What we learned: Monday 7 October
And with that, we are going to put the blog to bed. Before we go, let’s recap the big headlines:
Tony Abbott tells Canberra rally 7 October attack perpetrators ‘should be utterly destroyed’
Federal government ‘makes no apology’ after Iran summons ambassador
Albanese calls on Fatima Payman to hand Senate seat back to Labor
Mona’s Ladies Lounge seemingly denies reports the installation will close next month
Thank you for spending your day with us. We will be back tomorrow to do it all again.
Updated
Dutton: 'today we pray for the hostages still held by Hamas'
The leader of the opposition, Peter Dutton, drew a loud cheer from the crowd when he took to the stage and faced the 12,000-strong crowd.
He said that antisemitism had taken grip since the “horrors and heartbreak” of 7 October.
“That day of depravity, the greatest loss of Jewish life on a single day since the Holocaust, awoke and exposed an antisemitic rot afflicting western democracies,” he said, describing it as the “most shocking period of our country in my lifetime”.
He said “river to the sea” wasn’t “just a rhetorical chant of radical university students. It is a stated intent to wipe Israel and the Jewish people off the map.”
He said that there had been a vacuum of leadership in Australia in the wake of 7 October, referencing antisemitic chants heard on the steps of the Sydney Opera House on 9 October last year.
The last 12 months constitute one of the most difficult periods for Jewish Australians in our nation’s history. So in the interest of moral clarity, let me be clear, Israel has every right to defend its territory and its people from existential threats, from Hamas, from Hezbollah, from the Houthis and from the Iranian regime, which sponsors them all.
Together today we pray for the hostages still held by Hamas. Together today we grieve for the families who have lost those dearest to them.
Updated
Hundreds of Australians fleeing Lebanon have touched down in Sydney on the first of two flights organised by the Australian government.
More to come.
Crowd applauds criticism of government’s ‘weak’ stance on conflict
Yossi Goldfarb, the president of Zionism Victoria, which organised tonight’s event in Melbourne, has accused the federal government of being “weak and ambiguous” on the conflict in the Middle East.
Goldfarb told the thousands-strong crowd there should be “no doubt about the enemy” after Iran’s latest attack on Israel:
“Iran and its proxies, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, these enemies of Israel, these enemies of Western Liberal democracies, are a pernicious threat that can no longer be ignored.”
Goldfarb said those groups must be defeated.
He described the rise of antisemitism in Australia as “simply out of control”:
“[It is] a threat to everything that makes our country unique and great. There is a permissiveness that has led antisemitism fester, a permissiveness encouraged by weak and ambiguous expositions of our foreign policy.
This line received the biggest applause from the crowd, which includes the prime minister, Anthony Albanese.
Goldfarb went on:
“In our community’s view, they have weakened our social cohesion, leaving us to feel the state of Israel has been abandoned as a natural ally of the Australian people.”
Updated
Minns: ‘great sadness’ tempered by hope
Premier Chris Minns has told the crowd that the “great sadness” of the evening was tempered by hope.
He said it would ordinarily be his job this week to tell Jewish people to have a happy New Year, but “we have come together not to celebrate but to grieve”.
Speaking about the antisemitism that is on the rise in Australia, Minns said:
We can’t change the hate in people’s hearts but we can call it for what it is and that is racism.
We can’t lose hope.
Nova festival-goer, Michal Ohana, described hiding under an IDF tank for seven hours while bleeding from a gunshot wound a year ago. She lost 10 friends that day.
A 21-year-old IDF soldier Yuval told the crowd that he was called to respond to Hamas attacks and almost lost a leg when his vehicle was hit by a rocket.
The leader of the opposition, Peter Dutton, is expected to address the crowd shortly.
Updated
Dutton arrives to cheers at Sydney vigil
In park in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, thousands of people have come together for a community commemoration organised by the Zionist Council of NSW and the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies.
About 7,000 seats were taken with many more standing inside the venue and around the outside of the park as the sun set and a violin solo began the service.
A loud cheer went up when leader of the opposition Peter Dutton arrived. Also among the dignitaries is the NSW premier, Chris Minns; health minister, Mark Butler; and the leader of the state opposition, Mark Speakman.
A heavy security and police presence is surrounding the venue, with the community determined to gather despite concerns about the risk of antisemitism.
“Tikvah” (hope) is a theme of the evening, says the Zionist Council of NSW.
Updated
Albanese joins Jewish community for Melbourne vigil
Thousands of members of Melbourne’s Jewish community have gathered in Moorabbin this evening to mark a year since the 7 October Hamas attacks.
The event began with a procession of hand-painted lanterns, each dedicated to one of the victims of the past 12 months.
Among those participating in the procession are Anthony Albanese; his attorney general, Mark Dreyfus; the Macnamara MP, Josh Burns; the Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, and her deputy Ben Carroll. Albanese walked with rabbi Gabi Kaltmann.
State and federal MPs from across party lines are also at the event, including independents Zoe Daniel and Monique Ryan.
Albanese and Allan aren’t expected to speak this evening, instead the commemoration will feature personal reflections from members of the community and performances from school and shule choirs.
We’ve just heard a rendition of The Beatles’ Let It Be from students of Beth Rivkah Ladies College orchestra.
Updated
The Melbourne vigil is also getting under way as protesters prepare to march to Parliament House.
Sydney vigil begins with multi-faith prayers
Before a crowd of all ages, the vigil in Sydney began with a minute’s silence followed by multi-faith prayers from members of the Jewish, Christian and Muslim communities.
A Kaddish, a Jewish prayer often said in memory of the dead, was read first.
Then Costandi Bastoli, director of Palestinian Christians in Australia, spoke before beginning his prayer.
“We refuse to let unforgiveness and hatred to take hold,” he said. “May we preserve our hearts from hatred and cultivate a desire for good, for all.
“We lift up the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, acknowledging the suffering of the Palestinian people under occupation and the Lebanese people under attack. Yet we remember that our enemy is not the Jewish people, as we just saw, but rather the systems of oppression and injustice.”
