What we learned, Sunday 4 August
That’s it for today, thanks for reading. Here are the main stories of the day:
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has reiterated warnings for Australians in Lebanon to leave at the earliest available opportunity.
Singer Jimmy Barnes has postponed his tour after an unexpected health issue.
Economists do not anticipate an interest rate rise when the RBA meets this week.
A second person has died in the legionnaires outbreak in Melbourne’s western suburbs.
The government has faced criticism for backing down on calls for a blanket ban on gambling advertisements on every medium.
Home affairs minister, Tony Burke, has flagged visa changes as he says “no country in the world” would force Palestinians to return to Gaza at this moment.
The government’s commitment to treaty and truth telling has been questioned after Anthony Albanese said his government will focus on economic outcomes.
The PM has recognised the “considerable hurt” left after the voice referendum outcome, saying Indigenous communities will take time to heal.
We will see you here for more news tomorrow.
Updated
Weapons seized during police search at Tasmanian home
A man has been charged with numerous firearms offences after Tasmanian police seized five weapons during a targeted search at a residence early on Saturday morning.
During the search, police seized two rifles, one of which has been confirmed as being stolen, and three shotguns, as well as ammunition and firearms parts.
A 26-year-old man was arrested at the scene and has since been charged with multiple firearms offences and other offences.
He was bailed to appear in the Launceston magistrates court in September.
Updated
Peter Dutton calls Albanese’s support for makarrata ‘voice 2.0’
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has accused Anthony Albanese of “talking out of both sides of his mouth” and of pushing for a “voice 2.0” over his personal support for a makarrata commission.
The prime minister insists he’s not changing his position. Well, what’s the money in the budget? If the prime minister says he’s not changing his position? What? What is his position and why is there money in the budget for a makarrata commission? Why has taxpayers’ money already been spent on establishing a makarrata commission? What will it do? Who will be appointed to it? What impact will it have on Indigenous people and communities and business?
The prime minister again is treating people, as he did through the course of the voice, by starving them of the detail that they need to get a better understanding of what he’s proposing. He does believe in the makarrata commission. He said it on numerous occasions. He does believe in truth telling. He said it on multiple, multiple times.
The opposition leader also says the government is “out there with slogans and solar panels” that he claims won’t address the “practical” needs of Indigenous Australians.
He’s done nothing. He’s spent half a billion dollars on the voice and divided the nation.
Dutton said he would not support progressing the truth-telling process and that his party would be focused on “practical support” for Indigenous people.
Updated
Albanese backs Tony Burke’s comments on Palestinian refugees
Albanese was also asked at the press conference about 2,000 applications for visitor visas that have been filed by Palestinians and, specifically, how many of those should be granted refugee status.
The PM has backed in comments by his cabinet colleague Tony Burke, saying that “no country in the world would send people back to Gaza at the moment”.
With regard to receiving people, it was appropriate that people be granted visas in the way that they were, given the nature of their departure, but I don’t think anyone could suggest that now it’s a time where people would be sent back to Gaza, given what is happening in Gaza.
What we want to see is a ceasefire. I want to see hostages released. I want to see increased aid be made available to Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. I want to see the US peace deal advanced. And I want to see the right of Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security, with prosperity for the future.
Asked about the situation in Lebanon, Albanese also echoed earlier warnings by Penny Wong that Australians in the country should leave immediately.
These are volatile circumstances and we want to make sure that Australians are safe, which is why we repeat our request that people [leave] while commercial flights are still available – and the latest figures that I received in a briefing was that some 11% of flights have been cancelled, 50% have been delayed – but there were still flights available.
Updated
Entrenched disadvantage ‘should be called closing the chasm’, Albanese says
Anthony Albanese has spoken at another press conference this morning where he has been asked about the money set aside for the Makarrata commission in the budget and whether his government is now walking away from that commitment.
His response:
We’ve said that makarrata is a Yolŋu word, and I haven’t seen the interview this morning, but I gave it yesterday. And I’m sure what I said was what I’ve always said. Makarrata is a Yolŋu word from north-east Arnhem Land, which means coming together after struggle. No one can deny that there’s been a struggle, since the arrival of Europeans with First Nations people. That’s why we have the closing the gap targets, because of entrenched disadvantage, which is intergenerational. Makarrata means coming together. There has been a struggle and we do want to come together. That’s a process of engaging, working together, walking side by side towards what will be a common interest that we have for a better future for First Nations people, both in the interests of Indigenous Australians, but importantly, as well, in the interests of all Australians.
