What we learned: Sunday 12 November
We’re wrapping the blog for the evening. Here are today’s major developments:
The foreign minister, Penny Wong, has described the deal to allow Tuvalu’s residents to resettle in Australia as “most important since the independence of Papua New Guinea”.
Speaking to ABC Insiders, Wong also urged Israel not to attack hospitals and said the Australian government expects it to abide by international law.
Wong also said any ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war “cannot be one-sided”.
The defence minister, Richard Marles, said antisemitism against the Australian Jewish community and Islamophobia had no place in Australia.
The opposition defence spokesperson, Andrew Hastie, welcomed the government’s deal with Tuvalu.
During an appearance on Sky News, Hastie also said he believed the Israeli government had been “restrained” in its response to the 7 October Hamas attacks.
A rally has been held in Sydney in support of Israelis still held captive after being taken hostage by Hamas during the terror attacks.
Free Palestine rallies have been held at major capitals on Sunday, marking the fifth straight week of protests as Israel’s military escalates its operations.
The trade minister, Don Farrell, is in San Francisco to negotiate a new trade pact among south-east Asian and Pacific countries, and the US.
The home affairs minister, Clare O’Neil, has described a cyber-attack on major port operation DP World as serious and ongoing. The cyber-attack has left the port operator offline and interrupted imports and exports, prompting fears about freight delays.
A Malaysian bodyguard sentenced over the politically charged murder of a pregnant woman is among dozens of people released from immigration detention after Wednesday’s high court ruling that put an end to indefinite detention.
With that, we’ll leave it there for today. Join us first thing tomorrow when we’ll bring you all the latest.
Updated
No arrests at Sydney rallies – NSW police
Police say there were no arrests at separate rallies for Palestine and Israel in Sydney today.
New South Wales police said in a statement:
A high-visibility police operation has concluded following two public assemblies in Sydney.
Today, as part of the ongoing Operation Shelter, large numbers of police were deployed across Sydney to maintain public safety and manage crowds.
General duties officers were assisted by specialist police from the police transport command, traffic and highway patrol command, public order and riot squad, state crime, operations support group, mounted unit, dog unit and PolAir.
The first public assembly occurred at Moore Park, Sydney.
The second public assembly occurred in Hyde Park, Sydney, and involved a march through the Sydney CBD.
There were no arrests and no incidents.
Updated
Cyber-attack ‘significantly impacting’ port operator
Sticking with that cyber-attack on DP World, the national cybersecurity coordinator, Air Marshal Darren Goldie, said the port operator is likely to face ongoing impacts for days.
In a statement on X Goldie said:
The Australian government continues to work with DP World Australia to resolve a nationally significant cyber-incident that has affected operations at a number of ports around the country.
Today, I again convened the national coordination mechanism to bring together government agencies and the maritime and logistics sectors as part of the response to the incident. This followed earlier technical and ministerial briefings with the company.
DP World’s IT system remains disconnected from the internet, significantly impacting their operations in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Fremantle. Our priority remains assisting DP World to restore their systems, which will allow cargo operations to recommence.
DP World today advised the Australian government that the timeframe for interruptions to continue is likely to be a number of days, rather than weeks.
Updated
Port operator cyber-attack ‘serious and ongoing’ – O’Neil
The home affairs minister, Clare O’Neil, has warned that the cyber-attack that shut down a major port operator is “serious and ongoing”.
DP World, which manages container terminals in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Fremantle, was hit by a cyber-attack overnight. It could disrupt freight and deliveries in and out of Australia.
The cyber incident at DP World is serious and ongoing.
— Clare O'Neil MP (@ClareONeilMP) November 12, 2023
DP World manages almost 40% of the goods flowing in and out of our country, and this incident is affecting the ports of Melbourne, Fremantle, Botany and Brisbane.
Updated
Woman, 22, feared dead after getting caught in rip in Tasmania
A young woman is feared dead after she was caught in a rip at a beach in north-west Tasmania.
The 22-year-old was swimming with her 26-year-old sister and nine-year-old brother at Somerset Beach near Burnie when the trio ran into trouble shortly after 2pm on Saturday.
Her siblings were able to escape the current but she could not.
A search was paused overnight but resumed on Sunday, with volunteer boats, surf life-savers, police divers and a rescue helicopter scouring an area of 200 square nautical miles.
The search area has been plotted using local knowledge of currents and data from an ocean buoy.
Tasmania police Insp Adrian Shadbolt said the woman was from a local family and described the number of volunteers assisting the search as phenomenal.
We maintain hope but the sad reality is we are now in a search and recovery operation.
Shadbolt said the beach is known for its strong currents and urged swimmers to be aware of local conditions before entering the water.
