What we learned: Wednesday 11 February
We will wrap up the live blog here for the night.
This is what made the news:
Angus Taylor resigned from the shadow ministry, paving the way for a challenge to Sussan Ley for the Liberal leadership.
Australia’s Islamophobia envoy, Aftab Malik, has called for a public apology and investigation into New South Wales police grabbing men kneeling in prayer during a Sydney protest against Israeli president Isaac Herzog’s visit.
The NSW police commissioner, Mal Lanyon, apologised to community leaders for “any offence that may have been taken”.
A man was charged after allegedly shining a torch at police at a Sydney protest against the NSW police’s response to the Monday protest against Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog.
Herzog, meanwhile, was in Canberra, and had meetings with the governor-general, prime minister and opposition leader.
His visit drew protests, and criticism from independent and Greens politicians.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, says he raised Zomi Frankcom’s death in Gaza with Herzog.
The head of Australia’s domestic intelligence agency has dismissed criticisms that his officers didn’t do enough to prevent the Bondi shooting attack as “baseless” while declaring claims by a former undercover agent aired on the ABC were untrue.
The high court has delivered a landmark win for survivors of clergy abuse this morning, finding the Catholic church had a duty of care to protect a child from one of its paedophile priests.
Household costs continue to rise with 5.4% jump in average rents in year to January.
The government has introduced its modified $3m super tax legislation into parliament this morning, as part of a reform which will also lift the threshold for the low income super tax offset that will boost the savings for more than a million Australians.
GP bulk billing rates have seen a record jump in the three months since the government’s bulk billing incentives began, the health minister claims.
The Commonwealth Bank has warned that interest rates remain under “upward pressure” from inflation after reporting a record $5.45bn half-year cash profit backed by surging home loan volumes and business lending.
And, for something far more wholesome than any of these, the recording of 13-year-old Austin Appelbee’s call to triple zero to save his family has been released.
Until tomorrow, enjoy your evening.
The Liberals are lining up on Sky News this evening. Liberal senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has declared – perhaps to no one’s surprise – she’ll be backing Angus Taylor if there’s a leadership spill.
Price said:
I don’t think it’s any secret that I’ll be backing Angus Taylor and I will be backing a move for a change of leadership. And as my colleague, Senator [Jane] Hume pointed out, if we do not make this change, we will be wiped out at the next federal election.
We are in a dire situation as the Liberal party, and if the current polls aren’t reason enough for, you know, some of my colleagues to realise we need a change of leadership, then we have to look at the fact that we haven’t been delivering on policy. In terms of energy policy, we should have come out earlier than what we did in terms of our position on net zero.
The Australian people have been screaming out to us, and we have to start reflecting their needs, answering their calls, and we need a leadership that can take us in that direction, and to me, Angus Taylor provides that direction for us.
The Northern Territory senator said she won’t put her hand up for the deputy leader role.
Updated
Shadow attorney general says it would be unacceptable to ‘effectively knife’ first female Liberal leader
The shadow attorney general, Andrew Wallace, has thrown his support behind Sussan Ley, saying it would be “unacceptable” to knife the Liberal party’s first female leader.
Speaking on Sky News this evening, Wallace said:
To effectively knife the Liberal party’s first female leader in under a year is, in my view, unacceptable … look, there’s no doubt that the polls have not been good but … the anger is palpable against the Albanese government, but I think there’s also obviously anger directed at us.
We’ve just had the Coalition re-form now after the second time in that same period of time … the anger that many Australians are feeling is understandable on both sides of the fence. We need to provide the Australian people with a unified and strong alternative, and if we do that, then we’ll start to see a kickback in the polls. I’m sure of that.
Updated
Here’s Dan Jervis-Bardy with all the background and context you need to understand the factors that led to Angus Taylor’s resignation tonight:
No repeat of LNP defection in Queensland parliament today
There’s been no repeat of yesterday’s defections in Queensland parliament.
First-term Mackay MP Nigel Dalton defied his party to vote with the opposition yesterday on a motion by Katters’ Australian Party MP Robbie Katter. If it had succeeded, the motion would have allowed Katter to ask parliament to overturn a gag order on debate on abortion, imposed by premier David Crisafulli in 2024. He didn’t make the same move again today, but hasn’t ruled out doing so in future.
Anti-abortion groups including South Australian anti-abortion campaigner Joanna Howe held a protest outside parliament earlier this week, and many attended yesterday’s sitting.
Cherish Life CEO Matthew Cliff told the Guardian on Monday that he’d bet with “probably five or six” government MPs to try to convince them to overturn the gag.
The government spent question time attacking the opposition after a number of former ALP ministers were named in the state’s commission of inquiry into the Cfmeu yesterday. The premier claimed Labor had put their own interests in maintaining industrial peace ahead of construction productivity.
“They put their political interests ahead of the interests of Queensland. It was either corruption or treason. Take your pick,” Crisafulli said.
Sussan Ley will not respond to Taylor resignation tonight
The embattled opposition leader, Sussan Ley, will not speak tonight.
Ley’s office says she will not respond to Angus Taylor’s resignation on Wednesday evening, even as pressure builds for a likely leadership challenge by the now former shadow defence spokesperson.
Ley and her supporters will be expecting more resignations in the next 24 hours, part of efforts by the Taylor camp to force a vote for the leadership.
Updated
Liberals should be ‘not fighting each other’
Wilson lauds Ley’s “steely resolve”. Asked if the party can move forward from what has been called a “devastating” situation, he says:
You can if you have the vision and the energy to pursue it. Australians need to see us fighting for them, not fighting each other.
Updated
Tim Wilson declines to say whether there will be a Liberal leadership spill
Liberal MP Tim Wilson is up on the ABC’s 7.30, and says he always backs the leader unless it’s an “open” vote with a “genuine choice” because “it doesn’t really matter who sits in the swivel chair”. (Try telling that to those playing musical chairs.)
He declines to speculate on whether or when there’ll be a spill:
I think we need to be clear there’s two parts to any process like this. There’s whether there’s a vote to spill the leadership and then there’s a vote about the way forward.
And so I don’t know, firstly, when the first one is going to happen, let alone the second one. My key focus is making sure that whoever is leading the party is making, they’re putting the best case forward about how we’re going to advance in Australia.
Updated
Taylor releases statement after resigning
Angus Taylor has put out a statement confirming that he has advised the opposition leader, Sussan Ley, that he “can no longer support her leadership of the federal Liberal party”.
He repeats much of what he said in his press conference – including that line about 1944 – and says he has done everything he can to help Ley restore the party’s standing.
Despite these efforts, the Liberal party’s position under Sussan Ley’s leadership has continued to deteriorate, leaving it weaker than at any time since its formation in 1944.
This is a confronting reality, but one we cannot ignore.
As a party that holds itself up as an alternative government, our failures have allowed the Albanese Government to avoid accountability for their mismanagement of our country. This is devastating for Australians who, under Labor, have become poorer, more divided and more disillusioned.
He says he remains committed to the party and will consult colleagues about its future
“so it can once again be the party that Australians expect and deserve”.
Updated
As we wait for whatever comes next, please enjoy Jonathan Green’s reference to what was one of Angus Taylor’s most memorable moments:
“I think we’ve all got to do better. The party has to do better,” Taylor says.
“We have let Australians down.”
Taylor wraps up the press conference with:
I think the current situation is unsustainable, and it’s why I’ve made the very … difficult decision that I have tonight.
But I tell you what, I am absolutely committed to restoring confidence in the Liberal party to ensure that Australians regain confidence in the Liberal party and steering the Liberal party back to where it needs to be.
As he leaves, someone asks if he feels bad for knocking down a female leader. No answer.
Updated
Taylor is asked what he’d do differently to Ley, and whether there will be substantial policy shifts.
He says the first two priorities “should be protecting our way of life and restoring our standard of living”.
“What we need right now is strong leadership, clear direction and a courageous focus on our values,” he says.
He ducks a question about when the vote will take place.
Updated
Ley unable to lead Liberal party ‘as it needs to be led’: Taylor
Taylor says he doesn’t believe Ley is “in a position to be able to lead the party as it needs to be led from here”.
He says Australians want better from the Liberal party:
We can’t mince with words. The Liberal party is at the worst position it has been in since 1944, when the party was formed. That is a confronting reality and we cannot ignore it.
Updated
Angus Taylor quits shadow cabinet
It’s on!
Liberal leadership aspirant Angus Taylor is speaking to reporters in Canberra. He’s quit shadow cabinet, the step before a spill. He says:
I’ve tendered my resignation as a member of the shadow cabinet. Since the election in May last year I’ve sought to be a constructive member of the leadership team, and supported Sussan Ley’s leadership in a difficult time, when we needed a rebuild of the party.
Updated
Thanks, Josh Taylor, for everything you do. Tory Shepherd here playing the waiting game. I covered Canberra in the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd years and I know there’s not usually a lot of sympathy for journos, but the hurry up and wait game is both tedious and stressful.
Stay tuned!
PM offers condolences over Canadian attack
Nine people were killed and dozens injured after an assailant opened fire at a school in western Canada, in one of the deadliest mass shootings in the country’s history. The suspect was later found dead from what appeared to be a self-inflicted injury.
In a post on X, the Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said:
I am deeply shocked and saddened to hear about the tragic attack in Tumbler Ridge secondary school.
I send my sincere condolences to all Canadians impacted by this horrific event.
Australian hearts go out to the families and friends of the victims and we are all thinking of those injured.
Updated
Albanese releases statement following Herzog visit
Anthony Albanese has released a statement after his meeting with Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, at Parliament House this afternoon.
The pair flew from Sydney to Canberra together earlier in the day.
“President Herzog and prime minister Albanese discussed the importance of the president’s visit to Australia to comfort and strengthen the Australian Jewish community in the aftermath of the Bondi terror attack in December,” the statement says.
