What we learned today, Sunday 7 April
And that’s where we’ll leave you this evening. Here’s a wrap of what we learned today:
Cleanup is expected to get under way in parts of Sydney subject to moderate flooding overnight as more than 300 homes still subject to evacuation orders.
Federal industry minister, Ed Husic, says the killing of Gaza aid workers reflects “systematic failure” of IDF.
The federal government has announced disaster relief for those affected by the floods.
Illegal waste dumping is likely source of asbestos debris found in Melbourne Park.
Shadow foreign affairs minister, Simon Birmingham, has refused to avoid criticising Israeli government over death of Gaza aid workers.
A missing asylum seeker in far north Western Australia has been found.
A gas pipeline has ruptured off the coast of Victoria, prompting demands for more stringent regulations and greater transparency.
Thank you for staying with us, we will be back first thing tomorrow with all the latest.
Updated
Metro tunnel’s turn-up-and-go system to rival world’s best
Turn-up-and-go train services to rival the world’s best public transport systems are gearing up to launch for the first time in Victoria, AAP reports.
Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel is set to open in 2025, a year ahead of schedule, and will create capacity for trains to run constantly from the Cranbourne/Pakenham lines through to the Sunbury line.
The premier, Jacinta Allan, and transport infrastructure minister, Danny Pearson, visited State Library station on Sunday to share that crews successfully ran test trains two minutes apart between West Footscray and Hawksburn stations.
Crews have clocked over 16,500km running through the tunnels since July – paving the way to begin trial operations with drivers and station staff by year’s end.
The Metro Tunnel will connect the busy Sunbury, Cranbourne and Pakenham lines through a new tunnel under the city, creating an end-to-end rail line from the north-west to the south-east – freeing up space in the City Loop and creating capacity to run more trains more often.
Allan told reporters on Sunday that the turn-up-and-go services was an exciting prospect.
Test trains are now running on new signalling tech, and we’re getting ready to deliver turn-up-and-go transport services that will change the way our city moves for ever.
Updated
Spike in auctions
Auction activity has risen sharply this weekend with 1,964 auctions held.
This is a sharp rise on the 901 held last week and a substantial gain on the 652 auctions that occurred at the same time last year.
Based on results collected so far, CoreLogic’s summary found that the preliminary clearance rate was 75.9% across the country, which is higher than the 71.4% preliminary rate recorded last week and above the 64.8% actual rate on final numbers.
Across the capital cities:
Sydney: 859 auctions with a preliminary clearance rate of 81.6%
Melbourne: 785 auctions with a preliminary clearance rate of 70.6%
Brisbane: 123 auctions with a preliminary clearance rate of 75%
Adelaide: 65 auctions with a preliminary clearance rate of 80.8%
Canberra: 64 auctions with a preliminary clearance rate of 61.8%
Tasmania: One auction to be held.
Perth: Nine of 12 auctions held.
Updated
Overseas central bank moves may hint at rates moment
As inflation cools, Australians will look to international inflation indicators for signals on whether the Reserve Bank might lower interest rates, AAP reports.
The United States’ consumer price index, which will drop by Wednesday, is expected to increase 0.3% on headline and core measures, CommSec economists Ryan Felsman and Craig James say.
China is also expected to reveal its inflation data via consumer and producer prices on Thursday, as the central banks of Canada, Europe and New Zealand hand down their interest rate decisions midweek.
In Australia it is largely second-tier economic data that awaits investors, Felsman and James said.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics will release data on business turnover in February, which will provide an indication of broader economic activity in the wake of household spending insights from CBA.
Meanwhile, a NAB survey on business conditions is expected to show they were above the long-run average during March.
On Wednesday, building activity data from the ABS for the December quarter will also show whether Australia is on track to reach its target of 1.2m new houses over the next five years.
Building approvals data released on Thursday showed a 1.9% fall in February due to a sharp drop in non-housing dwellings and a 10.7% lift in housing approvals as the construction industry struggles with labour and material costs.
Updated
Rockliff returns to premiership with minority government
Tasmanian premier, Jeremy Rockliff, has acknowledged “a kick up the backside” from voters but says the make-up of Tasmania’s new parliament makes him excited to get on with the job.
Unable to form a majority government after securing just 14 seats at the 23 March poll, the Tasmanian parliament will be led by the Liberals and include 10 Labor seats, five Greens, three Jacqui Lambie Network and three independents.
