Greens say Victorian government ‘really misread’ public sentiment on protest laws
Benita Kolovos
David Southwick, the Coalition police spokesperson, described the government as “all talk and no action” when it came to introducing tougher protest laws. He told reporters outside parliament:
We keep hearing words from the premier – strong words, no action, and then winding back those words and watering them down and giving us weak laws. That’s not what Victoria expects. We need tougher laws and consequences … We can’t wait till the end of the year. That’s just ridiculous.
Victorian Greens leader Ellen Sandell. Photograph: James Ross/AAP
But the government’s walk back was welcomed by the Greens leader, Ellen Sandell, who said the government had “really misread the Victoria public” when it floated the “draconian laws to crack down on people’s right to peaceful protest”. She said:
The Victorian people know that the right to peacefully protest when you see something that is unjust is a fundamental right in a democracy and the Victorian people don’t want to see the Victorian Labor government go down the path of Trump’s America or even the New South Wales government that are trying to crack down on the fundamental right to peaceful protest.
We’re really glad that it looks like Jacinta Allan might have to go back to the drawing board.
Updated at 22.36 EDT
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Chalmers says government has always been clear on calls for hostages to be released
Treasurer Jim Chalmers was just asked about the Israeli embassy’s statement during a press conference in Canberra. Chalmers said the government had always been “very clear on our position on the release of the hostages”, saying the recent decision to recognise a Palestinian state was about seeing a two-state solution that excluded Hamas from leadership.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP
Chalmers said:
First of all we’ve been very clear on our position of the release of the hostages. The announcement the prime minister and foreign minister made this week is about isolating and excluding Hamas from the future leadership of Palestine, a state of Palestine.
We see recognition making our contribution to the international progress and momentum behind this question as an important step towards a two-state solution. And a two-state solution is all about making sure that families in Israel and in Palestine can raise their kids in peace.
Hamas will have absolutely no role in that.
Israeli embassy says Australia should up demands for release of hostages
The Israeli embassy in Australia said it was deeply troubled a recent joint statement condemning the humanitarian crisis in Gaza only had “vague wording” calling of the release of hostages held by Hamas since the 7 October attack in Israel.
Australia was among a group of 29 signatories calling for urgent action to end starvation and the blocking of aid into Gaza yesterday. The statement urged “immediate, permanent and concrete steps must be taken to facilitate safe, large-scale access for the UN, international NGOs and humanitarian partners”. It ended with a call for a ceasefire to end the war and for “hostages to be released and aid to enter Gaza by land unhindered”.
Israel’s embassy in Canberra. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP
The Israeli embassy said while it shared concern for the humanitarian suffering in Gaza, “it is deeply troubling that the plight of Israeli hostages, men and women, held by the Hamas terror organisation is reduced to a single line at the bottom of the statement,” adding:
These innocent civilians are starving in underground tunnels …
We have yet to hear the Australian government speak with the same urgency about their humanitarian situation. Pressure must be placed squarely on Hamas to release them immediately, as their continued captivity is a grave violation of international law and basic human decency.
In recent days both prime minister Anthony Albanese and foreign minister Penny Wong have repeatedly stressed the need to see all remaining hostages released after announcing Australia would soon recognise a Palestinian state.
Updated at 22.51 EDT
Greens say Victorian government ‘really misread’ public sentiment on protest lawsBenita Kolovos
David Southwick, the Coalition police spokesperson, described the government as “all talk and no action” when it came to introducing tougher protest laws. He told reporters outside parliament:
We keep hearing words from the premier – strong words, no action, and then winding back those words and watering them down and giving us weak laws. That’s not what Victoria expects. We need tougher laws and consequences … We can’t wait till the end of the year. That’s just ridiculous.
Victorian Greens leader Ellen Sandell. Photograph: James Ross/AAP
But the government’s walk back was welcomed by the Greens leader, Ellen Sandell, who said the government had “really misread the Victoria public” when it floated the “draconian laws to crack down on people’s right to peaceful protest”. She said:
The Victorian people know that the right to peacefully protest when you see something that is unjust is a fundamental right in a democracy and the Victorian people don’t want to see the Victorian Labor government go down the path of Trump’s America or even the New South Wales government that are trying to crack down on the fundamental right to peaceful protest.