“They also discussed a range of other issues, including combating antisemitism, bilateral relations between Israel and Australia, international efforts to bring about peace and security in Israel, Gaza, and the Middle East, including humanitarian efforts for the Palestinian people, and the global threats posed by the Iranian regime.”
Ley hits out at protesters demonstrating Herzog visit
The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, has hit out at protesters demonstrating against this week’s visit to Australia by Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog.
Ley met with Herzog at Parliament House in Canberra earlier this afternoon. The pair discussed how they could work to strengthen ties between Australia and Israel.
In a statement, Ley said Herzog’s visit to Australia was an important opportunity “to reset and strengthen a strained bilateral relationship”.
At moments like this, mature leadership calls for cooperation, respect and a reaffirmation of shared democratic values. This visit provides a constructive platform to rebuild trust and deepen engagement.
It is deeply disappointing to see protests surrounding this visit in the aftermath of a national tragedy. While peaceful protest is a democratic right, the timing and tone of these demonstrations risk compounding division at a moment that calls for unity and reflection.
She called for a renewed focus on support for the families of victims of the Bondi terror attack, for a rejection of antisemitism “and reinforcing the social cohesion that underpins our nation”.
Updated
Taylor expected to quit shadow cabinet and launch leadership challenge tonight
Angus Taylor is still planning to announce his resignation from the shadow cabinet to challenge Sussan Ley for the Liberal party leadership tonight, Guardian Australia understands.
Taylor was widely expected to announce his intentions after question time wrapped up about 3pm.
But a few things have complicated the timing, including Ley’s meeting with the Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, in Parliament House.
Another factor is the possibility that Ley responds to an announcement by calling a snap leadership spill – possibly as early as tonight or for tomorrow.
Why would that be a problem? Well, at least one likely Taylor supporter – the South Australian senator Leah Blyth – is interstate and not due back in Canberra until tomorrow.
Given the numbers are extremely tight, every vote counts.
The preference for Taylor’s supporters is that a special party room meeting is called for Friday, when Senate estimates hearings have concluded and all MPs could attend.
That would also give the shadow defence minister extra time to attempt to win over undecided MPs.
Updated
Liberal leadership waiting game continues
The waiting game continues in the corridor between Angus Taylor and Sussan Ley’s offices, with a pack of press gallery journalists expecting the challenger to walk to the leader’s office.
It’s unclear when, though – media have been waiting since after question time finished at 3.15pm. We haven’t seen Taylor since he walked back to his office about an hour ago.
In the interim, various MPs have offered snacks to the waiting press, after coming across the media pack loitering in the corridors. As we brought you earlier, Ley’s staff dropped off some chips to begin with. The Liberal MP Melissa McIntosh came by with a family pack of crisps (only slightly past its expiry date). Fellow Liberal Aaron Violi’s staff offered up a box of assorted mini chocolate bars. The Labor MP Emma Comer shared a large pack of salt and vinegar chips.
Various MPs have declined to comment as they walk past the media pack, with staff and politicians tight-lipped on any discussions they may or may not have been a part of.
Updated
Queensland rolls back ban on developer donations
Queensland’s parliament has passed new laws rolling back a ban on developer donations and quadrupling the state’s donations threshold.
The state now caps donations at $12,000 per person or entity per year, rather than applying the cap for each four-year term. The government had the bill dealt with urgently – allowing it to pass more rapidly – after a parliamentary committee inquiry over the Christmas holidays.
The attorney general, Deb Frecklington, said the bill would make elections more fair. She said the developer ban implemented under Labor had created a “financial gerrymander”, because it didn’t apply to trade unions, which typically donate to Labor.
We want developers to give us more houses in Queensland, because we believe they are honest, they do a good job and they should be unrestricted in terms of putting the party in that they want to put in – and hopefully it is us.
The Labor shadow attorney general, Meaghan Scanlon, said the state’s Crime and Corruption Commission had “raised concerns that removing the ban on developer donations may increase corruption risk”.
Queenslanders deserve and expect that their political leaders operate within an environment that is free from political interference or influence, and it is clear from the CCC’s submissions that the changes in this bill will increase corruption risk and go against what Queenslanders want, which is to have a government that makes decisions fairly, impartially and free from influence.
The CEO of Transparency International Australia, Clancy Moore, said the decision “will give a green light to property developers and other commercial interests to take out the cheque book” to influence the government’s response to billions in new projects for the Olympics.
Updated
Treasury confirms $54bn budget blowout over next decade
A Treasury official has confirmed that budget deficits over the next decade will be cumulatively $54bn bigger than predicted in the pre-election fiscal outlook.
The Australian Financial Review wrote a couple of weeks back about this “shock” deterioration revealed in December’s mid-year federal budget.
Treasury expresses these “medium-term” budget forecasts as a share of GDP, so the AFR’s John Kehoe did some calculations and came up with the ballpark figure of $57bn.
James Paterson, a Liberal senator, interrogated Treasury officials today, including the secretary, Jenny Wilkinson, who eventually coughed up the actual number.
Damien White, a deputy secretary at Treasury, said larger than expected payments (versus lower receipts) accounted for “a bit over” half of the $54bn hole.
The biggest divergence between the pre-election outlook and the mid-year budget estimates is in the 2029-30 financial year.
White said that was mostly explained by an “increased contribution to the health and disability deal” with the states, and the government’s $12bn commitment to developing the Aukus-related Henderson defence precinct in Western Australia.
Updated
Emergency warning issued for grassfire in Clarkefield, Victoria
An emergency warning has been issued for Clarkefield and Wildwood, north of Melbourne, for a grassfire that is not under control.
The grassfire is travelling from Konagaderra Road a northerly direction towards Heaths Lane.
A wind change has come through, causing the fire to change direction.
People in the Donnybrook Road, Mickleham and Mandalay Estate, Beveridge areas are now able to resume normal activities.
It is safe to return for people who live in Craigieburn, Kalkallo, Oaklands Junction, Sunbury, Wallan, Wildwood and Yuroke.
Updated
Queensland police commissioner to retire
The Queensland police commissioner, Steve Gollschewski, will retire later this month.
Gollschewski is the state’s most experienced police officer, serving 46 years in the uniform. He was promoted to commissioner in April 2024 by the former Labor premier Steven Miles.
He stepped down in February 2025 after being diagnosed with stage four lung cancer but made an unexpected return to the job just seven months later. Gollschewski announced this morning that he would step down for good on 20 February.
Gollschewski said it was the “right time” for professional, personal and health reasons, and he would have stepped aside even without the illness.
I returned as commissioner last year to continue the reform work and get the point to where the organisation was ready for the next phase. That is now. We have reached that point.
Gollschewski was asked about the progress of reform to the service response to domestic violence.
That remains a big challenge for us. We’re tweaking that in terms of how we deliver our services. Obviously, the domestic and family violence inquiry was quite critical of us, which I think is unfair. I don’t think it recognised the hard work done by a lot of police … but clearly we got some things wrong, and that’s unforgivable.
The 2022 Richards commission of inquiry found evidence of attitudes of misogyny, sexism and racism within the QPS. Several of its recommendations, including that the state government establish a civilian-led police integrity unit by 2024, have not been implemented.
“There was a very biased view of the QPS. I’m not blaming the commission of inquiry; I’m blaming us, we didn’t defend our people, our people weren’t defended well enough,” Gollschewski said.
Updated
Media pack wait in corridor between Ley and Taylor offices
A large group of journalists are waiting in the corridor between the offices of Angus Taylor and Sussan Ley, awaiting a potential move where the challenger walks to the opposition leader’s office to resign.
We just saw Taylor walk down the corridor … but only back to his office, from the House of Representatives chamber. He didn’t stop at Ley’s door on the way.
In a funny turn of events, in the way these things go, some of Ley’s staffers came out of their office to offer bags of chips to the waiting press pack. It’s unclear how long of a night this will be.
Updated
Sharma says it’s important to resolve Liberal leadership issue
Ahead of a potential leadership challenge from Angus Taylor to the Liberal leader, Sussan Ley, Liberals appearing on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing this afternoon have faced a barrage of questions about the potential for the challenge.
The Liberal senator Dave Sharma, a supporter of Ley, says he is not aware of any challenge coming but he believes it is important to put the issue to bed.
He says:
It’s important this distraction is put to bed one way or the other. I’m conscious that we’re not doing the job we should as elected representatives here to represent communities, or as an opposition in holding the government to account. It’s difficult to do that when [all] anyone is interested in and all the media is interested in from us is, you know, who is up and who is down and what are the odds.
He says he does not blame the media for that:
I don’t blame them. It’s natural the media should be interested and we’re helping to create the story. It’s a problem, I agree.
Updated
Search for missing man in Tasmanian bushland continues
Tasmania police say the search for a man missing in bushland in Mt Barrow near Nunamara in the state’s north is continuing.
The 32-year-old Longford man, Corey, had been in bushland at Mt Barrow with a friend when they became separated on Sunday, and he was last seen in the area on Sunday evening.
Police search and rescue, SES volunteers, Tasmania mounted search and rescue, ATVs, helicopters and drones were deployed in the area on Wednesday for a search that will continue into Wednesday evening.
Insp Aleena Crack said:
We have deployed significant resources to the area again today, however, sadly, Corey remains missing.
There are serious concerns for his welfare. He has now been missing for several days and we understand he did not have any food, water or safety equipment with him.
Our searchers will continue this evening and are likely to resume in the morning.
Updated
Government probed on Workforce Australia target figures
Speaking in Senate estimates, the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations has been asked why only 11.7% of Workforce Australia participants achieved a 26-week employment outcome against a 15% target.
First assistant secretary, Bronwyn Field, said they had introduced more services other than helping jobseekers into work.
Provider performance is absolutely one key part of the system around improving job outcomes, but we have a range of other incentives and programs that we’ve put into the workforce Australia system to really try and drive up those job outcome figures.
In 2025, 10 of the 176 employment providers did not have their licences renewed because of issues with performance, with 16 licences extended with conditions.
