What we learned, Monday 2 March
That’s a wrap for today’s live news coverage. Here’s what’s been keeping us busy:
The Senate voted to censure Pauline Hanson after her racist comments about Muslim people. Hanson called the motion “a joke” – while the Coalition did not support the move. An emotional Penny Wong shared her views on the subject.
The government was pushed on whether Australia would send troops over to the Middle East if conflict escalates.
With fast-moving developments unfolding in the Middle East, Richard Marles confirmed the government was not told of the strikes before they happened.
The new shadow defence minister, James Paterson said the Coalition would support the government militarily in Iran if it was in the national interest.
Anne Aly said she did not think anyone in Australia “feels any sadness” over the death of Iran’s supreme leader.
In Question Time, the opposition put pressure on the government over a group of women and children in a Syrian detention camp. Jonathan Duniam was asked whether the mothers and children of the group should be split, and just the children returned. Here’s the TL;DR version of the whole of QT.
Finally, Chris Minns signalled he would leave the role of premier of New South Wales before 2032.
Thank you, as ever, for joining us. We’ll be back bright and early with tomorrow’s news.
Updated
NSW opposition leader says Minns has ‘given up’ by suggesting he will not still be premier in 2032
Chris Minns has signalled he will leave the role of premier of New South Wales before 2032.
Speaking to reporters today about future plans for the city and his vision for 2032, Minns, who has been premier since 2023, said: “Well, I won’t be here, at least in this role”.
Kellie Sloane used the moment as an opportunity to blast the premier for “giving up” on the people of NSW:
It’s now clear why the Minns Labor Government has no long-term vision or plan for future infrastructure, like new Metros, because Chris Minns won’t be in the job for much longer.
While the Premier has made his future clear the future of NSW under Labor is mired in uncertainty.
Updated
Victorian opposition will support hate speech laws
The Victorian opposition has confirmed it will support the government’s hate speech laws which, as we blogged earlier, have been separated from a justice bill that’s stalled in parliament’s upper house.
The Greens successfully amended the justice bill to give the Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission (Ibac) “follow the money” powers.
The shadow attorney general, James Newbury, has lashed the government for splitting the bill, claiming the premier, Jacinta Allan, will “do and say anything stop Victoria’s anti-corruption agency from being given real teeth”.
He said in a statement:
Jacinta Allan is so afraid of shining a spotlight onto corruption in this state that she is willing to effectively block the parliament from enhancing our chief anti-corruption agency.
The Greens leader, Ellen Sandell, also criticised the government for being unwilling to put the justice bill to a vote. She said in a statement:
Our anti-corruption watchdog should be able to follow public money wherever it goes. The fact that it currently can’t is a serious problem and the fact that Labor is this desperate to stop this change from happening is seriously concerning.
Updated
Inquiry told Victoria’s anti-corruption watchdog needs more power
The head of Victoria’s anti-corruption watchdog, Victoria Elliott, has told a parliamentary inquiry the agency needs more powers to be able to investigate allegations of corruption on the government’s Big Build sites.
Appearing before parliament’s integrity and oversight committee, Elliott said the Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission (Ibac) was seeking legislative reform to be able to investigate grey corruption, as well as “follow the dollar” powers to investigate corrupt conduct by third parties and private subcontractors connected to government funding.
It follows the release of an unredacted report by corruption fighter Geoffrey Watson SC last month, which included allegations that corruption involving the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union cost taxpayers up to $15bn.
Elliot said:
To matters such as Big Build, we consider that these amendments will enable us to be able to follow the money, as we say, go in a subcontractor relationship. Ibac’s current jurisdiction only allows us to investigate matters where there is a link to a public officer.
She explained that corruption in Victoria is defined as conduct constituting an indictable offence, which is an “extremely high bar”:
If we brought that down to only be an offence ... then we could actually look at broader conduct that would potentially fall within that which may include Big Build matters.
Updated
Bill to change hate speech laws to be introduced to Victorian parliament
The Victorian attorney general, Sonya Kilkenny, has confirmed she will introduce a new bill to parliament this week that specifically addresses changes to the government’s hate speech laws rather than accepting a Greens amendment that would have given the state’s anti-corruption watchdog greater powers to investigate union corruption.
Last sitting week, the government pulled debate on the justice legislation further amendment (miscellaneous) bill after the Greens secured the support of the opposition and crossbench to amend it to include “follow the money” powers for the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission.
The justice bill included changes to the state’s anti-vilification laws that would make it easier for police to charge people with hate speech, as part of the government’s response to the Bondi beach terror attack in December.
Following a cabinet meeting on Monday, Kilkenny said she would introduce a separate bill to address the hate speech law changes while the government continued to “explore options to pursue and progress” the justice bill.
She said:
This is about recognising how important these amendments are, and the commitment we made following the Bondi terrorist attack to introduce these amendments to ensure that police can more easily prosecute matters of vilification. These matters should have progressed through the parliament last week, and they will take effect straight after royal assent. We’ve now had a stunt by the Greens and the Liberals here that have meant these important amendments that strengthen community protections are not in place. We will make sure we have a stand-alone bill, and that bill will pass the parliament this week. In fact, we won’t be leaving the parliament until this bill has passed.
Kilkenny said the government was considering “follow the money” powers for Ibac as part of its response to a recent report by the state’s integrity and oversight committee.
The kinds of amendments the Greens have put up … are contained in the integrity oversight committee report that has been delivered to government. It is so appropriate that government reviews those recommendations, reviews that report, and responds in a considerable way.
Updated
Wong gives emotional speech as Pauline Hanson censured by Senate – video
Staying on the subject of Pauline Hanson this afternoon being censured by the Senate, here is a video of an emotional Penny Wong giving her views on the topic:
Read more:
Updated
O’Brien says Hanson’s Muslim comments ‘out of line’ but declines to comment on censure motion as ‘I don’t understand the mechanisms’
Ted O’Brien says he doesn’t understand the mechanisms of the Senate after Pauline Hanson was censured in the upper house today.
Speaking with the ABC a short time ago, the shadow foreign affairs spokesperson and former deputy Liberal leader said:
I’m not sure what is happening in the Senate in terms of Senate procedures, I believe there is a debate going on at the moment about Pauline Hanson’s comments, so I’m not going to go into the mechanisms of the Senate because, candidly, I don’t understand the mechanisms of the Senate.
He continued:
I think [Hanson’s] comments are completely out line, again I think they are divisive, I believe they do lead to a breakdown in social cohesion.
He said respect for freedom of religion, freedom of speech and freedom of association were Liberal principles and should be protected.
Updated
Killing of Iranian supreme leader has ‘taken off the head of a snake’, Ted O’Brien says
Ted O’Brien says the US and Israel are “doing the heavy lifting for the free world” and deserve Australia’s support.
When asked whether the invasion of Iran complies with international law, the shadow foreign affairs spokesperson told the ABC that “there will be a lot of people who have an opinion on that. My view is that what the United States and Israel is planning to achieve is in our national interest. In fact, I think they are doing the heavy lifting for the free world and therefore deserves our support.”
He continued:
This is a regime that has sought to orchestrate activity on our shores … it is anti the values we represent as a country.
If you look at the Iranian regime, this regime is no friend of Australia … When it comes to regime change, I have to be honest with you, I do not shed a tear over the death of the Ayatollah.
There’s no doubt [the US and Israel] have basically taken off the head of a snake.