We’re diminished by the fact that the closing the gap targets in some cases should be called closing the chasm, because there’s such a wide variation in health outcomes, infant mortality, incarceration rates, educational outcomes, employment outcomes. What I want to see is an Australia where every Australian, regardless of the nature of their birth, has an opportunity to be the best they can.
The PM was asked about the issue again later in the press conference and repeated a similar answer, saying:
If you ask the same question you’ll get the same answer, is that makarrata is a Yolŋu word that means coming together after struggle. It is important that we come together. That’s why I’ve attended the Garma Festival every year that it’s been held since I’ve been Labor leader, and going back more than a decade, I attended the Garma Festival.
Addressing the voice referendum itself, Albanese said:
Both major political parties have gone to elections saying they would advance constitutional recognition. I kept my word and put that to the Australian people as I said I would do, in the form that was requested by First Nations people to give them respect. I also respect that democratic outcome and the Australian people made their decision. I accepted responsibility for it and hence we need to work on new paths, new ways of achieving outcomes and closing the gap.
The voice to parliament was never the end in itself. The voice was about how we close the gap in health, education, housing, life expectancy, infant mortality, incarceration rates. All of these areas, governments of all persuasions, Labor and Coalition, have not done good enough. And we need to do better and that is what I seek to do.
Updated
About 15% of commercial flights out of Lebanon cancelled
Further to the post earlier in which Penny Wong reiterated calls for Australians to leave Lebanon: these calls are driven by fears the conflict could spread into a broader regional war, including between Israel and Hezbollah.
Government sources say commercial flights are still available to leave Lebanon, but about 15% of them have been cancelled.
At this stage, it is unclear whether the Australian government is looking to arrange government-run evacuation flights. It is understood such flights would require the airport in Beirut to stay open. An additional requirement would be that it remains safe to fly. Sources are concerned it may not remain safe to fly later in the week.
The latest estimates are that there are about 15,000 Australians living in Lebanon. On top of that number are Australians in Lebanon on holiday.
For more on this issue, see yesterday’s story from my colleague Mostafa Rachwani:
Updated
Penny Wong warns Australians in Lebanon they must leave immediately
The foreign minister, Penny Wong, has again reiterated warnings to Australians to leave Lebanon immediately while flights are available.
Wong advised those in the country to “please take whatever option is available” saying “this may not be a direct route”.
Australians in Lebanon should leave immediately while commercial flights are available.
— Senator Penny Wong (@SenatorWong) August 3, 2024
Please take whatever option is available. This may not be a direct route.
Register where you are on DFAT’s crisis portal https://t.co/VcaXXTFaPW & follow @Smartraveller for updates.
Updated
Economists expect RBA will not announce a rate rise this week
Australian borrowers should be spared another hike in loan repayments, with economists broadly in agreement the key rate will stay put.
The Reserve Bank of Australia board meets across two days this week and is widely expected to leave the official cash rate on hold at 4.35%.
That’s after June quarter inflation data arrived that was soft enough to quash fears of another rate rise, which started building in response to a string of firm monthly price data.
Although the annual rate of headline inflation accelerated in June – rising to 3.8%, up from 3.6% – this was broadly in line with expectations.
Along with the all-important trimmed mean gauge moderating and coming in a little below expectations, conversation promptly shifted back to the likely timing for cuts.
RBA governor Michele Bullock will speak at Tuesday’s press conference and deliver a speech later in the week – opportunities to communicate the central bank’s thinking.
She is due on Thursday to give the annual Rotary lecture in Armidale, the regional NSW town where she grew up.
During the week, the Melbourne Institute will also release its inflation gauge for July, offering a timely view of price pressures.
Job ad numbers are out from ANZ and Indeed on Tuesday, followed by selected cost-of-living indexes from the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday.
– AAP
Updated
Auction activity has fallen this weekend, with 1,716 auctions to be held.
This is lower than the 1,975 held last week and a modest gain on the 1,746 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 69.2% across the country, which is lower than the 72.2% preliminary rate recorded last week but well above the 64.5% actual rate on final numbers.