- AAP
Updated
New religious vilification laws in NSW
People in New South Wales can now be fined up to $100,000 if they vilify someone based on religion, with the government amending existing anti-discrimination laws.
The changes make it illegal by a public act to incite hatred or serious contempt or to severely ridicule a person or group because of their religious belief, affiliation or activity.
Vilification is defined as abusively disparaging speech or writing.
The premier, Chris Minns, said it was an important election promise to fulfil.
The NSW government supports a peaceful, multicultural society. There cannot be room for hatred, which sows the seeds of mistrust and intolerance.
Religious vilification has become a hot-button issue since the latest outbreak of violence in the Middle East brought ongoing demonstrations from Palestinians and Israelis across the state, particularly Sydney.
The premier said abusing people on religious grounds “threatens the thriving, tolerant, multi-religious and multi-ethnic heart of NSW”.
We must all champion community harmony and togetherness, and choose peace and solidarity over hatred and division.
The amendments add to existing legislation that bans vilification on the grounds of race, homosexuality, transgender status and HIV/Aids status.
– AAP
Updated
Site of Mansfield crash ‘quite a confronting scene’
Weir said that the death toll on Victorian roads is now 165.
The last time we saw that at this time of the year was in 2008. Fifteen years since we have seen this level of carnage on the 12 November.
Weir said the cause of the crash is unknown. The area is well known for kangaroos but anything at this stage would be “speculation”.
Weir said the site was “quite a confronting scene” with “a number of people trapped in the vehicle” who died either in the crash or from the fire. Those travelling in the car appear to be work colleagues travelling together.
Updated
Four people dead when Kia ‘burst into flame’ after crash – Victoria police
Victorian police have given a press conference with updates on the crash in the state’s north-east, which was discovered on Sunday morning.
The assistant commissioner Glenn Weir said four people have been confirmed killed in the fiery car accident at Mansfield, but police are still investigating the full circumstances of the accident.
A member of the public discovered the incident after noticing a fire on the side of the road in some trees and shrubs and stopping to find a car.
After the fire was put out, Weir said “a number” of people were found dead in the car.
Police believe the car was a 2012 Kia people mover but the identities and exact number of people is yet to be confirmed ahead of what Weir said will be a “complex investigation”.
From what we can tell so far, it appears that the vehicle was travelling north along Mansfield Woods Point Road and that the vehicle lost control, has gone off part of the carriageway, head and embankment on the left-hand side of the road, and then spun back around, off the road, hit a tree in the paddock and has then burst into flame.
The exact time of the collision is unknown and we’ll be working through all we can to try and understand that. In terms of the occupants, the vehicle, we think, is a rental vehicle.
Weir said police have contacted the rental company to identify the victims.
Updated
Rallies in support of Palestine and Israel
Huge crowds have again flooded Australia’s capital cities in support of Palestinians, calling for an immediate ceasefire, while pro-Israel groups converged on Sydney in a separate event calling for the release of hostages.
The pro-Palestinian rallies took place for the fifth weekend in a row since the beginning of the Israel-Gaza conflict on 7 October.
Significant crowds turned out to events in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne on Sunday afternoon.
In Melbourne, Palestine supporters gathered at the steps of the state library before moving towards the parliament.
Margaret Beavis, the vice-president of the Medical Association for Prevention of War, told the Melbourne event that Gaza had become a “graveyard for thousands of children”.
Meanwhile, in Sydney, pro-Israel groups rallied to call on Hamas to release Israeli hostages. They held a vigil for the hostages and heard from a series of speakers at the Entertainment Quarter in Moore Park.
Alex Ryvchin, the co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, spoke about the rise in antisemitism.
Our generation has seen that antisemitism may slumber but it never dies. Now it chants in our streets, it marks our businesses, it tries to terrorise us in our homes and our synagogues. And if it is not confronted by us all, it will devour once more. But we know who we are.
Updated
Agency photos have now come in of the free Palestine rally in Sydney.
Updated
While we wait for agency photos to come through, here are a few social media posts from the free Palestine rally in Sydney, which is currently under way.
Ceasefire now! Thousands again in Sydney’s Hyde Park. Free Palestine! pic.twitter.com/mMaXzhcExN
— Marcus Strom (@strom_m) November 12, 2023
Huge crowd at Hyde park corner 🇵🇸#CeasefireNOW pic.twitter.com/69ZZ2UEs92
— PSC (@PSCupdates) November 11, 2023
Sydney standing strong in solidarity with Palestine! Hyde Park is full! We will march soon ✌🏼🇵🇸 #FreePalestine pic.twitter.com/KbFWLvCHdP
— Mohamed (@thetwelver) November 12, 2023
Updated
The Melbourne apartments where a third of tenants are being kicked out or getting rent hikes
When tenants moved into 43 brand new apartments at a building in Melbourne’s inner north 12 months ago, some thought they would be there for years.
