What we learned today, Tuesday 14 November
We’re going to close the blog now, but let’s recap the big headlines before we call it quits and pick it up tomorrow:
Asked about the Israel-Hamas war, NDIS minister Bill Shorten said “we shouldn’t be importing a conflict somewhere else into our own streets.”
Commonwealth Bank recorded a $2.5bn quarterly profit.
Premier Chris Minns said the NSW government will review hate speech laws he said do not go far enough.
Premier Jacinta Allan said Victorian students should not to skip school for a pro-Palestine protest.
Protesters at Parliament House called for the release of Israeli hostages with balloons representing citizens kidnapped by Hamas.
Liberal MP Russell Broadbent quit the party in protest after losing preselection to contest his seat for the Liberals.
Nearly 40% plan to spend less on Christmas gifts as consumer confidence takes a hit.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, told MPs there have been “too many civilian deaths in Gaza” and noted the rise in antisemitism.
A UN rapporteur told the press club Australia is among nations “paralysed” in response to Gaza crisis.
Climate protesters disrupted question time in Victorian parliament.
Labor accused the Coalition of “playing politics” with the high court’s latest immigration decision.
The Greens leader, Adam Bandt, backed Victorian students planning a climate protest, saying “I think it is the students who are being the adults.”
Amy will be back bright and early for the third day of the sitting on the Australian politics blog tomorrow morning. Have a great night.
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Victorian Greens declare support for student climate strikers
The Victorian Greens are supporting the school strikers for climate change who unfurled banners in the public gallery of Victoria parliament during question time today.
Greens MP for Richmond Gabrielle de Vietri called the strikers “courageous”:
When the future of the planet is at stake, business as usual is no longer tenable.
Courageous school strikers demanding and end to coal and gas and a safe climate future ❤️ Question time shut down and protesters removed by PSOs.
— Gabrielle de Vietri (@GabrielledeVie) November 14, 2023
When the future of the planet is at stake, business as usual is no longer tenable. pic.twitter.com/RA4jAcukuA
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‘My lucky star’: Bob Carr farewells wife Helena at Sydney funeral
Former NSW premier Bob Carr has farewelled his wife of 50 years in a moving tribute after describing the heartbreaking moment she died in his arms, AAP reports.
Helena Carr was remembered as an accomplished businesswoman who was full of zest and joy in a funeral at St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney today. The 77-year-old died after losing consciousness as a result of a brain aneurysm while on holiday with her husband in the Austrian city of Vienna last month.
Recalling their first encounter, the former political heavyweight said he was just a “gawky kid from Matraville” when they met in early 1971 while he was on a stopover in Tahiti. Carr said:
You are my lucky star. No partner could have smiled more than she did as we walked across Vienna, having fun on that last day.
Earlier, he described the moment that evening when she collapsed in their hotel bathroom, falling into his arms before closing her eyes for the last time.
We seemed to be at peace in our 50-year partnership. We accepted without admitting it that our time would not be forever.
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Weather helps firefighters tame blaze in Tasmania
A bushfire that destroyed homes and properties on Tasmania’s east coast has been contained in more favourable weather, AAP reports.
The blaze, which sparked on Sunday night at Dolphin Sands, prompted several emergency warnings and forced residents to shelter at a boat ramp. It was downgraded progressively today, with the Tasmania fire service indicating it had been contained in the afternoon. Tasmania fire service incident controller Stuart Males said:
Thankfully the fire remains within the containment lines that were established yesterday and things are looking favourable.
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Shia community calls on government to support Parachinarian refugees
Australia’s Shia Muslim community has today held a protest outside Parliament House to call attention to the persecution of the Shia population in the Parachinar region of Pakistan.
The group called on the government to support Parachinarian refugees they say have been denied a fair assessment of their claims for permanent protection under the previous government’s fast track process. Rehan Ali, the president of the Qaim Foundation, said:
The Shia community in Parachinar, Pakistan has been subjected to severe persecution, resulting in loss of many innocent lives and a dire humanitarian situation. We, the Parachinar community, stand united in our condemnation of these atrocities and call on the Australian government to use its influence and resources to advocate for urgent international intervention …We call on the Australian government to actively review and reassess the cases of Parachinarian refugees that have been trapped in limbo for years.
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PNG bid head says club will field women’s team if they are accepted into NRL
The head of the Papua New Guinea bid team seeking to become the 18th franchise in the National Rugby League says he wants to field a women’s team from inception, if their application is accepted.
Prominent former Papua New Guinea players called for an NRLW team to be prioritised in any PNG expansion earlier on Tuesday. The chief executive of the PNG bid, Andrew Hill, said the intention of him and his board is to have both men’s and women’s teams participating from day one.
“It’s got equal importance for us as a potential club entering into the competition. It’s fair to say that the progress that the women’s game has made in PNG since 2013 is enormous, and the potential for the women’s game to continue to grow and expand in PNG is limitless.”
The NRL is expected to establish a process of expansion for an 18th team in the coming year, after the Dolphins joined the competition in 2023. The Redcliffe-based club is one of seven NRL outfits without a women’s side.
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Network 10 axes morning show Studio 10 after a decade
Network 10 has axed its morning show, Studio 10, after a decade on air. In an announcement on Instagram, Studio 10 said the hosts – Angela Bishop, Narelda Jacobs and Tristan MacManus – would stay on with the station, along with the “majority” of the crew. It said:
After ten years as a morning cornerstone in households around Australia, Studio 10 is sad to confirm that the show will not be returning in 2024.
It’s been a long and wild ride producing 2,500+ episodes of a show that has brought us as much joy to make as we hope you have had watching.
Bishop said it was a “tough day for the whole Studio 10 family”. She said:
It’s been a blast. Don’t cry because it’s over; smile because it happened.
MacManus said there were plenty of episodes left before Christmas and that they’d be working on “exciting new projects”. He said:
We’re definitely going out with a bang. We’ve loved spending every single morning with you, it really has been great – at times tough, but it’s always been rewarding.
Read more here:
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Thanks Amy, good afternoon one and all!
Natasha May is going to guide you through the remainder of the day. We will be back with another day of Politics Live from early tomorrow morning. A very big thank you to everyone who contacted us and I am glad we managed to get comments on for you for a short while. We do value what you have to say.
Until tomorrow – take care of you.
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Albanese’s home Labor branch calls for ceasefire in Gaza
Josh Butler has reported on a motion passed by Anthony Albanese’s own Labor branch:
Anthony Albanese’s home Labor branch in his electorate of Grayndler has called for a ceasefire in Gaza and more support for Australian Palestinians, as well as asking the government to brand Israel’s actions as breaching international law.
As the federal government stops short of calling for a ceasefire in the conflict that has reportedly claimed more than 11,000 civilian lives in Gaza, Albanese’s local branch of Marrickville has urged his administration to “utilise all avenues of diplomacy to stop the bombing”.
The motion, passed on Monday night, also calls on the Albanese government to acknowledge that Israel’s response “has moved from that of defending itself, to acts of retribution on an innocent Palestinian population”.
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Victoria police confirm student climate protestors will not be charged
Victoria police have confirmed the teens involved in the parliament protest won’t be charged. Here’s their statement:
Police were called to a protest at Parliament House on Spring Street on Tuesday, 14 November.
It is understood the trio entered the gallery with a banner about 2.15pm. Police spoke to the teenagers and escorted them from the building.
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Bandt: ‘If you sanction bombardment, civilians will die’
On pushback on the calls for a ceasefire in Gaza, which include the claims it would give Hamas an opportunity to regroup, Adam Bandt says:
At the moment, children are dying and people are dying. We cannot continue to sanction that and to say that there can be limitless bombardment of people because we know that if you sanction bombardment, civilians will die and that is what has happened and that should be the priority for the world community.
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Bandt backs Victorian students planning climate protest
Asked about the school student protests planned in Victoria on Friday, Adam Bandt says:
Students are smart and they have been listening to what scientists and their teachers have been telling them about the climate crisis that is looming and what is causing that crisis, and they learn the signs of the climate crisis and how close we are to dangerous tipping points and what it will mean for their lives in the future and on the other hand they watch political leaders open up more coal and gas.
In this instance I think it is the students who are being the adults, who understand what is at stake and we have seen this movement right around the world. They have a right to protest and rather than trying to be silenced they should be listened to.
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Bandt: Australia needs a better system than just ‘locking people up forever’
Speaking to the ABC, Adam Bandt says the Greens don’t have an issue with the government providing support to the detainees released under the high court decision, as that is standard. He says though, that there needs to be a better system overall when it comes to detention:
It is a decision of the high court that ruled that arbitrary indefinite detention is unlawful and, the government now has an obligation to manage the situation … We have separation of powers in this country and that is how it should stay.
We support moves from the government to provide support and I think that is probably something that would happen under previous governments, regardless of the opposition trying to play politics with this.
But it does highlight we need a better system in this country than just locking people up forever, because now that has been ruled to be unlawful and an alternative system is needed.
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Albanese government signs new classified information exchange agreement with European defence organisation
The Albanese government has signed a security agreement on the protection of classified information with the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (known as Occar).
The agreement, Richard Marles says, “facilitates the exchange of classified information between Australia and Occar to support Defence equipment programs”.
Occar is “a European-based inter-governmental organisation that manages Defence equipment production and sustainment programs for the benefit of its member states (France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Belgium and Spain) and non-member states participating in Occar programs (including Australia, Finland, Sweden, Turkey, and the Netherlands)”.
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Extinction Rebellion protesters refused entry into Queensland parliament over dress code
Over in Queensland parliament and Extinction Rebellion says that a group of peaceful climate activists were refused entry into the parliament because of the shirts they were wearing.
The slogans on the shirts included:
CLIMATE SCIENCE
STOP in the name of love
NEW COAL
NEW GAS
There is no Planet B
SCIENCE
There are rules in most parliaments about clothing, which includes slogans on T-shirts.
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Victorian student climate protestors speak out
The three students who protested during Victorian parliament’s question time have spoken to reporters outside parliament.
Myles Wilkinson, Joey Thompson and Diana, who asked for her surname not be published, unfurled posters from the public gallery and sung, “Which side are you on? History will remember you,” to the chamber of MPs before they were escorted from the parliament by protective service officers.
Their posters promoted Friday’s Schools Strike 4 Climate rally.
Speaking outside after their protest, the trio said they had been ordered to stay away from parliament for a week. Diana, 19, said young people should be out enjoying themselves but were forced to protest because “politicians aren’t doing their job”:
The reasons students are taking time off school is because when politicians aren’t listening to the educated, people who have been in the field of research and climate catastrophes for decades, and they’re mot listening to the evidence, what’s the point of me going to school?
Thompson, 16, added: “We’re not the ones that need to be taught a lesson here. It’s the politicians in this parliament who need to be taught the lesson that fossil fuels are not okay.” Wilkinson, who is also 16, said:
At the end of this century they won’t be alive but we will be watching our children suffer ... because of the actions that the government is taking right now.
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Jewish Australian group says calls for ceasefire in Gaza are not antisemitic
An open letter signed by 800 Jewish Australians (so far) has been sent to MPs urging the government to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
A spokesperson for Jewish Australians for a Ceasefire, a group which was established in response to the situation in Gaza has responded to the Zionist Federation of Australia and the Executive Council of Australian Jewry’s criticism of Penny Wong’s comments on pathway to a ceasefire.
