What we learned: Thursday 12 October
Before we close the blog for today, let’s recap the big headlines:
The Liberal MP Julian Leeser called on Australians to approach the voice with hope, not fear.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, reached out to the Jewish community as Israel supporters rallied in Sydney.
Lidia Thorpe backed legislating a voice to parliament if the referendum is defeated.
The Australia Electoral Commission advised voters against wearing campaign material such as a pin or T-shirt when they vote in the referendum as it could be misconstrued as campaigning, and the law states that people cannot campaign within six metres of the entrance to a polling place.
The chair of a Senate inquiry into the consultancy industry, Richard Colbeck, told PwC Australia’s senior leadership that he was deeply offended by the firm’s breach and misuse of confidential government information.
Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company, Tesla, was fined $155,460 for failing to comply with mandatory safety standards for products using button batteries, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said.
PwC Australia’s former chief executive Luke Sayers revealed the firm recommended breaking up the organisation in 2018 to manage a concerning level of conflicts of interest, but was blocked by the firm’s global management.
New Zealand comedian Cal Wilson’s cause of death was confirmed by her artist management agency as a rare form of cancer.
A 16-year-old boy who was in a WA youth detention is in a critical condition after he was found unresponsive at the facility in the early hours of the morning.
The Asio boss warned of potential for “opportunistic violence” amid the Israel-Hamas war but said there was no change to Australia’s terror threat.
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, called for attenders of pro-Palestine rallies where some people chanted antisemitic slogans to have their visas cancelled and be deported.
Thanks for reading, we will be back tomorrow morning.
Updated
Dfat says small number of Australians in Israel receiving consular assistance but not all wish to leave
A department of foreign affairs and trade spokesperson says they are providing consular assistance to a small number of Australians in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including to the family of an Australian citizen murdered in the attacks:
We are also supporting more than 1,500 registered Australians. Many have registered for information only and not all wish to leave.
… More than 350 Australians previously registered have already departed Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
The government has organised three assisted-departure flights for Australians affected by the crisis in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories:
The flights from Ben Gurion Airport to London will start Friday for Australians who don’t already have plans to leave through commercial options. The two flights to London will be operated by Qantas.
The third flight will be operated by a private charter. Registered Australians will be updated with the details of this flight.
Updated
