To British firearms officers, it could be a tempting recruitment offer from police in Australia: ‘We’ve got your backs, mate.’

The authorities Down Under yesterday stepped up their pitch to hire UK officers – pledging they wouldn’t drag them through years of hell if they shot someone.

The message will not be lost amid the current furore over a Met policeman charged with the murder of Chris Kaba, who was shot in south London last year.

Western Australia is pursuing an audacious bid to ‘steal’ hundreds of police officers by luring them from Britain to work in the sunshine.

It can be revealed that more than 1,400 applied to make the move after the huge recruitment drive was launched in February promoting the area’s wine regions, coral reefs and culinary scene.

Are you a UK police officer who has moved to Australia? Please email your story, with photos, to rory.tingle@mailonline.co.uk 

And as the first cohort of 23 Brits was sworn in this week – in a ceremony under ‘magnificent clear blue skies’ – the message from Aussie police chiefs was clear: ‘We protect our officers.’

Western Australia’s minister for police Paul Papalia told the Mail: ‘It’s very topical because yesterday we had a fatal shooting by police in Kalgoorlie. 

‘Without speaking in advance of the full investigation, I can tell you that our police officers behaved incredibly well. I’ve seen the body-worn camera footage. 

‘They acted entirely in accordance with their protocols, responsibly and properly. Sadly, they’ve had to shoot someone for their own protection. They did it absolutely correctly.’

Mr Papalia said that within an hour of the fatal shooting – of a 58-year-old man who had charged at officers with a gun – the commissioner of police and a local senator had publicly backed the officers.

Anna Miller, a 38-year-old recruited from West Yorkshire Police, said moving to Australia had made her feel ‘supported and appreciated’.

Speaking from Perth, Western Australia, where she moved with her family seven weeks ago, she told the Mail: ‘The biggest thing we like here is the appreciation for the police. I did not feel at all appreciated in the UK. In Australia, the community support their cops and they trust them.

‘The feeling among myself and colleagues [in the UK] was that officers weren’t backed… it feels a little bit, as police officers, they will happily throw you under a bus to present a [more positive] picture to the public. 

‘Don’t get me wrong, I had some fantastic supervisors, but I think policing as a whole, I don’t think they feel supported.’

Ms Miller worked at West Yorkshire Police for 15 years. She moved to Australia with her husband Andrew and their children Isabelle, seven, Tom, six, and Emma, three, for ‘an adventure’, saying: ‘It gives us the outdoor active lifestyle we wanted. 

‘It’s fantastic. There is so much to do on your doorstep – we went kayaking and saw seals, there is snorkelling, fantastic cycle paths and the Australian people are so chilled, friendly and have an enthusiasm for life.’

Ben Woods, a 33-year-old sergeant from Sussex Police, added: ‘My colleagues were naturally sad to see me go, but are now sick of my social media – “can you stop posting beautiful beaches, and posting views with koalas”.’

He said: ‘[Perth] is one of the cleanest, tidiest cities I’ve ever been to. The sunrises and sunsets are just phenomenal. The crime rates are clearly lower, there’s no graffiti, no gangs of kids – it feels like a nice safe place to be.’

The pair were sworn in as constables of the Western Australia Police Force on Monday, giving their allegiance to King Charles III, in a ceremony with an aboriginal theme. 

Mr Woods said: ‘An aboriginal lady came in and read scripture welcoming us, giving us strength and good spirits.’ 

Peppermint leaves were lit to create aromatic smoke, and Ms Miller said: ‘The smoke and the ceremony was around wishing us well, good luck and keeping us safe. It was lovely.’

All police officers in Western Australia are armed, meaning most UK recruits will need firearms training. 

Ms Miller said: ‘I don’t have a strong feeling. It’s just a piece of kit that officers have. I’ll learn how to use it.’

The police minster told the Mail: ‘We protect our officers. They’ve all got tasers, Glocks [pistols] and body armour.’

Mr Papalia said: ‘I’m intent on stealing your best people. Unashamedly. You guys have been taking our best for decades, it’s a rite of passage for Australians to go to the UK.

‘We’re aiming for 150 police officers this month, and 150 every year thereafter for five years. They come from a variety of forces. I’ve met all of them. They’re a good crowd. 

‘They all love policing and had their expectations met when doing swearing in – the skies in Perth were magnificent clear blue skies. Everything they had hoped for.

‘Western Australia is a great place to live and work. Compared to the UK, we have higher wages, a lower cost of living and the perfect climate for year-round adventure.

‘The response has been extremely positive, meaning WA Police can handpick the best of the best.’

In a nod to the ‘Ten Pound Poms’ scheme introduced after the Second World War, Western Australia’s shameless ambition is to grab 31,000 British workers, with police joining doctors, nurses and construction workers. 