The Liberal party has been in power a decade and Rockliff called an early election in a bid to secure majority government.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, the premier said that despite falling short of his goal he will “embrace the opportunity to work with the expanded parliament … that is truly reflective of the people who voted for it”.
I’m excited about this parliament.
They’ve [voters] given us a kick up the backside and we note that, we reflect on that.
We will respect, with maturity, the will of the Tasmanian people and they expect us to get on with the job.
Rockliff said his constructive and positive discussions with Jacqui Lambie Network members and independents continued.
A third of Tasmanians snubbed the two major parties at the election, with the Liberals receiving 37% of the primary vote and Labor 29%.
Labor conceded it was unable to form government the day after the election.
- AAP
Updated
Missing asylum seeker found
A man who has been lost in far north Western Australia since Friday has been found after a search effort by WA police.
The man was part of a group that arrived in Australia by boat and had become separated from the rest of the group.
WA police said they found the man on a track not far from Truscott airbase in the Mitchell Plateu area on Sunday morning in relatively good condition.
He is receiving medical treatment from a doctor at the airbase.
Updated
Illegal waste dumping likely source of asbestos debris found in Melbourne park
Hobsons Bay city council has been unable to supply the name of the mulch producer for GJ Hosken Reserve, an off-lead dog area, to the EPA, but it is believed it was delivered in 2017.
Asbestos fragments have been confirmed at Crofts Reserve.
The EPA says asbestos fragments found at PJ Lynch Reserve in Altona North and bonded asbestos debris at Donald McLean Reserve in Spotswood are likely to be the result of illegal waste dumping.
The EPA said in a statement:
The EPA believes the source of asbestos and other contaminants at the site was illegal dumping of construction and demolition waste after the mulch was delivered.
Two small “cement sheet like” fragments found by a concerned resident in Shore Reserve in Pascoe Vale South are yet to be confirmed as asbestos, but the EPA says it is likely to come from littering rather than in mulch supplied to the park.
Inspections are also taking place in Merri-bek after reports of asbestos fragments being seen during the construction of Hosken Reserve in North Coburg in January.
The EPA says asbestos is in the soil, rather than linked to a mulch supplier.
Merri-bek council confirmed the asbestos-contaminated soil was found within the area closed for the major upgrade works.
- AAP
Updated
International humanitarian law must be upheld, PM says
The PM is also asked about the appointment of a special adviser to the federal government on the investigation into the killing of Zomi Frankcom.
Albanese reiterated the Australian government’s “complete and utter opposition to the events that happened on 7 October”, but added that “what we need to do is ensure international humanitarian law is upheld” to allow people performing humanitarian work to do so “in safety”.
Updated
Arrival of people to WA to be dealt with under existing laws, PM says
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is speaking to reporters after a group of people believed to be asylum seekers were found in Western Australia.
He has not commented on the arrival, saying only that the situation will be handled under the existing legal framework.
Operation Sovereign Border principles will apply as they have in this case.
The prime minister also took questions on opposition leader Peter Dutton’s release of his party’s plan to embrace nuclear power.
We can’t afford for nothing to happen while these power stations are reaching the end of their life. We saw that happen for a decade. That was a wasted decade.
The PM also said there “isn’t a single private sector organisation putting their hand up saying they wanted to fund a nuclear reactor her in Australia.
Peter Dutton’s policy is for nothing to happen.
Updated
Two people injured in suspicious Sydney apartment fire
NSW police are seeking information after a suspicious unit fire in Sydney.
About 3.30am today, emergency services were called to Surry Hills apartment block in after reports of a fire.
Officers arrived to find a second-floor unit alight. The fire was quickly extinguished by Fire and Rescue NSW before it could spread to neighbouring units.
A 41-year-old man and a 39-year-old woman were treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics for burns to their bodies before they were taken to hospital in a serious but stable condition. Another 39-year-old woman was treated for burns to her legs.
Police established a crime scene and began an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident. They believe the fire may have been deliberately lit.
Updated
Man dies while diving at Tasmanian beach
A man has died while diving at White beach in Tasmania’s south this morning.
Police and emergency services were called to the boat ramp at White beach just before 9.40am after reports a diver had been recovered from the water.
CPR was attempted on the 38-year-old man but he died at the scene.
