This blog is now closed.
I have reached my limit for the day, and I think many of you have too. Fair. It has been that sort of week.
We will be back bright and early tomorrow morning (well at least early, I am never bright) to bring you all the day’s events as this sitting week draws to a close.
We still have one more week after all of this though so don’t get too excited.
In the mean time, I wish you well in avoiding mentions of the Midwinter Ball.
Until tomorrow, take care of you Ax
The Greens have reintroduced two bills into the parliament – one to give the ACCC divestiture powers to break up corporations when they misuse their market power, and the other to make price gouging illegal across the economy.
Coles and Woolworths would risk being broken up if they were found to have misused their market power. This was something the Nationals supported, but didn’t support when the Greens tried to get it through the parliament before the last election.
Nick McKim says nothing has changed:
Coles and Woolworths have built their empires on exploiting their market dominance. They gouge shoppers, farmers, and workers.
The Greens’ Bills would finally give the ACCC the teeth to break them up and outlaw price gouging across the whole economy.
Two weeks ago the Reserve Bank found that declining competition and increased mark-ups have reduced productivity and left the average person $3000 worse off over ten years. That’s the price of letting corporations run the economy for their own benefit.Now, in the profit-reporting season, the evidence is in black and white. Australia’s biggest oligopolies are raking in staggering profits off the back of ordinary people’s pain.
The minister for multicultural affairs, Anne Aly is speaking to the ABC and she is asked about the Israeli government claiming credit for Australia’s actions in expelling the Iranian ambassador.
Aly says:
My thoughts are very much along the lines of Tony Burke’s response to that. (He called it “complete nonsense” this morning.
I think it’s wrong and I’ve said this before, to conflate what is happening in Australia and conflate Australian Jewish community and indeed the Australian Muslim community, with what is happening overseas.
Unfortunately, too often these two things have been entangled and conflated together and I think it does a real disservice.
It does a real disservice to the Muslim community and particularly the Australian Jewish community here. It also feeds into the breakdown in social cohesion. It feeds into anti-Semitism, when we conflate Australian Jewish community with what is happening in Israel, in the same way – and I’ve said this before to you, – in the same way that we conflate all Australian Muslims with acts of terrorism overseas as well.
But given we know now that Iran has interfered so dramatically in actually anti-Semitic attacks in Australia, doesn’t that show that overseas interventions are actually having an impact here in Australia?
Let’s be very clear – the reason that we took such strict action here is because a foreign government, the Iranian government, our intelligence agencies got the evidence to show that a foreign government, the Iranian government, had orchestrated, through a number of what the Mike Burgess called cut-out – in other words proxies – orchestrated an attack on Australian soil, against Australians.
So it was something that happened overseas that had a domestic or Iranian… Led by the Iranian government that had a domestic impact here, that sought to harm Australians here and so the correct response is to take the response that the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister and the Minister for Home Affairs took yesterday, which is to expel the Iranian Ambassador and undertake the process of listing the Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organisation.
Brittany Higgins has issued a statement through her instagram responding to the Tottle judgement:
I am grateful that this matter has finally reached a conclusion.
I was 24 years old when I was sexually assaulted in Parliament House.
Six years have passed – years marked by challenge, scrutiny, and change.
I accept that Linda Reynolds feelings were hurt by these events and I am sorry for that. I wish her well into the future.
Thank you to the Australian public for their compassion and understanding throughout the journey.
My family and I now look forward to healing and re-building our lives.
Earlier today, NSW Greens Senator David Shoebridge introduced a private members’ bill that would introduce a federal right to protest.
If it passes into law, it would mean that state and territory governments can only restrict protest rights if doing so is necessary and appropriate for avoiding harms to national security, public safety, public health and the like.
Over the past few years, state governments have raised fines for protesting, introduced jail terms and even jailed peaceful protesters.
Australia Institute polling research finds most Australians (71%) support federal legislation to protect the right to peaceful protest, like that introduced by Senator Shoebridge today.
Once again, not a lot of substance.
We did learn that the Coalition still has no idea how to handle itself in this parliament – it is bereft of ideas, policy and even unity. But we already knew that. But the way Sussan Ley has been forced to start attacking the government on something she gave bipartisanship support to just yesterday by the hard right elements of her party, including Michaelia Cash, who started this week by leading a party room revolt against the net zero position and then today forced the Coalition into picking a fight on the timing of the IRGC terrorist designation shows one thing conclusively: the west are in control of the Liberals.
Anthony Albanese takes a dixer on what the government has done, which is just a lead up to calling an end to question time.
For some reason, question time in the house is STILL going.
Chris Bowen, who doesn’t get to spar as much with Ted O’Brien any longer now he has moved portfolios, takes an opportunity for a little sledge as a little treat.
The Member for Fairfax interjects. I will not have a bad word said about the Member for Fairfax, Mr Speaker. He is a role model for those behind him. If you come up with a toxically unpopular policy and failed to sell it to the Australian people you too can be deputy leader of your party!
Senate question time ends, but the house is still going.
Independent MP for Bradfield, Nicolette Boele asks:
Universities are facing chronic underfunding resulting in drastic cuts to staff and degrees and I’ve heard from distraught students whose degrees are being discontinued midway through. Charges, charging for services not delivered in any other context would be called a scam. What is the Minister doing to protect students and guarantee the units those students have completed and paid for will be credited towards the completion of a similar degree?
Jason Clare:
Can I thank the member for Bradfield for her question and congratulate her on her election to this place? The first point I’d make is we’re investing an extra $6.7 billion into our universities over the next decade. That’s all part of the first stage of our implementation of the universities accord. About helping to make sure more young people get a crack at going to university, particularly a lot of young people from our outer suburbs, from the bush, disadvantaged backgrounds. The second point I’d make is where a young person finds themselves in a situation that you have just pointed out, universities have legal obligations. We have to provide that student with a teach out plan. It basically means that they’ve got to enable that student to complete that degre, to complete the study of that course, or find a mutually acceptable alternative at no disadvantage to that student. That’s the law. That is the law. That’s the legal requirement under the act.
But I’d make the point that where universities are making decisions that affect students, it significantly affects staff or students, then talk to them. Listen to them. Work with them. Consult with them properly.
Can I make the general point here that I want to see more young people get a crack at going to university. There are more young people starting a university degree this year than ever before. When you take out the two years of cove is an anomaly, more young people starting a degree this year than ever before.
And universities are telling me they expect more students next year than this year. In the next 10 years, we expect an extra 200,000 young Australians to take on a university degree. And so universities need to get ready for that. That’s what the universities accord is all about.
That includes the work we’re doing to fund more bridging courses. For young peep that aren’t ready to start a university degree and do one of those free courses that builds a bridge from school to university. It includes the work we’re doing on paid prac, financial support for teaching and nursing and midwifery, while they do the practical part of their degree and includes a demand driven system for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
If they get the marks, they get a Commonwealth supported place. I’ll introduce legislation to make that a reality too because I want us to be a country where you can’t tell where someone gree up based on whether they’ve got a university degree or not. Can I also briefly say this? That is that if you don’t think that we’ve got a problem with governance of universities at the moment, then you’ve probably been living under a rock. That’s why I’ve introduced a national student ombudsman and a Senate inquiry about this right now and an expert pan that will give me advice on this and other education ministers in the next couple of weeks. It’s why I announced last week plans to increase the powers available to the university regulator
The Coalition in the senate is being just as ridiculous.
James McGrath just asked if the government could finally rule out taxing ‘spare bedrooms’ in the family home. I think this has all come from a proposal put forward by the analytics firm Cotality ahead of the economic roundtable, which was to tax spare bedrooms, in order to address the housing issue, as well as the tax deficit.
It was an idea. Put forward by a third party. At a summit which was designed to discuss IDEAS. Which the Coalition has now decided to make it’s entire personality.
These people are just being punishes for the sake of it now.