He continued:
The government would have the support of the Coalition if it were in Australia’s national interest to provide support.
Updated
Senate censure of Pauline Hanson ‘completely appropriate’, Aly says
Anne Aly says the Senate’s censure of Pauline Hanson, who said there were “no good Muslims,” was “completely appropriate”.
Speaking with the ABC a short time ago, the minister for multiculturalism said people who have watched Hanson know that “she is a racist and … we have seen the kind of things that racist language can do.”
Words have meaning. I think there is a rising Islamophobia, I think Pauline Hanson has done a lot to normalise anti-Muslim hatred …
By and large, Australia has been very successful on social cohesion and there are times when we are tested before but we have always risen to the challenge historically. Now is the moment for us to rise to the challenge again.
She continued:
We have responsibility with our words to ensure we don’t inflame tensions and do not encourage hatred and we certainly do not encourage acts of violence.
Updated
Anne Aly says most Iranian Australians do not feel 'any sadness' over Ayatollah's death
Anne Aly says she does not think anyone in Australia “feels any sadness” over the death of Iran’s supreme leader.
The minister for multiculturalism was pressed on the government’s support for the US-Israel attack on Iran by the ABC just now.
She said “we did not participate in this actively but we do support an action that took out an oppressive leader who has committed unspeakable atrocities against his own people.”
She continued:
The government supports the rights of the Iranian people to choose their regime, to have a say in who governs them. For too long, they have been oppressed and shackled by an oppressive leader. I don’t think anybody here in Australia, and particularly the majority of the Iranian diaspora here in Australia, feels any sadness over the death of Khamenei.
The international community had to do something in dealing with a rogue state, an oppressor who has committed unspeakable atrocities against his own people – and not to mention also, that the Iranian regime was behind two potential terrorist attacks in Australia as well. We have taken action against that regime, we expelled the ambassador, we have had umpteen sanctions against Iran. If anyone has a better option, what was it?
She then added that while some Australians may in fact mourn the death of Iran’s supreme leader, that act would concern her given its divisive nature. She added:
I think mosques and people of faith are free to practise their faith as long it is within the law.
Updated
Senate votes to censure Hanson
The Senate has voted 36 to 17 to censure Pauline Hanson over her comments about Muslim Australians.
While most of the Coalition opposed the motion, Liberal senators Andrew McLachlan and Paul Scarr voted with Labor and the Greens to censure the One Nation leader.
The motion was moved in two parts, because the Coalition’s Michaelia Cash said they would back symbolic parts of the motion calling for respectful debate, but that the opposition wouldn’t support the part of the motion actually censuring Hanson, saying censures should be reserved for the most serious conduct.
The first part of the motion was carried on the voices. The second part, actually censuring Hanson, was carried 36-17.
No One Nation senators were in the chamber at the time of the vote.
Updated
Thank you, Krishani Dhanji. And, hello, readers. Let’s get on with the remainder of the day’s news.
Two Liberal senators cross the floor to support government’s censure motion
Despite the rest of the Coalition voting against the censure motion, moderate senators Paul Scarr (who was demoted from the shadow frontbench by Angus Taylor) and Andrew McLachlan cross the floor to vote with the government.
Updated
Hanson calls censure “a joke”
Pauline Hanson, responding to the censure motion, briefly stated: “This is a stunt.”
The people out there are sick of this … you can’t stand that One Nation is on 27%, 28% [in opinion polls].
The Senate chamber devolved into another shouting match, between Hanson and Lidia Thorpe, before Hanson theatrically gave herself a slap on the wrist and said “you’re all a joke”, departing the chamber.
Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi backed action against Hanson but was critical of the motion, calling it “performative” and saying “let’s not pretend this is enough”.
Updated
Coalition doesn’t support Hanson censure
The Coalition says it would support parts of Labor’s censure motion calling for respectful debate and praising the contribution of multicultural Australians, but won’t support the paragraph which actually censures Hanson.
Liberal senator Michaelia Cash said the opposition “firmly believe that Australians of every race, of every religion and of every background, belong in this country”, saying Muslim Australians are a part of the community and deserve to be treated with respect.
Cash said:
I don’t think that Senator Hanson’s comments were appropriate. Why? Because I personally have Muslim friends. My mum’s best friend is a Muslim. So I have to say, I think that there are good Muslims in Australia. They were wrong, Senator Hanson’s comments.
However she went on to say that a formal censure motion was one of the most serious rebukes available in the Senate, and were usually reserved for conduct related to parliamentary and ministerial responsibility, and should “not used as a routine tactic to score political points.”
That’s all from me today, I’ll leave you with the lovely Daisy Dumas for the rest of the afternoon.
I’ll catch you back here for what is shaping up to be another very busy sitting day tomorrow.
TL,DR: here’s what happened in question time
The opposition, led by Angus Taylor, pushed the government on the status of the 34 women and children in Syrian detention camps.
The government was getting increasingly cranky with the opposition over the questioning, but Anthony Albanese and Tony Burke brought receipts, using old quotes from Peter Dutton and Michael McCormack to call the opposition’s arguments hypocritical.
Newly minted Liberal frontbencher Aaron Violi got kicked out of QT, having hardly warmed his seat.
Milton Dick cut Jim Chalmers and Albanese a little slack in QT for straying away from questions, as it is their birthday.
Barnaby Joyce asked for an update on Australia’s fuel reserve, where Chris Bowen revealed Australia has just 36 days of petrol (onshore and on ships) if global tragedy strikes and fuel shipping lines halt.
Updated
Government seeks to censure Hanson over Muslim comments
The censure motion against Pauline Hanson, for her recent comments about Australian Muslims, has begun in the Senate.
Senate leader Penny Wong moved the motion immediately after question time. The motion was expected to be moved earlier today, but was delayed due to a debate on Iran and the US military strikes over the weekend.
As we flagged earlier, the motion is expected to pass, with the Greens likely to back the motion.
The draft government motion, which is subject to debate and potential amendment, states that Australia has been “built by the hard work, sacrifice and aspiration of people of every race and faith”, “assures all Australians they are valued, welcome members of our society” and “rejects any attempt to vilify people on the basis of their religion”.
The motion states that the Senate “reiterates its solidarity with those who have been vilified because of their faith” and that “if parliament is to be a safe place for all who work and visit here, there can be no tolerance for hate speech in the course of parliamentarians’ public debate”. The motion calls on all senators to “refrain from inflammatory and divisive comments, both inside and outside the chamber”.
It goes on to call on the Senate to censure Hanson over “her inflammatory and divisive comments seeking to vilify Muslim Australians, which do not reflect the opinions of the Australian Senate or the Australian people”.
We’ll bring you more as this happens.
Updated
Burke issues update on alleged WA terror attack
Jumping back into question time, during a dixer, Tony Burke said the man who was charged with preparing a terrorist attack in Perth last week has also additionally been charged with firearms offences.
Burke said the 20-year-old was arrested by Western Australia police “when they were executing a search warrant as part of an investigation into alleged antisemitic, Islamophobic and racially motivated online hate speech.”
Burke said intelligence and law enforcement agencies have been warning that the country is entering a “new security environment” with many different ideologies that can give rise to extremism. He again told everyone to “turn the temperature down”.
Much of this is coming straight across the internet into Australia now. Whenever the temperature is higher, whenever those who promote hate feel emboldened this increases the likelihood that violence will be planned and attempted.