The spokesperson said while the group can not speak on behalf of everyone who has signed the letter it organised, the groups who have been critical of Wong’s comments also don’t represent the entire Jewish Australian community:
These communal leaders continue to speak as though they represent our community as a whole on this issue. As our open letter makes clear, this is not the case. Jews are not a monolith.
There are tectonic shifts underway in Jewish communities worldwide on this issue, especially among younger Jews. Meanwhile, many of our communal leaders have essentially become spokespeople for the Netanyahu government.
We urge the foreign minister to go further and call for an immediate ceasefire. It is not anti-semitic to do so, as the 800-plus signatures on our letter make clear. There is a loud and growing chorus of Jews around the world who desperately want a ceasefire.
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Here is how our very own Mike Bowers, photographer at large, saw QT:
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Greens join students to call for paid university placements
The Greens deputy leader, Senator Mehreen Faruqi, has joined a coalition of students and university bodies calling for mandatory placements in the university sector to be paid.
Students in a range of vocational degrees including social work, nursing, teaching, counselling and psychology require hundreds of hours of mandatory unpaid placements to complete.
Faruqi said the group had united at Parliament House to give a “strong message” to the federal government to improve placement poverty and fund work placements.
It is totally bizarre that students are accumulating crushing, steady debt, while at the same time, they also work for free to be able to complete their degrees.
Lacey, a social work student at a family violence service, said despite a “massive skill shortage” in the sector she was required to complete 500 hours of unpaid work.
[It] has put me at risk of homelessness, where I have been forced to borrow significant amounts of money from friends and family, which impacts our psychosocial health and the ability to finish. It’s completely unacceptable.
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Top Queensland police and minister urged to condemn union boss’s treaty comment
More than 50 Queensland community leaders, including Indigenous elders and three former supreme court justices, have signed an open letter calling on the police commissioner, police minister and senior officers to offer a stronger condemnation of recent comments by the head of the state’s police union that have been labelled examples of “racist ideology”.
In an opinion piece last month the union president, Ian Leavers, claimed without evidence that a state treaty would result in the justice system favouring First Nations people.
The QPS First Nations Advisory Group and others described some of his arguments as representing “outwardly racist ideology” and called on Leavers to resign. He was offered the opportunity to reply to that claim at the time but did not respond.
Asked at a subsequent press conference whether he regretted the way he had expressed his views, Leavers was reported as saying: “No, someone’s got to come out and say it.”
The advisory group and others have now written an open letter to the commissioner, Katarina Carroll, police minister Mark Ryan and the commissioned officers’ union representing high-ranking police, calling for stronger responses.
The letter is co-signed by the former court of appeal president Margaret McMurdo, who is a key adviser to the state government on women’s safety matters, former supreme court chief justice and robodebt royal commissioner Catherine Holmes and former justice Roslyn Atkinson.
We acknowledge that in response to the comments QPS affirmed its commitment to reconciliation. This is not enough.
We understand that Minister Ryan stated that it ‘was a matter for the union’. It is not.
We understand that the QPS Commissioned Officers’ Union remained silent.
The detrimental harm caused by these comments is a matter for all of us. It is a matter for those of you who have leadership positions with the QPS to take action ... that rejects racism in all its forms.
Your silence has been deafening and not unnoticed. It perpetuates the harm and upholds the status quo.
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Question time ends.
Anthony Albanese then makes a statement on the passing of Helena Carr, the wife of former foreign minister Bob Carr.
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Labor accuses Coalition of ‘playing politics’ with high court immigration decision
Dan Tehan then asks how many “hardcore criminals” have been given free housing during the housing crisis, using the phrase “jumping the queue”, so you can see where this is going.
Andrew Giles has had enough.
It is clear that the members opposite will play politics with absolutely everything. Absolutely everything. This is a time when members should come together to respond to the decision and do our job as lawmakers.
Just to say again, very quickly, we took steps in anticipation of this decision, thinking about all the possible consequences, thinking about all of the arrangements that we would make to keep the community safe, which includes taking measures to house people appropriately, particularly the offenders the shadow minister was talking about earlier.
He knows better.
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Bill Shorten takes a dixer on the robodebt royal commission, which just gives him an opportunity to describe Peter Dutton’s reaction as:
Yesterday afternoon after question time, he channelled his best sense of Stuart Robert outrage – I take it back, that’s too harsh – but the member for Cook’s outrage that he was the victim. The member for Dickson says he was the victim of the political attacks on robodebt.
Dutton made a personal explanation that he had been misrepresented by Shorten by saying he did not apologise about robodebt.
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Independent MP asks attorney general about ‘catastrophic failings with DNA testing in Queensland’
The independent Clark MP, Andrew Wilkie, asks the attorney general, Mark Dreyfus:
Given the catastrophic failings with DNA testing in Queensland and other alarming forensic failures like in South Australia, the ACT and in Tasmania, will you take the lead and work with the states and territories to improve and harmonise Australia’s forensic services to restore trust in our criminal justice system? This would include reviewing the National Institute of Forensic Science and the National Association of Testing Authorities.
Dreyfus goes through the Queensland review and findings, and then says:
The commonwealth has noted the commission’s recommendations on forensic DNA testing in Queensland, including the commission’s view that assessment against the existing international standard for testing and calibration laboratories is not a sufficient benchmark to use as an external review mechanism for forensic laboratories.
And going directly to the focus of the member’s question, I can say that forensic agencies across Australia are engaging on the important issues that were raised by that Queensland commission.
The Australia-New Zealand Forensic Executive Committee, which is a forensic leadership group, comprising the heads of government and police forensic providers, are seeking national consistency in responding to the commission’s report, recommendations that are national level and facilitate national consistency and forensic services.
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We then return to Dan Tehan asking questions he knows the answer to in an attempt to make a political point over a high court decision:
Can the minister confirm the Albanese Labor government is now paying welfare payments to the 81 hardcore criminals?
I don’t need Andrew Giles to answer this, because the answer, the longstanding answer, is yes. And it is not a new practice. Because, again, what is the alternative?
But for the record, here is Giles:
I can confirm that any individual released from immigration detention is being released under the policies that are longstanding under both sides of politics that ensure both the supports that are available under SRSS but also all the reasons around community safety I’ve already articulated.
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‘We’re focused on the future of young people,’ PM says of duty of care bill
The independent North Sydney MP, Kylea Tink, asks Anthony Albanese a question which boils down to “do you accept there is a need for a bill to hold governments to a duty of care for the decisions they make and the impact those decisions have on future generations?”
Anthony Albanese:
I tend not to focus on senators’ private member’s bills, Mr Speaker, because what we’re focused on, what we’re focused on is government legislation to drive that change through the economy.
I certainly understand, as I’ve been saying very clearly, that everything that this government does, in relation to climate change, we’re focused not just on today, we’re focused on tomorrow and what sort of economy we have.
We’re focused on the future of young people. I want my grandkids, I hope they don’t come along for a long period of time – I must make that point in case [son] Nathan is listening – but I do want them to be able to see the Great Barrier Reef and Kakadu national park and the pristine things which are there.
And I also want to ensure that there are good jobs – and good jobs will come with a clean-energy economy.
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Andrew Giles continues:
That advice contemplated the work that was done in advance of the decision in contemplation of that. I have talked, I think on three occasions, as has the minister for home affairs, about the practical steps we sought to have in place in the event of an adverse judgment. We also sought advice prior to the hearing on the options that would be available depending on the various outcomes of the decision.
I remind the shadow minister and all members that we are yet to receive the reasons for the high court decision. However, as I said yesterday morning, as my statement together with the minister for home affairs said earlier today, we have always been looking at all regulatory and legislative options which are available.
Dan Tehan has a point of order, but he is warned by Milton Dick to be serious, and do it properly, but before he can work out how to ask a point of order on relevance, Giles decides he has concluded his answer, which puts an end to it.
Updated
Dan Tehan is back with “when did the minister seek advice about a legislative extra the high court decision?”
Andrew Giles:
Immediately after the decision we sought advice on implications …
There is immediate heckling and cross-talk across the chamber. Because of course there is.
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Climate protesters disrupt question time in Victorian parliament
Just heading to the Victorian state parliament for a moment where a protest has disrupted the parliamentary sitting:
Protestors in Victorian question time. MPs are leaving the chambers. More to come via @GuardianAus pic.twitter.com/ftPyCtQio1
— Benita Kolovos (@benitakolovos) November 14, 2023
Question time has resumed in Victoria after the chamber was cleared due to protesters.
The three young protestors unfurled banners promoting a school strike climate and sang, “Which side are you on? History will remember you”, before they were escorted out by public service officers.
The chamber was cleared for about eight minutes.
The premier, Jacinta Allan, thanked parliamentary staff for keeping MPs safe before she resumed answering a question from the opposition on debt.
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After a dixer on how bad the Coalition government was on defence (I am paraphrasing a government question and response), we then move to Sussan Ley who asks:
The Albanese government has, following a high court decision, has released 80 hardcore criminals into the community, including a paedophile who raped a 10-year-old boy, a hitman who murdered a pregnant woman and blew up her body with military-grade explosives, and a violent sex predator who attacks elderly women in their home. Will the minister confirm how many of these 80 individuals are convicted paedophiles, murderers or rapists?
Andrew Giles:
I say again that the decision of the high court which requires release affects very, very serious offenders, including people who have committed the offences you’ve described.
Sex offenders, sex offenders, murderers, at least one murderer, I believe there are three murderers, several sex offenders.
I will provide her with precise details of those who fall into the categories of offending.
I do note the shadow minister and the shadow minister for home affairs have reached out for a briefing, which I understand is in the process of being arranged as well.
But I say again that the commonwealth resisted the application brought by the individual, the subject of these proceedings.
We resisted those applications for exactly the reason that I think animates the concerns of the deputy leader of the Liberal party and the concerns of every member in this place. Our focus throughout – in anticipation of the decision and since it – remains on ensuring the safety of the community that includes looking at all options we have to ensure safety.
Paul Karp reported on the court documents which included details on those covered by the decision:
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There is a dixer on cost of living and then Dan Tehan is back, asking:
Are any of the 81 hardcore criminals receiving taxpayer-funded accommodation now they’ve been released into the community?
Which is a very politically worded question, given immigration detention is also taxpayer-funded. If Tehan/the opposition are outraged about that, then do I have news for them about the cost of Australia’s detention regime!
It’s a question where they know the answer, because the alternative would be releasing people who have been held in indefinite detention, with no earnings, into the community to work it out themselves.
Andrew Giles:
I might make the point we fought in the court to retain them in taxpayer-funded accommodation in the immigration detention facilities. I hope the shadow minister isn’t suggesting otherwise.
As I said, our concern is to maintain community safety. A critical element of that in some cases is having some control over where an individual lives. That will involve the expenditure, of course, of commonwealth funds, which is important to keep communities safe.
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Bob Katter has one of the crossbench questions, which is on the same topic as the opposition questions on the high court decision, but includes a bit of Castle-esque vibes about “do you run the place or does the high court run the place?”
The answer from Mark Dreyfus is pretty much along the same lines as we have heard.
For clarification sake, in case it matters, the parliament can legislate, but the high court determines whether legislation and decisions are constitutional. So they both run the place.
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While Andrew Giles was speaking there, Sarah Basford Canales, who is in the chamber, hears Scott Morrison yell “ask Chris’” in reference to Chris Bowen’s role as immigration minister in the Rudd government.
Morrison has been popping his head up quite a bit in QT lately. When he isn’t following Boris Johnson around the world on information missions or whatever, that is, in what seems to be the brotherhood of the travelling former prime ministers.