Penny Wong:
I know that those opposite are uncomfortable with the fact that the party that went to the election with higher taxes is you and I know Senator McGrath and others on the front in the coalition are on the record as wanting smaller government, and it must be very hard for them to deal with the fact that the party who went to the last election with higher taxes for every taxpayer is the coalition. Now what the Prime Minister has said is that we will be implementing the tax policy we took to the last election towards making the tax system more efficient and fairer. We’re going to be implementing our policy to give every Australian taxpayer tax cut. We cut taxes for every Australian on the first of July 2024 and we will do it again for the first of July 2026 and again on the first of July 2027 I think it has been very clear that there is one party which has been focused on making our tax system fairer, and that is the Australian Labor Party.
McGrath then asks if every family ‘forced to move’ by the non-existent spare bedroom tax that doesn’t exist will be found safe accommodation near by. This is the standard of stupid we are being served up at the moment by the opposition. The stupid is not just stupiding, it is contagious.
Now Daniel Mulino is being asked to rule out any changes to how the family home is being taxed.
Honestly, this is just so tiring.
Mulino must feel the same way:
It reminds me of the old same the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome. I’ve just received four questions asking me to rule things out and I’ll say very briefly our tax policies are very clear. We have already delivered a HECS cut. We’ve already delivered a freeze in the beer excise and I keep working on those policies every day.
You can add Bob Katter to the calls for a domestic gas reserve. This comes after the AWU also officially called for the government to create a gas reserve. The tide is turning folks.
Prime Minister, the announced closure of Mt Isa’s copper smelter takes down mines and Australia’s giant fertiliser plant. Townsville enterprise estimates 15,000 jobs vanish. The and unpleasantness, not withstanding gas prices are $16, and Russia and America is $6. Surely a gas reserve resource policy is imperative? Further financial assist be given on a conditional 50% government ownership basis only to Glencorp. Enrich the aquifers of your soul, enhancing your Christianity and patriotism?
Of course being Katter, the question goes to the theological. Moving on.
Albanese:
And I thank the member for Kennedy for his usual eloquence when it comes to asking a question. And indeed my spirits have been uplifted whenever I’ve been with him in Mt Isa, including I think being the first Prime Minister since Hawke to go to the Mt Isa rodeo and visiting the facilities there at Glencorp which I’ve done at least on four occasions at both the years for both the member for Kennedy and myself have been in this chamber.
I understand and I’m very sympathetic with the member’s position. The Minister for Industry and science and I’ll ask his rep here to supplement this question, he’s been working with the Queensland Premier Crisafulli, as had direction discussions with the Premier as well.
The closure of the copper mine and we know how important these facilities are to the Mt Icea community. Part of the future made in Australia agenda is our understanding the areas like critical minerals are important for us and they are impacted by policies, whether it be domestic policies of some countries, such as the US, changes that they have made to tariffs. As well as the actions of countries such as China, as well, in the way they’ve responded on international markets. We’ll continue to work constructively. I know how important this is for the member for Kennedy. I was there this year as I have been just about every year.
Pat Conroy supplements the answer:
I also applaud the member for Kennedy’s long leadership on this issue. He’s fighting very hard for his community. As the Prime Minister said, Minister Ayres is engaging with the state government about this issue. As the Prime Minister has said, let’s be clear, a highly profitable has done very well out of Australia and it’s time for Glencore to be good for Australia. It is also important that Australian gas has to be available and affordable for all Australians. And that’s why we’ve launched a review into the mechanisms involved there. This follows our work on capping coal and gas prices which those opposite oppose. And will focus on making gas more affordable for manufacturers so that Mt Isa has a strong future into the next few
The opposition asked if the government would rule out cuts to the Fuel Tax Credit Scheme.
The Fuel Tax Credit Scheme is a great big subsidy for those who use diesel. It costs the budget $10 billion per year. It is Australia’s largest fossil fuel subsidy.
The biggest beneficiaries are miners. Coal mining businesses alone are getting more than $1 billion.
Reform of this huge subsidy would save the budget billions and help us reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
At the recent productivity roundtable there was talk about forcing electric vehicles to pay a road user charge. It seems strange that we are thinking of pursuing a tax on electric vehicles before we get rid of enormous subsidies for people using diesel.
There are a bunch of interjections and points of order and it is all just so pointless.
Chalmers continues:
The numbers that we saw today which I ran through a moment ago, were monthly figures which were often impacted by a volatile and one-off factors and they were in this instance and the biggest influence on the number the Shadow Treasurer has mentioned is the timing of the energy bill rebates that we are providing on this side of the House which those opposite don’t want us to be provided. That does go to a very important difference, Mr Speaker.
This side of the House providing help with electricity bills. That side of the House trying to prevent it. If they had their way, energy prices would be higher. Let me give you numbers – electricity prices in July would have been 7.9% higher without the energy rebates we are rolling out with our state and territory colleagues.
Second point, the timing of rebates in Western Australia, Queensland and Tasmania were the biggest contributor to the volatility and if this is the most important point, if you look at the official quarterly figures, electricity fell 6.2% through the year to the June quarter but they would have risen 1.7% without our rebates which was the course those opposite wanted, Mr Speaker.
…The member for fair can have as many nuclear meltdowns as he likes. The truth is we’re helping people with electricity bills. You’d prefer that we didn’t and that’s the difference.
Because we haven’t been punished enough this week it is time for Ted O’Brien, best described as if bumptious was made a person, to ask a question:
Can the Treasurer explain to the House why electricity prices have jumped an extraordinary 13% over the past 12 I give the call to the months?
Jim Chalmers:
Mr Speaker, I want to be really clear and say that the last person on earth that I’ll be lectured about energy prices is the member for Fairfax. The very last person on earth that I’d be lectured on energy prices is the member for Fairfax. The last people who took the member for Fairfax seriously on energy prices used to sit over there and now they watch Question Time from home.
And that was the madness of the nuclear meltdown that the member for Fairfax was responsible for and the pure madness of it was he wanted to waste hundreds of billions of dollars building nuclear reactors that would push energy prices up, not down, Mr Speaker. And we saved the Australian people from his madness.
Oh God, now the Coalition is back on the fuel tax credit scheme, which they like to pretend is helping hard working farmers but actually is just benefiting the mining industry.
Daniel Mulino takes this one (will the government rule out any changes to the fuel tax credit subsidy) and says:
I’m asked about the government’s tax policies. What I can say is that the government went to the last election with a very clear set of tax policies. Those tax policies included reducing taxes on every single taxpayer. What I might say is that reflects successive years in which we have reduced taxes on every single taxpayer. I might just by way of contrast, I know this question wasn’t about the Opposition, but it’s worth adding in that there is a direct contrast to those opposite who went to the last election with an explicit policy of coming into this place after the election and raising taxes on every single taxpayer
Which is not an answer, leaving open the prospect of the stupidest political fight the parliament has seen since the super tax changes.
Dipping into the senate and it is just as much a mess as always, but not as bad as the house today. Which is saying something.
Questions there have focused on the same line of attack on the IRGC listing timing as what we are seeing in the House, although the Coalition have given these questions to Liberal senator Claire Chandler, rather than Michaelia Cash.
There has also been attacks over Labor’s housing policy (criticism is of course very fair, but as always the Coalition misses the mark on what actually needs to be criticised) and Labor’s Tim Ayres responds with:
Senator, just put yourself in the shoes of those young Australians who are facing year after year after year of trying to save for a deposit, and this government has delivered for them consistent with our election commitment an even better proposition, bringing forward 5% home deposits for many young Australians, brings for them, in a practical and real way, some hope of being able to purchase a home and to save a deposit.
For some of them, that means a decade less savings paying somebody else’s mortgage, and what do we have from Senator Bragg – whinging in negativity, trying to find any reason why young Australians should be denied this opportunity?
He said yesterday that the children of billionaires will be getting access to this well, I’ll give you the tip if you’re a billionaire son or daughter and you’re worried (about saving for a deposit)….
He is interrupted, but you get the drift.
Sussan Ley is back:
In 2023, the Senate references committee on foreign affairs, defence and trade recommended that the Australian Government list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation. Prime Minister, why did your government take a deliberate decision to reject that recommendation two years ago?
Anthony Albanese:
On these issues, we take advice from the intelligence agencies, we go through our appropriate processes, including our national security committee, we’ve look at the legislation which at the moment would not enable us to list the legislation that we inherited as well from the former government.
And the member for Canning has made it very clear that he has had that view for a period of time going back to prior to him being a minister, indeed as chair of the committee.