The apartments at 221 Kerr Street, Fitzroy were marketed as setting “a new standard for apartments in the suburb”. There was a competitive application process, with some prospective tenants asked to send in biographies explaining why they should live there.
Now, a year later, some residents claim about one-third of the building has received either notices to vacate or rent increases. Of the 43 apartments, a group of residents claim the tenants of seven apartments have received notices to vacate and eight have received rent increases of between 9% and 17%.
“We’re being evicted in the middle of a housing crisis,” says Ella, who did not want her real name published, and who has to move out along with her housemate.
The vacancy rate in the inner north of Melbourne is like, 0.9%. There’s no conversation about why it’s happening to some and not others.
In desperation, a group of tenants, including people from dwellings the collective says are being forced out, wrote to The Apartment Specialists, which manages the building, saying the “differing treatment” was “unsettling and deeply concerning”.
For more on this story, read the full report by Guardian Australia’s inequality reporter Cait Kelly.
Updated
Multiple dead after fiery crash in Victoria’s north-east
At least two people have been killed after a crashed car was found burned-out in Victoria’s high country.
The burned-out car was found by emergency services on Sunday morning on Mansfield-Woods Point Road in Piries, south-east of Mansfield.
Police believe the driver lost control before the car caught fire.
They say all occupants died at the scene but are yet to establish how many people were inside the car as they continue to investigate.
It comes after 12 people died in Victorian crashes last weekend, including five from a car ploughing into a Daylesford pub’s beer garden.
More than 250 lives have been lost on Victorian roads this year, surpassing the 2022 full-year road toll of 241.
– AAP
Updated
Sydney rally calls for release of Israeli hostages
A pro-Israel rally in Sydney has attracted a significant crowd, which marched to the the Entertainment Quarter in Moore Park on Sunday morning to call for the freedom of Israeli hostages.
The march was described as a “solidarity vigil” and was aimed to honour the victims of the Hamas attack last month. A range of speakers have been addressing the crowd.
Avi Efrat, a former Israeli soldier, told marchers that his generation were turning out for pro-Israeli rallies because they were “braver” and “more enthusiastic”.
The reason we went to Martin Place, the reason we went to Coogee Beach, a few of my friends were scared to go. And I have an answer to those friends and to you guys, not under this generation.
This generation is different. This generation is smarter. This generation is braver. This generation is more enthusiastic. And this generation has courage. If we have to say something, we will say it loud and clear.
Updated
While we wait for agency photos to come in from the rallies being held around the country today, here area a couple of shots being shared on social media of the Palestinian solidarity rally in Melbourne.
Melbourne gathers again in solidarity with #Palestine. Each week the numbers grow as more and more citizens understand the issues and the importance of keeping up the pressure on Western Governments to stop supporting the carnage in #Gaza. pic.twitter.com/dy7f6St7Aj
— Johan Scheffer (@Johan_Scheffer) November 12, 2023
Tens of thousands out again in Naarm Melbourne calling for a ceasefire, an end to the occupation, an end to Labor arming Israel, and a free Palestine 🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/ZaIw2KooUL
— Chris Woods 🏳️⚧️ (@tophermwoods) November 12, 2023
I’ve never seen a #protest as big as this in #Melbourne #FreePalestine #CeasefireNOW pic.twitter.com/Wk4dK0QWkq
— Rhonda Garad Greens Candidate #ForMulgrave (@RhondaGarad) November 12, 2023
Updated
Auction activity has risen with 2,681 auctions held this weekend.
This is more a jump over the 2,023 auctions held last week and above the 2,170 auctions that occurred at the same time last year.
Based on results collected so far, CoreLogic’s summary found that the preliminary clearance rate was 69% across the country, which is just above the 68.6% preliminary rate recorded last week and the 57.6% actual rate on final numbers.
Across the capital cities:
Sydney: 1,041 auctions with a clearance rate of 70.4%
Melbourne: 1,180 auctions with a clearance rate of 67.7%
Brisbane: 155 auctions with a clearance rate of 71.2%
Adelaide: 157 auctions with a clearance rate of 78.8%
Canberra: 129 auctions with a clearance rate of 56.8%
Tasmania: One of three auctions held.
Perth: Ten of 16 auctions held.
Wage growth expected in next data release
Firm growth in the wage price index is expected for the September quarter after the 0.8% quarterly increase in three months to June that was slightly below forecasts.
Compared with a year earlier, the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ wage price index grew 3.6%.