Updated
Victoria police cancel weapons searches after yet another legal bungle
Victorian police have been forced to cancel designated weapons searches in the past month that again did not comply with the law – even after reporting 33 similar previous breaches to Ibac.
The force scheduled three searches in declared areas in Morwell for 27 January, 2 February, and 9 February.
Anyone entering a declared area can be searched by police under the control of weapons act, with the force saying the powers are vital to crack down on youth offenders and violence at protests.
But only the first of the Morwell searches went ahead, although all of them improperly declared the applicable section of the act, making them invalid.
A police spokesperson said:
Victoria Police did not proceed with two planned weapons search operations in Morwell after one was conducted on 27 January.
This measure was taken while we undergo a review into designated areas. No one was arrested or charged as a result of searches made on 27 January.
The review into designated areas follows a federal court ruling on 23 January that a designated area declared for six months in the Melbourne CBD was invalid and unlawful.
It is separate to an audit that is also being conducted into the designated areas, as revealed by Guardian Australia in December.
You can read more on that story here:
Updated
Thank you all for following along with me today, I’ll leave you now with the excellent Josh Taylor for the afternoon.
We’re expecting an announcement from Angus Taylor this afternoon which would officially kick off the leadership spill - so stay tuned!
TLDR: here’s what happened in question time
The Liberals pressed the government on reporting of a CFMEU report, and whether Labor had any involvement in some parts of it being taken out. The minister denied any involvement.
The Nationals continued their crusade on Labor’s broken 2022 election promise that household bills would be $275 cheaper by 2025.
Alison Penfold continued her campaign to get a medicare urgent care clinic in Taree, in her NSW electorate.
Julian Hill got booted from the chamber for shouting out “it’s Timmy time”.
Independent Helen Haines asked the attorney-general whether the NACC needed to be updated to increase public confidence – the AG defended its work.
There were three “fantastic. Great work. Well done Angus” references in QT today from the government – a reference to this infamous Facebook fail of 2019 ahead of the shadow minister likely quitting his position this afternoon to make a tilt for the leadership.
Updated
Public galleries access “limited” during question time
Access to the public galleries in parliament’s question time were “limited” ahead of the visit by Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
We noticed during QT that the public viewing galleries were empty, where there is usually a smattering of ordinary citizens visiting to watch proceedings. A spokesperson for the speaker of the House, Milton Dick, confirmed this to us.
“Access to the galleries has been limited based on security advice,” they said in a statement.
This decision was made to ensure the safety of all staff working in this building and was not taken lightly.
Herzog is meeting with Anthony Albanese and Sussan Ley this afternoon.
Updated
Anthony Albanese says he has seen first-hand the comfort the president and the first lady, Michal Herzog, have given to the Jewish community during their visit.
He also says the visit has been an opportunity to engage on issues in the Middle East. Albanese told question time today that he brought up the need for accountability over the death of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom.
You’ve provided comfort to the Jewish Australian community, who are feeling this loss as a result of the antisemitic terrorist attack that occurred on 14 December.
Albanese adds that he stood “in this very courtyard” when he announced the expulsion of the Iranian ambassador, after Asio found evidence of involvement by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in at least two antisemitic attacks in Australia.
Updated
Isaac Herzog and Anthony Albanese address media in Canberra
The Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, says his visit to Australia has been “very emotional”, standing alongside Anthony Albanese outside Parliament House.
The pair made brief remarks, and took no questions from journalists.
Herzog says the trip has been an opportunity to bring the diplomatic relationship between Israel and Australia, which has faced some tension over the last two years, to a “new beginning”.
This visit has been very emotional. You know, when one Jew is hurt anywhere around the world, we in Israel ache and our heart misses a beat. That is why it was so important to visit the community and express heartfelt condolences and strengthen the community.
I think the relations between us do not depend only on the issue of Israel and the Palestinians and the conflict, but has a much broader base, and we should, together, make sure that it’s uplifted to new directions.
Updated
Question time is over
After a final dixer to Jim Chalmers, question time is over for the day.
Updated
Haines pushes government on anti-corruption commission
Are changes needed to restore public confidence in the national anti corruption commission asks Helen Haines.
Haines was one of the most vocal campaigners for a NACC and says that the public has “heard more about the Commissioner’s conflicts of interest than findings of corruption.”
She adds that in its near three years of existence, the NACC inspector has made one finding of officer misconduct and the commission has held no public hearings.
Attorney-general, Michelle Rowland, says the inspector of the NACC is investigating the NACC commissioner’s “involvement in defence-related referrals and the Commissioner’s ongoing role with the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force.”
Since it commenced operations, the commission has received over 6,000 referrals. It is currently conducting 30 preliminary inquiries and 35 corruption investigations. Since 1 July 2023, there have been 11 convictions resulting from commission investigations and there are a further four matters currently before the courts.
To Haines’ actual question on whether changes are needed to restore public confidence, says the commission and the independent oversight is doing important work and there is “much more work to do.”
Updated
Question on aviation safety regulations goes unanswered
Independent MP Rebekha Sharkie asks the infrastructure minister, Catherine King, when the government will approve aviation safety regulations that “simplifies field maintenance requirements for aerial work Australian aviation companies” that she says has been waiting for approval since October 2024.
King tells Sharkie to ask the question to her at a “drop in clinic” at her office this afternoon, and says she will “provide an answer to the member then”.
That’s the whole answer.
Updated
Back to Jim Chalmers’ answer – he says Treasury officials have just been answering questions on that issue in Senate estimates, and that the biggest change to the medium-term budget is the hospital agreement made with the states and territories.
Manager of opposition business, Alex Hawke, takes issue with Chalmers saying that the question has been answered “comprehensively”. Milton Dick says he’s fair to raise the point of order, but Chalmers is answering the question just fine.
Chalmers continues:
I’ve answered his question comprehensively in at least three different ways. I refer him to the estimates transcript. I am trying to be respectful in case he doesn’t have many more question times as the shadow treasurer …
I conclude by saying no wonder he is unlikely to last the week.
Updated
Julian Hill gets booted from the chamber after yelling ‘it’s Timmy time’
Ted O’Brien gets to the dispatch box next and says the Australian Financial Review reports that the treasurer’s medium-term budget forecasts have blown out by around $57bn since the election.
Jim Chalmers is quick to take a dig at O’Brien amid the leadership drama says:
He shouldn’t read anything into the fact that the member for Goldstein [Tim Wilson] got all the earlier questions today.
Wilson’s been touted as a potential deputy leadership candidate, which provokes Labor MP Julian Hill to shout “it’s Timmy time!” from the benches.
He gets told very quickly to leave.
Updated
Alison Penfold (who has been trying to get a medicare urgent care clinic for Taree) gets the next question and asks Chris Bowen if he thinks he’s being “clever” in not answering questions about why Australian households haven’t received their promised $275 energy bill reduction (that was promised at the 2022 election).
Bowen has a bit of fun and says he holidayed in Taree as a kid (which Penfold responds to saying “lucky you didn’t get sick!”)
Bowen says the Nationals should be “honest” with Australians about how expensive their energy plan would be.
Dan Tehan tries to make a point of order but Milton Dick says that it wasn’t a “tight” question (i.e Bowen has a bit of room for some creative flourish in his answer).
Bowen continues:
I say to the members of the National Party, if you are going to ask the government about climate and energy policy, be honest with the people that you represent, that climate change is real and people in rural and regional Australia will pay the price.
Ley ties CFMEU report to house prices
Sussan Ley is back and asks why home buyers are “paying the price for Labor’s failure to stand up to union corruption?”
Albanese calls that a “very long bow” and accuses the Coalition of not having acted on the CFMEU and its former Victorian leader John Setka during its nine years in office.
He says that Setka was expelled from the union within weeks of when the Labor government was elected (and takes a big dig at Ley in the process).
That is what leaders can do when they lead their party with authority. When they actually have people behind them as part of their party who are working for them, not undermining them.
He adds that home construction is increasing.
Updated
Nationals continue to ask government about 2022 power bill promise
While the Liberals have today changed tack, the Nationals are continuing to pressure Chris Bowen on the government’s broken promise to reduce energy bills by $275 (a promise made at the 2022 election that was supposed to take effect by the end of 2025).
Bowen says Nationals MP Pat Conaghan hasn’t actually asked a question, but acknowledges that energy prices are too high.
He then turns the spotlight back on to the Coalition.
When you are dealing with higher energy prices, you can have a policy of introducing more of the cheapest most reliable form of energy available which is renewables, or you can have a $600bn plan, the most expensive form of energy available, which is what the honourable member and his friends took to the Australian people at the last election.
Updated
Liberals press Labor on CFMEU report
The shadow workplace relations minister, Tim Wilson, takes the baton from Sussan Ley and presses Amanda Rishworth again on what the government knew about parts of a report into the CFMEU that were removed on the request of the government-appointed administrator.
Wilson asks whether the government sought a copy of the report before it received on 9 February, and whether that copy was the full version.
Rishworth says again that “at no stage has my office, in any way, requested any changes to the report”.
About 22 seconds in, Wilson makes a point of order because Rishworth hasn’t said whether her office had requested a copy of the report earlier. Milton Dick shuts him down but tells Rishworth to answer the question with her 2 minutes and 38 seconds remaining.
She again doesn’t say whether the government requested the report earlier but emphasises that the report was “to the administrator, not a report to government”.
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Justice for Taree!
The Nationals MP for Lyne, Alison Penfold, has been on a QT campaign to get a medicare urgent care clinic to Taree, in her electorate. So much so that she’s been previously kicked out of QT for shouting out at Mark Butler too many times (and too loudly) when he’s been answering questions about bulk-billing.
But not today!
While answering a dixer about the bulk-billing clinics, Penfold’s colleague Darren Chester did the shouting for her, while she held up her phone with Taree written out in bright green and gold.
