Home affairs minister issues social media reminder that Hamas is listed as a terrorist organisation in Australia. Follow live
Here are some images of the Australian landmarks that were illuminated in blue and white colours last night in support of Israel.
The Sydney Opera House:
Continue reading...Protesters march on Sydney Opera House but prime minister Anthony Albanese says people need to ‘take a step back’
Hundreds of Australians have marched in solidarity with Palestinians after the Israeli government formally declared war against Hamas in response to its surprise attack.
The militant group Hamas launched a co-ordinated attack across Israel on Saturday, killing hundreds of civilians were killed and taking dozens of hostages in the largest incursion since the 1973 Yom Kippur war.
Continue reading...In a late plea for a yes vote in the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum, the respected leader says he fears ‘for the future of my people’ if it is defeated
Noel Pearson says he will walk away from advocating for a “middle path” of compromise if the voice to parliament referendum fails, claiming reconciliation would not be viable in the event of a no vote.
The longtime Indigenous activist and respected community leader says he would instead allow a new generation of Indigenous leaders to chart a different path forward.
Pearson said he fears “for the future of my people” if the referendum is defeated on Saturday, making a late plea for voters to vote yes in recognition of Australia’s history and avoid a failure he says would be “ugly as sin”.
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AAP has the latest polling results ahead of the Indigenous voice referendum day this Saturday:
Two surveys show the no campaign is still ahead a week out from referendum day despite one poll indicating a slight late gain in support for the yes vote in the past month.
Not at all. It’s only done when people cast their ballots.
We’ll wait and see when they cast their vote. I’m not getting ahead of the Australian people.
I know there’s some arrogance has crept into the no side campaign, but it’s a campaign based upon fear and it’s similar to the sort of arguments that were put prior to the apology to stolen generations. And if people think about that … there weren’t any negative consequences for anyone.
Continue reading...Committee seeks more time so it can quiz former Qantas boss Alan Joyce about the Albanese government’s Qatar Airways ruling
The Albanese government should immediately review its decision to block Qatar Airways from launching extra flights to Australia, a Senate inquiry has recommended, as it called for a significantly expanded role and powers for the competition and consumer watchdog in the sector.
The Senate select committee on bilateral air service agreements – set up to examine the rejection of Qatar Airways’ request to almost double its flights into Australia’s major airports – has also recommended its own extension to November so the former Qantas CEO Alan Joyce could front members upon his return to Australia, and so other Qantas representatives who provided “unsatisfactory” responses could be re-quizzed by senators.
Continue reading...People who took up party’s incorrect suggestion on applying for postal ballots could miss out on voting in referendum, MP warns
The Liberal party has apologised to voters for incorrectly suggesting they could apply for a postal vote before writs for the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum had been issued, with the party conceding they will now need to reapply.
The independent MP Kate Chaney has blasted the party for its “blatant disregard” of Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) guidelines and warned that voters may be disenfranchised because they were informed less than two weeks from the 14 October poll.
Continue reading...Lonergan Research survey finds 63% of parents agree public schools are underfunded as ABS data shows decline in public enrolments
Almost half of all parents with children in Australia’s private schools would consider moving them to the public system if it was better resourced, according to a new survey.
The Lonergan Research survey, commissioned by the Greens, polled more than 1,000 parents nationally with children enrolled from kindergarten to year 12.
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‘Our support is totally unwavering’: PM on Ukraine
Albanese says that despite questions about whether support for Ukraine may be wavering under US Republications, Australia remains committed to supporting the country as it defends itself from a Russian invasion.
This is a struggle to defend the rights of a sovereign state to exist, to defend the rights of a democracy to exist.
Our support is totally unwavering.
This is indiscriminate. Civilians being targeted, killed and murdered, as well as many of them being taken hostage. This is dreadful.
Continue reading...‘If Australians vote no, I don’t believe it would be appropriate to then go and legislate anyway,’ prime minister says a week out from vote
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, says the government won’t try to legislate a voice to parliament if the no vote wins next weekend’s referendum on enshrining the body in the constitution.
Albanese on Sunday was asked on ABC TV: “If it’s a no vote, you walk away from the voice altogether?”
Continue reading...Australian Medical Association and Uluru Dialogue say patients and medical staff could be disenfranchised after AEC continues Covid-era policy
Australia’s peak medical body and a key group backing the Indigenous voice to parliament have raised concerns patients and medical staff may be disenfranchised in the referendum, after a pandemic-era decision not to send mobile voting teams into hospitals was made permanent.
During the 2022 federal election, the Australian Electoral Commission decided it was not appropriate to send polling officials into hospitals, given the risk of Covid infection and transmission, and the AEC has confirmed the policy is still in place for the referendum.
Continue reading...PM says he won’t take lectures from Tony Abbott and John Howard after pair claim voice wouldn’t help central Australia
Anthony Albanese has cast his vote for an Indigenous voice to parliament and said Australians have “nothing to fear from voting yes, but everything to gain”.
After visiting an early voting centre in Marrickville with his son Nathan by his side, the prime minister also hit back at Tony Abbott and John Howard, who on Saturday claimed the voice would not improve outcomes for Indigenous people in central Australia.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Papua New Guinea official accuses Australia of abandoning 70 men but government maintains it has no responsibility for them
Refugees exiled to Papua New Guinea a decade ago will be sent back to Australia if the Australian government fails to continue funding PNG’s humanitarian program, Port Moresby’s most senior migration official has warned.