And spoke about the fact that members, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Minister for Home Affairs, the former Leader of the Opposition, the former member for Dickson as well all sat on those committees. And this was a time where the chair of the intelligence committee, according to themselves, was recommending this. What we have done is take advice from the intelligence agencies. That came through on Monday. We had appropriate meetings and acted like adults in the national interest. That is what we will continue to do.
Greens MP Elizabeth Watson-Brown brings down the temperature in the chamber by asking:
The Australian Council of Trade Unions recently called on the Government to implement a 4-day working week. Studies have shown this boosts the health and happiness of workers and significantly boosts businesses’ productivity. When will the government commit to a national plan for a 4-day work week with no loss of pay?
Amanda Rishworth:
I’d like to thank the member for her question. And making sure that Australians have decent wages and conditions has been at the heart of what our government has done in our first term and continues to be what we focus on today.
We have in the Senate our penalty rates bill to protect penalty rates and it is disappointing those opposite have been playing with delaying tactics in the Senate to stop allowing those workers to get the protections they deserve. But of course when it comes to flexibility at work, our government put through laws in the last term that do allow workers to request flexibility at work. Whether that’s in the location of where they work or indeed how they might have a span of hours such as compacted work weeks.
We believe that we need a strong safety net in this country. But of course there is flexibility for workers and unions, as well as employers to get together to organise what works for them. So we will continue to make sure the protections are in place within the laws but importantly encourage enterprise bargaining where many of these conditions are put into place. I might say that one of the key things that our government wanted to achieve is to ensure that there was more enterprise bargaining in this country.
Of course, it feel a record low under those opposite. I am very, very pleased to report to the House as of today, there are more workers covered by enterprise bargaining than ever in the history since enterprise bargaining was first introduced. That is because we have been absolutely focused on getting workers and their unions back to the bargaining table to deliver better wages and better conditions.
He continues:
We also in the weeks following October 7 terrorist attack, we committed $25 million for improved safety and security at Jewish sites across the country including schools. We added to that within 24 hours of being requested, $32.5 million for security measures for schools and synagogues. We passed legislation to criminalise hate speech.
We provided $250,000 towards the replacement and restoration of torah scrolls in the synagogue. $1.2 million for security upgrades to current buildings and $30 million to restore the synagogue and community centre.
And I was the first Prime Minister to visit the school there at Adass. We provided $8.5 million to the Sydney Jewish Museum and I went for the member for Wentworth and the centre of Jewish life and tolerance.
We announced $100 million for countering violent extremism and provided additional $4 million to expand the social cohesion work of Together for Humanity in Schools and provided $4.4 million to establish the national Holocaust education centre here in Canberra.
Now this will be accessible to the more than 160,000 school students who visit Canberra each year. I myself was able to welcome Enfield Public School about an hour or so ago.
They may be in the gallery. It is important that when people visit the centre just like they visit the National Gallery or the National Museum, the Australian War Memorial, part of that itinerary for young Australians is a part of raising the issue of anti-Semitism, of education, we will do. We committed $18 million to the Jewish Arts Quarter in Melbourne.
I’m asked also in the original question as well about the response of the Jewish community. The Jewish community, the government’s actions send a powerful message that terrorism, foreign interference and hate have no place in Australia.
“The government has acted promptly and appropriately in response to ASIO’s confirmation of this Iranian aggression against Australia.” The New South Wales and Jewish Board of Deputies,
“The Government has taken the right and appropriate steps in prescribing the IRGC and expelling Iranian diplomats based in Australia.”
The Iranian community, as well, “We welcome the Australian Government’s decision to expel the ambassador, the Islamic Republic of Iran following ASIO’s information.” The Australian Iranian community organisation – “We commend Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his government for their clear and resolute actions. By taking this courageous stand, Australia is not only safeguarding its own national security, but also upholding justice, diversity and the protection of all its citizens regardless of faith or heritage.”
Mr Speaker, we on this side of the House, and I would hope across the parliament, understand that there are times when the nation should just come together.
I would have thought that yesterday was one of those times and it was.
It’s a pity it hasn’t lasted till today.
Anthony Albanese gets an extension to speak on what the government has done on anti-Semitism and uses it to deliver this speech:
One of the first things Ms [Jillian] Segal did was attend the World Envoys on Anti-Semitism Conference in South America because other countries have had envoys for a long, long period of time.
A long period of time. Never happened until under this government.
We of course established special operation with the AFP and the intelligence agencies to combat acts of anti-Semitism. What they have done is make rather extraordinary findings after hard work about the caravan incident in Sydney. And then about the incidents in Melbourne with the Adass Synagogue and the restaurant in Bondi.
Important work going through the chain of command, tracing it to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard in Iran, and working backwards with those people who were paid both offshore and onshore to commit what are criminal acts driven overseas by anti-Semitism, driven by some of the perpetrators as simply being petty and some cases not so petty criminals in order to be paid to do that.
We have imposed new counter terrorism sanctions on Iran. We’ve had a landmark ban on the Nazi salute and hate symbols. Never happened before. With penalties of one-year imprisonment or a fine of up to $16,500.
We have criminalised something that was raised by the Jewish community, legislation that was opposed by the Coalition when we did it last year. We have worked with states and territories on a national hate crimes and incident database.
We have appointed Australia’s first national student ombudsman and just this week on Monday I met once again, as I have never year, for a couple of decades with the Australian Union of Jewish Students, talking to them directly about what they had gone through in recent times and talking to them as well about something that is not new.
… Anti-Semitism is not new. It’s been around for a long period of time, as has Neo-Nazis as well been around for a long period of time. And ASIO have warned about the rise of hard right extremism and of course we see, we see tragically in recent times, we’ll have more to say when the police are able to confirm issues and we await those announcements before we raise them in the House.
Julian Leeser is up next:
For over two years the Government has ignored warnings from the Persian community, the Jewish community and the Coalition community about Iran. …Why is it that this government is always playing catch-up?
There was more to that question, but I missed it.
Anthony Albanese:
The member of course asked, who asked the question, has a record of standing up on racial issues across the board, including his support for Indigenous Australians. What we’re seeing here, though, is a political response which is entirely inappropriate and entirely different from the leadership of the Jewish community that he raises.
Alex Hawke is immediately on his feet:
The Prime Minister couldn’t avoid making an inference on the member for Berowra. That’s not political attack the member is making. It’s a genuine point of order. It is something the member for Berowra has a longstanding track record and feeling passionately
Mark Dreyfus is warned for interjecting.
Alex Hawke:
The imputation against the member for Berowra. The imputation he’s doing something for a motivation that is political. He’s not. He’s a longstanding track record on these issues and raised a question. It’s completely unnecessary for the Prime Minister to accuse him on a national security issue of being political.
Milton Dick says the prime minister is responding.
Albanese:
The Member for Canning this morning went through the process when he was on the appropriate committee, the chair of the intelligence committee in the, when the former government was in office. He said this, we put it through the right channels but nonetheless here we are now. I had a number of ministers who had direct interest from foreign affairs, defence and so on.
Anyone who sat on the national security committee of cabinet had an interest in what we did on the committee. It wasn’t listed but here we are.
I thank the member for Canning for his ongoing response when it comes to national security issues. I acknowledge his service in our uniform. The fact is that the Iranian regime did not come in to office after this regime here in 2022. The Iranian regime have been there for a long period of time. And have engaged in activity that has been inappropriate. They have a different world view to everyone in this chamber.
That should be a bipartisan position.
But the withdrawal of an ambassador is a very serious step indeed to take. That is the step that we have taken. And when it comes to the Revolutionary Guard, because it is an arm of the state, the advice that we receive is that it will need special legislation, unlike other terror groups which have been listed which are not part of a state operation.
That has been the case under the former government and it’s still the case today which is why we will take the time to get the legislation right and to make sure it is channelled.
But I must say in response to – I hope I get another question or perhaps an extension – I’m happy to go through what the government has done when it comes to anti-Semitism across the board because we’ve had a comprehensive response he raises the envoy on anti-Semitism. We created it. They never did it. They never did it. Envoys of anti-Semitism, envoys on anti-Semitism have existed in the US, in other countries right around the the world.
He is out of time.
