Anthony Albanese shoots down suggestion of inquiry into police response during interview with Karl Stefanovic. Follow the latest updates liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastUnited Nations special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, tells ABC RN Breakfast Donald Trump’s statement the US “will take over” Gaza is “utterly unlawful”.The implications is that the president of the United States says that it’s country [is] ready to commit an act of aggression.It’s pathetic … I think that there are many countries which have a word to say about the two state solution, and then they do not even recognise the state of Palestine. If Australia is not ready to recognise the state of Palestine, it has nothing to say about the two state solution, it has nothing to contribute with when it comes to the two state solution, but it still has obligations under international law not to aid and assist a system that is committing international crimes.There really is no discretion here. We have set a mandatory minimum sentence. The judges are free to impose sentences a lot longer than those mandatory minimums, and there’ll be some cases where that’s very necessary for very serious terrorism offences, people can be jailed for 20 years or more Continue reading…Anthony Albanese shoots down suggestion of inquiry into police response during interview with Karl Stefanovic. Follow the latest updates liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastUnited Nations special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, tells ABC RN Breakfast Donald Trump’s statement the US “will take over” Gaza is “utterly unlawful”.The implications is that the president of the United States says that it’s country [is] ready to commit an act of aggression.It’s pathetic … I think that there are many countries which have a word to say about the two state solution, and then they do not even recognise the state of Palestine. If Australia is not ready to recognise the state of Palestine, it has nothing to say about the two state solution, it has nothing to contribute with when it comes to the two state solution, but it still has obligations under international law not to aid and assist a system that is committing international crimes.There really is no discretion here. We have set a mandatory minimum sentence. The judges are free to impose sentences a lot longer than those mandatory minimums, and there’ll be some cases where that’s very necessary for very serious terrorism offences, people can be jailed for 20 years or more Continue reading…
The Coalition used yesterday’s question time to repeatedly pressure Anthony Albanese to reveal exactly when he knew about the caravan carrying explosives in Sydney.
Albanese was asked about it again in several interviews this morning, including on Nine’s Today. It got a bit heated.
Host Karl Stefanovic said the PM must have been “livid” that he wasn’t notified, to which Albanese responded: “You’re making an incredible assumption there, Karl.”
He’s then asked whether he’d support an inquiry into whether a “communications failure” occurred.
Here’s the rest of the exchange:
Albanese: “What? So, stop the investigations? Stop doing the work to track down the perpetrators of these crimes and engage in politics?”
Stefanovic: “All right, that’s a no.”
Albanese: “Do you think that that is a sensible use of resources?”
Stefanovic: “I think that it needs some focus … But it’s when you are actually informed about something of this magnitude that’s important.”
Albanese: “Karl, what’s important is tracking down the perpetrators of these crimes. It is, I find it, frankly, absurd that people think, for example, that resources should be diverted, that the AFP and intelligence agencies should be engaged in a political process rather than doing their job.”
President Trump not talking about “forcibly moving people” from Gaza: Dutton
Earlier we reported on Dutton calling Donald Trump a “big thinker”. He’s been asked about the comments he made to 2GB this morning, which were in relation to Trump’s comments to “take over” Gaza.
Dutton backs in his comments, calling Trump a “deal maker” who’s created “incredible success”.
I think the point the President was making, which is a point all of us, I’m sure, would want to emphasise, is that we want peace in the Middle East.
…hopefully more people [hostages] can be released and if that is part of the work that the Trump administration is doing – which, of course, it is – then that’s fantastic work and whatever leverage can be applied to bring people out of a hostage situation back to their families I think is a good thing and if we can see a plan which has peace and stability restored to the region, then would I support that? Yes, of course I would.
He’s tested further on whether Trump’s plan would end Gaza as a place for Palestinians – he defers the question to the Prime Minister, but says:
I don’t think the President, from what I’ve seen is talking about forcefully moving people. I would wait to see the detail of what is released as the discussions continue
Dutton says issue with notification is not with AFP, but with the prime minister
Dutton is asked whether the AFP has questions to answer on when the prime minister was told about the incident.
Dutton says he “doesn’t think there is a breakdown in the process”
To be honest, the prime minister has the questions to answer here, don’t think there is any breakdown in the process. The NSW Police have either made a deliberate decision to advise the com also the prime minister wasn’t advised because they are worried he would leave the information. Beyond that there is no other reasonable explanation.
Dutton goes further to say there are “reasonable questions” for the prime minister to answer, and says the “first step” should be an inquiry.
He’s also asked if he thinks there’s been an “ill outcome” over this communication. He says that’s a “hard question to answer”:
As I said before, when I was home affairs minister – and I’m sure it’s the case for Tony Burke now – we carried secure communications with us 24/7, wherever we were in the world.
Liberals claim Labor was dragged ‘kicking and screaming’ into supporting mandatory minimum sentences
Dutton is with the shadow home affairs minister, James Paterson, and is welcoming the amendments for mandatory minimum sentencing voted on in the House this morning.
