What we learned: Thursday 29 February
And with that, I am going to put the blog to bed. Before we go, let’s recap the big headlines:
Victoria police have moved to withdraw assault charges against a man released due to the high court’s ruling on indefinite detention – just hours after Peter Dutton used the incident to attack the Albanese government.
Australia is increasing its support in the joint-nation operation targeting the Houthi rebel attacks in the Red Sea.
The Victorian and NSW governments have cancelled their annual iftar dinners after the peak Muslim bodies and other community groups announced they would not attend the event given Labor’s stance on the conflict.
The former treasurer and US ambassador Joe Hockey said it was “absurd” that Asio’s Mike Burgess hasn’t identified the “traitor” former politician who “sold out” Australia.
Alex Turnbull, the son of former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, is quoted in news.com.au saying that he believes he may have been the target of an approach referred to by spy chief Mike Burgess.
The Greens senator Janet Rice held up a sign saying “Stop the human rights abuses” during Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s speech to parliament. She was later censured in the senate.
It comes as Australia and the Philippines announce a new agreement.
School and university students held a national walkout today calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and for Australia to break its military and diplomatic ties with Israel.
A blaze that threatened more than 100 homes during extreme conditions in Victoria’s west is being treated as suspicious, as evacuated residents are allowed to return home
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Victoria fire that threatened more than 100 homes being treated as suspicious
A blaze that threatened more than 100 homes during extreme conditions in Victoria’s west is being treated as suspicious, as evacuated residents are allowed to return home, AAP reports.
The fire at Dereel, about 30km south of Ballarat, and another at Bayindeen, west of Ballarat, have been declared under control after an intense firefight.
The cause of the Dereel blaze is under investigation because there was no dry lightning in the area, emergency management commissioner Rick Nugent said.
“We don’t believe there was any tractors or other machinery working in that area at the time,” Nugent told reporters in Ballarat on Thursday.
“So at the moment we are treating that fire as suspicious until we are able to prove differently.”
Flames were whipped up by strong hot winds during catastrophic fire conditions on Wednesday, prompting a warning for residents to shelter indoors. Nugent said at least one outbuilding had been lost and firefighters saved 117 homes at Dereel.
“What I’ve heard from the firefighting crew is they were putting the fire out on the doorstep [of homes], on back pergolas, in back yards, in front yards,” he said.
The fire at Dereel was under control as of Thursday and an advice message warned residents in the area to stay informed.
Flames came within kilometres of Michelle de Groot’s house in Dereel on Wednesday. She said she sought shelter at two evacuation centres, which had to be evacuated as the fire grew.
“We were choking on smoke, everyone’s there yelling ‘get out, you have to leave, it’s not safe’,” de Groot told ABC radio.
The Bayindeen blaze was also declared under control after hundreds of firefighters stopped it spreading by building containment lines around its 165km perimeter.
An advice message instructed residents of dozens of communities forced to leave because of the Bayindeen blaze it was safe for them to return.
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Victoria police to withdraw assault charges against released immigration detainee
Victoria police have moved to withdraw assault charges against a man released due to the high court’s ruling on indefinite detention just hours after Peter Dutton used the incident to attack the Albanese government.
On Thursday Victoria police revealed a 44-year-old Richmond man who had been released as a result of the politically controversial court ruling had been charged with sexual assault, stalking and two counts of unlawful assault.
The charges were weaponised in question time by the opposition leader, who noted the government is yet to make an application to re-detain any of the 149 people released as a result of the high court’s NZYQ decision.
The arrest and charges followed “two incidents in Richmond on [Tuesday] 27 February 2024, where a woman was allegedly assaulted and another woman allegedly stalked”, Victoria police said in their original statement.
But later on Thursday afternoon, police revealed they had “since notified the Richmond man’s legal representation and the process has commenced to formally withdraw the charges”.
“Detectives today returned to an address in Richmond and identified a man on CCTV who they now believe is the person who was involved in the incidents,” Victoria police said in a new statement.
“That man has not been arrested at this time. The investigation into the two incidents in Richmond remains ongoing.”
Guardian Australia understands that there is nothing to indicate that the second man now believed to be involved in the incidents was a former detainee released by the high court ruling.
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Good afternoon, Mostafa Rachwani with you to take you through the rest of the day’s news.
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The parliament sitting is coming to a close, and MPs are beginning to eye off the exits, which is my sign to also leave you.
We will be running a Politics Live blog for the Dunkley byelection, so we will see you again very soon.
In the mean time, check back for the team’s work and you will have the incredible Australia general news live blog to keep you informed until parliament sits again mid next month.
Mostafa Rachwani will fill you in on what else is happening today, but I wanted to thank each and everyone of you for joining us today – for your messages and tips and questions and queries. You truly make it all worth it. Thank you.
Until next time, take care of you.
A x
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AFP confirm they will not march in Mardi Gras this year
The AFP have announced they will still not march at this year’s Mardi Gras parade, after voluntarily pulling out after the debate over the NSW police’s involvement.
In a statement the AFP said:
The AFP is pleased NSW Police and organisers of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade have found a way forward for this year’s march.
After careful consideration, the AFP will not march in this year’s parade, however it is likely our members will continue to cheer on the sidelines and will participate in other events.
The AFP wants to reinforce that our members engage and support the LGBTQIA+ community every day of the year, not just during one event.
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Senate votes to censure Janet Rice after protest against Philippines’ Marcos
The Senate has voted to censure Janet Rice for her protest, something it has rarely done.
In fact, Mal Colston, Fraser Anning and David Leyonhjelm are the only ones I can remember the Senate actually moving a censure motion against.
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Greens’ Janet Rice says she is proud of protest against Philippines’ Marcos Jr and ‘would do it again’
Janet Rice finished her speech:
I am proud of what I did today. I am proud of it and I am proud of the attention that has drawn to the appalling situation in the Philippines.
I hope that it will actually make some of you people here realise that well it is a matter of our relationship with other countries, it’s not just a matter of trade opportunities or military opportunities or how much we have defence ties with them that the relationships between the people matter, and it matters to us that we respect the rights of the people in the Philippines, not just their cronies, in their governments.
I would do it again and I encourage all of you to think very carefully about any relationship with any countries and being so sycophantic, it basically just whitewash over those human rights abuses.
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‘We cannot let these human rights abuses go unchecked’, Janet Rice says during censure motion against her
Janet Rice:
We cannot let these human rights abuses go unchecked. Every person who is having their rights impacted in the world, it is impacting us.
Human rights matter and they matter for every person in the world.
I am proud in this parliament over the 10 years I’ve been here to be speaking up for the human rights of people across the world, whether it’s the Philippines, whether it’s Tibet, whether it’s West Papua, whether it’s Palestine, whether it’s here in Australia, and I will continue to do so and I will take every opportunity open to me in this place to be speaking up for human rights.
Speaking up for people who deserve to have the right to live a peaceful life to be able to have to be had their rights respected.
People do not expect them to the country like Australia that says that we value democracy to have the president of such a human rights abusing government to be speaking to our parliament.
It is appalling.
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Janet Rice accuses PM and Dutton of ‘whitewashing’ and being ‘sycophantic’ to Marcos Jr
Janet Rice:
It is appalling as I say because of just how, what a privilege it is to address our parliament that President Marcos was invited to do so.
I am struck by [the fact] I’m having a censure motion moved against me for abusing parliamentary rights when human rights did not rate a mention; when both the prime minister and the leader of the opposition in their speeches today did not mention human rights at all.
They are completely whitewashing, sycophantic towards the president.
They are even trying to whitewash the legacy of … Marcos’s father, the former dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
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Janet Rice continued:
From the Australian Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines, to the Australian Human Philippine Human Rights Network.
I did it in the context of having taken part some years ago in an International Civil Society-led investigation into human rights in the Philippines conducted by the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines, where I learned and I heard first-hand about what is going on in the Philippines.
Where I learned about the extrajudicial killings, where people on trumped up charges are red tagged, and then they are hunted down and they are killed.
Where human rights lawyers are shot at point blank range as they are driving through the streets.
Where workers, because they had the temerity to engage in fighting for their rights, are killed.
Where environmental defendants, because they had the temerity to be fighting for justice for their community, fighting for the rivers not to be polluted, fighting for their lands not to be taken from them, [were] also killed, and this is ongoing.
This is why I took that action today.
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Senator says protest was ‘deliberate’ and ‘powerful’ in speech defending protest against Marcos Jr
The Greens senator Janet Rice gave an absolutely excoriating speech in the senate during that censure motion.
Rice held up a sign saying “Stop the human right abuses” during the Filipino president Marcos Jr’s speech to the parliament.
She was unapologetic.
The action I took in the house today was deliberate. And it was powerful.
And I did it on behalf of every Filipino person whose human rights had been abused by the government of Marcos and the government of President Duterte before him.
I was appalled that President Marcos was given the opportunity to address our parliament today.
… It is appalling that human rights abusers and a government of human rights abuse that the president of that government should be invited to attend our parliament and speak to our parliament.
I took this action after having discussions and correspondence with many Filipinos in Australia.
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The Greens, Lidia Thorpe and David Pocock have voted not to censure Janet Rice.
The Coalition and government have voted to censure Rice.
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Senate considers censure motion against Greens’ Janet Rice for lower house protest
Over in the Senate, the chamber is considering a motion to censure Janet Rice for her protest in the House of Representatives this morning.
Simon Birmingham has moved this motion:
during the address by HE Ferdinand R Marcos Jr, President of the Philippines, Senator Rice engaged in unparliamentary and disrespectful conduct and had to be ushered out of the House of Representatives;
(b) expresses its profound disapproval of Senator Rice’s unparliamentary conduct;
and (c) censures Senator Rice for the unparliamentary conduct, disrespect of proceedings and disregard for the importance of Australia Philippines relations.
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Two new Queensland schools found to have been supplied with potentially contaminated soil
The number of Queensland entities that were provided with soil that is potentially tainted with friable asbestos is continuing to grow, with two new schools identified this afternoon.
Calamvale special school and Walloon state school in Rosewood received products that could have been contaminated with asbestos from NuGrow’s Ipswich facility, Work Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ) confirmed this afternoon.
It comes after reports the material that may have been from the contaminated stockpile was provided to St Aidan’s Anglican girls’ school in Corinda and Everleigh Dog Park in Greenbank, along with 16 businesses.
The areas where the soil was identified are construction sites and not accessible to the public or students, WHSQ said.
A small amount of asbestos was discovered in contaminated soil at the NuGrow waste facility in Ipswich last week.
A search is under way across the state at 23 other waste facilities. Additional test results from the NuGrow facility are due back on Friday.
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Paid practice is one of the recommendations of the university accords Jason Clare has singled out for support immediately. Caitlin Cassidy has gone to industry and the states to see what they think:
Dutton joins Albanese in praising firefighters and acknowledging Hawke MP Sam Rae’s participation
Peter Dutton:
I will join with the prime minister and thank [him] for his words. I too would encourage all of those in the affected regions pleased to make sure that they’re up to date with the latest advice from the authorities so to evacuate if necessary to take care of each other their neighbours, particularly if you have elderly neighbours or people who aren’t as mobile, perhaps as they could be want to thank the member for Gippsland for our discussion yesterday in relation to this matter as well.
