Medical leader Bill Glasson says the Queensland government is breaking state law by leaving mandatory Indigenous positions unfilled on two Brisbane hospital boards. The seats at Metro North and Metro South have been vacant since March 31. Glasson has called on Health Minister Tim Nicholls to make urgent temporary appointments. Nicholls said recruitment is underway to fill the First Nations vacancies in South East Queensland. Professor Tom Calma said the roles are critical given the large Indigenous population in the region.
NSW Local Government Minister Ron Hoenig is considering suspending the Mayor and councillors of Moree Plains Shire Council for three months. The proposed move follows concerns about meeting conduct, repeated police involvement and strained relationships between councillors. No suspension has been ordered. The council and individual councillors have until Friday 6 November to respond. Mayor Susannah Pearse says the council will consider its response at an extraordinary meeting on Monday 2 November. An interim administrator would be paid by the council, and the cost has not yet been established.
A series of public sector events is scheduled between November and December. They include a First Nations women's leadership masterclass in Darwin on 4 and 5 November and the NT Governance Forum on 6 November. Leadership and policy courses for APS and NSW public servants run in November. The Regulatory Reform in Practice Summit will be held in Canberra and virtually from 1 to 3 December, with Kelly Wood of the Department of Finance among the speakers.
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AI company Anthropic has filed for an initial public offering, planning to list under the ticker ANT. Its filing shows revenue of $16.3 billion for the first half of 2026, up from $1.2 billion a year earlier, alongside a net loss of $80.7 billion. The company says it may not achieve or sustain profitability. Seven co-founders will hold 50.1% of shareholder voting power, a structure Anthropic says protects its AI safety mission. Critics note public shareholders will have little practical control. The offering size and share price have not yet been disclosed.
Cox Inall Ridgeway, a social change agency that is majority First Nations-owned, has appointed Tanya Hosch AM as a non-executive director and its first independent chairperson. Tiernan Campbell-O’Brien, a CIR director, said the appointment embeds national First Nations leadership in the company’s governance. Ms Hosch will serve an initial two-year term on the board. She said she hopes to open new opportunities for the business and share more stories of impact.
The New South Wales Minister for Local Government is considering suspending the elected governing body of Moree Plains Shire Council for three months. An interim administrator would take over the council's governing responsibilities during that time. A spokesperson for the Office of Local Government said no final decision has been made. The council and its councillors have until close of business on Friday 6 November 2026 to respond, and the Minister will consider any submissions received. The proposal followed reports that the council had been issued a show-cause notice.
The ACT Auditor-General has criticised Infrastructure Canberra's oversight of community facilities, citing inadequate maintenance, poor tenancy management and a lack of asset planning. A 2021 review found 25% of 63 facilities in Woden, Belconnen and Weston Creek were in poor condition, yet recommendations were not implemented. The agency lacks funding to assess the remaining 57 sites and has no contemporary asset management policies. Weak record-keeping and unclear tenancy agreements undermine transparency and maintenance standards. The Auditor-General's report includes 10 recommendations to improve governance and facility management.
Investigators James Guthrie and Adam Lucas argue that Australian public universities present a financial crisis that audited accounts do not support. They say universities report managerial "underlying" results instead of statutory accounts, which show large net assets and operating surpluses. The authors point to job cuts, consultant spending and property ventures, and call for laws that would require reconciliation with statutory accounts, full disclosure of spending and personal executive accountability.
John Rayner PSM has started work as Interim Administrator of Clarence Valley Council, replacing the councillors for three months. NSW Local Government Minister Ron Hoenig suspended the council after councillors requested an inquiry into governance, administration, operations and financial management. The crisis followed a mayoral ballot tie in September and the termination of General Manager Laura Black's contract. Mr Rayner, who grew up in Coraki and began his career in Grafton, will report to the Minister in December. His priorities include appointing a new General Manager and reviewing governance.
South Australian council members will need to complete stronger training after the 2027 local government elections. The Local Government Association of South Australia has revised its training standards to improve leadership, governance and collaboration. New and returning members must complete five leadership modules within their first 12 months of the four-year term. The modules cover working together, council leadership, effective meetings, strategic leadership and financial management. LGA president Heather Holmes-Ross said ongoing learning helps members serve their communities. State Local Government Minister Rhiannon Pearce said the framework would give councils certainty to plan training before the new term.