Ahmed Ouf, a councillor with Cumberland council, asked the crowd to raise their hands. He recited supplications in Arabic “for the kids, the women, the men, the people” of Gaza, Palestine and Lebanon.
Updated
Woman charged over alleged threats to Sydney mosque
An 82-year-old woman has been charged with allegedly making harassing phone calls to a mosque in south Sydney.
About 6.30pm on Friday, police attended the Masjid Arrahman mosque in Kingsgrove, Sydney after receiving reports of two allegedly offensive calls made on Tuesday, 1 October and Friday, 4 October.
Following investigations, police visited a home in Five Dock and spoke with the woman, who was issued a court notice for the alleged offence of using carriage service to menace, harass and/or offend.
She will appear before Bankstown local court on Wednesday, 27 November.
The mosque has received media attention for holding a commemoration ceremony for the Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah and labelling fighters of the group, listed as a terrorist organisation in Australia since 2021, as “martyrs”.
Updated
Crowd gathers at Sydney town hall for Palestinian community vigil
There is a heavy police presence at Sydney town hall ahead of tonight’s interfaith vigil.
A sombre crowd has gathered near the building’s steps, facing a row of Palestinian and Lebanese flags.
Waiting with a Palestinian flag around his neck, Joseph, a Palestinian-Australian, said there “was too much suffering going on”.
“We’ve had a lot of relatives who have been displaced in Gaza, the West Bank,” he said. “It’s been one year. Too many dead. We don’t want this to spread even further.”
Updated
And we have some photos of people starting to arrive for the Palestinian vigil in Sydney this evening:
There is a strong police presence outside the town hall:
Updated
And our reporter Ariel Bogle is on the ground at Sydney Town Hall, where there is a large number of police:
I’m here at Sydney Town Hall where there is already a significant police presence ahead of tonight’s vigil pic.twitter.com/2WKtiwc14x
— Ariel Bogle (@arielbogle) October 7, 2024
Updated
Someone in the crowd at Lakemba mosque has snapped this photo of the vigil tonight. We will have more soon:
Updated
Australian markets buoyed up by strong US jobs report
The local share market has had a positive start to the week after a strong US jobs report over the weekend allayed fears the world’s biggest economy was headed into recession, AAP reports.
The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index on Monday finished up 55.4 points, or 0.68%, to 8,205.4, while the broader All Ordinaries climbed 62.4 points, or 0.74%, to 8,479.0.
The Australian dollar had dropped to a nearly three-week low of 68.04 US cents, from 68.42 US cents at Friday’s ASX close.
Updated
A man has died after a unit fire in the Lismore area yesterday.
NSW police have released a statement:
About 1am yesterday (Sunday 6 October 2024), emergency services were called to a unit on Anstey Street, Girards Hill, following reports of a house fire.
Officers attached to Richmond police district arrived and found a unit well alight.
Fire and Rescue NSW attended and extinguished the blaze before recovering the body of a man and a dog from inside the home.
The man is yet to be formally identified.
There were no other reports of injuries.
Police have established a crime scene and have commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Updated
There are thunderstorm warnings for parts of QLD and NSW:
⚠️ A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING has been issued for parts of the #Gympie, #Somerset, #SunshineCoast, #Noosa and #MoretonBay Council Areas. DAMAGING WINDS and LARGE HAIL are possible. Full details: https://t.co/vYLHCna3or#Qld #SEQ #Queensland pic.twitter.com/sXJDu0R2Xu
— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) October 7, 2024
#Thunderstorm forecast for #NSW for TUESDAY 8th Oct. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS may develop about the Northern Rivers & elevated parts of the Mid North Coast Tues afternoon, bringing risk of damaging winds & heavy rainfall. For all warnings updates: https://t.co/Ss766eSCrL pic.twitter.com/vg79bW3AJu
— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) October 7, 2024
Updated
Some big records for solar across NSW and QLD over the weekend:
The sun shining on family rooftop solar systems was powering more than half of total energy demand in QLD & NSW this weekend. QLD set a new record of 3,091MW at 10:30am (AEST) on Saturday, with NSW setting a new record of 3,479MW at 1pm (AEST) on Sunday.https://t.co/i3OBExGJXL pic.twitter.com/6o5H3dqgQq
— AEMO (@AEMO_Energy) October 7, 2024
Updated
Bridget McKenzie addresses rally
Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie is speaking in lieu of Peter Dutton at the 7 October rally at Parliament House today.
McKenzie said “Israel has a right to exist. Israel has a right to self-defence, and we should not be calling for ceasefire every time she seeks to do that”.
She said it was time for Jewish Australians to hit the streets and speak out.
We’ve heard a lot about the silent Australians. The time for silence is over. It is time to stand up, to speak out, to take action on our streets, to gather in suburbs, in communities right across the country, as so many of our Jewish Australian community is today.
Updated
Rally at Parliament House marks anniversary of terrorist attacks on Israel
On the windy lawns outside Parliament House, a rally of hundreds has gathered on the anniversary of the 7 October attacks by Palestinian militant group, Hamas, against southern Israel.
The rally has been organised by Christian organisation, Never Again Is Now, but the crowd here on a public holiday in Canberra is a broad church.
A number of federal politicians were spotted in the crowd, including Coalition members, Jane Hume, Michaelia Cash, Simon Birmingham and Bridget McKenzie, as well as former Labor MP Mike Kelly.
Others included cross-benchers Bob Katter and Russell Broadbent.
The Israeli ambassador Amir Maimon joined former prime minister, Tony Abbott, on a row of seats in front of the stage.
Israeli and Australian flags were carried by many in the crowd but dispersed between them were some Pahlavi Iranian flags – the ruling government in Iran prior to the Islamic Revolution – as well as the Eureka flag.
Speeches, which included some from the Australian Christian Lobby’s chief executive and members of other right-wing and fringe religious groups, were broken up by religious musical performances.
Updated
Many thanks for joining me on the blog today, Cait Kelly will guide you through the rest of our rolling coverage – take care.
Police to get power to search schoolchildren under NT laws
Children at school could be searched by police under legislation expected to be passed when the Northern Territory parliament resumes, AAP reports.