The Rural Fire Brigade members are true heroes.
They’re unpaid. In between fires, they’re attending motor vehicle accidents. They’re attending farm accidents or drownings in pools or dams.
Their work is phenomenal, and they are really again under the pump. We do hope that condition conditions continue to improve but as we know, they can deteriorate very quickly.
But no doubt the authorities are doing all that they can to keep people safe and I want to along with the prime minister acknowledge the work of the member for Hawke and wish he and his community and all Victorians all the very best.
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PM urges Victorians to heed bushfire warning advice and says he will meet state’s premier tomorrow
At the end of question time, Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton both made statements on the bushfires Victoria is facing. Parliament won’t sit again until mid next month, so both wanted to express their thoughts to the Victorian community, now.
Albanese:
With the fires continuing to burn in Victoria’s western district, our thoughts are with the communities who are going through stress and anxiety. We hope that things continue to improve but it’s a very volatile situation that they are facing.
And at this time, we’re thinking of all the firefighters and other emergency services personnel for all they are doing. They are Australian heroes
… Sadly, people in Victoria are all too familiar with bushfires. But, as we know every fight is different and every fight is unpredictable in its own way. What doesn’t change is the advice to everyone in the area do everything you can to stay up to date. With warnings and forecasts do not take risks.
Please follow the advice of all the local authorities and above all stay safe. I know I speak for every member in this place when I say that the commonwealth is ready to work with the Victorian government to do whatever we can. I’ll be meeting with the Victorian premier tomorrow.
… I acknowledge the contribution of the member for Hawke in defending not just his local community, but people in that region as well. Our thoughts are with all the people [who have] had bushfires and floods in some of the same regions. And at times, I know they were in Victoria bushfires in one area and floods in another which makes it extremely difficult for the professionals who are looking after them.
And our thoughts will continue to be with them and on behalf of the commonwealth will continue to provide any support that is required. And I know that there’ll be bipartisan support for that.
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Parliament House tours with Auslan interpreter to take place next week for World Hearing Day
Next week it is World Hearing Day and the parliament will host four free tours featuring an Auslan interpreter to see the “best of Parliament House”.
The 45-minute guided experience is for visitors to gain an introduction to the building design story, the chambers, and the political process while promoting the work of the parliament.
The tour visits both chambers; the House of Representatives and the Senate.
The tour will be led by an experienced guide and an Auslan interpreter.
To book (it is free, but they need to know numbers), head here.
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‘Need for funding for UNRWA is crucial’, says senator David Pocock
The ACT independent senator David Pocock is even more direct about the briefing his office received this week from Thomas White, director of UNRWA affairs in Gaza.
In his own statement, Pocock said:
He advised us that immediately upon receipt of the allegations from the government of Israel, UNRWA dismissed the 9 workers who were still in its employ, and deployed three experienced investigators from its New York office to Gaza to conduct a robust investigation. However, upon their arrival, the government of Israel did not respond to requests for engagement on the allegations.
Pocock said he also welcomed other investigations into the matter but “it is clear to us that in the interim the need for funding for UNRWA is critical”.
He said:
UNRWA advised that it has provided all the information it can to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade about the actions taken to deal with the allegations, and it is unclear what further assurances it can provide and what actions it can take to secure the urgent restoration of funding.
UNRWA is the backbone of the humanitarian infrastructure in Gaza, responsible for primary health, shelter for over 1 million people, food for 2.2 million people and communicable disease control. All humanitarian aid organisations have been unanimous in saying that without UNRWA, it will be impossible to deliver aid at the scale that is needed. There is no alternative.
Pocock cited reports today that “1 in 5 pregnant women in Gaza are malnourished and almost 16% of children under the age of two (one in six infants) are acutely malnourished or wasting in northern Gaza”. He said the humanitarian situation on the ground was catastrophic.
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(Continued from previous post)
The statement from nine lower house crossbench MPs continued:
Amid emerging evidence of malnutrition, it is our clear understanding that unless international partner funding to UNRWA is restored by the end of March, UNRWA will not be able to pay its workers and its humanitarian operations in Gaza will collapse.
We recognise the government needs to balance these two legitimate concerns – ensuring our aid does not support terrorism, while supporting Palestinian civilians in a dire humanitarian situation.
However, given the scale of the current humanitarian requirements, we believe that it is critical that either an alternative pathway is found to deliver urgent aid, or that the government provides immediate clear direction as to what actions UNRWA can feasibly take in order that funding can be restored before we bear witness to a humanitarian collapse in Gaza.
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Crossbench MPs urge Labor to lay out how UNRWA can restore funding
Nine crossbench MPs in the lower house have urged the government to clearly lay out what actions the aid agency UNRWA can take to restore $6m in frozen Australian funding “before we bear witness to a humanitarian collapse in Gaza”.
In a joint statement, crossbenchers including Zoe Daniel, Monique Ryan and Allegra Spender said the allegations from Israel that 12 UNWRA employees in Gaza had been involved in Hamas’ 7 October attacks were “extremely concerning and serious”.
But they said they also recognised the “dire humanitarian situation in Gaza and the central role that UNRWA plays in providing relief to hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinian civilians”. The statement – which was also signed by Kylea Tink, Helen Haines, Sophie Scamps, Zali Steggall, Kate Chaney and Andrew Wilkie – revealed the contents of a briefing held this week:
We have spoken with Thomas White, UNRWA’s on the ground Director of Humanitarian Affairs, about what steps have been taken in relation to these concerns. Mr White is an Australian who has worked in this position for more than two years, with decades of experience in aid and conflict zones, including for Fred Hollows Foundation, the Norwegian Refugee Council, and Save the Children.
Mr White told us that UNRWA acted by immediately dismissing those employees and deploying three experienced internal investigators from its New York headquarters to conduct detailed inquiries. Former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna has also been appointed to lead a review of whether the agency is doing everything in its power to ensure its own neutrality. Mr White says that UNRWA has sought to engage with the Israeli government on these matters. He shared that UNRWA is unclear what more it can do for funding to be restored before the situation in Gaza becomes even more dire.
(Continued in next post)
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Students gather at Sydney town hall for pro-Palestine protest
Large crowds of students wearing keffiyehs and waving Palestinian flags are gathered outside Sydney’s town hall, striking as part of the national day of student action for Palestine.
Activist Ethan Floyd said today students were sending a message to the NSW premier, Chris Minns, and the education minister, Prue Car. Floyd said to the crowd:
A good student, someone who values their education, is someone who pays attention to things happening in the world.
Someone who learns the lessons of history in the classroom, and who has the courage to stand up outside the classroom and to do something about them.
That’s the real value of education. That is why every single one of us is demonstrating today.
“A good student, someone who values their education, is someone who pays attention to things happening in the world.”
— Rafqa Touma (@At_Raf_) February 29, 2024
- Ethan Floyd to the rally of students striking outside Sydney’s Town Hall as part of a national action for Palestine. pic.twitter.com/M7Topg4hM8
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There is another dixer on housing and then question time, mercifully, ends.
Albanese confirms Andrew Giles has his full confidence
Peter Dutton is back:
Prime minister, does the minister for immigration enjoy your full confidence?
Anthony Albanese:
Yes.
(That is the whole answer.)
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Albanese rejects Dutton demand to sack Giles over detainee release
It took Peter Dutton three goes to get this question out because of all the interjections from Labor MPs:
149 hardcore criminals have been released into the community. The minister has not taken a single application to redetain one of these criminals, and now more Australians are being harmed, with the likely risk extending to many more Australians. When will you show leadership, stop being so weak, and sack this minister?
Anthony Albanese:
We are not in a position to defy an order of the high court. And no one is suggesting that they should do that. Not my words. Not my words. The words of [Liberal] Senator Paterson.
Under the constitution, you can’t detain someone indefinitely. We accept that. Not my words. The words of the leader of the opposition.
The high court’s made the decision. We respect that decision. Not my words. The words of the shadow minister for immigration.
The fact is, I’ll tell you what is not strong. I’ll tell you what strength is not. Strength is not asking for responses that would endanger judicial processes.
That is not strong. That is not strong. There is no strength whatsoever in that.
And what is appalling is that the leader of the opposition knows that that is the case … Because he has been in a position, including … when he was responsible for the legislation of which our legislation was based upon, his legislation that he presided over, and he knows that that is the case.
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Malcolm Roberts asks about potential Chinese involvement in espionage plot
In a follow-up question in the Senate, the senator Malcolm Roberts asked why, in his view, the government was “afraid to say the C word” in the context of security threats to Australia. Roberts then added that he was talking about the Chinese Communist party.
The acting leader of the government in the Senate, Katy Gallagher, told the Senate she was unsure of the framing of the question because “we talk about China all the time as a government”.
She said Australia had been seeking to stabilise the relationship with China, but would always act in Australia’s national interests and they would disagree where we must.
(Nobody named any individuals.)
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Albanese says recommendations on grants tranparency are being considered
Independent MP Dr Helen Haines asks Anthony Albanese:
This week, I introduced my ‘end pork barrelling’ bill. My bill would stamp out the practice of the major parties using taxpayer money to win votes. More than 80% of Australians think this is corrupt conduct. They’re sick of it and they want to see it end.
Prime minister, do you agree that pork-barrelling is corrupt conduct? And will you commit to working with me to stamp it out?
Albanese:
I appreciate the work that the member has undertaken and her very strong and long-standing interest in ensuring that taxpayers’ money is effectively managed through these grants programs. The member for Indi was a very strong supporter of the creation of a National Anti-Corruption Commission.
And one of the first acts of my government was to introduce the legislation, to carry the legislation, to put it in place, and it is now up and running effectively, funded, effectively operating out there. An important – an important piece of legislation, where we caught up with what most states and territories had done some time ago.
I am aware of the minister’s bill that she has introduced into the parliament. We’ll go through this, like any other piece of private member’s legislation or senator’s legislation, in the usual methodical way that we do, following proper process.
The finance minister, I can inform the member for Indi, has asked her department in the other place – the good senator has asked her department for advice to strengthen the commonwealth grants framework, including possible enhancements to the commonwealth grants rules and guidelines to improve integrity, accountability, probity, and transparency.
As part of this work, recommendations that have been put forward by the Australian National Audit Office and the JCPAA in this space, the joint committee, in relation to grants are being considered. Enhancements to the grants framework are under consideration and the finance minister will be making announcements once they are finalised.
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Asio boss Burgess has Labor’s ‘100% support’ in not naming accused politician
Over in the Senate, Malcolm Roberts asks about the elephant not in the room. Roberts told the Senate:
When will the government name the former Australian politician that ASIO chief Mike Burgess yesterday referenced as someone who sold out Australia to advance the interests of a foreign regime?