Butler says he “won’t respond to the provocation today” after getting “suckered in” during question time yesterday.
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Albanese says he raised Zomi Frankcom’s death in Gaza with Isaac Herzog
To the crossbench, Zali Steggall asks the prime minister if he will push for accountability from the Israeli president over the death of Australian Zomi Frankcom and her six World Central Kitchen colleagues who were killed by an Israeli airstrike on their convoy in Gaza in 2024.
Anthony Albanese says he raised the issue of Frankcom and other concerns to Isaac Herzog this morning.
Albanese says that Herzog promised to come back to the government on the issues raised.
If President Herzog wasn’t here I wouldn’t have been able to raise the issue of Zomi Framkcom with him, which is what I did this morning along with a range of other government concerns.
These deaths were a tragedy and an outrage. We said that at the time. We have made it clear that remains the Australian government’s position and we’ve also made clear our expectation that there be transparency about Israel’s ongoing investigation into the incident.
Albanese adds that the government will continue to push for “full accountability” including any appropriate criminal charges over the deaths.
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Government denies involvement removal of sections from CFMEU report
Sussan Ley begins question time probing the government on a report in Nine newspapers that the government-appointed administrator asked the watchdog to remove parts of his report that went to the Victorian Labor government turning a blind eye to allegations of corruption in the CFMEU.
Ley asks if the federal government had any involvement in the removal of the parts.
Workplace relations minister, Amanda Rishworth, says the report was to the administrator, not the government.
To be abundantly clear, my office received this report on 9 February and at no stage have we requested any changes to the report or made any request for amendments to the contents of the report. Any suggestion is misleading the parliament.
She says the administrator, Mark Irving, was “clear and transparent” about why parts of the report were removed, which he said was because “he was not satisfied that they were well-founded or properly tested”.
She says the government retains “full confidence” in Irving.
Those opposite have irresponsibly called for his sacking, of an administrator that has achieved more progress in cleaning up the union in 18 months than they achieved in their whole time in government.
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Speaker warns MPs over behaviour as question time begins
It’s question time!
Before the questions begin, the speaker, Milton Dick, issues another warning to members to improve their behaviour.
There was a big flare up yesterday after Colin Boyce made some remarks to Elizabeth Watson-Brown that he had to withdraw.
But Dick says that further incidents have occurred.
This week has been a particularly combative week in the chamber and this behaviour does not reflect well on the house. I shouldn’t have to say this, seeing as I already made a statement, but further incidents have occurred, it leaves me with no other choice.
After him, independent MP Allegra Spender rises and says:
People are sick of politicians saying “Do as I say but not as I do”. If as a parliament we expect this from our country, we must start by leading by example and start by doing it here.
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Meanjin to resume publishing after QUT takes over literary journal
In some non-politics news, the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) will become the new custodian of Meanjin, Australia’s most eminent literary journal.
It means the university will be bringing the publication back to Brisbane where it was first established in 1940, after 80 years in Melbourne.
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Greens MP joins Scamps in QT boycott
Greens MP Elizabeth Watson-Brown will also boycott question time today over Israeli president Isaac Herzog’s visit, alongside independent Sophie Scamps.
Watson-Brown yesterday asked the prime minister in question time yesterday to condemn the police violence seen at a protest on Monday, and said the visit was undermining social cohesion.
She told Guardian Australia:
This moment is about who we are as a country on the global stage. The world is watching. Either you’re opposed to genocide or you’re not.
Labor are welcoming a head of state found by the UN commission of inquiry to have incited a genocide to Parliament House. This is a horrifying normalisation and one we shouldn’t accept.
Herzog has denied the accusations of inciting genocide.
The Israeli president will not be at question time.
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Two Chinese nationals charged under counter terrorism laws
Two Chinese nationals have been charged by the counter foreign interference taskforce, for allegedly collecting information about a Canberra Buddhist association on behalf of a “foreign principal”.
A 25-year-old man and 31-year-old woman have each been charged with one count of reckless foreign interference and will face the ACT magistrates court today.
They are the fourth and fifth individuals charged with foreign interference offences since new laws came into effect in 2018.
The AFP began Operation Autumn-Shield in March, after receiving information from Asio, which led to the arrest of a female Chinese national in August.
Federal police will allege the woman arrested in August worked with the pair “under the direction of a Public Security Bureau in China”.
Asio boss Mike Burgess said in a statement that the security environment is becoming “more dynamic, diverse and degraded.”
Multiple foreign regimes are monitoring, harassing and intimidating members of our diaspora communities. This sort of behaviour is utterly unacceptable and cannot be tolerated.
Federal police called on the public to report suspicious activity to authorities.
‘Gamechanging intervention’: ADHD sufferers in NSW to get diagnosis relief
Consulting a psychologist will no longer be required to get diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in New South Wales, with rural patients first in line to benefit, AAP reports.
NSW has expanded its push to give general practitioners more power to manage ADHD by enrolling almost 600 doctors in a special training course to enable them to diagnose the condition.
GPs have been able to dispense repeat prescriptions for ADHD medication in the state since September, with more than 5,000 patients receiving scripts.
But the state government hopes expanding training will allow people to get diagnosed sooner, saving hundreds of dollars in private psychologist appointments. Mental health minister, Rose Jackson, told reporters:
We recognise that those general practitioners … are very well placed to provide that care for a chronic but manageable condition
This is a gamechanging intervention for people living with ADHD, who can now access the treatment that they need affordably and in a timely way.
More than one million Australians – or about one in every 20 people – are living with the condition.
The bolstered training will begin with doctors in rural and regional areas in acknowledgment that patients in less populated regions face even greater struggles in securing specialist appointments.
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Scamps boycotts question time in protest against Herzog visit
Independent MP Sophie Scamps won’t be at question time today, in protest against Isaac Herzog’s visit to Australia.
In a statement, Scamps says she “deeply disagrees” with the visit, warning that it “normalises the atrocities that have occurred in Gaza over the past two years.”
I deeply disagree with the invitation for President Herzog to visit the Australian Parliament House today and will not be attending Question Time to illustrate that I do not condone this visit.
At the very time the Government is welcoming President Herzog into Parliament House, with the entrance being officially lined with Israeli flags, the Government of Israel is moving to extend the illegal occupation of the West Bank thus undermining the hope for a two-state solution, which has long been Australia’s bilateral position.
Scamps isn’t the only independent MP who has criticised the visit. Fellow independents including Zali Steggall and David Pocock have also said the invitation should not have been made.
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Australia condemns Israel over plans to extend control over West Bank
Australia has joined global condemnation of Israel over measures to tighten its control of the West Bank.
Announcing the measures, which involve extending Israeli control in areas that are currently under Palestinian administration, Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, made clear they were aimed at strengthening Israeli settlements in the West Bank and pre-empting the emergence of an independent sovereign Palestine.
The US, EU and Arab states have expressed alarm and concern over the plan. A spokesperson for Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade added to that global backlash.
“Australia objects to the Israel Security Cabinet’s decision to expand Israel’s control over the West Bank. This decision will undermine stability and security,” they said in a statement.
The Australian government has been clear that settlements are illegal under international law and a significant obstacle to peace. Altering the demographic composition of Palestine is unacceptable.
A two-state solution remains the only viable path to long-term peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike.
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Landmark high court win for survivors of clergy abuse
The high court has delivered a landmark win for survivors of clergy abuse this morning, finding the Catholic church had a duty of care to protect a child from one of its paedophile priests.
Lawyers have been keenly watching the case and say it will have broader consequences for the liability of the church over historical child sexual abuse claims.
The case was brought by a boy known only as AA, who was sexually assaulted by father Ron Pickin in 1969 in a presbytery in the Newcastle-Maitland region. AA was 13.
AA had argued that the Newcastle-Maitland diocese was liable for the abuse because it had a duty of care to protect him from Pickin and breached that duty.
The church said it owed no such duty of care, because there was no evidence it knew of the risks posed by priests at that time.
The church deployed that argument successfully in the New South Wales court of appeal, prompting AA to take the case to the high court.
On Wednesday, the high court ruled in AA’s favour, saying:
The duty the Diocese owed to AA in 1969 was a duty to a child to ensure that while the child was under the care, supervision or control of a priest of the Diocese, as a result of the priest purportedly performing a function of a priest of the Diocese, reasonable care was taken to prevent reasonably foreseeable personal injury to the child.
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Protest against Herzog’s visit continues outside parliament
We have more photos from the protest outside Parliament House. As my colleague Josh Butler brought you from the ground, members of the Greens and independent senator David Pocock have been down there at the rally.
Isaac Herzog is at Government House for a lunch with the prime minister, and received a ceremonial welcome earlier.
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Farrell heads back to Brussels for EU free trade talks
The trade minister, Don Farrell, is headed back to Brussels this week for more negotiations on a free trade agreement with the European Union.
Momentum is growing towards a deal and the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, is expected to visit Australia in the next few months.
Farrell is set to meet EU commissioner for trade and economic security, Maroš Šefčovič, while in Brussels, as well as commissioner for agriculture and food, Christophe Hansen, to progress a mutually beneficial trade agreement.
It will be the sixth meeting between Farrell and Šefčovič. Farrell said:
Australia has always been a trading nation, and the Albanese Labor government is committed to opening up new markets for our exporters, delivering more well-paying jobs across our economy, and cutting costs at the checkout for Australians.
The European Union is a potential market of 27 countries and 450 million consumers – a huge opportunity for our world-class producers, businesses and exporters.”
Labor wants to strengthen ties with the EU, amid growing global uncertainty. Farrell said:
We have been absolutely clear that any deal must be in Australia’s national interest and include new, commercially meaningful market access for our agricultural producers.
As we have demonstrated time and time again, Australia is ready to do a deal – but we will not agree to a deal, for deals sake.