Chief minister Lia Finocchiaro said Declan’s Law, a bail amendment bill set to be introduced when parliament resumes on 15 October, will extend police powers to search and seize weapons in more places.
Finocchiaro said the government had made the authorisation of wanding (using a metal detector to search people) easier for police, and expanded the areas where wands can be used to places including schools and public transport.
This starts a movement for change right across the territory. The CLP [Country Liberal party] has a mandate to deliver this amongst other law reform, and we will not apologise to anyone for getting on with the job of delivering it.
If the NT government – which has 17 of 25 seats in the parliament – successfully lowers the age of criminal responsibility to 10 and passes the laws, as Finocchiaro has promised, technically primary schoolchildren could be searched by police and prosecuted.
The Greens member for Nightcliff, Kat McNamara, said the proposed changes are “regressive” and that the CLP “wants to give police the power to wand children in primary school, turning our places of learning into airport security checkpoints.”
Updated
The Bureau of Meteorology has published a severe weather update, with thunderstorms forecast for northeast NSW and southeast Queensland.
Severe Weather Update, Monday 7 October 2024: Severe thunderstorms for north-east NSW and south-east QLD
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) October 7, 2024
Video current: 11:30am AEST Monday 7 September 2024.
For the latest forecasts and warnings go to our website https://t.co/4W35o8iFmh or the BOM Weather app. pic.twitter.com/UuAAmDKxNI
Tony Abbott tells Canberra rally 7 October attack perpetrators ‘should be utterly destroyed’
The former prime minister, Tony Abbott, has told a rally at Parliament House those behind the 7 October attacks against Israel “should be utterly destroyed”.
The rally, organised by Christian organisation Never Again Is Now, is being held a year on from the attacks led by Palestinian militant group, Hamas, against civilians in southern Israel.
More than 1,200 Israelis were reportedly killed during the 7 October attacks and subsequent military confrontation. Since then, Israel’s response in Gaza has reportedly killed more 40,000 – with around half being women and children.
Abbott, who is a patron of the Christian organisation, said the “murderers and the organisations” behind the attacks on Israel “should be utterly destroyed and that’s exactly what the Israeli government has been doing ever since”.
And sure, we lament the civilian casualties, and we admire the way that Israel has been so incredibly fastidious in trying to avoid them, and we admire the extraordinarily clever and successful way in which the Israeli military and government have fought back.
Updated
Payman says today is ‘powerful reminder to renew commitment to standing for justice’
Senator Fatima Payman has issued a statement to mark 7 October, stating that today is “a powerful reminder why we need to renew our commitment to standing for justice and upholding human rights for all.”
Payman quit Labor in July to sit on the crossbench after crossing the floor to vote for a Greens motion in the Senate to recognise Palestine.
In a statement posted to social media today, she said:
As an Australian, as a Muslim, and as a humanitarian, the bloodshed of any human being is against the core principles of my identity.
Today is a powerful reminder why we need to renew our commitment to standing for justice and upholding human rights for all.
Payman said that “nothing justifies” the killing of civilians and children, “apartheid” and “occupation”.
My thoughts and prayers go out to all who are suffering the loss of loved ones and grieving the genocide.
Parties issued dueling health policies in second week of Queensland election campaign
Meanwhile, the LNP has promised to reduce hospital ambulance ramping to “below 30%” by 2028, if elected this month.
Leader David Crisafulli and health spokesperson Roz Bates launched a $590m healthcare policy today, though Labor criticised the plan for lacking detail.
One specific was the ramping target. It would mean a substantial reduction from the latest statistics. Released in September, they show ramping was at 43.1% in July and August.
The party committed to complete all the new projects budgeted by Labor earlier this year, but not to build any new ones. Instead they promised to adopt better technology and conduct a “Systemwide health workforce plan” to make the existing system work more efficiently.
They also promised to reopen maternity services at Biloela and Cooktown and to hire 34,200 extra clinicians by 2032, including 18,700 nurses and midwives. Crisafulli said:
We will roll out a roadmap with yearly stepping stones to get there, but after a decade of the ambulance ramping increasing year on year, this is a plan to turn it around. It’s nearly one in two at the moment, and we believe we can get that below one in three with this detailed plan.
Within 12 months, the escalation of people waiting for surgery will be a thing of the past, and again, that figure has more than doubled since this government came to office.
Fentiman said, “This is such an undercooked, under-resourced plan, no wonder he described it as a genesis of a plan (in the debate last week).”
Labor announced the extension of a GP hospital registrar incentive, and a target of 3400 additional hospital beds.
Queensland opposition leader won’t rule out conscience vote for abortion repeal
Queensland’s LNP opposition leader has refused to rule out allowing a conscience vote for his party members on a bill re-banning abortion.
At a press conference in Brisbane, David Crisafulli repeated “there will be no change” twelve times, but didn’t address comments by former colleague Jann Stuckey.
There will be no change. There will be no change and Queenslanders need to know, despite the government scare campaign, there will be no change.
Stuckey suggested that the party leader would not be able to prevent party members voting for a bill put up by a minor party, like Katter’s Australian Party. She was one of just four LNP MPs to vote for the legalisation of abortion in 2018, with Crisafulli and deputy Jarrod Bleijie voting no.
In 2022 Crisafulli said he believed matters of life and death should always be a conscience vote. He also voted against Labor’s 2021 voluntary assisted dying legislation.
Agriculture spokesperson Tony Perrett told an audience in his electorate in Gympie that he continued to believe abortion was wrong, last week.
Labor health minister Shannon Fentiman said:
Jann Stuckey doesn’t believe him, and she knows the LNP and David Crisafulli better than anyone. And so if she doesn’t believe him, then I don’t think anyone in Queensland can believe him.
So those Queenslanders that fought hard to get voluntary assisted dying as part of our health scheme, should be really worried today. And all of those women and girls who have fought hard for years to see legal and safe and affordable access to termination of pregnancy should be really scared today.
Babysitter still missing after Queensland house fire
Queensland police say they are yet to locate a woman, 31, believed to have died in a fire alongside an eight-year-old girl at Thorneside, south of Brisbane.