Acting government leader of the Senate, Katy Gallagher, told the Senate:
I thank Senator Roberts for the question and I note the annual threat assessment that was delivered last night by the director general of Asio. We have upmost confidence in our security and intelligence services.
The director general made a comment about this. He was specifically asked about this last night. He said he had made a deliberate decision not to name the individual and he provided reasons for this.
The government respects his judgement. He has our 100% support. He has the full picture and he made an informed decision. The threat assessment made clear we need to continue to be vigilant and sober in how we respond to threats and this is what we are doing.
Gallagher later added:
It’s a matter for the director general of Asio. If he were to choose to name an individual, that’s a matter for him.
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Ed Husic continues Gen-X humour campaign
Ed Husic continues to campaign for the title “King of the Gen Xers” with more Gen X humour contained in a dixer answer. The only thing worse than Gen X humour is boomer humour, but Husic gets some sort of perverse pleasure in making people’s eyes roll so hard they end up in somewhere in the Bass Strait.
You have to be terminally tuned into the parliament to get this one, but earlier in the week he made a George Constanza joke – “it’s not a lie if you believe it” – which Paul Fletcher be demanded be withdrawn for being unparliamentary (although there was a bit of confusion over what was unparliamentary) and he returns to that in today’s dixer:
I alluded the other day to a certain strategic consultant who might have been employed by the Coalition - I’m not gonna go back there - but if your name is George and you’re a marine biologist, then if you’re earning $65,000, he will earn a tax cut for $1,316.
Thanks to the gen-Xers who laughed at that one.
I had to look it up, because I am not a Gen Xer and my references are not stuck in Star Wars, Monty Python, Seinfeld and the Cure, but apparently George Constanza pretended to be a marine biologist to impress a date in an episode where a whale ended up with a golf ball stuck in its blowhole.
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Housing minister outlines foreign ownership rules and says ‘supply’, supply, supply’ is the answer
Back to question time, independent MP Andrew Gee asks Julie Collins about his bill to ban foreign investors from purchasing property in Australia for two years.
He gets much the same answer he got during his failed attempt to suspend standing orders to debate it.
Collins:
We do know that Australians are finding it more difficult to get a safe, affordable place to call home, which is why, of course, we do want to invest in supply. As I have said here before, supply, supply, supply is the answer.
In terms of foreign investment, while investment in building new housing is welcome, foreign ownership of existing homes is generally prohibited, as the member would know, and as we discussed earlier in the chamber. In some limited circumstances, foreign residents can purchase a home while they’re living in Australia, but they must sell it or rent it out when they leave. A foreign owner’s vacancy tax applies to any property if left vacant for more than six months.
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Islamic Council of Victoria welcomes cancellation of annual iftar dinner
The Islamic Council of Victoria has welcomed premier Jacinta Allan’s decision to cancel the government’s annual iftar dinner.
In a statement, the peak body for Muslims in the state said:
The ICV welcomes today’s announcement by the Premier Jacinta Allan that this year’s Premier’s Iftar will be cancelled. It is an appropriate decision in response to the overwhelming sentiment from the Muslim community that due to the traumatising impact of the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza it would not be appropriate to stage the premier’s Iftar this year, and it would not be supported.
Further, the Muslim community has been seeking a clear message from the government that our concerns are being heard, and this decision is one step towards that. There are other steps that we are asking the government to take and the ICV has conveyed these requests. The ICV looks forward to working with the premier and her government to achieve those outcomes.
Just yesterday, the ICV’s president, Adel Salman, told Guardian Australia he had rejected an invitation to the event and urged the premier to cancel it altogether.
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ANU students will not be penalised for attending nationwide strikes for Palestine
Students at the Australian National University (ANU) will not be penalised for attending today’s nationwide strikes for Palestine, a spokesperson has confirmed.
The spokesperson said ANU had a “long history of political action”, adding all students and staff were “free to express themselves on any issue in line with Australian law”.
We have been encouraging our community to engage in respectful debate on this complex issue, including being aware and sensitive to how expressing personal views may impact others.
Students at UTS and UNSW were urged to consult their teachers if they planned to attend, while a spokesperson at the University of Sydney said classes were continuing as scheduled and students who were absent for “any reason” should inform their study coordinator.
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Liberals attempt attack lines on released detainees in Senate as well
Over in the Senate, the Coalition is also pursuing the government over detainees released after last year’s high court ruling striking out indefinite immigration detention.
The acting leader of the government in the Senate, Katy Gallagher, told the Senate she would not comment on individual cases in order to avoid prejudicing any court proceedings, but said the immigration minister, Andrew Giles, was “working every single day with those security agencies, with his state and territory colleagues to make sure that everything is done that can be done to keep the community safe”.
She accused the Coalition of seeking to “come in here and stir up and politicise all of these matters”.
The Liberal senator James Paterson asked a follow-up question:
Will the government now apologise to the alleged victims and the people of Melbourne that you have failed to protect through your own inaction by failing to make a single application for a preventive detention order, despite the parliament rushing [the laws] through before Christmas?
Gallagher told the Senate:
In relation to all of the victims that have been involved in the NZYQ cohort, of course the government is committed to ensuring that everything is done to support victims and their families and an enormous amount of work has gone into that.
Paterson raised a point of order on direct relevance, and pressed for an apology. Gallagher replied:
We are committed to doing everything we can and I know the minister personally is to support victims and their families who have been involved with this cohort. Senator Paterson understands exactly how much work is going into preventive detention. You know it and you come in here and choose to ignore it.
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May the farce be with you
The education minister, Jason Clare, manages to get the biggest response from both sides of the chamber with a sledge against … Star Wars.
I opened Western Sydney University’s new Study Hub in Fairfield, with my great mate, the minister for climate change and energy. It’s where we grew up. And it’s also where I released the university’s accord final report. And I did it there on purpose.
That new University Hub is smack bang on the site where I got my first part-time job, collecting shopping trolleys at Fairfield Woolies. That was a long time ago. 1987.
Back then, this building still hadn’t opened. There were still only three Star Wars movies. Probably should have stayed that way!
(The chamber erupts)
I’m not counting Mandalorian in that.
Those were the days. Those were the days. Those were the movies. And, of course, one of the greatest albums of all time had just come out. Of course, I mean Guns N’ Roses, Appetite For Destruction. It could be the opposition leader’s autobiography one day.
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Giles: reoffending will attract consequences as a matter for law enforcement agencies
There is another question along those same lines:
Out of the 149 hardcore criminals released by the Albanese government, how many rapists and sex offenders have reoffended since being released?
Australia has one of the highest reoffending rates in the world. This is not an issue contained to the cohort of people released by the high court decision. It’s an issue with our incarceration system in general.
Andrew Giles:
As I’ve said previously to the House, where individuals offend or breach their visa conditions, they will face the consequences, they will face those consequences, which are a matter for state or commonwealth law enforcement agencies.
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Liberals continue fearmongering over detainees released in accordance with high court decision
It is Paul Fletcher’s turn and yup, we are going there today.
Out of the 149 hardcore criminals released by the Albanese Government, how many rapists and sex offenders, apart from the one who’s just been charged with sexual assault, remain at large in the community?
This follows on from the advertising Advance has been running in the electorate of Dunkley. A high court decision found indefinite detention was unconstitutional. That meant that the government – and it doesn’t matter who was the government – had to respond.
In Australia, if you have completed your custodial sentence, you are released. No matter the crime. It happens very single day. Gang members, murderers, sex offenders, child sex offenders –all are released if they have completed their sentence.
The opposition know it, but they are deliberately stripping away context to stoke fear for political reasons.
Andrew Giles:
I thank the manager of opposition business for his question, which is a question that I answered in the last sitting week when I informed him – and informed the House – that because of the strict visa conditions, including reporting requirements and electronic monitoring for many, the location of every individual in this cohort is known.
And I remind him, and those opposite, of what the federal police[’s] acting deputy commissioner said in estimates, and I quote, “I don’t think there is any difficulty knowing where they are”.
Now, unlike some of those opposite ... I have complete faith in our law enforcement officials’ ability to keep us safe. And they are working around the clock to do just that. And I remind him again that we have worked to give them the tools they need to enforce the strict laws we passed in the parliament last year, including an additional quarter of a billion dollars to support our law enforcement effort.
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Bob Katter is up to bat
Bob Katter has the first of the crossbench questions.
He is saying words. In some sort of order. But I could not tell you what they were if my life depended on it.
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Liberals question why immigration powers were not used to redetain offender after high court-mandated release
Zoe McKenzie takes the next question for the government, which is on the same topic that Sussan Ley just asked about. McKenzie asks why Andrew Giles did not use his powers to redetain the person and “protect these two Victorian women”.
There is a reason women MPs have been given these questions to ask.
Andrew Giles:
My thoughts and I’m sure all members of this place are with victim survivors right now and all those affected by these distressing reports. And I say to the member who asked the question, and all members, that all our law enforcement agencies, the Australian Federal Police, Border Force and the state police forces as well are doing an extraordinary job. And express my confidence in them.
Now, I want to be very clear – and I think all members will appreciate this – that I am not in a position, and I will not comment on any individual case, because I will not risk prejudice to any court proceedings.
I will not risk prejudicing any court proceedings.
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Ley continues attacks over detainees released after high court decision
Because the first question was basically a dixer, the opposition get another question and Sussan Ley takes this one, because Peter Dutton is still imbued with the spirit of bipartisanship, presumably.
Ley:
When was the minister first informed that a serial sex offender the Albanese Government released from immigration detention, had been charged with sexual assault, stalking and two counts of unlawful assault in Victoria?
Andrew Giles:
I was informed of the arrest last evening through appropriate law enforcement channels.
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Question time begins
The final question time is about to get underway.
Milton Dick will let us know when a byelection in Cook will be held.
Peter Dutton kicks off with a bipartisan dixer on the strategic relationship between Australia and the Philippines.
Prime Minister, today we were honoured to host the President of the Philippines in this very chamber. He’s here as part of the Asean [meeting] in Melbourne next week. Would the prime minister advise of the significance of the summit to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Australia Asean dialogue partnership between Australia and Asean?
Everyone is feeling very bipartisan.
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Alex Turnbull cautions Asio after reports he may have been targeted by espionage attempt
Alex Turnbull, the son of former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, is quoted in news.com.au saying that he believes he may have been the target of an approach referred to by spy chief Mike Burgess.
He reportedly said he expressed no interest and forwarded the details immediately to the authorities.
Alex Turnbull told Guardian Australia:
Inoculation is cheap and good. Not everyone is going to be as attuned to the risks. If you spend your whole life in Australia, this stuff is pretty foreign and not something you normally have to think about. Asio needs to sit people down for a half day of training.
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Question Time looms …
Would you look at that – it is almost time for the last question time of this sitting session.
Which does not bode well for any of us, given it is the last one before Saturday’s Dunkley byelection.