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eSafety tries to keep breakdown of 4.7 million social media account removals secret
The office of the Australian eSafety commissioner is exploring whether to make a public interest immunity claim to avoid having to disclose the numbers of user accounts deactivated on each of the 10 platforms under the social media ban, with investigations still ongoing into the early days of the policy.
In a Senate estimates hearing on Tuesday night, Liberal senators Dean Smith and Jane Hume attempted to get the eSafety commissioner to reveal the true breakdown of the 4.7 million accounts blocked under the social media ban across the 10 platforms.
The senators pointed out that with Meta’s three platforms and Snapchat publicly disclosing their figures at being about 1 million combined, it raised questions on whether the aggregate figure could be relied on.
Officials said they “simply added” up the numbers from each platform, with commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, saying some platforms would have larger numbers than others.
Heidi Snell, eSafety’s regulatory general manager, said it would not be appropriate to disclose the individual numbers at this point as it could prejudice investigations eSafety is undertaking to assess whether the platforms are appropriately complying with the ban, and flagged eSafety might make a public interest immunity claim to avoid disclosing the numbers at this stage.
Snell said a majority of the platforms had requested confidentiality on the use of the numbers, but once the investigations are complete, eSafety may have a different view on releasing the numbers.
Inman Grant said the 4.7 million deactivations “cannot be considered anything but a stunning success”.
Minister Nita Green accused Liberal senators questioning the policy of being led by fellow Coalition senators Alex Antic and Matt Canavan, who expressed opposition to the policy, despite the Coalition pushing for it in 2024.
Updated
Governor general ‘delighted’ to welcome Herzog to Government House
Sam Mostyn says she is “delighted” to welcome Israel’s president Isaac Herzog to Government House.
The governor general presented a photo of Herzog’s father, former president Chaim Herzog, from his 1986 trip to Australia, when he was Israel’s president.
Herzog said he was “honoured to see his father’s photo here”.
Mostyn described Government House as a “place of peace where all are welcome”.
I think it’s terribly important that your visit stands with those who are grieving.
Herzog said both Australia and Israel “share the need to fight antisemitism with no doubts … so we uproot this phenomenon,” adding that he shares “the hope that we can bring the relations between our nations on a renewed path”.
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‘Wrong decision to invite Herzog’: Pocock attends protest outside parliament
Independent senator David Pocock is out the front of Parliament House today, protesting Isaac Herzog’s visit.
Speaking to a reporter, Pocock said the right to protest must be defended after the clashes between demonstrators and police in Sydney on Monday.
He said:
We saw what happened in Sydney and there is a worrying clampdown on protest across this country, and I also think it was the wrong decision to invite president Herzog at a time when we have seen so much strain on communities, tension in communities across the country.
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Ahmed al-Ahmed receives standing ovation in NSW parliament
Bondi hero Ahmed al-Ahmed received a standing ovation from New South Wales MPs in question time today.
Al-Ahmed, who disarmed one of the alleged Bondi gunmen before being shot five times, was welcomed by the speaker of the legislative assembly, Greg Piper, as a “person that has become a national hero, an international hero indeed, an inspiration to our communities right around Australia but certainly here in NSW”, prompting MPs to stand and applaud.
Ahmed, his arm in a sling, stood up to acknowledge the welcome.
Piper says:
Thank you, and for those guests that have joined us here, particularly Ahmed, that is not a common occurrence here in the legislative assembly.
Ahmed says his recovery has faced a setback. In a post on Instagram he shared:
Today I went through a nerve test on my hand, and it confirmed what I feared. Doctors sent electric shocks through it again and again. Even at 100 mA, I felt nothing.
That moment was painful, but it did not break me. I remember the days when I saved lives and made a difference. If I had that strength once, I will find it again.
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Greens senator claims NSW at risk of becoming ‘police state’
Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi has claimed her home state of NSW is at risk of becoming a “violent police state”, in a speech at a protest against Israeli president Isaac Herzog.
Outside Parliament House in Canberra, Faruqi was critical of what she called “disgraceful” actions of police at a Sydney rally this week.
“How on earth can you justify assaulting Muslims doing their prayers, peacefully doing their prayers?” she said.
I have spoken to so many Muslims since Monday, and we are scared. We are scared. We are fearful.
The Greens senator was also strongly critical of the invitation for Herzog to visit Australia and Parliament House today, calling it “shameful”.
Herzog’s visit is to offer sympathy to the Australian Jewish community after the Bondi antisemitic massacre in December.
A chant of “arrest Herzog” broke out during Faruqi’s speech.
Updated
Israeli president Isaac Herzog is posing for photographs alongside Australian governor general Sam Mostyn.
Here’s a photo of their meeting earlier at Government House.
Updated
Herzog meets governor general as protests continue outside Government House
Israeli president Isaac Herzog has arrived at Government House, the first of multiple engagements today in Canberra, including talks with prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and governor general, Sam Mostyn.
Senior politicians including the speaker, Milton Dick, and the opposition leader, Sussan Ley, were present, along with the government’s special envoy to combat antisemitism, Jillian Segal.
Israel’s outgoing ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, also attended the event, as well as senior bureaucrats including the secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Steven Kennedy, Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Betty Pavelich and Paul Kenny, Special Operation Command, who represented the defence force chief.
Herzog and his wife, Michal, were welcomed with a ceremonial 21-gun salute by the Federation Guard. The couple will visit Parliament House this afternoon, ahead of travelling to Melbourne on Thursday.
Arrivals were closely monitored and only pre-approved people were allowed into Government House.
Protesters positioned at the Government House lookout could be heard yelling in the background.
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Cutting CGT discount would have ‘marginal’ impact on property prices, treasury secretary says
The treasury secretary, Jenny Wilkinson, said cutting the capital gains tax discount for property prices would probably only have a “marginal” impact on home prices.
Wilkinson, appearing in estimates this morning, said she was no expert on the subject, but that most of the academic research suggested a couple of things.
First, the impact on home values from changing tax settings depends very much on what is being proposed, and second, “that most of these impacts are relatively modest”.
The government is reportedly mulling changes to the CGT discount, which a variety of experts believe is too generous, inequitable, and potentially distorts investment decisions.
But when it comes to what such a change might mean for property prices, Wilkinson says it would likely be “marginal”.
That doesn’t mean that there aren’t other impacts. Our assessment … has been that changes in some of these tax settings could, for example, change the balance of owner-occupier versus investors in the market.
In other words, it might have more impact on home ownership rates than on house prices.
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Protesters gather outside Parliament House to rally against Herzog’s visit
Several hundred people have gathered outside Parliament House in protest of the visit of Israeli president Isaac Herzog later today.
Many are carrying large signs – including “stop arming Israel”, “Jews against Herzog” and “justice for Palestine” – as the crowd on parliament’s front lawn is awaiting speeches soon to start, with Greens MPs among the speakers.
We can see Greens politicians including Larissa Waters and Mehreen Faruqi in the crowd, holding a large “Greens for a free Palestine” banner.
Another large banner at the front of the rally reads “Herzog and IDF security not welcome”.
There is a small group of police standing between the protest and Parliament House, but the crowd is peaceful and quiet so far.
Updated
NSW police chief says he apologised to Muslim community leaders over Monday protest incident
The New South Wales police commissioner, Mal Lanyon, says he has apologised to Muslim community leaders “for any offence that may have been taken” following an incident at Monday night’s protest in Sydney in which a group of people praying were moved on by police.
The controversial incident, which was shared widely on social media, prompted the premier, Chris Minns, to reject the suggestion it showed police disproportionately targeted the Muslim community. A coalition of Muslim groups has called for Lanyon to resign over the incident.
Yesterday, Lanyon told reporters he had spoken with Muslim community members about the police action, but today he told 2GB he had apologised.
Asked if police had acted appropriately during the incident, Lanyon said:
Again, it needs to be taken in context, and if you see what’s happening behind, the police are coming forward long after the conflict has started. They are moving forward in a line and dispersing the crowd.
I’ve made contact with senior members of the Muslim community and have apologised for any offence that may have been taken for those that were in a religious prayer, but the action of the police was required to actually start dispersing the crowd, they were moving forward because of the actions of protesters.
Updated
Isaac Herzog visits Government House in Canberra
We’re getting some more photos from Government House for Israeli president Isaac Herzog’s visit.
He’s receiving a ceremonial welcome. So far we’ve spotted house speaker, Milton Dick, opposition leader, Sussan Ley, secretary of the department of prime minister and cabinet, Stephen Kennedy, and governor general, Sam Mostyn.
Herzog arrived from Sydney with the prime minister.
Updated
Israeli president to meet with governor general at Government House
Isaac Herzog will soon have lunch with the governor general, prime minister, and leader of the opposition today at Government House.
The details are being tightly held, so we don’t know if anyone else will be there.
Security is also, unsurprisingly, very tight.
Our friends at AAP have just snapped a pic of a sniper at Government House ahead of the arrival.
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‘Enough is enough’: moderate Liberals call for Taylor to make his position known
More Liberals have come out telling Angus Taylor and his allies to stand up and call the leadership spill publicly.
Moderate senator, Maria Kovacic, who is a staunch Sussan Ley supporter, told reporters today:
Enough is enough of the ongoing chatter on leadership. If you want to call a spill, put your name to it and call it.
Kovacic and fellow moderate, Tim Wilson, did a doorstop earlier around reports from Nine that the CFMEU administrator directed Geoffrey Watson SC to remove findings from his report that Victoria’s Labor government turned a blind eye to CFMEU connections to organised crime.
But, of course, most of the questions were about whether Taylor would – or should – resign from the frontbench today. Wilson avoided the question at all costs, while Kovacic gave the brief answer above, right at the end of the doorstop.
The pair have called on the workplace relations minister, Amanda Rishworth, to sack the government-appointed administrator, Mark Irving. Kovacic said:
She must now call for the resignation of the administrator. To seek not just to redact a few lines or a few sections of the report, but chapters of the report is extraordinary.