New South Wales Local Government Minister Ron Hoenig has suspended Clarence Valley Council for three months. He appointed John Rayner, an experienced local government executive, as interim administrator to run the council during the suspension. Hoenig said the appointment was needed to restore the proper functioning of the council. The council had asked the Office of Local Government for an external investigation into ongoing problems with its operations, administration and financial management. The suspension follows the sacking of general manager Laura Black after a mayoral ballot was mishandled last month.
European football body UEFA has given FIFA until November 2 to answer 42 questions about a failed $US4.2 billion World Cup sell-off plan. FIFA president Gianni Infantino launched the plan and dropped it in July after a strong backlash led by Europe. The questions cover Infantino's pay, payments to singer Marc Anthony, and the handling of a disciplinary case involving US striker Folarin Balogun. UEFA says the answers cannot wait for FIFA's next council meeting in December, because federations need time to decide whether to back a challenger before nominations close.
The Australian Beef Sustainability Framework, or ABSF, is seeking sustainability professionals to fill three independent environmental, social and governance expert positions. The roles start in January 2027 and involve joining the ABSF steering group to shape how sustainability is measured and reported across the beef sector. Cattle Australia deputy chair Adam Coffey said the experts will guide the framework, which tracks performance across animal care, environmental stewardship, economic resilience, and people and community. Expressions of interest close at 5pm on Friday 23 October 2026.
Former Labor attorney-general Robert McClelland is set to become head of the National Anti-Corruption Committee, with Christopher Savundra as his deputy. The attorney-general's office has recommended both men to the governor-general. The appointments follow the resignation of inaugural commissioner Paul Brereton in May, after scrutiny of his handling of conflicts of interest. Both men have been approved by a parliamentary committee for five-year terms starting January 11 next year. Acting commissioner Kylie Kilgour and acting deputies will serve until then.
NSW Local Government Minister Ron Hoenig has suspended Clarence Valley Council for three months. He announced the decision on Thursday 15 October in a statement that also named John Rayner as interim administrator. Hoenig said he believed the appointment was needed to restore the proper and effective functioning of the council. He said the council had unanimously resolved to seek an external investigation into matters including governance, financial management, procurement, workplace culture and possible maladministration. Rayner, an experienced local government executive, will exercise the functions of the governing body during the suspension period.
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NSW Local Government Minister Ron Hoenig has suspended Clarence Valley Council for three months. He has appointed John Rayner PSM as interim administrator to take over the council's functions. The decision follows the council's unanimous request for an external investigation into concerns about its governance, administration and financial management. Hoenig said he reasonably believed the appointment was necessary to restore the council's proper functioning. The suspension follows weeks of leadership turmoil, including the termination of former general manager Laura Black's contract in September.
A NSW parliamentary inquiry has found that universities failed to pay staff correctly, calling it a systemic governance failure. Universities at least $380 million in underpayments across 30 public institutions in June 2024, according to the National Tertiary Education Union. The Fair Work Ombudsman found UNSW underpaid staff and ignored 2018 advice on fixing timesheets. Inquiry findings also say casual academics faced reprisal fears and unpaid work. Consultants were paid heavily, and the committee urged personal liability for senior executives.
A NSW parliamentary inquiry has found the University of Wollongong and five other universities appeared to overstate their financial problems and went too far in restructures and staff cuts. Former UOW professor Adam Lucas accepted a voluntary redundancy after challenging the figures used to justify his role's removal. He said the financial model was never shown to staff for testing. Inquiry chair Sarah Kaine described some financial cases as faux crisis narratives. The committee recommended banning universities from publicly using adjusted figures that differ from audited accounts.
Victoria's Parliament has passed legislation combining the functions of the Racing Integrity Commissioner and the Victorian Racing Integrity Board into a single body, the Racing Integrity Commission Victoria. The state government says the change will reduce duplication without reducing oversight of thoroughbred, harness or greyhound racing. The law also turns Greyhound Racing Victoria and Harness Racing Victoria into public companies limited by guarantee. Greyhound Racing Victoria says day-to-day operations will not change. The Greens opposed the bill, citing reduced transparency and accountability.
The City of Parramatta has appointed Steven Head as its new interim Chief Executive Officer for 12 months, starting on Monday, 26 October 2026. Head has held senior leadership roles at several NSW councils, including Hornsby Shire, Uralla Shire, Willoughby City and Ku-ring-gai, and has also worked with Transport for NSW. Lord Mayor Cameron MacLean said Head has the experience needed to guide the organisation as Parramatta grows. The appointment follows a recruitment process run by Council, and comes as the council advances major infrastructure and city development projects while strengthening its governance.