As AAP reports, it is understood the missing woman was babysitting the girl at the townhouse in Bayside Court when the fire broke out, about 7am on Sunday morning.
The incident has been “deeply upsetting” for the local community, the Redlands City mayor Jos Mitchell says. Continue reading below:
Albanese calls on Fatima Payman to hand Senate seat back to Labor
Anthony Albanese has said Senator Fatima Payman should hand back her seat to Labor and contest the next election along with other candidates from her new party.
In an interview with the Financial Review, the prime minister responded to reports Payman was planning to announce her new party this week – and said she should use this as an opportunity to test her own popularity:
Senator Payman should test democratic support for her actions by contesting the next election herself under the banner of her new political party.
As Paul Karp reports, Payman quit Labor in July to sit on the crossbench after crossing the floor to vote for a Greens motion in the Senate to recognise Palestine.
Payman has discouraged Muslim Australians from creating a religious political party, arguing a new movement would need a “broader base” to succeed. You can read more below:
Updated
Australian government 'makes no apology' after Iran summons ambassador
The Australian government says it “makes no apology” for its comments about Iran, after the Australian ambassador in Tehran was summoned to a meeting with the Iranian foreign ministry.
The Australian ambassador to Iran, Ian McConville, was reportedly summoned to a meeting over the weekend in which the Iranian foreign ministry protested what it labelled as Australia’s “biased stance”, including over Iran’s ballistic missile attack on Israel last week.
Iran has said this missile attack was in response to the deaths of the Hezbollah secretary general, Hassan Nasrallah, in southern Beirut and the Hamas political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran.
The Australian government has previously said it called the Iranian ambassador to Australia, Ahmad Sadeghi, in to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra on Friday to protest his “utterly unacceptable” tweets in support of Hezbollah.
This afternoon, a spokesperson for Dfat responded to the summoning of McConville with the following statement:
Australia makes no apology for the views it has expressed about Iran’s actions or the actions of its ambassador to Australia.
The Australian government condemned Iran’s reckless missile strikes on Israel. They were a dangerous escalation and increased the risks of a wider regional war.
The Australian government continues to call on all parties to exercise restraint and de-escalate.
The destructive cycle of violence in the region must stop.
Updated
Final hearings in no-grounds evictions trial in Western Australia
In final hearings today, the WA supreme court will hear cases launched against the Western Australian government by two public housing tenants, whose lawyers argue the Department of Communities’ use of no-grounds evictions and fixed-term public housing tenancies is unlawful because it denies procedural fairness and is legally unreasonable.
In a joint hearing last month, the WA supreme court heard a case reserved to it by a Perth magistrate on questions of law involving the attempted “no-grounds” eviction of a WA public housing tenant and simultaneously heard a second judicial review case for a WA family facing eviction at the end of a fixed-term public housing tenancy.
After hearing last month from the tenants’ lawyers and from lawyers for the WA Department of Communities, Justice Howard adjourned the matter to this morning to complete submissions and reply, noting that this case is “important to a lot of people, it’s an important case, and it’s going to take some consideration”.
More on this to come.
Updated
‘Let this day be a day of mourning and commemoration to the Jewish people,’ says Alex Ryvchin
Alex Ryvchin from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry held a press conference a little earlier today from Sydney’s eastern suburbs to mark the 7 October anniversary.
Ryvchin was joined at the press conference by a number of community members who held posters of the hostages who remain captured or have died during the war. Ryvchin said:
The fact that over 100 people remain in captivity, it’s a national tragedy for the Jewish people. And the fact that a year has passed and so much has occurred for us as a community, so much has happened in our own personal lives, and all the while, these people are languishing in hell, second by second, minute by minute, and frankly, nothing is being done for them.
Ryvchin, after being asked if he thinks Israel’s campaign in Gaza, has gone “too far”, said, “It’s incumbent on Israeli’s to do what they can to destroy Hamas military capacity.” He said he agreed with the Israeli ambassador’s statement that the conflict in Gaza and Lebanon was a “battle for the free world”.
Many of the questions at the press conference focused on Ryvchin’s thoughts about the Palestine and Lebanon rally held on Sunday, and on the candlelight vigil planned for this evening.
Ryvchin said the council does not oppose the right for Australians to assemble and express political views, but asked people to “leave this one day alone” and “to let this day be a day of mourning and commemoration to the Jewish people”.
Updated
BoM predicts wild weather for Queensland
The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting thunderstorms in north-west, central and south-east parts of Queensland today.
It said severe storms are possible in the south-east, with damaging wind gusts, large hail and heavy rainfall.
⛈️Thunderstorm FORECAST for TODAY: Thunderstorms are possible in the far northwest and central and southeast #Queensland later today. Severe storms are possible in the southeast with damaging wind gusts, large hail and heavy rainfall. Warnings as needed https://t.co/CQJkcamqzO pic.twitter.com/Wd9oJ5b6gk
— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) October 6, 2024
Updated
Police reissue warnings about display of Hezbollah imagery
Ahead of the vigils and solemn ceremonies set to be held across Australia today, the NSW police has reissued its message for attendees not to display the Hezbollah flag.
The message – which was broadcast on LED screens at a pro-Palestine rally in Sydney yesterday – reads:
The Hezbollah flag, symbols and portraits of Hassan Nasrallah should not be displayed at the public assembly as this may amount to a criminal offence.
An important message from the New South Wales Police Force: pic.twitter.com/vVPkuVKCC4
— NSW Police Force (@nswpolice) October 6, 2024
For more, you can read this explainer from Tory Shepherd below:
Updated
Report shows one in five Australians stress about money daily
Compare the Market has released its household budget barometer report for 2024, showing that one in five Australians stress about money every day.
The survey of more than 3,000 people revealed 46% respondents experienced financial concerns at least once a week.
About 1 in 5 people say their savings are going backwards, while 29% said they haven’t been able to save as much as they used to 15% are in debt – or seeing existing debt grow.