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How rezoning of Melbourne inner suburbs will work
Each zone has proposed inner and outer catchments. In the inner catchments – within a five-minute walk from the station – a height limit of four storeys, or six storeys on larger blocks of more than 1,000 sq metres, is proposed. In the outer – up to a 10-minute walk from the station – there is a proposed limit of three storeys, or four on larger blocks.
Sonya Kilkenny said heritage and landscape overlays will stay in place and each map was subject to consultation with the local community. She said the reforms – opposed by the Coalition and some community groups – were part of the government’s plan to give more Victorians “real housing choice”. She said:
While we’re focused on giving more young Victorians the opportunity to have a home of their own, the Liberals are blocking them from being built. They oppose more homes near transport, jobs and services.
The final 13 maps will be released after a press conference this morning.
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Melbourne inner suburbs rezoning plan could see apartment towers of up to 20 storeys
The Victorian government is proposing apartment towers of up to 20 storeys across some of Melbourne’s wealthiest inner suburbs as part of its plan to significantly increase housing supply.
The planning minister, Sonya Kilkenny, on Wednesday will release draft maps showing proposed heights and boundaries of 10 more of the government’s 50 activity centres.
Under the plan, first announced in October 2024, the state government will seize planning controls for the designated areas – located near train and tram stops – from local councils to allow greater density, increased building heights, faster approval processes and fewer avenues for appeal, in an effort to significantly increase housing supply.
Of the latest maps, Caulfield station – a major interchange for the south-eastern suburbs connecting the Frankston, Cranbourne/Pakenham lines – will have the highest proposed density of up to 20 storeys on Station Road and Dandenong Road. Nearby Malvern station is proposed to reach up to 16 storeys.
Also along the Frankston line, Armadale could reach 10 storeys and Glenhuntly 12. On the Sandringham line, Prahran and South Yarra could reach 12 storeys and Windsor 12.
Mitcham on the Belgrave-Lilydale line will see up to 12 storeys, while Noble Park and Springvale on the Cranbourne-Pakenham line, 12 and 16, respectively.
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ABC under fire over Tony Armstrong’s one-off satirical show
The ABC also came under fire in estimates on Tuesday from Liberal senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, over the screening of a Tony Armstrong hosted one-off satirical show, Always Was Tonight, in the lead up to Australia Day.
“In the context of race relations … where our country is so divided, how does this program actually help in terms of race relations in our country,” Price asked, going on to object to Armstrong’s reference to genocide, and a range of “anti-white” quotes appearing on a ticker throughout the 30 minute special. Price asked:
Who made the editorial decision to allow this program to air that clearly intended to demonise British settlement and peddle falsehoods?
Marks said the program had been the subject of some complaints.
The program has been through a review by the ombudsman, who found that the program did not breach editorial standards.
The Greens last month came out in support of the program, amid criticism from the Coalition and some conservative commentators, describing it as the ABC at its cutting-edge best.
“If we cannot make fun of ourselves and make fun of the exposure of racism through humour, then we really have lost the plot,” the Green’s communications spokesperson, senator Sarah Hanson-Young, said at the time.
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ABC accused of failing in its duty of impartiality over Adelaide writers’ festival boycott
Liberal senator Sarah Henderson accused the ABC of failing in its duty of impartiality by appearing to support the decision by four ABC journalists to join the boycott of the Adelaide writers’ festival.
Grilling ABC managing director, Hugh Marks, and editorial director, Gavin Fang, at Senate estimates late on Tuesday, Henderson singled out the actions of Laura Tingle, John Lyons, Sarah Ferguson and Louise Milligan. Henderson said:
I put to you that their actions in withdrawing from the festival constituted a boycott, in support of Randa Abdel-Fattah.
Abdel-Fattah’s removal from the 2026 event sparked a mass boycott. The festival subsequently apologised to her and pledged to invite her to next year’s festival. Henderson said:
When it comes to ABC journalists, you can’t allow your journalists to run their own political activism, because it reflects on the ABC.
Fang and Marks strongly disputed Henderson’s allegations. Fang said:
That somebody not commenting, or somebody making a comment on social media where they’ve said they are withdrawing, indicates that they have taken a position supporting the comments of Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah, I just simply do not think that that inference is accurate.
Addressing Ferguson’s social media post announcing her decision to withdraw from the festival, Marks said the 7.30 host was protesting the politicisation of the event, not in any way signalling her support for Abdel-Fattah.
Surely, principles of freedom of speech, political interference, and creative debate, these are principles that journalists are entitled to stand up for.
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Environment group opens court case against Murray Watt over Tasmanian fish farming approval
Environment group NWTAS for Clean Oceans opens a case in the federal court today as they try to force the environment minister, Murray Watt, to reverse a decision to allow ongoing industrial fish farming in Tasmania’s Macquarie Harbour.
Watt approved an expansion of fish farming in the harbour in August last year, which the group claims should have been blocked due to threats to the endangered Maugean skate.
The harbour is the species’ last known habitat and the group says fish farming is the skate’s key threat.
The environment group will argue Watt “erred in his decision” and wants the court to force Watt to reconsider the original decision.
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Mother of teen alleging her son was assaulted by police at Sydney rally says she plans to press charges
The mother of a 16-year-old who alleges her son was assaulted by police at Monday’s rally at Sydney’s Town Hall plans to press charges.
Kefah Maradweh and her son, Nedal, spoke to ABC Radio Sydney this morning about the violent interaction between protesters and police. Nedal recounted seeing a group of Muslim men praying in the area before they were allegedly grabbed and pushed by officers. He said he was with his sister and her young baby nearby before an officer allegedly pushed her.
I told them she had a baby. As I said that, they just grabbed me by the keffiyeh, my scarf, and just dragged me, pulled me, kicked me on the floor … Knee to my head, knee to my neck, and then yeah, just put me in handcuffs.
Kefah, a nurse from western Sydney, said it was difficult watching video footage of her son’s encounter, saying it was “traumatising” and she couldn’t get the images out of her mind.
To be honest, it was a war zone. When I was looking around me, I did not believe my eyes that I live in Australia at the moment.
She said she planned to press charges:
I will because that was a deliberate attack on my son, and that was an assault on a minor. And that was like an attack on someone who did nothing, just to stand up for humanity in a way.
It’s our right in this country, we are citizens like everyone else. So why we can be treated different?
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Labor introduces $3m super tax legislation
The government has introduced its modified $3m super tax legislation into parliament this morning, as part of a reform which will also lift the threshold for the low income super tax offset that will boost the savings for more than a million Australians.
Under the new rules, the tax on earnings from balances over $3m will double to 30%, and go up to 40% on earnings from balances over $10m. After much debate, the original proposal was modified to tax only realised (rather than unrealised, or paper) gains, and the threshold will be indexed.
Assuming the changes pass through parliament, the extra $3m super tax will start from the middle of 2026.
As for the low income tax offset, this is a long overdue change that will boost the super balances of workers on low incomes and permanently remove the perverse situation where some Australians were paying more tax on their super than on their normal pay.
Jim Chalmers in a statement said “these changes will make the super system fairer from top to bottom”, adding:
Our reforms are all about helping workers earn more, keep more of what they earn, and retire with more, while also strengthening Australia’s world-class superannuation system.
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Sharma backs Ley but will support ‘whoever’ Liberal party elects as leader
Senator Dave Sharma says he backs the opposition leader, Sussan Ley, amid a possible spill, but says he will support “whoever has been elected by the Liberal party room to be leader”.
Sharma, who is part of Ley’s moderate faction, has told ABC Sydney that Ley “has my support as leader”, adding he is not involved in speculation or discussions about her future.
Asked if he would support Angus Taylor as Liberal party leader, Sharma says:
I will support whoever has been elected by the Liberal party room to be the leader. I think it’s important that we all make that commitment. Because, you know, whoever has been chosen to be the captain of the time, it’s ultimately a team sport, politics, and if the team is trying to play different games or different strategies on the field, we’re not going to win.
Sharma says he is “very frustrated” with the current state of the Liberal party:
I think we have a lot of problems and national issues, and it is our job as an opposition to highlight those and to put forward alternative ideas … and at the moment, we’re not doing as good a job of that as we should be.
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More on the rent figures from our economics chief …
Tim Lawless, Cotality’s research director, said “the fact that rental growth is accelerating, even after such a large cumulative increase since 2020, is a real concern”.
It suggests demand for rental accommodation still far exceeds available supply, and that renters are facing an even larger portion of their income just to keep a roof over their heads.
Tenants are on average dedicating a record 33.4% of their pre-tax income on rent, according to Cotality data.
As the dream of home ownership has become increasingly out of reach for many Australians, a larger share of homes are rented.
In the mid-1990s, 25% of households aged between 35 and 49 years were renting, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
By 2019 - and before the post-pandemic squeeze that has intensified the housing crisis - that proportion had blown out to nearly 40%. Lawless said:
Unless wage growth accelerates meaningfully, or we see a step-change in rental supply, the risk is that affordability will deteriorate further for low income households in particular.
There is also evidence that recent measures aimed at helping first-home buyers into the market have instead boosted home prices and made it harder for lower income Australians to buy.
As housing costs have soared over recent decades, Australia has underinvested in social housing.
Only 3.6% of homes are dedicated to social housing, or about half the OECD average.
Fewer than 2% of homes being built now are for social housing, down from 15% in the 1970s, and 22% in the 1950s.
Housing costs continue to rise as average rents jump 5.4% in year to January
Hopes for a reprieve in runaway rental growth have been dashed, after rent rises reaccelerated into the new year, pushing affordability to new lows.
Despite efforts by the federal and state governments to lift the supply of new homes, housing costs continue to rise faster than wages amid historically low vacancy rates.
After a brief period where rental growth seemed to be easing, the national average asking rent jumped by 5.4% in the year to January, according to new analysis from Cotality, a property research firm, released today.
Rental growth had slowed to 4.3% over the 12 months to September, but picked up through late 2025, contributing to a broader rise in inflationary pressures that triggered the first Reserve Bank rate hike in over two years.