Sussan Ley opens up questions in the House:
The Coalition welcomes the expulsion of the Iranian ambassador and stand ready to pass laws today to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation. We called on the Government to expel the ambassador last year and demanded the IRGC be listed as a terrorist organisation more than two years ago. Since then the Iranian regime has sponsored attacks on Australian soil. Prime Minister, why didn’t you act sooner when the warnings were so clear and the risks so grave?
Anthony Albanese:
The bipartisanship that yesterday was offered – unequivocal bipartisan support to what is the response of the Government. And the statement I want to make it abundantly clear on behalf of the Coalition that while we sit opposite from the Government in this chamber, we’re entirely united behind the measures. Hasn’t lasted that long.
One of the things that we have to do, one of the things that we… the member for Canning did an interview this morning [Andrew Hastie].. where he was asked, why didn’t the Coalition list it during its time in Government?”
The member responded, “That’s a good question. I was the chair of the intelligence committee. I was always keen to list it.”
He’s talking about the then Attorney-General and the then leadership under the various ministers that were there in office. He then went on to say, did another interview as well yesterday, that was today, yesterday he said, I think we should have listed the IRGC sooner but I understand our intelligence agencies had to stack it all up and do so in a forensic matter.”
We take these issues very seriously. We listen to intelligence agencies, we don’t try to second guess them, we don’t as occurred with the caravan incident, we wait for the proper advice, we get proper briefings, and then we act on it.
We act by taking the advice of ASIO, as well as the Australian Federal Police. We got the advice on Monday morning. And acted as soon as possible, given the need to get Australian personnel out of Tehran safely. The idea that there was any delay between Monday morning and Tuesday and Tuesday… …When we acted to for the first time in the post war era expel an ambassador. Something that those opposite or previous Labor governments have not done in the entire post war period. This is very serious and it deserves a serious response.
It doesn’t deserve looking for political distinction and doesn’t deserve the sort of approach we’ve seen with the interviews that have taken place in between yesterday at 2:00pm and this morning.
The senate just had to finish a statement on cat rescues, prompting the senate president Sue Lines to quip ‘the time for speaking about cats is over’ which is OUTRAGEOUS. There is always time to talk about cats.
Here are mine:
On Monday, Labor and the Coalition voted down David Pocock’s motions calling for ANU to produce documents related to its “Renew ANU” cuts, staff surveys, and ANU Chancellor Julie Bishop’s emails to council members alleging breaches of confidentiality.
Yesterday embattled ANU Vice-Chancellor Genevieve Bell welcomed the move with a sentence structure known to every struggling university administrator in 2025: a noun, a verb, and Donald Trump.
Bell spoke about the motions in no uncertain terms, calling them “new territory for us and the sector more broadly”, adding:
I want to be very clear that we have all watched the overreach of politicians into daily operations of American universities and the consequences have been far reaching.
American universities are being blackmailed with losing billions of dollars in government funding over supposedly not doing enough to discipline pro-Palestine protestors, a clear case of political interference in higher education. ANU on the other hand is being subject to requests for basic transparency after testimony in Senate Estimates alleged that Chancellor Julie Bishop bullied and threatened members of ANU Council. The contrast seems clear.
Perhaps the ANU, whose “broad range of activities around security” – again, allegedly – included tracking student movements and social media accounts to identify pro-Palestine protestors, might consider using a different analogy to claim victimhood in future.
Considering that the ANU may have previously misled the Senate by potentially misrepresenting the amount of money it had spent engaging the consulting group Nous, concerns about transparency are not new.
Bell further defended her university’s conduct, saying “Materials which we can release are already published on the website including staff surveys”. But ANU had previously attempted to block the release of those surveys due to their potential to “have a substantial adverse effect on the proper and efficient conduct” on the university. In fact, their release only came after a Canberra Times article criticised ANU for keeping the survey results secret.
ANU is in a severe governance crisis. And if their university administration accused of bullying, protest crackdowns, and misleading Australia’s democratically elected Parliament wants to find something to compare to Trump, perhaps it should look in the mirror.
OK, question time! Let’s go!
Grab what you need to get through it (I am not advocating for Valium, but I am also not, not advocating for Valium)
We are about to enter the airing of MP grievances portion of the day (the 90-second statements) but in the lead up, the government has been very busy pointing to what it considers wins.
Clare O’Neil made statements updating how many people have taken up the 5% deposit scheme and Anthony Albanese, who returned from Wagga Wagga in record time, came into the chamber to give a speech on the cheaper medicines legislation.
Here is what Housing Australia is advertising on its website:
What does the Antipoverty Centre mean when it says reforms?
Thanks for asking – here you are:
So-called debts are generally due to errors in the system or unfair, confusing rules. These include partner and parental income tests, the effect of wages on Centrelink payments and access barriers for people experiencing homelessness and family violence. A lawful “debt” is rarely a fair debt. The government must stop treating accounting and administrative errors that lead to overpayments as cause for punishment and abandon its punitive debt recovery approach.
The government must immediately pause debt-raising and collection activities until safe processes for recovering overpayments are implemented.
In addition, we call on the government to make the following changes:
The Antipoverty Centre has also responded to the the government announcement it will waive some of the unlawful income apportionment debt, but says that doesn’t deliver in the promise to implement the Robodebt Royal Commission recommendations.
It wants the government to work with it for more meaningful reforms to ensure no one else is harmed.
Antipoverty Centre spokesperson and JobSeeker recipient Jay Coonan said:
It is a relief to see the government beginning to take some action in response to its unlawful debt recovery, but we know these changes will not protect poor people from the harm done by debt raising and collection practices. They do not go anywhere near implementing the Robodebt Royal Commission recommendations that the government committed to two years ago.
It should not have taken so long and it should not have taken so much work by welfare recipients and advocates for this progress to be made.
The government must work with welfare recipients to make bigger changes that will ensure we are safe, and have stability and control over our lives. This must include the reintroduction of the 6 year time limit on debt recovery, which is glaringly absent from this announcement.
When you are poor, it hits you like a lightning bolt when you find out you have any debt, let alone one that’s long in the past. We are grateful that some pressure will be taken off those who will have their debt removed, but nothing the government has announced can adequately compensate for the distress, wasted time, financial strain and other impacts of being pursued for unfair debts over such a long period.
The culture and purpose of Centrelink’s debt collection must be dismantled and replaced with a model that treats us with humanity. Accounting and administrative errors must not be seen as cause for punishment and punitive “debt” recovery approaches must be abandoned. It must remove unfair and confusing rules that contribute to payment errors. The notion of debt collection must be abandoned in favour of payment accuracy, ensuring people who are underpaid receive what they are owed.
The government should be acting to stop debts before they happen by simplifying the social security system. People are being put in debt, prevented from accessing Centrelink payments they need and forced into unsafe situations due to labyrinthine rules and eligibility requirements. A better system would not allow debt to occur in the first place.
Everything is very normal, and it is very normal that Australia is seeking to strengthen its relationship with a nation openly sliding further into authoritarism and fascism. All very normal. Love this for us.
Earlier this morning, Anthony Albanese attended and spoke at one of News Corps many bush summits, which, given *gestures* News Corp and also that it platforms climate deniers and all sorts of mishmashed minds.
The editor of the Daily Telegraph asked Albanese:
Mate, you’re one of the OGs. You’ve gone to every Bush Summit. You must love it. There’s not many votes here for you. Why do you do it?
Albanese answered:
My job is to represent every Australian, regardless of where they live. During the campaign, in the lead up to May, on day one, I was in Bundaberg and some of the media, believe it or not, were critical and said, why are you going to Hinkler? I was like, because Bundaberg, it’s an important — if you think about Australian produce and making things in Australia, Bundaberg ginger beer is up there.
But during the campaign, I went to Longreach, I went to Karratha, I went to Bega. I was right around the country. Because I’m determined to represent — I came up with Michael [McCormack] this morning from Canberra and as a Prime Minister, I’ve been to Cobar with Michael, I’ve been to Wagga Wagga here, I’ve been to Forbes. I’ve been to regional communities right throughout New South Wales, and it’s always fantastic to get out and about and talk to people. If you just talk to people who agree with you, you won’t learn.