A report will be prepared for the coroner.
Updated
SES: dam spillover likely to ease today
Lastly, the SES is asked about the Warragamba Dam releases, and whether it will have any impact on the river height.
York says the SES doesn’t expect the river to go up, with projections suggesting later today the spillover at the dam will cease.
It’s not affecting the river height. We’ve been informed that the river has peaked, and so it will start to be going down now … here at the Windsor Bridge, it’s peaked and we don’t anticipate at all that the bridge will go under.
Updated
Local member Susan Templeman says “this is not actually where we expected to be on a Sunday”.
We thought this might be a much worse event than it has been, but it’s been made much easier by the incredible local SES people who are here today.
What is really significant about today is what the minister said about the declaration of disaster, what that does in only 24 hours following a serious disaster is it triggers support for my community. It triggers support for our council to repair essential infrastructure, whether that’s roads or sporting facilities. It triggers support for all the sports clubs … it also triggers the initial support for our primary producers and for our residents who are affected.
Flood waters not expected to subside until tomorrow
NSW SES commissioner Carlene York says there are still 60 warnings regarding ongoing flood waters. She says they aren’t expected to subside until this evening or throughout tomorrow.
There are some areas where the evacuations are still current.
What we’re moving to today is to assess the damage at those different communities across the state that have been affected by this significant weather event and working with our partner agencies to do that. And as soon as it’s safe, we will be lifting those evacuation orders so that people can go into their houses and start cleaning up all their properties.
There’s still a lot of roads cut and there’s still a lot of danger out there. And that obviously will worsen as the night comes, not with the rain, but with the ability to see what’s on the road and to be able to assess the danger.
So again, telling the community not to drive through flood waters, we’ve had way too many rescues required to go and assist people to get out of those flood waters, and there’s been a lot of vision of people being on the roofs of their cars and some really dangerous situations where my SES volunteers have been placed in danger.
Updated
Dib says while damage is being assessed, today is a “good day”, thanking the community, volunteers and emergency services.
We can’t control the weather and we can’t control the impact of the weather. But … we’ve learned from past disasters to make sure that we are better at addressing the ways that we deal with natural disasters.
And I want to thank the federal government for the work that they do. We have an incredible relationship and looked at what we could have done better from the 2020 floods and built that into it. The reconstruction authority, our emergency services, our local government, our state government and all of our agencies working together with one goal and one goal alone.
Updated
Flood threat remains despite blue skies, NSW emergency services minister says
The state government is providing an update in Windsor after flooding in the Hawkesbury region in New South Wales.
The region has endured seven floods in 18 months.
State minister for emergency services Jihad Dib says the government has agreed to a number of shires that will be declared natural disaster zones.
He says the SES has performed about 200 flood rescues since Friday.
It’s fairly blue skies behind me, but that doesn’t mean that the water danger is over. That the threat of flood is over. As we talked about yesterday, there’s a thing called the blue sky flood, where all of the water that feeds into the tributaries, into the local catchment areas basically comes together.
We’ve been quite fortunate in the sense that today we can say that, you know, we didn’t need to close the Windsor Bridge, which is a really fantastic thing for the local community, but also speaks to the volumes of what are flooding could have been where we’re standing right now. I’m informed that in a major flood, we would have our toes in water.
Updated
Urgent investigation of ruptured pipeline needed, Greens say
Senator Peter Whish-Wilson has called for stronger laws and regulation of the offshore gas industry, after the rupture off the Victoria coast.
The pipeline is owned by Esso, an ExxonMobil subsidiary. The company notified the regulatory on Saturday morning after a “sheen” was visible on the ocean’s surface.
Whish-Wilson called on the regulatory to undertake an urgent investigation:
The current regulatory framework doesn’t provide sufficient environmental or economic protection from impacts of the offshore oil and gas sector – including impacts relating to the decommissioning of ageing and toxic offshore oil and gas rigs.
NOPSEMA is supposed to have oversight and regulate the environmental management of the offshore fossil fuel industry, but coastal communities are fast losing confidence in the ‘independent’ regulator, which has become more of an enabler than an investigator of offshore oil and gas projects.
Big fossil fuel corporations make millions from Australia’s offshore oil and gas fields and repeatedly get away with failing to clean up after themselves.
