Category Archives: Anthony Albanese

Australians ‘hold you in our hearts’, Anthony Albanese tells Jewish community

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Amid rising tensions between supporters of Israel and Palestinians, the prime minister says Jewish people will be protected from any antisemitic threat

Anthony Albanese has told Australian Jews that his government is committed to keeping them safe amid rising inter-community tensions following the Hamas attack on Israel and the prospect of all-out war in the Middle East.

As thousands of people gathered in Sydney on Wednesday night to commemorate the deaths of civilians and show support for Israel, the prime minister addressed the Jewish community at St Kilda Shule in Melbourne.

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Australia news live: Sydney pro-Palestine rally to go ahead without NSW police approval; Cheng Lei freed from China

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Heavy traffic near Sydney airport after truck crash and fluid spill

Traffic remains heavy near Sydney airport after a two-truck crash caused a fluid spill.

This is one of the most important priorities for us coming out of what’s occurred in the previous days.

Minister Wong is [working] really hard on that. The Australian government will do whatever is necessary to protect [its] citizens.

We’ll do whatever is necessary to make sure we can secure the safety of Australians … We’re working very hard to make sure we protect Australians not just overseas, but here at home.

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Australians can ‘lift burden of history’ with yes vote, says emotional Albanese at Uluru

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Prime minister visibly moved by song and dance of traditional owners as he attempts to rally the nation behind the voice plan

Australians have the opportunity to “lift the burden of history” from Indigenous people by voting yes to the voice to parliament, a clearly emotional Anthony Albanese has told a gathering of traditional owners at Uluru.

The prime minister sat with leaders from central Australia, including the most senior traditional owner of the rock, Reggie Uluru, on a hot afternoon in the national park at the base of the rock on Tuesday.

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PM says Australians in Israel safe – as it happened

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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.

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Labor won’t try to legislate Indigenous voice if referendum fails, Anthony Albanese says

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‘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?”

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Anthony Albanese casts yes vote in ‘once in a generation’ voice to parliament referendum

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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.

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At least one dead in light plane crash; state and territory leaders back the voice – as it happened

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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.

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Australia news live: Elise Archer resigns from Tasmanian parliament after ultimatum from premier; fire tears through Kings Cross hostel

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Jeremy Rockliff writes to Elise Archer asking that she advise whether she will remain in parliament

No property loss in hunter region bushfires, NSW RFS deputy commissioner says

Speaking to ABC News Breakfast, NSW RFS deputy commissioner Peter McAfee also provided an update on the bushfires in the Hunter region.

So some really great saves by firefighters in really challenging conditions.

We still have some high fire danger days right across northern NSW with with extreme up in the north-west, so it’s not over this period of fire activity, but some good news to see that change moving through the southern part of the state.

It really was a serious incident there right into the evening, with crews protecting properties throughout.

We’ll have our teams in there at daylight this morning. They’re already getting in there, just looking at exactly what’s occurred. It’s [was] too dangerous to do all that work overnight.

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Hanson-Young labels Dutton’s voice campaigning ‘sinister’ – as it happened

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Residents of Pine Scrub and Leeka in Tasmania urged to leave amid out of control fire

A bushfire emergency warning has been issued to the Tasmanian communities of Pine Scrub and Leeka.

Burning embers may threaten your home before the main fire arrives.

Smoke and ash may make it difficult to see and breathe.

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Voice to parliament referendum: early voting opens as yes and no campaigners hit the hustings

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Early polling locations open in Victoria, Tasmania, WA and NT with other states to follow on Tuesday

Campaigners for both sides of the Indigenous voice referendum have hit the hustings as early voting opens across the country.

The yes and no campaigns have less than two weeks to make their case over whether to enshrine an Indigenous advisory body in the constitution.

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Penny Wong refuses to release documents related to Qatar Airways decision – as it happened

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The foreign minister claims public interest immunity over Dfat advice. This blog is now closed

Rishworth won’t confirm adoption of any disability royal commission recommendations, ahead of report release

Families and Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth has refused to confirm if the government will be adopting any of the recommendations made in the disability royal commission report ahead of its public release today.

I’m not going to comment on any specific recommendations.

Obviously, we need to also make sure people with disability have choice and control.

You never change a country for the better through fear, you change it through hope and optimism and compassion and justice.

That’s what this referendum is about.

This is a body that won’t provide funds, that won’t run programs, that will just give advice to the government, and that experience of past bodies, and issues that have arisen has been factored in by Indigenous Australians when they’ve made this request.

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China lifts trade restrictions as relationship improves – as it happened

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Trade minister Don Farrell welcomes ‘positive step forward’ but says Australia pressing for all remaining restrictions to be lifted. This blog is now closed

Chalmers also declared the government is not “currently contemplating” a fuel subsidy, as prices continue to rise.

It comes after new data released yesterday showed cost of living is still increasing, with fuel costs jumping 9.1% in August, gas up 12.9% and electricity 12.7%.

It’s not something that we are currently contemplating. And one of the reasons for that is we’ve got I think, a much better way of providing cost of living help for people.

Historically, what the Reserve Bank tries to do is to understand the overall direction of travel.

And the direction of travel has been really clear, inflation is moderating overall, we’ll get these bumpy and lumpy figures month to month from time to time, but it’s moderating overall.

