Good afternoon. The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has been heckled by pro-Palestine advocates as she gave a speech warning that “disregard for international humanitarian law is increasing”.
During an address at the University of Tasmania on Tuesday night, a person in the audience could be heard shouting: “What we need right now is leaders that have the backbone – that are willing to do something that isn’t just talk.” Another person interjected: “You’ve had chances at a national and international level to change what is happening in Lebanon, in Palestine … there’s blood on your hands.”
Wong used the speech to say the suffering across the Middle East “must end” and reaffirmed “our call for a diplomatic solution, de-escalation and [a] ceasefire in Lebanon”. In a post on X on Wednesday, Wong stepped up her language, saying Australia “condemns the killing of innocent civilians by Israel in recent operations in Gaza” and insisting that the humanitarian situation in northern Gaza was “unacceptable”.
Top news
Students give ‘AI’ exam image an F | Students in New South Wales have queried whether a “photograph” used as a stimulus in an HSC English exam (pictured) was in fact AI-generated, sparking accusations of hypocrisy given the strict rules around students themselves using AI.
NT government introduces ‘crime crisis’ legislation | The new Country Liberal government has introduced laws to lower the age of criminal responsibility and create new offences and tougher penalties in a crackdown widely criticised for the troubling impact they will have, particularly on Aboriginal children.
‘Amorous couple’ blamed for train station soaking | The Victorian infrastructure minister said a couple dislodged a sprinkler in a stairwell causing flooding that required two stations to be evacuated and meant significant delays for commuters travelling home after an Olivia Rodrigo concert.
Mysterious black balls wash up on Sydney beaches | Randwick council closed Coogee on Tuesday afternoon after lifeguards discovered the golf ball-sized debris. The council closed nearby Gordons Bay beach on Wednesday afternoon, stating “more mysterious, sphere-shaped debris” had been found washed up.
Victorian schools to combat ‘unhealthy masculinity’ | The state education minister said updated respectful relationship strategies will seek to counter the influence of “Andrew Tate-types” on children and would teach students how to recognise hate speech and coercive control online.
Supreme court judge found guilty of assaulting partner | Tasmanian justice Gregory Geason was found to have assaulted his former partner by shaking her, pushing her into a mantelpiece as well as emotionally abusing and intimidating her, with the magistrate calling Geason’s version of events “contrived”.
British photojournalist dies after stabbing | Paul Lowe (above), who covered conflicts including the siege of Sarajevo during the Bosnian war, was stabbed in the neck on a hiking trail near Los Angeles, police say. Lowe’s 19-year-old son was arrested and charged with his murder.
Trump claims Democrats want to ban cows | At a Las Vegas campaign event over the weekend, Trump told supporters his Democratic opponents wanted to ban cows and windows in buildings, inviting another round of questions about his mental fitness.
Russian soldiers granted visas to France | Six Russian soldiers who fled the war in Ukraine have been granted temporary visas as they apply for political asylum in France in what human rights activists describe as the first major case of a group of deserters being admitted to a EU country.
In pictures
My father, Frank Habicht, the photographer who captured the ‘heart and restlessness’ of 1960s London
The German-born photographer’s work captured the spirit and energy of the era, turning his skill to celebrities such as the Rolling Stones and Jane Birkin, as well as the wider public, to produce images that helped define a generation.
What they said …
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“My toes looked like King Charles’s fingers” – Nedd Brockmann
The 25-year-old runner revealed rain damage and injuries to his legs and feet made running almost impossible as he completed his arduous 1,609km around an athletics track at Sydney Olympic Park. The near-two-week run, in which he averaged 128km a day, has raised more than $2.6m for Australians experiencing homelessness.
In numbers
Two million women in the country (20% of the adult female population), and 650,000 men (6.8%), have experienced stalking since the age of 15, according to new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Young women (aged 18 to 34) and those living with financial stress were more likely to experience stalking than older and more financially secure women.
Reader callout
Tell us your experience with Australia’s housing affordability crisis
As many Australians struggle to buy food, let alone meet rental and mortgage payments, we’d like to find out more about how the pressures of both renting and buying homes are affecting people’s lives.
Before bed read
Falafel, dips and mansaf: the Palestinian chef serving dishes ‘made with love’ in Melbourne
Brunswick is already famed for its vibrant Middle Eastern eateries and Aheda Amro (above), the woman behind this latest addition to the scene, knew it would be the perfect location to launch the project she has been working towards for the past five years. The launch of her food van, Aheda’s Kitchen, is the result of years of determination and hard work – not just Amro’s, but that of the vast network of volunteers she has galvanised to help make her dream a reality.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: TEL. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
