News live: Police investigate after alleged Islamaphobic comment targeting Lakemba mosque; Australian population grows by 1.8%​on March 20, 2025 at 5:09 am

Wong said in response to American pharmaceutical companies complaining to the US Trump administration about the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme in Australia, that the Australian government will continue to stand up for, and advocate for Australia’s interests.

Including making it clear to American pharmaceutical companies and that lobby group, that Australia’s PBS is not up for grabs. Which is not up for negotiation, what Labor had to do when the Liberals put in place, or negotiated the US free trade agreement. It was the Labor Party in opposition that had to protect the PBS.

I would say this about Mr Dutton. You know, he says ‘I would have got it, he would have got a deal, no question.’ Australians need to ask, what would he be prepared to give away to get that deal? Would he be prepared to give away’s PBS funding? Would he be prepared to give away things core to who we are, we know how much of the Americanisation of health has appealed previously to Peter Dutton.

Wong says she has asked her department to do an assessment of where a reduction in US aid as a result of Trump cuts may be most problematic.

Wong suggests the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, cannot be taken “too seriously” because “he’s part of a government that cut aid”.

Wong said the government will continue to engage with the US in our region.

Part what if we do with the United States is – in relation to the Pacific. Because obviously we have been an ally who is most closely engaged with the Pacific because of who we are, part of the Pacific family, part of the Pacific Islands Forum, of course we’ll continue to do that.

But I’m making the point the opposition leader has absolutely no credibility when it comes to the Pacific. This is a bloke who made a joke about climate change, remember, joked about water lapping at the door, something I still hear when I visit the Pacific. He hasn’t visited. He continues to leave on the table, leave on the chopping block, aid cuts. He’s not serious, demonstrates yet again reckless, not up to the job. Just not up to the job.

In response to the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, saying today that one of his first acts would be to call Benjamin Netanyahu and affirm Australia’s traditional support for Israel, Wong says Dutton is “the man who made fun of the Pacific, talked about the drums of war, who left a vacuum in the Pacific for others to fill”.

He remains lost in our region, where Australia’s interests lie. Most of our – so many of our interests lie in our region. And again, Mr Dutton, just like Scott Morrison, is lost in our region. This a man as opposition leader – I don’t think he has visited one Pacific Island country or South-East Asian country.

Turning to the Gaza conflict, Wong says Australians are “rightly distressed” by the ceasefire in Gaza not holding, and horrified by the loss of life, including children.

We continue to urge the ceasefire to be observed. We continue to say that Hamas should release hostages, we continue to say international humanitarian assistance should flow. And of course, I have consistently – the government has consistently – urged all parties, including Israel, as a democracy, to comply with international law, including international humanitarian law.

She said it is “regrettable that we’ve never seen Mr Dutton talk about those obligations or the importance of international humanitarian law”.

The foreign minister, Penny Wong, tells ABC’s Afternoon Briefing if there was a request for support on the ground for a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine, the prime minister has said Australia would consider it.

That’s a very sensible position and it’s a position I find interesting, Peter Dutton, where he has a choice, back Australia or public a political fight, he always chooses picking the political fight.

Psychiatrists hearing adjourned until April

On day four of arbitration over psychiatrist’s pay in Sydney’s industrial relations commission (IRC) court, we were meant to hear evidence from expert witnesses called by either side – NSW Health and the doctors’ union.

The Australian Salaried Medical Officers’ Federation (Asmof) is seeking a special levy to increase its psychiatrist members’ pay by 25% to stem the flow of specialist doctors leaving the public system.

However, after counsels on both sides raised objections with each other’s expert evidence, the bench has given directions to postpone the hearing until 4 April and the closing submissions to take place on 10 April.

The counsel for NSW Health raised four objections with the evidence of Asmof’s expert witness Prof John Buchanan, including that in the rush to file statements for the expedited hearing he had not provided references for all sources.

Thomas Dixon, the counsel for Asmof, raised the issue that NSW Health’s evidence only dealt with costings if the 25% award was made, but didn’t “deal with the counterfactual.”

The IRC bench proceeded to give directions that both parties would respond to extra evidence requested by each other before the hearing resumes in April.

Second alleged Islamophobic comment under investigation

The Lebanese Muslim Association has referred an alleged Islamophobic comment targeting Lakemba mosque to New South Wales police for investigation.