Paterson says the PM was “dragged kicking and screaming” to support the amendments, and that he and other Labor MPs had previously spoken out against mandatory minimum sentencing.
It was only last week that the prime minister was rubbishing the need for mandatory minimum sentences. It was on Tuesday that Labor senators voted against the motion from the Coalition advocating mandatory minimum sentences. So, once again we have a prime minister [who] doesn’t have the strength to make the tough decisions in the national interest.
Dutton’s asked about whether an investigation would expose security agencies. He says the investigation “should be made public”:
There is no way in the world that the prime minister would be kept in the dark for 10 days about an alleged terrorist plot that could kill hundreds of Australians. Why was the premier of New South Wales notified about it if there was a national security imperative to keep it from political leaders? It just doesn’t add up.
Dutton calls for inquiry into PM not being notified of caravan full of explosives
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, is doing his first press conference this year in Canberra.
He’s focusing on when the PM was briefed on the caravan filled with explosives in Sydney.
I have written to the prime minister today asking for an independent inquiry in relation to the fact that the prime minister of our country wasn’t notified for nine days, 10 days of what was believed to be the biggest planned terrorist attack in our country’s history.
Labor’s “Free Tafe” bill has passed the House of Representatives, paving the way for it to become legislated with the backing of the Senate.
The Australian Education Union’s federal president, Correna Haythorpe, urged the federal parliament to prioritise the bill prior to the election being called.
We are calling on the federal parliament to pass this legislation so that Tafe students and teachers can have certainty into the future. We know that the Coalition have been vocally opposed to Free Tafe. This puts Free Tafe at significant risk of being scrapped should a Dutton government be elected.
“Free Tafe has changed lives, and we have seen rapid invigoration of the Tafe sector under the Albanese government, but now all that progress is at risk.
The minister for skills and training, Andrew Giles, confirmed the Liberal party was blocking the bill but said with “Anthony Albanese and the Australian Labor party, Free Tafe is here to stay”.
Read more about the bill here:
Education minister proposes new laws to prevent gender-based violence at universities
The education minister, Jason Clare, has introduced legislation that would enshrine a national code to prevent and respond to gender-based violence at universities.
It comes the same week the newly established national student ombudsman began taking complaints from students with the powers of a royal commission.
Addressing parliament this morning, Clare said for “too long” students had been “let down by their universities and inaction by previous governments”.
Advocates have been ignored and they shouldn’t have been.
The code will require higher education institutions to take evidence-based steps to prevent gender-based violence on campuses and at third-party student accommodation providers. It will be backed by mandatory reporting to governing bodies, which could enact financial penalties if universities fail to meet their expectations.
National gender equity campaigning group Fair Agenda’s Renee Carr said the code was the product of “years of research and collective advocacy”.
For too long, student victim-survivors have faced harmful actions from their universities, compounding the harm of their assault. Too many have been left without support for their safety on campus or in exam spaces, and have been left to drop out or fail as a result.
Labor MP speaks out on Trump’s Gaza comments
While Anthony Albanese has avoided directly responding to president Donald Trump’s comments on taking over Gaza, Labor MP and assistant climate change minister Josh Wilson has issued a statement on X.
He said there “can be no suggestion” another country could “own” Gaza.
Australia is a longstanding supporter of a two-state solution that delivers peace, justice and self-determination for the Palestinian people. There can be no suggestion that another country would unilaterally “own” Gaza and displace Palestinians.
Government seeks to move Senate hate crimes bill vote to today
The government will move a motion to bring forward a vote on the hate crimes legislation in the Senate so it can pass there today as well.
The Senate is now debating the future made in Australia bill to legislate production tax credits.
They have the numbers for it, and you can read more on it here:
Ged Kearney abstains from mandatory minimum sentencing vote
The assistant health minister, Ged Kearney, abstained from voting on the amendment for mandatory minimum sentencing in the hate crimes bill.
The amendment was supported by the coalition and government, as well as independents Allegra Spender, Rebekha Sharkie, Dai Le and Russell Broadbent and was voted against by the Greens and other cross-benchers.
The hate crimes amendment to add mandatory minimum sentencing has now been voted on and agreed to in the house.
But neither the government nor Coalition supported amendments from independent MP Allegra Spender to include stronger anti-vilification provisions.
Voting begins on hate crimes legislation
Parliament is sitting this morning, and over in the house they’ve begun voting on amendments to the hate crimes legislation that adds mandatory minimum sentences for some terrorism offences and displaying hate symbols.
The amendments were brought up in the federation chamber late yesterday – it’s an extra chamber that can work in parallel with the House of Representatives to get legislation moving along.
The Coalition used yesterday’s question time to repeatedly pressure Anthony Albanese to reveal exactly when he knew about the caravan carrying explosives in Sydney.
Albanese was asked about it again in several interviews this morning, including on Nine’s Today. It got a bit heated.
Host Karl Stefanovic said the PM must have been “livid” that he wasn’t notified, to which Albanese responded: “You’re making an incredible assumption there, Karl.”