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Andrew Giles continues:
I just say again, our concern is always to retain community safety. We have wanted to resist the decision the high court has handed down.
In terms of the question directly put at the end of the shadow minister’s question, I have got to say two things.
As we would well know, I can’t comment on individual cases.
I can say that for reasons including the requirements of state and territory orders that a person in the circumstances he described would require, as well as the stringent visa conditions, require us of course to be certain about where such a person is located. I think he would understand that, so that we can ensure community safety.
I spoke yesterday about the measures we put in place before the decision was handed down to ensure coordination with state and territory law enforcement authorities prior to the decision being handed down.
… This requires us to take the steps, including the steps that ordinarily apply to someone who is released from a form of detention … but is absolutely critical that we enable us to have certainty as to where someone is, particularly a person who is guilty of the sort of offences you have described and will be subject to state obligations perhaps as someone on the child sex offenders register which obviously restricts the places in which they can reside.
A paedophile. They should be restricted in where they can live.
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Andrew Giles:
I say again, as my friend the minister for home affairs has just said and I’ve said repeatedly, on Wednesday the high court handed down a decision which required the release of non-citizens ... [opposition MPs interject]
Members opposite say they know that but clearly they do not. We as the respondent to this, I opposed that application. Let me be clear about that.
I opposed that application for reasons which I think unite pretty much everyone in this place. That we believe non-citizens, that non-citizens who have committed very serious criminal offences, including sexual offences like the offences that the shadow minister just referred to, should not continue to remain in Australia.
Of course the circumstances here are that we have not been able to remove them.
When I say we, I say again that these are people, none of whom who arrived in Australia since the election of the Albanese government. Members opposite should perhaps bear that in mind. Members opposite should bear that in mind.
As well as our shared concern, our shared rejection and revulsion at the behaviour of ...
Peter Dutton has a point of order which is not a point of order.
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Dan Tehan is the next opposition MP up with a question and he asks Andrew Giles:
The Albanese Labor government has released 80 hardcore criminals from detention into the community. This includes a paedophile who raped a 10-year-old boy. What accommodation and other financial support is the government now providing to this convicted paedophile and the other hardcore criminals to live in the community?
Tony Burke has had enough:
The question is dealing with a decision of the high court of Australia. And it’s describing it as though it is something other than that.
… The question is dealing with a decision that is a decision of the high court of Australia. It is framing it as though it’s not a decision of the high court of Australia, it’s a decision of the Albanese government, when the government argued against that outcome of the high court.
Peter Dutton defends how the question is framed:
On that point, the minister in his previous answer made reference to his decision to release one of these people … 80 to 81 hardcore criminals to be released. It’s a decision of the minister to release people and the question as it’s framed is perfectly in order.
Tehan has to reframe the question to include reference to it being a high court decision.
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Coalition says Queensland ‘going spare’ about federal Labor ‘slashing’ infrastructure
The shadow infrastructure minister, Bridget McKenzie, told reporters in Canberra that the state government in Queensland is “going spare” about the federal government “slashing these infrastructure projects”.
She said:
Labor state governments don’t like their infrastructure projects getting cut any more than anyone else does, because they know it’s going to be their local communities that are going to feel the impact. I think [Catherine King] has misread the room and she’s thought this is going to be a walk in the park.
McKenzie said that federal Labor had “ruled out” scrutiny on commitments including stadiums, a music venue in Brisbane, and the suburban rail loop in Melbourne because these were “political promises”.
McKenzie said:
I think it’s actually shameful that this government is continuing to put billions of dollars of federal taxpayers money into projects like the suburban rail loop whilst they’re cutting regional road funding by 30% and they’re potentially going to be cutting hundreds of projects in our congested suburbs.
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The first Labor dixer is also on this topic and Clare O’Neil takes it:
I want to be clear with the parliament here – the commonwealth argued against the release of these people. Some of these people have committed disgusting crimes. Disgusting crimes.
Some of them have hurt people who are still here in our country. And it is those victims that we care about.
I can tell the parliament there is one single focus and one single priority that we are using to manage the implications of the high court’s decision and that is the community safety of the Australian citizens who elect us to this parliament.
Speaker, to ensure that we’re able to do this we have set up a police response across the states and territories.
Following the high court’s decision, the AFP commissioner briefed in person the police commissioner of every state and territory around the commonwealth.
On November 10 … a joint AFP-ABF-led operation was established, which was managing the overall response, working with state and territory police, is ensuring that as people are released from immigration detention they are able to be incorporated into state and territory post-offender management programs.
The parliament should know the purpose of the operation is to individually case-manage every single one of these people as they are released from detention and I want to thank law enforcement and police around the country who are working with the commonwealth government to protect community safety at this time.
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Question time begins with Dutton asking about releases from indefinite detention
Peter Dutton asks the first question, but it is not to Anthony Albanese as it usually is –instead it is to Andrew Giles, the immigration minister:
I refer to the Albanese government’s release of hardcore criminals. Ninety-two individuals were to be impacted and the minister has stated only 80 offenders have been released into the community. On what basis did the minister release these 80 criminals but continue to hold the remaining 12?
This is in response to the high court decision on indefinite detention. The Albanese government didn’t just decide to release people who had found been guilty of crimes.
Andrew Giles:
I thank the leader of the opposition for his question on this very serious matter. It is the case that on Wednesday of last week the high court handed down a decision which required the release of non-citizens, non-citizens who, as the leader of the opposition and others have said, include people who have committed very, very serious crimes, from immigration detention. Immigration detention where I have maintained them in.
The high court required their release. We put before the court the details of those potentially affected.
The high court’s decision required a consideration of those held in immigration detention against the test the high court had set out. Being people with no real prospect of removal from Australia becoming practicable in the reasonably foreseeable future.
On that basis, in accordance with the decision of the court, the relevant officers in the department – and the leader of the opposition will be familiar with the process of officers with powers under the migration act – made those considerations as soon as possible.
I can inform the house, 80 such people were required to be released. I have, a further person has been released yesterday. And I have imposed similarly strict visa conditions on that person.
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Question time is about to begin.
And the environment is right for it to be a messy one.
Mehreen Faruqi continued her Senate address:
I met with someone yesterday 42 members of whose family have been murdered in Gaza.
And yet, and yet the Labor government does not have the heart to call for a ceasefire.
The Labor government is seeing a child being killed every 10 minutes but won’t call for a ceasefire.
You’re happy to talk weasel words. But weasel words are not going to stop war crimes.
You can’t even bring yourselves to condemn Israel for the almost 11,000 killings that they have done.
I mean, how, how much cowardice are we going to see from this government?
I mean, truly have a heart.
Have a head. You know, get some guts and stop this massacre.
Wake up Labor, wake up and call for a ceasefire now!
Leave was not granted. This will not be the last time the Greens attempt to table the names of those killed by Israeli airstrikes on Gaza.
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Greens senator seeks to table names of 6,747 Palestinians who have died in Gaza
In the midst of that, just as the Senate sitting began, the Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi attempted to table in the Senate “the names of 6,747 people who have been massacred by the State of Israel in the last five weeks. These are the only names available that we have at the moment.”
The Senate did not give leave for Faruqi to table the names.
Faruqi:
What I am trying to do today is get this chamber to acknowledge the thousands, the thousands of Palestinians that have been massacred brutally over the last 35 days by the State of Israel.
These are the names that you don’t want to talk about here.
These are the names that you don’t want to acknowledge.
Because for many, these people are not considered humans. But these are humans. These are children. A few months old children, babies, one year old, two years old, three year old, four year old, five year old, six year old seven year old, eight year old, nine year old, 10 year old, and the list just keeps growing.
These are hopes and dreams. These are lives completely snatched away from their loved ones.
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Francesca Albanese says she has asked for a meeting with Australia’s foreign minister, Penny Wong, but will “meet someone else, I understand she is very busy”.
The address ends.
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Q: Has Francesca Albanese sought a meeting with the Australian government and what is her response “to those who argue, including the Australian government, that the United Nations has an inherent anti- Israel bias?”
Albanese:
Does the Australian government say that? I am appalled.
… Personally, I do not think there is an anti- Israeli bias.
Let’s look at the reality.
It is true, in my interaction with the Israelis, they fully appreciate there is such a level of manipulation of information, so many Israelis do not stand to see the United Nations as a system that is naturally friendly, but the thing is there has been such an impasse … at the Security Council level, because the Security Council is the main body responsible in the UN system to take measures to correct, to address the threats to peace and security, to take measures to ensure the maintenance of peace and security, and ending the occupation, and the occupation, and the Security Council had already recommended and established in November 1967 this was a determination of the way forward, a road to peace, and the occupation.
It has not been done and then there was the paralysis of the UN system because of the incapacity of the system to redress, because the US vetoed within the UN Security Council, other bodies which are more democratic, more representatives, there is no veto power, like in the General Assembly, the Human Rights Council, have intervened in order to bring correctives.
But I do not think that this is necessarily a bias against Israel.
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Francesca Albanese keeps bringing her answers back to international law, and when she speaks, she uses terms like “self-defence” by how they are defined under international law.
It’s not really an address that Australians would be used to hearing. Albanese not only knows what is happening in Gaza, she knows international law and how terms can be twisted, when they are used in the context of their common, layman term definitions, when, under the law, they have very explicit meanings.
That includes terms like “domination”:
There is an apartheid regime. I am serious. There is an apartheid regime. This is domination. This is not a trope but international law. I encourage you to read the apartheid convention because it talked about racial domination and is what I am talking about. It might be a trope into the way you interpreted but I am using domination in a strictly legal sense.
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Dutton attacks Labor in Coalition party room over handling of Israel-Hamas war
Meanwhile in the Coalition party room, the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, attacked Labor for its handling of Israel’s reprisals in Gaza.
Dutton condemned the Caulfield protest, saying pro-Palestine protesters who “intentionally travel to a local community to protest is provocative and dangerous”.
He said:
The prime minister has been shown wanting at a time the country is looking for leadership. No one wants to see discrimination on any basis and this is something that we will stand up for. But we will not stand by and watch Australians vilified for their religion or their heritage.
This is the leader of a party that attempted to repeal section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, which prohibits conduct that “offends, insults or humiliates” others based on race, despite objections from the Jewish community at the time.
Dutton said the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, had been “roundly condemned” by the Jewish community for comments about steps towards a ceasefire, and had been forced to walk the comments back. He argued that Labor’s hearts “simply aren’t in it” and are “divided” on the question of Israel.
The Liberal deputy leader, Sussan Ley, and MP Julian Leeser also dug the boot in. Leeser said Australia had gone from the “best prime minister on Israel” (Scott Morrison) to the “worst” (Anthony Albanese). The only Labor MP to attend the Israel vigil in front of parliament appeared to be Josh Burns, he said.
On the prime minister’s trip to China, Dutton described the trip as a good thing but stressed it was “important that we cannot compromise our national interest and national security, particularly at time that the director general of Asio has specifically said that this is the most significant period of espionage and foreign interference” Australia has ever seen.
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The other part of that question was about Islamophobia and Francesca Albanese says:
You mentioned Islamophobia. I think that you have a point there, but what is really unfolding, it is something similar but different at the same time, it is anti-Palestinian racism, which is a separate chapter of anti-Arab ….
You can recognise it in the work you do and the work of others and, again, this is not to dehumanise the Israelis, what I try to say is it is recognising the humanity of both, but silencing, excluding, erasing Palestinian voices or stereotyping and defaming them, denying what they have suffered throughout history, which does not mean denying what others have [experienced], but some scholars very near to me they say it is about recognising the trauma of the other and the pain of the other.