A stronger print is expected when the bureau releases the September quarter data on Wednesday, ANZ economist Catherine Birch says.
The bank’s economists are expecting 1.4% quarterly growth, which would be the strongest quarterly rise in the series’ 26-year history and take annual growth to almost four per cent.
Birch said there were seasonal or one-off factors at play including a large award wage increase and structural factors such as the rolling over of enterprise bargaining agreements.
The 5.75% minimum and award wage increase kicked in last quarter, as did further pay boosts for aged care workers.
In our view, the benefits of improving pay and conditions in undervalued, low-paid, female-dominated care sectors – including better attraction and retention of workers – outweigh the costs of any marginal inflationary effect of a one-off bump in the wage price index.
The wage data will have implications for the Reserve Bank, which is mindful of the influence of higher wages on inflation.
The central bank lifted interest rates by another 25 basis points in November and is open to hiking them again if inflation proves harder to bring down than expected.
On Monday, further insights into the RBA’s thinking might be gleaned when acting assistant governor Marion Kohler addresses the UBS Australasia Conference in Sydney.
The household sector will be on show in the Commonwealth Bank’s consumer spending report on Monday, followed by monthly consumer confidence data from Westpac and Melbourne Institute on Tuesday.
– AAP
Updated
Lion wanders streets of Italian city
A circus lion named Kimba escaped and spent seven hours wandering around the neighbourhood.
Videos of the incident were recorded by confused residents as police reportedly attempted to sedate the lion twice. Both times Kimba got up and limped off.
A lion has escaped from a circus in Ladispoli (near Rome) and is currently wandering the residential streets 😬pic.twitter.com/UbhNCfqptk
— Calcio England (@CalcioEngland) November 11, 2023
Kimba was later recovered after getting stuck in a swamp.
Australians may have some sympathy either for the residents or the lion after five lions were caught on camera escaping their enclosure through a hole in the fence at Taronga Zoo in December 2022.
Updated
Further rallies across Australia
As the Melbourne rally in support of Palestinians gets underway, it is worth noting there are other rallies in capital cities today.
Sydney: 1pm at Hyde Park.
Brisbane: 2pm at King George Square.
Perth: 8pm at Russell Square.
Adelaide: 2pm outside Parliament House.
Another protest was also held in Hobart on Saturday.
Updated
Pro-Palestine rally starting in Melbourne
People have are gathering outside the state library in Melbourne before a planned protest in support of Palestine scheduled for noon.
Live streamed footage suggests a strong turnout.
Updated
Prosecution of live export company over sheep deaths reported to be abandoned
Prosecutors pursuing a live export company over the deaths of 2400 sheep from heat stress are expected to drop their case against the company on Tuesday.
The Sydney Morning Herald, relying on unnamed sources involved with the proceedings, reports that it has been told prosecutors will drop the case.
Emanuel Exports was charged with 16 animal cruelty offences in 2019, with a trial expected for 20 November.
A hearing has been set for Tuesday where it is believed the case will be officially abandoned.
Updated
NSW flood rescue fleet upgrade hopes to save more lives
A slew of new storm and rescue vessels will help protect parts of New South Wales most at risk of flooding, after record disasters that battered parts of the state last year.
Inflatable rescue boats and rafts as well as high clearance trucks that can negotiate floodwaters are part of a $25m upgrade to the NSW State Emergency Service flood rescue fleet.
The buying of almost 200 new vehicles and vessels comes after recommendations from the Independent Flood Inquiry to improve disaster response capabilities.
Record flooding last year resulted in more than 80,000 calls for help to the NSW SES.
The new vehicles include 40 inflatable rescue vessels, 50 ark angel inflatable rescue rafts, 10 high clearance trucks, eight light flood rescue vehicles, 30 command vehicles and two heavy rescue vehicles.
Crews will be able to communicate using 4G and satellite networks to overcome communications black spots.
The rollout will prioritise parts of the state most vulnerable to inundation with units in the Northern Rivers, Central West and Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley already receiving equipment.
The premier, Chris Minns said the new boats and vehicles will help save lives and minimise the impact of disasters.
The emergency services minister, Jihad Dib, said flood-affected communities in the Central West and the Northern Rivers will particularly benefit.
– AAP
Updated
Diwali celebrations around Australia
Sunday marks the start of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights that welcomes the new year.
The five-day festival began on Friday but the main celebrations will take place on Sunday around the country.
