Australians are grieving for those killed on both sides of Israel-Hamas war, Adam Bandt tells protesters
About 15,000 people have attended a rally supporting Palestine in Melbourne, with the Greens leader, Adam Bandt, telling the crowd they were mourning for those who had died on both sides of the bloody conflict.
Sunday’s protest was one of several held across the country at the weekend. Victoria police said that there were “no major incidents of note”.
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The Albanese government says it has reached an agreement with China on tariffs placed on Australian wine.
In a statement on Sunday, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese welcomed the progress ahead of his meeting with China’s president, Xi Jinping, in early November, saying the government is “confident of a successful outcome”.
The agreement means China will undertake an expedited five-month review of the duties it places on Australian wine producers. Australia and China have paused the World Trade Organization dispute until the review is finished.
Australia will resume the WTO dispute if the duties aren’t dropped after the review period.
Albanese will visit Beijing between 4 and 7 November to meet Xi and the premier, Li Qiang, and attend the China International Import Expo.
The leaders are expected to discuss economic links, climate change and links between their people.
Albanese said:
I look forward to visiting China, an important step towards ensuring a stable and productive relationship … I welcome the progress we have made to return Australian products, including Australian wine, to the Chinese market. Strong trade benefits both countries.
Continue reading...Countries agree to halt World Trade Organization dispute pending outcome of China’s ‘expedited review’ of duties imposed on Australian wine in 2020
China has agreed to review the tariffs it places on Australian wine producers after a breakthrough in negotiations before Anthony Albanese’s trip to Beijing next month.
Albanese said on Sunday the two countries had agreed to suspend their long-running World Trade Organization dispute while Beijing undertakes an “expedited review” of duties, which is expected to take five months.
Continue reading...Prime minister Anthony Albanese confirms his death on Saturday
Former governor general and one-time Labor Party leader Bill Hayden has died at the age of 90.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, confirmed his death in a statement on Saturday, paying tribute to “a legend of our labour movement” and that a state funeral will be held to honour his life.
Continue reading...Financial regulator finds Peter John Collins is ‘not a fit and proper person to provide financial services’
Australia’s financial watchdog has issued an eight-year ban to a former PwC partner at the heart of a confidentiality scandal that triggered a reputation crisis at the firm and a costly sell-off.
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has been investigating the conduct of Peter John Collins, of Sandringham in Victoria, who has been accused of sharing confidential government information about multinational tax avoidance with colleagues.
Continue reading...Government also presses for removal of imposts on wine ahead of Anthony Albanese’s visit to Beijing next month
Australia is moving to repair ties with China ahead of Anthony Albanese’s trip to Beijing, ruling out cancelling a Chinese company’s lease over the strategically important Port of Darwin.
The move, which is likely to be welcomed by the Chinese government, comes as Australia also prepares to scrap tariffs on imports of Chinese wind towers, potentially defusing one of Beijing’s trade complaints.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Government fast-tracked applications of canoeist, wrestler and water polo player backed by AOC
The Australian government has fast-tracked the citizenship of three athletes from South Africa, Russia and the US, in an effort to boost the nation’s chances of winning gold medals at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
With the support of the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC), South African canoeist Pierre Van der Westhuyzen, Russian wrestler Georgii Okorokov and US water polo player Sam Slobodien, will receive citizenships ahead of the games after having their applications fast-tracked.
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Abbott suggests ‘scaling back’ on ‘separatism’ after no referendum vote
Former prime minister Tony Abbott has some ... opinions ... on what the defeat of the voice referendum means the country should do next. It’s fair to say they’re not uncontroversial.
Flying the Aboriginal flag co-equally (as if Australia is a country of two nations) and the routine acknowledgement of country by all speakers at official events (as if those whose ancestry here stretches beyond 1788 are more Australian than anyone else).
The Department of Justice wishes to express deepest sympathies to the boy’s family, friends and community for their tragic loss. The department is continuing its investigation into all the circumstances of the incident.
The death will be subject to a mandatory inquest and the department will fully co-operate with the coronial process.
Continue reading...Exclusive: With Indigenous leaders ‘shell-shocked’, sources say there are a ‘lot of conversations’ in the Minns government about next step
The New South Wales government will review part of its state treaty consultation plan, a key election promise, in the wake of the crushing federal referendum defeat on the voice to parliament.
The government isn’t confirming the appointment of three commissioners to oversee the process as planned – and previously outlined by the Aboriginal affairs and treaty minister, David Harris, in April. Sources say the consultation process and timeline will now be reviewed.
Continue reading...Endorsement of British American Tobacco by Climate Active was revoked after complaint was made, FoI documents show
The government has been forced to revoke carbon neutral certification given to a big tobacco company after the endorsement was found to be in breach of a World Health Organization treaty to which Australia is a signatory.
Freedom of information documents show a complaint was made by the managing director of the Carbon Reduction Institute, Rob Cawthorne, to the health department in August 2022 about British American Tobacco (BAT) receiving the certification from Climate Active.
