regulated prices such as water and energy bills, as well as the NICs rise, to help explain above-target inflation.

Alongside its inflation warning, the OECD suggested tough tax and spending plans would put the brakes on economic growth in the UK over the next twelve months.

It predicts modestly stronger GDP growth for the UK this year of 1.4%, up from 1.3% in its last forecast. However, its projection for next year is unchanged at a relatively sluggish 1% – an unhelpful forecast for the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, as Labour battles to kickstart growth.

The body said Britain’s “tighter fiscal stance” – higher taxes and reduced government spending – was expected to weigh on the economy. Reeves will present her budget, at which she is expected to raise taxes, on 26 November.

If the OECD’s growth forecasts prove accurate, that would put the UK’s GDP growth rate for next year in the middle of the pack for the G7 nations – behind the US (1.5%), Germany (1.1%) and Canada (1.2%) but ahead of Italy (0.6%), Japan (0.5%) and France (0.9%). This year, the UK is expected to be the second fastest-growing country in the G7, behind the US.

Labour’s target before last year’s general election was to “secure the highest sustained growth in the G7” – though it was unclear over precisely what period.

Responding to the OECD forecasts, Reeves said: “These figures confirm that the British economy is stronger than forecast – it has been the fastest growing of any G7 economy in the first half of the year. But I know there is more to do to build an economy that works for working people – and rewards working people.”

The Conservative party leader, Kemi Badenoch, said: “The OECD report is a damning verdict on Starmer’s weak economic management. Growth is shrinking, inflation highest in the G7 – all driven by Labour’s tax hikes. Britain needs strong leadership and a clear plan.”

The tricky UK forecasts came in the OECD’s interim economic outlook, in which the Paris-based club of industrialised countries said the economic impact of Trump’s tariffs had been slower than expected to materialise, but would hit global growth in the coming months.

It has upgraded its projection for global GDP this year, to 3.2% – up from the 2.9% it expected in its last forecast in June.

“Global growth was more resilient than anticipated in the first half of 2025, especially in many emerging-market economies,” it said in its interim economic outlook, adding that “industrial production and trade were supported by front-loading ahead of higher tariffs”.

However, with labour markets in several countries, including the US, already slowing and the impact of front-loaded exports waning, the OECD expects weaker global growth of 2.9% in 2026 – the same as in its June forecast.

Trump’s trade policy has shifted repeatedly since he announced a wave of “reciprocal” tariffs on what he called “liberation day” in April, targeting particular countries, regions and products.

The OECD estimates the average tariff applied on imports to the US was 19.5% at the end of last month: the highest since 1933.

As a result, and also because of slower net immigration – another Trump policy – the OECD expects US GDP growth to slow, from 2.8% last year to 1.8% this year and 1.5% in 2026. “The impacts of higher tariff rates are yet to be fully felt in the US economy,” it said.

Most leading economies have declined to retaliate against the US, which could lead to a full-blown trade war – instead offering concessions in the hope of winning more favourable treatment from the White House.

It also highlighted “significant risks” to the global economic outlook in the coming months.

“Further increases in bilateral tariff rates, a resurgence of inflationary pressures, increased concern about fiscal risks, or substantial risk repricing in financial markets could all lower economic growth relative to the baseline,” the report said.

The OECD also highlighted the danger of “high and volatile crypto-asset valuations”, given how closely these are intertwined with the global financial system.

The highly offensive guest that Sky News Australia put to air on Sunday was invited into the channel’s Perth studio where he declared he had “enough balls to fight Islam” while a studio staffer rearranged the bacon on his shirt before the interview.

The UK-based social media influencer Ryan Williams has posted a video of his friendly interaction with a Sky News staffer that throws more light on how much the News Corp-owned platform knew about their guest’s intentions before the live interview.

Sky has apologised for the racist and Islamophobic rant and is reviewing the program Freya Fires Up, hosted by Freya Leach, but Leach has not been suspended.

She appeared on Sky’s The Late Debate program on Monday night, where she apologised again.

Leach introduced Williams as a “social media sensation” and he went on to call Muslims terrorists and explain he “wore” bacon to protect himself from alleged threats of beheading. The rest of what he said is too offensive to repeat.

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Sky News said on Monday the program “took immediate action during the live broadcast to cut off the guest” but newly posted video shows Williams making it clear that the topic of conversation was anti-Islam.

The young Korean Scottish national says in the video he is usually “a half-naked Korean guy screaming at the top of his lungs like I’m hung like a chipmunk, but I’ve got enough balls to fight Islam”. The staffer says “strangely not the weirdest thing I’ve done in this job” as he drapes the bacon on the guest’s shirt.

