What we learned: Thursday, 15 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:
The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, has said the Albanese government’s proposed hate speech and anti-vilification legislation appears “pretty unsalvageable” and rejected suggestions of hypocrisy by the Coalition after weeks of calls for new laws to tackle antisemitism.
The Greens have said the party will not support the government’s hate speech bill “in its current form”.
The head of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry has called on the opposition to rethink its opposition to the government’s hate speech laws and seek amendments from Labor.
Allegra Spender has urged the Coalition to follow through on their calls for “urgent action” in the wake of the Bondi terror attack.
The Adelaide festival has reinstated its invitation to Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah to Adelaide writers’ week for 2027 and issued an unreserved apology amid the firestorm over the decision to remove her from its program.
Abdel-Fattah said she accepts the apology, but says it won’t be a “quick fix” to repair damage done.
The South Australian premier, Peter Malinauskas, said he was informed of the new board’s decision to apologise to Abdel-Fattah, but he did not agree with that decision.
Major demonstrations in Sydney planned for 26 January could still go ahead even if a declaration restricting protests is extended beyond that date, as police confirm they are working with different organisers on contingencies.
Updated
‘Hastily’ developed hate speech bill is ‘what the opposition demanded’, Monique Ryan says
Monique Ryan has said the federal government’s hate speech legislation has been “developed hastily”, but that’s “what the opposition demanded”.
The independent member for Kooyong said she hoped politicians would put politics aside next week and “work constructively on how best to protect all Australians’ security and freedom.”
Ryan said:
The Coalition has spent the past four weeks demanding action in response to the Bondi terrorist attacks, even calling for parliament to return before Christmas. But now, as laws in response to those attacks are being introduced, the Coalition is reportedly set to oppose them, claiming they’ve been developed too quickly.
Australians want their leaders to work together in matters of national security.The legislation we’re debating has been developed hastily: that’s what the opposition demanded. I’d be prepared to stay in Canberra for long as needed for us all to work together to make it better.
But it would be a very sad reflection on this country if our parliament can’t bring itself to agree to start working together to better address extremism, racial and religious hatred, and vilification, in the face of the trauma of the Bondi massacre. I hope that that’s not who we have become.
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