Across the capital cities:
Sydney: 454 of 594 auctions with a preliminary clearance rate of 78.3%
Melbourne: 612 of 801 auctions with a preliminary clearance rate of 69.8%
Brisbane: 98 0f 136 auctions with a preliminary clearance rate of 71.7%
Adelaide: 75 of 128 auctions with a preliminary clearance rate of 76.4%
Canberra: 37 of 44 auctions with a preliminary clearance rate of 63.3%
Tasmania: One auction to be held.
Perth: Nine of 12 auctions held.
Updated
Buyers forgoing property checks in ‘rush to snap up’ homes, report says
Property buyers are rushing into the market and forgoing important checks such as pest and building inspections, fresh research shows.
About three-quarters of buyers and sellers say they encountered challenges in the market, InfoTrack’s State of Real Estate report states.
Prices were the biggest concern for 21% of people while 14% struggled to find a property, according to the survey conducted for the conveyancing and legal services provider’s report, between May 2023 and April 2024.
Australia’s property shortage had an impact on purchasing behaviour with 30% of those surveyed using a buyer’s agent to secure a house or unit, InfoTrack’s head of property Australia, Lee Bailie, said.
In the rush to snap up available homes, more buyers seem to be compromising on important property checks in favour of putting in a speedy offer.
Not even half of all respondents had a pest inspection carried out, for example.
- AAP
Updated
Gigs postponed after Jimmy Barnes admitted to hospital for ‘unbearable’ hip pain
Rock musician Jimmy Barnes has suffered another health setback, forcing him to reschedule shows to recover from unexpected surgery.
The 66-year-old posted to social media saying he had been admitted to hospital on Friday night and was told he needed to have a procedure to address “unbearable” pain in his hip.
The doctors have recommended a remedial medical procedure ASAP followed by some physio to address the issue.
These doctors don’t muck around! Providing all goes to plan, I’m expected to make a full recovery in six weeks.
Seven months ago he underwent open-heart surgery due to a serious bacterial infection.
Barnes returned to the stage at Bluesfest in March and was due to perform solo shows in August and September, however they will be postponed.
I hate to let everyone down but I’m also never going to compromise the quality of my gigs.
I apologise for the inconvenience this will cause everyone - I HATE moving shows! - but thank you for understanding.
Ticketholders will be contacted once details for the new shows are in place.
Cold Chisel are due to embark on a sold out nationwide “Big Five-0 Tour” in October to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the iconic rock band.
– AAP
Updated
Second person dies in Melbourne legionnaire’s disease outbreak
A second person has died after being diagnosed with legionnaire’s disease during an outbreak in Melbourne’s west and north-west.
The man in his 60s became unwell over a week ago and was admitted to hospital, before dying on Thursday.
The death follows another, a woman in her 90s, who became ill on Tuesday evening and presented to hospital where she died shortly after.
In an update on Sunday, Victoria’s chief health officer, Dr Clare Looker, said another seven cases had been reported, bring the total to 77 known cases and seven suspected cases.
Looker said authorities are seeing a reduction in the number of cases identified, suggesting that “the situation is stabilising”.
Hopefully we are seeing the tail end of things.
Authorities are inspecting over 100 cooling towers in the Derrimut and Laverton North areas – though Looker advised that it is possible the source of the outbreak may never be found.
The information we have to date suggests the source of the outbreak is likely linked to one cooling tower in the area. Cooling towers are the focus of this investigation, as they are the most commonly the source of Legionnaires outbreaks.
Updated
‘Half-hearted, half-arsed’: teal MP slams Labor’s rejection of gambling ad ban
The independent MP for Goldstein, Zoe Daniel, has released a statement regarding reports that the Labor government will not introduce a blanket ban on gambling advertising, calling the substitute proposal “half-hearted”.
Daniel, who last year introduced a private members bill to ban gambling ads, said the changes will ruin the lives of “young and impressionable sports fans” and called the backdown a “betrayal”.
What the government has in mind is half hearted, half arsed, won’t work and is a betrayal of Peta Murphy’s legacy.
A total ban on gambling advertising was the priority and unanimous recommendation of the multipartisan committee she chaired.