The latest rental figures come amid rising speculation that the Albanese government will move to lower the 50% capital gains tax discount, which many experts believe is too generous and has helped drive a culture of property speculation at the expense of home ownership.
Renters, many of whom aspire to own their own home, have seen asking rents surge by 44% over the past five years, or two-and-a-half times more quickly than the 18% rise in wages.
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Native title holders challenge NT’s largest water licence in high court
Native title holders from the Northern Territory have taken a case to the high court to assert their water rights over an aquifer after a horticulture company was granted a massive water allocation to grow fruit and vegetables in the desert, AAP reports.
Six native title holders from the Mpwerempwer Aboriginal Corporation attended a hearing in Canberra on Tuesday to challenge the licence — which was issued for free by the Northern Territory government in 2021.
It authorises Fortune Agribusiness to extract 40 gigalitres of groundwater at Singleton Station every year for 30 years, equal to draining Sydney Harbour twice.
It is the largest groundwater licence issued in the NT as part of a plan to develop thousands of hectares on Singleton Station, south of Tennant Creek, into an intensive irrigated horticulture business.
Traditional Owners say the project threatens sacred sites, cultural survival and a fragile desert water system. They say it risks permanently damaging the ancient aquifer, and at least 40 groundwater-dependent sacred sites and community water supplies.
Alyawarr traditional owner Frankie Holmes said water was central to people’s identity and survival.
Looking after land and country, especially sacred trees, is very, very important for us. Ancestors hand it over to us to look after these waters and these lands.
The Central Land Council is also backing the claim, which alleges that the NT government did not take into account the impact on Aboriginal cultural values before granting the licence.
The NT government is standing by a decision in the NT court of appeal in 2025, which upheld the licence. Fortune has called on the court to dismiss the appeal.
Photojournalist Isabella Moore was in Kaytetye country in September, and spoke to traditional owners about their fight. You can read that story here.
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I support Ley ‘unequivocally’, Leeser says
A few of Sussan Ley’s closest allies are still staunchly defending her publicly, including the Liberal MP Julian Leeser who says he supports Ley “unequivocally” because of her actions after the Bondi terror attack.
Bondi was the worst terror attack Australia has ever faced, it was Sussan Ley who called for a royal commission when the prime minister needed to be dragged kicking and screaming to do things to protect our country and the Jewish community. It was Sussan Ley who called for the parliament to be returned.
Leeser says no one outside parliament is talking about the issue.
But if Angus Taylor does as he’s expected to do and resigns from the frontbench along with his allies, the chatter might start spreading a bit further.
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Anti-Islamophobia envoy warns of ‘erosion of trust’ in police
Australia’s envoy to combat Islamophobia, Aftab Malik, says he was “in shock” watching footage of men praying during a protest in Sydney being dragged by police.
Speaking to ABC News Breakfast this morning, after calling for NSW police to apologise, Malik says there was no context to justify “the excessive use of violence for people who are peacefully worshipping away from protesters”.
Asked what the broader impact will be on the Muslim and Arab community, Malik says:
The first one is fear. I spoke to a handful of people who were actually grabbed and thrown to the floor by the police. And they weren’t angry. They were scared. A lot of them were saying to me, we don’t know what was happening, we were just praying. The second one is erosion of trust. That’s why it’s imperative the premier of New South Wales and the police commissioner come out with an official apology and investigation.
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A fiery exchange erupted at senate estimates last night as Liberal senator Sarah Henderson accused Creative Australia of failing to implement recommendations to strip funding from artists who engage in anti-semitism.
Creative Australia chief executive Adrian Collette defended the agency’s position, insisting that the body lacked the legislative authority to act as a moral adjudicator.
The debate centred on a report by Jillian Segal, the government’s special envoy to combat antisemitism, which proposed cancelling public funding for institutions that promote hate.
Henderson pressed Collette on whether he accepted the obligation to pull funding from those who promoted anti-semitic tropes. Collette said Creative Australia funded artists exclusively on the merit and impact of their work. Collette said:
We are not qualified to start adjudicating on what might qualify as antisemitic or any other kind of behaviour... we simply don’t have that legislative authority.
The senate estimates hearing confirmed that the artist Khaleb Sabsabi – whose commission to the Venice Biennale was rescinded and, after public outcry, restored, had received approximately $800,000 from Creative Australia over 20 years, including commissions for the upcoming Venice Biennale.
Collette emphasised the distinction between “freedom of artistic expression” and general freedom of speech, noting that the agency was not responsible for the personal views of the almost 4,000 artists it funds annually, unless their work itself crossed into “unlawful expression.”
Protests against Herzog visit ‘really difficult’ to watch: Israeli minister
Israel’s deputy foreign minister Sharren Haskel says Isaac Herzog’s visit is really important for the Australian Jewish community which is “completely broken and shattered”.
Haskel, who once lived in Australia for eight years, has been a vocal critic of the Albanese government and regularly appeared in Australian media.
Speaking to RN Breakfast, Haskel says it’s “really difficult” to watch the protests against the visit when its intention has been to stand in solidarity with the community.
It’s absolutely heartbreaking to see that during these times, to hear and to see on live television those chants in Sydney, it’s quite difficult.
Host Sally Sara asks Haskel about what impact Herzog’s visit is having on the Palestinian community in Australia who have watched their loved ones die in Gaza, particularly those who died as a result of the military action of Israel. Haskel says:
Look, a war is a war. It’s a terrible thing. There’s casualties and there’s death and destruction. We know that. A war is not a pretty thing. You cannot give me one example of a war worldwide when you can picture it in a romantic way with no casualties.
Haskel says that she understands that its OK to protest, but believes there is a “red line” on chants like “globalise the intifada”.
There’s a red line that needs to be drawn with calls for violence.
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Record quarter jump in bulk billing rates, government says
GP bulk billing rates have seen a record jump in the three months since the government’s bulk billing incentives began, the health minister claims.
Since bulk billing incentives were expanded to all Medicare card holders in November, the rate for all Australians has risen to 81.4% nationwide - the largest quarterly jump in bulk billing in 20 years outside of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a statement from the health minister Mark Butler.
In October 2023 before any of Labor’s bulk billing reforms were introduced the rate was 75.6%, government data showed.
The new data shows there are over 3,400 bulk billing practices across the country, of which almost 1,300 of these were previously mixed billing. “The number continues to grow every week”, the minister’s statement said.
For 16-64 year olds, who previously weren’t captured by the October 2023 reforms which tripled the bulk billing incentive for children under 16 and concession card holders, the 6.9% increase in the bulk billing rate is the largest quarterly increase on record, the statement said.
There has been an increase in the GP bulk billing rate in every state and territory and approximately 96% of Australians are now within a 20-minute drive of a registered bulk billing practice, according to the statement.
You can read more about the rebound here:
Bragg on Liberal leadership: ‘If people want to do something, they should put their name to it’
Angus Taylor and his allies are under growing pressure to come out publicly against Sussan Ley.
Taylor is speculated to announce he’ll resign from the frontbench today – which he has to do to run for the leadership.
The Liberal moderate Andrew Bragg seems extremely over the drama, and tells ABC News Breakfast that Taylor and his allies who want a spill should put their names down and make it known publicly.
We’re not paid to play games, tiddly winks. We’re paid to work hard for the Australian people. If people want to do something, they should put their name to it.
He says there were no leadership issues “of substance” raised at yesterday’s party room meeting and that he believes Ley still has the numbers.
You might remember, Ley won the leadership with a very tight 29 votes to 25, with three of those votes from the now retired senators Hollie Hughes and Linda Reynolds, and Gisele Kapterian who lost the seat of Bradfield in a recount.
Bragg says Ley has been dealt a “bad hand”.
I would say over the last eight months or so, Sussan has been dealt a bad hand. We had the cataclysmic election loss and two bust-ups with the Nats, and haven’t had a chance to put out many policies.
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Commonwealth Bank posts record profit but warns of ‘upward pressure’ on interest rates
The Commonwealth Bank has warned that interest rates remain under “upward pressure” from inflation after reporting a record $5.45bn half-year cash profit backed by surging home loan volumes and business lending.
Australia’s biggest lender said in an earnings release this morning that the economy was struggling to meet increased consumer demand. CBA said:
As a result, inflation is now expected to remain above the Reserve Bank’s target band for some time, placing further upward pressure on interest rates.
The bank’s cash profit was up 6% from a year ago, beating expectations. It announced an interim $2.35 dividend, up 10c from a year ago.
CBA reported a fall in the number of people falling behind in their mortgage repayments as a percentage of its total mortgage book, after last year’s three interest rate reductions and tax cuts eased household pressure.
The arrears level is still elevated and the impact of last week’s rate hike is yet to hit mortgages.
The strong profit result drew criticism from the Finance Sector Union, which has complained that the bank’s workers are subject to rising workloads and are anxious over an increase in automated processes.
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Butler says ‘globalise the intifada’ is ‘not a proper phrase to be using’
The health minister, Mark Butler, has defended Isaac Herzog’s visit to Australia and reiterated that its purpose is to “provide comfort and solace” to the Jewish community.
Almost every politician is being asked about former Australian of the Year Grace Tame’s use of the phrase “globalise the intifada” at a Sydney march on Monday.
Butler is next in the RN Breakfast hot seat, and says that the phrase isn’t “useful”, and adds his name to the list of politicians telling people to turn the temperature down.
To the extent that globalise the intifada means bring the conflict to the streets of Australia, it is not a proper phrase to be using.
I think we have a great tradition of freedom of speech, of the right to demonstrate and protest here in Australia. People have done that for decades, including about their views on conflicts that are happening in many other parts of the world. People did it in relation to the Vietnam war and the Iraq war and many others. Really it is a question of reiterating the importance of peaceful protest, of respectful dialogue.