They can ‘have it all’, with energy bills almost half in Australia, allowing the savings to be spent on 183 pints of beer, 110 roast dinners or 500 jars of Marmite, boasted Mr Papalia.

The British Medical Association revealed before Christmas that a third of junior doctors are planning to leave the UK – with the majority choosing Australia or New Zealand.

The NHS is battling shortfalls of 12,000 hospital doctors and more than 50,000 nurses and midwives.

An Australian delegation arrived in the UK on February 25 and held jobs fairs in London, Edinburgh and Bristol. 

The scheme also targeted those in other professions hit by labour shortages including miners, plumbers, mechanics and builders.

Almost 25,000 applications to get documents needed to secure a job overseas were made to UK healthcare regulators in 2022. The vast majority represent NHS workers. 

The toll, uncovered by a MailOnline investigation, dwarfs the 10,000 figure seen before Covid struck. 

Senior leaders in the health service warned ‘the exodus is only just beginning’ and said the stats should ‘stun ministers into action’. 

Disgruntled NHS medics say the pandemic has shone a light on how poorly they are valued in the UK, a factor that helped launched a wave of strike action across the UK to boost their pay. 

Australia has also launched a wave of ‘cheeky’ tactics touting the merits of a move Down Under, such as deploying mobile billboards to NHS strike picket lines to recruit disenfranchised medics. 

Yet some medics who’ve made the move Down Under have complained that it’s not exactly the dream some are selling.  

British health staff wanting to apply for a job overseas need to get documents from their UK regulator as part of the application.

These prove to their potential employers they don’t have any marks on their record, their training is up to date, and they can be trusted with patients. 

Figures obtained by MailOnline reveal nearly 7,000 doctors applied for documents to support an application to work abroad from the British medical regulator, the General Medical Council (GMC), in 2022.

This was up from 6,100 in 2019. 

Separate figures for 2023, which only go up until May, suggest this year will see an even bigger exodus, with almost 3,500 applying for their documents so far. 

For nurses and midwives, the figures are even starker. 

Nearly 16,000 similar applications were made in 2022/23 — compared to just under 5,500 in 2018, according to the UK’s Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). 

Pristine beaches and sunny weather appear to have convinced many to seek a job in Australia.

Australia topped the charts for total applications in both professional groups. 

Nearly 9,000 doctors have applied to work Down Under in the last five years. A third of these were made in 2022/23.

And Australian efforts to lure medics Down Under appear to be paying off. 

Data from the Australian Medical Council, the Aussie equivalent of the GMC, show almost 1,000 British medics signed up in 2021/22, the latest data available, up 16 per cent on the year before, and the biggest number of any nation. 

This is equivalent to roughly half the UK medics who applied to work Down Under getting a job there. 

For nurses and midwives, 11,000 applications were made to Australia since 2017/18.

But the number has accelerated in recent years, with 4,000 making an application in the last financial year alone. 

Are you a UK police officer who has moved to Australia? Please email your story, with photos, to rory.tingle@mailonline.co.uk 

A new biofuel factory in Australia was at the forefront of BP’s efforts to go green under former boss Bernard Looney.

Indeed, BP Australia’s boss Frederic Baudry describes the country as the ‘poster child’ of the FTSE 100 giant’s highly ambitious global energy transition strategy.

So what becomes of the plant in Kwinana south of Perth following Looney’s departure last week – for failing to disclose personal relationships with staff – will say much about BP’s future under new leadership.

For 65 years, the site provided a steady source of employment, and fuel, to generations living in this small industrial offshoot in Western Australia. 

But with planes grounded and cars sitting idle in driveways during the Covid-19 pandemic, demand for fuel collapsed, further squeezing profit margins.

BP shut the plant, laying off 600 workers, and converted the site into an import terminal to ship in cheaper fuel from overseas.

Two years on, the site is on the cusp of being repurposed again to spearhead the oil major’s pivot from hydrocarbons to renewable energy. 

It has been earmarked for a new generation of fuel refinery, one which makes sustainable aviation fuel with raw materials such as used cooking oil or household waste, and renewable diesel using vegetable oils, animal fats and other biowaste products.

With construction expected to get under way next year, BP hopes it will be its first global biofuel project off the blocks, powering planes, trucks and cars.

If all goes to plan – and it’s a big if – BP reckons it will be producing hydrogen from 2026 and at a sufficient scale to begin exporting it by the end of the decade. 

With its natural bounty of sun, wind and space, Australia is seen as an ideal place to generate wind and solar power, despite its remoteness.

During Looney’s tenure, Australia moved up the pecking order, behind the US and the UK, with projects worth tens of billions of dollars in the pipeline.

Some of the projects being planned are mind-boggling in scale, and would be out of the question in smaller, more densely populated European countries. 