We’re really glad that it looks like Jacinta Allan might have to go back to the drawing board.
Updated at 22.36 EDT
Benita Kolovos
Reactions coming in after reports Victoria will scale back proposed anti-protest laws
There’s been a lot of reaction to our story this morning that the Victorian government will scale back its proposed anti-protest laws – including an outright ban on face masks at protests and attachment devices.
While the attorney general, Sonya Kilkenny, would not confirm details in the report, she acknowledged that any laws on face coverings at protests would need to allow for their legitimate use. She said:
There are always legitimate reasons to do certain things and these are matters that need to be taken into account. There’s nothing unique in drafting and designing these laws. That’s why it’s important to engage and consult and listen really carefully to those who are impacted [and to] Victoria police.
Sonya Kilkenny, left, and Jacinta Allan. Photograph: James Ross/AAP
The premier, Jacinta Allan, also admitted to difficulty legislating “safe access” areas around places of worship, which she had committed to introducing back in December:
There’s clearly some complexity with those sorts of laws but we are examining options.
Updated at 22.36 EDT
PM welcomes wage growth figures
On the news out of the Australian Bureau of Statistics that the wage price index rose 0.8% in June, with 3.4% annual growth, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said it was “great news”.
We inherited a position where inflation was at 6%, real wages were falling, interest rates began to increase. Now what we have is inflation down to 2.1%, unemployment is relatively low at 4.3%, we have interest rates that yesterday decreased for the third time this year and we have real wages increasing. That is a good thing.
That means increased living standards and is I think welcome, just like the interest rate decision.
We are working very hard … inflation [is] down, interest rates [are] falling, real wages [are] increasing, unemployment [is] steady. That is the envy of the Western world in terms of economic outcomes that has been produced by the hard work that Australians have been producing, it is I think one of the reasons why we received the backing for a second term to continue our approach to these measures.
Finally, Albanese said he is available to meet with the US president, Donald Trump, at very short notice at any time and the government has been engaged with American colleagues on a ministerial level.
He said there have been three phone calls between him and Trump, including “a very warm” one after the election.
Updated at 22.16 EDT
Albanese asked about EV road tax, four-day work week
Turning to other issues, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is asked about the potential for electric vehicle road users to be charged a tax. Albanese notes it has been an issue that has been discussed for a decade, and there is a need for money “to ensure roads are adequate”.
What we need to do is to work those issues through and to come up with a realistic plan that can be implemented, and we’ll await those discussions. I know Catherine King will obviously play a role in that as the transport minister.
On the union proposal for a four-day work week, Albanese said the government has no plans, but they’re welcome to put forward the idea.
The ACTU, of course, is entitled to put forward whatever ideas it likes. But that doesn’t mean, as I’ve said, that it’s government policy because someone put forward an idea.
Albanese said it was regrettable the Queensland government had pulled out of the Australian Battery Industrialisation Centre but said there are opportunities in Queensland, and he has a constructive relationship with the state government.
Updated at 22.11 EDT
Recognition to build on momentum for Middle East peace, PM says
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, wouldn’t comment on whether more protests around Gaza should go ahead, stating it’s worked out by state governments, and he won’t speak for the Queensland police in regards to a planned Brisbane protest.
He said the Australian government is “not writing Middle East policy in a backyard here in Brisbane” but said the government is trying to build on momentum for peace.
People are watching what is happening in Gaza. They’re watching it playing out. The catastrophe for humanity that is being played out there. And you can either watch or you can do what we can, which is to be a part of momentum – we’re not big players in the Middle East. What we are, though, what we can do is to add our voice to those who are saying: ‘Enough is enough,’ and we need to advance the long-term peace and security for both Israelis and Palestinians.
Too many innocent lives have been lost.
Updated at 22.11 EDT
PM holds press conference in Brisbane
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has been taking questions at a press conference in Brisbane over Australia’s move to recognise Palestine.
He has repeated that Hamas can play no role in a future Palestinian state, and the Arab League and other countries in the region have made it clear that Hamas must have no role, and must lay down its weapons.