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Pro-Palestinian students rally outside UTS before protest march towards Town Hall
Students are starting to gather outside the University of Technology Sydney, ahead of a march to Town Hall calling for a ceasefire for Gaza – part of a national day of student action striking for Palestine.
Protesters from University of Sydney have marched up to the University of Technology Sydney campus to join the student march for Palestine to Town Hall pic.twitter.com/UhmuPELp6n
— Rafqa Touma (@At_Raf_) February 29, 2024
Yasmine Johnson, a UTS student and organiser for Students for Palestine, said:
Students are not going to sit quietly in schools while the government gets away with supporting Israel.
I think a lot of people are really angry … The fact that [the Australian government] spent months saying Israel has the right to defend itself, and then [students are] watching on their phones the videos of children who are starving in Gaza.
Protesters from the University of Sydney have joined forces with protestors outside the University of Technology Sydney as the students begin their march for Palestine to Town Hall.
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Australia Council for International Development urges government to reinstate Unrwa funding
The Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) is busy today on top of releasing its pre-budget submission, it is also urging the federal government to reinstate funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (Unrwa) so the agency can pay workers delivering lifesaving aid.
The federal government has suspended $6m in funding it announced earlier this year, following allegations from Israel Unrwa staff were involved in the 7 October attack. Penny Wong has since admitted the government did not have “all the facts” before making the decision to pause the additional aid, but were waiting on the outcome of an Unrwa investigation.
ACFID’s CEO, Marc Purcell, said the UN aid agency would be unable to continue any operations in Gaza in a matter of weeks if it did not receive an injection of funds.
Unrwa is the backbone of the humanitarian response in Gaza.
The time for Australia to show leadership on the international stage by reinstating funding is now, so that other donors can see that the Australian government has confidence in Unrwa’s response.
The humanitarian catastrophe we are seeing in Gaza is on the brink of collapse, with a possible invasion of Rafah putting further strain on the little capacity that Unrwa has left.
ACFID is calling on the Australian government to prioritize the humanitarian need in Gaza, recognize UNRWA’s commitment to neutrality and immediately reinstate its $6m aid package. It is the right thing to do.
Aid convoys which have been allowed through border crossings into Gaza and the West Bank have come under constant fire from Israeli troops, preventing assistance from reaching where it is needed.
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No questions at Albanese-Marcos press conference
To cover off some earlier business for those wondering – there were no questions allowed at the joint Albanese-Marcos Jr press conference.
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Kate Chaney backs Gee bill, but motion on housing debate set to fail
The independent MP Kate Chaney is backing the suspension of standing orders motion (not that it matters because the government holds the numbers and is against it).
She says housing affordability is raised every time she speaks to constituents and while she had originally had concerns the Gee bill was xenophobic and she supports immigration, she sees it as a temporary measure to reduce demand.
Chaney rebuts Julie Collins’ assertion that allowing foreign investors to build new homes boosts supply by pointing out it takes land, resources and tradies away from Australians attempting to do the same thing at the moment, and the property is not necessarily put on the market as additional stock.
The house is dividing, but it is a formality – with the government against it, the motion will fail.
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Labor indicates it will not support housing debate or Gee bill at this time
Housing minister Julie Collins says the government won’t be supporting the motion to suspend standing orders but appreciates Andrew Gee’s passion.
The government also doesn’t support the bill. Collins says it is only in very rare circumstances that foreign investors can buy an existing property and their investment in new stock boosts supply.
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Katter asks what opposition and government have done for housing affordability
Bob Katter is speaking on the motion to suspend standing orders.
He wants to know what the opposition has said or done or put forward to address housing affordability.
He says the government is increasing demand with things like help to buy, but that doesn’t actually help people get into homes. He supports Andrew Gee’s bill as he says it is “something that would lower demand”.
For the bill to be brought on, the government would have to agree to change its order of business –and for the bill to pass, the government would have to support it.
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Andrew Gee introduces private bill to ban foreign investors from buying houses
Andrew Gee has a private members bill he wants the government to bring on for debate (it was mentioned at the end of his motion there) which was modelled on Canadian legislation.
It would ban foreign investors from being able to purchase housing in Australia for two years.
Gee introduced it earlier this month and wants it brought on as a matter of urgency.
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Andrew Gee calls for ‘urgent action’ to address the housing affordability crisis
The House of Representatives sitting has resumed and independent MP Andrew Gee has kicked things off by moving to suspend standing orders to discuss the housing affordability crisis:
Gee wants the house to note:
The housing affordability crisis is having a devastating impact on many Australians, particularly first home buyers and young families.
Urgent action is required to prevent the great Australian dream of home ownership from slipping away from many Australians.
The National Australia Bank residential property survey for fourth quarter 2023 found that the market share of foreign buyers in new Australian housing markets grew for the fifth straight quarter to a six and a half year high of 11%. In New South Wales foreign buyers had a 15% market share.
A two-year prohibition on the foreign purchase of residential property in Australia would ensure that the interests of foreign property speculators are not being prioritised over the interests of Australian first home buyers and young families.
That private members’ business order of the day No. 27, relating to the prohibition on the purchase of residential property by foreign entities Bill 2024, be called on immediately and be given priority over all other business for final determination of the House.
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The Australian Council for International Development argues case to increase foreign aid spend
For those who don’t follow the parliamentary calendar as religiously as we do (and more power to you) it is pre-budget submission season, which is when interest and lobby groups put in their wish list to treasury about what they would like to see the budget contain.
The Australian Council for International Development CEO, Marc Purcell, wants to see an increased focus on the foreign aid spend.
In particular, Purcell and the council want to see “the following measures to meet Australia’s commitment to boosting official development assistance to the OECD average of 0.37% of gross national income by the end of 2027”:
$150m to double Australia’s Humanitarian Emergency Fund contribution;
$350m towards meeting Australia’s fair share on humanitarian funding;
$100m as an initial pledge for the global loss and damage fund for developing nations;
$40m to expand locally-led climate adaptation programs;
$50m for NGO-led impact investment funds;
$60m to safeguard civic space and strengthen civil society;
$35m for Australia’s NGO Cooperation Program; and
$63.3m towards achieving LGBTQ+ rights, gender equality and disability equity in Australia’s development program
Purcell said:
The foreign aid budget is at an all-time low as a proportion of overall government spending. Without a substantial boost, this is set to flatline from 2026 even as global demand for humanitarian and development assistance soars.
Australia is one of the least generous OECD aid donors, coming 28th place out of 31 nations. It is also at the back of the pack of foreign aid spending among G7 economies, Aukus and Five Eyes partners.
Failing to invest in foreign aid risks undermining Australia’s relationships with our neighbours, and its position as a trusted and respected regional partner.
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Jacinta Allan plans to mark iftar with ‘private occasions’ following cancellation of annual dinner
As Amy reported earlier, the Victorian government has cancelled its annual iftar dinner after the state’s peak body for Muslims and other community groups announced they would not attend the event given Labor’s stance on the conflict.
Speaking in Ballarat on Thursday, premier Jacinta Allan said:
We consulted across a range of leaders across the Islamic community and considered how the event could be held in a considerate way and respectful way and certainly not in a celebratory way given the distress and grief we all see coming out of the conflict in the Middle East.
My role here in Victoria is to support the community, not add to distress and grief. It’s in that context that the dinner will not be proceeding this year. It is my intent to mark iftar, to mark events through the Ramadan period, respectfully with private occasions, sitting with families [and] providing support and care.
I do not want to add any moment of additional stress and distress to people who are already deeply grieving. It was in that context that we’ve made what is a difficult decision.
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Security and defence lobby group supports naming former politician at the centre of Burgess speech
Dr Malcolm Davis is a member of Aspi, which is basically a security and defence think tank/lobby group, although they are treated in a much more lofty fashion than that.
Davis is speaking to the ABC about Mike Burgess’s speech and unsurprisingly thinks the former politician Burgess spoke of should be named.
In my personal opinion, yes, the name should be released. The risk is if it is not released is every former Australian politician who has recently served in government would be under suspicion and that is unacceptable.
You don’t want one bad apple to smear the entire bunch. I think it is probably in the interest of the government to identify the individual and for measures to be taken appropriately rather than have everyone who works in this building to be under suspicion.
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Victorian premier confirms annual iftar dinner cancelled
Victorian premier Jacinta Allan has confirmed the annual iftar dinner has been cancelled, after Muslim peak bodies said they would boycott the event over Victorian Labor’s stance on Israel.
It is not just the Victorian dinner which Muslim representative bodies rejected – the NSW dinner was also included in the concerns.
Allan confirmed a little earlier this morning the Victorian dinner, which has been held since 2015, would not go ahead.
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All eyes on the power grid as eastern states swelter
The need for more renewable energy investment will probably be highlighted later today when New South Wales and Queensland experience a bit of a strain on their power grids.
A warm day in Sydney – where the mercury is forecast to climb to 35C-39C depending where you are – will drive evening power demand higher. Brisbane isn’t particularly warm but Queensland too will likely see demand push up in the evening.
Both NSW and Queensland should see wholesale power prices hit the market maximum of more than $16,000 per megawatt-hour later in the evening. (AEMO uses standard, not summer time, for its market.)
Some spiky wholesale power prices expected later in the day in NSW (left) and Qld. Probably fortunate that the late-summer heat is mostly a one-day event for Melbourne and Sydney this week. (Source:@AEMO_Energy) pic.twitter.com/S5UfqNdgNW
— @phannam@mastodon.green (@p_hannam) February 29, 2024
For now there remains an outstanding so-called lack of reserve level two alert for NSW, although that gap (about 120 megawatts between 5.30pm -7pm, Aedt) will probably be filled unless there’s a breakdown, such as a coal-fired power plant unit dropping out.
Meteorologically, summer’s not quite over (even if it ends at midnight, according to the calendar) so we might yet get a multi-day heatwave in eastern states. The power grid’s managed to avoid such an event so far this summer and risks reduce as the days shorten.
Still, a couple of the federal, state and territory energy ministers will be keeping an eye on their energy phone apps this evening when they gather in Canberra.
Tomorrow will see their first meeting for 2024 with talk likely to focus on how we can get more energy generation into the grid faster.
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Retail sales bounce 1.1% in January
Amid the chatter about a recession or a “weak economy”, we’ve had a couple fresh data points released by the ABS this morning.
Retail sales rose last month by 1.1%, seasonally adjusted in January, both compared with December and from January 2023. The market consensus had been for a 1.5% month-on-month increase, so the number isn’t particularly positive.
However, the December numbers weren’t quite as bad as previously reported by the ABS, with the monthly drop revised to 2.1% rather than 2.7%.
Given the CPI for January was 3.4%, we’re still looking at consumers cutting back spending in real terms (in the order of 2.3%) even before we account for population growth.
According to the ABS, retail turnover is basically at the levels of last September and more or less stagnant.
There was more upbeat news, though, on the investment front. Spending by private companies on new plant and equipment rose 0.8% in the December quarter, or at about twice the pace economists had predicted. From a year earlier, the increase was 7.9%.
