Australia news LIVE: PM lashes Greens over housing bill legislation delay; Voice to parliament debate continues

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  • ASIC accused of undermining Senate committee
  • Rescuers yet to find missing Titan submersible
  • This morning’s headlines at a glance

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ASIC accused of undermining Senate committee

Returning to Australia, the corporate regulator has been accused by all major political parties of obstructing parliamentary investigations into how it polices the nation’s businesses and could be forced to hand over previously secret documents to the Senate.

In an unusual move, Coalition, Labor and Greens senators claimed the Australian Securities and Investments Commission had undermined their committee inquiry before it had effectively started.

Senator Andrew Bragg said ASIC had failed to do its job.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Liberal senator Andrew Bragg said ASIC had frustrated the Senate’s job of investigating law enforcement issues in Australia. As a result, a multi-party committee has urged the Senate to use its powers to force the ASIC to produce documents relating to the regulator’s closed inquiries.

Read the full story here. 

Rescuers yet to find missing Titan submersible

A tourist vessel carrying five people on an expedition to see the wreck of the Titanic is running out of oxygen as authorities race against time to find survivors in the face of logistical challenges.

Almost two days after the submersible, known as the Titan, disappeared off the coast of Canada, rescuers had not yet located the missing vessel. The US Coast Guard has warned that its passengers only had “about 40 hours of breathable air left”.

OceanGate’s Titan submersible in 2021.Credit: AP

US Coast Guard captain Jamie Frederick said authorities were doing everything they could to find the Titan and its passengers in the face of “unique” challenges such as deep water ocean pressure, limited visibility and the remoteness of the dive site.

“Our crews are working around the clock to ensure that we’re doing everything possible to locate the Titan and the five crew members,” Frederick said.

Read the latest developments on the search here, from our North American correspondent.

This morning’s headlines at a glance

Good morning, and thanks for your company.

I’m Caroline Schelle, and I’ll be anchoring our live coverage for the first half of the day. It’s Wednesday, June 21.

Here’s what you need to know before we get started:

  • Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is being urged to launch a sweeping investigation into the country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Independent senator Lidia Thorpe made clear she will campaign against the Voice under the banner of the black sovereignty movement, and wants to help write the No case in the official pamphlet.
  • Major Australian political parties have accused the corporate regulator of obstructing parliamentary investigations into how it polices the nation’s businesses.
  • ACT’s top prosecutor pondered circumventing police to charge Bruce Lehrmann himself during the Parliament House rape investigation, a top official said during a probe into the criminal trial.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during question time.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

  • The nation’s jobless rate is near a 50-year low. But the Reserve Bank has made it clear unemployment will have to climb if inflation is to be reduced.
  • In state news, the NSW budget is poised to remain in the red and not return to a predicted surplus as the state’s treasurer used his first major economic update to signal tough spending cuts.
  • A bid to ban lobbyists from serving on public boards in areas that relate to their line of work has been knocked back in Victoria.
  • And overseas, the search for the missing submersible in the Atlantic with five people onboard continues, with 40 hours of oxygen remaining on the craft.
  • Romanian prosecutors have sent divisive internet personality Andrew Tate, and other suspects to trial on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women.

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