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Asked about the role of the media in reporting what is happening, Francesca Albanese says:
Well, first of all, if I had to point to one thing in particular, they should avoid dehumanising the Palestinians because there is a lot of this. It is across the globe.
I am not really talking about the Australian media because I am not that familiar with what you write, but in international media there is a tendency to talk of Palestinian death as a tragedy while Israeli deaths as crimes and there is a lot of empathy and solidarity that goes to the Israelis when they are a victim of violence, and rightly so, this is what we should do as human beings.
But then this is lacking on the side of the Palestinians, and, as I said, they are killed, they are blamed and they are also smeared when they try to speak out – so get the facts straight.
Again, there are 11,000 people who have been killed, and I find often myself on TV programs where this is not discussed.
It is better to speak of things as remote as ever like the two-state solution, of course it is important to talk about the two-state solution, what about the 11,000 people who have been killed?
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Francesca Albanese is then asked as “someone concerned with the plight of Palestinians” whether she “blames” Hamas for basing military targets near schools or civilian areas, and she says:
Blame is not a legal language, I don’t blame anyone – I blame my children when I do something wrong.
I condemn. The thing is, a highly ... densely populated area like Gaza, where even the rule area is restricted area and under target, under fire by Israel, I would like to see Gaza living in peace like the rest of the occupied territory.
And Israel, meaning living in peace.
Again, this cannot happen when there is an illegal occupation imposed on the Palestinian people, which again there will always – I am not justifying this – but it is a natural force of nature, they will resist those who keep them subjugated.
I am concerned with the human rights violations that take place and [how] that might affect Palestinians and Israelis.
I am concerned with the future of both. I would like for this to be resolved.
And then she is not speaking as someone who is “concerned with the plight” of Palestinians, but as a lawyer and someone who has investigated what is happening in Gaza.
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Daniel Hurst then asks about the threshold that is supposed to protect spaces such as hospitals during conflict.
I want your legal perspective on whether, as it has been claimed, Hamas has networks underneath some of these hospitals. This has been claimed. Does that remove the right to protect or obligation to protect hospitals? What threshold is there? What threshold do hospitals lose their protection?
Francesca Albanese says the threshold is “very high because hospitals are particularly significant protective civilian objects”.
The principle of distinction is not target a hospital. It is true, Article 19 in the Geneva Convention establishes civilian status might be lost if there is military operations.
This does not mean bombing hospitals, it means giving the time to neutralise the military threat that comes from the hospital and, again, there are hundreds of UN staff and humanitarian officers.
Humanitarian organisations, WHO, that have said, and this is on record, based on the experience from five commissions of inquiry that investigated previous situations where hospitals have been bombed because of alleged presence of Hamas operatives and there has never been such a case.
There are cases where Hamas has used civilian objects. But what does it mean that a hospital loses civilian status? It is to be proportional, the measures taken against the hospital need to be proportional to neutralise the threat and it cannot be bombed because it is going to destroy the capacity to provide humanitarian assistance to many. Particularly at the moment like this one. A hospital has shut down and now we don’t even know where the dead and wounded will be taken.
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Q: You are saying Hamas would not have any potential role in a peace settlement after this conflict?
Francesca Albanese:
I don’t know. It is not up to me to say. I am a lawyer, not a politician.
I just say what is to happen now is a ceasefire, an arms embargo. Humanitarian corridors that do not become a way to forcibly transfer anyone, setting all the hostages free, allowing them to return to families unharmed.
And other Palestinians that have been arbitrarily detained, many of them are children. And a serious plan to undo the occupation … Let’s assume Israel manages to kill all the 20,000 Hamas operatives, I don’t know, these are figures given, but still keeps the Palestinians under occupation, another form of resistance like this will emerge.
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Q: You said previously it should ultimately be up to Palestinians to decide who governs in Gaza and Israel should be open to making a peace deal with Hamas. Given Hamas leaders since 7 October have repeatedly said they would repeat these attacks, is that really possible? Is Hamas a potential partner for peace? Or would the defeat or surrender of Hamas be a part of any realistic peace agreement in Gaza?
Francesca Albanese:
I’m sorry I cannot answer the question because you are basing yourself on something that has been [mis]reported and completely distorted.
You have some media that really are as manipulative as those in Italy.
I‘ve said something, something else, that the military response cannot be war must be peace and the peace must be done with the Palestinians but I mean, I’m also speaking of a non-legal peace, a peace, reconciliation with the idea that Palestinians have same humanity and same entitlement to rights, freedom and and dignity than the Israelis.
So it was a very beautiful 35 minute conversation and this is what the journalists got.
I mean, I’m sorry, but this is not what I said. It’s been completely distorted.
(Apologies for an earlier transcription issue, which was compounded by something I had misheard in an earlier version of this post – it has since been amended. Live transcribing sometimes means mistakes creep in)
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In response to that answer, Francesca Albanese is asked about Israel warning civilians to leave – “they said to leave, so is Israel targeting civilians at that point?”
Albanese takes a beat before she answers this, as she gathers herself.
As my friend Daniel Levy told a BBC journalist, and, I beg your pardon, I don’t mean to be rude, but can you really keep a straight face as you ask me this question?
There is applause. Albanese then goes on:
There is nowhere to go,” she says, putting a space between each word.
Because those who are not familiar with the Gaza Strip, it is 200 square kilometres piece of land and habited as the most crowded place on earth.
It has been, when I say carpet-bombed, 6,000 bombs per week, this is what it does to an area so crowded.
This is why a war was not the response. You know what? We already knew because this is the sixth war Israel has waged against Gaza.
There was one in 2008 and 2009, 2012, 2021, 2022.
How did it ... diminish the capacity of harm to Israelis?
Palestinians have been left with nowhere to go and all the … actors involved in having [to move civilians] have said the evacuation order imposing [on] 1.1 million the obligation to [leave], it is unlawful.
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The UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territory then finishes her explanation on why she says it is a “non-existent right to self-defence”, under international law, in this case:
What is being done is wrong but let’s imagine there was a right to wage a war against this part of the territory under political occupation.
There are still rules of distinction.
You cannot target civilians under military attack.
Excuse me, journalists who keep inviting Israeli military personnel on your shows and they tell you how much effort they are making to spare civilian life – 11,000 people killed is not enough to prove they are clearly incapable to respect the principle of distinction.
How many more people need to die? One example among many of the war crimes I believe are being committed – the targeting of refugee camps, where there was one, let’s assume there was one, Hamas operative Israel wanted to target and kill.
In order to kill that person, the lives of hundreds of Palestinians, we don’t know how many but probably a significant number of hostages have been endangered … [hundreds of civilians], bombings, hundreds of deaths and injuries. This is clearly not respecting the principle of distinction, for which a military action needs to be proportionate to the military goal and principle of proportion.
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Francesca Albanese gives an example of what she means:
One example, France was attacked by a group, a terrorist group, emanating from Belgium. Did France go and bomb entire residential areas in Belgium? No.
I know we’re used to thinking that the Palestinians can be bombed over and over, but it is wrong. Another thing that Israel had to do was to allow justice, the prosecution, the investigation of the prosecution of those responsible.
I understand there have been missiles sent from Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, but the thing is the Gaza Strip has become the kingdom of Hamas also thanks to the unilateral blockade that Israel has imposed over the Gaza Strip for 16 years, forcing 2.2 million people to live under Hamas.
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Francesca Albanese is not mincing words at this press club address. And she is not shying away from criticising Australian leaders or media in how what is happening in Gaza is being reported.
Asked about her comment that Israel has a “non-existent right to self-defence” (the context being the definition of self-defence under international law), Albanese says:
Israel has not claimed that it has been threatened by another state. It has been threatened by an armed group, qualify it the way you want, but it is an armed group within the occupied territory and, frankly, even saying the war between Gaza and Israel is wrong, because Gaza is not a standalone entity, it is part of the occupied territories.
In particular, Israel cannot claim the right of self-defence against a threat that emanates from the territory it occupies, from a territory that is under belligerent occupation, and this not only exists in the jurisprudence of the ICJ in general, it is also being set in the case of the occupied Palestinian territory.
So, going back to your question, what Israel was allowed to do [was] to act to establish law and order, to repel the attack, neutralise whomever was carrying out the attacks and then proceed with law and order measures. Meaning not waging a war but with law enforcement measures.
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Both O’Neil as home affairs minister and Giles as immigration minister reaffirm that there are conditions in place and are exploring whether there can be legislative changes to address it:
This was a decision of the Full Bench of the High Court declaring the detention unconstitutional. It cannot be overturned by the Parliament. However, as we have publicly stated, the Government is exploring further measures, including legislative and regulatory options, to ensure community safety as we work through the implications of the High Court’s decision noting the Court is yet to hand down its reasons.
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That statement continued:
On 10 November Operation AEGIS – a joint ABF-AFP Operation – was established, which is managing the overall response of federal agencies and state and territory police. This operation was established before any individuals other than the plaintiff in the High Court case had been released. This has ensured that people who are being released as required by the High Court, are moved into state and territory post-offending programs where appropriate. Each offender is being case managed and the AFP and ABF are providing updates on the joint operation to responsible Ministers.
As we have made clear, individuals required to be released by the High Court as a result of this decision have been subject to a range of strict, mandatory visa conditions. Such conditions include restricting types of employment, requiring regular reporting to authorities, and requiring released detainees to report their personal detail including their social media profiles, which we are actively monitoring.
Additionally, the Government has imposed daily reporting requirements for those with the most serious criminal history.
The Government will also continue to work around the clock with agencies and law enforcement to uphold the safety of our community.
This is in addition to any reporting requirements or orders imposed by State, Territory or Federal law enforcement agencies – which may place further restrictions on individuals required to be released by the High Court.
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Ministers outline government response to high court indefinite detention decision
Clare O’Neil and Andrew Giles have released a joint statement on what the government has done in response to the high court decision which found indefinite detention was unconstitutional. This is in response to Peter Dutton’s attacks that the government did not prepare for the decision to go against the commonwealth, or that there were avenues they did not follow.
The statement:
The Government has taken immediate action to ensure community safety is protected in response to the High Court decision last Wednesday which overturned a 20-year precedent which had allowed the Commonwealth to detain non-citizens under certain circumstances.
The implication of this decision is that the Commonwealth must immediately release affected individuals from immigration detention. To be abundantly clear, the Commonwealth argued against the release of these people. We release them only because the law requires us to do so.
Starting well before the decision was handed down, our border protection and law enforcement agencies have been working to make sure that the toughest possible conditions are placed on these individuals.
In late October, prior to the Court’s final hearing, senior ABF officials briefed their local state and territory police counterparts on possible implications of the case.
Immediately following the High Court’s ruling, the AFP Commissioner briefed, in person, the Police Commissioner in each state and territory on the outcome of the High Court’s decision including expected numbers of individuals required to be released by the High Court in each jurisdiction.
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Francesca Albanese says those who are still unsure of the 1948 Nakba are seeing it “play out live on television” now.
She then turns her gaze on Australian journalists reporting or commentating on what is happening in Gaza:
Israel’s government and its supporters have spun narratives that portray the Palestinians as an existential threat to the Jewish people and the Palestinians’ struggle for basic rights as a direct struggle to Israel’s very existence.
And let me say, many of these tropes resonate so strongly in this country as well.
Unconscionably, this is also harming Jews around the world, the Jews in Australia as well find themselves targeted because they are associated as Jews to the actions of Israel.