The specific attacks, as well as the parliament and police were aimed at mosques. We know the Australian Muslim community has been experiencing increased levels of Islamophobia. It is not fictional it is real.
Updated
Question time ends
After a final dixer to transport minister Catherine King on high-speed rail, the PM calls the end of question time for the day.
Anthony Albanese gets a few jeers from the opposition as he stands up, so he offers this jab on his way out:
Given there has not been a single question about the economy or cost of living from those opposite, I ask that further questions be placed on the notice paper.
Updated
Australia has 36 days of petrol in its supply, energy minister says
Barnaby Joyce, who pointed out this morning that Australia doesn’t have enough reserves of fuel, asks the government for an update on supply.
The energy minister, Chris Bowen, says Australia has:
36 days of petrol,
34 days’ worth of diesel, and
32 days of jet fuel
These numbers are all lower than the 90 days of fuel that the International Energy Agency says every country should have.
Bowen says the fuel is either in Australia “or on ships in our economic zone”.
Updated
Burke warns against playing political games over Australian women and children in Syria
Nationals MP Michael McCormack, who Tony Burke quoted a little earlier, asks the prime minister what he will do to protect the Yazidi community in Australia who were persecuted by Islamic State.
McCormack has brought three members of the Yazidi community in his electorate to parliament with him today.
Albanese says the government stands against the “evil regime” of IS and has welcomed those in the Yazidi community who have come to Australia.
He also warns the opposition not to politicise the issue.
I know that the member for Riverina has a proud history of not seeking to promote division or play politics with these issues, that is why no one in this place should be doing that.
I have consistently said this is a search for more unity, of coming together for our common interest, of not trying to play these political games.
Updated
Andrew Wilkie questions the use of antibiotics in Tasmanian salmon farms
Over to the crossbench, Andrew Wilkie asks the agriculture minister about the use of antibiotics in salmon. He says he warned the minister last year about the “ecological and human risks of any emergency approval for florfenicol for salmon”, which he says has now been detected in marine life up to 10km from the fish pens. He asks if the government will impose penalties for “dangerous contamination”.
The short answer is that the federal government won’t be introducing any penalties.
Agriculture and fisheries minister, Julie Collins, says the pesticides and veterinary medicines authority, which makes the decision, is independent:
The APVMA is an independent body and is responsible for the decisions on the emergency listing and use of that in Tasmanian waters. It is the Tasmanian [government’s] responsibility to manage waterways … The APVMA has made a call that they may remove the emergency listing and it is basing that decision on new available evidence and science as it made its original decision.
Updated
Hastie, take two
Andrew Hastie now gets another go at the podium, and asks the prime minister if the government has “halted its plan to bring home Isis sympathisers”.
Unsurprisingly, Anthony Albanese doesn’t take too kindly to the question and gives Hastie a very curt answer.
The premise of the question is wrong.
Updated
Burke brings in the receipts, as opposition continues to press on women and children in Syria
David Littleproud gets another go and asks about … you guessed it … the 34 Australian women and children stuck in Syria.
He asks Tony Burke if he or his office was aware of intelligence advice “that at least one of the Isis sympathisers posed a security threat to Australians when he met with Dr Jamal Rifi and Save the Children in June 2025?”
Burke says he won’t reveal any intelligence advice and takes a swipe at the opposition.
If you wanted an example of a group of people who are not ready for national security, it is when they start asking, in question time, about advice from intelligence agencies.
Like Albanese quoting Peter Dutton earlier, Burke also has a couple of old lines up his sleeve, and quotes some vintage Michael McCormack:
I would remind the leader of National party of the words of a former leader of the National party who said: ‘All the shock jocks and so many people who call themselves patriots will say they shouldn’t be allowed back into Australia but they’re Australian citizens so you can’t leave them stateless. They are entitled to come back here.’ Not my words. The words of the member for Riverina.
Burke says the government “would prefer for none of them to return”, but if the agencies give the government advice on temporary exclusion orders (which would bar someone even with an Australian passport from returning) then they will put that in place.
Updated
Some birthday generosity for Albanese and Chalmers
While Violi didn’t get much slack from the Speaker, Milton Dick is feeling a little more generous towards the treasurer.
During a dixer to Jim Chalmers, the opposition makes a point of order that the question on budget sustainability “didn’t ask for an impression of Keating where he just goes on the attack”.
Dick says he’s feeling generous because it’s Anthony Albanese and Chalmers’ birthdays – that’s right, the PM and treasurer share a birthday (as well as it being Albanese’s 30th anniversary of being elected to parliament).
He then tells Chalmers to be relevant.
Chalmers uses the extra room to take a swipe at Angus Taylor:
The member for Hume [Taylor] is the economic and political genius who is responsible for the mess that they are in now. By electing him their leader they have shown they haven’t learned a thing and they haven’t changed a bit.
Updated
Liberal Aaron Violi kicked out of chamber under 94a amid debate on Syria camp
Nationals leader David Littleproud gets the call next and asks the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, when he last spoke to Dr Jamal Rifi about the women and children in a Syrian detention camp.
Rifi, who has publicly supported Burke, has been trying to help repatriate the group.
Burke begins saying “It would be many, many months since I’ve had a conversation with Dr Jamal Rifi on that issue.”
Before he gets any further, Aaron Violi, who just got a promotion to the frontbench and probably hasn’t had much of a chance to get comfortable in the new seat, is booted out of the chamber by the Speaker for talking too much!
Burke continues:
What followed the last time that I think Dr Jamal Rifi was present at a meeting on this issue, what followed was a letter from Save the Children, who were also at that meeting, which included this sentence “We are deeply disappointed with this decision to refuse assistance to Australians in trouble overseas.
Updated
Independent asks government to buy locomotive workshop
To the crossbench, the member for Calare, Andrew Gee, asks if the government will buy the Lithgow locomotive workshop in his electorate in regional NSW that he says is a “critical piece of railway infrastructure”, instead of allowing it to be sold to a property developer.
Anthony Albanese avoids a concrete answer.
He says his government is supporting local manufacturing and rail infrastructure through the national reconstruction fund. He adds that the government has been working with states and territories to increase coordination on Australian manufacturing.
There’s no commitment to buy the locomotive workshop.
I do note that this is a Pacific national asset and Sydney trains operate the line there.
The government is supporting a future made in Australia through our National Reconstruction Fund, supporting our local manufacturing sector. We are continuing to progress work through a variety of mechanisms, including the national rail action plan.
Updated
Hastie returns, continues questioning on women and children in Syria
Andrew Hastie is back on the frontbench, and continues the opposition’s line of questioning on the women and children in Syrian detention camps.
He asks what the government committed to at a meeting of Save the Children last year, after meeting notes were provided to the Senate.
Home affairs minister Tony Burke gets a bit cranky, as he – like the prime minister – says that the evidence “clearly shows” there has been no repatriation of the 34 women and children.
This government has made sure that we have not in any way - in any way - provided any form of support for these individuals. That is why the meetings were followed with a letter from Save the Children complaining that the government had refused to offer any support.
Updated
Question time begins - opposition leads attack over women and children in Syrian camp
Angus Taylor begins his first question time as leader attacking the government on the Australian women and children trying to leave a Syrian detention camp.
He asks if the PM will confirm that no one in the government or departments expedited the issuing of Australian passports to the group.