Mining spending was up 1.1% and non-mining was 0.6% higher. Investments in renewable energy infrastructure were notably higher, helping the investment in the “electricity, gas, water and waste services” category jump 14.7%.
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Here is how the chamber looked during President Marcos Jr’s address, as seen by photographer Mike Bowers:
And the official walk out of the chamber:
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Tanya Plibersek also doesn’t know who the accused politician is
Over on Sky News, Tanya Plibersek is the latest in the conga line of politicians being asked if they know who the former politician was that Mike Burgess spoke about:
No, I don’t know who it is. And I think that’s really a matter for the Asio boss. I imagine there’s a reason that they haven’t named the person or taken further action.
I think the point is to give a public warning that this is a risk for people in public life and that they may be approached. They may not know they’re being approached by a spy network. I think reading more of the speech, the Asio boss lays out some of the ways that these approaches are made, and it’s an important warning that we should be on our guard.
So far, just the Liberal senator James Paterson has admitted to having some inkling to who it may be (not officially told, just his private speculation).
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Official announcement of new agreement between Australia and Philippines
And the official announcement between the two countries has landed, with the main points being:
Enhanced maritime cooperation to strengthen our existing civil and defence maritime commitments;
Cyber and critical technology to harden our resilience against cyber attacks and encourage cooperation on the digital economy; and
Cooperation between our national competition commissions to enhance effective competition law and policy.
The PM also announced a new $20m investment to support the Philippines to reform, and improve access to, its justice system.
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Albanese announces memorandum of understanding with Philippines
Anthony Albanese and the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, are holding a joint press conference now to announce the new strategic agreement the two nations have signed.
Albanese:
President Marcos and I have had very productive discussions focused on driving forward our close collaboration as strategic partners.
We are ambitious for what we can achieve together, and I’m pleased that we are working actively to build a peaceful region where international law is respected and waterways are opened for trade.
I’m pleased that with our new MOU [memorandum of understanding] on enhanced maritime cooperation, which we have signed today, will collaborate even more closely to promote our shared vision for the region, including in civil maritime security, marine environment protection, maritime domain awareness and promoting respect for international law.
We’ll also continue our maritime cooperative activities as regional partners committed to doing our part to sustain peace and stability in our region.
We also discussed strengthening cooperation on cyber and critical technology and we’ll work together to promote to open and secure use of cyberspace through a new MOU which we have signed today.
We have also signed a new MOU between our competition commissions to enhance cooperation on competition law and policy, highly relevant issues in both of our countries giving the cost of living pressures that our people are facing.
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Birmingham calls on home affairs minister to name accused politician
The Liberal moderate Simon Birmingham has landed, in his very centrist way, in-between naming the person Mike Burgess was talking about and respecting Mike Burgess not naming the person he was talking about.
This is what he had to say about whether the unnamed former politician should be named:
A couple of points on that. I think that Mike Burgess … the Asio director general, has been very clear that foreign interference and espionage has surpassed terrorism as the number one security threat facing Australia.
It is incumbent upon all of us as politicians to be mindful of that. It’s incumbent upon our staff, our families, media and all across this building and to engage with it, to be mindful and to heed the warnings in terms of how people engage and to be alert for potential instances of foreign interference and espionage.
I think Mike Burgess and the whole network of security agencies do an incredibly powerful and important job protecting our nation, and we respect their capabilities and their work. I think in terms of the statements made last night, they reveal the significance of the challenge and indeed the sophistication of some of the operations. There absolutely would be benefit, though, in ensuring that not all former politicians carry some sort of smear or smirch upon them.
And so the home affairs minister should make a statement to the House, providing as much detail as is possible to provide clarity around this and to avoid that type of smear against all serving or all former politicians.
So should that include the person’s name?
Birmingham:
Ultimately, we have to encourage the government who will have access to more information than we can from opposition to provide as much clarity as possible. But there is clearly significant public interest in this matter. That public interest deserves to be addressed as transparently as possible.
The minister for home affairs should step forward, provide that information as much of it as possibly can.
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High court to hear further case on indefinite detention
A fortnight ago we reported that the attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, had applied to send a test case to the high court on whether the government needs to release people from immigration detention if they are indefinitely detained in part because they are refusing to cooperate with authorities.
The case is significant because hundreds more people could be released from detention, in addition to the 149 released after the NZYQ decision that indefinite detention is unlawful. The commonwealth is arguing it should be able to keep people in detention if they refuse to cooperate with efforts to deport them.
According to the court file, chief justice Stephen Gageler made orders by consent in the case on 23 February, and the cause was formally removed from the federal court to the high court on Wednesday (28 February). So the high court will hear the case.
The case is an appeal by a plaintiff known by the pseudonym ASF17, who the government argues has frustrated deportation because he refused to meet with Iranian authorities to get travel documents.
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On retrospective legislation
On Peter Dutton’s suggestion of making laws retrospective to punish the unknown former politician Mike Burgess referred to as having been recruited by spies for a foreign nation, Dutton was part of the Turnbull cabinet in 2018 when the foreign interference legislation was put forward and passed by the government.
It does not include retrospective powers and there were reasons for that . Retrospective powers (punishing someone under new legislation that did not exist when the alleged crime was committed) are very challenging legally and tend to open up unintended cans of worms.
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Dutton says Asio boss ‘first-class operator’ but says accused politician should be ‘outed and shamed’
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has spoken to 2GB Radio about Mike Burgess warning that a former Australian politician “sold out their country, party and former colleagues” after being recruited by spies for a foreign regime.
Dutton said:
I haven’t been told [who it is]. Mike Burgess is as good as they get, a great head of Asio, a first-class operator. It’s pretty rough to besmirch former politicians when he’s talking about one. If he doesn’t indicate the name, there’s a cloud hanging over everybody else ...
If you’re putting that detail out there, as Mr Burgess has done, I think it’s incumbent to give a little bit more criteria, a little bit more of a hint about who the person is, because it’s unfair on a lot [of] former MPs who are patriotic, as 99.9% on both sides are. If there’s one who is not, frankly, that person should be outed and shamed.
Dutton suggested that laws could be made retrospective to punish the person.
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What was the protest against Bush’s address like in 2003?
During that 2003 address Daniel Hurst mentioned there, several Labor politicians conducted their own small protest. Several refused to stand to applaud the end of the address, while Harry Quick, a Labor backbencher, wore a white armband over his suit arm.
Tanya Plibersek handed out badges with peace doves to MPs to wear during the address.
Bob Brown refused to leave when directed and interrupted the speech more than once. According to reports at the time, George W Bush just smiled and winked at prime minster John Howard.
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A brief history of Australian protest against visiting leaders
The protest by the Greens senator Janet Rice was by no means the first time a parliamentary address by a visiting leader has been challenged.
The most famous incident was in 2003, when the then Australian Greens senators Bob Brown and Kerry Nettle stood up and shouted during the speech by then US president George W Bush. That happened just months after the US-led invasion of Iraq on the basis of weapons of mass destruction that were never found.
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Greens senator calls for Australia and Philippines to have foreign policy ‘independent of the United States of America’
A little bit more on the small protest the Greens staged during President Marcos Jr’s address.
Senator Jordon Steele-John did not attend the address and instead stood outside with members of the Australian-Filipino community who are holding a protest outside the parliament.
Human Rights Watch continues to have concerns over human rights violations in the Philippines and has called for more of the nation’s allies to raise it with Marcos Jr. Steele-John:
I am proud to join protesters from the Australian-Filipino community on the lawns of Parliament House today.
The Australian-Filipino community is calling for Australia and the Philippines to have a foreign policy independent of the United States of America. They are calling for Prime Minister Albanese and President Marcos Jr to no longer act in lock-step with the United States of America.
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President Marcos Jr concludes address to parliament
The address ends and senators and guests are invited to leave the chamber. There is another standing ovation and Labor’s front bench moves immediately to shake President Marcos Jr’s hand.
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Marcos Jr on climate change: ‘developed countries must do more and they must do it now’
Marcos Jr moves from that last thought to climate change:
This is particularly important given the scope of global cooperation needed to address our most pressing vulnerability, one that threatens the very survival of our peoples, one that threatens our very future.
I speak of climate change.
My country accepts its part in our collective responsibility. My administration is committed to accelerating our just, affordable, sustainable, and inclusive energy transmission towards carbon neutrality.
The Philippines has the potential to be a net carbon sink, absorbing more carbon dioxide than we emit, yet we are one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world, ranking first in the 2023 World Risk Index.
This glaring disproportion between our share of responsibility and our vulnerability reflects an injustice that must be corrected. Developed countries must do more and they must do it now.
Our past successes should inspire us to forge ahead in building the future to which we aspire.
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Marcos Jr talks up regional security: ‘more than ever we need multilateralism to work’
Unlike the address by the PNG prime minister James Marape earlier this month, which was very much focussed on the historic partnership between the two nations, President Marcos Jr is firmly focussed on security:
Beyond our bilateral horizon we project the commitment in our continued adherence to Asean centrality, which we will have the opportunity to reaffirm at this special summit between Asean and Australia in Melbourne next week.
Beyond the region, we project this commitment to in our partnership and active leadership on the international stage. We collaborate closely with Australia to strengthen international security and universal adherence to international humanitarian law.
I salute Prime Minister Albanese’s personal commitment to our vision of a world free of nuclear weapons. It is a commitment that is shared by all peoples of south-east Asia with those of Australia and the Pacific Islander states. Through the treaties of Bangkok and Rarotonga, our [Pacific] region serves as pockets of freedom from these destructive weapons.
Within the ambit of the Asean regional forum and the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, our two countries are champions of nuclear disarmament and advocates for nuclear risk reduction.
In the context of emerging technologies such as autonomous weapons systems and of new frontiers such as outer space and cyberspace, there is much room for our two countries to work together.
Our collaboration in the United Nations demonstrates the need to continue to build bridges and to forge consensus towards decisive multilateral solutions. We cannot allow geopolitics to paralyse global governance. Now more than ever we need multilateralism to work.
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Philippines president declares firm resolve in facing threats to regional peace and stability
Marcos Jr:
As in 1942, the Philippines now finds itself on the front line against actions that undermine regional peace, erode regional stability, and threaten regional success. Then, as now, we remain firm in defending our sovereignty, our sovereign rights, and jurisdiction.
I shall never tire of repeating the declaration that I made from the first day that I took office: ‘I will not allow any attempt by any foreign power to take even one square inch of our sovereign territory’. (the chamber says ‘hear hear’)
The challenges that we face may be formidable, but equally formidable is our resolve.
We will not yield.
Then as now, the security and continued prosperity of a region of countries like Australia relies upon that effort.
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Marcos address continues despite Greens protest
The address has continued without missing a beat. It is unclear whether President Marcos Jr has even noticed the slight ruckus.
Marcus Jr:
I look back on our shared history, to contextualise the role that our respective nations played and continue today to play at this watershed moment.