This requires a re-humanisation of the discourse and I am so happy to speak to journalists because you have a great deal of homework to do in this respect.
There is applause from the room at this.
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Australia among nations 'paralysed' in response to Gaza crisis, UN rapporteur says
Francesca Albanese then moves on to the international community, including Australia’s reaction to what is happening in Gaza:
In the face of all this, the international community is almost completely paralysed.
I am being generous when I say almost, with the UN experiencing its most epic political communitarian failure since its creation.
Individual member states, especially in the west, and Australia is no exception, are on the margins. Muttering notable words of condemnation for Israel’s successes at best.
Or staying silent in fear of restraining Israel’s … claimed right to self-defence. Whatever that means.
Here is where we are, staring into the abyss while Palestinians face the most significant existential threat and, in a different way, Israelis, especially Israeli Jews, as a society informed by human values that are getting lost as the country gets enveloped in genocidal crimes.
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Francesca Albanese goes on:
The current bombing of Gaza has also injured almost 30,000 people and displaced 1.5 million. More than half of the population. I should have said from the beginning that half of the people and occupied Palestinian territories, half of the Palestinians are under 18. Forty per cent of them are not even 15.
Just under half of the population in the Gaza Strip is made of children – 2,700 Palestinians, as we speak, are still under rubble, gasping for air in need of rescue, medical attention or burial.
They will not come.
They will likely perish as there are no means to rescue them and among those killed, there are hundreds of medical personnel and humanitarian officers and journalists with over, I think, 192 now UN officers killed, this has been the most lethal conflict in the history of the United Nations.
Around them, 50% of housing units in Gaza have been totally or partially destroyed.
Hospitals, schools, mosques, churches, cultural centres and universities have all been bombed. Entire neighbourhoods are levelled to the ground.
Immediately following the events of 7 October, Israel have tightened the 16-year unlawful blockade preventing … food, water, medical supplies and fuel.
Humanitarian aid has become a tool of war. Exposing the population to the inescapable risk of death.
War crimes, crimes against humanity, must be accounted for. They also must be prevented.
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Francesca Albanese:
Since 7 October, 13,000 people have been killed in Israel and occupied Palestinian territory, mostly in Gaza.
I have extended and continue to extend my deepest condolences to all individuals in the community who might be directly affected, and to the many across the world who are suffering with them.
I particularly direct this message of sorrow and solidarity to the Palestinian and Jewish communities in Australia.
On 7 October, approximately 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals were killed and approximately 5,000 injured in Israel following attacks from Hamas from the occupied Gaza Strip.
These are war crimes and must be accounted for.
In reaction, and claiming a non-existent right to self-defence, Israel have embarked on an unrelenting bombardment of Gaza that has ended its 30th day and killed over 11,078 people, 4,506 of which are children.
We do not know when we will know the others killed after yesterday because the Ministry of Health does not have the capacity to count the deaths any more.
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UN special rapporteur says Israel-Hamas war had been evolving for years
Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territory, is part way through her National Press Club address.
Since the beginning of my term as special rapporteur and the years that preceded it, the reality is [events] in the Palestinian territory have evolved as a troubling one, which could explode at any moment.
For example, in 16 months … I have documented and reported on the killing of 60 Israelis and 460 Palestinians.
This is not normal.
I am saying that to those in this country that still behave as if they really believe the war, whatever they call it, started on 7 October.
Again, this has been the most lethal year for Palestinians after last year, which was already the most lethal in 20 years. And yet the tragic hours we are living in and the ground zero of humanity we have been seeing since 7 October obliged me to start from there.
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Victoria’s opposition leader, John Pesutto, says he was sad to hear Russell Broadbent has quit the Liberal party, having worked his first political job in his office. Speaking to reporters outside parliament, he said:
I haven’t seen all of the details around his decision. I’m disappointed that he’s left the Liberal party. I worked for Russell Broadbent as my first political job back in the 90s, back in Traralgon. I grew up there, we’d run for preselection together in 1994. I worked with him after the 1996 election. He’s been a long-term Liberal party member ... I wish him well.
Pesutto, however, said he was happy to see the party bring in new talent, such as the new preselected Liberal candidate Mary Aldred in Broadbent’s seat:
I couldn’t be happier that Mary Aldred’s been preselected. She’s going to be a star. I’ve known her for many years and she’s going to be absolutely terrific.
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Shorten backs in Wong comments on pathway to Gaza ceasefire
There have been reports Anthony Albanese and Bill Shorten did not back in Penny Wong’s comments about a pathway to a ceasefire conclusively enough.
Both, when asked on seperate occasions, have backed in Wong’s comments. And Wong, as a senior leader in the government, isn’t one to go rogue.
Here was Shorten this morning on Channel Nine when he was asked about it:
No, I just wanted to correct that headline. No, the prime minister stood up and I thought very comprehensively backed in what the foreign minister said. And as for the fundamental issue, what we’ve called for is a humanitarian pause like the United States. Ultimately, one day we would like to see enduring peace. But it’s a step at a time.
And the humanitarian pause has been what we’ve called for. That’s all. But the other thing is, of course, the foreign minister and the prime minister have made the point that for those who are calling for a cease fire, no one’s saying that Hamas should disarm or that Hamas should give back the hostages. So, I think the foreign minister’s comments have been right in the correct swimming lane of sensible government policy.
And here is what he said when asked about it on ABC radio:
I think it’s unexceptional what the foreign minister said. We’re in very close step to the United States and other western nations, we’ve called for a humanitarian pause, but we completely recognise that Israel’s dealing with Hamas who don’t want to negotiate. So the idea that we want an enduring peace, as Penny said, of course, is what we want. We all know we’re a long way off that and Hamas should be prevailed upon by world opinion to hand back the hostages, to say that they’re going to stop trying to kill Israelis and destroy Israel.
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Greens ask education minister to retract comment that students should not attend Palestine rally
The education minister, Jason Clare, was asked about the protest Victorian school students are planning in support of Palestine and said that students should be at school during school hours.
The Greens education spokesperson, Senator Penny Allman-Payne, has written to Clare asking him to retract his comments:
These are not the comments of a Minister who is dedicated to students’ democratic right to freedom of speech and expression and right to protest.
These are patronising comments from a Minister who is out of touch with how switched on, informed and powerful students movements can be.
I urge students and families to ignore the Minister’s condescension and act on your democratic right to protest for a safe climate future and for peace.
Allman-Payne said students had a right to protest on issues which were important to them, given it was their future politicians were deciding:
So often during debates in the senate chamber, government Members refer to themselves as ‘the adults in the room’, but when it comes to acting in our best interests – whether it’s action on climate or opposing the invasion of Gaza – the so-called adults are failing our kids.
… If the government wants kids to stay in the classroom, the solution is simple: do your job.”
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In non-Gaza contributions to the meeting, Albanese noted the government’s inking of a new security agreement with Tuvalu last week, praising it as Australia’s most significant arrangement in the Pacific since the independence of Papua New Guinea. The PM claimed there had been a “massive turnaround” in the region since the Solomon Islands made a security agreement with China in 2022.
At the end of the meeting, one member asked about the defection of the Liberal MP Russell Broadbent to the crossbench. Albanese noted Peter Dutton’s previous comments that one of his key priorities was keeping the Coalition together – and that Broadbent’s was just the latest reduction in Coalition numbers in the lower house, telling colleagues that the opposition had reduced from 58 to 55 members since the start of this parliamentary term.
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Staying with the Labor meeting, Albanese told the party room that he had been “an advocate for the rights of Palestinians my entire political life”.
The PM went on to say that he believed the way to advance that cause was working “constructively” with the Palestinian Authority.
Albanese told the meeting that some Australians were “traumatised” by the destruction and death in Gaza, and the government was seeking to foster community harmony.
There were two questions from the party room about the Gaza conflict to Albanese. One member said they were critical about how the Greens were responding to the conflict, claiming the party was “vote harvesting” during the time, and asked Albanese how to “push back” against such tactics.
As we’ve reported, some Labor MPs are concerned at losing votes in multicultural communities over their position. A speaker at a pro-Palestine protest outside Parliament House on Monday urged supporters to vote against Labor and support the Greens.
Albanese said politicians shouldn’t promote fear in Australia. He also backed the right for protests to occur, but that they shouldn’t be conducted in ways or locations that could be “inflammatory”.
Responding to another question, Albanese said he believed there must be a “political settlement” to the conflict.
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Albanese tells MPs there have been ‘too many civilian deaths in Gaza’ and notes rise in antisemitism
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has said there have been “too many civilian deaths in Gaza”, and conceded that some Palestinian Australians are feeling there has not been enough focus on the death toll of Palestinians in the conflict with Israel.
But the PM also warned his Labor colleagues that Australia only had limited influence in this area, as the federal government resists calls from some in its own ranks to urge a ceasefire – and it appears the government is alive to concerns that it may lose votes over its position.
The Labor party room met in Canberra today, with much of the discussion focusing on the Gaza conflict, where some 11,000 civilians – including more than 4,000 children – have died.
In opening remarks, Albanese told colleagues that Jewish, Muslim and Palestinian Australians are “really hurting at the moment”, and noted a rise in antisemitism. The PM was critical of a controversial pro-Palestine “motorcade” which travelled through Sydney’s eastern suburbs at the weekend, and said politicians had a responsibility to de-escalate tensions.
But while noting antisemitism concerns, Albanese also added: “Many in Muslim and Palestinian communities feel hurt, believing there has been less emphasis on Palestinian lives.”
We need to be unequivocal in our opposition to what happened on October 7, but there have been too many civilian deaths in Gaza.
Guardian Australia understands large numbers of Labor branch members – and some federal MPs – are agitating for the government to take a stronger line on Gaza and call for a ceasefire.
Albanese told the meeting that “the impact Australia can have is limited. The concept Australia is a direct participant is absurd but what we’ve done is conduct ourselves consistently with the humanitarian position.”
Updated
Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territory, will address the National Press Club from 12.30pm.
Daniel Hurst will be there, but we will keep you updated on the blog as well.
Albanese’s appearance follows the press club address by the Israeli ambassador, Amir Maimon, late last month.
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Paluszczuk complains federal government 'looking to cut up to $1bn' of infrastructure funding
The Queensland premier has dropped subtlety and directly vowed to muscle up to the prime minister over a proposed change to infrastructure funding that would put more pressure on state budgets.
In question time, Annastacia Palaszczuk demanded the federal government continue to contribute 80% of the cost of major regional road projects like upgrades to the Bruce Highway.
Mr Speaker, we will stand up to the federal government, we will stand up to the prime minister and say Queensland deserves its fair share and nothing less.
Palaszczuk put a number on the cost to the state budget.
I think everybody in this house and Queenslanders in general will be absolutely shocked to hear that the federal government is looking to cut up to $1bn per annum for our infrastructure.
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Nearly 40% plan to spend less on Christmas gifts as consumer confidence takes a hit
Brace yourself, because I know you are going to be shocked, but consumer confidence has fallen in response to the latest interest rate rise from the RBA.
I know, I know. Shocking. Here is what AAP reported:
The latest rise in interest rates has knocked consumer confidence around again after showing some signs of optimism in recent months.
The Westpac and Melbourne Institute monthly consumer sentiment survey has picked up a sharp drop off in responses following the Reserve Bank’s decision to lift interest rates by another 25 basis points in November.
The index fell by 2.6% to 79.9 index points in November, down from 82 in October.
The Westpac senior economist Matthew Hassan said the latest cash rate hike to 4.35% renewed pressure on family finances.