In a statement, the association alleged a comment on its social media page contained “a deeply offensive reference to the Christchurch terrorist attack”, which killed 51 worshippers in 2019.

Earlier this month the Australian Islamic House – Masjid Al-Bayt Al-Islami in Edmondson Park – reported an online threat made against it on Instagram. Police confirmed they were investigating that threat.

Here’s part of the association’s statement:

The thousands of Australian Muslims who gather at Lakemba mosque and across the country do so with love and commitment to this nation. They are citizens who contribute to its prosperity and diversity. Yet they continue to feel unsafe in their own country due to the lack of legal protections and the unchecked rise of anti-Muslim rhetoric.

A spokesperson for the NSW police said an investigation had been commenced following the report.

As investigations continue, anyone with information is asked to call Campsie Police Area Command or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

The NSW Police Force takes hate crimes seriously and encourages anyone who is the victim of a hate crime or witnesses a hate crime to report the matter to police through Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or through Triple Zero (000) in an emergency.

It is important that the community and police continue to work together to make NSW a safer place for everyone.

Three charged in NSW over alleged NDIS fraud

Three people have been charged over alleged National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) fraud incidents in Kempsey and the surrounding areas.

Three search warrants were executed at properties in South West Rocks and Arakoon on Wednesday morning by NSW police with assistance from NDIA investigations, the Australian federal police, and Services Australia.

A fourth search warrant was executed at a Sydney property at the same time.

As a result of the search warrants, police allegedly located and seized several documents, records, and electronic storage devices.

Two men – 32 and 36 – and a 31-year-old woman, were arrested and taken to Kempsey police station where they were charged with alleged fraud offences.

The 36-year-old was charged with three counts of dishonestly intend to obtain a gain, attempt to dishonestly intend to obtain a gain, and deal in indictable crime proceeds: money/property equal to or greater than $1m.

The 32-year-old was charged with four counts of dishonestly intend to obtain a gain, and two counts of attempt to dishonestly intend to obtain a gain.

They were refused bail to appear before Kempsey local court on Thursday

The woman was charged with attempt to dishonestly intend to obtain a gain.

She was granted strict conditional bail to appear before Kempsey local court on 10 April.

Police will allege in court that fraudulent invoices were submitted for services not provided to vulnerable NDIS participants, in order to obtain a financial gain.

US government in ‘temporary pause’ of funding to some Australian university research

The Trump administration told Australian university researchers a push to promote administration priorities and avoid “DEI, woke gender ideology and the green new deal” was behind a “temporary pause” of funding, according to a memo seen by Guardian Australia.

University sector sources say the US has severed research funding at six universities – Monash University, Australian National University and the University of Melbourne, University of Sydney, University of New South Wales and University of Western Australia – since Donald Trump came to power, including some as early as January. ANU is the first university to publicly acknowledged it.

The projects, which spanned a range of topics from agriculture to foreign aid, social science and geology, were cancelled pending a review as part of US higher education cuts. Some notifications came directly from US government agencies to researchers.

Many thanks for joining me on the blog today, I’ll hand over to Josh Taylor for the rest of the afternoon. Take care.

Gas shortfall delayed as homes electrify, winters mild

The Australian Energy Market Operator has long predicted gas shortfalls for southern states, AAP reports, yet lower projected demand has helped it push out that timeline until 2028 – three years later than forecast.

The Eraring coal station staying open longer than expected following its delayed retirement should further lower demand for gas power generation, the market operator said in its report today.

The latest assessment landed the same day as a newly-inked deal between the federal government and Australia Pacific LNG to secure more gas for the domestic market.

AEMO chief executive officer Daniel Westerman said investment in new supply was necessary as gas fields in the Bass Strait were depleting. He flagged several options to address shortfall risks for southern states:

Investment could include new production, storage, transportation, and liquefied natural gas (LNG) regasification terminals, or a combination of these solutions.

Gas-fired power stations can be turned on quickly to produce electricity and are viewed as the “ultimate backstop” as renewables replace coal in the grid to cut emissions from the energy system.

Under the Labor government’s deal with APLNG, commercial and industrial gas consumers would have first preference for the new supply of up to 40PJ of gas. That gas would be covered by the government’s code of conduct that dictates new supply will be offered at $12 a GJ.