The ABC has collected a list public celebrations taking place across the country:
New South Wales
Diwali Community Gathering: Burringbar, 12 November (5.30pm to 9.30pm)
Deusi Bhailo 2080 by NRNA Youth & Women Forum: Rockdale, 14 November 14 (5pm to 7pm)
Diwali at Little India by Little India Australia: Harris Park, 18 November (midday to 9pm)
Diwali street festival by Cumberland city council: 18 November, Wentworthville (5pm to 10pm)
Queanbeyan Diwali Mela – Lantern Parade: Queanbeyan, 18 November (6pm to 10pm)
Queensland
Diwali Celebration 2023: Greenbank, 12 November (5pm to 8pm)
Diwali Celebrations – Light the Lamp of Love: West End, 12 November (5pm to 8pm)
Diwali and Govardhan Puja: Burbank, 12 November (4.30pm onwards)
Brisbane SRC Diwali festival: Fortitude Valley, 13 November (4pm onwards)
South Australia
Deepavali 2023: Parafield Gardens, 18 November (5pm)
TASA Deepavali: Woodville South, 18 November (5.30pm)
Tasmania
Diwali 2023 at Hobart: Hobart, 14 November (4.30pm to 9pm)
Victoria
Diwali – festival of lights: Geelong West, 12 November (midday to 5pm)
Diwali at Dandenong Market: Dandenong, 19 November (11am to 3pm)
Diwali Delights: festival of lights celebrations: Kensington, 25 November (2pm to 6pm)
Multicultural Festival Connecting Communities Together: Sunbury, 25 November (1pm to 6.30pm)
Festival of Lights – Melbourne Diwali Fireworks 2023: Footscray, 25 November (4pm to 9pm)
Western Australia
Diwali Dinner: Millendon, 19 November (4.30pm to 9pm)
AMWA Deepavali Dinner & Dance 2023: Leeming, 2 December (7.30pm onwards)
Updated
How a false claim about windfarms killing whales is spinning out of control
Some pictures show a whale lifeless on a beach. In others, the whale is on fire, jumping from the ocean, as wind turbines loom behind it.
The pictures are shocking – intentionally so. Recently they’ve appeared on posters and placards and in social media posts in New South Wales’ Hunter and Illawarra regions, as part of a growing campaign against an Albanese government plan to open offshore windfarms zones off the coast.
For weeks, an image of a beached whale with turbines in the background has appeared on a roadside billboard in Port Stephens, north of Newcastle, under the words “Stop Port Stephens Offshore Wind Farms”. After questions from Guardian Australia this week, the advertising company oOh!media added a note to the billboard saying it had been authorised by Troy Radford, the president of the Newcastle and Port Stephens Game Fish Club.
Asked about the ad, Radford said it had been paid for by members of the fishing community and acknowledged “we had someone design it for us”.
It needed to be high impact and visual, and that sums up the information that we’ve got at the time on the potential whale deaths.
But scientists are clear: the suggestion wind turbines kill whales is not backed by credible evidence.
For more on this story read the full feature by Guardian Australia’s Adam Morton, Jordyn Beazley and Ariel Bogle.
Updated
South Caulfield pro-Palestine rally ‘antisemitic, thuggish behaviour’
Hastie also discussed Friday’s pro-Palestine rally in Melbourne, condemning the actions of protesters.
What we saw on Friday in Caulfield was antisemitic, thuggish behaviour.
It was a power grab and it was an assertion of one group over another for primacy in the public space.
The government has to lead, has to be clear about what is acceptable and, if necessary, use the law to move these people on, or indeed prosecute and take care of it.
Hastie said Israel had shown “great restraint” in its response to the conflict following the 7 October attacks by Hamas, which the federal government has labelled a terrorist organisation.
[Israel] have had people from across the globe calling on them for restraint, and they’ve sent millions of warnings to people living in Gaza to evacuate, reminding them that there might be an attack imminent.
– AAP
Updated
Hastie: ‘The great game is on’ in the Indo-Pacific
The opposition defence spokesman, Andrew Hastie, has also appeared on Sky News this morning, where he spoke about the agreement Australia has struck with Tuvalu.
He said he welcomed any agreement which deepened ties with the Pacific.
There is a geopolitical contest ongoing in the Indo-Pacific region, the great game is on.
We really need to work harder to build our relationships with those Pacific island countries.
Updated
Need for greater social cohesion, says deputy PM
Marles also urged greater social cohesion in Australia, describing the events in the Middle East as an unfolding tragedy.
People have a right to put pressure on their country’s government, on us, but there shouldn’t be demonstrations which are aimed at other members of the community.
Jewish Australians, as all Australians clearly, have a right to feel safe within their country.
The defence minister also denounced Islamophobic comments aimed at Australia’s Muslim community following the latest outbreak of violence in the Middle East.
There are Muslim Australians I’ve spoken to … who feel a sense of isolation in this moment. That’s unacceptable as well.