One of the biggest is being spearheaded by BP in the Pilbara region of North Western Australian, best known as the country’s iron ore heartlands.

In June last year BP bought a 40.5 per cent stake in the Australian Renewable Energy Hub, which envisions covering around 2500 square miles of outback, an area roughly the size of Devon, with more than 1,700 wind turbines up to 950 feet high, and 18 giant solar farms. 

And all dedicated to generating electricity to produce ‘green hydrogen’, before adding nitrogen to convert it into ammonia to make it easier to export.

The renewables push has been encouraged by Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese’s Labour government, which swept to power last year on the back of bold pledges to tackle climate change.

The firm has already received $70million in federal government funding for the hub in Kwinana.

But at an event in London earlier this year, Baudry warned the Albanese government that more government support is required to give BP the confidence to invest hundreds of millions of dollars into turning its ‘shovel ready projects’ into a reality.

But with the departure of Looney, the driving force behind the company’s green ambitions, some shareholders dismayed by BP’s focus on renewable energy, which they believe has come at their expense, have been offered a glimmer of hope.

BP has been the worst performer of all the global oil majors, with its shares rising 10 per cent since Looney became chief executive in February 2020 compared with a rise of more than 25 per cent at Shell.

David Hewitt an analyst at Liberum said the company now has the opportunity to ‘reverse the overzealous pivot to lower returning renewables’ and refocus on what BP does best.

BP has already watered down its energy transition plan to an extent, announcing earlier this year that it would aim to cut oil production by a quarter by 2030 instead of by 40 per cent.

Russ Mould from AJ Bell believes a further retreat is off the cards for now, particularly with Murray Auchincloss – Looney’s former finance chief – as interim chief executive. 

But Mould speculated that BP may temper its green ambitions if oil prices remain elevated for a long time, or if high inflation deters households and businesses from switching to more expensive, and potentially less reliable, forms of renewable energy.

By Australian Associated Press

Updated: 06:02 EDT, 23 August 2023

An Australian woman backpacking through Europe says her experiences in hostels are making her ‘ageist’ towards older females who ‘snore’ and have ‘no respect’ for other people.  

In a lengthy TikTok video, Lucy Holz claims ‘older women’ are the ‘worst’ to be around when it comes to sleeping in a shared space. 

The young traveller booked female-only hostels both for safety reasons but also because women are less likely than men to snore at night. 

However, she’s learnt that this isn’t the case for older women who have kept her awake through the night by snoring, making noises, and even blow-drying their hair at midnight. 

‘I really hate to have to say this, but I do. Staying in hostels is making me ageist,’ she began. 

‘I’ve been staying in a lot of hostels lately and I specifically selected female hostels, which are more expensive [and] they shouldn’t be. 

‘Other girls were telling me you should always pick the female hostel not just for safety but also for snoring because women don’t tend to snore as much as men do.’ 

Lucy added how she ‘doesn’t fall asleep very easily’ and earplugs ‘don’t work’, so snoring ‘really effects’ her sleep. 

‘While women may not snore as much in general, I’ll tell you who does snore, old women,’ she continued. 

‘It’s got to the point where I see an older woman walking into my dorm room and I’m like, ‘Oh my god, why are you here?”

Lucy complained that older women don’t just snore, but they tend to be ‘so disrespectful’ towards other people in the dorm. 

During her final night of staying at a ‘horrific hostel’, she claims a middle-aged woman had a shower at midnight then proceeded to blow-dry her hair and wake everyone up. 

Lucy claims the woman kept making noise while climbing into the middle of the three-bed bunk. 

‘Like, girl! You’re in a shared space!’ she said. 

‘Anyway my towel was hanging up on one side, not in her way whatsoever.. she takes it off, throws it onto my bed, like…. awesome. 

‘And of course, as I suspected, she f***ing snores. I was just not built for the hostel life. It’s tarnishing my view of middle-aged women. 

‘I will not be the same person when I return from this holiday.’ 

Within 24 hours the video exceeded more than 176,000 views and others agreed older women tend to be inconsiderate in hostels. 

‘I had an older lady in a hostel wake up at 6am, turn on the light and do a full workout routine,’ one wrote. 

‘And no phone etiquette, they’re always watching videos and TikToks [at] full volume,’ a second said. 

‘Literally! just left a hostel in Switzerland and an older lady was yelling on phone calls late night and early morning every day,’ someone else wrote. 

Another joined the conversation and said: ‘An older woman straight up TOOK someone’s bed at 10pm when they were out bc she wanted that bed more. Moved all the person’s stuff and everything.’

One person said a middle-aged woman kept turning the air-conditioner off overnight while staying in the humid Australian rainforests.  

Another said: ‘I stayed at a hostel in Madrid and an older lady turned on the lights at midnight, then blasted TikTok at like 1am and also snored like crazy!’