Jim Chalmers has also responded to the monthly inflation data:
New figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show headline and underlying inflation ticked up in July but were still well within the Reserve Bank’s target band.
This is the eighth month in a row that headline and underlying inflation have come in below three per cent.
Volatile and one-off factors including the end of state energy rebates, travel prices and fuel were behind the increase in today’s results.
We know monthly inflation figures can jump around and are less reliable than the quarterly figures because they don’t compare the same basket of goods and services from month to month.
The official quarterly numbers show that both underlying and headline inflation are at their lowest rates in almost four years.
We have made very substantial and sustained progress on inflation.
This progress on inflation has given the RBA confidence to cut rates three times in six months.
Inflation has more than halved since we came to office.
Headline inflation was 2.8 per cent through the year to July 2025, much lower than the 6.1 per cent we inherited.
Annual trimmed mean inflation was 2.7 per cent through the year to July 2025, much lower than what we inherited.
The monthly inflation figures for July came out today, with inflation jumping from 1.9% to 2.8%. So, does this mean that inflation is back? Interest rate cuts are off? Interest rates might have to go back up?
The answer is no, no, and no.
As many people have said the monthly CPI figures are incredibly volatile and should be used with caution. The people saying this includes the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) who publish the numbers. The RBA Governor has previously said that they largely ignore the monthly figures, and that the quarterly CPI is what they focus on.
It seems the main driver of the increase was electricity prices. This in turn was driven by a gap in the government electricity subsidies. Households in NSW and the ACT did not receive payments of the extended Commonwealth Energy Bill Relief Fund (EBRF) in July and will instead receive them in August. This means that we will see a big drop in next months electricity prices as the subsidies kick in. All this highlights the volatile nature of the monthly figures.
Other things that drove the figures higher was an increase in holiday travel and accommodation. July included school holidays when prices for flights and accommodation go up. Again, after the peak period of the school holidays is over, they are likely to fall back in next month’s figures.
Inflation in food has continued to ease but it is still historically high. There have been large increases in included coffee, tea, and cocoa because of poor growing conditions overseas.
In good news, rent increases have decreased further this month. They are now at their lowest annual increase since November 2022.
Monthly inflation jumps around. The real focus for the RBA will be the next quarterly CPI release. This will come out in late October. We should hold judgment on what is happening to inflation till then.
Greens social security spokesperson Penny Allman-Payne says it is a win for the Greens and advocates who have been campaigning for the government to waive the unfair debts, but the battle to scrap mutual obligations continues:
This is a tremendous win for the Greens and for advocates who have been calling on Labor to waive these income apportionment debts and protect people living in poverty from serious harm.
Like Robodebt, the income apportionment scandal has shown the systemic issues with the way our welfare system brutalises people living in poverty over ridiculous errors.
When you’re living week to week on poverty payments, a debt notice from the government can cause your whole life to spiral. Tragically for some it has led them to take their own lives.
The work unpicking Robodebt is far from done. The Greens will continue to push Labor to implement the outstanding Robodebt recommendations including the six year limit on debt recoveries, and to stop the rampant suspension of welfare payments which takes life-saving funds out of the hands of over a hundred thousand people each month.”
Tanya Plibersek and Katy Gallagher have released a statement announcing the government “will wipe almost half of Australia’s social security debt backlog and roll out resolution payments of up to $600 for those impacted by the historical debt calculation method known as income apportionment”
From the statement:
A new $300 million package will invest in a range of measures to ensure our social security system is producing fairer outcomes for Australians.
The threshold for waiving small, accidental debts will be increased for the first time in over 30 years to $250, with around 1.2 million debts expected to be waived or no longer needing to be raised in 2025-26 as a result.
Often, the administrative cost of recouping small, accidental debts is higher than the value of the debt itself, making the process of debt recovery uneconomical. This decision will mean Services Australia can spend more time on significant matters and upholding the integrity of our social security system.
Existing safeguards will be strengthened to ensure the waiver cannot be manipulated.
It will not be available in circumstances of significant non-compliance or fraud and we’ll continue to recover every cent of debt in these circumstances.
People with historical debts affected by income apportionment from 2003 to 2020 will also be eligible to apply for a resolution payment, in recognition of the fact that we now know this method of calculating entitlements was invalid.
To assist those affected to navigate the Resolution Scheme, Economic Justice Australia and the Australian Council of Social Service will each be given $400,000 in funding.
New legislation will be introduced into the Parliament in the coming weeks to implement these measures.
It’s important to remember that in many cases income apportionment only changed the amount of debt owed by an individual by a small amount, and up to a third of those affected actually ended up with a lower debt. Income apportionment was never used by the Albanese Labor Government, but we are dealing with its legacy in the most responsible and cost-effective way that we can.
Today’s announcement is an important first step toward systemic social security debt reform.
More information about the operation of the Income Apportionment Resolution Scheme and how to apply will be available following the passage of legislation. People who then have questions about their debt can contact Services Australia’s income apportionment line on 1800 560 870 or check Services Australia’s website.
Trump’s war on core American institutions has just escalated. On Monday, President Trump fired US Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook, accusing her of mortgage record fraud. This is the first time an American president has attempted to fire a Federal Reserve governor in its century-long existence.
It’s an escalation in his attacks on the Federal Reserve, over his grievance that the central bank has been too slow in cutting interest rates. Trump may well be overstepping his authority. And even if he had the authority to sack her, Cook has not been charged with any wrongdoing through an investigation, which would be required to justify such an unprecedented move.
Perhaps Trump can claim expertise in mortgage fraud: in September 2023, a court found Trump to have fraudulently overvalued his real estate properties to obtain favourable loan and insurance rates. Only last week he had the hefty financial penalty overturned, but the judgement disqualifying him from serving in corporate leadership remains.
Of course, nothing has disqualified him from the US presidency, so he is free to wreak havoc on the institutions that have made America great. If Trump gets his way dismissing an official on a spurious accusation, he will have even less hesitation to strongarm heads of other public institutions to comply with his whims. It also opens up a dangerous precedent for any successor with dictatorial aspirations.
The danger isn’t confined to America. Trump’s attack on the Federal Reserve also risks weakening its position as lynchpin institution for global financial stability.
Donald Trump’s America is now a source of instability and risk for Australia, and it’s time we planned and acted accordingly.
Brittany Higgins can still appeal this decision but the court has found two of the three social media posts Linda Reynolds was seeking damages over were defamatory, finding that they implied Reynolds had pressured Higgins into not proceeding with her genuine complaint of sexual assault and also that Reynolds was a hypocrite in advocating for women’s rights and had mishandled Higgins’ initial allegations in 2019.
Justice Paul Tottle has awarded Reynolds $315,000 in damages, plus $26,000 in damages.
The ruling is still being handed down, but Linda Reynolds has won the case she brought against her former staffer, Brittany Higgins.
We will have more on that for you soon.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics has released the latest inflation data, revealing prices have risen 0.9% in a month.
The Prime Minister’s decision to expel the Iranian Ambassador is making headlines around the world:
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/08/26/australia/australia-iran-antisemitic-attacks-intl-hnk
Foreign Minister Penny Wong says Australia will stand with the Marshall Islands as it rebuilds its Parliament – known as the Nitijela – which was devastated by fire yesterday.
From Washington DC, Deputy PM Richard Marles has posted about another awful incident involving emergency services in Victoria this morning.
A bus has crashed at Stonehaven, just west of Geelong, reportedly killing a female student and seriously injuring a male student.
The Geelong Advertiser is reporting that 40 local students were aboard the bus when it rolled at around 8:20am.
The Member for Wentworth, Allegra Spender, has released a statement following revelations that Iran was behind the attack on Lewis’ Continental Kitchen in her electorate.
Confirmation that Iran has orchestrated attacks against the Australian Jewish community, including
Bondi’s Lewis’ Continental Kitchen is horrifying but not entirely surprising.
The Australian Jewish community has sounded the alarm on Iran for years and as an MP I have
advocated for stronger action against the regime, including listing the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as
a terrorist organisation, since I was elected.
We now know Iran has been behind at least two attacks in Australia and the ongoing investigation
may reveal more.
I am being briefed by ASIO and speaking directly to the Minister for Home Affairs and his
department.