PNG’s chief migration officer, Stanis Hulahau, said the refugees had been abandoned by Australia and the PNG businesses that had been housing and caring for the men were owed tens of millions of dollars.
Continue reading...David Pocock and Barbara Pocock are the latest in a string of independent and minor party politicians to renounce the ‘Canberra bonus’ in the name of integrity
A number of MPs and senators are handing back their access to Qantas’ prestigious chairman’s lounge in the name of integrity after a series of sagas that have painted the domestic carrier in negative light.
It comes as the airline has come under fire in recent months over its influence in federal government and a recent high court ruling finding it had illegally sacked workers during the pandemic.
Continue reading...Telegram post says group would target department after Australia announced it would send Slinger anti-drone technology to Ukraine
The department responsible for Australia’s cybersecurity, national security and immigration has confirmed it was hit with a distributed denial-of-service attack on Thursday night that took its website offline for five hours, after a pro-Russia hacker group said it would target the site over Australia’s support for Ukraine.
The group posted on Telegram on Thursday night that it was targeting the home affairs department with a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack after Australia announced this week that Slinger technology aimed at combating drones would be sent to Ukraine in the push back against the Russian invasion.
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More than 70 constitutional and public law teachers have signed a letter saying the voice to parliament “is not constitutionally risky” in a bid to clarify “misunderstandings and misconceptions” among Australian voters.
Here is an excerpt from the letter:
In law school, we teach our students techniques to assess competing legal opinions, which include looking at the evidence that the author is using to support their opinion, and the author’s experience working in the specialised field. This skill is important, for instance, in assessing the stated concern of the No Case that the proposed amendment is constitutionally ‘risky’ and, in particular, that it might lead to dysfunction and delays in government.
Certainly, it is impossible to predict exactly what the High Court might say in the future; this is the case for all constitutional and legal provisions. But we know that the vast majority of expert legal opinion agrees that this amendment is not constitutionally risky. These views are supported by careful argument, drawing on precedent (that is, previously decided cases) and a deep understanding of the Court’s approach to constitutional interpretation. These experts also agree that the proposed Voice provision is consistent with the Australian constitutional system.
We did have a disturbing incident this morning where our crews had to respond to a water rescue in the Bairnsdale area, where two males entered the water in a car and subsequently got carried away, or the vehicle got carried away. They had to be rescued from the roof of their vehicle.
… It is a salient reminder never [to] enter flood waters, always choose an alternative route.
Continue reading...‘Historic injustices’ suffered by Indigenous people warrant a voice to parliament, open letter signed by more than 350 says
The “historic injustices” suffered by Indigenous Australians warrant a voice to parliament, according to hundreds of historians, with a new public campaign calling on voters to consider the nation’s colonial past when casting their ballot.
Historians from universities, libraries and museums are asking Australians to consider how people in the future will look back on this moment, saying the referendum campaign will be a “turning point” for the fabric of the nation.
Continue reading...Exclusive: federal government coordinated letters to the women and Qatari officials when they formally rejected the request for extra routes
The coordinated timing of two key letters sent by the federal government about its decision to block extra flights for Qatar Airways, released under freedom of information, raise fresh questions about the role an incident at Doha airport played in the rejection.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Dfat) was consulted over a letter that the transport minister, Catherine King, was preparing to send to five Australian women suing Qatar Airways, telling them the airline’s push for more flights had been rejected, FoI documents reveal.
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Rain expected to ease over flooded regions in Victoria
The good news is no more rain is expected over flooded regions in Victoria, VicSES deputy chief officer David Baker told ABC News:
The big tap in the sky has been turned off. That’s great news for us. So what we’re dealing with now is what’s currently in the river systems that will need to flush itself through the systems. And we can assess that and we can manage that and put efforts in place to make sure that communities are out of harm’s way. So the good news is no more serious rain expected, and a pretty stable system, I understand, until at least … next week.
We estimate up to 130 properties may be impacted by the event, hence we issued an Emergency warning late yesterday afternoon which was renewed during the early hours of the morning.
It’s mainly homes in that area. Rural homes that may see what we call above floor inundation.
Continue reading...Politics and music go ‘hand in hand’, the Cold Chisel frontman says, and the referendum offers a chance for the country to move forward
Australian rock legend Jimmy Barnes has defended the right of musicians to speak in support of the Indigenous voice to parliament, saying a yes vote in the referendum was about a “fair go” and that he would always “stick up for what I believe in”.
The Cold Chisel frontman has urged voters to approach the 14 October poll with an open mind and to learn about the proposal for an Indigenous advisory committee. But as he and other Australian music icons such as John Farnham and Midnight Oil come under fire from some fans for making their voices heard on the referendum, Barnes didn’t back down from his longheld support for the voice.
Continue reading...Australia Institute says its plan would let government lift jobseeker payment while still improving budget bottom line
The stage-three tax cuts could be renovated to save the budget up to $130bn while still delivering bigger tax cuts to 80% of income earners, according to the Australia Institute.
The progressive thinktank has released a report modelling four alternatives to the controversial tax cuts, finding they could save between $70bn and $130bn. Those savings are enough to lift the jobseeker payment to the rate of the age pension while still making a net improvement to the budget bottom line.
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