One person encouraged Lucy to speak up in future.  

‘You need to be assertive and tell them when they are doing things that are inconsiderate… cause God knows they will tell you on the reverse,’ she said.

READ MORE: I upgraded to business class for $25 and have done it on the cheap three times. Here’s how to do it

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Uncertainty following the U.S. mid-term elections could cause a 13 per cent plunge in the Australian dollar and make petrol, cars, electronics and overseas holidays much dearer.

American President Joe Biden‘s power to pass legislation is in trouble with the Republican Party set to take back control of the House of Representatives.

Westpac fears the Republicans in the US Congress could block American government spending, which has the potential to cause the Australian dollar to fall to 58 US cents next year – a 13 per cent drop from 67 US cents now. 

The Republican Party’s projected gain of seven seats, so far, is significantly less than opinion polls had predicted with inflation close to the highest level in four decades.

But with President Biden’s Democrats set to lack a majority in the lower house, the Republican Party would have the power to block legislation and spending programs.

The Republicans are so far on track to win at least seven seats, with 212 electorates so far in their column, compared with 205 for the Democrats, Real Clear Politics data showed.

Counting is continuing in 18 races but if present trends continue, the Republicans are likely to have at least 218 seats for a majority in the 435-seat House of Representatives.

Westpac senior currency strategist Sean Callow said the highly-partisan Republicans could use their power to block American government spending.

The Republicans in 2011 used their numbers in the House of Representatives to force a government shutdown by refusing to raise the debt ceiling when Barack Obama was Democrat president.

Should the same thing happen again in 2023, Mr Callow said this could cause the Australian dollar to plunge below 60 US cents. 

‘If some of the more negative scenarios play out, then I do think we’re probably heading back to the high 50s – it could be 58, 59 cents,’  he told Daily Mail Australia.

‘If we are in for this sort of showdown, a game of chicken, then that could be really upsetting for financial markets – it does tend to spill over to the Aussie.

‘The Aussie is very much a good times currency so when things take a turn for the worst, then the Aussie dollar gets hit harder.’

A weaker Australian dollar, now at 67 US cents, would make petrol prices much dearer, with motorists in Sydney and Melbourne already paying $2 a litre again for unleaded.

‘It can be very noticeable in petrol prices, that’s one that gets passed through quite quickly and they’re priced in US dollars,’ Mr Callow said. 

Cars and electronic equipment like televisions would also become more expensive, a bit later, with those goods often ordered in bulk months in advance. 

‘In a higher inflation environment, they’re far more likely to pass through those cost increases to the consumer,’ Mr Callow said.

The Australian dollar’s fortunes are tied to global risk appetite, or sentiment on financial markets, more so than to commodity prices during a time of high global inflation.

‘There are still lots of hurdles ahead: global energy prices, war, how does China continue to deal with Covid? There are lots of reasons to be concerned about risk appetite,’ Mr Callow said.

‘They would definitely weigh on the Aussie if that comes to fruition.’ 

The US Democrats look set to retain control of the Senate, which means the Republicans on their own would lack the power to block President Biden’s potential appointments to the Supreme Court. 

But the Republicans controlling the House of Representatives means the Australian dollar weakens, making imports more expensive, with inflation already at a 32-year high of 7.3 per cent. 

Petrol prices surged by 18 per cent in the year to September. 

Aboriginal land law changes hit blue chips: Shake-up threatens £217bn Australian project

By James Salmon In Perth For The Daily Mail

Updated: 17:12 EDT, 28 June 2023

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A ruthless gang of meth-fuelled vigilantes menaced their victim with a chainsaw while trying to force a confession out of him for crimes he did not commit. 

Father-of-eight Bradley ‘BJ’ Lyons was tortured and executed after being betrayed by his meth-addled wife Jana Hooper, who falsely accused him of sexually assaulting her daughters.

Video obtained by Daily Mail Australia shows Hooper leading her husband to his death after ‘giving the nod’ for thugs to enter their house in Lakes Entrance, in Victoria’s east, and attack him. 

CCTV captured from a neighbour’s property showed Mr Lyons follow his wife into their home blissfully unaware of the horrors about to befall him.

He would not be seen alive again after being stuffed into the boot of his soon-to-be killer’s car and driven away.

‘The cat’s in the bag,’ Albert Thorn told the girlfriend of his co-accused Jordan Bottom, who along with Rikki Smith was found not guilty last week of Mr Lyons’ murder.

Jessica MacFarlane, the then-girlfriend of Bottom, had been living in a caravan with him on Thorn’s Nyerimilang farm when he arrived with Mr Lyons still trapped in the boot of his car.

Ms McFarlane told the Supreme Court of Victoria jury Thorn had claimed to have had Mr Lyons trapped in the car’s boot for up to 21 hours under the baking summer sun.