Continue reading...Former military lawyer’s legal team warns public has made its ‘disapproval of the continued prosecution abundantly clear’
David McBride’s legal team has made a last-ditch request to the attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, to intervene and end his prosecution, warning the public had made their “disapproval of the continued prosecution abundantly clear”.
McBride, a former military lawyer, is facing trial in the ACT courts next month for his alleged leaking of documents to the ABC, which were used to produce a series of articles exposing alleged war crimes by Australian troops.
Continue reading...‘We need … to maintain our roads in a way that’s fair, and aimed at helping, not hindering, electrification of transport’, says Monique Ryan
Teal independent MPs have welcomed the high court’s decision to strike down Victoria’s electric vehicle tax, urging the federal government to instead legislate national road-user charges.
Zoe Daniel, Allegra Spender, Monique Ryan and Kylea Tink have all called for road use charges to apply fairly to all vehicles, with a nationally consistent scheme that does not target EVs.
Continue reading...Iron-willed during Covid, it’s become harder to know what Queensland’s premier really stands for
In the Queensland parliament in May, Annastacia Palaszczuk spoke bluntly about “uncomfortable truths”.
“Each generation is called to make its mark on its age,” Palaszczuk said. “A treaty with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is ours.
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No move on paying super to people on paid parental leave
But so far, the government has not moved on paying superannuation to parents (mostly women) on paid parental leave.
Super, of course, is really important and it’s something we would very much like to look to in the future when the budget can afford it. But this is a very big step forward, the current arrangements, but we’ll continue to look around superannuation into the future and consider it in each budget context.
I think with the reserved period as well, we’re going to see an increase in shared care, both parents taking some time out, which is really, really important if we want to get a more equal burden of, you know, of that share of care.
So that is really important as well.
Continue reading...Sussan Ley’s comments come after Labor MPs including Ed Husic and Anne Aly break ranks to condemn Israel’s blockade on Gaza
Sussan Ley has accused the Albanese government of “deep division” and “confusion” over its official stance toward the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
The science minister, Ed Husic, said on Thursday morning he was concerned Palestinians were being “collectively punished for Hamas’s barbarism” in the besieged Gaza Strip, with the death toll rising to more than 3,000.
Continue reading...Ed Husic backed by fellow Labor frontbencher Anne Aly who says Israel ‘could be investigated’ for alleged war crimes
Palestinians are being “collectively punished for Hamas’s barbarism”, senior federal minister Ed Husic has said, in the strongest condemnation yet of Israel’s reprisals in Gaza by a member of the Australian government.
Fellow Labor frontbencher Anne Aly immediately backed Husic saying it was “difficult to argue” that Palestinians, including 1,000 children who had been killed, were not being “collectively punished”. Aly, the early childhood education minister, suggested Israel could be investigated over whether it had committed war crimes.
Continue reading...Australia Institute survey a boost to Labor legislation to tackle misinformation ahead of next federal election
Almost nine in 10 Australians support truth in political advertising laws, with majorities of both yes and no voters concerned about “lies and misinformation” during the voice referendum debate.
Those are the results of a survey of 1,547 voters by the Australian Institute conducted from the close of polls on Saturday evening to Tuesday, which also calls on the Albanese government to come up with new solutions to close the gap.
Continue reading...PM condemns ‘any indiscriminate attacks’ on civilians while Penny Wong says spread of conflict would compound ‘risks to Israel’s security’
Anthony Albanese has described the deaths of hundreds of people at a Gaza hospital as “deeply distressing” as the Australian government urged all parties to avoid an escalation of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The prime minister on Wednesday condemned “any indiscriminate attacks” on civilians, while the foreign minister, Penny Wong, warned a wider regional conflict would cause even more civilian deaths.
Continue reading...‘Protection of civilian lives must come first and respect for international humanitarian law is paramount,’ Australian foreign minister says. Follow the day’s news live
Lingiari MP Marion Scrymgour speaks on the referendum
Just before the house adjourned for the evening on Tuesday, Labor Lingiari MP Marion Scrymgour gave a speech about the referendum which is very much worth your time:
I want to say a few things about what led us to the recent referendum and what it means for those first peoples Australians most affected by the outcome, particularly the first peoples Australians in my electorate of Lingiari.
Because of some arcane parliamentary tradition, which I understand derives from English House of Commons, we are obliged to call the making of a speech at this time and in this place a ‘grievance debate’.
The price tag of Israel’s right to defend itself cannot be the destruction of Palestine.
Israel’s right to defend its civilians cannot equate to the annihilation of Palestinian civilians. I hereby call for an immediate ceasefire to come into effect, alongside many world leaders and experts.
Continue reading...Albanese highlights ‘concerning’ Coalition voice rhetoric as Dutton targets PM over treaty and truth telling. Follow the day’s news live
‘We’re holding a thorough consultation process,’ Jacinta Allan says
Under the proposal, a government minister will appoint commissioners, though the Greens-chaired integrity and oversight committee will have the power to veto candidates.
A new parliamentary ethics committee
Improvements to mechanisms relating to public interest disclosures about MPs
Updates to the MP code of conduct
We’re holding a thorough consultation process to ensure we achieve the highest standards of conduct and integrity of MPs in all aspects of their work for Victorians.
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