I have also spoken to the owners of Lewis’ Continental Kitchen who are still dealing with the
aftermath of last year’s firebombing, and I have taken their concerns to the government.
I am working closely with Jewish Australian community leaders and pushing for the government to
commit the funding and resources necessary to ensure the safety of everyone in our community.
Jewish Australians belong here in Australia and must feel safe when they take their kids to school,
go about their lives, or head to work or the synagogue. These are fundamental rights that all
Australians expect and that Jewish Australians must enjoy too.
I am hearing reports that the Iranian Ambassador to Australia, Ahmad Sadeghi, has just vacated the residence in the Canberra suburb of O’Malley.
Morning all.
I began my day chatting with journalists about our new research on greenwashing in Australian universities.
It’s quite insidious. These organisations teach climate science, yet happily take fat cheques from fossil fuel companies causing the problem. Hypocrisy 1.0.
Another thing that perplexes me this morning is the situation Sussan Ley finds herself in. Michaelia Cash‘s freelancing on the Iran situation is unusual, damaging and – like her freelancing on climate policy – appears to be a cheap attempt to undermine her leader. To what end? Why now? Strange.
The other thing I’m keeping an eye on today is the decision in the Brittany Higgins-Linda Reynolds defamation case.
And, of course, the unfolding situation in Porepunkah.
I spent five wonderful years running regional newsrooms, based in Albury, and I know these communities well. My heart goes out to the families of the police officers involved.
In about an hour, WA Supreme Court Justice Paul Tottle will hand down his verdict in Linda Reynolds’ defamation case against Brittany Higgins. We will bring you all those updates.
I am going to hand you over to Glenn Connley for a wee bit while I finish up another assignment I am in imminent danger of missing a deadline on (imminent deadlines are like crack to journalists, we really love pushing it to the extremes, as my poor book publisher has learnt) but I will be back in plenty of time for question time.
Be good and see you soon Ax
Greens senator Peter Whish-Wilson has said the quiet part outloud – Anthony Albanese attending the News Corp Bush Summit is giving credibility to some of the other speakers, who are let’s say a bit batshit when it comes to climate:
News Corp’s Bush Summit appears designed to give a platform to some of the country’s most extreme and disturbing anti-net zero, anti-climate action rhetoric.
It is an echo chamber of dangerous, conservative, climate-denying policy fuelled by a mining billionaire and used to peddle misinformation on the climate action necessary to meet our Paris climate commitments.
The fact the PM is skipping parliament to attend a conference with dangerous climate deniers tells you everything you need to know about where Labor’s own climate priorities lie.
Why attend this toxic summit designed to undermine climate action just prior to setting critical national emissions reduction targets?
The PM’s attendance at News Corp’s Bush Summit is an endorsement of the anti-net zero crusaders it celebrates and should be condemned.”
That sound you hear is the faux-rage political industry whirring up because the government has offered three preliminary feasibility licences for the off-shore Bunbury Zone in WA. Andrew Hastie, who has wrangled control of the WA Liberals and is now firmly in charge of direction – which is also leading the hard right in the federal parliamentary party – has previously spoken out on this. The Queensland LNP have cancelled wind power projects and have put others under intense review, as the politics overwhelms the evidence, once again.
Chris Bowen announced:
The Albanese Labor Government is taking the next steps in establishing our offshore wind industry, with the offer of three preliminary feasibility licences in Western Australia’s Bunbury Zone.
In the southern area of the zone Westward Wind and Bunbury Offshore Wind South have resolved an overlap between their projects. They join a third project, also owned by Bunbury Offshore Wind Farm project in the northern area of the zone that is currently in consultation for a preliminary feasibility license.
The three proposed offshore wind projects off the coast of Bunbury could generate a total of 2.5 GW, enough to power around 1.7 million homes in Western Australia.
Should these projects go ahead, they could employ over 1,500 workers during construction and another 600 ongoing jobs. These are well paid, high-value jobs – engineers, technicians, operators, riggers, divers, project managers and administrators. And they’re jobs that will rely on the skilled workforce that’s already in the region.
Traditional owners will now have time to consider the impacts of the Westward Wind and Bunbury Offshore Wind projects before they are offered a final feasibility licence.
Wind With Purpose are still responding to an initial decision not to grant them a licence for the Catalpa Offshore Wind Farm.
Australia’s offshore wind industry is progressing, with feasibility licences granted for projects targeting a total of 24.21 GW of renewable energy and preliminary offers for another 5.4 GW.
The three west coast projects add to the 12 feasibility projects currently under development on the east coast, with more to come.
The United States has put 50% tariffs on India, which it says is a punishment for buying Russian oil. It amounts to a sanction on the supposed ally, and this comes after lots of talks between the Trump administration and the Indian government.
So it’s almost like speaking to Trump doesn’t matter?
Israel has taken credit for the Australian government decision to expel the Iranian ambassador.
The ABC reports Israel’s government spokesperson David Mencer said Australia had been shamed into taking action by Benjamin Netanyahu’s criticism of Anthony Albanese. From the report:
Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu has made a very forthright intervention when it comes to Australia, a country in which we have a long history of friendly relations,” Mr Mencer said in response to a question from the ABC.
“He made those comments because he did not believe that the actions of the Australian government had gone anywhere near far enough to address the issues of antisemitism. He made very forthright comments about the prime minister himself.
“We certainly see it from Israel that Australia taking the threats against Israel and the Jewish people, Jewish Australians living in Australia — for the Australian government to take those threats seriously is a positive outcome.”
Tony Burke was asked to respond to that this morning by ABC radio’s Sabra Lane and said:
Complete nonsense and, you know, whatever is said by anyone else doesn’t change the obligation of Anthony Albanese as Australian Prime Minister to defend and protect Australians.
There was not a minute between us receiving this assessment and us starting to work through what we do as a response. And as I say, in terms of the response, this is the first time post-war that – in the post-war era that we’ve expelled an Ambassador. You don’t do it lightly. It’s not something without cost to Australia as well. You try to keep embassies open as long as you can.
But the reality, the reality is we as a government had to draw a line when Australians have been attacked in this way.
Evergreen reminder:
Just for context, yesterday Tony Burke introduced legislation which would give the government power to deport people classified as ‘non-citizens’ (meaning their asylum application has been denied, or they have been stripped of their visa) who can not be deported to the country of birth, to a third country like Nauru. Australia does not deport people back to countries where the person may face torture or death. But Nauru can.
The parliament session has begun and just like yesterday, it started with the home affairs minister Tony Burke introducing new legislation. This one seems to broaden surveillance of telecommunications;
It also appears to be retrospective:
1) Subsection 45B(9A) of the Surveillance Devices Act 2004 as 3 inserted by this Schedule applies in relation to the use, recording or 4 communication of protected network activity warrant information 5
after the commencement of this Schedule, whether that information 6 was obtained or generated before or after that commencement.
And it changes the definition of “lawfully accessed information” (the current definition can be found here)
Repeal the definition, substitute: 7 lawfully accessed information means information obtained by 8
accessing a stored communication otherwise than in contravention 9 of subsection 108(1), but does not include:10 (a) information obtained by accessing a stored communication 11 under a section 31A authorisation; or 12 (b) information obtained in accordance with an international 13 production order (within the meaning of Schedule 1)
So is it an intelligence failure?
Anthony Albanese:
No, in fact, this is a rather extraordinary intelligence success by Asia and the Australian Federal Police in today’s world where things are often done on the dark web, and where you have encrypted messages, cryptocurrencies, transfers, you have a complex situation here, and it’s an extraordinary effort by ASIO and the AFP to be able to trace the chain of command, if you like, right back to the IRGC, through to the people who perpetrated these criminal acts.
Anthony Albanese is speaking to ABC radio Melbourne, where he is asked how Iran did what ASIO and the government are accusing it of.
I’m reluctant to go into too much detail about how that occurred, but what the intelligence agencies and the AFP have been able to do is to trace the connections between people and how it occurred from overseas right through to Australia, using criminal elements here in Australia to engage in what is an incredibly dangerous act of aggression orchestrated by a foreign nation on Australian soil.
Why does Anthony Albanese think Iran did this?