Sky has tried to deflect criticism by saying Williams was “specifically asked for his reaction to the Charlie Kirk assassination” but Williams’ main online persona is wearing bacon on his bare chest while spreading Islamophobic rhetoric.

“The employee in the video is a casual technical guest liaison who meets and mics up studio guests,” a Sky spokesperson told Guardian Australia on Tuesday. “He was not aware of the guest’s background and not involved in booking the guest or any editorial processes.

“The actions and remarks of the guest were wholly inappropriate and unacceptable and have no place on our network. The guest responsible should never have appeared.”

The news channel has admitted a failure of editorial process allowed Williams to appear and is urgently reviewing the program and the guest vetting procedures.

“Sky News Australia apologises unreservedly for the deeply offensive comments made by a guest during a live broadcast on Sunday evening,” Sky said.

“We recognise the harm such rhetoric can cause and take full responsibility for this failure in our editorial processes.”

Leach, a young conservative woman who appeared as a guest on the ABC’s Q+A program during the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum in 2023, is the director of youth policy at the Menzies Research Centre and is a former Liberal candidate for the seat of Balmain.

Leach has been approached for comment.

Coalmines recently marked for closure in Queensland were previously shuttered due to being uneconomic, new analysis shows, undermining claims from the resources companies that they are being forced to close by the state’s royalty regime.

The “zombie mines” were often restarted in anticipation of windfall profits during coal price spikes, which occurred when Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022.

As coal prices returned to normal levels, the projects have once again become unfeasible, according to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (Ieefa).

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The findings come before a meeting between coal sector representatives, backed by BHP, and state government officials amid a campaign by miners to blame job losses on Queensland’s tiered royalty regime.

In quick succession, the BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA), Anglo American and QCoal announced full or partial closures of several coalmines last week, with hundreds of anticipated job losses.

BHP, which has consistently campaigned against the royalty regime, blamed the scheme for its decision, while QCoal also cited it as a contributing factor.

Andrew Gorringe, energy financial analyst at Ieefa, said “zombie mines” rise and fall with coal prices.

“These mines share one thing in common; they are all previously mothballed mines that were shut on the grounds of being uneconomic,” he said.

Mothballed Queensland coalmines

“Sold on to other mining companies, they were restarted in the hope of windfall profits when the coal prices spiked.

“No surprise then that now that coal prices have returned to historical levels that they have become uneconomic again.”

Mothballed mines refer to temporary closures, whereby facilities are preserved in the expectation of a future reopening.

Ieefa analysis shows that all recently closed operations have previously shut during downturns, in a sign they are cyclical projects reliant on high prices to run.

These include a mix of coking coal operations, used in steel production, and thermal coal for electricity.

Royalty rage

In 2022, as coal prices were soaring, the then Labor state government introduced three new royalty tiers to capture a greater share of wealth generated during commodity price spikes. When prices are lower, the base rates remain the same.

They added an additional three tiers that operate when prices reach $175, $225 and $300 a tonne as part of a progressive royalty system.

The LNP government supports the current royalty scheme and has repeatedly said in recent months it is not for turning on the issue. The scheme agitates miners because it reduces, but does not eliminate, the excesses they can earn during boom times.

A BHP spokesperson referred Guardian Australia to past statements about its position on its Queensland coal business.

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In a statement to the ASX last month, BHP said it would consider pausing more operations if the royalty scheme and subdued coal prices persist.

“With no change to the ongoing negative impacts of extreme royalty rates, we will maintain our existing position of not investing in any further growth at BMA,” it said, referring to its Queensland joint venture.

Coalminers recently emerged from a windfall period, marked by huge price rises after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Coking coal prices soared above $US600 a tonne in 2022 but have since normalised at under $US200.

Operating coalmines in Queensland

Production costs have been rising for ageing coalmines across Australia, given they are digging deeper into the earth in a process that takes more fuel and causes expensive wear and tear on equipment.

Labour costs have also risen significantly in recent years.

State government data shows that at the end of the last financial year there were more coalmines in Queensland than ever before, undermining claims the 2022 royalty changes would harm the sector.

The research director at the Australia Institute, Rod Campbell, said the recent closures were cyclical.

“Miners tried to shovel as much out the door as they could while times were good and now they’re having to scale back,” Campbell said.

“They’re using what is a natural market driven phenomenon to make some political hay.”

In an address on Tuesday, the Queensland premier, David Crisafulli, said that while the state was “open for business” that “should not be misconstrued as a chance for corporations to transfer their liabilities and the business downside to Queensland and to the Queensland government”.

“We’re not interested in fair-weather friends who come running for the dollars when things are good, then abandon Queensland in the name of shareholder profits when the going gets tough,” Crisafulli said.

– Andrew Messenger contributed reporting