Updated
The Australian Marine Conservation Society has joined called for offshore oil and gas regulator NOPSEMA to take a tougher line on fossil fuel producers, saying the incident demonstrates the need for stronger oversight and transparency.
Louise Morris, offshore oil and gas campaign manager, said little was known about the incident as Esso has not commented publicly.
But from information available, she said it was “deeply concerning” there was no clarity on how much petroleum condensate and decommissioning cleaning chemicals had been released into the water.
What we do know from Esso’s statement to the regulator is that there is a ‘sheen’ on the ocean surface which is exactly what you’d expect to see from a petroleum condensate spill from a pipeline rupture. This ‘sheen’ is now travelling through the ocean between Tasmania and Victoria through endangered Blue Whale habitat and countless other rare and threatened species, doing harm as it disperses into the ocean environment.
In recent years we have seen NOPSEMA inspections of offshore gas operations go down, prosecutions in the case of incidents like this going down, while safety issues have gone up and environmental damage is going up.
Ruptured gas pipeline being managed ‘appropriately’, regulator says
The offshore oil and gas regulator has confirmed it has been notified about a ruptured gas pipeline off the Victorian coast.
A spokesperson for the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) confirmed it was notified by Esso, an ExxonMobil subsidiary, on Saturday morning about a “sheen on the surface of the sea” south-east of the West Kingfish platform.
The source of the sheen was believed to be a sea floor pipeline connecting that facility to the Kingfish A platform.
The pipeline – which was reported to contain 95% water at the time – has been isolated at both facility ends and is being depressurised. The facility has been offline for four weeks and continues to be so.
The spokesperson did not elaborate on what the remaining 5% of fluid within the pipeline contained.
The regulator says it is “content” that Esso is “currently managing the incident appropriately” saying:
As the investigation is ongoing it would not be appropriate to comment more at this stage.
Updated
Dozens of people were conceived from the same Queensland sperm donor. Now two half-sisters hope to unravel their ‘family’ secret
Every six months or so, Alexandra Eccles discovers a new half-sibling. The Ancestry.com family tree icon pings as another person is drawn into the knowledge that half of their life is a lie. After more than two decades, Eccles has confirmed she has 32 siblings. Some are as old as 32, others are in their teens. Her best guess is that she’ll end up with more than 100.
They were conceived at the Queensland Fertility Group or its offshoot clinics from the sperm of a man only identified as “Donor 59”.
Eccles has spent the last 15 years trying to track down Donor 59. But she has no right to his identity, to her medical information, even to know that she was conceived in a fertility clinic with the aid of a donor. It is not mentioned on her birth certificate.
The half-siblings have a group chat – called Cheaper by the Dozen – and have become close.
For more on this story read the full report by Guardian Australia’s Andrew Messenger:
WA police search for missing man in state’s far north
West Australian police are searching for a man believed to have become separated from a group of people who arrived in Western Australia on an “unknown vessel”.
The force said it was searching for the man in “challenging terrain” in the vicinity of Mitchell Plateau in the far northern reaches of the remote Kimberley region.
Police have been advised the man might have been a passenger on an unknown vessel carrying a group of people who landed in a remote area of the Kimberley district on Friday.
The Australian Border Force said in a statement it did not confirm or comment on operational matters.
Police said on Saturday the land search was in its preliminary stages and was taking place in an extremely remote area.
- AAP
Updated
Evacuation orders remain for more than 250 homes
The NSW SES says it has begun damage assessment on flood-affected properties but has warned residents to exercise caution even though the sun is out.
A spokesperson for the NSW SES said the number of homes current subject to evacuation orders stands at 252, with approximately 960 thought to be living in the affected area.
This is down from the 2,700 homes subject to evacuation orders a few days ago when an amber alert was issued for communities downriver of the Manly Dam.
Assessments into damaged properties are already under way, however the NSW SES warns that some areas remain inaccessible as they are still cut off by flood waters.
As of 11am on Sunday, there were 31 properties damaged, 21 buildings which had been inundated and seven that have been found to be uninhabitable.
We’re asking the public to, if they do have damage, report it through to the NSW SES. If there are vulnerable people or elderly people who needed assistance, please give us a call for assistance.
Flood waters at North Richmond overnight peaked at major flood levels and are expected to remain at moderate levels until the water subsides. Windsor Bridge is open but may close if there are further rises.