There are two motivations, clearly, anti-Semitism, that’s very much a part of the ideology of the leadership of Iran. But secondly, also, it’s clearly aimed at disharmony in Australia, about it’s an attack on our social fabric, on and on who we are. And so it’s very clear from the advice that we received from ASIO that both the Lewis Continental Kitchen in Sydney and the Adass Israel synagogue there in Melbourne were arisen from Iran, from the Iran Revolutionary Guard, and that is been working in concert with criminal elements, both overseas and here domestically.
Penny Wong also spoke to the Nine Network:
Q: There are, from what I can glean, more than 3,000 Aussies in Iran. You may have a more specific number. It’s difficult to conjure a more threatening environment for them right now.
Wong:
It is, and we’ve expressed publicly our concern about Australians going to Iran. I have said to Iranian Australians, please do not travel to Iran. Iran is do not travel. We now have no embassy there, no Australian base, diplomats to assist you. We have, obviously, concerns about people travelling. So, my message is, if you are in Iran, you should come home.
Q: Any further help?
Wong:
And if you’re thinking of going to Iran, please don’t. Well, our capacity, Karl, to provide assistance in Iran is limited. And now we have no staff from the Department of Foreign Affairs in Tehran and that’s public. But, you know, we had to make that decision.
Q:: Tehran has responded overnight saying they didn’t do it, saying you have aligned yourselves with Zionist policies. It’s an assault on diplomacy. How do you respond?
Wong:
Well, what I would say is this Australian Government is not going to countenance a foreign regime engaging in activities in Australia which are not just about sowing division, they are that. But they are also violent acts which harm or have the potential to harm Australians. It’s not acceptable.
Q: There are clearly spies and operatives in Australia aligned with extreme ideologies. Was this a security breach, do you believe? I think Aussies have a right to feel a little uneasy about everything.
Wong:
What I’d say to Australians is we have security agencies, we have the Australian Federal Police, we have ASIO, we have an intelligence community which is very focused on making sure you are kept safe. And the government has taken unprecedented action in response to what those agencies have found.
Q: Will you take any further action?
Wong:
Look, these are big steps. These are unprecedented steps. No government has taken such a step. We thought it was the right time, given that the actions, as I said, crossed a very clear line.
On Michaelia Cash’s performance, Wong says:
I would like to through this clearly. First in relation to the IRGC they are already sanctioned. I have put more sanctions on them. In fact we have put more sanctions and taken more decisive action, stronger action against Iran than ever occurred while she was Attorney- General or while the Government of which she was a part was in government. So, that’s the first point. The second in relation to the Ambassador, yes, he has made anti-Semitic remarks which are unacceptable. And we dealt with that. The reason we have expelled him now is because the Iranian regime has crossed a line. The Iranian regime has crossed a line and that is why we are taking the unprecedented action we are taking.
Penny Wong also spoke on the same program and was asked about the expulsion of the Iranian ambassador and said:
We took from the ASIO assessment a very clear understanding that is we have a foreign government who was working to engage in and orchestrate violent attacks on Australians on Australian soil.
So we have made an unprecedented decision which is to expel an Ambassador for the first time since World War II. Now, we retain diplomatic relations with a lot of countries we don’t agree with it. We do it for our interests and also because of Australians in those countries as well as the capacity to engage with them. This crossed a line. That is why we’ve taken this unprecedented decision. We’ve also closed… suspended our operations in Tehran and removed Australian personnel there.
Michaelia Cash though, has found her new dogwhistle:
That is pathetic. That is a pathetic response, Clare. two and a half years ago we could’ve stood together and listed this organisation. Instead, we have the Islamic Republic of Iran, they don’t share the same values as us, they seek to kill people on Australian soil.
You and your government have a lot answer today. Penny Wong, Mark Dreyfus, Clare O’Neill. You were warned. The Coalition, the Iranian community here in Australia, told you this This is the letter and you said no. You have some serious explaining to do today. Yes, we will stand with you, ring on the legislation. Enough is enough. Let’s list these people for what they are, terrorist, who have sought to kill Australians on Australian soil.
Israel killed an Australian aid worker and Michaelia Cash has been full throated in her support for Israel, including pushing back against the largely symbolic recognition of Palestine. And let’s not pretend that the IRGC would need to have been a terrorist organisation for Australian security agencies to be watching them. It’s literally what their job is. To spy on what they consider threats, and that includes those not officially listed under terrorist registers.
Michaelia Cash is really leaning into her hard right conservative era. She spent a good chunk of her morning ‘debate’ with Clare O’Neil on the Seven network harking back to two-and-a-half years ago when the Coalition got a bee in its bonnet about the IRGC and wanted it listed as a terrorist organisation (something it didn’t do during its preceding nine years in government) and O’Neil, the then home affairs minister and Mark Dreyfus, the then attorney-general, said no.
Because you tend to need a reason to do these things. And the IRGC is also essentially the Iranian government so it’s a bit of a step. The government feels it has that reason now because of the “primarily ASIO” investigation that linked the IRGC to attacks in Australia (I highlight the ‘primarily’ Asio investigation that Albanese mentioned yesterday, because it suggests there was another agency/intelligence involved. It was a joint AFP investigation, but I don’t think that is what Albanese was referring to, just personally)
Anyways, Cash was on a tear which seems kinda pointless, given that her leader has just sent out an ‘we’re all in this together’ statement and O’Neil says:
I think that was a rude and unworthy performance from Michaelia Cash there. I have a really strong view that when our country comes under aggression and violence from a foreign power that our politicians should stand together and fight back. I try to respect the work of politicians in Canberra, my personal view is that this is not the time for politics. I think it is grossly inappropriate. I think it is grossly inappropriate. I think it is really important that the major parties in particular work together on matters like this. That is usually the approach that we see from the Coalition. Michaelia has taken a different approach that is their business.
Asked if the Iran ambassador expulsion was to ‘get back in Israel’s good books’, Tony Burke says:
This decision that we have taken is about one thing and about one thing only, and that is a safety and sovereignty of Australia. It’s about the safety of Australians, it’s about the sovereignty of Australians. And anyone who wants to try to find some other reason here or there, it’s just wrong. You don’t need that. What you start with is the absolute principle that the first role of any government is keeping its people safe. And when you have an attack that has been initiated by Iran in this way, you know, you can
deal with the cutouts, you can deal with the proxies, you can deal with the intermediaries, where you have a nation state behaving in that way, you have to act immediately to protect the safety of Australians and protect the sovereignty of Australians. That’s what we’ve done.
On the Coalition’s complaints it should have been done earlier, Burke says:
I think they underestimate the extent to which a new line was crossed the moment you deal with the fact that you have an attack on Australian soil. You know, it is a big thing for any government to shut off dialogue in the way that you do when you withdraw your staff from your own embassy and expel an ambassador.
There is always advantage in dialogue that needs to be weighed up. A line had clearly, so clearly been
crossed when we were dealing with an attack on our own soil, and I think anyone who pretends that we’re in the same situation with what we now know as we were, as the Australian people were a week ago, is missing the fundamental difference that you face when you have an attack on your own soil. And nobody should view this as an attack on a venue or an attack on the Jewish community. This is an attack on Australia, and it needs to be treated that way.
Tony Burke has done the media round this morning (along with Penny Wong who has taken the commercials) and was asked on Sky News about the plans to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organisation. Burke said:
The process for the legislation to be drafted has now commenced. We need to make sure that the drafting…you want this to be absolutely correct drafting, you need to make sure you get all of that right. But obviously we’ve started the process.
We want to get this, want to get this legislation change as soon as we can. It’s a process which is not possible with the current legislation. And so therefore, the drafting process has started immediately.
Anthony Albanese is in Wagga for one of News Corps many, many bush summits so he won’t be in the parliament for a little bit this morning.
Holding summits like that has become one of the ways media companies make money – which is why you are seeing property summits, development summits, tax summits, bush summits, mining summits etc. Most are dressed up as being in the public interest and the politicians play along – after all the rooms tend to be influential and it makes for some very easy headlines.