Once again the gambling giants have been given the inside running on the government’s plan while gambling harm experts have been frozen out, complete with confidential briefings and non disclosure agreements.
Daniel said the available evidence shows restrictions on gambling advertising do not work.
After the last restrictions were introduced in 2017, gambling ads actually increased by 50 percent and migrated to general programs viewed by even more impressionable kids and teenagers.
Rather than responding to the Murphy report, Michelle Rowland is giving the gambling giants pretty much what they want – the appearance of action when all the proposed measures would do is enable them to continue to normalise the relationship between gambling and sport and wreck the lives of thousands more mainly young people.
Daniel reiterated a call for a total ban on gambling advertising across all mediums.
Listen to what the people want, not what the gambling giants tell the government.
Updated
Marles and Wong flying to US for annual defence talks
The defence minister, Richard Marles, and the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, are about to fly to the US for annual talks with their American counterparts.
The annual talks with Lloyd Austin and Antony Blinken are scheduled to happen in Maryland on Tuesday.
The trip was announced by the US embassy last week, but Marles and Wong have today issued their own statement about the visit. They described the US as “Australia’s closest ally and our principal security partner”.
Marles said the alliance “remains fundamental to our national security”. He said the two sides would work on “ways to deepen and broaden our alliance, including through the longstanding US Force Posture Initiatives in Australia”.
Wong said the visit was “an opportunity for action to take our alliance forward”.
She said Australia and the United States were “finding new areas for cooperation and collaboration that will not only boost our own resilience and prosperity but will also deliver for a peaceful Indo-Pacific”.
She said the two countries were “committed to building a peaceful, stable and prosperous region”.
Updated
Government opens public consultation on supports to be funded under NDIS
Minister for government services and the National Disability Insurance Scheme, Bill Shorten, has opened public consultation on what will and won’t be funded under the NDIS.
The government has developed a list of NDIS Supports based on “current guidance and practices”. It is intended this list will remain in place until the federal government and the states agree to replace it.
Shorten said this approach will provide clarity for participants under the scheme.
The purpose of defining NDIS Supports is to make it clearer for participants what they can and can’t use their NDIS funds to buy.
This will enable transition to more flexible budgets as recommended by the NDIS review.
We’ve listened to the participants and providers who have said there isn’t enough guidance out there to support them. This consultation is part of the broader reform of the NDIS, to deliver better outcomes for Australians with disability.
We want to get rid of the uncertainty and confusion so everyone is clear on what’s in and what’s out, and participants can get on with achieving the outcomes they want and lead the fulfilling life they deserve.
Shorten said nothing would change for participants or providers while consultation was under way, and all levels of government would closely consider feedback before finalising how to communicate the defined supports.
The public consultation period will be open until 18 August, with the proposed lists available from the DSS engage website.
Updated
Investigation into man’s death in central Queensland mine accident
An investigation is under way into the death of a worker at a coalmine in central Queensland.
The 48-year-old man died at the Byerwen Mine infrastructure site in Suttor, west of Mackay on Saturday morning.
Initial reports suggest the incident involved a pick and a carry crane, industry regulator Resources Safety and Health Queensland said.
For more on this story, read the Guardian’s reporting on this incident:
Updated
AFP seizes more than $15m in cash and property as part of Gold Coast money laundering investigation
The Australian federal police has seized $15.6m in assets following an investigation into a money laundering operation on the Gold Coast.
The AFP-led Criminal Asset Confiscation Taskforce (CACT) seized $12.96m worth of real estate, including waterfront properties and a high-rise unit, $1.95m in cash, $514,000 in cryptocurrency and $118,000 held in bank accounts.
The investigation commenced as a result of intelligence provided by Austrac relating to two Russian nationals who moved to Australia in 2015 and are alleged to have laundered funds into Australia. They are currently before the courts.
It will be alleged funds were used to purchase or rapidly repay mortgages for multiple Queensland properties, including waterfront properties in Hope Island, Broadbeach Waters and Runaway Bay, houses in Labrador, Alexandra Hills and Mount Gravatt, and a high-rise unit in a Milton complex.
Acting commander Amelia McDonald said the CACT worked with criminal investigators to identify and restrain potential proceeds of crime to deliver the maximum impact possible on the criminal environment.