Thorn, 57, was found guilty this month of the torture, imprisonment and murder of Mr Lyons. 

‘I walked over to the car that was parked under the tree, and tapped on the boot, and ah, I heard someone scream in the back of the car,’ Ms McFarlane told the jury. 

Asked what she heard, Ms McFarlane provided a chilling response. 

‘Get me out of here, or kill me now,’ she said. 

Thorn had been the leader of a vigilante gang with a very specific hatred for paedophiles. 

Such was Thorn’s hatred for paedophiles, he tattooed the gang’s name, Australian Freedom Fighters, across his entire back and posted photographs to Facebook. 

It had been spurious intel provided by Hooper, who shared three biological children with Lyons, that lit Thorn’s fuse. 

In December 2018, Hooper told Thorn she believed Mr Lyons was the father of her 16-year-old daughter’s child and had also made her 14-year-old daughter pregnant. 

The court heard it was a straight-out lie. 

On Sunday, December 2, 2018, Thorn and his gang raided Mr Lyons’ home in what was supposed to be an idiotic attempt to beat a confession out of him.

Aided by another mate, Alec Harvey, and Thorn’s drug-addled lieutenant, Nicholas Stefani, the men ran into Mr Lyons’ bedroom and each punched him in the face and head.

Harvey struck him with a metal pole and Smith lashed out while holding a cigarette lighter between his fingers as a knuckle duster. 

Stefani forced the barrel of the shotgun into Mr Lyons’ mouth and threatened to kill him if he didn’t confess to the sexual assault allegations.

CCTV shows Harvey and Smith run from the home, with Smith falling out of the getaway vehicle driven by yet another mate, Jayden Ball.

Mr Lyons was eventually dragged out of the boot of Thorn’s car to an old shed on his property where things went from bad to worse for the terrified dad.

The court heard Thorn was giddy with excitement.

‘I could see Bert getting really turned on and getting some sort of pleasure from this,’ Ms MacFarlane told the jury.

What happened next is not exactly clear through the cloudy haze of meth-induced accounts that followed. 

One account had the men sawing Mr Lyons’ hand off. 

The jury was told only 93 per cent of Mr Lyons’ skeleton was recovered, with both feet, bones from his hands and a neck bone missing 

What is clear is that Mr Lyons was subjected to hideous torture that left him on the brink of life. 

During Stefani’s sentence in December over his role in the crime, the court heard a chainsaw was among the gang’s torture tools. 

‘A chainsaw was held over his head to make him talk, he was punched, hot water from a kettle was poured on him, and Deep Heat was put on his body,’ the court heard.

Stefani later told one of Hooper’s own daughters that at the farm, a chainsaw had been held over Mr Lyons and that they kept making him ‘piss himself’. 

‘You said that you and others had held a chainsaw over Lyons’ head trying to get him to confess, and that he had been made to piss himself,’ Justice Andrew Tinney said.

‘You said to one of the girls that it was your expectation that before the end of the night, Lyons would have the tattoos of the girls’ names cut off him and would “be a few knuckles down”.

‘You told one of the girls that it made you sick what you “had to do”.’

When they were done, by all accounts without having extracted a confession, Mr Lyons was stuffed back into the boot of Thorn’s car. 

With towels taped around his head and his hands bound, Thorn, Smith and Bottom drove out into the wilderness along a dirt track near Double Bridges. 

There Mr Lyons was made to wait while a shallow grave was dug. 

When it was ready, Thorn blasted Mr Lyons in the leg with a .410 shotgun cartridge. 

On his knees, another shot was put into the back of his skull. 

Bottom would later lead police to the burial site, which had a large log dragged over it. 

A single shotgun cartridge remained at the scene. 

The court heard the men had celebrated their crime, holding a party at Thorn’s property in which Mr Lyons’ own wife and children attended. 

‘It looked like they were celebrating,’ Ms MacFarlane told the jury.

‘Jana was drinking, but I thought – it was a bottle of whiskey or something and they were (cheering), like – yep.’

Hooper was jailed last year for seven-and-a-half years and will be eligible for parole after serving just four-and-a-half. 

Smith, 26, and Bottom, 25, were found not guilty of Mr Lyons’ murder, but the pair were found guilty of his assault and false imprisonment 

Thorn will face a pre-sentence hearing later this year. 

For most of this week, Scott Morrison did not look like a man about to be censured as a disgrace to parliament for secretly swearing himself in to five extra ministries.

The former prime minister sat in his seat in the ‘naughty corner’ of the House of Representatives looking utterly unbothered as his fate was debated.

Mr Morrison even smiled and waved at photographers on Tuesday during Question Time, when both parties argued over censuring him.