He’s then asked whether he’d support an inquiry into whether a “communications failure” occurred.
Here’s the rest of the exchange:
Albanese: “What? So, stop the investigations? Stop doing the work to track down the perpetrators of these crimes and engage in politics?”
Stefanovic: “All right, that’s a no.”
Albanese: “Do you think that that is a sensible use of resources?”
Stefanovic: “I think that it needs some focus … But it’s when you are actually informed about something of this magnitude that’s important.”
Albanese: “Karl, what’s important is tracking down the perpetrators of these crimes. It is, I find it, frankly, absurd that people think, for example, that resources should be diverted, that the AFP and intelligence agencies should be engaged in a political process rather than doing their job.”
Dutton doubles down on proposal to return ‘golden ticket’ visa for high net worth migrants
Peter Dutton has backed a proposal to bring back the significant investor visa – also known as the “golden ticket” – that was abolished by the government in January 2024.
Dutton was reportedly overheard at a Liberal party fundraising event last week telling a migration agent, “I think we’ll bring it back.”
The visa required a minimum investment of $5m in Australia in exchange for automatic permanent residency.
Dutton was asked about it on 2GB this morning and said he doesn’t think there’s “anything remarkable” about wanting to bring in high net worth individuals.
The whole idea is to try and attract capital to our country. I want people to invest in businesses, I want start ups in the IT space where we can attract capital from international partners and you need all the requisite security checks and that’s a given.
The scheme was dumped after a review, which found migrants on skilled visas contributed more to the economy over a lifetime than the “golden ticket” visa holders.
Then-home affairs minister Clare O’Neil said at the time: “It has been obvious for years that this visa is not delivering what our country and economy needs from a migration system.”
Not enough known about Trump’s Gaza plans to determine his statement’s meaning, Paterson says
There has been plenty of reaction from politicians this morning to Donald Trump’s comments on taking over Gaza.
Looping back to shadow home affairs minister James Paterson on ABC News Breakfast earlier – he was asked whether the plan could be characterised as “ethnic cleansing”. He replied:
I wouldn’t use those words, but I would say that it hasn’t changed the view, the longstanding view of the Liberal party, that we support a two-state solution that includes self-determination for both Israelis and Palestinians. It includes security and peace within secure borders of two states. And we do have a task ahead of us to rebuild Gaza after a terrible war. And one of the critical elements of that task is going to have to be removing Hamas from power.
He says we “don’t understand enough” about Trump’s intentions or plans.
Peter Dutton says the US president, Donald Trump, brings “gravitas” to the Middle East conflict and that he is a “big thinker”. The opposition leader made the comments in response to Trump’s statement that the US should take over Gaza.
Dutton told 2GB: “What’s gone before us has failed.”
I think he [Trump] genuinely wants to see a chance for peace; he wants to see people not living in squalor but living in the safe environment with good housing for their children …
He’s a big thinker and a deal maker. He’s not become a president of the United States for a second time by being anything other than shrewd.
PM lists government support for Townsville as he bats off further challenges on Trump’s Gaza comments
You can hear the torrential rain in Townsville this morning as the PM continues his interviews.
On Sunrise, Anthony Albanese’s gone through the support the federal government is providing:
We’ve triggered income support. We’ve already signed off on the support for local government here. We have ADF …choppers have come not just from the Townsville base but from Oakey as well to provide support … so a lot of ADF personnel are here helping.
He also said earlier the government would support the rebuild of the Bruce Highway, damaged by the floods.
Albanese was then rechallenged on Donald Trump’s comments. He still won’t bite and reiterates Australia’s position.
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. This is a statement that’s been made yesterday. I’ve said for, I think, very sound reasons, two things. One is, Australia determines our foreign policy. Our foreign policy remains the same. And secondly, that I’m not going to run a running commentary on the statements of the US president on a day-to-day basis.
PM again refuses to comment on Trump’s stated plan to take over Gaza
Anthony Albanese is challenged again on Donald Trump’s statement to take over Gaza.
He continues avoiding directly responding to the statement, reiterating the government’s position that it supports a two-state solution.
He tells ABC News Breakfast he’s taking a “sit back” approach and Australia’s position is “the right of both Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security in their own states”.
Quite clearly the policy announced yesterday was a different one. I have said that I’m not going to respond to every statement, every day, that’s made. I will determine and my government will determine Australia’s position, which has been consistent for a long period of time. And that is consistent as well with what the world has said.
PM downplays suggestion party caucus didn’t back hate crime bill amendments
The PM is doing a series of interviews from Townsville this morning, starting on Nine’s Today.
Anthony Albanese downplayed suggestions the party caucus didn’t approve the amendments to include mandatory minimum sentencing. Several Labor members had spoken against mandatory minimum sentencing earlier that day.
He says the party “approved everything”.
We go through all of our proper processes on these items. So caucus approved everything that we do. Our caucus committee process. But we believe that the strongest action is required here. We have, as I said, we introduced this legislation last year to outlaw Nazi symbols and hate symbols as well.