Everyone involved in Scott Morrison's secret portfolio power grab should cooperate in the inquiry into the controversy, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says.
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That includes the former prime minister and former ministers.
The probe will be headed by former High Court justice Virginia Bell with the expectation that she is due to provide her report by November 25, in time for possible for legislative action before year's end.
Mr Albanese said it should be a "quick and appropriate" inquiry looking at how it happened, why it happened and who knew about it.
Meanwhile, a new study has found Australia's 2019-20 bushfires warmed the planet's atmosphere to its highest level in 29 years.
The catastrophic fires burned more than 46 million acres and directly killed 34 people, as well as millions of animals.
Scientists from Britain's University of Exeter found the fires raised the lower stratosphere temperature to its highest level since the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines.
And in some more concerning environmental news, the much-loved platypus may be more at risk than we thought, according to Australian researchers, with population counts of the native animal still a mystery.
As concern mounts over dwindling population numbers, east coast residents can soon help to shed light on how many of the beloved national creatures Australia still has left.
During September, the Australian Conservation Foundation is asking residents from North Queensland all the way down to Tasmania to become "citizen scientists", joining a national platypus population count.
And in other news, the chance of being hit by a wayward piece of space junk may be increasing as more debris comes hurtling back to Earth, according to space engineers.
The amount of space debris floating around in our orbit has steadily increased since the beginning of the space age, according to the European Space Agency, and it's set to skyrocket as more is sent up.
THE NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW:
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- There may be fewer platypuses than we think... here's how we can help them
- Bushfires in 2019 warmed sky like volcano
- Government to create biodiversity market
- Voice won't usurp closing gap: Burney
- 15 fun facts about dogs to celebrate National Dog Day
- Wee problem with claim drinking urine cures diseases
Miriam Webber
Miriam Webber is a federal politics and public sector reporter, with a keen interest in integrity, transparency and accountability in government. She has been a member of the federal political bureau since 2023, and previously worked as the city reporter. Reach her at miriam.webber@canberratimes.com.au
Miriam Webber is a federal politics and public sector reporter, with a keen interest in integrity, transparency and accountability in government. She has been a member of the federal political bureau since 2023, and previously worked as the city reporter. Reach her at miriam.webber@canberratimes.com.au