Geopolitical polarities and strategic contributions threaten our hard-won peace. Even as we remain with unresolved equities and inequalities within and amongst nations.
Climate change threatens our very existence. These tectonic shifts are acutely felt in the Indo-Pacific. It has become crucial for us now to envision the shape, the breadth, and the depth of our strategic partnership and how it must move forward as we weather the storms of global volatility.
They see the way forward in building on the strong ties that have already been established between our citizens, between our economies, between our governments.
Today we add a further dimension to that relationship as we address concerns on our security and defence. We are called upon once again to join forces, together with our partners, [against] invasive threats to the rule of law, to stability, and to peace.
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Janet Rice: ‘grave mistake’ for Australia to ‘give legitimacy to President Marcos Jr’
Greens senator Janet Rice had a statement prepared to go:
I’m appalled that President Marcos Jr has been invited to address the Australian Parliament.
Under President Marcos Jr, the already-rife corruption in the Philippines is getting worse and the justice system exists in name-only.
President Marcos Jr has continued the legacy of pervasive human rights abuses of his predecessors. Hundreds of political prisoners - including human rights defenders, trade unionists, environment defenders and community and health workers - are facing trumped-up charges and the so-called anti-terrorism laws are nothing but a legal cover for extrajudicial killings and indiscriminate bombings of rural communities.
It is a grave mistake for the Australian government to give legitimacy to President Marcos Jr inviting him to address the parliament today.
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Greens senator stages protest during Marcos Jr address to parliament
The Greens senator Janet Rice is holding up a sign saying “Stop the human rights abuses” during Marcos’ speech.
The stance is causing ripples among MPs.
I heard one say the protest act was a “disgrace”.
An attendant promptly ushers her out of the chamber.
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President Marcos Jr begins his address.
He has gone through his thank yous and spoken of the honour of being invited to address the parliament.
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Let’s take a closer look at the comments by the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, trumpeting the fact that Australia and the Philippines conducted joint naval patrols in the South China Sea in November.
Albanese had a fair bit to say about the strategic outlook - and with a nod to China’s rejection of a 2016 international tribunal ruling that favoured the Philippines when it came to Beijing’s expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea. Albanese said:
We are both island nations, we are both trading nations and for both of us the UN convention on the law of the sea is not an abstract notion or a theoretical question.
Freedom of navigation is fundamental to our sovereignty, our prosperity, our security, and our territorial integrity. Our cooperation is an assertion of our national interest and a recognition of our regional responsibility.
Albanese was at pains to stress the agency of middle powers like Australia and the Philippines at a time of increasing strategic competition between China and the US. Both Australia and the Philippines understood that “peace depends on more than the presence of the great powers”. Middle and smaller powers all had “our part to play” in ensuring a more stable, peaceful and prosperous future.
This is a continuation of an Australian government theme that it is wrong to see everything as a China and US contest where the outcome is predetermined.
Peter Dutton turns to “preserving our territorial integrity” and says:
We must all continue to speak up with courage in calling out acts of intimidation, and interference. We must all maintain our strenuous efforts in diplomacy, and we must all especially lift our individual efforts to support the collective goal of integrated deterrence.
Which. Country. Could. He. Mean.
Peter Dutton is now giving his address welcoming President Marcos Jr.
He is going through some of the history between Australia and the Philippines.
Anthony Albanese continued on that:
Mr President, you address us today as a leader in the region where, more than any other, Australia’s destiny lies.
And as we look to shape the future together, I’m reminded of something you said to me at our last meeting: prosperity and progress depend on peace. That is what our Strategic Partnership recognises. And that is what is so significant about the maritime cooperation activities our two navies completed together for the first time in November last year. We are both island nations. We are both trading nations. And for both of us, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea is not an abstract notion or a theoretical question. Freedom of navigation is fundamental to our sovereignty, our prosperity, our security and our territorial integrity. Our co-operation is an assertion of our national interest and a recognition of our regional responsibility. It reflects our shared understanding that peace depends on more than the presence of the great powers. All of us in the international community, middle powers like our countries, as well as small nations, have our part to play in building a more stable, peaceful and prosperous future.
PM announces Australia has signed ‘strategic partnership’ with the Philippines
We don’t have the details of the new strategic relationship between Australia and the Philippines, but Anthony Albanese just dropped this little tidbit in his welcome speech:
Mr President, our nations share a determination to navigate the challenges of our time, climate change, food security, cyber security, counterterrorism and regional security.
[The] strategic partnership that you and I signed together in Manila last year, speaks to our mutual trust and our common resolve. I’m pleased we’re building on this momentum today, signing a memorandum of understanding for enhanced maritime cooperation and agreeing to new initiatives in key areas of digital technology and cybersecurity.
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Students planning to attend pro-Palestine rallies instructed to notify teachers
Universities have cautioned students to speak to their teachers if they plan to attend the student walkout for Palestine today.
Main events are coalescing around major sites, including Melbourne’s State Library and Sydney’s Town Hall at 2pm.
In his 2024 welcome message, the vice chancellor of UNSW, Attila Brungs, told students the university was “rightly a place” where different views were vigorously debated.
One of our principles is open and respectful discussion ... if you are planning to attend an event during class time, please talk to your course convenor in advance.
A spokesperson for UTS said the university had advised students if they wanted to attend they must liaise with their course convenor to avoid being penalised – “advice which is consistent with our previous approaches to national student strikes”.
An email sent to students from the vice chancellor, Andrew Parfitt, on Wednesday was firm in its upholding of freedom of speech and respectful dialogue.
When faced with the atrocities of war and conflict, we as a university, standing for knowledge as the basis for understanding should first and foremost be united in our hopes for peaceful resolution. Too many lives have been lost.
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Prisdent Marcos Jr welcomed to parliament
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has been invited into the House of representatives, for a special joint sitting (so senators and House of Reps MPs) to begin his address.
He is given a standing ovation, takes his seat next to the speaker and is officially welcomed by Anthony Albanese.
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Survey shows cigarette use in Australia has fallen while e-cigarette use triples
For the first time, the prevalence of daily cigarette smoking among Australians has fallen below 10%.
The data comes from the latest National Drug Strategy Household Survey 2022–2023, which includes information on more than 21,000 people in Australia aged 14 and over.
The survey results, published by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare on Thursday, also show that the use of e-cigarettes tripled between 2019 and 2022–2023.
The proportion of people in Australia aged 14 and over who smoke daily has dropped by two-thirds from 24% in 1991 to 8.3% in 2022–2023. Meanwhile, the proportion who have never smoked continues to rise, up from 49% in 1991 to 65% in 2022–2023.
Vaping was most common among people aged 18–24, with current use increasing substantially between 2019 (5.3%) and 2022–2023 (21%). 49% of people aged 18–24 reported having tried an e-cigarette in their lifetime.
The deputy director of the Melbourne Centre for Behaviour Change at the University of Melbourne, Associate Prof Michelle Jongelis, said the figures suggest that e-cigarettes are being used recreationally and not for smoking cessation purposes.
Furthermore, the number of older Australians quitting smoking has not shifted substantially, indicating that e-cigarettes are not the panacea for quitting that industry actors keep promising.
The survey found that alcohol remains the most commonly used drug in Australia, with 31% (6.6m) of people aged 14 and over drinking at higher risk levels. While 9.2% of those who drink alcohol do so at a level that may indicate an alcohol use disorder, only 12.5% of them have been in a treatment program in the last 12 months.
The Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education’s CEO, Caterina Giorgi, said “At a time when alcohol-induced deaths are at their highest rate in a decade, we need to address the stigma that prevents far too many people from reaching out for help, and make sure the services are there for those who do seek support.”
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The parliament sitting won’t begin until 10.20 (because of the official welcome of the president of the Philippines, it was delayed by 20 minutes) and then senators will be invited into the house for a special joint sitting to hear Marcos Jr’s address.
Anthony Albanese greets Philippines president ahead of parliament address
The president of the Republic of the Philippines, HE Ferdinand R Marcos Jr, is officially in the building.
He will address the parliament in the next 10 minutes or so.
Human rights watch has publicly asked for Australia to raise concerns about human rights violations in the Philippines as part of ongoing conversations as Australia and the Philippines “deepen” the diplomatic relationship into a strategic one.
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Government announces updated Covid-19 vaccination guidelines
The health minister, Mark Butler, has announced the latest Covid-19 vaccination advice.
Adults 65 years and over, or aged 18-64 who are severely immunocompromised, are eligible to receive a booster dose every 6 months. Previously, the advice was all adults aged 75 years and older should receive a dose every six months.
The new advice states that all other adults are eligible to get a booster dose every 12 months.
Children aged 5 to 17 who are severely immunocompromised can receive a single dose this year.
Teenagers and children who are in good health do not need a booster dose in 2024, due to the low incidence of severe illness and high level of hybrid immunity amongst this group.
The Covid-19 booster can be administered at the same time as the annual influenza shot, the advice states.
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National school and university student walkout for a ceasefire in Gaza
School and university students are holding a national walkout today calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and for Australia to break its military and diplomatic ties with Israel.
The strike, organised by university group Students for Palestine, has been backed by the Australian Greens, Victorian Socialists and contingents at the University of Sydney, ANU and UNSW.
Chair of the Melbourne rally and undergraduate student at Melbourne University Amaya Castro William said she couldn’t “sit back and watch while thousands of Palestinians are killed”.
I’m a history student, and I will be skipping class to march alongside thousands around the country. My teachers have always said that learning history is about shaping the present, and that’s what we are trying to do.
Year 12 student Ivy Bertram said she wanted to show politicians that her generation was “for a free Palestine”.
Greens leader Adam Bandt told strikers in a video posted to social media that they were on the “right side of history”.
We’ve got your back. I reckon a good student is someone who pays attention to what’s happening in the world, and learns the lessons of history, and then does something about it. Protest works.
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Acoss CEO urges government to increase jobseeker payments ‘to meet the costs of living’
The Australian Council of Social Service (Acoss) has once again called on the government to raise the rate of jobseeker and associated welfare payments.
The Senate community affairs reference committee completed another report into poverty in Australia and unsurprisingly recommended raising the rate.
This is not anything new. It’s one of the answers which is always provided, because it is so obvious. Raise the rate of income support to something people can live on and you instantly raise people out of poverty. It isn’t just an academic point – we did it. During the pandemic when the rate was doubled, people were lifted out of poverty overnight.
And it not only improved lives, it improved future prospects. People could afford healthcare, transport and new shoes. They had the space to breath and look for work because their every waking moment wasn’t focussed on just surviving.
Acoss’s CEO, Cassandra Goldie, said the government knew what it had to do:
The committee heard overwhelming evidence about the depth of poverty in Australia and just how dehumanising it is to live on poverty-level income support payments.
People cannot survive on $54 a day, the rate of jobseeker, and are forced to choose between eating, buying medicine and paying the bills.
Acoss welcomes the committee’s recommendation to take urgent action so that people are not living in poverty. We know that a first priority for ending poverty is to lift income support payments so they are adequate to meet the costs of living.