Anthony Albanese begins quoting none other than former opposition leader Peter Dutton.
There are Australian citizens, they now have an entitlement and a right to come back to our country. There is no silver bullet. They are not my words. They are the words of that “soft person” Peter Dutton.
We don’t want media attention to some individual cases. I don’t want cameras parked out the front of schools or people scrutinised as they go into a mosque. Guess who that was? Peter Dutton.
The opposition doesn’t like that, and tries to get the PM to answer their question more specifically on the issuing of passports.
Albanese continues:
We are not repatriating these people. We have made it clear … The hypocrisy on this is extraordinary, given that 40 people came home on their watch.
Updated
Albanese celebrates Australia’s most successful winter Olympics
Before we get to question time, Speaker Milton Dick says he received Sussan Ley’s letter of resignation from parliament.
Anthony Albanese says he offered Ley the opportunity for a valedictory speech, and that she showed “grace and dignity” despite the difficulties she faced.
Following that, Albanese also does a little victory lap on behalf of Australia’s winter Olympians for the most successful campaign ever!
The efforts of every single Australian Olympian are a credit to their extraordinary dedication and drive … Olympians make incredible sacrifices to pursue their dream and they don’t do it by themselves. They do it with the support of loved ones, with the support of their family, teammates but they also do it with the support of Australia.
New leader Angus Taylor also joins Albanese celebrating the winter Olympians.
Updated
‘I just want to be free’: Australian children held in Syrian camp reveal their hopes and dreams
Guardian reporters have spent time on the ground at the al-Roj detention camp in Syria, speaking to multiple children stuck there.
Despite the opposition’s accusations, some of the children are as young as six years old, and have described their desperation to get out of the camp that most have spent their entire lives in after their parents travelled to Syria.
There are 23 Australian children and 11 Australian women held in the detention camp.
You can read more from my colleague William Christou below:
Updated
Duniam says government doesn’t know what sort of risk ‘so-called children’ pose
Jonathan Duniam is asked whether the mothers and children of the group should be split, and just the children returned.
The press are piling some pressure on the opposition over their claims that the children are “Isis sympathisers”.
Duniam digs in, and suggests some of the children should also face temporary exclusion orders. So far the government has placed a TEO on one woman of the group. Duniam says:
I don’t know how many of the cohort, so-called children, are below the age of 17. Temporary exclusion orders apply for kids between 14 and 17. Why haven’t they been had temporary exclusion orders applied? …
So if people in their minds think this is a bunch of two and three year olds who are still learning to walk and talk, this is not the cohort we’re talking about. These children are a range of ages, and the government don’t have a handle on what sort of a risk they present.
Updated
‘You’re an activist or a journalist, you need to make up your mind’: Taylor tells journalist
Opposition leader Angus Taylor and Jonathan Duniam are pushing the government again on stopping the 34 Australian women and children held in a Syrian detention camp from returning home.
Journalist Jason Koutsoukis asks Taylor why another country should be responsible for Australian citizens.
Taylor attacks him, saying:
You’re an activist or a journalist, you need to make up your mind.
He doesn’t answer the question on why it should be another government’s responsibility to deal with the cohort.
The Coalition’s legislation could capture Sydney doctor Jamal Rifi, who has been in Damascus trying to help repatriate the group. Rifi has previously campaigned for the home affairs minister, Tony Burke.
Taylor says:
There are many questions this government have not yet answered. Why is there only one temporary exclusion order? Why is it that a close associate, a clear political ally of Tony Burke, is assisting repatriation?
Updated
Angus Taylor says children in Syrian camp are ‘Isis sympathisers’
The opposition is trying to continue putting pressure on the government over a group of women and children in a Syrian detention camp.
Angus Taylor is speaking to the media alongside Riverina MP Michael McCormack who has three Yazidi Australians with him who he says are “very concerned” about their safety if the 34 women and children return to Australia.
We must shut the door to Isis sympathisers. We should have values based and belief based tests on who comes into this country and those who believe in this ideology, the Isis ideology, are not welcome in this country.
Shadow home affairs minister, Jonathan Duniam, says the government cannot “be washing its hands of its responsibility when it comes to border control” and should stop the group returning to Australia. The opposition will introduce a bill to make it a crime to assist the group’s repatriation.
Taylor is pushed on whether the children in that group are also Isis sympathisers. He says:
They are Isis sympathisers. Let’s be clear that this is a group who have gone to the Middle East to support Isis.
Updated
Lengthy Senate debate on the US-Israeli strikes on Iran – in pictures
Labor supports the rest of the Coalition’s motion (without part A – that was voted on separately). Here’s a little look at how that debate went down.
A quick note here as well – Senator Pauline Hanson was set to face a censure motion put forward by the government around midday, but we understand it’s been delayed a bit and will likely come up after question time today.
Updated
Coalition motion on Iran to pass – with a carve-out
The government’s amendment also fails to pass, so now we’re down to the third vote, which is on the Coalition’s original motion.
But before we get to that, Katy Gallagher, the manager of government business in the Senate, asks the president to split the motion so part A is voted on separately to the rest of the Coalition’s motion. Which means there will now be two votes.
Part A of the Coalition’s motion states that the Senate:
Congratulates the United States of America and the State of Israel for their sustained efforts to prevent the Islamic Republic of Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, acknowledging the longstanding threat posed by Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs to regional and global peace and security.
i.e it appears that Labor will vote against that first part, but will then back the rest of the Coalition’s motion.
Labor’s motion would have replaced both parts A and B, but they’re now compromising.
Updated
Voting begins on Iran strike motion
After more than an hour and a half of debate on the issue, voting has begun on the Coalition’s motion and the Labor and Greens amendments.
The Greens amendment is voted on first – but fails as it’s not supported by the government or Coalition. Just independent senators Lidia Thorpe and Fatima Payman back the Greens amendment.
That amendment completely changed the wording of the motion, and called for Australia to withdraw support for Trump and Netanyahu’s “illegal war” and for the government not to provide any military support, including through joint bases in Australia.
Next the government’s amendment to the motion is now being voted on – and so far it looks like it might also fail as the Coalition, One Nation and the Greens move to vote against it.
Updated
‘Australia’s timid response to the US and Israel’s attack on Iran risks being seen as complicity,’ writes Donald Rothwell
Australia has been supportive of efforts to constrain Iran’s nuclear ambitions and has made clear it will not mourn the death of Khamenei.
Foreign affairs minister Penny Wong’s statement that ‘I’ll leave it for the United States and Israel to speak of the basis, the legal basis for the attacks’ was cautious and suggested Australia was fence-sitting.
On one level this may seem reasonable as the onus clearly rests with the US and Israel to justify conduct which is a serious violation of the UN charter and an act of aggression. However, how other states react in situations like this matters, because silence or refusal to make a formal and clear statement can be interpreted as complicity.
Read international law professor Donald Rothwell’s analysis of Australia’s response to the US and Israel’s attack on Iran here:
Updated
Early years maths curriculum to be reviewed after poor Naplan results
The way young students are taught numeracy is set to be overhauled after education ministers agreed to review the Foundation to Year 2 mathematics curriculum.
The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (Acara) had recommended the targeted review as part of a national effort to improve numeracy skills.
The review will focus on four areas: the prioritisation of mathematical content, clarity for teachers, specific content sequencing, and including explicit consumer and financial literacy content in the curriculum.