“Previous months had been showing some tentative signs that sentiment was starting to lift out of the deep pessimism that has prevailed since the middle of last year,” he said.
“That rally looks to have been cut short before it even really began.”
The fall was driven by a sharp deterioration in consumer expectations linked to family finances over the next year, which dropped 7.3%.
Hassan said the responses pointed to another “penny-pinching” Christmas.
Nearly 40% of consumers plan to spend less on gifts than last year, the survey found.
Updated
The bells have started ringing – the parliament sitting is about to get under way.
The Victorian Liberal party has issued a very brief statement on Russell Broadbent’s decision to sit as an independent after he lost preselection for the seat he has held for more than two decades:
The Victorian Liberal Party would like to thank Russell Broadbent for his 25 years of service as a Liberal Member in the Federal Parliament. We wish him well for the future.
Updated
Greens to keep up pressure on housing and Gaza
The Greens have also vowed to continue their fight against Labor over housing. Members recommitted to pushing for a rental freeze amid reports on Tuesday of rental affordability deteriorating further in the major cities.
The party says it will use whatever opportunities it can to wedge the government on this issue in the coming months.
The Israel government’s continued bombardment of Gaza was also discussed with party members promising to keep the pressure on the federal government to call for a ceasefire.
Because weasel words are not going to stop war crimes,” a member of the Greens said.
The Greens flagged there would be more incidents in the Senate this week as a result of their plan to sustain pressure.
Members will also attend a speech by Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967, at an event organised by the Parliamentary Friends of Palestine.
Updated
Greens party room discusses Murray-Darling Basin and workplace laws
The Greens held their party room meeting this morning, when members discussed the federal government’s workplace laws.
The minor party suspects the bills won’t pass before the end of the year after a crossbench push to split the contentious aspects of the bill failed on Monday.
Debate on the Murray-Darling Basin bill is expected to begin on Wednesday but the Greens and the federal government are still in “good faith negotiations”, having not reached a deal for support.
The plan is a mechanism that allocates the amount of water that can be taken from the basin each year while also leaving an environmentally sustainable amount to support local wetlands, rivers and lakes. Specifically, it aimed to return 450 gigalitres of additional water to the environment by mid-2024.
The Labor government’s bill, which needs the Greens’ support, proposes to push out that water recovery deadline to December 2027. The Greens say returning that 450GL of water is a non-negotiable in any deal and they are committed to not “rubber-stamping” any deal put before them.
Updated
You are going to see the Queensland Labor government be more bolshie than most other jurisdictions in pushing back against funding cuts from the federal Labor government, as it enters an election year.
But it is not just any election year – it is one where, outside of a massive turnaround in voter sentiment, Labor is set to lose. At this point, it is only a question of by how much.
Right now, it looks like a landslide loss, with ministers, including Mark Bailey, also in danger of losing their seats. So expect a bit more argy-bargy as Queensland Labor tries to stem the loss over the coming months. The election will be held in October.
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Queensland unhappy over reports of infrastructure funding changes
The Queensland government is not happy after hearing that the commonwealth intends to shift half the tab for new “nationally significant” infrastructure projects to the states.
The three most senior members of the government all gave ministerial statements on infrastructure in parliament this morning.
The premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, deputy premier, Steven Miles, and treasurer, Cameron Dick, complained about a lack of funding for projects in the sunshine state under Liberal PMs Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison, without namechecking the Labor federal minister Catherine King’s announcement this morning.
The transport minister, Mark Bailey, was more explicit in criticising King.
Queensland has already been subject to more infrastructure cuts from the federal government than other jurisdictions.
I am very concerned to read reports today that the federal government plans to walk away from 80-20 funding of regional transport infrastructure.
We strongly urge the Albanese government to remain committed to these principles when responding to the review and I quote: ‘To ensure that regional and south-east Queensland are no worse off, to maintain existing funding arrangements on corridors of national significance. To quarantine Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Game-related investment and across the state from deferral or from cancellation to ensure Queensland receives its fair share of funding, noting existing population share, current and future forecast growth and historical underfunding in rail infrastructure’.
Bailey said the state, among the most decentralised in the country, would suffer worst of all from any cuts.
Bailey added:
Any deviation from the currently agreed 80-20 funding split on regional corridors and 50-50 on urban corridors will significantly disadvantage our regions, which are much more decentralised decentralised and road transport reliant in the nation.
We are the only state with the majority of our population in regional areas. It is crucial that these investments continue so Queensland supports our booming population.
Updated
We’ve got a bit more detail about Russell Broadbent’s decision to quit the Liberal party and sit on the crossbench.
Broadbent offered no criticism of the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, and said he was the right leader for the party, but quit citing the significant margin of his preselection defeat, that his opponent received 10 votes for his every one (the margin was 161 to 16).
In a “mic drop” moment, Broadbent then walked out of the party room, leaving colleagues unclear whether he intended to quit parliament and trigger a byelection, although they’ve since confirmed he’s quitting the party and the party room, not the parliament.
Dutton was gracious and acknowledged Broadbent’s contribution to the party after he had left, but also stressed that no MPs have a right to be there, and the party’s blessing to run is an honour and a gift.
Updated
As you an see from Paul’s report there about Russell Broadbent’s news, the party room meetings are beginning to finish up.
We’ll bring you more information about what went on in each of the three meetings very soon.
The Victorian education minister, Ben Carroll, has weighed in on a planned students protest in support of Palestine next week. Unsurprisingly, he says students shouldn’t head along:
The 23rd of November is a school day and the expectation is that normal attendance will be required and students will be encouraged to attend school. We have a range of programs to support schools and school communities during this difficult time. We do know students are finding it very difficult and understandably, with events in the Middle East, but we are rolling out a range of supports. The most powerful thing students can do is be at school on the 23rd of November.
Liberal MP to quit party in protest at losing preselection
The Age has reported and Guardian Australia has independently confirmed that Liberal MP Russell Broadbent will move to the House of Representatives crossbench after losing preselection to contest his seat for the Liberals.
Broadbent, who first entered parliament in 1990 and won his Victorian seat of Monash with 52.9% of the two-party vote in 2022, lost preselection late last week. The Liberals chose Mary Aldred, a government relations executive at Fujitsu, to contest the seat at the next election.
Broadbent told the Coalition party room on Tuesday that he will take medical leave, then continue to represent the seat east of Melbourne as an independent.
Broadbent will be the third Coalition MP that opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has lost since the 2022 election, after Andrew Gee went to the crossbench citing the Nationals opposition to the Voice, and Alan Tudge’s resignation resulted in the loss of the Aston byelection.
Updated
Optus seeks to limit access to documents as class action comes before court
Optus was in the federal court again this morning for the class action over the hack last year that resulted in the personal information of 10 million customers being exposed.
The case is still in the early stages, and working through the process of allowing class action firm Slater and Gordon access to inspect documents that will potentially make up the case.
Optus is seeking to, in the initial stages, limit who can access the documents, noting in court on Tuesday that some of the documents are “highly sensitive” including a playbook on how Optus responds to data breaches. Optus has argued it’s not merely about a confidentiality issue but a cybersecurity issue – noting the company’s security obligations under various federal legislation.
We reported last week that a Deloitte report on the cause of the hack was deemed not to be legal advice. The court heard today Optus had not yet decided whether to appeal this ruling.
The matter will return to court in December.
Updated
Gregory Andrews has been documenting his hunger strike climate protest on his X account.
Dr @SophieScamps came down & sat with me for at least half an hour today. I thanked Sophie for everything the independents are doing. She asked me to “stop & help rebuild Australia’s democracy”. But she also listened & acknowledged that I am in charge of my #ClimateHungerStrike. pic.twitter.com/fy9hEg3rAs
— Gregory Andrews (@LyrebirdDream) November 13, 2023
Gregory is an adjunct associate professor and D’harawal man, who was an ambassador and high commissioner in West Africa, and also represented Australia as a diplomat in China and Japan. He was also Australia’s first Threatened Species Commissioner.
He has laid out his demands:
1. End fossil fuel subsidies. 2. End coal and gas exports. 3. End native forest logging. 4. Consider climate impacts. 5. Be transparent in risks.
Scamps is not the only MP who has been to see him – many of the independent and crossbench MPs have come to visit with Andrews and speak to him about his protest.
Updated
‘We need him on the planet’: Sophie Scamps on hunger striker
We have had a chat to Dr Sophie Scamps after she went out to speak to Gregory Andrews who has been on a hunger strike for almost two weeks, protesting for climate action.
Scamps is a GP so her first concern was for Andrews’ welfare. She said she encouraged Andrews to stop his hunger strike as she believes his passion, knowledge and expertise on the subject can be re-directed towards other action.
“I just wanted to reassure him that we are fighting as hard as we can inside the building, and his passion and expertise could be used in a really positive way,” she said.
“We need him on the planet.”
Scamps said she will continue to check in on him and ensure his welfare is being looked after.
Updated
Victorian barrister Raelene Sharp appointed as CDPP
There is a new Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions.
The attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, has announced Victorian barrister Raelene Sharp KC has been appointed for five years to the role.
Sharp will start next month. Dreyfus says it was a merit-based selection process and the appointment fills the vacancy created by the resignation of former director Sarah McNaughton to become a New South Wales supreme court judge.
Raelene Sharp KC has been a Barrister at the Victorian Bar since 2010 and was appointed Senior Counsel in 2022. Ms Sharp has a strong criminal law practice, appearing for the CDPP in many complex and sensitive cases. She has broad public law experience, both as counsel in public law litigation and through her work with the Office of the Special Investigator and the then Australian Crime Commission.
Updated
Climate hunger strike nears two weeks outside Parliament House
Gregory Andrews has been on a hunger strike in a protest over the lack of serious climate action. Today is day 13.
The independent MP Sophie Scamps met with Andrews on the front lawns for a talk this morning.
Updated
Protesters at Parliament House call for release of Israeli hostages
Yesterday there was a pro-Palestine protest out the front of the parliament, where demonstrators called on the government to push for a ceasefire.
This morning there was a protest where attendees released balloons representing the hostages who were taken by Hamas. Protesters called for the safe return of those hostages.
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Allan warns WorkCover premiums could rise if bill does not pass
(Continued from previous post)
Allan said the government will consider increasing WorkCover premiums if the government can’t get its reforms on mental health claims through the upper house.
We will continue to have discussions with all members of the upper house. The Greens political party have already, disappointingly, ruled themselves out of a conversation about how you can have a system that’s about providing better support for Victorian workers. We happily welcome them back to the conversation if they choose to, because this is a really important reform.
… We are keeping all of our options open around what might happen next because the system as we’ve indicated when we announced these changes is fundamentally broken. And that’s not good for business. That’s not good for workers. That’s not good for the Victorian community.
So we will need to look at what other changes will need to be made and that includes looking at premiums should the reforms not pass through the Victorian parliament but the best way to ensure that we don’t have a debate in the future about premiums going up as a consequence of not reforming the system is to pass the bill now, and that’s my message to my colleagues in the parliament is to consider on the balance what this bill is about. This bill is about supporting workers. Let’s not have a consequence where businesses might be faced with some additional inputs should this bill not go through.
Updated
Victorian opposition considers stance on WorkCover shake-up as Allan urges support
The Victorian opposition is now meeting to form a position on the government’s WorkCover bill, which would limit workers’ compensation for some mental health injuries and increase premiums paid by businesses.
It’s likely they will be joining the Greens in opposing the legislation, which the government says is needed to fix the “broken” scheme, with the number of claims and their cost tripling since 2010.