– AAP
Updated
Richard Marles: ‘Jewish Australians have never felt less safe’
Jewish Australians have never felt less safe in Australia following protests driven by the conflict in the Middle East, the deputy prime minister says.
Speaking to Sky News on Sunday Richard Marles also condemned protests in the Melbourne suburb of Caulfield South, where pro-Israel and pro-Palestine groups faced off on Friday.
The clash sparked the evacuation of a nearby synagogue, which protest organisers have apologised for.
Marles said people in Australia deserved to have a right to feel safe and denounced antisemitism.
This demonstration on behalf of Palestine in the heart of the Jewish community was unacceptable.
Right now, Jewish Australians have never felt less safe, and this is a real problem and we need to be moving to fix that.
Calls have grown for a ceasefire in the conflict, as Palestinian officials said two babies had died and dozens more patients were at risk from an Israeli siege of Gaza’s largest hospital.
Further rallies in support of Palestine have been planned in Melbourne on Sunday.
- AAP
Updated
Marles hopes Tuvalu deal ‘will be welcomed within the Pacific’
The deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, has denied that a new agreement between Australia and Tuvalu will anger China, describing it as a watershed moment.
Under the deal, announced at the Pacific Islands Forum on Friday, residents from Tuvalu facing displacement from climate change will be able to resettle in Australia.
Australia will take in 280 people each year, with the Pacific nation having a population of about 11,000 people.
As part of the elevated bilateral partnership between the countries, Australia will have a veto over Tuvalu’s security arrangements with other countries.
Speaking to Sky News on Sunday, Marles said the agreement would be received well by other countries, despite China having ambitions in the region.
The Pacific is a place of greater geo-strategic contest, there’s no doubt about that, and we seek to be the natural partner of choice for countries in the Pacific.
We were engaging with countries in the region, and we spoke with other countries in the region about what we were doing.
China has signed security pacts with other Pacific countries, including Solomon Islands, as part of a growing push for influence.
The deputy prime minister said Australia had a responsibility to ensure the Pacific did not become the least developed part of the world.
This is a step which I hope will be welcomed within the Pacific, because it does represent a very significant step up in Australia’s already significant engagement in the Pacific.
It makes very clear our demonstration of wanting to work with the Pacific very closely around questions of development.
– AAP
Updated
Overturning of Al Kateb v Godwin ‘not the government’s choice’
Finally, Wong is asked about the recent high court decision overturning Al Kateb v Godwin, which allowed Australia to indefinitely detain people who could not otherwise be deported.
The decision has upended a cornerstone of Australia’s asylum seeker policy and means those held in definite detention should be released.
Wong is asked about whether this means the community will be put at risk.
Our first priority in approaching this decision is to assure community safety. So anyone who is released will be released on visas with strict conditions and we are ensuring that the Australian federal police and border force are working closely with state and territory police to support community safety. The second point I would make is just to emphasise this is not the government’s choice, this is a decision of the high court of Australia, which any government is bound to follow.
Wong says visa conditions are being allied to bridging visas “as people are being released”.
We will continue to work through the judgment when it is handed down and the implications of the decision, but I make the point people are being released with conditions and we will ensure that law enforcement authorities, federal and state, work together.
And that’s a wrap.
Updated
‘Holding a protest near a synagogue was not the right thing to do’
On the protest that took place in Melbourne on Friday night that led to clashes between groups supporting Palestine and Israel respectively, Wong says that “holding a protest near a synagogue was not the right thing to do and I think the organisers know that”.
Wong says we must avoid letting “distress turn to anger and hate”:
I want to say this: all Australians, including our Jewish community, have a right to be safe and feel safe. No one in this country should be fearful because of who they are or their faith. What I would say more broadly, David, is this: I understand – we all understand – how distressing these events are. People who have lost family, people who have lost friends, people who care deeply about these issues. These are traumatic images, the loss of life – we must all work to ensure that that distress does not turn into hate and anger.
Updated
Two-state solution ‘only pathway for security’
Wong has also reiterated her call for a two-state solution.
Look, I think if what this conflict shows, apart from the obvious fact that Hamas is a terrorist organisation dedicated to the destruction of the state of Israel, what it shows is that there is no just and enduring peace without a political process towards a two-state solution, and that two-state solution, a just and enduring peace, Palestinians and Israelis living within internationally recognised borders, is the only pathway for security both for Israel and for Palestinians.
Updated
Wong calls on Israel to ‘cease the attacking of hospitals’
Asked again whether she believes Israel is respecting international law, Wong calls on Israel to stop attacking hospitals.
Well, I would make this point in relation to hospitals and medical facilities, that international human law does require the protection of hospitals, of patients and of medical staff. And we do call on Israel to cease the attacking of hospitals. We understand the argument that Hamas is burrowed into civilian infrastructure, but I think the international community, looking at what is occurring at hospitals, would say to Israel, ‘These are facilities protected under international law and we want you to do so’.