Acoss wants the rate raised to at least $78 a day, but the Antipoverty centre have long advocated for an increase that at least matches the Henderson poverty line as a bare minimum.
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Paterson says he has ‘a fair idea’ of accused spy’s identity
That exchange continued:
Q: Have you been made aware of who that politician is?
Paterson:
I have a fair idea who it is but I won’t publicly speculate.
Q:
Is it your understanding that they were serving as a politician at the time? Have they left parliament?
Paterson:
I won’t comment on that.
Q: Were they a federal politician?
Paterson:
I won’t comment on that.
A reminder that speculation is a defamation risk and you are considered to be a publisher, subject to the same legalities as mainstream publishers, on social media.
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Paterson says it’s regrettable accused spy won’t face legal consequences
That led to this exchange between James Paterson and journalists about whether or not the person should be named.
I’m sure they know who they are. And I’m sure they were listening last night. And I’m sure if they hadn’t already decided that their behaviour was not a good idea, I’m absolutely certain this morning that they won’t be repeating it.
(I mean, obviously the person in question knows who they are.)
Q: But basically, this person won’t face any consequences.
Paterson:
Well, they won’t face any legal consequences and I think that is a regret. I think it would be very powerful and important if someone has betrayed their country, particularly someone who has the honour of representing their country in the parliament, that they face legal consequences and very serious ones for that. But the reality is the laws weren’t there when this conduct occurred. That makes it very difficult. For good reason, we tend not to do retrospective legislation in this country and I understand why.
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James Paterson says politician accused of being spy should not be named
In a short doorstop (an unscheduled press conference, named because journalists often stop politicians at the door as they are leaving or entering a room) Liberal senator James Paterson took the same view as Richard Marles and Jim Chalmers that the former politician Mike Burgess spoke of should not be named:
The director general has taken the decision not to name the former politician, I think for a range of understandable reasons. As he’s explained, the conduct occurred before the passage of the espionage and foreign interference legislation in 2018, which means they couldn’t be charged for offences because it was not retrospective. Given that, I think it would be unfair to name someone publicly and you would obviously be running a very serious defamation risk if you do so.
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Chalmers would prefer to negotiate with Liberals then Greens over RBA review laws
Back to Jim Chalmers, the treasurer says it is not his preference to negotiate with the Greens on the RBA review legislation.
The Greens want to keep section 11 of the RBA Act, which allows the government the power to intervene with the RBA if it ever became necessary.
Chalmers wants to negotiate with Angus Taylor and the Coalition. But he says that in the last year of discussions with Taylor, he never raised the issue of the override power, which is something that others in the Liberal party (Andrew Bragg, Jane Hume and Dean Smith) have begun to raise.
Chalmers paints that as confusion, but it’s actually not – the trio are raising concerns which became clear in the Senate inquiry into the legislation. And those concerns came from former treasurers and former RBA governors.
So it makes sense that Taylor didn’t bring it up, because apart from Nick McKim and a few economic commentators who knew the history of the power and why it was there, the concerns over that part of the RBA review weren’t front and centre.
Now they are. And the only people who seem to want to remove the power is the RBA review panel (three people) and the treasurer, who has accepted their recommendations.
Chalmers:
I’m looking for a good outcome. I’m not looking here for some kind of political win. I’ve never seen it in political terms. I want to bed down the recommendations of the review, they will enhance the independence of the bank, they’ll strengthen it as an institution. They’ll give it the tools to make well considered decisions about interest rates and other matters into the future.
So I’ll keep trying to find that bipartisan landing point.
My preference is to do that with Angus Taylor, in order for that to happen I need to know that he speaks with some authority on these matters.
He’s never raised, for example, the issue around the parliamentary override in the parliament in all of the consultation we’ve done for more than a year now.
So we need to know what the Liberal party’s position is. That’s the most important thing, far more important than what the Greens think. Once we know what the Liberal party’s position is, we can work out whether we can get to a sensible landing point.
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Paterson welcomes ‘modest’ contribution to Red Sea operation but says Australia should be sending ‘actual’ assets
And on Australia sending six more ADF personnel to the US-UK operational headquarters protecting shipping interests from the Houthi rebels, James Paterson says:
It’s a welcome increase in our previous modest commitment, but it remains a modest commitment. And still, Australia will have no offensive capability, no strike capability in the region to contribute to our allies and friends.
I’m sure they appreciate some more warm bodies in the office together with them when they’re doing the targeting and making the decisions to take out these missions.
But I think they would welcome much more, actual naval or aerial assets from the Australian Defence Force in the region. And it remains a source of concern and disappointment for the Opposition that we haven’t stepped up to this.
Our interests here are clear. Shipping costs from Europe to our region have skyrocketed, and all of those costs are passed on to Australian consumers.
We want this to get under control as quickly as possible. We want this these Houthi attacks on the Red Sea and shipping to be put down as quickly as possible. And the longer that we delay in providing assistance to our allies and friends, the longer that will take.
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Paterson says China the ‘number one source’ of Australian espionage and foreign interference
James Paterson continued to not speculate about the speculation. At least not publicly.
Well, again, I shouldn’t speculate publicly. All I can point to is that the director general very pointedly said that the people involved in these activities were lucky that our espionage and foreign interference reforms are not retrospective. That means that the people who are engaging in this conduct prior to 2018.
So what country does the “A Team” (and if anyone has ever called their group of friends that, I hope hearing it over and over again over the next few days cements how lame it is) belong to, Paterson is asked?
Paterson:
Well, let me be a bit more direct than the deputy prime minister might be able to, without commenting on the A-team specifically. China is the number one source of our espionage, foreign interference, state-backed cyber attacks and state-backed intellectual property theft. And the second place-holder on those lists are not even close behind.
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Paterson has ‘fair idea’ of accused spy’s identity but ‘wouldn’t be appropriate’ to speculate publicly
But James Paterson thinks he knows who Mike Burgess has been talking about. And while he thinks he knows, he won’t say who, because that wouldn’t be right, but just as long as everyone knows that he thinks he knows.
I have a fair idea, but I won’t be publicly speculating about that. That wouldn’t be appropriate.
And in a sense, it doesn’t matter. Every politician is a target. The people around us, including our staff and family members and associates, are targets, and we need to approach our work with that in mind.
This is a different strategic environment that we’re operating in, and naivety about those threats is not healthy. And that’s why I really welcome Director General Burgess’s speech last night. I think it’s important that he’s candid as he is with the public about these threats, and we need to respond accordingly
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James Paterson: Asio warning ‘stark reminder of serious threat’ of espionage
Liberal senator James Paterson spoke to Sky News this morning about Mike Burgess’s speech. A security hawk from way back, Paterson adopted the person of a weary Cassandra, fated to have uttered true prophecies that were never heeded.
I have seen some people this morning being shocked by Mike Burgess’s revelations, but they really shouldn’t be surprised.
This is now the third year in a row where he has said that espionage and foreign interference has supplanted terrorism as our principal security concern, and he’s previously said that espionage and foreign interference are at record levels, higher than they ever were, even at the height of the cold war.
And I wonder what people thought he meant when he said that? Of course that means politicians are targeted. And of course that means some people have betrayed their country. And it is a very stark reminder of the serious threat that this poses and the seriousness with which we need to take this and the response that was required. It’s exactly why the former government legislated the espionage and foreign interference reforms.
And why we provided record resources to Asio to make sure that no one betrays their country again.
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Chalmers doesn’t intend to ‘second-guess’ Asio on naming accused politician
Speaking of Jim Chalmers, the treasurer told ABC radio he also believed if Mike Burgess didn’t name the former politician who had ‘betrayed’ the nation, then he must have his reasons.
I respect their advice and I don’t intend to second guess it. You know, I know Mike Burgess, I work with Mike Burgess and I know that he wouldn’t have said this without good reason.
… Mike Burgess is an absolute professional, and I respect the advice we get from him and from Asio. This is ultimately a matter for them, how they publicise their important work.”
Updated
Jim Chalmers is in Brazil for the finance minister’s G20, where the discussion is focussed on the global economy.
Paul Karp has covered off what Chalmers will tell the world about Australia:
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Marles: ADF support in Red Sea operation about freedom of navigation
On the decision to send more troops to the US-UK led mission to stop the Houthi rebels from disrupting commercial shipping routes for nations support Israel’s assault on Gaza, Richard Marles says:
I think the thing to understand here is we make decisions based on where Australia’s national interests lies. We’re an island trading nation which is deeply invested in the rules of the sea, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Freedom of navigation is really everything for us in terms of our national prosperity. That’s what’s being by disrupted by the Houthis in the Red Sea and it’s really important Australia is flying its flag in this effort to protect international shipping in the Red Sea.
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Marles: all who are serving the public must be aware of espionage, not just politicians
And it is not just politicians who have to be aware of attempts by foreign nations to recruit them as spies, Richard Marles said:
You know, we get briefings about the importance of being very careful in the way in which others seek to engage with us. But it’s not just politicians, I emphasise.
It’s across those who are serving the public in a whole range of manners of public administration. Those in the public service but those in other agencies as well.
Foreign espionage is taking place in this country and we live in a world where other countries have interest in influencing what happens here, and it’s really important that, in protecting our sovereignty, we are very focused on our own behaviours, our own interactions, so that we are always acting in the interests of the Australian people.
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Marles respects Asio decision not to name individual
Richard Marles is also not as gung ho that the former politician be named.
He told the ABC:
I think there’s a whole range of reasons why individuals would not be named, and that detail is not out there. So, I respect the decision that Asio have made in relation to this.
Again, I think what we take from this is just the threat that exists and the importance for all of us who are involved in what we do, but not just politicians, as I say – everyone involved in public administration.
Our duty is to be acting in respect of Australia’s national interests and we need to be really vigilant in respect of actors who, in a covert way, are seeking to achieve the interests of other country.
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Richard Marles says accused politician has ‘completely undermined and sold out’ colleagues and country
Defence minister Richard Marles told the ABC he has “no idea” who the former politician Mike Burgess was talking about is.
I’m not aware of specific people that have been targeted but I am aware of other efforts to target Australian politicians.
He is also angry, but not in the same way Joe Hockey is.
They’ve completely undermined and sold out both their colleagues and their country, and that’s really the issue here. The issue also is we’ve got a threat out there, we need to be mindful of that, and we need to be really careful in all that we do to ensure that our focus, our primary interest, is on serving the people who put us here.
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More ADF personnel being sent to support operation targeting Houthi rebels in Red Sea
Australia is increasing its support in the joint nation operation targeting the Houthi rebel attacks in the Red Sea.
Another six ADF personnel are being sent to “support strike action on Houthi targets in Yemen under the newly formed Operation Hydranth”.
Thee six will be embedded staff within US operational headquarters, defence says.
The operation against the Houthis has been going since December, but the rebels continue to attack and seize commercial shipping in what they say is in solidarity with the stricken people of Gaza. Australia joined in January.
