The day that was, Monday 4 December
We will wrap up the live blog here for Monday. Here’s some of what made the news today:
The Labor MP for Dunkley, Peta Murphy, died surrounded by her family following “brave” battle against breast cancer, the prime minister announced in an emotional press conference on Monday. Tributes flowed from MPs from across the parliament, and the flag over parliament was lowered to half mast as a sign of respect.
Ahead of Labor pushing through legislation this week for preventative detention of some of the nearly 150 released following the NZYQ high court decision, the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has written to the prime minister asking that the preventive detention regime be put on the agenda for Wednesday’s national cabinet.
Origin Energy’s shareholders voted down a $20bn takeover bid by Brookfield and EIG.
Centrelink should consider forgiving all 100,000 debts that may have been affected by unlawful income apportionment, the commonwealth ombudsman has said in its second and final report into the controversy.
Five hundred lawyers have signed an open letter to the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, the foreign minister, Penny Wong, and the attorney-general Mark Dreyfus expressing concern about efforts to diminish Israel’s right to self-defence in the war with Hamas.
Supermarkets should freeze the price of leg ham to give families certainty ahead of Christmas Day, the federal agriculture minister, Murray Watt, has said.
We’ll be back with you tomorrow.
Updated
Greens ceasefire motion defeated in Senate
Around an hour ago in the Senate, the Greens put up an urgency motion on the Israel-Hamas war that said:
The Australian government must call for an immediate permanent ceasefire to end the humanitarian catastrophe occurring in Gaza, for the unconditional release of all hostages and political prisoners and for an urgent end to the siege and invasion of Gaza.
Ultimately the motion was defeated 10-29, with independent senator David Pocock siding with the Greens in favour of the motion.
Updated
