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Labor’s Milton Dick has been elected Speaker of the House of Representatives, and has been dragged to the chair (as per tradition) by colleagues Lisa Chesters and Susan Templeman.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has risen to congratulate Dick, saying the election is a credit to his standing in the house, and “a credit to who you are as a human being”.

Milton Dick, right, pictured with then opposition leader Bill Shorten and Chloe Shorten in 2016. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

“There’s no doubt you’re someone who’s honest, you’re someone who’s been a friend of mine for some period of time now,” Albanese said, adding Dick had been “wise counsel” during the former’s time as opposition leader.

“I look forward to your rulings and deliberations being absolutely fair and correct.”

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has congratulated Dick, and paid tribute to the former Speaker under the Coalition, Andrew Wallace.

Meanwhile, Victorian zoos have restricted visitor access to certain animal enclosures in a bid to prevent the possible spread of foot and mouth disease.

Zoos Victoria chief executive Jenny Gray said paid encounters with giraffes, kangaroos and elephants – where visitors are guided through the exhibit by a zookeeper – have been cancelled and existing bookings refunded.

A family visiting the giraffe exhibit at Melbourne Zoo last year. Credit: Joe Armao

People living with livestock have been asked to avoid going to the zoo and those arriving in Australia from Indonesia have been told to wait 48 hours before visiting.

The public pathway along the “trail of the elephants” at Melbourne Zoo, where elephants walk between paddocks, has also been closed to the public to ensure the animals are not walking over soil that could have been brought in from outside the grounds.

Visitors will still be able to look at the animals from outside the enclosures.

The changes follow a series of briefings between zoo veterinarians, biosecurity officers from the state and federal governments, and representatives from the Zoo and Aquarium Association over the past week.

“We are exercising an abundance of caution to ensure the animals in our care remain as safe as possible,” Gray said.

She added that the measures, which apply to Melbourne Zoo, Werribee Open Range Zoo and Healesville Sanctuary, will be reviewed on a daily basis.

During a press conference earlier this morning, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews welcomed the measures and said the state government was working with federal authorities to protect Victoria’s farms.

“This sector is worth tens of billions of dollars to us every year so we’ve got to do everything we can to keep it safe,” he said.

To state politics now, and NSW Trade Minister Stuart Ayres signed off on a ministerial briefing identifying former senior bureaucrat Jenny West as the successful applicant for a coveted New York trade post but later told parliament that no suitable candidate had been found.

New documents released to the NSW upper house today reveal that Ayres, who was then investment minister, signed the brief saying “after a full recruitment process, the successful candidate is Ms Jenny West” on August 17 last year.

NSW Trade Minister Stuart Ayres. Credit: Jessica Hromas

The papers have been released as part of the parliamentary inquiry into how former NSW deputy premier John Barilaro was then appointed to the lucrative $500,000-a-year role.

Read the full story here.

West Australian Labor senator Sue Lines has been elected president of the Senate.

Lines has pledged to do her utmost to be a “fair and consultative president” and has thanked former president Slade Brockman for his service.

The leader of the government in the Senate, Penny Wong, congratulated Lines on her election, and thanked the chamber for honouring the convention of allowing the government to choose someone from its own side.

The Greens nominated one of its own, Yamatji-Noongar woman Dorinda Cox, for the position, and the party’s Senate leader Larissa Waters said hopefully one day convention would change to reflect a more diverse chamber.

In the House of Representatives, Queensland MP Milton Dick has nominated for the position of speaker.

Colourful crossbencher Bob Katter has risen to speak in support of the nomination, and has already veered off on a few tangents.

The opposition is calling for a return of Coalition MP Andrew Wallace, who occupied the chair during the last parliament.

Politicians have gathered in the House of Representatives for a series of speeches.

Queensland’s daily coronavirus numbers have been published.

The state has recorded 8612 new cases of COVID-19 and an additional 21 deaths from the virus (it’s important to note that deaths are not reported on Mondays).

In terms of hospitalisations, there are 1123 people in Queensland hospitals with coronavirus. Of those, 31 are in ICU.

Australia’s federal parliamentarians have gathered in their respective chambers, with the usher of the black rod inviting the members of the House of Representatives to the Senate on behalf of the governor-general.