Asked if he is concerned that recogntion will harm Australia’s relationship with the United States, Albanese says Donald Trump has been an advocate for peace in the Middle East.
What is a way forward for peace and security after 77 years of conflict? The whole world, and indeed Australia, has been committed to a bipartisan support to a two-state solution for a long period of time. One of those states is Israel, the other is Palestine. In order for Palestinians to be able to satisfy their legitimate aspirations for their own state, Israel must be assured of security as well, and that is what the world is working towards.
NSW police arrest three on allegations of staging vehicles for a planned public shooting
NSW police have charged two men and a teenager in Sydney on allegations they were staging vehicles for a planned shooting in a public place.
Officials conducted a high-risk vehicle stop of a car in Sydney’s Blacktown shortly after midnight on Wednesday morning, using beanbag rounds and a police dog to intercept the vehicle. A man, 21, and a teen, 17, were arrested, with the older man sustaining a dog bite.
Officer arrested another man, 39, during a stop of an SUV in Granville around the same time. Police later executed a search warrant at a home in Willmot, where they allegedly seized a loaded revolver, cash and electronics.
Police have since alleged the 39-year-old and 17-year-old were involved in the staging of vehicles for the planned public shooting. The man, 39, has been charged with multiple counts including recklessly dealing with the proceeds of crime, possessing an unauthorised pistol and driving a vehicle without a licence, among other charges.
The 17-year-old has been charged with two counts of driving a conveyance without the consent of the owner and the participation in a criminal group contributing to criminal activity, among other charges. The pair were refused bail and will appear in separate courts today.
The 21-year-old was issued a breach of bail and a court notice for driving while disqualified.
Updated at 21.59 EDT
Luca Ittimani
Extra money largely going to savings and offset accounts
More from CommBank:
Households are overwhelmingly sending that extra income to their savings and mortgage offset accounts. Customers under 55 had all been cutting back on their savings in the three months to June 2024. Over the same period this year, they all hiked savings, while customers aged 55 and up have hiked their savings even more.
Young Australians have also hiked their spend on nonessential goods, with under-35-year-olds boosting discretionary spending where they had been cutting back a year ago.
That age group also picked up their spending on essential goods – reflecting just how restrained younger workers had been a year ago when underlying inflation was still nearly 4%.
Updated at 21.40 EDT
Benita Kolovos
Victoria premier says working from home can help households with ‘precious time’
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, held another press conference on her plan to enshrine the right to work from home two days a week.
Yesterday, she announced consultation on the plan had opened. Today she was joined with members of the plumber’s union to speak about how working from home benefits even those who are not able to. Allan says:
Not everyone can work from home, and I think the plumbers here demonstrate that … They’re married to someone who can work from home, they love someone who can work from home.
Victorian premier Jacinta Allan. Photograph: James Ross/AAP
She says working from home two days a week saves families on tolls, fuel and parking, helping the household budget and giving “precious time” back to spend together instead of on the commute.
Allan says in just 24 hours more than 6,000 people have responded to the survey on the Engage Victoria website.
Updated at 21.24 EDT
Sarah Basford Canales
Robodebt whistleblower says she has paid ‘very high price’ for speaking up
A robodebt whistleblower has warned of the “scrap heap” she continues to experience years after first raising the alarm on the unlawful scheme that affected millions of Australians.
Jeannie-Marie Blake, a former Centrelink employee, continued to work at Services Australia years after making complaints about the “income averaging” debt calculation program, but told a parliamentary committee this morning she ultimately left the role due to feeling extra “scrutiny” and “pressure” internally following her appearance at the robodebt royal commission.
Blake said:
A decade since I first blew the whistle on robodebt, and over two years since I gave evidence at the royal commission, I’m still suffering. I was so traumatised by my experience that I’m on workers compensation, barely subsisting on a fraction of my former salary. Ultimately, my family and my career have paid the very high price of speaking up. Meanwhile, those most responsible for robodebt have faced no real consequences …
Ultimately, robodebt was stopped, but we’re left here on a scrap heap, paying the high price for our sacrifice, a sacrifice that I made in the public’s best interest. I’m not the only one.