People engaged in money laundering are motivated by greed and an intent to make illicit profits. We work tirelessly with our partners to disrupt their criminal activities and remove their ill-gotten wealth.
The AFP’s ability to target the means by which criminals launder their money and seize these profits sends a message to criminals – all your wealth is an illusion which will disappear when we knock on your door.
The assets will be handed over to the federal government to be sold by the Official Trustee in Bankruptcy. The money obtained from the sale of these assets will then be placed into a confiscated assets account, managed by the official trustee on behalf of the commonwealth.
It will then be distributed by the attorney-general for crime prevention measures, diversion programs and other law enforcement measures across Australia.
Updated
How the tragic case of Ruqia Haidari could change the way Australia deals with forced marriage
Five months before she was murdered by her new husband, Ruqia Haidari met the Australian federal police and told them she was being forced into the marriage by her mother.
But the 20-year-old did not want the police – or the support workers who were also in the meeting, or any of the other people she spoke to about the impending marriage – to take the matter further.
Nobody could know that 151 days later, and 3300 km away from her family’s regional Victorian home in Shepparton, Haidari would be killed by her husband.
That murder hung heavily over this week’s sentencing of Haidari’s mother, the first person to be convicted for the crime of forced marriage in Australia.
It was completely removed from the proceedings and yet intrinsically linked: would there have been a forced marriage prosecution if Haidari had not been killed, making redundant her wish for police to remain silent about what she had told them?
The question is not only relevant to Haidari’s case, but in considering why there have been so few prosecutions – when more than 500 referrals regarding forced marriage have been made to the AFP since 2018.
“We failed,” says Dr Laura Vidal, a lecturer at the University of Canberra and an expert in forced marriage.
We left her without support, without a safety net, and can only then retrospectively prosecute because she died.
For more on this story, read the full report by Guardian Australia’s Nino Bucci:
Updated
Pocock says rejection of blanket ban on gambling ads a 'betrayal' of Peta Murphy's legacy
Following on from our earlier post, independent senator David Pocock has accused the government of betraying the legacy of the late Labor MP Peta Murphy over its failure to support a ban on gambling ads.
In a post on social media, Pocock accused the government of appeasing the gambling industry.
There is support in the parliament to implement the Murphy Review recommendations in full – not some watered down policy to appease the gambling industry.
Find some courage & end this harm
What a total cop out & betrayal of the late Peta Murphy's legacy.
— David Pocock (@DavidPocock) August 3, 2024
There is support in the parliament to implement the Murphy Review recommendations in full - not some watered down policy to appease the gambling industry.
Find some courage & end this harmhttps://t.co/e6fGlOl1Oo pic.twitter.com/KFmV4dhcB7
Updated
Labor rejects blanket gambling ad ban proposal in favour of TV caps, digital restrictions
The Albanese government has refused to back a ban on gambling ads, allowing them to continue to run on TV, albeit with tightened restrictions.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the Albanese government has instead chosen to cap the number of gambling ads at two an hour until 10pm, and ban gambling ads for an hour before and after live sport.
Gambling ads will, however, be banned on social media and other digital platforms.
The ban was proposed in an inquiry led by one of Labor’s own MPs, Peta Murphy, who campaigned internally for a ban all gambling ads across television, radio, newspapers and online within three years.
Murphy died in December.
Updated
Shadow defence minister says plan to let Palestinians stay in Australia made for ‘political expediency’
The Coalition’s defence spokesperson, Andrew Hastie, has given the opposition’s initial response to the government’s confirmation that it is considering ways for Palestinians to stay longer rather than being forced to return to rubble in Gaza.
Hastie told Sky News the idea “looks quite reflexive from the government, it looks hurried”.
Hastie said the new minister for home affairs and immigration, Tony Burke, and some of his colleagues in south-west Sydney were “under immense pressure” over the government’s response to the war in Gaza:
He is under a lot of pressure, and he could have a pro-Gaza independent run against him. And so I think this is where this has come from. And I think it’s right for the Australian people to have transparency and accountability on this issue. And we want to see as much detail as possible. We don’t want to see hurried visas issued out of political expediency.
Burke said earlier that he would act in the national interest and that he would not compromise on security checks.