There are still a number of warnings in place despite the sun being out, there’s still a lot of flooding and it will take a few days for the river levels to reduce below warning levels.
We’re not out of the woods yet, but it’s improving.
Updated
Federal government to provide disaster funding for flood-affected areas
Acting federal minister for emergency management Catherine King says disaster support has been activated for those affected by the flooding that has hit parts of Sydney overnight.
Disaster assistance is now available in the Blue Mountains, Camden, Hawkesbury, Kiama, Liverpool, Penrith, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven, Sutherland, Upper Lachlan, Wingecarribee, Wollondilly and Wollongong local government areas.
King said it was important to ensure support was delivered quickly so “affected communities can begin their clean-up and recovery”.
I want to thank those who have worked hard to start the clean-up efforts so quickly and I want to assure those whose lives have been disrupted that we will support them through their recovery.
The NSW government is continuing to assess the damage and fully understand the impact of this disaster, and the Australian government stands ready to respond to any requests for assistance.
The support includes:
Funding for affected local councils to help with the costs of cleaning up and restoring damaged essential public assets.
Assistance for eligible residents to help meet immediate needs like emergency accommodation or small cash payments to buy essential items generally provided from evacuation or recovery centres.
Grants for eligible residents to replace lost essential household items to maintain basic standard of living.
Grants for eligible residents to undertake essential structural repairs to restore their homes to a safe and habitable condition.
Concessional interest rate loans for small businesses, primary producers, sporting and recreation clubs, and nonprofit organisations to repair or replace damaged or destroyed property.
Freight subsidies for primary producers to help transport livestock and fodder.
Updated
Wilderness Society blames regulator for ‘deeply concerning’ pipeline rupture in Bass Strait
The Wilderness Society says the reported spill off the coast of Victoria is the latest in a “spate of incidents associated with long-delayed decommissioning efforts”.
Fern Cadman, fossil fuel campaigner from the Wilderness Society, said blame for the incident lay with the regulator, the National Offshore Petroleum and Environmental Management Authority (Nopsema).
The oil and gas industry has a $60bn and rising clean up bill on its hands, and is doing everything it can to avoid getting it done. It doesn’t want to spend the money and it doesn’t want these costs sitting on balance sheets. Unless regulators start using a big stick, this mess will only get worse, and it’s taxpayers, workers and the environment that will bear the costs.
Yesterday’s suspected pipeline rupture in the Bass Strait is deeply concerning, especially when we are seeing companies like Esso and Santos claiming that existing pipelines can be “repurposed” for future carbon pollution dumping – or carbon capture and storage as this industry calls it. Nopsema must not allow carbon pollution dumping proposals to act as a front to avoid decommissioning.
It is vital for Nopsema to shake off a history of woeful enforcement when it comes to decommissioning and actually hold companies to account for cleaning up their mess.
Updated
Undersea gas pipeline ruptures off Victorian coast
A gas pipeline at an ageing gas platform off the Victorian coast has reportedly ruptured with a visible sheen on the ocean’s surface.
The rupture is believed to have occurred at 1pm on Saturday with the Kingfish West gas platform that sits off the coast between Victoria and Tasmania.
Kingfish West is operated by Esso, a subsidiary of ExxonMobil, which has been working to decommission the ageing platform by leaving it in place.
The Australian Workers Union warned in September 2022 that the company was “cutting corners” in how it was planning to deal with the infrastructure.
Updated
Sydney floods: more than 350 homes subject to evacuation orders
The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, is expected to declare a natural disaster after heavy rain caused flooding across parts of Sydney with thousands evacuated from their homes by State Emergency Services.
The SES says that while the flood threat is easing, 352 homes are affected by evacuation orders.
Speaking to Sky News on Sunday, Minns said:
Federal and state funds will flow to local councils, as well as to communities that have been knocked over, particularly those that have lost their houses, or those in a peril over the last 28 hours. So that should happen later this morning.
Evacuation orders remain in place for several areas including, parts of Agnes Banks, Freemans Reach, north of Bligh Park and the Western Richmond Lowlands due to moderate flooding in North Richmond and minor flooding occurring in Penrith.
Speaking to Nine’s Weekend Today, NSW State Emergency Services Ch Supt Dallas Burnes said while the flood threat was easing, the clean up will be “significant”.