Jeannie-Marie Blake. Photograph: Abigail Varney/The GuardianShare
E-bike fire on a Melbourne train in March prompts caution around lithium-ion batteries
In relation to the news about NSW considering a temporary ban on e-bikes and e-scooters on trains and Metro services: Melbourne has seen that risk first-hand.
An e-bike caught fire inside a Metro train carriage in March, prompting evacuations and a response from Fire Rescue Victoria. The deputy commissioner for the service, Josh Fischer, said at the time:
Time and time again we are seeing incidents involving lithium-ion batteries. … Interstate and internationally we are continuing to see that risk grow.
Victoria is set to introduce new regulations banning e-scooters and e-bikes on trains and coaches, with only foldable e-bikes and e-scooters allowed on trams and PTV buses. Those draft regulations are set to come into effect on 30 September.
Public consultation on the changes ends on 18 August.
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Updated at 21.01 EDT
Krishani Dhanji
Opposition leader tells prime minister to fix domestic issues, not global conflicts
Anthony Albanese should be focused on the kitchen table, not a negotiating table in the Middle East, Sussan Ley says.
In op-eds and a series of media interviews this morning, the opposition leader took aim at the government, saying Labor had lost sight of the cost of living crisis for families after the government announced it would recognise a Palestinian state at the upcoming UN general assembly.
Sussan Ley and Anthony Albanese. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP
The Coalition said yesterday it would reverse that recognition if it won government. In an op-ed for the Herald Sun, Ley wrote:
These are serious matters, but Australians expect their Prime Minister’s first priority to be the kitchen tables of this country, not negotiating tables 12,000km away. Day after day, he appears fixated on one foreign policy issue to the exclusion of everything else.
Yesterday, the Reserve Bank reduced the interest rate to 3.6%, the third interest rate drop this year, after 13 consecutive rate rises. It also downgraded its long-term outlook for Australia’s productivity growth.
Updated at 20.43 EDT
Sarah Basford Canales
Parliamentary committee investigates creation of whistleblower protection agency
A parliamentary committee is looking into the creation of a whistleblower protection agency this morning.
Crossbenchers David Pocock and Jacqui Lambie introduced a bill which would create a new independent body to offer support and advice to public servants wanting to come forward to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (Nacc) or within their agencies about suspected misconduct within the government.
In its first term, the Albanese government said it would consider creating a protection body following the Nacc’s opening, but little progress has been made.
Jeannie-Marie Blake. Photograph: Royal commission in robodebt scheme
Jeannie-Marie Blake, a former Centrelink worker who raised the alarm on the illegal robodebt scheme, spoke of the need for such a body to give whistleblowers confidence to come forward. Blake said:
When I and others raised concerns, we were met with a stark message: resign, transfer or comply. The message was as blunt as that: ‘shut up or leave’. Our concerns were ignored, and instead, we received threatening communications, performance targets, threats of underperformance, Code of Conduct breaches were used to suppress dissent, daily emails reminded us that if we were to speak outside our team to anyone about our work, we could be terminated.
There was no safe, independent mechanism for staff to report concerns without fears of reprisals. If such a body had existed, I believe many more staff would have spoken out, and robodebt may have been stopped before it had even started.
Read more about Jeannie-Marie Blake’s story here:
Updated at 20.22 EDT
Home Affairs wrongfully detained 11 people, including an Australian citizen, watchdog finds
Nino Bucci
The commonwealth ombudsman has found the Department of Home Affairs wrongfully detained 11 people in the past year, including an Australian citizen and another person improperly held for 18 months.
In a report released on Wednesday, the ombudsman found that only one of the people wrongfully detained had made a civil claim against the government.
It made three recommendations, including that the department provide each “affected individual” with a personal apology, including an acknowledgment of wrongdoing and “assurance as to remedial actions the Department has taken/intends to take to ensure these errors do not occur in future”, and information about how to apply for compensation.
Iain Anderson, the commonwealth ombudsman, said most wrongful detention cases were a result of errors previously known to Home Affairs and could have been avoided if existing policies and procedures were properly followed.
The department accepted the recommendations.
Photograph: James Ross/AAPShare
Updated at 21.29 EDT