Good afternoon and welcome to the Afternoon Update.
Peter Dutton’s comparison of the 9 October pro-Palestine protests at the Sydney Opera House to the 1996 Port Arthur massacre has drawn widespread criticism – including from the Tasmanian premier.
Dutton said the events were akin in terms of their “social significance”, and noted the massacre led to tougher gun laws in Australia, while blaming Labor politicians’ “moral equivalence” for rising antisemitism.
The Tasmanian Liberal premier, Jeremy Rockliff, criticised the comparison, saying: “It is never appropriate to compare the Port Arthur tragedy with anything, in any circumstance.
“This is still raw for many Tasmanians and will be forever raw with those who are directly affected,” he said.
In a statement, the New South Wales Council for Civil Liberties said Dutton’s comments “lack factual basis” and “dangerously conflate unrelated issues, leading to misinformation and unwarranted associations”.
Top news
Australia records lowest seven-day Covid death rate for more than two years | The country has recorded its lowest Covid death rate for more than two years, according to federal health department data that dates back to January 2022. The latest data on the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System shows that between Thursday 29 February and Saturday 2 March, and on 5 and 6 March, the seven-day rolling average for Covid deaths was zero.
Australian billionaire accuses Meta of ‘blatantly refusing’ to act against scam ads | The businessman and philanthropist Andrew Forrest has accused Facebook’s parent company of “blatantly refusing” to take action against scam ads on its platform, as a criminal case he brought against Meta in Western Australia was discontinued.
Ballarat community unites against violence on women | Women in a Victorian community rocked by three recent killings are demanding an end to male violence, as a rally is to take place in Ballarat today. The Ballarat region’s Samantha Murphy, Rebecca Young and Hannah McGuire have allegedly died at the hands of men since the beginning of February.
Queensland farmer finds ‘pretty impressive’ 45kg giant jackfruit | Weighing in at 45kg, it is the heaviest jackfruit that farmer Peter Brighton has ever grown on his tropical fruit farm, located in Feluga, south of Cairns. The second heaviest was 38kg.
Hamas says it does not have 40 hostages who fit criteria for deal with Israel | The Palestinian militant group Hamas has indicated it does not have 40 captives who are still alive who meet the “humanitarian” criteria for a proposed hostages-for-prisoners ceasefire agreement with Israel. A senior Israeli official confirmed claims made at the weekend by Hamas during talks in Cairo that it does not have 40 hostages in Gaza who meet the exchange criteria.
Driver in fatal Texas crash used auto-driving system | The driver of a Ford electric SUV involved in a February fatal crash in Texas was using the company’s partially automated driving system before the wreck, federal investigators said.
Lara Trump’s RNC robocall falsely claims ‘massive fraud’ in 2020 election | The Republican National Committee sent out a scripted robocall on behalf of its new co-chair Lara Trump, falsely claiming Democrats were guilty of “massive fraud” in the 2020 election. “We all know the problems,” the RNC call said, according to CNN, which also said the call was sent 145,000 times in the first week of April.
Jeremy Paxman says Parkinson’s ‘makes you wish you hadn’t been born’ | The BBC presenter has said Parkinson’s disease “makes you wish you hadn’t been born” as he delivered a list of recommendations about the condition to Downing Street.
Banquet room with preserved frescoes unearthed among Pompeii ruins | A banquet room replete with well preserved frescoes depicting characters inspired by the Trojan war has been unearthed among the ruins of Pompeii in what has been described as one of the most striking discoveries ever made at the southern Italy archaeological site.
Full Story
Newsroom edition: Labor’s changing rhetoric on Palestine – Full Story podcast
This week, the foreign minister, Penny Wong, spoke about finding a pathway to peace in the Middle East, calling for a two-state solution and the recognition of Palestine as a state. In response, Peter Dutton attacked Wong, calling her reckless and accusing her of alienating Australia’s international allies.
Gabrielle Jackson speaks with editor Lenore Taylor and head of newsroom Mike Ticher about the response to Wong’s calls to recognise Palestinian statehood.
Listen to the Full Story episode here.
What they said …
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“Absolutely. Let us know when you get endometriosis and we’ll book your appointment.”
This is Queensland’s premier Steven Miles’s response to a comment on X, stating “men pay taxes [and] deserve the same benefits and services as women”. The comment on X followed the state opening its first publicly funded endometriosis clinic.
In numbers
The under-fire South Sydney coach, Jason Demetriou, stormed out of his pre-match press conference after 27 seconds following questions about his future. Demetriou’s press conference was shorter than Darius Boyd’s infamous 42-second effort in 2009, and Wayne Bennett’s 80 seconds of answers after a loss to Penrith in 2020.
Before bed read
As security laws tighten in Hong Kong, public expression is diminishing. Bookstores and NGOs are closing, democracy activists are on trial, and media organisations are leaving, write Amy Hawkins and Helen Davidson.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: ALF. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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