Updated
Tony Burke flags visa changes for Palestinians: ‘no country in the world would send people back to Gaza at the moment’
The new minister for home affairs, Tony Burke, has confirmed he is looking at ways to allow Palestinians who fled to Australia on visitor visas to stay in the country longer, saying no country would send people back to Gaza right now.
In an interview with Sky News this morning, Burke said it was understandable that visitor visas were used in the midst of the immediate crisis, but these visas were now expiring:
Certainly no country in the world would send people back to Gaza at the moment, no country in the world would do that, and so we have to work through what happens as the visas that people are currently on expire.
Burke said the decision had not yet been made, so he wasn’t in a position to announce the details today. Pressed on whether he was considering safe haven visas or some form of permanent protection, he said:
When you consider what these individuals have gone through – you’ve got lots of people who have experienced serious trauma, they’ve suffered great loss of family and friends with the killings that have occurred over there, and they’re also in a situation where for many of them the homes where they used to live are now now rubble.
Asked by Sky News about security checks for visa applicants, Burke said he was committed to such checks and would not put any issue ahead of community safety.
For more on this issue, see this story by my colleague Sarah Basford Canales last week:
Updated
And that’s a wrap – but just to circle back to the discussion, as the Insiders panel is now noting, the prime minister was seeking to rely upon a very particular definition of Makaratta, owing to the perceived political constraints the government now finds itself under.
In the PM’s version, Makaratta refers to a process of ongoing engagement or “coming together”.
As has been noted, Makaratta is also used to describe a process or institutional setup to facilitate conflict resolution.
Updated
PM says renewal required after 'considerable hurt' of voice referendum
The PM has acknowledged that there “is no doubt there was considerable hurt” from the way campaigning around the voice referendum was conducted, and that Indigenous peoples will take time to heal from that.
Seeking to reframe his government’s approach toward the future, he says he is “optimistic”.
But what is important is that we walk together. And one of the things that is a theme of this is renewal, and is a theme of walking together, recognising that this isn’t just an issue, from my perspective, about Indigenous Australians. It is about closing the gap for them, but my view has always been that Australia, as a nation, will benefit from being more united, from being more reconciled with our history. And that that is important for all of us, but it’s also important for how Australia is seen in the region and the world.
Updated
The PM says his government will seek to work more with the private sector, name-checking Rio Tinto and Fortescue as examples, to provide better outcomes for Indigenous people, including employment, saying “this is part of that social contract that they have”.
By and large, what I find is the private sector has been very prepared to engage. And that goes not just for large businesses as well, but the opportunities that are there for small businesses to grow. One of the things that we want to do is to increase home ownership for First Nations people as well. And they’re the sort of programs that we’re working through.
Updated
Asked whether the government could still use an advisory body to help it target initiatives, Albanese says he accepts the outcome of the referendum and “the voice was never the end in itself”.
It was about putting Indigenous recognition in the constitution in the form which was asked for through the First Nations constitutional convention in 2017 at Uluru. After a process that was begun by Tony Abbott, and which people participated in. Now, that wasn’t successful. So what we can’t do is say “oh well, we’ll just give up on closing the gap, we’ll give up on moving Australia forward”. What we will do is renew through working with existing bodies. There are land councils, there are organisations such as the Yothu Yindi Foundation here.
Updated
The PM says there is a sharp wealth divide between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australia that needs to be address. Albanese says his government will “continue to listen” to Indigenous people, but not through a voice to parliament, going forward.
Pointing to one example, Albanese says his government has replaced the Community Development Program.
That was essentially a work for the dole, a make-work program. We’ve replaced that with the remote community and economic development program. So real jobs with real training. With real wages and conditions, so that’s part of it. $4bn into remote housing.
Updated
Albanese doesn’t directly encourage other police commissioners to follow the example of the NT police commissioner and apologise to the Indigenous community for past wrongs, but suggests it is something they may consider.
In general, it’s a good idea to acknowledge history. And to acknowledge that why we are here today is because of that history.
The PM says that there are consequences of these historical wrongs, including high incarceration rates, but that he also wants to celebrate success such as retention rates in higher education.
Updated
Albanese says Makarrata based on ‘just the idea of coming together’, no truth and justice commission
Albanese says his government has not proposed a truth and justice commission, saying that “what we have proposed is Makarrata just being the idea of coming together” that “might take different forms as it evolves”.