Grocery prices were the biggest pain point and mortgage repayments were the top concern for middle to high income earners. The survey found that the median grocery spent was up 33% in August compared with January, with electricity bills surging from $300 to $350 in the same period.
Compare the Market’s economic director, David Koch, said:
Most people aren’t overstretching or living beyond their means, they are just trying to get by, but it’s the rising cost of essential items that is killing them.
Industry leaders need to sit up and listen to the people that are hurting. No one has been immune to the impact of inflation but price hikes are not something to be taken lightly and I think we need to see a more proportionate approach to pricing.
Updated
Australian ambassador in Iran summoned over country’s ‘biased stance’, reports indicate
We are chasing a response from the Australian government to reports that Iran summoned the Australian ambassador in Tehran over the weekend.
Reuters cites the Iranian news agency Tasnim as reporting that the Australian ambassador, Ian McConville, was summoned to a meeting for the Iranian foreign ministry to protest what it labelled as Australia’s “biased stance”, including on Iran’s response to Israel.
The Israeli military is planning for a “significant and serious” response to Iran for last week’s large-scale ballistic missile attack on Israel.
On Friday Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, defended what he described as the “legal and legitimate” ballistic missile attack on Israel. Iran has said the action was in response to the deaths of the Hezbollah secretary general, Hassan Nasrallah, in southern Beirut and the Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
The Australian government has previously said that the Iranian ambassador to Australia was called in to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on Friday to protest his “utterly unacceptable” tweets in support of Hezbollah.
We have asked Dfat for a response to the subsequent call-in of the Australian ambassador in Tehran. We will bring you comments as soon as we receive them.
Updated
Foreign minister and shadow foreign minister release 7 October statements
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has released a statement on the anniversary of the Hamas attacks on Israel. She wrote, “We mourn for the innocent lives taken and our thoughts are with the hostages still being held.”
Wong also said that “we stand resolutely against antisemitism and all forms of prejudice”, stating:
We recognise the distress the conflict has caused here in Australia. The loss of civilian life in this conflict is devastating. The need for peace has never been greater.
The shadow foreign minister, Simon Birmingham, also released a statement, saying:
We mourn every innocent death. There is no place for terrorism [and] can be no tolerance of it. Remembering October 7th is not just about the pain [and] loss. We must also hold on to hope for healing [and] peace. Above all else, our thoughts today are with families [and] loved ones whose pain will forever remain.
Updated
‘Don’t protest’: Jacinta Allan on pro-Palestine procession planned for today
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, has reiterated calls for pro-Palestine activists not to hold a procession for Gaza on the one-year anniversary of the 7 October attack by Hamas on Israel.
Speaking to reporters, Allan says the anniversary is a “not a day to add to grief and trauma.
Today is very much a day of profound grief and trauma and deep, deep sadness for Melbourne and Victoria’s Jewish community. They are grieving and they have been grieving for a full year now.
Activist group, Free Palestine Coalition Naarm, is due to hold a vigil and silence procession for the lives lost in Gaza tonight. Asked about the event, Allan says “don’t protest”:
Consider that pain and grief. Consider what today means. Just show some respect.
Shares in lithium company surge amid Rio Tinto interest
Shares in Arcadium Lithium shot up 50% in early trading today after Rio Tinto confirmed it had made a non-binding approach to buy the dual-listed miner.
A successful acquisition would transform Rio Tinto into one of the world’s biggest lithium suppliers ahead of an anticipated surge in demand for lithium-ion batteries, used to power electric vehicles.
The approach comes at a time of deeply depressed lithium prices, caused by an oversupply.
Rio Tinto said in a statement to the ASX today that its approach was “non-binding and there is no certainty that any transaction will be agreed to or will proceed”.
Arcadium has lithium operations around the world, and is dual-listed in Australia and the US.
Its ASX-listed shares surged as high as $6.29 on Monday morning, after trading most of last week at around the $4.20 mark.
Shares in other ASX-listed lithium companies, including IGO and Liontown Resources, were also up strongly early on Monday as investors interpreted the Rio Tinto approach as a positive sign for the wider sector.
Updated
Qantas provides more details on assisted departure flights from Cyprus
Qantas has provided an update on assisted departure flights from Cyprus, where Australians and their families have been staying in temporary accommodation after leaving Lebanon before their connecting flights back to Australia.
Qantas said its 787 Dreamliner left Sydney for Cyprus this morning, the first of two assisted departure flights bringing Australians home.
In addition to the flight and cabin crew, Qantas said a dedicated team will be on board – including “ground personnel, medical personnel, engineers and a specialised toolkit and parts in case they are required to help dispatch the aircraft in Larnaca”.
Flight ASY1258 is expected to depart Larnaca on Monday evening, with up to 220 passengers on board, arriving back to Sydney on Tuesday evening.
Qantas will then fly passengers to their nearest home domestic airport that the airline operates to, at no cost … The total distance of the flight is around 15,890 km, slightly exceeding the distance of our Perth-London service, which is the longest on our network.
Qantas said the Australian Red Cross will be at Sydney airport to provide psychological first aid and referral support for those returning.
The second flight, ASY1270, is expected to depart Larnaca on Wednesday evening and arrive back in Australia on Thursday evening.
Updated
Save the Children Australia urges immediate ceasefire on 7 October anniversary
Aid and development agency Save the Children Australia has released a statement on the 7 October anniversary, calling for an immediate ceasefire.
The statement said that over the last 12 months, childhoods have been “shattered” across the region:
Over 14,000 children in Gaza have been killed. Thousands are lost under the rubble.
A year ago today, 37 Israeli children were killed during the 7 Oct[ober] attacks by Palestinian armed groups, and 36 Israeli children were taken hostage.
It’s been a year of bombs, airstrikes, and bullets. A year of living in fear, with no safe place to hide. Every war is a war on children.
We need a Ceasefire NOW to protect the lives of all children and guarantee the return of all children taken hostage and detained.
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Alex Ryvchin from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry has been speaking to the media from one of the 7 October anniversary events taking place today.
He said the organisation has reported more than 1,800 incidents of antisemitism over the past year – an increase of more than 300% on the previous year.