The latest Naplan data showed around one in three Australian students in Year 3 were not reaching “challenging but achievable numeracy standards”.
Acara’s CEO, Stephen Gniel, said given the poor findings, it was “right for us to have a national focus on numeracy improvement, including with the Year 1 Numeracy Checks coming into effect this year”.
The review will start this month, with advice and recommendations to be handed to education ministers in the third quarter of 2026.
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Australian sharemarket falls as oil price surges
The Australian sharemarket has slipped from its record high as war in Iran and rising oil prices raise fears of an world economic slowdown.
War has effectively closed a key shipping route for oil, the Strait of Hormuz, sending oil prices up 13%, from US$72.87 to US$80.20 this morning, according to Bloomberg’s measure of Asian trade in Brent Crude.
A US$1 rise in world oil prices roughly translates to an extra cent per litre for petrol at Australian bowsers, so if the increase holds, motorists could expect to pay nearly 10c more per litre.
Higher petrol prices mean less economic growth, weighing on markets and sending the benchmark S&P/ASX200 down 0.37% to 9,164.8 this morning as mining heavyweight BHP and the four big banks all fell. The ASX200 had closed at a record high of 9,198 on Friday.
Qantas has lost $900m from its market value, a 6% fall, as international airspace disruptions cruel Australians’ travel plans and leave hundreds of thousands stranded. Flight Centre has lost over $150m from its market value.
The energy sector is up 5%, led by oil and gas companies. Beach Energy is up 10%, Santos up nearly 7%, Woodside up more than 6%, with coalminers and petrol retailer Ampol also getting a boost.
Gold prices have surged to a new record high of over A$7,900, as traders look for a safe haven, sending six goldminers soaring 5% or more this morning. Weapons manufacturers Droneshield and Electro Optic Systems are up 10% and 13% respectively.
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Greens’ Shoebridge on Iran strikes: ‘Labor knows it’s illegal’
Greens senator David Shoebridge has accused Labor, the Coalition and One Nation of being the “three war parties”, and criticised the government for “rushing” to back the strikes on Iran.
Speaking on his amendment to the Coalition’s motion, Shoebridge doesn’t hold back, saying the three parties have “never seen an attack by Donald trump, an attack by Benjamin Netanyahu, that they haven’t wanted to back in and support”.
We have seen the Albanese Labor government to rush to be the first country in the world to back in Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu’s latest illegal war, literally rushing to back in a war that Labor knows is in gross breach of international law.
There’s a reason that the foreign minister has refused to discuss, even discuss, whether or not this war is illegal. It’s because Labor knows it’s illegal.
Shoebridge accuses the government and opposition of being “reckless” about the consequences of the bombing on the Iranian people.
I can tell you that the mums who are pulling their kids out of the rubble, they don’t see freedom. They’re not talking about regime change. They’re grieving about the loss of their kids, their daughters.
They see through your endless support of war … they see their country potentially being thrown into chaos.
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Randa Abdel-Fattah and Louise Adler speak at packed Adelaide event
More than 1,000 people packed into Adelaide Town Hall last night to hear Randa Abdel-Fattah speak with former Adelaide writers’ week director Louise Adler at Constellations, an alternative festival organised after AWW was cancelled in the wake of the board’s decision to disinvite the Palestinian-Australian author and academic.
The packed event, emceed by South Australian Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young and introduced by journalist and press freedom advocate Peter Greste, was organised by the Australian Friends of Palestine Association (AFOPA).
While Hanson-Young condemned US-Israel strikes on Iran in her opening remarks, neither Adler nor Abdel-Fattah mentioned them. They focused instead on Abdel-Fatteh’s novel Discipline, which follows two Muslim characters – a young news reporter and a middle-aged academic – navigating censorship and racial politics in their workplaces as Israel’s assault on Gaza intensifies. Abdel-Fattah said:
What I wanted to do with this book was to write a book that validated the experiences, the trauma, the struggles of young racialised journalists and academics who are working and living with the weight of the genocide on their shoulders.
Asked by Adler how she herself had coped – as a working mother, watching news from Gaza and being “relentlessly pursued” by sections of the media – Abdel-Fattah said her children were crucial. “When you’re with your kids, you’re not … the activist or the academic, you’re just Mum.”
Abdel-Fattah appears in conversation today with Yankunytjatjara poet Ali Cobby Eckermann as part of the Rivers of Reason program, which showcases Blak and Arab writers.
Updated
‘The world cannot bomb its way to peace,’ Greens say
Here’s where we’re at now in the Senate:
Because the suspension of standing orders was supported by the Greens and Coalition, the Senate is now debating the Coalition’s motion welcoming the US and Israel’s strikes on Iran.
The government has just put forward its own amendments to the Coalition’s motion, and now the Greens are also putting forward their own amendments.
Once the debate is over, the motion and the two amendments will all be voted on – so the bells will be ringing for a little while!
With me so far?
So the Greens’ amendment go as follows: It completely changes the wording of the Coalition’s motion and notes that the Australian government was the first in the world to support Trump and Netanyahu’s “illegal attacks on Iran”, that the Iranian people are the victims, with hundreds already killed in Israeli and US bombings, and that the attacks have seen more Iranian people face “more violence, more hardship, more bloodshed and more fear”.
The amendment also calls on the government to withdraw support to “Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu’s war with Iran”, “stop all intelligence and resources from Pine Gap, North West Cape and other US military assets in Australia assisting this illegal war”, provide permanent protection to people who have sought asylum by sea, many of whom are from Iran, and “acknowledge that the world cannot bomb its way to peace”.
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Wong says 115,000 Australians her priority, not Cash’s motion
Wong, responding to Cash, returns serve against the criticisms levelled against her and says the 115,000 Australians “are my priority”, not Senator Cash’s motion.
She says the opposition only told the government that it would move its motion five minutes before the chamber began sitting, and if they were “serious” about debating the issue, they would have spoken to Labor about it some time between Saturday night and this morning.
She says “Australia stands with the people of Iran” and takes another swipe at the Greens for supporting the Coalition’s suspension of standing orders.
We’re not focused on the politics of this issue, we’re focused on the 115,000 Australians who are in the region.
Wong puts forward an amendment to the Coalition’s motion that removes the part that “congratulates” Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu over the strikes and welcomes the death of the Ayatollah.
Instead, Wong says those should be replaced to say the Senate supports efforts by the US and Israel to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, stands in solidarity with the Iranian Australian community, condemns the Iranian regime for its “decades of attacks and destabilisation of its neighbours”, and calls for dialogue and “the pursuit of diplomatic pathways to restore peace and security”.
Updated
Liberals and Greens pass motion, begin debate on US Israeli strikes
With the support of the Greens and members of the crossbench, the suspension of standing orders has been passed, which means the Senate can now debate the Liberals’ motion on the US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
Cash, who moved the motion, begins, and takes a strong swipe at the government for not supporting the motion.
You can see the full wording of the motion in the post below.
Cash says:
This is one of the most historic moments history will ever record, one of the most historic moments, and we come in here this morning and not only is there silence from the government but more than that, they do everything they can to shut the Senate down from properly debating this motion.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is dead. For decades he was the supreme authority of a regime that imprisoned dissenters, crushed protests slaughtered Iranians at home, empowered by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Updated
Liberals and Greens vote to suspend standing orders
Back to the Senate, the Liberals and Greens have just voted to suspend standing orders – giving them a majority. One Nation and independents including David Pocock and Lidia Thorpe also voted in favour of the suspension.