The PM also says that “it’s disappointing that the other political parties aren’t here.”
Updated
Albanese says government not looking to develop federal treaty process
Albanese said his government’s commitment to the Uluru statement hasn’t changed “in terms of treaty as being negotiated through states and territories” and that his government isn’t engaged in “progressing a national treaty before the referendum”.
He does say, however, that his government is committed to Makarrata – a Yolŋu word meaning coming together after a struggle.
Coming together is a principle of walking together – that engagement. It’s not a moment in time. It’s a process of coming together after struggle.
Asked what this process looks like, Albanese says that it involves engagement like what takes place at Garma festival.
There are different needs depending upon whether people are in urban communities like my electorate – the needs of people in Marrickville which has a sizeable Indigenous population, it’s very different here to the Gumatj clan of the Yolŋu people.
Updated
Albanese speaking on ABC Insiders
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has rejected the suggestion that the government’s reset on Indigenous affairs following the voice referendum constitutes as “long, deafening silence” on the issue saying that “after a fire comes rain and comes renewal”.
Speaking to David Speers in a pre-recorded interview recorded on Saturday, the PM sought to recast the government’s approach to Indigenous Affairs around efforts to promote “economic prosperity”.
How do we close the gap? How do we empower our First Nations people so that they get the opportunities that other Australians have?
Updated
The search for a 40-year-old man believed to have been taken by a crocodile in far north Queensland will continue on Sunday.
It’s believed he had been fishing on a riverbank near Cooktown on Saturday when he fell into the water and failed to resurface, Queensland police said.
To catch up, read Graham Readfearn’s report from yesterday:
Updated
Government's commitment to treaty and truth-telling processes under scrutiny
Anthony Albanese welcomed treaty and truth-telling efforts on a state and territory level during his speech at Garma, in northeast Arnhem Land, but did not say whether the federal government would undertake either process.
Instead, he told the crowd he was committed to Makarrata – saying it meant coming together after a struggle – but what that looked like was yet to be decided.
Our commitment to a better future for First Nations people is as strong as ever.
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) August 3, 2024
We can close the gap. And we must.
We're building more remote housing, helping communities get the health care they need, and fully funding NT public schools. pic.twitter.com/acJ9jPrmYR
Surely no one is against the fact that there’s been a struggle and surely no one is against that people should come together after there’s been a struggle.
We’ll continue to engage in good faith with leaders and communities to decide what the steps should be at a national level.
Former voice referendum Yes23 campaign manager Dean Parkin said the government should not backslide on its commitments to truth-telling and treaty.
We’re talking about a thing that would oversee, as the Uluru Statement says, the process of agreement-making between First Nations and truth-telling about our history.
If we start talking about it as a concept it gets left open to whatever it may be.
For more on this, including the NT police commissioner’s apology to the Indigenous community, read the full report by Guardian Australia’s Karen Middleton:
Anthony Albanese’s conversation with ABC Insiders host David Speers, from the Garma festival in the Northern Territory, will show on Sunday morning.
Coming up on #ABCInsiders with @David_Speers
— ABC News (@abcnews) August 3, 2024
• Prime Minister Anthony Albanese interviewed🔎
• 🎤 Yirrmal
• 🛋️ Carly Williams, Patricia Karvelas and John Paul Janke.
See you at 9am #auspol pic.twitter.com/SXwcc7WCcA
The home affairs minister, Tony Burke, and the Coalition’s defence spokesperson, Andrew Hastie, have spoken to Sky News this morning
We will bring you all the latest as it happens.
Updated
Good Morning
And welcome to another Sunday morning Guardian live blog.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is on the ground in the Northern Territory for the first Garma festival since the failed referendum to establish an Indigenous voice to parliament. The PM pledged an ongoing commitment to reconciliation and Closing the Gap, with climate change expected to be on the agenda through Sunday.
The search for a missing man believed to have been taken by a crocodile in far north Queensland will continue on Sunday. Emergency service workers were called to Annan River Bridge in Cooktown after a reports a man fishing on the riverbank when he fell into the water and is believed to have been attacked by a crocodile.
I’m Royce Kurmelovs and I’ll be taking the blog through the day.
With that, let’s get started ...