He appeared in particularly high spirits that day, animatedly chatting and laughing heartily with his seatmate Alex Hawke and showing him things on his phone.

But this was likely all an act as just 15 minutes earlier Mr Hawke was forced to deny a rift with Mr Morrison after revelations he’d told author Niki Savva the former PM should have quit after losing the election but was ‘addicted to power’.

When the time finally came and Labor pushed the censure motion on Wednesday morning, Mr Morrison didn’t decide to take the political moment any more seriously.

Instead he scrolled through his phone and tablet as Leader of the House Tony Burke brought on the censure motion with a stinging 15-minute speech.

Occasionally he would read something he thought was funny and have a little chuckle to himself or with Mr Hawke.

There was no reaction when Mr Burke said that, not only did he fail to meet the standards of Parliament, he ‘undermined them, rejected them, he attacked them, and he abused them’.

Nothing either when he was admonished for preventing parliament from doing its job, undermining public confidence in government, or ‘deceiving’ his colleagues, and neither as his explanations for his secret ministries were ripped apart as ‘logically impossible’.

Mr Morrison did look up a couple of times as Mr Burke argued he breached the principles of responsible government, and didn’t even tell the ministers whose portfolios he swore himself in to.

Starring straight ahead, he blinked rapidly like a deer in headlights, his smirk vanished, for about 15 seconds – then his attention returned to his phone.

A few other times he glanced at the packed press gallery, as if to gauge the reaction of the far more attentive media.

His party was also uncharacteristically quiet, listening – or fiddling with their phones – in silence until Mr Burke admonished those who supported the censure, but went along with opposing it anyway.

‘They’ve got to lock in; they’ve got to follow what their leader wants… that is exactly what happened for the whole of the last term. It is exactly how every precedent was trashed,’ he said.

Mr Morrison’s demeanour only changed when he rose to defend himself after Mr Burke finished his condemnation.

Now fully engaged and fired up he defiantly laid out his case in a 24-minute rebuttal justifying his actions and refusing to substantially apologise.

It was the first time Mr Morrison had spoken to parliament since his May 21 election loss. His raised voice was reminiscent of his daily performances when he was on the other side of the chamber.

His chief defence was that the Covid-19 pandemic and the trade war with China made for a dangerous and uncertain time that required unorthodox measures.

‘I am proud of my achievements in this place and I am proud of my government,’ he began.

‘I am proud that at a time of extreme trial my government stood up and faced the abyss of uncertainty that our country looked into and the coercion of a regional bully and saw Australia through the storm.’

Only he faced such adversity, only he made the tough calls, only he stared down Beijing – and came out the other side with a stronger country. And how dare anyone judge him.

‘For those who wish to add their judgement today on my actions in supporting this censure motion, I simply suggest that they stop and consider the following – have you ever had to deal with a crisis where the outlook was completely unknown?’ he said.

‘In such circumstances, were you able to get all the decisions perfectly right? And where you may have made errors, were you fortunate enough for them to have had no material impact on the result and the result itself proved to be world-leading?

‘Once you have considered your own experience, or what happens when you have had more in government, then you may wish to cast the first stone in this place.’

Mr Morrison multiple times accused the government of using the censure to exact ‘political retribution’ on him – which he had no intention of ‘submitting’ to.

‘I will take the instruction of my faith and turn the other cheek,’ he countered, noting his silence since the election as if it was a virtue.

Instead of ‘retribution’, he suggested the government ‘appreciate in humility’ and ‘gracefully’ learn from how he led the country.

Despite there being no link between his handling of the pandemic and him becoming ‘minister for everything’, he insisted it meant at least some of his actions were necessary.

‘I do not resile from these decisions and believe them entirely necessary,’ he said of appointing himself to oversee finance and health.

Mr Morrison only admitted that secretly himself swearing in to the home affairs and treasury portfolios was ‘unnecessary’ in hindsight.

At the same time, he sought to play down the appointments as ‘dormant redundancy only to be activated in extraordinary circumstances’.

Apparently one of these circumstances was overriding Resources Minister Keith Pitt to cancel the PEP11 offshore gas and oil exploration licence off the NSW Central Coast three months before the election.

‘I do not resile from that action,’ he said in his speech, arguing it was done lawfully and was the only time he exercised any of the powers he took for himself.

As close to an apology as Mr Morrison got was the classic ‘sorry to anyone who was upset’ – but nothing for actually doing it.

‘I acknowledge that the nondisclosure of arrangements has caused unintentional offence and extend an apology to those who were offended,’ he said.

‘But I do not apologise for taking action, especially prudent redundancy action, in a national crisis in order to save lives and to save livelihoods.’ 

In what could be Mr Morrison’s final speech to parliament, he declared himself to be happy and proud of his achievements.

‘I have seen bitterness destroy people who have come to this place, and it continues to gnaw away at them each and every day of their lives for even decades after they leave this place,’ he said.

