What we learned: Wednesday, 14 January
With that, we will wrap the blog for the evening. We’ll be back first thing tomorrow – take care of yourselves.
Until then, these were today’s biggest news headlines:
Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah has said she may take legal action against the South Australian premier, Peter Malinauskas, after claiming he made “defamatory” remarks against her following her disinvitation from Adelaide writers’ week.
Influential Liberal backbencher Andrew Hastie has confirmed he will vote against Labor’s tough new hate laws in a special sitting of parliament next week.
The Nationals senator Matt Canavan says the Albanese government’s proposed hate speech laws are “undemocratic, unconstitutional and so vague that they could easily be used to unjustly silence legitimate criticism of government policy”.
Sarah Rogers, the US undersecretary of state for public diplomacy, said a proposed bill targeting hate speech after the Bondi terror attack could be “deeply perverse”.
A bid to ban extremist groups following the Bondi massacre is already working, a Labor MP says, as Australia’s most prominent neo-Nazi groups announce they will disband.
Joel Davis, a member of an Australian neo-Nazi group, has applied for bail for a third time after he was charged over an alleged threatening message targeting independent federal MP Allegra Spender.
An Islamic prayer hall associated with the controversial cleric Wisam Haddad, which had come under scrutiny since the Bondi massacre, has announced it has permanently closed after the local council moved to shut it.
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, said the bridge used in the Bondi terror attack would be a “ghoulish reminder” if it was left standing and should be torn down as the local council is set to determine the structure’s fate.
Last year was the third-hottest year on record globally, according to the World Meteorological Organization.
There are now more than 700 structures either destroyed or significantly damaged as a result of the bushfires across Victoria.
The federal environment minister, Murray Watt, has dismissed a bid to block the construction of the 63,000-capacity main stadium for the 2032 Olympics at Barrambin/Victoria Park in Brisbane.
Craig Silvey’s publisher, Allen & Unwin, is putting promotional work for the 43-year-old author on hold while he faces allegations of possessing and distributing child exploitation material.
Updated
An applicant has responded to the federal environment minister to reject a bid to halt the 63,000 main stadium for the 2032 Olympics, at Barrambin/Victoria Park in Brisbane.
Several groups applied to Murray Watt to use his powers under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984 to block the stadium. He rejected one emergency application on Wednesday, but is still considering three more made under a different section of the act.
Save Victoria Park spokesperson Rosemary O’Hagan said the Aboriginal history of Barrambin (also known as Victoria Park) is well documented. It is heritage listed.
She said:
The Crisafulli government knew this history when deciding to build stadiums in the park. They chose to ignore it.
The state government passed laws last year exempting the construction from the Queensland’s planning, environmental protection and Aboriginal cultural laws.
Acting planning minister Ros Bates welcomed the decision, which she said was “another step towards delivering a 2032 Games Queenslanders can be proud of”.
She said:
New planning legislation introduced last year incorporates engagement and consultation as part of a comprehensive cultural heritage management plan.
These laws are working well and enable GIICA to progress the Brisbane Stadium and the wider delivery plan on time and on budget, with appropriate safeguards in place.
Planning minister Jarrod Bleijie last year said that the government will proceed with their plans regardless of the outcome of the consultation