Wong says “there is no doubt” that Hamas has “burrowed” into civilian infrastructure but “that does not obviate the requirement to observe international law, and the fact is many friends of Israel around the world and in Australia would be saying we want civilians, hospitals to be protected”.
Updated
Wong: ceasefire in Israel-Hamas war 'cannot be one-sided'
On the Israel-Hamas war, Wong is asked whether she believes Israel is showing restraint.
Wong:
I’m deeply concerned by the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, as is so many in the world, and by the loss of life. I’m deeply concerned, as others are, about the sort of destruction we are seeing. What I would say is this: we called for humanitarian pauses as a necessary first step. I’ve seen the comments of President Macron overnight. What I would say is we all want to take the next steps towards a ceasefire, but it cannot be one-sided. Hamas still holds hostages. Hamas is still attacking Israel. I would also continue to say, as you pointed out, I called for restraint in my very first response and was criticised by Peter Dutton.
How Israel defends itself matters, and when we affirm Israel’s right to defend itself, what we are also saying is Israel must comply and observe international humanitarian law. We know Hamas is a terrorist organisation. It has demonstrated it has no respect for international law, but Australia is a democracy and so, too, is Israel and the standards that we seek and accept are higher.
Updated
‘We should continue to engage because China is a consequential nation’
After Albanese’s meeting with the Chinese president, the statement included the phrasing “we reaffirm our confidence in the strategic partnership”. Wong is asked what this means, and specifically whether Australia is a “strategic partner” or a “strategic competitor” with China.
Come on, David, you are better than that. You know that a comprehensive strategic partnership was signed by, I think it was, Tony Abbott, so this is a diplomatic term for a relationship, and you have a more sophisticated understanding of relationship than to ask me a question like that. We know there are areas where we should operate and we should cooperate. We know there are areas wither we disagree and we do so consistently and calmly, and we should continue to engage because China is a consequential nation in our region. For us to engage. What is the alternative?
Wong says it refers to a legal agreement that was signed by Abbott.
I think what you are actually asking is how do we manage the fact that at times we have very different strategic interests, and we do so by continuing to press our strategic interest. Australia wants to assure our own sovereignty, just as China does. How do we do that? We do that in the bilateral relationship, we do that with the alliance with the United States, we do that in Quad, we do it in the alliance in south-east Asia and we make it clear we do that with balance in the region where all countries’ sovereignty is protected, where the rule of law is protected. We do that by being very clear about our willingness, whether through the Quad, through Aukus, to demonstrate both assurance but also strategic deterrence.
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Wong: both Australia and China want to ‘seek more stability’
Wong is asked about tensions over the South China Sea. The foreign minister says the Chinese and Australian governments want to “seek more stability”.
What it means is we can continue to grow the relationship in a way that is consistent with our national interests. That requires we wisely navigate our differences. We have been clear with China – there are things on which we will not agree, whether that be human rights or behaviours in the South China Sea, where we do not want to see destabilising actions; we do not want to see international law that is the law of the sea undermined in any way. That is our private discussion. That is also our public discussion.
Wong says Chinese aggression against territorial claims by the Philippines was discussed when the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, met the president, Xi Jinping.
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‘We are prepared to be a real partner of choice’
Asked whether Australia hopes that other climate-exposed Pacific nations, such a Kiribati and Nauru, may take up similar deals with Australia, Wong says “that’s a matter for those nations but what it does signal is how we are prepared to approach our membership with the Pacific family”.
I think what it says is we are prepared to be a real partner of choice, an engaged partner, but obviously it is up to those countries, just as it was Tuvalu’s choice to approach Australia for such an agreement.
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Tuvalu deal ‘a genuine desire to see close security cooperation’
Wong says that under this agreement, Australia will get to weigh in on decisions about whether to build key infrastructure such as ports and power stations, but says whether Australia will intervene will depend on what is considered a security concern.
The agreement goes to various infrastructure, but obviously this is a genuine desire to see close security cooperation, close cooperation when it comes to migration and close cooperation on climate.
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‘We live in a more contested region’ – foreign minister
Asked about whether the agreement was designed to check Chinese ambition in the region, Wong says the Australian government recognises “we live in a more contested region” and is working with the Pacific Island Forum members to “assure Australia’s presence as a member of the family and as a partner of choice”.
Tuvalu retains its sovereignty, but the agreement sets out three areas of cooperation: climate change, human mobility or migration with dignity and security.