‘I am not one of those, nor will I ever be.’

Another way of saying he regrets nothing.

Dozens of Coalition members bolted from the chamber after his speech was completed, ignoring Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus’ follow up.

One by one they filed past Mr Morrison, shaking his hand, patting him on the shoulder, or giving him a hug, as they left. 

Then the ex-PM himself slinked away. Paul Fletcher, Michael McCormack, Angie Bell, Keith Wollahan, Jenny Ware, Aaron Violi, and Bridget Archer were all who remained.

Another two hours of speeches for and against censure followed, along expected lines – damning condemnation from Labor and most of the crossbench, and outrage and excuses from the Coalition.

Those who couldn’t hold their nose and give their former leader support simply argued the motion was unnecessary, partisan, and wasted time better spent on pressing matters like the cost of living.

As the speeches went on, MPs came and went from the chamber and held sidebar discussions – even with political opponents.

Nationals MP Michael McCormack chatted to Mr Dreyfus, whom he blasted as an out of touch inner-city snob weeks earlier, and his Labor colleague Madeleine King.

Liberal MP Keith Wolahan and Ms Archer talked with Greens leader Adam Bandt and teal MP Monique Ryan while Bob Katter gave a bizarre speech, and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese later held court with the teals.

Then an attendant brought Ms Archer, who had indicated she would vote in favour of censure, a glass of water and a stand for her notes. She was going to speak.

The increasingly maverick Liberal party member blasted Mr Morrison’s actions as ‘disrespectful’ and an affront to Australia’s system of government.

‘I’ve relentlessly advocated for more integrity in politics and fought for an integrity commission that would begin to restore the public’s faith in elected officials,’ she argued.

‘To sit quietly now would be hypocritical, and I firmly believe we should be intentional in the actions we take to ensure that we do not let this happen again.’

All this time, Mr Morrison did not seem particularly bothered by his imminent censuring.

After leaving the chamber he shared a laugh with former prime minister Tony Abbott at the unveiling of his portrait.

Finally by almost midday, everyone had had enough and it was time for the bells to be rung for a vote.

MPs filed in over the next four minutes and were joined by numerous senators who sat on the side to observe the historic moment.

Among them was Senator Jana Stewart who came carrying her baby – until Senator Penny Wong delighted in holding and playing with the infant as MPs took their seats.

Ms Archer got out of her seat and walked across the aisle to a chair at the back where along with most of the crossbench she sat to vote with Labor.

When she returned to her seat after the vote, none of her colleagues so much as looked up to acknowledge her presence. 

The final vote was 86 to 50, with 15 either not present or abstaining.

Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley was among the missing, but was given a pair so the vote would not be lopsided.

Others like former home affairs minister Karen Andrews and independent Dai Le deliberately abstained, but later told media they still thought the censure was a waste of time.

Mr Morrison, as he had throughout the week, showed no emotion as the count was read out, knowing it was a foregone conclusion from when it was first proposed. 

Then, in contrast to how momentously it began, the House moved on with absolutely no fanfare to its next item – like Mr Morrison was just another item on the agenda. 

So profoundly damaged is his political career by the saga, and his response to it, that he will never hold a meaningful position, and may never be heard in parliament again.

As he thanked former treasurer Josh Frydenberg, former health minister Greg Hunt – both of whose portfolios he appointed himself to – and Mr McCormack, along with his family, staff, and supporters, he seemed like a man at the end.

‘I conclude by thanking the Australian people for the privilege of being able to serve my country in so many roles, but especially as prime minister,’ he said.

‘I gave it everything I had. I did it to the best of my ability and in the best of faith each and every day I had the privilege to serve the Australian people.’

Many, including Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek, think Mr Morrison will finally do what he should have done on May 22 and resign.

‘Scott Morrison says sorry not sorry. My prediction – he pulls the pin over Christmas. This is his last week,’ she wrote on Twitter.

But don’t put it past the man once pilloried as ‘Squat Morrison’ to cling on for as long as possible.

How Aussie pool queen Susie O’Neill broke another world record in her first race since the Sydney Olympics as part of her ‘birthday celebrations’ despite ‘just swimming for a bit of fun!’

• O’Neill has broken another world record 
• Swimming great set mark in 50m butterfly 
• Was first race in the pool for 23 years 

By Kristy Williams For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 21:04 EDT, 17 June 2023 | Updated: 21:04 EDT, 17 June 2023

PWC’s London headquarters has been dragged deeper into a tax leaks scandal that began in Sydney, following the launch of an investigation by Australian police.

Dozens of partners around the world have been caught up in a brazen scheme in which confidential briefings from the Australian government were seemingly exploited to help US tech companies avoid tax.