It’s all very procedure-y but essentially what this means is that the current order of the day (which is planned by the government in advance) has been paused, so the Liberals can now bring forward their motion supporting the strikes on Iran.
The full motion states that the Senate:
(a) congratulates the United States of America and the State of Israel for their sustained efforts to prevent the Islamic Republic of Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, acknowledging the long-standing threat posed by Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs to regional and global peace and security;
(b) welcomes the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a brutal dictator who has oppressed the Iranian people for decades, as a result of the American and Israeli attacks;
(c) reaffirms Australia’s rejection of any future Iranian acquisition of nuclear weapons capability, recognising such an outcome would severely destabilise the Middle East and pose unacceptable risks to international peace and security;
(d) condemns in the strongest terms the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for its sponsorship of terrorism globally, including its role in orchestrating antisemitic attacks targeting Jewish Australians on Australian soil, acts which represent a direct attack on our social cohesion and national security;
(e) condemns the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran for its use of state-directed violence and its support for proxy militant groups engaged in terrorist activities in multiple regions, undermining peace, stability and the rule of law;
(f) deplores the recent attacks by Iran on civilian infrastructure in Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, including the suspension of operations at Dubai’s major airports due to regional hostilities, and condemns the IRGC for targeting civilian populations and civilian facilities; and
(g) expresses strong support for the Iranian people in their ongoing struggle against the IRGC.
Updated
Pauline Hanson to face censure motion over Muslim comments
Later this morning, Pauline Hanson will face a censure motion in the Senate today, with Labor drafting a motion seeking to censure the One Nation leader for her recent comments about Australian Muslims.
Hanson told Sky News in February: “You say, ‘Well, there’s good Muslims out there.’ How can you tell me there are good Muslims?” The Queensland senator refused to apologise for the comments, standing by them in subsequent interviews, but later issued a partial apology if she “offended anyone out there that doesn’t believe in sharia law, or multiple marriages, or wants to bring Isis brides in, or people from Gaza that believe in a caliphate”.
Hanson is expected to face a censure motion today, drafted by Labor. The government motion states that Australia has been “built by the hard work, sacrifice and aspiration of people of every race and faith”, “assures all Australians they are valued, welcome members of our society”, and “rejects any attempt to vilify people on the basis of their religion”.
The motion states that the Senate “reiterates its solidarity with those who have been vilified because of their faith” and that “if parliament is to be a safe place for all who work and visit here, there can be no tolerance for hate speech in the course of parliamentarians’ public debate”. The motion calls on all senators to “refrain from inflammatory and divisive comments, both inside and outside the chamber”.
It goes on to call on the Senate to censure Hanson over “her inflammatory and divisive comments seeking to vilify Muslim Australians, which do not reflect the opinions of the Australian Senate or the Australian people”.
The motion is subject to change, debate and potential amendment. We will bring you more as this goes on.
We have approached One Nation for comment.
Updated
House prices rising despite February’s rate hike
Dipping out of the Senate for a moment, Australia’s median house price picked up $7,324 in February, even though the Reserve Bank hiked interest rates and making loans more expensive to repay.
That 0.8% national increase was driven by a huge monthly increase in Perth, up 2.3% or an effective $22,500, according to Cotality data today. Brisbane, Adelaide and Hobart each saw prices rise more than 1% in February.
Lower-priced markets are less responsive to interest rate rises, with the cheapest quarter of homes in Sydney matching the national increase of 0.8% in the month. The top-priced quarter of homes in Sydney fell 0.9%, leaving Sydney’s overall trend flat.
A similar dynamic played out in Melbourne – also steady, as we reported earlier. Cotality’s research director, Tim Lawless, said investors and first-home buyers were still competing for more affordable homes.
Lending has boomed 6% over the year to January for owner-occupied housing and nearly 8% for investor housing, according to data released by the Reserve Bank on Friday.
February’s interest rate hike would typically slow that pace, but loans have already been growing much faster than the RBA expected, with research suggesting a recent downward trend in banks’ typical mortgage rates is to blame.
Updated
Wong accuses Liberals of ‘political stunt’ in Senate
This debate is getting quickly heated, as foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, responds to Cash’s move to suspend standing orders (which would then allow her to move her motion on the strikes).
Wong accuses the Liberals of a “political stunt” by working with the Greens and Greens senator David Shoebridge to get the numbers to move the suspension.
Senate president Sue Lines starts screaming at Shoebridge, Greens deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi and members of the Coalition for shouting out and attacking Labor while Wong speaks. Unlike the House, where the Speaker is allowed to kick out members for being disorderly, the Senate president does not have the same powers.
Wong says:
This suspension is not about national interest, it’s about political interest and you know how you most know that? Because you have this unholy alliance between Senator Cash and Senator Shoebridge.
Senator Cash and Senator Shoebridge together, what an extraordinary demonstration of the fact that they will do anything to engage in a political stunt while there is a war going on.
Wong says the motion will remove time from debate on Closing the Gap targets which were scheduled this morning.
Lines says the behaviour in the chamber is “outrageous”.
Updated
Cash moves motion welcoming strikes on Iran
The Liberal leader in the Senate, Michaelia Cash, as Tom brought you earlier, is moving a motion to suspend standing orders to move a motion on the US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
Cash says the Senate must not be a “procedural spectator” and that it should send a “clear signal” to the Australian public and global allies.
She says this is a historic moment that Australians are watching in real time. The motion “or their sustained efforts to prevent the Islamic Republic of Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon” and condemns the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
In moments like this when history is literally being made before our eyes the Senate cannot be a procedural spectator, this chamber must be able to respond immediately to put Australia’s position clearly on the record, and to send a clear signal to our allies and adversaries and to give certainty to Australians both here at home, including those that fled the Islamic regime and those abroad
The reason we must suspend standing orders is simple, this is urgent, Australians, the world globally are currently watching these events, some of the most historic events of our time, unfold in real time on our TVs.
Updated
Liberals would support Australia assisting the US in Iran if in ‘national interest’: Paterson
New shadow defence minister, James Paterson, who moved to the role after the latest Liberal reshuffle under Angus Taylor, says he won’t speculate on whether Australia will assist the US militarily in Iran, but that the Coalition would support the government doing so if it is in the national interest.
Speaking to Sky News this morning, Paterson says the opposition welcomes the government supporting the strikes by the US and Israel on Iran.
He says the UK, Germany and France have already signalled a “willingness” to use their assets in the Middle East, but notes those nations have a more significant presence in the region than Australia does.
In the past, we have deployed Australian personnel to some of those joint facilities in the Middle East and assisted with targeting missions. And at different times, we’ve provided some military assets to the region, including naval assets and air assets, for example, for surveillance and targeting.
I don’t want to publicly speculate about whether or not we will be asked, or if we are asked whether or not we should do that, except that the Australian government should always be guided by Australia’s national interest, and if it’s determined that it is in Australia’s national interest to assist, and that we have the assets available to assist, and the government chose to do so, they would obviously have our bipartisan support.
Updated
Liberals push Senate motion on Iran bombings
As international reaction grows to the weekend bombings in Iran and the death of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the federal opposition is set to push a motion in the Senate congratulating the US and Israel for their actions.
Coalition Senate leader Michaelia Cash has circulated a motion on Monday morning which seeks to congratulate Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu for “sustained efforts to prevent the Islamic Republic of Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, acknowledging the long-standing threat posed by Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs to regional and global peace and security”.