The standing orders of both houses dictate that the formal opening of parliament takes place in the Senate, a practice derived from British custom.

Here’s a useful explanation of the tradition on the Parliament House website:

The British House of Commons long asserted a right to keep the sovereign at arm’s length. This tradition was greatly reinforced when, in 1642, Charles I, accompanied to the door of the House of Commons by an armed guard, took the Speaker’s chair and demanded the surrender of five members accused of high treason, an action regarded by the House of Commons as a breach of its rights.

To this day, British sovereigns have not entered the House of Commons; the opening of Parliament takes place in the House of Lords. In Australia, as a reflection of this practice, the opening takes place in the Senate.

Hurley has appointed High Court Chief Justice Susan Kiefel to open Parliament in his stead

Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong has condemned the execution of four pro-democracy activists in Myanmar and says Australia is considering sanctions against members of the country’s military junta.

The men were sentenced to death in closed-door trials in January and April, accused of helping militias fight the army that seized power in a coup last year.

Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong. Credit: Joe Armao

Democracy figure Kyaw Min Yu, also known as Jimmy, and former MP and hip-hop artist Phyo Zeya Thaw, were among those executed. The other two men sentenced to the death penalty were Hla Myo Aung and Aung Thura Zaw.

In a statement issued this morning, Wong said Australia is “appalled” by the executions – the South-East Asian nation’s first in decades – and called on the regime to cease the violence and release those unjustly detained.

“Australia opposes the death penalty in all circumstances for all people,” she said.

“We extend sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of those who have lost their lives since the coup.”

Wong added that the federal government is actively considering introducing sanctions against members of the junta.

“Australia is clear and consistent in our support of human rights around the world. Sanctions against members of Myanmar’s military regime are under active consideration.”

Returning to federal politics, and Climate and Energy Minister Chris Bowen says the Coalition “seems to know more about business than the Business Council” in opposing the emission reductions bill to be introduced to parliament this week.

“The Liberal Party – at least the leader of the Liberal Party – seems to have not received the memo from the Australian people on May 21 that it’s time to end the climate wars,” Bowen said during his press conference.

Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen. Credit: Rhett Wyman.

He added that the opposition, unlike the crossbench, had “made themselves irrelevant to the process”.

The Business Council of Australia is a major lobby group calling for, among other things, greater ambition in addressing climate change.

The government is consulting with the Greens and independents over the final make-up of its legislation to address climate change.

However, Bowen insisted the government will act within the mandate it was given from the Australian people.

“We sought and received that mandate,” he said.

“We won’t be moving away from any element of that mandate ... we’ve also made it clear that we are happy to receive suggestions of a constructive nature from people of goodwill across the parliament who are willing and able to work with the government. And we’ve done that.”

To business news for a moment, and the nation’s most senior banking regulator, Wayne Byres, is to step down as chair of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers this morning said Byres, who has been with APRA since its creation in 1998, would step down from 30 October.

APRA chairman Wayne Byres will step down in October. Credit: Louie Douvis

The announcement comes as policymakers grapple with a fragile economic environment with challenges from inflation, the associated lift in interest rates and COVID-related labour shortages.

It’s also one of a number of changes at regulators. Joe Longo was appointed as head of the corporate regulator (the Australian Securities and Investments Commission) in June last year and Gina Cass-Gottlieb took the helm at the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission in March.

The Reserve Bank of Australia is also facing its first review in decades.

Byres has been chair of APRA since July 2014. He was reappointed to a second, 5-year term in July 2019.

In a statement, Chalmers said he had made an outstanding contribution to the regulator.

“His leadership and expertise has positioned the Commonwealth to respond well to some of the greatest challenges in Australia’s history,” he said.

“Most recently, in ensuring the stability of the financial system during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Chalmers said the government would undertake an “open and transparent process” to find Byres’ replacement.

In a statement, Byres said he was pleased with what had been achieved at APRA over the past eight years. But he said it was now a suitable time to move on.

“I feel that now is a good time to hand over the chair’s role to someone new, who will lead the organisation on the next stage of its journey,” he said.

“Just as we expect the financial institutions we regulate to carefully consider how they renew their leadership, the same applies to APRA.”