On Tame’s use of the phrase, Butler says:
That’s a matter for every individual who uses the phrase to answer to.
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Turnbull says Liberals should stop ‘chasing Pauline Hanson down a rightwing populist burrow’
Turnbull has made no secret that he doesn’t like the party shifting towards the right and believes his former colleagues have spent too much time watching Sky News after dark.
He says the party should stop focusing on culture wars and stop chasing Pauline Hanson down the “burrow”.
The problem the party has got is that it has drifted away from the centre of Australian politics. It’s become lost in this sort of world, this bubble of populist right-wing media … They’re fighting culture wars and, you know, basically chasing Pauline Hanson down a rightwing populist burrow, and no wonder her vote is ahead of theirs. They’ve got to get back to the centre.
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Turnbull tells Taylor to stand up and make his intentions known
The former PM Malcolm Turnbull, who was rolled in a leadership spill pushed by Peter Dutton and won by Scott Morrison, tells RN Breakfast he won’t offer an opinion on who should lead the Liberal party, but that if Angus Taylor wants to run he needs to “stand up and say” it.
Turnbull had pushed Dutton to come up with a list of names on a petition to call a spill, which had initially delayed the move.
He tells RN Breakfast:
I think it is fair if people want to remove the leader, then they should be prepared to put their hands up. You know, so as I said, I think this is true with Taylor. I mean, if Taylor wants to be leader, [he] should stand up and say he wants to be leader, say why, and those people who support him should stand up and take responsibility for it.
He adds that even Sussan Ley, who is more moderate compared to Taylor or Andrew Hastie, isn’t actually a moderate, and had backed Dutton in that 2018 coup.
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Turnbull says Herzog should be 'respected as a guest' while in Australia
The former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has defended the government’s invitation to Isaac Herzog, and said he should be “respected as a guest” while he visits.
Speaking to ABC RN Breakfast this morning, Turnbull said protesters should have demonstrated “peacefully” and heeded the advice of police. But he added that in hindsight, the police should have allowed men who were praying on the street to finish. The men were captured on film being dragged on the ground by officers.
Nobody is justified in assaulting police and they should have complied with the lawful directions from the police.
I don’t know the whole context, but one would have hoped that the police would have waited for the prayers to be concluded, frankly … I think in retrospect, I’m sure they feel they would have been better off letting them conclude their prayers.
Turnbull says that like Anthony Albanese has, he would urge the public to turn the temperature down “rather than allowing this visit to become an occasion for increasing the division”.
I think the question people will ask after this visit is whether the visit from President Herzog has assisted in making it very clear that the Jewish community in Australia should not be targets of or the objects of protests against the state of Israel. I mean, the one thing we have to be clear about in this multicultural society of ours is that we cannot allow foreign wars to be fought out here.
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Islamophobia envoy calls for NSW police to apologise
Australia’s Islamophobia envoy, Aftab Malik, has called for a public apology and investigation into New South Wales police grabbing men kneeling in prayer during a Sydney protest against Israeli president Isaac Herzog’s visit.
Video shot at a protest in Sydney on Monday night showed about a dozen men, led by sheikh Wesam Charkawi, kneeling in prayer, before police descended on the group at the Sydney town hall during the protest.
Appearing at Senate estimates hearing last night, Malik said there needed to be “consequences”:
The police need to come out with a public apology. There needs to be an investigation.
There are some red lines and that was crossed last night. That is simply unacceptable, and the police force should know better …. there is no excuse.
Malik said he had spoken to a number of people who were grabbed by police and said they were “scared.” He said people were in a “vulnerable state” while they were praying.
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McKenzie criticises Grace Tame over chant
The Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie has joined her former colleague Barnaby Joyce in criticising Grace Tame, after she addressed a march against Isaac Herzog in Sydney on Monday and said “globalise the intifada”. Joyce said yesterday that Tame’s Australian of the Year honour should be stripped.
McKenzie told Sunrise this morning that Tame should face consequences.
President Herzog’s visit should be a time of healing in the wake of the Bondi attack.
Joining McKenzie on a Sunrise panel, housing minister Clare O’Neil took a different tone and said that while the chant shouldn’t be said, there shouldn’t be a “pile-on” against Tame, and urged everyone to “turn the temperature down”.
Before we start a national pile-on on to Grace Tame, can we just remember that every single child in our country is safer today because of her willingness to talk about traumatic incidents of sexual abuse.
The Greens leader, Larissa Waters, defended Tame yesterday against Joyce and said his criticism “says a lot more about Barnaby Joyce than it does about Grace Tame”.
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Speculation mounts over Taylor and Liberal leadership challenge
Speculation is growing that Angus Taylor could resign from shadow cabinet today, as he positions himself for a leadership spill against Sussan Ley.
Shadow cabinet rules mean Taylor would have to resign to begin publicly campaigning against Ley, and would see Taylor’s close allies also forced to resign from their frontbench positions.
Yesterday Jonathon Duniam, a senior and influential member of the Liberal right faction, told Taylor to make his intentions known.
Meanwhile, Ley’s allies want her to demand Taylor and his allies put their names to a petition calling for a spill, a move that was discussed in private talks on Tuesday.
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‘Assertions, hypotheticals and opinions quickly became accepted as facts by some’
In his opening statement, Burgess cautioned those judging the agency’s actions in retrospect with the benefit of hindsight.
Naveed first came under Asio’s purview in August 2019 after suspected links to possible Islamic extremism while a teenager. In the weeks leading up to the Bondi attack, he and his father, Sajid, travelled to Davao City in the Philippines for a month.
Critics questioned why the trip to the southern province of Mindanao – a former hotbed for pro-Islamic State and Islamist militant groups – hadn’t raised national security flags.
Burgess said:
In the days and weeks after the Bondi attack, assumptions, assertions, hypotheticals and opinions quickly became accepted as facts by some. They were recycled and exaggerated in the following weeks. This resulted in calls for action that were not supported by any fact.
In a rare public intervention, Asio issued a lengthy critical statement on Sunday ahead of a program aired on ABC’s Four Corners.
The episode broadcast claims by a former undercover agent, known as “Marcus”, that father and son terrorists Sajid and Naveed Akram were showing signs of being radicalised years before they killed 15 people at Bondi beach.
Asio’s statement said the episode contained “significant errors of fact” and would reserve the right to take further action.
Burgess said on Tuesday night he was still considering what action to take.
Is there either a legal response or additional statements from me publicly to demonstrate the false claims? Of course, I’m minded and aware of there’s a royal commission, and I think that’s the best place through which I will do that.
He reiterated on Tuesday night the alleged former agent’s claims were untrue but said he was welcome to put that to a royal commission.
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Asio boss dismisses criticisms over Bondi terror attack
The head of Australia’s domestic intelligence agency has dismissed criticisms that his officers didn’t do enough to prevent the Bondi shooting attack as “baseless” while declaring claims by a former undercover agent aired on the ABC were untrue.
Asio’s director general, Mike Burgess, told a Senate estimates hearing last night he ordered a review immediately after the attack into how his agency assessed shooters Naveed Akram and his father Sajid in 2019 when they first appeared on the radar.
Burgess said the independent review remained highly classified but cleared Asio of wrongdoing.
The Akrams did not adhere to, or intend to, engage in violent extremism at that time. In other words, many of the claims and criticisms being made about Asio’s handling of the case are baseless.
The Asio chief said he welcomed the royal commission’s final report, due before 14 December 2026. He said:
The royal commissioner, of course, will reach her own conclusions.
If Asio is found to have made mistakes, we will own them, and we will learn from them.
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Man charged after allegedly shining torch at police at Sydney protest
A demonstration against the New South Wales police’s response to Monday’s protest in Sydney against the visit by Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, ended mostly without incident last night, despite an hour-long standoff between protesters and police.
In a statement last night, NSW police said an 18-year-old man was arrested at the protest after allegedly continuously shining a torch in the face of police officers. He was taken inside Surry Hills police station and police said in another later statement that he had been charged – with three counts of assault police officer in execution of duty without actual bodily harm, and custody of knife in public place.
As we reported yesterday, the protest was organised by the Palestine Action Group outside the Surry Hills police station to “rally against police brutality” after violent clashes on Monday, and to call for all charges against protesters to be dropped. Yesterday’s protest was static and peaceful, with Josh Lees, an organiser for the Palestine Action Group, calling on the crowd to “not stick around for too long in these parts” when speakers concluded about 7pm.
While the larger section of the crowd of at least a thousand dispersed, a smaller group of several hundred people headed immediately towards a line of about a hundred officers separating the protesters in Harmony Park and the police station. At this time, Guardian Australia witnessed one protester being restrained by police behind the line of officers.
An at-times tense standoff of more than an hour followed, with some protesters verbally confronting police at close quarters, and the crowd chanting “quit your job” and “too many coppers, not enough justice”. Officers took out canisters of pepper spray, and some protesters put on protective masks and goggles, but incidents like those seen on Monday night did not materialise.
Organisers including Lees stood with their backs to the line of police, facing the crowd, in an attempt to prevent the situation escalating, and were eventually able to convince protesters to move on.
NSW police assistant commissioner Peter McKenna said police had “showed enormous restraint in a high-pressured situation”.
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Welcome
Good morning, Krishani Dhanji here with you for what will be another busy sitting day.
There’s more reaction to Monday night’s protests with calls from Australia’s Islamophobia envoy for a public apology from New South Wales police after they were seen grabbing men who were praying on the street.
The Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, will continue his travels in Australia and visit Canberra today.
Asio has overnight defended itself against criticisms over the Bondi terror attack during a Senate estimates hearing.
The government has reported an uptick in bulk-billing rates – the health minister, Mark Butler, is doing the media rounds this morning spruiking the trend.
And Angus Taylor is inching ever closer to a leadership spill against Sussan Ley – all eyes and ears are on the Liberals to see if they make any moves today.
I’ve got a coffee, I hope you’ve got one too, let’s get cracking!
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