Another contribution of “up to 16” ADF personnel has been made for a seperate mission “to support the Combined Maritime Forces in Bahrain, under Operation Manitou”.
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President of Philippines to address Australian parliament today
The president of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr will address a special joint sitting of the parliament this morning, as Australia deepens its relationship with the nation.
That will happen at 10.20 this morning after all the bells and whistles of welcoming someone to the parliament.
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Hockey says we would name names in other circumstances
The main message here? Joe Hockey wants the person named.
Think of all the examples of moments in politics and you and I have been around for a few years, me longer than you, you think of all the examples where the public, the media and so on have said you’ve got to name that person, be it … inappropriate behaviour in parliament, or be horrendous treatment of staff, or be it people who are defrauding the commonwealth, defrauding taxpayers.
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Hockey: ‘I want people to have faith in parliament’
Part of the reason for Joe Hockey is so indignant on this issue?
He feels personally smeared.
Turns out Hockey, a former Liberal politician who once said that poor people don’t have cars because they couldn’t afford to drive very far and therefore it was rich people (like him) shouldering the burden of fuel taxes, doesn’t like it when someone makes a statement about an individual that could be used to smear an entire group.
I mean, I served my country for nearly 24 years. And the thought that there was a foreign agent in the ranks or previously a member of parliament, of course it does [smear].
I want people to have faith in parliament, faith in their representatives, faith in the government, no matter what the political affiliation.
I see how partisan it is here in the United States. It’s horrible.
But at least it’s totally transparent. At least the people know what’s going on. The idea that they can make an allegation like that and say nothing, pretend it didn’t happen, is absolutely ridiculous. It’s crazy. And it’s unsustainable.
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Hockey says naming accused politician in national interest
Joe Hockey repeats that the minister can go into parliament and name that person with no legal ramifications. Which is true.
But not sure that Asio would feel the same way, if they don’t want that person named, for whatever reason that is. And you would imagine that you would want a good working relationship between the nation’s security agency and the minister. But Hockey says stuff it.
I don’t care and it’s it doesn’t matter one iota whether it was a member of the Liberal party or the Labor party or the Greens or anyone else. This is about our national interest … About Australian’s interests about protecting our people. And there’s no argument against it.
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Hockey: ‘there’s no argument’ against naming accused politician
Q: Would naming the former politician only just humiliate them and make it harder for others to cooperate with Asio?
Are you kidding me?
I would have worked with this person. John Howard might have worked with this person, Kevin Rudd might have worked with this person, Julie Gillard. They might have trusted this person in the parliament. They might have seen them in the street and trusted them.
There might have been an embassy that spoke with them. There could have been intelligence officials and others, unbeknown to Mike Burgess and Asio who engaged with this person, even on a casual basis provided them with information that ended in the hands of a hostile nation.
You know, there’s just no argument against it, whether it be legal or not.
It needs to happen and the prime minister or the minister can go into the parliament and name that person with full parliamentary privilege. Everyone has a right to know who it was after this very, very serious allegation.
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Hockey says Asio boss should name accused politician in interests of transparency
Joe Hockey said it was “not standard practice”, as Hockey is now apparently an expert in how Asio and like-minded security agencies operate.
He compares it to America, which has a completely different system and for all its faults is fairly open in some areas (have you ever heard an American cop talk about an incident compared to what Australian cops say?).
You know, they’ve launched investigations over here. I mean, you know, you had you had the Mueller inquiry into President Trump. You had an FBI inquiry into Hillary Clinton. You don’t just make this allegations, leave them unnamed and say, ‘Oh, yeah. They’re back in the community. They’re fine’, that just does not happen.
I mean, allegations have been made against Senator Menendez here as a sitting senator. They named the sitting senator.
I mean, if anyone believes in transparency and accountability and in the integrity of our freedom, and the best interest of our nation, then the head of our intelligence agency, or the minister responsible, needs to name who that person was that was a traitor to Australia.
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Hockey: ‘inconceivable’ that Asio boss would speak about traitor without identifying them
It may not be legally possible to name the former politician, so Joe Hockey said Mike Burgess should not have made his statement because it “besmirched every one that serves in parliament, past, present and future”.
(That is probably a bit overdone but Hockey seems very emotional over this.)
Talking about a traitor amongst the ranks. He shouldn’t do that. If he’s not going to name that person. It’s absurd. It’s absolutely absurd.
It’s inconceivable here in the United States or the United Kingdom, or most other countries, that the head of the intelligence agency would go out and make that statement without telling everyone who it was.
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Joe Hockey wants to know identity of former politician who ‘sold out’ Australia
Joe Hockey now has a private consulting business focussed on trade and investment between Australia and the United States.
Richard Spencer, a former US navy secretary, serves as global chair of the business (so you can guess what sort of trade and investment the firm helps connect people with) – and Hockey says his position as a former US ambassador and having Spencer as chair means that people in Washington DC know him and have already started talking about Mike Burgess’s speech.
I deal with people over here all time. I want to know who was it.
I want to know if I was sitting in the National Security Committee of the cabinet. I want to know if they were a colleague in the Liberal party, or if they were a colleague across the parliament.
I want to know who they were, what was said to them, under what circumstances and how that they use that information.
It’s just not good enough to make a serious allegation. It’s not … as if Mike Burgess is a journalist or a critic or a commentator. He is the head of our intelligence agency, and he came out in emphatically and decisively and made a statement effect that a politician was working for another country against Australia’s interests.
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Joe Hockey: ‘absurd’ that ‘traitor’ former politician not identified
Australia’s former treasurer and US ambassador Joe Hockey is FURIOUS Asio’s Mike Burgess has dropped his bombshell without saying who it is. He told ABC radio:
My first thought the former politician is a traitor. It wasn’t an allegation by the head of our intelligence agency. It was a statement of fact.
And in making that statement of fact, I can only think that the head of Asio was fully aware that there will be calls for that person to be named.
Because it is absolutely inconceivable that you would have a former politician representing their community representing the country who then goes and engages with a foreign adversary.
And somehow they’re allowed to walk off into the sunset without having their name or their reputation revealed. And that is absurd. It’s already raised questions here in Washington, DC. It raises questions for our Five Eyes relationship, and this sharing of intelligence particularly with existing members of parliament and former members of parliament for Australia.
And also, it makes us all question as representatives in the parliament, who we can trust who of our current and former colleagues can we trust? And that’s ridiculous.
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Good morning
Thank you to Martin for starting us off on this leap year bonus day (like this year needed to be any longer).
You have Amy Remeikis with you now to take you through what is the last sitting day for this session.
All anyone is focussed on though, is: who is the former politician who spy boss Mike Burgess said “sold out their country, party and former colleagues”?
You can catch up on that with Daniel Hurst’s report here, if you haven’t already seen it.
It is going to be a four coffee day at least.
Ready? Let’s get into it.
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Victorians swelter through hot night as bushfire threat remains
Victorians have sweltered through a tense night as bushfires threatened to destroy lives and homes, Australian Associated Press reports.
An emergency warning instructed residents of Dereel, Corindhap and Rokewood Junction, south of Ballarat, to shelter indoors last night after an anxious day of fire danger.
A watch and act message encompassed the nearby areas of Enfield, Rokewood and Mount Mercer, telling residents there to evacuate.
The fire danger rating in the nearby Wimmera region was catastrophic yesterday and a state control centre spokesperson, Luke Hegarty, warned Victoria was not out of the woods.
Authorities were waiting to see how the Bayindeen bushfire north-west of Ballarat developed today after crews built containment lines around its 157km perimeter.
But cooler temperatures were expected today following a cool change after Mildura on Wednesday reached the mid-40Cs.
Horsham was among areas in the 30Cs and recorded a wind gust of 96km/h after 5pm yesterday.
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Health workers walk off job over ‘obscene’ parking fees
Health workers at 16 NSW hospitals will walk off the job to protest against an “obscene” increase in parking fees leaving them thousands of dollars out of pocket, AAP reports.
The Health Services Union said about 1,000 members would walk off the job for two hours today.
Protests will take place from midday at Westmead, Westmead children’s, Concord, Liverpool and Campbelltown hospitals and will include psychologists, scientists, theatre technicians, kitchen staff, cleaners, security guards and others.
The union said some hospitals had proposed parking fee increases of up to 127% but workers needed a fairer deal.
“The great parking gouge must stop,” HSU assistant secretary Lauren Hutchins said.
“With surging cost of living pressures, charging staff $2,600 to park at work is obscene and immoral.”
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Chalmers calls for incentives for critical mineral industry
In his speech in São Paulo, the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, also called for incentives for producers of environmentally sustainable critical minerals.
With growing concern about the Australian nickel industry due to growing international competition from Indonesian producers, Chalmers argued that “critical minerals industries and supply chains are not reliable enough or sustainable enough”.
“We should look to reward sellers that invest in improving the quality and sustainability of critical minerals.”
Paul Karp has the full story:
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Pat Conroy to map out defence industry plan
The Albanese government is expected to release its defence industry development strategy this morning mapping out the “strategic rationale” for a domestic defence industry industrial base and pathways for maximising support for Australian industry and its contribution to national security.
Pat Conroy, the minister for defence industry, will outline the actions the government will take to grow that industrial base, which employs more than 100,000 Australians, and deliver a greater partnership between defence and industry.
It is hoped the new level of detail will give industry the information they need to prepare, invest and deliver on the development, production and sustainment of defence capabilities.
The sovereign industrial capability priorities will be replaced with a streamlined and focused list of seven sovereign defence industrial priorities.
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Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our rolling politics blog. I’m Martin Farrer, bringing you some overnight highlights before my colleague Amy Remeikis takes you through the main events from Canberra.
An “aggressive and experienced” team of spies has been set up by a foreign government to target influential people for secrets about intelligence, the military and trade, Australia’s spy chief has revealed. A former Australian politician “sold out their country, party and former colleagues” after being recruited by spies for a foreign regime, according to Asio chief Mike Burgess as he gave his annual threat assessment. Although the episode was several years ago and the network had now been confronted, Burgess said the threat of foreign interference was “deeper and broader than you might think”.
Jim Chalmers was set to tell the G20 economic ministers in São Paulo that Australia’s growth in the last quarter was “quite weak” and the soft landing to reduce inflation without a recession was “assumed but not assured”. In an advance copy of the speech, Chalmers warned that next week’s national accounts would reveal the weaker position but it was the “the inevitable consequence of global uncertainty, higher interest rates and cost of living pressures”. The Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed yesterday the consumer price index was 3.4% in January, fuelling hopes of interest rate cuts from the current cash rate of 4.35%. More coming up.
Victorians are hoping a cool change will sweep across the state today and provide some relief from bushfires that have burned through 22,000 hectares. People endured another hot night overnight after temperatures had reached into the 40s in some western parts yesterday. More coming up.
And today the government is to reveal its defence industry plan. Details are sparse at the moment but we have a bit of information coming in a few minutes.
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