We have seen the highest peak and we’re now following that water downstream and making sure we warn the communities in its path.
The clean-up [will be] significant … you can’t stop a flood, it’s not like a fire where you can send appliances and defend a dwelling – we’ve really just got to make sure we get people and their livestock out of harms way.
The rain on Friday and Saturday earlier caused landslips, flash flooding and a house in Wollongong to be swept into a creek.
Witnesses reported seeing two people emerge from the mangled home in Mount Keira.
Investigations on Sunday will also continue into the death of a man found in water in Penrith.
The man, whose death was not attributed to a cause, was located by a passer-by about 7.30am on Saturday.
With AAP
Updated
Just going back to the exchange between ABC Insiders Host David Speers and Shadow affairs minister Simon Birmingham, Guardian Australia’s Josh Butler has grabbed the transcript to illustrate more fully what was said.
Valiant attempt by David Speers to get Simon Birmingham to answer questions (repeatedly rebuffed) about whether Israel needs to do more to avoid civilian deaths in Gaza
— Josh Butler (@JoshButler) April 6, 2024
"Let me ask you one more time..."
(Rough Tveeder transcript) pic.twitter.com/QULhl4I7yJ
When asked about Israel, the Senator consistently responded by speaking about Hamas
‘There are enormous complexities’: Birmingham on Australian in Syrian jail
Birmingham is asked about the case of Yusuf Zahab, who was 12 when his family took him to live under Islamic State in Syria in 2015. He has now been found in a Syrian jail by SBS Dateline where he has been detained without charge.
The senator is asked about whether Australia should be trying to bring him home:
There are enormous complexities when it comes to the situation in Syria. Complexities in terms of safety, access, and the type of diplomatic relations that don’t exist, not just faced by Australia, but Canada as well and beyond those complexities there are the security assessments in relation to individuals who have spent a lot time embedded with Islamic State fighters and the threats posed there. On this particular case, the opposition has not had briefings from the government about this individual and his circumstances, so it’s the government to speak as to what they know and what could or couldn’t be done. We understand the breakdown of complexities – the breadth of complexities and to ensure that Australia and Australian officials are kept safe in the circumstances.
Updated
Birmingham on new boat of asylum seekers in WA
Birmingham is asked about a new boat of asylum seekers which has landed in northern Western Australia and specifically whether Chinese people seeking protection should be placed into a special category.
The senator says “consideration of protection is done according to the legal frameworks around refugee environments”. He then turns to attacking the government, noting that “this is the third boat since November that appears to have made it to the mainland”.
Updated
China providing security at Pacific Island Forum would be a concern: Birmingham
Birmingham is asked about a government decision to potentially share security arrangements for the Pacific Island Forum and says “we should be expecting the security is provided by forum countries”.
If there is a suggestion that China will provide that security or other logistics, I think it would be a concern to many PIF member nations. The Albanese government needs to be clear as to how it has come to this and what steps it is making to make sure Tonga is provided with all the necessary support so that PIF member nations are providing logistics for those PIF meetings.
Updated
‘Israel needs to take greater care with the protection of civilian lives’: Birmingham
Birmingham has been repeatedly asked about whether Israel should “take more care when it comes to protection of civilian lives in Gaza”. Each time has responded by speaking about Hamas.
When the Senator is asked for a third time, he says:
Israel needs to take greater care with the protection of civilian lives.
Birmingham is then asked what he means by “greater care”.
Consistent with its obligations under international law as we have said from October 8 onwards. There was not …
Asked a fourth time, Birmingham said:
Clearly, when mistakes like the one that has just occurred, and other mistakes have hand as they do in war, Israel should learn from each mistakes and making necessary changes and procedures to ensure that it is applying as safe an environment as possible for humanitarian workers, the protection of civilians, who receive warnings, are provided with advice but of course, it is upon Israel in terms of the eyes of the world to act with regard to international law a standard far higher than that applied, tragically, to a terrorist organisation. That’s why that terrorist organisation needs to be removed from any position of influence, governance or threat, such that we can move into a more peaceful negotiation environment.
Updated
Mistakes ‘happen all the time’ in war: Birmingham
Birmingham says it is “naive for any of us to pretend” that “mistakes and tragedies do not happen in war”.