It is incumbent upon all Australians to fight this hatred, it cannot be on the Jewish community alone standing up to this. This is a national problem which requires a national solution.
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Adam Bandt releases statement on eve of October 7 attacks
The leader of the Greens, Adam Bandt, has also released a statement to mark the 7 October anniversary. He said the 7 October attacks, the “killing and traumatising of civilians” and the taking of hostages were “appalling”.
The stories from that day are truly horrific and deserve nothing less than our most full condemnation as a community … Among those whose lives were taken were older people in their homes, young people enjoying music festivals and children who knew little of the history of a conflict that had far predated them.
He reiterated calls for the unconditional release of hostages, “just as we call for the release of the many thousands of Palestinians held as political prisoners in Israeli prisons.”
Turning to Israel’s retaliation in Gaza, Bandt said that more than 40,000 have been killed, “entire communities” reduced to rubble and millions displaced.
He said that Israel’s “continued violation of international law in the West Bank” has led to the “largest levels of forced relocations and illegal settlements in the country’s history”, and that in Lebanon, a “relentless campaign of bombardment” is occurring with “no regard for civilians”.
Australia is not just a bystander in this conflict. By refusing to support UN resolutions on Palestinian statehood, refusing to support South Africa’s International Court of Justice case on the genocide in Gaza, refusing to sanction the extremist Netanyahu government, by continuing to import Israeli weapons used on Palestinians and to export weapons parts including for the F35 fighter jet to be used by the Israeli military, Australia is complicit in this appalling conflict.
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Tony Abbott opposes calls for ceasefire in statement claiming ‘Islamism is coming for all of us’
The former prime minister Tony Abbott has released a statement on the 7 October anniversary, opposing calls for a ceasefire and declaring that “too many people in Australia are on the wrong side of this fight between good and evil”.
In the statement published to X, Abbott argued that “too many leaders have double standards when it comes to Israel” and that “Islamism is potentially coming for all of us”:
Since October 7, while Western leaders have conceded Israel’s right to self-defence, they’ve almost always urged that it not be exercised. There’ve been constant demands for ‘ceasefires’ and for ‘de-escalation’ which could only benefit terrorist groups.
Abbott implied that Israel should attack Iranian nuclear facilities, arguing that these are “precursors to nuclear weapons” and that “the world would be much better off if the Iranian nuclear programme were terminated”.
The former PM said the “well-being of mankind” is “threatened by a new axis of dictatorships united only by their hatred of the West”, and wrote:
Israel, indeed, has shown the rest of us how to fight and how to win.
On 7 October, Hamas attacked Israel and 1,450 people were killed or kidnapped. Shortly after, Israel began a retaliation campaign in Gaza that has resulted in at least 41,000 people – mostly civilians and many children – being killed.
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Farmers bolster biosecurity in face of deadly bird flu
Victorian farmers are preparing for the potential arrival of a new strain of deadly bird flu, AAP reports, which has the power to devastate the state’s poultry industry.
More than 1 million birds have been destroyed due to an H7N3 outbreak at seven Victorian poultry and duck farms this year, but the Victorian Farmers Federation says farmers are now preparing for the potential arrival of the H5N1 strain.
The deadliest strain of the flu, H5N1 – also known as highly pathogenic avian influenza – primarily affects animals – but of 900 human infections across the globe, more than half were fatal, according to the World Health Organisation. It has also led to an unprecedented number of deaths in wild birds and poultry across the globe.
The current H7N3 outbreak is mainly concentrated in the Golden Plains region, in the state’s north-east, that produces a quarter of Victoria’s eggs.
The Victorian Farmers Federation’s vice-president, Danyel Cucinotta, said additional urgent action was needed to bolster biosecurity measures to protect the state’s poultry farmers from the new strain.
It’s believed the H5N1 virus will enter Australia through wild birds. No cases of H5N1 avian influenza have yet been detected in Australian animals but there are concerns it could cause significant damage to native wildlife and poultry.
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Here’s a look at the national weather forecast across Australia’s capital cities, from the Bureau of Meteorology:
Here's today's forecast around Australia. For the latest forecasts and warnings, visit our website https://t.co/4W35o8i7wJ or the BOM Weather app. pic.twitter.com/ADy2eQ6jVa
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) October 6, 2024
Calls for NSW to scrap approvals system for protests and legislate human rights act
Circling back to news that the NDIS minister, Bill Shorten, has suggested Victoria should consider a permit system for protests similar to those in NSW:
Our own Catie McLeod has written an explainer, speaking to a legal expert who says protest organisers in NSW would be less likely to end up fighting police in court for permission to hold rallies if the state had a charter of human rights instead of its “undemocratic” approvals system.
This came as organisers of Sydney’s weekly pro-Palestine rallies were in the supreme court on Thursday fighting NSW police’s attempt to stop them from holding a protest yesterday, and another event scheduled for tonight.
Thursday’s court action – not the first time protest organisers have ended up in a last-minute standoff with police – prompted renewed calls for the NSW government to scrap the current approvals system and legislate a human rights act.
You can read the full piece below:
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Ambassador to Lebanon shares photos of assisted departure flight
Australia’s ambassador to Lebanon, Andrew Barnes, has shared some photos from one of the assisted departure flights out of Lebanon. He wrote in a post to X:
It was wonderful to be able to give a young [Australian] her first passport (& a koala!) at Beirut airport so she could depart on one of our assisted departure flights.
A big thanks to all the [Lebanese] staff at the airport for assisting us in getting nearly 900 [Australians] back home. More to come!
It was wonderful to be able to give a young 🇦🇺 her first passport (& a koala!) at Beirut airport so she could depart on one of our assisted departure flights ✈️. A big thanks to all the 🇱🇧 staff at the airport for assisting us in getting nearly 900🇦🇺 back home. More to come! pic.twitter.com/ikg04EEJky
— Andrew Barnes 🇦🇺🇱🇧 (@SafirAustralia) October 6, 2024
Independent politicians reflect on October 7 attacks
Independent politicians have also been sharing statements to mark 7 October.