The draft motion welcomes the Ayatollah’s death, calling him a “brutal dictator” and condemns the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for its terrorism and involvement in attacks on Australia’s Jewish community.
As well as expressing strong support for the Iranian people, the motion also criticises Iranian retaliatory attacks on Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
Updated
Anthony Albanese has marked 30 years in parliament today, after he was first elected as the member for Grayndler on 2 March 1996.
You can have a look at his career over the years here:
Ican condemns strikes on Iran and calls on Australia to encourage diplomatic negotiations in the region
The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (Ican) Australia has condemned the US and Israeli strikes on Iran and called on Australia to encourage the parties to return to negotiations.
It says the strikes have “provoked a dangerous escalation in an already volatile region”.
In a statement, Ican Australia co-chairs Tara Gutman and Marianne Hanson said “nuclear-armed states launching unlawful attacks is no way to reduce nuclear threats” :
Australia is being too quick to support force, and too slow to grow peace. Australia was among the first nations to announce it backed the US and Israeli strikes. In doing so, it has aligned itself with high-risk military action before diplomatic avenues were exhausted and is knowingly condoning clear violations of international law.
A conflict being waged by not one but two nuclear powers further heightens the risk of miscalculation, misunderstanding and mistake. The best way to manage nuclear risks is through diplomacy and respect for international law.
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How many Australians are in the Middle East?
There’s been a lot of information coming through this morning so let’s break down a few of the numbers again.
The government has told us there are about 115,000 Australians in the Middle East right now. Given the huge number, they would not commit to repatriation flights but said once flights do resume, people should aim to get on a commercial flight because that would be faster.
To give you a scale of how many people are travelling through the region, Penny Wong told us earlier that on a normal day, there are 11,000 Australians flying in and out of the country through the Middle East on Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways.
The air space is now closed which means there have been significant flight disruptions and delays, not only for those who are meant to be flying through the area.
Updated
‘We wouldn’t anticipate participating in the future’: Wong
The government has been pushed this morning on whether Australia would send troops over to the Middle East if conflict escalates.
So far we have heard from Richard Marles that Australia had no involvement in the strikes and we were not warned beforehand. He said there are more than 100 Australian defence personnel in bases in the Middle East.
Foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, said this morning that Australia is not a “central” player on issues in the Middle East.
She told the Today Show:
We all want peace in the region. And what I would say is obviously Australia’s not central to the issues in the Middle East. We didn’t participate in these strikes and we wouldn’t anticipate participating in the future.
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Independents pushback on ‘mates over merit’ culture
Independent MP Sophie Scamps will seek to channel anger over the government’s response to the jobs for mates review in parliament today, reintroducing legislation which would stop former politicians being given high profile official jobs.
Scamps, the MP for Mackellar, has updated her transparent and quality public appointments bill after Labor’s release of a major report by Lynelle Briggs in December.
It found the major parties have abused appointments to government boards so routinely that the public fears being lumped with “overpaid political hacks” who cannot do important jobs properly, a scathing report to the Albanese government has found.
With support from independent Andrew Gee, the bill would establish an independent, transparent process for all major commonwealth appointments to ensure selections are based on expertise, not political connections.
It would also requires a six-month cooling-off period for former politicians and senior political staff, and 18 months for former ministers or parliamentary secretaries, before they can be appointed to major public roles.
Scamps is mad as hell about the culture of appointments in Canberra. She said without enforceable rules, patronage and favouritism creep into the system.
It’s bad for democracy and bad for Australians when governments choose who suits them best, not who is best for the job. I am taking this action because the government has not … Australians deserve a system where these high-paid and powerful appointments are based on merit, not mateship. This bill puts an end to the quiet deals and back‑room pathways that have damaged confidence in government for far too long.
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A look at the corridor this morning
There has been a few politicians out and about in the corridor this morning.
And while Penny Wong and Barnaby Joyce might be from complete opposite sides of the political spectrum, it doesn’t mean the two can’t share a smile and a handshake together!
Updated
Marles says ‘concerned but confident’ about the wellbeing of Australian defence personnel
Richard Marles says there are more than 100 Australian defence personnel in the region, including at the Al Minhad airbase outside of Dubai.
He tells Sky News the defence personnel have been accounted for, and the government has been working to increase the safety for diplomatic personnel in the region, after three US soldiers were killed in a strike on an army base in Kuwait.
We’ve taken measures in respect of the safety of all of those Australian personnel, and all of them are accounted for and and so we are very much concerned but confident about their wellbeing, and we’re very attentive to that.
Our diplomatic presence in the region is obviously very important, and we are very mindful of their safety. We have taken steps in the days leading up to this, because, you know, we could see what was brewing in respect of their dependence.
Marles would not say whether Australia would eventually join in on any military action:
I’m not in the habit of speculating. This is action that’s being undertaken by the US and Israel and [I’ll] leave it at that.
Updated
Australia imports crude oil from around the world: Marles
Moving over to Sky News, Richard Marles is asked about Barnaby Joyce’s earlier comments on Australia’s low reserves of crude oil and our limited refining capacity and whether Australia will be left exposed by this conflict.
Marles says Australia takes crude oil from all over the world – including the Middle East – but says the government will be “watching that very closely”.
He won’t say whether the reserves (where there are supposed to be 90 days’ worth of fuel reserves) should be increased by the government.
Look, we take crude oil from around the world, but that would include from the Middle East, but it’s not the only place where we take crude oil from. But I guess what that highlights is that, I mean, this is an important region. It has an impact on the global economy. We’ll all be watching that very closely, exactly what impact it has as a function of how long this continues.
Updated
Joyce says petrol prices will increase due to conflict
Speaking with Tanya Plibersek on a Sunrise panel this morning, One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce says Australia should focus on building up fuel supplies under risk due to conflict in the Middle East
The International Energy Agency states countries should have 90 days of fuel supplies, in the event of a crisis, but Australia has far less, with some reports from October last year that we have just 28 days’ worth of fuel.
Joyce says:
It’s a shame in a crisis like this that we’ve got ourselves down to two oil refineries, so that if there’s a crisis in the production of fuel, we’re in a bad spot.
We’ve got the old policies here – cross fingers, everything should be right as long as President Trump is able to bring this to a conclusion … People have got to start looking at what the effects are for Australia, not just the Middle East, and you can start looking for those effects at a petrol pump near you.
Plibersek tells Joyce he’s just made a “really good argument” for buying an electric vehicle (cue face palm from Joyce). She says:
There will be an economic impact of this. There was an economic impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that affected the whole world, and that includes Australia. This is an area where a lot of our global oil and petrol, ultimately, is impacted by what’s being produced in the Middle East. I mean, it is a very good argument for Australia to have energy security and energy independence.
Updated
Marles says Australia was not involved in US-Israeli strikes on Iran
The deputy prime minister and defence minister, Richard Marles, is also doing the media rounds alongside Wong today, and says Australia supports action to stop Iran developing nuclear weapons, but confirmed the government was not told of the strikes before they happened.
Speaking to RN Breakfast this morning, Marles says Australia was not involved in the strikes, including the use of US joint facilities on Australian soil, such as Pine Gap.
Marles, like Wong, is asked whether the strikes on Iran were “legal” and also says that the question is for the US and Israel to answer:
We weren’t advised of this before it happened, but we wouldn’t have expected to be either.