They happen all the time. It’s terrible. We wish it weren’t the case. In this relation, we seek to engage with Israel and we expect the government to engage with Israel to understand how accountability can be had for the mistake that occurred and how it can be prevented through changes to procedures.
A reminder that the three cars that formed the aid convoy that was struck by the IDF in Gaza was hit sequentially after the aid organisation notified the IDF they intended to travel through the area and received assurances they could do so safely.
Updated
Birmingham ‘not qualified’ to say if Israel has breached international law
Asked about whether he believes the Israeli government has breached international law, Birmingham says he is “not qualified nor in possession of the facts to give that legal judgment”.
What I will respect are the processes under way. We want to make sure they are transparent and they are fully addressing the two pillars I have spoken about, in relation to accountability around the incident and changes to procedures to ensure that it is not repeated again. None of us should lose sight of the broader moral context in which the war is fought.
The senator has then repeated frequent criticisms levelled by the Israeli government that has accused Hamas of “embedding itself” into civilian infrastructure.
Updated
‘Not the only tragedy”: Birmingham on Zomi Fankcom death
Birmingham says that the Israel government is following its processes and the opposition will reserve judgments until its investigations are included.
Our expectation is to see Israel continue the investigations they have under way, to use the processes that they have, and for there to be transparency around that. There are two issues. One relates to accountability for this incident and the other relates to changes to procedure to ensure that other workers – this is notthe only tragedy involving humanitarian workers – and not the only tragedy to have occurred in many other conflicts involving aid workers.
Birmingham says “there is a responsibility on Israel to make changes to their procedures to prevent such tragedies from happening again.”
Updated
Coalition wants to see ‘clear action’ on Zomi Frankcom investigation
The opposition shadow foreign minister, Simon Birmingham, says that the Coalition wants to see “clear action in terms of understanding” how the death of Zomi Frankcom occurred.
We want to see there is clear action in terms of understanding how the tragedy will occur, importantly, how it will not occur again, because seeing humanitarian aid flowing into Gaza requires humanitarian workers to operate safely and that requires Israel to clearly to look carefully at procedural failure that occurred that enabled this tragedy to happen.
Birmingham said the decision of the Israeli government to stand down two officers and reprimand three commanders “shows accountability.”
There are continuing processes, I understand. I had conversations with Israel’s ambassador to Australia, to ensure that we understand the steps that are being taken. Of course, the government has a higher level of dialogue with the Israel government.
Updated
Coalition has misjudged gravity of Gaza war: Husic
The federal Labor minister, Ed Husic, has accused the Coalition of misjudging the gravity of the moment, including the need for the west to “demonstrate our values” by insisting that Israel observes the laws of war.
Husic said the Australian government had called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza since December when it backed a resolution at the UN general assembly along with 152 other countries. Husic said Hamas must also release the Israeli hostages that it still holds in order to make any ceasefire “durable”.
Husic told Sky News today:
I think there’s another element to this as well. The other element is: where’s the Coalition on this?
Because, frankly, the Coalition has not brought itself to be able to express its concern either to people domestically who are deeply worried about the way in which the tragic loss of life [has unfolded] and the number of people killed in this operation.
But the other point I would make is in the international landscape, this is the most contestable it has been in decades. And the worst thing for the west is a perception of hypocrisy when it comes to crises like this. We need to be able to demonstrate our values, and in particular our defence of international humanitarian law. And the Coalition has been utterly silent on this, or at other times been very weak, particularly this week, in acknowledging that Israel crossed a line, and that Zomi Frankcom paid the price for the crossing of that line.
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, said on Wednesday that it was “a tragic circumstance where an aid worker has lost her life in a very difficult war zone” but said the loss of life in the Middle East at the moment was “a direct result of Hamas’ attacks on the 7th of October”. Dutton said:
Obviously, nobody wants to see conflict of any circumstance in the Middle East, but it is a reality, and our thoughts, our prayers and condolences obviously go out to Zomi’s family and to her friends and to those who are there serving at the moment, in harm’s way, trying to provide support to people who are in a very difficult situation.
Updated
IDF attack on aid vehicles ‘a grave mistake’: Ed Husic
The Israeli military on Friday night published a summary of initial findings, saying the strike on the aid vehicles on Monday was “a grave mistake” stemming from a serious failure due to a mistaken identification, errors in decision-making, and an attack contrary to the standard operating procedures.