And in relation to security, we have made a commitment, as Australia, that we will come to their assistance in the context of pandemic or humanitarian disaster or a military aggression, and we’ve also agreed that any engagement in the security sector with another party would be something we would mutually agree, so the terms of the agreement are quite clear on those matters.
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Wong: Tuvalu deal ‘most important step’ since PNG independence
The foreign minister, Penny Wong, says the deal to allow 11,000 residents of Tuvalu to move to Australia is the “most important step any Australian government has taken in the Pacific since the independence of Papua New Guinea”.
Earlier this week, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, announced Australia would allow citizens of Tuvalu, a low-lying Pacific island country deeply at risk from sea level rise caused by the existential threat of climate change, to resettle here.
Wong says the deal sends a strong message across the region.
It is about Australia saying to the region and to Tuvalu, ‘we are a genuine, reliable partner and when we say we are part of the Pacific family, we mean it’.
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Australia complicit on arms exports to Israel: UN official
A visiting United Nations human rights expert has reiterated calls for an embargo on arms supplies to the Israeli-Palestine war, singling out Australia as complicit.
Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, warned there is a risk violence could escalate in the weeks and months ahead during a speech in Adelaide on Saturday night.
Albanese said she would discuss an arms embargo to prevent future violence during meetings with Australian politicians next week.
[Australia] is complicit. I really need you to remind your political leadership they need to stop reciting the mantra of negotiation to end the conflict – the occupation must cease.
Albanese made the comments during the 2023 Edward Said Memorial Lecture for the Australian Friends of Palestine Association.
During the wide-ranging speech, she also hit out at western members of the UN who were “in the margins, muttering inaudible words of condemnation for Israel” over the conflict.
Albanese is due to make several public appearances during her visit to Australia, including an address at the National Press Club in Canberra.
– AAP
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The foreign minister, Penny Wong, will speak with ABC Insiders host David Speers this morning.
Meanwhile, the defence minister, Richard Marles, appeared earlier on Sky News.
We will bring you all the latest as it happens.
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Don Farrell embarks on US trade trip
Australia is looking to the United States to bolster its trading relationships as China insulates its critical mineral sector and an agreement with Europe is dead in the water.
The trade minister, Don Farrell, will head to San Francisco on Sunday in an effort to diversify Australia’s export markets beyond China.
A new trade pact, called the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (Ipef), is being worked through between more than a dozen countries. The pact aims to boost supply chains and put in place backups if critical shortages emerge.
Ipef countries include the US, Japan, India, South Korea, New Zealand, Fiji and some south-east Asian countries, which together account for 40% of global GDP.
The bloc is billed as a doorway for Washington to come back into the Indo-Pacific trade network after the Trump administration pulled out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, now known as the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
Farrell said there was significant work to rebuild the damage done by Donald Trump.
So much damage was done by Donald Trump to the concept of trade agreements ... it was so demonised and unjustifiably.
Hell would freeze over before the Americans came back in (to the CPTPP), in my view.
But this is a new agreement, it has the support of both Democrats and Republicans in the United States and I think it’s the first step back by the Americans into the region.
Asked about concerns the US could pull out of more trade agreements if Trump or another protectionist Republican came to power, Farrell said it will be hard for the new administration to unwind any agreement.
This was why Australia was pushing to have Ipef finalised, signed and stamped by the time the US presidential election rolls around in November 2024.
We’ve got 12 months to do it – under the American system, it’s very hard to repudiate agreements.
– AAP
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Pro-Palestine rallies to continue in Melbourne
Supporters of Palestine will gather outside the State Library in Melbourne on Sunday in opposition to Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.
The rally takes place after opposing groups clashed in Caulfield South on Saturday and Victorian police investigated a suspicious fire at a burger shop.
A pro-Palestine group involved in a rally on Friday that led to the incident apologised to the Jewish community and said it should not have gathered at a location so close to a synagogue.
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, condemned the “deeply distressing” violence that erupted between pro-Palestine and pro-Israel protesters at the earlier rally.
For more on that story, read the full report by Guardian Australia’s Graham Readfearn.
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Good morning
And welcome to another Sunday Guardian live blog.
Supporters of Palestine will gather outside the State Library in Melbourne on Sunday in opposition to Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The protest will mark the latest in several weeks of rallies, in which enormous crowds across the country have called for an immediate ceasefire. The rally takes place after opposing groups clashed in Caulfield South on Saturday and Victorian police investigated a suspicious fire at a burger shop.
The trade minister, Don Farrell, will on Sunday be heading to the United States, where talks are expected to centre on a new trade pact. The pact, built within the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity, would serve 12 countries in a regional trading bloc across south-east Asia, the Pacific and the US.
I’m Royce Kurmelovs and I’ll be taking the blog through the day.
With that, let’s get started ...
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