We support the United States in preventing Iran acquiring a nuclear capability. The UN security council has long been in a position of doing everything within its power to stop Iran acquiring that capability. I mean, ultimately, the legality of these measures is a matter for both the United States and Israel to go through.
Updated
Wong not yet committing to repatriation flights
Making a stop in the press gallery corridor, Penny Wong says again that, due to the number of Australians in the Middle East, commercial flights will be the fastest way out of the region once the airspace reopens.
She won’t commit yet to the Australian government organising repatriation efforts.
As I said, given the numbers, the fastest way to get people home would be if commercial flights recommence. So we want to see whether that commences. I think that most, most of our like-minded [countries] are in a similar position, given the numbers of people in the region.
There’s conflict in the region, we’ve seen loss of life across the region and airspace is not open. So whether or not it is an Australian flight or a commercial flight, the flights are not able to occur.
On the risk of Iran developing nuclear weapons, Wong says Iran has consistently failed to comply with the decisions of the UN security council in relation to its nuclear program.
We know that the International Atomic Energy Agency, which is the nuclear watchdog, has already has given evidence about the enrichment stage at which Iran have reached, and they have also said that Iran has refused to fully comply with the inspection regime. So I think we all understand the intention behind the regime.
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Insects, mould, bird lice: NSW announces review of 'serious' hospital maintenance issues
As mentioned earlier, state health minister Ryan Park announced overnight that NSW Health is conducting a snap review of “serious hospital maintenance issues”.
So far, Park said, the ongoing review has identified 112 “non-routine" issues. His statement acknowledged reported instances of mosquitos, crickets, beetles and a possum, as well as mould, asbestos and a leaking roof, across a range of hospitals – and added further issues to the list including flies, birds, cockroaches, pigeons, bird live, and more possums.
In a highly critical Sunday statement, shadow health minister Sarah Mitchell said she feared these were “the tip of the iceberg”.
Patients go to hospital for treatment and care, not to be put in further danger due to toxic mould, or conditions caused by bird droppings and dead pigeons in roof cavities and air-conditioning units.
Hygiene in hospitals is paramount and my heart breaks for the families who have lost loved ones to these illnesses.
Updated
Legal ‘basis’ for strikes for US and Israel to explain: Wong
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, says Australia has had no involvement in the strikes on Iran, and that the risk of a nuclear program cannot continue.
Staying on her interview with ABC News Breakfast, Wong says she has not spoken to her US counterpart, Marco Rubio, and “would not expect to” as she says Australia is not a central player in region.
She sidesteps a question about the legality of the strikes and says that it’s up for Israel and the US to explain that:
One of the distinctions with Iraq, between Iraq and now, is that we are not participating in these strikes. That’s the first point I’d make. The second is, what I’ve said is that the legal basis of this is for the United States and Israel to explain.
We’re obviously not party to the intelligence that both that the United States and the Israelis are referencing in their decisions. That is why it is for them to explain the legal basis of this. We do support action taken to ensure Iran does not have a nuclear weapon.
Wong is asked whether we will see a regime change after the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. She says that should be up to the Iranian people, despite the US president, Donald Trump wanting a regime change:
The future of Iran is in the hands of the Iranian people. And what we do know from history is that regime change is not something that can sustainably be externally imposed.
In relation to Ayatollah Khamenei, as you said, no one will mourn his passing. This is the leader who has been responsible for brutally murdering his own people.
Updated
115,000 Australians in the Middle East region
As Australians are warned not to travel to the Middle East, Penny Wong says there are about 115,000 Australians in the region, and about 11,000 travelling regularly in and out of Australia on Etihad, Emirates and Qatar Airways.
Speaking to ABC News Breakfast this morning, Wong says Australians will get home most quickly if the government can help people get on to commercial flights over repatriations.
Wong says currently there are no flights to get Australians home:
It’s very difficult at the moment for government to provide a great deal of assistance in circumstances where flights are being cancelled, disrupted and their space is closed.
First we need to see if commercial flights will restart. Given the numbers of people in the region, people will get home most quickly if they, if, if we can facilitate people getting on to commercial flights. At the moment, the issue is not who is flying, it’s that people are not flying.
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Smartraveller tells Australians not to travel to most countries in the Middle East
Smartraveller has updated its list of countries not to travel to in the Middle East, as conflict escalates in the region.
The countries include:
Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
The website says Australians should reconsider the need to travel to Jordan, Oman and Saudi Arabia.
In a statement this morning, the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, said Australians should expect travel disruptions.
We understand this will be a challenging time for many people, particularly those with family in the region or travel plans.
The Albanese government’s priority is the safety and security of Australians. We will continue to support Australians to navigate the disruption ahead, providing regular travel advice updates and consular assistance where we can, noting there are limits to what any government can do in a fast-moving and uncertain environment.
Wong warns that even travellers not going through the Middle East should expect some disruptions.
The statement says Australians should:
Closely monitor events and local media.
Check directly with their travel agent or airlines to confirm their plans.
Review their travel insurance to understand what is covered in the event of cancellations.
Follow Smartraveller for the latest advice and subscribe for updates.
Updated
Good morning, Krishani Dhanji here with you for a very busy sitting day ahead.
There will be lots of domestic reaction to the unfolding situation in Iran and the Middle East with the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, issuing a statement this morning warning Australians about travel disruptions. Wong and the defence minister, Richard Marles, will be doing the media rounds this morning for the government, so we’ll bring you those interviews as they come in.
As mentioned earlier, the House of Representatives is going to look pretty different today with Angus Taylor in the hot seat (opposition leader’s chair) for the first time since he ousted Sussan Ley. He’ll also have his new look frontbench sitting with him.
I’ve got my coffee, I hope you’ve got yours, let’s get straight into it.
Updated
House prices flatline in Sydney and Melbourne
Cotality’s latest Home Value Index shows home values in Sydney and Melbourne have flatlined, even as mid-sized capitals post bumper monthly gains. Perth remains the nation’s standout performer, with prices surging 27.1% in the past year.
Dwelling values climbed 2.3 % in February alone, adding more than $22,500 to the median home. Brisbane and Adelaide are also outperforming, rising 1.6% and 1.3%, respectively.
By contrast, median homes in Sydney and Melbourne saw zero growth over the month, rounding out a quarter of mild declines.
Cotality’s research director, Tim Lawless, described the “two-speed conditions” as extraordinary, saying the property markets of major and mid-sized capitals had been drifting apart for years. Tight supply and high demand are driving outsized gains in other capitals, he said.
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Good morning and welcome to Guardian Australia’s politics live blog.
Federal parliament is sitting as Anthony Albanese marks 30 years in politics and Angus Taylor his first week in Canberra as opposition leader. The Coalition is expected to press Labor on the return of women and children held in a camp in Syria, as well as speculated changes to capital gains taxes on investment properties.
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has warned Australians to expect “serious travel disruptions” in coming days due to the conflict unfolding in Iran, including changes at short notice to Europe routes. In a statement this morning, her office noted “many Australians in the Middle East are unable to leave due to airspace closures, including around major transit hubs”.
As New South Wales readies for budget estimates, the state health minister, Ryan Park, has ordered a snap review of “serious” hospital maintenance issues including instances of cockroaches, possums, bird lice, as well as mould, roof leaks and asbestos.
Krishani Dhanji will be with you soon.
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