What we learned, Tuesday 10 March
Thanks for joining us today. We’ll be back tomorrow. Until then, here were today’s top stories.
The Albanese government announced it would deploy a E-7A Wedgetail, a military surveillance plane, as 12 countries face attacks from Iran in the region.
The home affairs minister, Tony Burke, confirmed that the government has offered humanitarian visas to five Iranian football players who have been in Australia for the Asian Cup.
Human rights activists have expressed urgent concerns for the safety of the remaining players after they were seen arriving at the Gold Coast airport on Tuesday afternoon.
Qantas will hike its international air fares as oil prices fluctuate and seats sell out in the wake of US-Israel attacks on Iran.
David Littleproud has announced he will step down as Nationals leader so he can spend more time with his family. But he says he won’t be giving up his Queensland seat of Maranoa.
Labor is toughening immigration laws to stop people from some countries travelling to Australia on some temporary visas and seeking to stay permanently because of the Middle East war.
The home affairs department only began drafting the proposal to block Iranians on some temporary visas on Friday, a Senate inquiry heard.
The energy minister, Chris Bowen, says the biggest risk to fuel availability in Australia right now is panic buying.
The Liberal leader, Angus Taylor, has welcomed Australia’s involvement in the Middle East. Taylor also welcomed the decision to grant five players on the Iranian women’s soccer team humanitarian visas.
Surging oil prices have raised the risk of the Reserve Bank hiking interest rates in a week’s time, economists have warned.
The NSW government has announced the proposed rezoning of a neighbourhood chosen as one of the world’s coolest, which it says will deliver as many as 18,300 homes, a more than 3,000 increase on its previous plans.
Updated
Activist vows to wait at Sydney airport despite no sign of Iranian footballers
The Iranian football team have not yet landed in Sydney and it remains unclear if they will.
At least a dozen supporters had gathered outside a gate at Sydney’s domestic airport in anticipation the team might have been on a flight that landed from the Gold Coast about 20 minutes ago. However, the team was not on the plane.
It has not yet been confirmed if the football team’s planned route is from the Gold Coast to Sydney before they return to Iran.
Arash, one of the supporters who was standing outside the gate, says he still wants to take his chances the football team might pass through the airport.
We are here to support them.
We are here to make sure they don’t force them to go overseas with them if they want to stay.
Arash said he would wait at the airport for another plane that’s due to land from the Gold Coast at 7.20pm.
Updated