Their names are blanked out in a cache of heavily redacted emails but they include employees from the British accounting giant’s offices in London, New York and Dublin.

PwC is now under growing pressure to reveal their identities, as the scandal has sparked a national outcry in Australia and threatens to engulf its global operations.

One senator told the Mail it has ‘global implications’ for PwC as it was clearly not just a ‘few bad apples in Sydney’.

The Treasury has asked the Australian Federal Police to investigate PwC, including its former Sydney-based senior partner Peter-John Collins.

In another blow, it has ordered PwC to stand down staff who knew about the leaks from working on existing government and future contracts, pending the results of a separate inquiry.

Appearing before the senate yesterday, Department of Finance secretary Jenny Wilkinson described the debacle as an ‘abuse of confidence and trust’, saying she had ‘serious concerns about the broader culture within the firm’.

The scandal has even prompted bosses at rival KPMG, which has also attracted its fair share of controversy, to tell staff in an email that they could ‘no longer sit by and watch our profession be tarnished by the unethical actions of a few.’

Collins advised the Treasury on measures to combat international tax avoidance. As the head of international tax, he is accused of leaking briefings from officials to at least 53 PwC colleagues over several years.

This information was then used to drum up business with US tech behemoths and help them sidestep the new laws as part of an initiative codenamed Project North America.

The ruse saved companies millions of dollars in tax, while generating at least $2.5million (£1.3million) in fees in 2016 alone for PwC.

Dr Jim Chalmers, the Treasurer of Australia, has branded PwC’s behaviour as ‘inexcusable’ and an ‘appalling breach of trust’.

This week he said ‘further steps’ will be taken, amid calls to launch a criminal investigation.

The scandal surfaced in January when it emerged that Collins had been banned by Australia’s tax practitioner’s board from practising for two years for leaking confidential information from PwC’s biggest client in Australia – the federal government.

Since then, the story has gathered momentum, gravitating from the business sections to the front pages – even featuring in a special report on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s flagship youth radio station Triple J last week.

Earlier this month, several senior executives from the UK and the US flew to Australia in a desperate attempt to contain the crisis.

They included London-based head of PwC’s global legal and tax operation Carol Stubbings. But their task has been made more difficult with the police investigation and the recent publication of 148 pages of damning emails sent between Collins and PwC colleagues around the world.

The names of the individuals, bar Collins himself, are all blacked out.

They include the addresses of PwC’s global headquarters in London, as well as New York, Singapore, and Dublin.

Some of the emails begin with phrases such as ‘for your eyes only’, making it clear the information is classified.

In one of them, a PwC employee describes the information as ‘Awesome for our MAAL defence work’, referring to the Multinational Anti-Avoidance Law, introduced in the 2015 budget.

One of the partners included in the exchange of emails was Tom Seymour, the chief executive of PwC Australia, who led the company’s tax operation. He has taken early retirement, but insisted that he did not know that the information was confidential.

Just two other Australian board members – the head of its financial advisory division and its chief reputation and risk officer – have stepped down but remain partners.

Labour senator Deborah O’Neill, who forced the tax regulator to hand over the emails that it uncovered, is now leading the push to name all the individuals involved.

‘The emails not only document Collins’ construction of the scheme but the celebration of the scheme by his co-workers in PwC,’ she said.

‘The partners were not just a couple of bad apples in the Sydney office. They included international participants from PwC Global all around the world, including the United Kingdom, the United States, the Netherlands, Singapore and Ireland. So this has global implications.

‘We are talking here about an undeniable scheme of theft and deception, designed to cost the Australian people and profit Pricewaterhouse Coopers.’

The senator said she would also be pushing for the identities of the US tech companies targeted by PwC.

During a senate inquiry into tax avoidance in 2015, senior executives from US tech companies testified that their companies did not engage in aggressive tax schemes in Australia.

A month later, a number of US tech firms were alleged to have been contacted by PwC Australia.

Just a few hours after former Australian Treasurer Joe Hockey announced the MAAL in the 2015 budget, PwC told them it had developed a plan to get around the crackdown.

An inquiry into the scandal was announced last week by PwC, headed by the former boss of telecoms giant Telstra Dr Ziggy Switkowski.

PwC’s US and UK operations have confirmed that they will co-operate.

However, the inquiry will not report back until September.

Even then, the firm has only committed to publish a summary of the findings.

O’Neill and fellow senators have described this as part a ‘cover-up’ and dismissed the credibility of the review.

The Australian government has been urged to boycott PwC, which has secured almost £300million in federal government contracts during the past two years.

PwC has said it will ‘not hesitate’ to take actions recommended by the review it commissioned, including ‘exiting further people and partners from the firm’.

Kristin Stubbins, who is the interim chief executive of PwC Australia, has said that the company is ‘committed to learning from our mistakes’.