Mackellar MP Sophie Scamps said her thoughts were with all those impacted, acknowledging “the anguish of those whose loved ones remain as hostages.”
Sending love, healing and hope for a better future for all.
Curtin MP Kate Chaney said that one year on, “it seems like a peaceful solution is further away than ever”:
Today, I am thinking of the victims of the terrorist attack in Israel and the hostages who are still not home. I am thinking of the many Palestinians who have been injured, killed or displaced following the attack. I am thinking of those now impacted as the conflict broadens.
The independent senator for the ACT, David Pocock, said he continues to join with the government in calling for the immediate release of all remaining hostages – and that “this is a day to commemorate those lives”:
Without diminishing their grief, I also recognise the pain, suffering and mourning of Palestinians. In the year since Hamas’ terrorist attack, the IDF has killed over 40,000 people in Gaza, including women, children, aid workers and journalists. Their attacks have caused one of the greatest humanitarian catastrophes of our generation and it must end.
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Dutton says Jewish people will ‘prevail over ordeals’ in 7 October statement
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has released a statement to mark one year since the 7 October attack by Hamas on Israel.
He said the last 12 months constitute “one of the most difficult periods for Jewish Australians in our nation’s history” and today is about respecting the memories of the 1,200 killed, and praying for the hostages.
Israel has every right to defend its territory and its people from existential threats. The Coalition stands with our ally Israel – rather than treating her like an adversary.
We support Australians of Jewish faith – because you are cherished Australian citizens. That same spirit will see the Jewish people today – in Israel, in Australia, and around the world – prevail over present ordeals. The enemies of Israel and the peddlars of Jewish hate will never win.
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Katy Perry reportedly paid $1.4m AUD for AFL grand final performance
3AW Radio’s “rumour file” segment has heard that US pop star Katy Perry was paid $1.4m AUD for her AFL grand final performance – rather than the widely reported $5m figure.
As Katie Cunningham reports, Perry fought to get her new album on the setlist for the performance. Woman’s World, her first single in three years, failed to make any significant impact on the charts and was widely derided as a years-too-late attempt at cashing in on girlboss feminism (the Guardian review gave it one star).
The new album that followed, 143, earned the dubious distinction of becoming the worst-rated album on review aggregator Metacritic for almost 15 years.
Of the nine tracks Perry performed during her pre-game show at Melbourne’s MCG, just two came from the new album – and neither was Woman’s World.
Perry is due to tour Australia next year, and has so far sold out three concerts in Adelaide. She is visiting the city four times, compared with two concerts each for Sydney, Brisbane and Perth and three for Melbourne.
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More than 900 Australians have left Lebanon on assisted flights
904 Australians and their immediate family members have now left Lebanon on assisted-departure flights – in addition to those who left on partner and commercial flights.
407 Australians left on 5 October, and 448 on 6 October.
Two more flights are scheduled to leave Beirut today, and further flights are planned – pending demand, operational capacity and the security situation.
Australians and their families are also staying in temporary accomodation in Larnaca, Cyprus and are set to return to Australia on connecting flights. The first was due to land in Sydney this morning, with 349 on board.
3,756 Australians and their immediate family are registered to depart Lebanon.
Mark Dreyfus on the 7 October anniversary
The attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, has penned an article for Guardian Australia to mark the 7 October anniversary.
Responding to commentary that he has been silent on the war, he wrote:
Why so silent, Mark? This, I have been asked a lot. I have thought about it a lot too. I have said little in public about the Hamas-Israel war because I am not the foreign affairs minister. I am Australia’s first law officer. A minister, not a commentator. Just because I’m not talking doesn’t mean I don’t understand.
You can read the piece in its entirety below:
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Julian Leeser claims antisemitism going ‘unanswered’ on university campuses
Julian Leeser argued that there hasn’t been enough action on addressing antisemitism in Australia. He told ABC RN that “too many people in positions of leadership [have] turned a blind eye to it”, and said that “politicians have been equivocal” in certain instances.
I think the worst place this is occurring is on university campuses, where we’re supposed to be training the next generation of leaders … but instead, they’re being confronted by antisemitism that too often has been unanswered and condoned, rather than enormously condemned as it should be.
Josh Burns said that Jewish students “are either hiding their identity or not going to university at all, which is a completely unacceptable situation”:
So how we manage that is something that’s that’s a real constant challenge, and we have to do more to tackle it. And I think you’ll see more from government on that.
Burns said another area that needs addressing is the online space, where he argued “so much of the hate and so much of the discrimination and vilification is occurring”:
I look forward to working with Julian and the Coalition and any other member of parliament who wants to try and ensure that there is more respect and [being] online is a safer place for all people …
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Julian Leeser and Josh Burns discuss 7 October anniversary
Liberal MP Julian Leeser and Labor MP Josh Burns, both members of the Jewish community, spoke with ABC RN just earlier to reflect on the one year anniversary of October 7.
Burns said that “grief is not a competition” but today, the Jewish community “needs a bit of space … to reflect and to mourn”. He said:
I recognise that if [you have family] in Gaza or in Lebanon, these times have been extremely difficult for you, and to look at footage of your family … having to flee their homes, I mean, it’s just devastating. And I don’t have any anything other than sympathy and compassion for other people.
And I think it’s really important that people hold space for each other to feel the devastation of this conflict. And today, the Jewish community needs a bit of space. It needs time to reflect and to mourn and to mark the loss of life of family, of friends, of innocent people. And I don’t think grief is a competition. I think it’s something where, as Australians, we have to hold space for each other and we have to seek empathy for each other.
Because if we don’t do that for each other, and if we don’t hold compassion and space for one another, how on earth can we expect people in the region to, [and] how on earth can we expect that there’ll be a more peaceful future? We have to have a shared humanity here, and as Australians, we have to be able to move through this together.
Bill Shorten backs permit system for Victorian protestors
The NDIS minister, Bill Shorten, has suggested Victoria should consider a permit system for protests.
In NSW people who wish to stage a protest must lodge paperwork known as “form 1” or a “notice of intention to hold a public assembly” with the police commissioner in advance of the demonstration for it to be considered lawful. Victoria does not have this same rule.