Asked what will happen if Labor can’t get the reform through the upper house, premier Jacinta Allan said it was still being dealt with in the lower house:
The bills is about to be debated this week in the lower house … and through the course of the debate there’ll be ongoing discussions with all members of parliament.
Let’s remember why these reforms and this legislation is important. It’s important to reform a system that needs to provide better support to Victorians particularly when it comes to providing better support for instances of mental health and, and issues that people are experiencing with their mental health at their workplace. That’s why we’re driving this reform. That’s why we’re also introducing as part of this package of reform … because we want to get people the support they need, the care they need to get back to work because we know that that is a far, far better outcome for workers than sitting languishing.
That’s why these reforms are important. It’s about putting the health and safety of Victorian workers front and centre. And I would hope that that is something that all members of the Victorian parliament can get around.
(Continued in next post)
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Bandt says rental crisis is ‘squarely Labor’s responsibility’ as renters reach ‘breaking point’
But Greens leader Adam Bandt thinks there is a lot more Labor could be doing:
People are at breaking point and Labor’s rental crisis is getting worse.
People can no longer afford to live near where they work, where they study or where their families are.
And Labor is backing unlimited rent increases which are pushing people to the brink.
This is a crisis and it is squarely Labor’s responsibility.
Labor holds every seat at the national cabinet table on the mainland.
They got together and promised a better deal for renters, and now we find the rental crisis is getting worse.
Millions of renters are in rental stress many people are now one unfair rent increase away from eviction because of Labor’s rental crisis.
Housing should be a basic right in this country and instead of backing people labor is back in the property moguls and backing unlimited rent increases, people can’t take it any more.
The Greens are calling for a rent freeze and rent caps after that, because people need breathing space to allow incomes to catch up with soaring rents.
Labor is blocking a rent freeze in this country and instead backing unlimited rent increases and it is pushing people to breaking point.
Updated
Labor ‘doing everything we can’ to ease cost-of-living pressures, Kearney says
There is a new rental affordability report out, which Cait Kelly has covered here:
Assistant health minister Ged Kearney responded this morning:
We are really doing everything we can. We don’t want people to have to make decisions about their grocery bills: “Can I afford to pay grocery bills or can I afford to go to a doctor?” This government is absolutely committed to making the cost of living easier for people.
We’ve heard today stories of a rental crisis. I myself have experienced this. My own daughter is, and her family are looking to rent at the moment. They had to turn up with over 100 people in the queue. Just to rent a house.
We are doing more than any government has ever done around the housing crisis. Increasing supply. We’ve invested $2bn to urgently build social and affordable housing. We have got $10bn invested in the House Australia Future Fund. This is an incredible investment that will increase supply and take pressure off the housing crisis. We are working with the states around rental controls and making sure that people who do rent have rights and can afford to rent. We’ve given the biggest increase to people who receive rental assistance from the government. Massive increase - the biggest increase for a long time in rental assistance.
I think that Australians really do understand that the Albanese Labor government is doing everything that we can right now to ease the burden from cost of living pressures. I just want people to understand that we realise you’re under pressure and we’re doing all we can from health, right through to house affordability.
Updated
Victorian students should not to skip school for Palestine protest, premier says
Jacinta Allan is asked about a pro-Palestine protest being organised by Melbourne students next week. What’s her message to students?
She replies:
Students are expected to be at school on that day and it’s my expectation that students go to school on that day. In terms of students, individual schools and individual school attendance that’s very much a matter for local schools.
A reporter then asks: “Do you need to show leadership and say no kids need to be there, we’re not going to be accepting these sick notes or whatever if they come through in a wave?
To which Allan replies:
Well I’m not sure what you suggest we do ... individually go around and check every household to make sure every child is at school? School attendance is a matter of individual schools and individual schools working with their families in terms of school attendance. That’s how it works at my kids’ school. Schools work with families, that is what my expectation is what would happen next week, and indeed it’s my expectation that what happens every school day.
She said instead of “outrage” about the protest, it was important to remember that many schools in Victoria were providing care to students “directly affected by the events in the Middle East”. Allan said:
We’ve got kids at school … who have lost loved ones, they’ve lost family members, they can’t get in contact with family members in either Israel or in Gaza. So let’s pause for a minute and just remember that schools are a place where kids can get support that they need to work through ... these big and complex issues. Schools are a place that kids can get the support they need, the advice they need. And I think it’s really important that as we consider this issue of attendance or otherwise, that we give students and schools the respect and the space to work through these issues at the local level
Asked whether the rally should go ahead, Allan replied:
We live in a democracy. Being able to come together and hold a rally, a peaceful rally, depending on the issue that you’re concerned about or the issue that you’re exercised about, that’s a fundamental principle of our democracy that must not and should not change.
Updated
Melbourne Airport says rail connection is ‘critical’ as Labor ponders infrastructure priorities
Melbourne Airport has said it is critical that plans to build a rail line to its terminals are not abandoned, as the Albanese government prepares to release a list of infrastructure projects to be deprioritised.
Lorie Argus, the CEO of Melbourne Airport, was speaking at the Australian Airports Association National Conference on Tuesday, just as transport and infrastructure minister Catherine King announced she would be releasing the government’s response to its infrastructure project review “in coming days”.
Argus stressed that plans to build rail to Melbourne Airport should not be cut nor scaled back because the facility needs the “right rail” – an underground station.
Argus said:
We recognise that a rail connection is critical … We need another mass transit solution to the airport and we’re very committed to that.
Updated
Jacinta Allan says Victoria has missed fair share of federal funding ‘for too long’
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, is holding a press conference in Brunswick in Melbourne’s north this morning. She’s been asked about the federal transport minister Catherine King’s plans to ask states to pay for at least half of new road and rail projects.
Allan says she is less concerned about how the funding is split than she is about ensuring Victoria gets federal contributions for infrastructure:
What’s important here, from Victoria’s perspective, is not so much the funding split but making sure we get our fair share of funding.
For too long, on too many projects here in Victoria under the former federal federal Liberal National government, there was no funding split because it was zero. It was zero funding that we got from Canberra on Metro Tunnel, on West Gate Tunnel. We’ve removed 72 level crossings without $1 from the federal government. So … we’ll keep pushing for that fair share.
Funding splits … and what the federal government’s thinking on that is very much a matter for them. I’m very much focused on ensuring that as a consequence of not just the review that the federal minister has undertaken, but in ongoing discussions about forthcoming budgets, is [that] we do get our fair share of funding right here in Victoria.
Asked if any Victorian projects are at risk, Allan said the state was only asking for a third of the cost of its suburban rail loop project form the federal government. She said:
Over the years different funding splits have been used for different projects and as I’ve said a couple of times now. For Victoria often that meant 0% from Canberra for projects here in Melbourne. Anything better than zero is a good thing.
Updated
Big meeting on public school funding at Parliament House today
The Australian Education Union (AEU) will join peak stakeholders in a meeting with education minister Jason Clare at Parliament House today, lobbying for the federal government to commit to fully funding public schools.
AEU federal president Correna Haythorpe said public schools catered to the vast majority of students from disadvantaged backgrounds but 98% hadn’t reached the minimum level agreed to be governments.
Only 1.3% of public schools are funded at the Schooling Resource Standard – the minimum amount governments agreed a decade ago was necessary to meet the needs of all students.
Governments must provide the teaching profession with the essential resources and optimal earning environments required to deliver a high-quality education for all.
Representatives from the Australian Council of Social Service, the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth, The Community Council for Australia, Settlement Services International, Welcoming Australia, The Social Policy Group, Australian Council of Trade Unions and The Parenthood will be in attendance backing a campaign by the AEU to ensure public schools are fully resourced by 2028.
Updated
Chris Minns says hate speech laws do not go far enough
The New South Wales government is reviewing the hate speech and incitement to violence laws amid concerns from the premier, Chris Minns, that they are not working.
Speaking on ABC Radio Sydney this morning, Minns said the racial vilification laws did not go “far enough” despite already being “strict”:
You can protest but you can’t take it so far that you’re advocating for violence or hatred on city streets.
In relation to one [law] in particular which is racial vilification, no, I don’t believe they go far enough … They’ve been on the books for several years, since 2017 I think, and they’ve resulted in no successful prosecutions. We are looking at those laws.
The premier also said he wanted the commonwealth to help cover the increased costs of policing the pro-Palestinian rallies taking place every week in Sydney.
Updated
If you haven’t read this from Paul Karp, you should make some time for it.
Commonwealth Bank records $2.5bn quarterly profit
Australia’s biggest lender, Commonwealth Bank, has recorded a $2.5bn cash profit for the September quarter, as higher borrowing rates weigh on households and prompt spending cuts.
The result was up 1% compared to the prior comparative three-month period.
Chief executive Matt Comyn said he was optimistic about the economic outlook even as signs of consumer stress increased:
The Australian economy remains resilient, supported by low unemployment and strong population growth.
Higher interest rates are resulting in slowing growth and consumer spending, with pressure on some households and businesses.
There was a slight uptick in home loan arrears, while those falling more than 90 days behind on credit card payments jumped significantly.
Research by CommBank iQ, a joint venture between the CBA and data firm Quantium Group, has shown that younger Australians are feeling the most pressure from rising interest rates and borrowing costs, and are cutting spending accordingly.
Updated
Dutton: ‘When the Coalition was in government, we deported people at a record rate’
The prospect of the high court decision then being used as a selling point for people smugglers is then raised in the 2GB interview. To which Peter Dutton says:
Well, yes, and the government’s already dealing with these issues on water. They’re not talking about it publicly, but there are boat arrivals and the government’s having to deal with that. Now, I suspect they’ve got it fairly contained, they’ve sent people to offshore detention for the first time, but they’re not publicly releasing that detail*.
I think there’ll be a lot of people here as well who are saying, ‘well, we thought we were going to be deported’. When the Coalition was in government, we deported people at a record rate, because I don’t believe that people who are here as non-citizens who sexually abuse a child or a young girl or a woman deserve to stay here. They should be deported**.
*So it turns out Dutton can talk about on-water matters when he needs to.
**A key part of the case is the people covered under it can not be deported to their country of origin, for a variety of reasons.
Paul Karp covered the case here:
But one of the main issues was Australia was unable to return the detainee to their country of origin. So people in this cohort who had their visas refused or cancelled because of character concerns, but could not be deported (because they were deemed to face death in their country of origin, were stateless or refugees), had been placed in detention, with no end date. The high court ruled indefinite immigration detention breaches the separation of powers between executive government and the judiciary because it is punitive.
Only last month, Dutton was calling for pro-Palestinian protesters to be deported.
Updated
Government had prepared for high court decision on immigration detainees: Giles
The government is waiting to see what the high court’s reasons were, as it is yet to publish its full decision.
In response to a question from the opposition in parliament yesterday, immigration minister Andrew Giles said:
Throughout this, community safety has been our number one concern, and I say to the Australian community that it will continue to be our number one concern. I hope that that is the concern that is echoed across this chamber and in the other place.
To that end, the Australian federal police and the Australian Border Force have been working closely with our state and territory authorities.
I’ll make very clear that that cooperation through the ABF commenced prior to the decision being handed down. In recognition of our apprehension of the seriousness of an adverse decision to the commonwealth, we took those steps in advance of it. We also established a joint operation with state and federal…
We moved quickly to ensure that we issued visas to impacted individuals with appropriate conditions to ensure that community safety can be upheld, including requirements to report readily to the department to inform the minister of any changes of personal details such as address, social media profiles, restrictions of industries on employment and a range of other conditions.
