What we learned today, Wednesday 1 May
That’s it for today, thanks for reading. Here are the main stories of the day:
The Albanese government pledged almost $1bn to help women leave violent relationships.
Bruce Lehrmann was granted more time to consider an appeal against a ruling he was not defamed.
Pauline Hanson “plainly targeted” the Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi with a well-known racist phrase, a court was told.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, stood by his decision to attend a rally in Canberra against violence against women.
Bonza was “unlikely” to resume flights, the transport minister, Catherine King, said after the airline was placed into voluntary administration.
The Queensland government will scrap detention as a last resort for offenders amid growing concerns over youth crime.
The Victorian health minister confirmed public prosecutors had dropped charges against the health department over its handling of the hotel quarantine program that contributed to the state’s deadly second Covid-19 wave.
Qantas is investigating an issue with its app after customers reported seeing strangers’ data.
We will see you back here for more news on Thursday.
Updated
Australian and South Korean ministers condemn settler violence against Palestinians in West Bank
Let’s return to the meeting between the Australian and South Korean foreign and defence ministers held in Melbourne today. A joint statement gives more details about what Penny Wong and Richard Marles and their South Korean counterparts agreed regarding the Middle East:
The Ministers expressed deep concern at the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza. They condemned the horrific Hamas attacks on 7 October 2023 as acts of terror against innocent civilians.
The Ministers agreed on the need for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, and called for the immediate and unconditional release of hostages and a massive and sustained increase in the delivery of humanitarian relief to Gaza. The Ministers reiterated the importance of all parties adhering to international humanitarian law and protecting civilians.
They also voiced their deep concern at ongoing high levels of settler violence against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank and called on all parties to refrain from actions that inflame tensions and undermine stability.
Notably, the Australian and South Korean ministers also “agreed on the need for a negotiated political solution to the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict and agreed that a secure and prosperous future for both Israelis and Palestinians will only come through a two-state solution”. The statement said the ministers “discussed how the international community can help build momentum towards a lasting peace” and how South Korea’s approach to a recent vote at the UN security council on full Palestinian membership “reflected this aspiration”.
This line is interesting in light of Wong’s speech three weeks ago when she noted that the international community was “now considering the question of Palestinian statehood as a way of building momentum towards a two-state solution”. South Korea was among 12 of the 15 members of the UN security council to vote on 18 April in favour of a Palestinian request for full UN membership, but the initiative was blocked because of a US veto.
Updated