You may have heard of the August 31 ‘March for Australia’ which was gaining popularity with anti-lockdown and nationalist groups. Then neo-Nazis claimed they had organised it. A counter protest has been organised and it is all a bit of a mess for media outlets to report on, mostly because it populises it, but also, we haven’t all been trained in how to handle the rise of fascism and neo-Nazis in the mainstream (with a few exceptions – Cam Wilson and Ariel Bogle are both very good on this)
The 7am podcast have looked at the issue more widely, speaking to Arrernte writer and Crikey contributor Celeste Liddle about Australia’s white nationalist past,” and how in failing to reckon with it we’ve set the stage for the movement to grow.”
If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.
Sussan Ley has released a statement on social cohesion. There is no context to this statement, but given recent events, history would suggest that higher ups in Australia’s security agencies may have suggested it was a good idea if everyone knew both major parties were on the same page on this. The language echoes what Tony Burke said yesterday and today.
Our Australian way of life is built on respect, on community, and on the simple belief that we are stronger together.
But right now, that way of life is under attack.
Conflicts overseas are straining our social fabric here at home.
And terrorist organisations are deliberately trying to divide us further.
Whether you are Iranian, Palestinian or Israeli, whether you are Christian, Muslim, Jewish or of any faith, Australia is your home.
In times like this, we must hold firm.
We must not allow overseas conflicts, or the voices of fringe dwellers, to weaken our unity or poison our shared values.
Because the truth is simple: what unites us as Australians will always be stronger than what others try to use to divide us.
At 10am West Australian time (which is midday on the east coast), Justice Paul Tottle of the WA Supreme Court will hand down his judgement in the Linda Reynolds v Brittany Higgins defamation case.
The former Liberal senator sued Higgins, claiming she was defamed in a series of Instagram posts in 2023, which she claimed breached the settlement and released Higgins signed in 2021.
Higgins made the posts following Reynolds announcement through a news story that she intended to refer Higgins settlement from the federal government to the National Anti-Corruption Commission.
Higgins accused Reynolds of continuing to harass her in the media and in parliament.
NACC found there was “no corruption” in the payout to Higgins following Reynold’s referral.
You can read more about today’s judgement in this excellent explainer from The Guardian’s Sarah Basford Canales.
Of Australia’s 37 public universities, 26 take money from fossil fuel companies, according to new research released today by The Australia Institute.
The close links between universities and fossil fuel companies undermine the independence of universities and risk greenwashing the activities of companies profiting from climate change.
Key points:
“Coal and gas companies should not be funding science in the 2020s,” said Rod Campbell, Research Director at The Australia Institute.
The science of climate change is clear. Universities teach this science.
“Fossil fuel companies causing climate change in the 21st century are buying influence with Australia’s leading research organisations, just like tobacco companies bought off medical researchers last century.
“Students know this and want universities to stop cosying up to big gas and coal companies.
“Gas companies made $170 billion over the last four years, selling gas that the Australian government gave them for free.
“The simple policy fix is to tax the gas industry and properly fund universities.
“Australia’s universities are under fire for various governance failures. Links with coal and gas companies are just the latest demonstration that universities are selling their integrity and selling it cheap.
Meanwhile, back in ‘why are we tying Australia even closer to this despot regime’ news, Donald Trump has once again lived up to his words and is embracing his dictator era.
Burke mentions the phrase the ASIO director-general Mike Burgess used yesterday – “cut out” and how it applies to these incidents.
The information that we provided yesterday was very deliberately provided and to that level of detail. I won’t go beyond what was said yesterday. But for anyone who watched it, Mike Burgess – the Director-General of ASIO – used a number of times the term “cut-outs”. “Cut-outs” is a term used in the intelligence community that refers to intermediaries who are there to effectively make sure that, as you go down the chain, people don’t realise who was higher up the chain. That’s the nature of what “cut-outs” means.
Q: These are. criminals who are doing these things might not have known that they were being ultimately paid by Iran? There’s just a bit of concern within the Jewish community that some of these people might still be out there on the streets.
Burke:
The language from the Director-General yesterday was very deliberate. We have no reason to believe that the people who were actually conducting the actions had any idea who had started it.
That doesn’t change the seriousness from the Australian government’s point of view that Iran was still involved in directing attacks on Australian soil.
Which is why we’ve taken actions which have been unprecedented in the postwar era.
Q: Yes. Just to one of those actions – the designating of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard – a lot of the Iranian expats in Australia are pretty pleased about this. Can you tell us what effect that’ll have on the ground?
Burke:
Yeah. Two sort of impacts – the direct legal impact of a terrorist listing is that it becomes a criminal offence to be a member to support the fund. The second impact, though – which is perhaps more powerful – is the message that it sends. And it has the government of Australia drawing an absolute sharp line as to just how unacceptable this is. And that’s one of the things that was really important yesterday to send that very clear message that these attacks on the Jewish community in Australia – we view them as an attack on Australia. We don’t view them as an attack on part of us or some of us. We stand together, and we stand in solidarity as Australians. And the strength of that message is something that is also provided in the response that we’ve had.
Tony Burke continues:
The thing that has made it harder is the old system of recruitment into different organisations and that sort of planning pathway – which was how we always used to think of terrorism – is something which doesn’t match – well, it still exists, that hasn’t gone away – but there is an additional form of fast online radicalisation with mixed ideologies.
It’s particularly targeting teenage males. And it’s that aspect which is new. The other hasn’t gone away. But that new aspect can lead to very fast radicalisation.
Home Affairs minister Tony Burke is speaking to ABC News Breakfast. He is first asked about the killing of police officers in Victoria, with Dezi Freeman identified as a suspect. Freeman identifies as a “sovereign citizen” which historically, rather than being an organised group, was individuals who isolated themselves from society, while also believing laws didn’t apply to them.
The covid pandemic has seen elements of the movement change.
Burke says:
Any ideology that somehow comes up with a bizarre conclusion that allows people to say that the law doesn’t apply to them – that creates this problem, and the other thing I’d say – when we raise the terror alert level from Possible to Probable last year, Mike Burgess was quite specific about the fact we were now dealing with mixed ideologies where – you used to have formal terrorist cells and people would go down a pathway of a specific ideology. Those things still exist. But there is a new threat of people latching onto a piece of THIS ideology, a piece of another – mixed ideologies that, of themselves, are logically incoherent. And that has changed the nature of the threat.
Iran’s foreign minister Sayed Abbas Araghchi has issued a statement on social media where he calls Anthony Albanese ‘weak’:
I am not in the habit of joining causes with wanted War Criminals, but Netanyahu is right about one thing: Australia’s PM is indeed a “weak politician”. Iran is home to among the world’s oldest Jewish communities including dozens of synagogues. Accusing Iran of attacking such sites in Australia while we do our utmost to protect them in our own country makes zero sense. Iran is paying the price for the Australian people’s support for Palestine. Canberra should know better than to attempt to appease a regime led by War Criminals. Doing so will only embolden Netanyahu and his ilk.
Iran has also responded, as Al Jazeera reports
The outlet reported Iran as saying it will respond with reciprocal action, which would mean expelling Australia’s ambassador – but the Australians already left ahead of the expulsion.
On Tuesday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei “absolutely rejected” Australia’s accusations, saying “any inappropriate and unjustified action on a diplomatic level will have a reciprocal reaction”
Baghaei also said the measures appeared to be “influenced by internal developments” in Australia, including weekend protests across the country against Israel’s war on Gaza, which organisers said were the largest pro-Palestine demonstrations in Australia’s history.
“It seems that this action is taken in order to compensate for the limited criticism the Australian side has directed at the Zionist regime [Israel],” he added.
The Sydney Morning Herald have a statement from the Trump administration welcoming Australia’s decision to expel the Iranian ambassador.
The newspaper reports:
The Trump administration applauds this action by the Australian government,” said a senior administration official.
State-sponsored antisemitic violence must never be tolerated.”
That came the same day as defence minister Richard Marles met with his US counterpart and the vice president to discuss Aukus.
To the main news of the day and last night, the Iranian embassy staff were seen packing up the embassy after the Albanese goverment historic expulsion.
They had to go out for Bunnings boxes which seems surreal to me. Then again, most of this does.
Mike Bowers was at the O’Malley residence, along with a very strong media cohort. He said there were “lots of comings and goings”, as you would expect. Staff had seven days to leave from yesterday, but you can imagine they wanted to get out as soon as possible.
Comments
Start the conversation