But on Sunrise, Shorten said “perhaps it is time for Victoria to consider a permit system.”
How the permit system works is it doesn’t stop people protesting, but the purpose of it is looked at, the circumstance, [how] it’s done …
The police in NSW use this power sparingly. I don’t necessarily think it should apply to industrial relations, but for some of these protests we have seen week in, week out, I do think that having a permit system would at least straighten it up.
The great cities of the world have it. American cities, London. They still have protests. Perhaps it is time to reconsider. I have read what the secretary of the police association said in Victoria, he thought that there was probably some merit in considering this idea. I think there probably is.
Shorten said it was “tasteless” for pro-Palestine protesters to demonstrate on the eve, and day of, 7 October.
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Mona's Ladies Lounge seemingly denies reports the installation will close next month
The ABC has reported that the Mona’s Ladies’ Lounge is set to close next month. However, the museum’s curator, Kirsha Kaechele, has seemingly denied this in a post to social media.
The ABC reported Kaechele as saying the lounge had “run its course” with a “big celebration” sometime in November, after which the space will close:
So there’ll be a big celebration, I’ll open it for a period of time, and then really we’ll just go all out – and then close the artwork.
However, in a post to Instagram, Kaechele said: “Don’t believe everything you hear.”
I said something on the radio and somehow ended up with a headline: ‘Mona Ladies Lounge to Close’ (eye-roll) Who knows what I actually said (well, they do, they recorded it) – bad idea, being recorded at 7:30am on your birthday …
The Ladies Lounge is closed to men. Forever. It may change locations, you know, go on tour, we all love an adventure. And I love Paris. Maybe the Ladies Lounge should visit the Pompidou! Do you hear that Laurent?
Last month, the Ladies Lounge won an appeal in the state’s supreme court to continue barring men from entering the installation. You can read the full story on this from Kelly Burke below:
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More details on vigils and rallies to mark 7 October anniversary
AAP has more details on the vigils and solemn ceremonies set to be held across Australia today, marking one year since the Hamas attacks in Israel.
Candlelight vigils will be held across many Australian cities today, after members of the Jewish community joined the Israeli ambassador, Amir Maimon, at a commemoration in Sydney yesterday evening.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, will attend an event in Melbourne today.
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, the NSW premier, Chris Minns, and the health minister, Mark Butler, will attend a community vigil in Sydney.
Pro-Palestinian rallies will also take place on the anniversary, with as many as 2,000 people expected at a resilience rally at Lakemba mosque in Sydney’s south, which has not been authorised by NSW police. And as we flagged just a moment ago, a pro-Palestine vigil is also expected to take place in Sydney’s Town Hall.
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Police say they will ‘negotiate heavily’ with organisers of vigil planned for Sydney
A pro-Palestine vigil is expected to take place tonight in Sydney, from 6pm at Town Hall in the CBD.
At a press conference yesterday afternoon, the assistant commissioner, Peter McKenna, said there was no form 1 in place but police would “still be negotiating heavily with the organisers”.
As Catie McLeod reported last week, in NSW people who wish to stage a protest must lodge paperwork known as “form 1” or a “notice of intention to hold a public assembly” with the police commissioner in advance of the demonstration for it to be considered lawful. McKenna told reporters on Sunday:
If you come along and do the right thing – don’t commit offences, don’t obstruct people, don’t obstruct roadways … then there’ll be no need for us to intercede.
If, however, people commit offences – criminal offences, or antisocial behaviour, or do anything that we think puts anyone in harm’s way – we won’t hesitate to take action if they do.
Asked what the police response would be if those at the vigil decide to march, McKenna said it would depend on whether they obstruct people or traffic.
People are allowed to walk around the CBD, people are allowed to hold public assemblies. They’ve got a democratic right to protest in Australia.
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Prime minister releases statement on 7 October anniversary
Anthony Albanese has released a statement on the one-year anniversary of the 7 October attack by Hamas on Israel, where 1,450 people were killed or kidnapped.
The prime minister said 7 October is a day that “carries terrible pain”, marking the largest loss of Jewish life on any single day since the Holocaust.
Albanese said it was also a day to think of the hostages “whose lives remain suspended in the fear and isolation of captivity”:
For their loved ones, this past year must have felt like an eternity – the agony of waiting and not knowing, or of having the terrible truth confirmed.
Albanese said that since 7 October, Jewish Australians have “felt the cold shadows of antisemitism reaching into the present day” and “as a nation we say never again”.
We unequivocally condemn all prejudice and hatred. There is no place in Australia for discrimination against people of any faith … We recognise the distress the conflict has caused here in Australia … The number of civilians who have lost their lives is a devastating tragedy.
Today, we reflect on the truth of our shared humanity, of the hope that peace is possible, and the belief that it belongs to all people.
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) October 6, 2024
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Welcome
Good morning, and welcome to the Australia news live blog this Monday morning. My name is Emily Wind, and I’ll be taking you through our rolling coverage for most of the day.
Today marks one year since the 7 October attack by Hamas on Israel, where 1,450 people were killed or kidnapped. The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has released a statement condemning “all prejudice and hatred” – and acknowledging the terrible pain that the anniversary brings.
A number of vigils are planned for today to mark the anniversary, as well as one year since Israel’s ongoing retaliation in Gaza that has resulted in at least 41,000 people – mostly civilians and many children – being killed. NSW police assistant commissioner Peter McKenna said there was no form 1 in place for a pro-Palestine vigil in Sydney but police would “still be negotiating heavily with the organisers”. We’ll bring you more in a moment.
The ABC yesterday reported that the Mona’s Ladies Lounge, infamously known for barring men from entry, is closing next month. But curator Kirsha Kaechele seemingly denied this in a post to Instagram, writing: “Don’t believe everything you hear.”
It’s also a public holiday in NSW, the ACT and South Australia today.
We’ll bring you more on these stories in a moment. As always, you can read out with any tips, feedback and thoughts via X, @emilywindwrites, or you can send me an email: emily.wind@theguardian.com.
Let’s get started.