This is in addition to state and territory requirements, which go to the issues that you were talking about, shadow minister.
We have been required to release people almost instantly. That is the decision of the court. But we continue to consider all measures that may be available to strengthen our protection of the community. I note, of course, that we are yet to have the reasons for the court’s decision. We have been approaching this issue in anticipation of a decision, because we regard community safety seriously.
Updated
Dutton says Albanese ‘hasn’t inserted himself into the issue’ on immigration detainees
Peter Dutton has spent part of his morning chatting to 2GB radio host Ben Fordham and he is blaming the government for the high court decision to release people from indefinite detention.
Yesterday the government confirmed that 80 of the 92 people covered in the decision had been released as per the court’s orders.
The government had no choice but to release the detainees – you can’t go against the high court. But Dutton and the opposition have been pushing the “Labor asleep at the wheel of community safety” line (that is not a paraphrase – it literally is listed as a topic on interview transcripts.
Here was Dutton this morning:
The minister hasn’t explored the options available to him by legislation, and this problem potentially can be addressed by a change in the act. But the prime minister hasn’t inserted himself into the issue, the minister hasn’t sought that advice, they haven’t come to us saying ‘here’s the solution and we need your support to get it through the parliament quickly’, and you’ve got these people getting out on to the street.
These are the worst of the criminals that you can imagine, Ben, and they shouldn’t be roaming the streets in a way that will see more victims falling prey to their evil mind.
Good to see hyperbole is being left at the door for such a serious issue.
Updated
Parliament sitting to begin at noon
Things will start a little later in parliament today – the sitting doesn’t begin until noon, and that is because there are the party room meetings this morning.
We will bring you the details of those as soon as they finish.
Updated
National Farmers Federation in WA pushing to keep live sheep trade going
Although it is yet to set a deadline, the Albanese government has vowed to phase out live sheep exports.
But the campaign from some in the agriculture sector to stop the ban has been under way for some time.
The National Farmers Federation have been running a “keep farmers farming” campaign, which has been targeting marginal seats, and this week it is in WA, where the electorates of Swan, Tangney and Hasluck are on the list.
NFF president David Jochinke said:
This policy is already hurting and frustrating farmers. We’re already hearing accounts of farmers getting out of sheep because they don’t know what the future holds.
What we’re seeing now is only the beginning. Shut down this trade and the whole future of WA’s $650 million merino wool industry is dicey at best.
This isn’t just about the farmers. It’s the truck drivers, the livestock agents, the local schools and sporting clubs that all depend on this trade.
But none of this is new. It has been on the cards for years. In fact deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley, supported by Sarah Henderson and Jason Wood, tried to get legislation though as a private member’s bill in 2018 – when the Coalition was still in power.
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Shorten: ‘We shouldn’t be importing a conflict somewhere else into our own streets’
Asked about the Australian protests on the Israel-Hamas war, Bill Shorten says:
I respect that people have a point of view and a deeply held point of view. And I recognise I too share the distress of all the scenes from October 7 on and Gaza. But I think as community leaders in Australia, we’ve got to dial it down a bit.
I actually think that we shouldn’t be importing a conflict somewhere else into our own streets.
I think the bullying in the Caulfield neighbourhood by those youths of the other point of view, I just thought that was just the wrong message.
What we want in this country is cohesion.
I think Australians look at these scenes, these are Australians who might not know much about the Middle East, and they’re bewildered and we certainly don’t want to import those arguments here.
Updated
Shorten reiterates support for two-state solution
Patricia Karvelas then raises with Bill Shorten what was said on Q+A last night, when Nasser Mashni, the president of the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, argued that hopes for a two-state solution “ended years ago”.
Mashni said living together as equal citizens in one state, where everyone was free, should be the goal.
Shorten was asked what he thought of that and said:
Oh, no, our policy has been to support a two-state solution.
He is asked why and seems a little bit taken aback by the question.
There was a policy which we developed many, many years ago about respecting the security of Israel and the right of Palestinians to have a say in controlling their own land. I don’t think that’s a radical policy.
Updated
Shorten says Wong’s ceasefire comments ‘unexceptional’
Bill Shorten is being interviewed on ABC radio RN Breakfast, where he is going through the government response to the robodebt royal commission. It is pretty much what we heard yesterday. Shorten is also asked about Gaza and Penny Wong’s comments on Insiders on Sunday (about a path to ceasefire).
I think it’s unexceptional what the foreign minister said. We’re in very close step to the United States and other western nations. We’ve called for humanitarian pause, but we completely recognise that Israel’s dealing with Hamas who don’t want to negotiate, so the idea that we want an enduring peace, as Penny said, of course, is what we want.
We all know we’re a long way off that and Hamas should be prevailed upon by world opinion to hand back the hostages to say that they’re going to stop trying to kill Israelis and destroy Israel.
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Public school advocates to meet Jason Clare in push for funding
There is also a big push to have the Albanese government commit to its election promise and fully fund public schools. Community and child advocates, as well as union representatives, are banding together to meet education minister Jason Clare today and push for the government to follow through.
It is part of the Australian Education Union’s For Every Child campaign, which includes bringing signed messages from across Australia to Canberra to impress upon the government the importance of public education. The goal is to have the government agree to a new funding agreement with the states and territories to ensure that schools are resourced at a minimum of 100% of the School Resourcing Standard by 2028.
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Bragg targets financial advice legislation
Since the Coalition has been in opposition, Liberal senator Andrew Bragg has thrown himself into his role as chair of the economics references committee (and deputy chair of the economics legislation committee).
In those roles he has paid particular attention to assistant treasurer Stephen Jones. One of Bragg’s bugbears has been the financial advice legislation, which is supposed to better regulate the financial services industry.
Bragg says the draft legislation goes nowhere far enough in addressing the issues:
Releasing a draft bill at this stage of the term means there will likely be no substantive financial advice reform passed in the life of this Parliament.
Financial advice costs will therefore stay at an unaffordable average of $3,500 per person …
Under Mr Jones’s watch, financial advisers have been hit with the largest tax increase in living memory. This year, Labor has increased levies on financial advisers from $1,100 to $3,200 per adviser – a 180% increase.
Bragg wants the government to implement all of the Levy review recommendations.
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Good morning
Thank you to Martin for starting us off this morning. You have Amy Remeikis with you for most of the sitting day now, as we navigate day two of the sitting week. There are eight joint sitting days left in the year (the Senate will be sitting for a few more by itself) and both the opposition and government have swung their focus to cost of living.
Once this year is done we will be in the back end of the electoral term, which means we will be back in election mode. But first we must get through today and the party room meetings.
Ready?
It is at least a four-coffee day.
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Free broadband for more families
The federal government will extend for another year a program giving free broadband to families with school-age children, an initiative it says is providing “immense” benefits to those without internet access at home.
The school student broadband initiative, which is granting NBN access to up to 5,000 eligible families with children, has been extended from the end of 2024 to 2025.
The program was initially planned to support up to 30,000 families.
Communications minister Michelle Rowland said the extension would cost around $4m:
In 2023, Australian school students should have access to reliable, fast broadband to fully participate in online learning at school and at home.
The flow-on benefits for participants are immense, with families able to access essential services like telehealth from home for the first time.
Rowland’s office said the government was “considering options to support participating families at the end of 2025, including asking the NBN Low-Income and Digital Inclusion Forum to examine discounted products”.
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Hopes for two-state solution ‘ended years ago’
Nasser Mashni, president of the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, argued on last night’s Q+A that hopes for a two-state solution “ended years ago”:
Palestinians are killed. We are then blamed for our death and then in our death we are smeared. It is outrageous that 5,000 Palestinians have died and we are still talking about whether or not we should stop the blood.
Mark Leibler, the national chairman of the Australia Israel & Jewish Affairs Council, said:
You’ve got to dismantle Hamas. The best way to promote a two-state solution is to get rid of the terrorist entity that has been running the Gaza Strip.
Leibler said other panellists did not agree with Israel’s right to exist, and that many of the arguments made against Israel’s actions since 7 October were “accompanied by a fair bit of antisemitism”:
If Israel didn’t have a strong state, then the fate of the Jews who lived in Israel would be exactly what happened on 7 October.
Mashni and Leibler dominated conversation.
Asked about Israeli settlements in the West Bank, Francesca Albanese, the UN’s special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, told the panel:
Settlements are considered a war crime under international law – violating article 49 of the Geneva conventions.
Colonies were illegal and they were recognised as the major obstacle to peace, she said, citing UN security council resolution 2,334 of 2016, which said the settlements were “a flagrant violation under international law”.
She will address the National Press Club at 12.30pm AEDT today.
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Fractious Q+A filmed without studio audience
A fractious episode of Q+A was filmed last night without a studio audience and with police and security guarding the ABC’s Melbourne studio.
The panel discussed the worsening conflict inside Gaza, with a particular focus on a ceasefire to preserve the lives of Palestinian civilians who have spent weeks under bombardment, and on the release of Israeli hostages, held by Hamas for more than a month.
There was fierce debate over whether a two-state solution remained possible for Israel and the Palestinian territories.
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Gambling industry lobbying links criticised
At least seven former federal ministers and advisers to prime ministers have worked for or lobbied on behalf of gambling companies since 2011, new analysis has claimed.
The study by Transparency International and Melbourne University academic Jenn Lacy-Nichols warns of a “revolving door” between politics and gambling and describes regulation of lobbyists as “ineffective”.
The study found the gambling industry – which is in the midst of a pushback against a total wagering ad ban – has hired 13 lobby firms during this period, more than double the amount hired by alcohol, food and drink companies.
Here’s a section of the report that is critical of Australia’s current lobbying laws:
Australia’s federal lobbying regulation is weak compared to international standards and information about the revolving door amongst lobbyists is sparse.
Revolving door cooling off periods are rife with loopholes, rarely enforced and carry no real punishments. This means there is very little to stop wealthy individuals and companies from getting special access to policymakers and shaping our laws for personal gain.
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Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our rolling coverage of the political and news landscape. I’m Martin Farrer and I’ll be bringing you some overnight and breaking stories before Amy Remeikis becomes your expert guide for the day.
Voters have flipped their sympathies in the Israel-Gaza conflict, our latest Essential poll shows, with more now wanting to provide assistance to Palestine than Israel and a big drop in those who say Israel’s reaction to the 7 October attack by Hamas is proportionate. The poll was taken before Anthony Albanese responded to growing pressure from his Labor ranks to say yesterday that the world must “distinguish between Hamas and Palestinian citizens” and mourn all civilian deaths. Last night the ABC’s Q+A show saw a fiery clash between the prominent Jewish acticist Mark Leibler and the Palestinian advocate Nasser Mashni. More coming up on these stories.
We have an exclusive interview today with a woman raped by an asylum seeker who has now been freed from indefinite detention and allowed to live in Australia. Sonya, who asked us not to use her real name, said she doesn’t feel safe in her home as a result and that there is a too much emphasis placed on the “victimhood of perpetrators”:
They have been released into Brisbane city … I don’t think I’m fully safe, knowing that he is somewhere, I don’t know where.
At least seven former federal ministers and advisers to prime ministers have worked for or lobbied on behalf of gambling companies since 2011, a new analysis has claimed. The study warns of a “revolving door” between politics and gambling and describes regulation of lobbyists as “ineffective”. It comes as a leading transparency group warned that companies that make political donations are more than twice as likely to win government contracts and should be banned from working with departments for an entire electoral cycle. More coming up.
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