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Anthony Albanese to accelerate transition to low emissions after voice referendum

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Exclusive: PM says the ‘right decisions’ are needed to ensure Australia emerges a winner in the global race to renewable energy

Anthony Albanese has signalled he will do more to accelerate the transition to low emissions after the voice referendum has concluded, declaring the “right decisions” are needed to ensure Australia emerges a winner in the global race to renewable energy.

Albanese’s signpost during an interview with Guardian Australia’s politics podcast comes as the government is working up a policy response to challenges and opportunities created by the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act ahead of the prime minister’s visit to Washington in late October.

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Australia news live: Jacinta Allan expected to become new premier of Victoria after Dan Andrews resigns; Tesla battery storage fire in Queensland

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Bill Shorten says Allan is a ‘leader in her own right’; rule quirk means Labor may have acting premier

Andrews’ handling of pandemic ‘a legacy of his strength’, Bill Shorten says

NDIS minister and former Labor leader Bill Shorten has spoken highly of outgoing Victorian premier Daniel Andrews while speaking to ABC RN this morning.

I think the pandemic was the most unusual period in Victoria … and I think that we were learning a lot as we went along during that.

When I think back to those first few days, in March 2020, I think the aim was to ensure that we had enough hospital space to be able to treat people if they got very sick, and that required, I think, a high degree of central leadership.

Police will continue to monitor the situation as there are a large number of batteries on site … Nearby residents are urged to monitor [social media] and be prepared for police to door-knock homes in the area if the situation worsens.

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Deputy premier puts hand up for Victoria’s top job – as it happened

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Canterbury Road fire: firetrucks wetting down area

Supt Adam Dewberry with Fire and Rescue NSW has just provided us with an update on the factory fire on Canterbury Road in Sydney’s south-west.

Vacancy rates under 1% in most of these suburbs show the immense strain on housing availability. When you’re allocating nearly half your income on rent … the financial stress becomes unbearable.

Our index is more than just numbers; it’s a call to action. Policymakers and stakeholders need to acknowledge this growing crisis.

The relentless climb in rent and plummeting vacancy rates are not just statistics but indicators of a quality of life that is rapidly deteriorating for Australian renters.

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Anthony Albanese tells Peter Dutton he will set up bipartisan committee to legislate on voice to parliament if yes vote succeeds

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Speaking at the same Yes23 campaign launch in Sydney, Julian Leeser says ‘Australians aren’t a perfect people … but are good-hearted’

Anthony Albanese has sought to allay concerns about the design of the voice by telling Peter Dutton he will set up a bipartisan committee to legislate the advisory body, if the referendum is successful.

The prime minister revealed the move at the launch of the Uniting Church’s Yes23 campaign in Sydney on Sunday. At the same event the Liberal MP and voice advocate Julian Leeser urged Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians to move from “being strangers from each other to being siblings of this great land”.

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Smorgasbord of conspiracy theories join forces at Sydney’s unofficial no rally – as it happened

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And now that I’ve introduced you to the “wanking off the dolphin” story, I’m going to skedaddle. Jordyn Beazley is set to steer the mighty blog ship for the next little bit, enjoy!

Our reporter Ben Doherty has been following developments at the UN this week and here’s the top of his story on Penny Wong’s speech, which was delivered in New York this morning Australian time.

With its special responsibility as a permanent member of the security council, Russia mocks the UN every day it continues its illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine.

The rest of the permanent members and all member states must be unyielding in our response to Russia’s grave violation of Article II of our shared UN charter.

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Lidia Thorpe may ‘pull back’ on voice opposition if Labor does more on Indigenous deaths in custody

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Exclusive: Independent senator says Anthony Albanese ‘needs to act’ on recommendations of 1991 royal commission

The independent senator Lidia Thorpe has said she could “pull back” on opposing the voice if the government commits to implementing recommendations of the royal commission into Aboriginal deaths in custody, urging Anthony Albanese to announce action before referendum day.

Thorpe told Guardian Australia this week that she was “not necessarily campaigning” against the voice but was hoping for a no result, and agreed with no campaign leader Warren Mundine’s claim that treaties would be more likely in the event the referendum fails.

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Uluru Dialogue accuses Dutton of ‘deception’ over voice – as it happened

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Jim Chalmers is now on RN Breakfast, where he was asked by host Hamish McDonald whether he was reconsidering the stage-three tax cuts given much of the $22.1bn budget surplus comes from the taxes of “hard working Australians”.

Chalmers said the government has not changed its view on the tax cuts, which recent data showed will flow disproportionately to high-income earners and men:

Well, first of all, it’s partly a function that people are working more and earning more. The labor market is incredibly resilient given what’s coming at us from around the world. And so unemployment is lower than what many people anticipated. And wages have began growing again, and that’s a good thing too. And that’s one of the reasons why the budgets in better nick but also getting good better prices for our commodities and what that means for company tax.

We haven’t changed our view about the stage three tax cuts, but we have found a way to provide substantial cost-of-living relief for people on low and middle and fixed incomes, because we recognise people are doing it tough and they’ve been our priority.

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Anthony Albanese expected to announce inquiry into Australia’s Covid response – reports

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A three-strong panel will look into how governments responded, according to reports, but the opposition says it won’t have enough powers

A leading infectious diseases expert says an inquiry into the Covid pandemic must look at all aspects of governments’ responses, including factors beyond medical issues, such as decisions around lockdowns and school closures.

The federal government is on Thursday expected to announce a special commission of inquiry into the Covid pandemic, the Australian Financial Review reported late on Wednesday.

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