Asked whether he accepted the incident in which Australian Zomi Frankcom was killed as accidental, the Labor minister Ed Husic said:
It would be, if I may say, it would be the easiest route to use the bad apples defence here, that it was a couple of people that operated outside of policy.
The IDF announced that a major and a colonel would be dismissed from their positions, while three others would be formally reprimanded.
But Husic told Sky News today:
I believe this reflects a systematic failure within the Israeli government to genuinely commit to the observance of international humanitarian law. That’s why you’ve seen 33,000 Palestinians killed, 14,500 of which are children, and 77,000 injured. And then on top of that, 200 aid workers [and] 100 journalists. I mean, this comes down to a failure by the Israeli government to observe international law distinguishing between combatant and civilian.
Husic said the plan to announce a special adviser to the Australian government to provide advice on the investigation was “a very big step by our government”. He said the government wanted Australians “to have the confidence that we get to the bottom of what’s happened” and ensure full transparency and full accountability.
Updated
Killing of Gaza aid workers by IDF reflects 'systematic failure': Ed Husic
The federal industry minister, Ed Husic, says the killing of aid workers – including the Australian citizen Zomi Frankcom – in Gaza “reflects a systematic failure within the Israeli government to genuinely commit to the observance of international humanitarian law”.
Husic told Sky News this morning:
In terms of Zomi, she dedicated herself to help the lives of others - she shouldn’t have lost her life in pursuit of that ambition.
This has clearly deeply resonated in a number of countries where in particular seven aid workers lost their lives in once incident, but unfortunately Zomi joins nearly 200 humanitarian workers who have lost their lives in this conflict. This is not a small thing because it goes to the heart of concerns that have persisted around observance of international humanitarian law.
You cannot target humanitarian workers. You cannot target journalists. You cannot target schools, hospitals. You’ve got a responsibility under international humanitarian law to distinguish clearly between combatants and civilians and protect civilians.
The Israeli government has repeatedly accused Hamas of embedding itself in civilian infrastructure.
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Major flooding in parts of Sydney as Queensland braces for heavy rain
Several Sydney communities have been flooded following record-breaking downpours, as south-east Queensland braces for heavy rain.
Further river rises and moderate to major flooding is expected along the Hawkesbury River, north-west of Sydney, into Sunday morning after the week ended with 200mm of rain across much of the catchment.
The river was expected to peak above the major flooding level at North Richmond on Sunday morning, albeit two metres below the peaks reached in major floods in 2021 and 2022.
⚡ Thunderstorm Forecast for tomorrow (Sunday): Storms possible for parts of the southeast and northeast of NSW, with a chance of Severe Storms in the far northeast bringing Damaging Winds and Heavy Rainfall with potential flash flooding. Current warnings: https://t.co/jJWt2wlxel pic.twitter.com/MXb2lCts0S
— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) April 6, 2024
More than 107 warnings were in place late on Saturday night, with 32 emergency alerts still in place on Sunday morning.
- AAP
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The shadow foreign minister Simon Birmingham will speak to ABC Insiders host David Speers later this morning.
Coming up on #Insiders with host David Speers:
— ABC News (@abcnews) April 6, 2024
• 🔎Shadow Foreign Minister Simon Birmingham
• 📷 Megan Herbert
• 🛋️Paul Sakkal, Karen Middleton, and Katina Curtis
See you at 9am #auspol pic.twitter.com/x3ImeBxdME
Meanwhile, the industry minister Ed Husic has spoken to Sky News this morning.
We will bring you all the latest as it happens.
Updated
Good morning
And welcome to another Sunday Guardian live blog.
Sydney residents in flood-affected areas are waiting for their chance to begin the clean-up after record-breaking downpours. More than 107 warnings were in place on Saturday night, with 32 emergency alerts and 352 homes still affected by evacuation orders. The Hawkesbury River is expected to peak above the major flooding level at North Richmond on Sunday, although at lower levels than in 2021 and 2022.
Exxon subsidiary Esso has reportedly suffered a gas pipeline rupture at the Kingfish West gas platform in the Gippsland Basin. The leak is believed to involve a gas pipeline running along the sea floor, which leaked hydrocarbons into the water from about 1pm on Saturday with a sheen visible on the ocean surface.
I’m Royce Kurmelovs and I’ll be taking the blog through the day.
With that, let’s get started ...
