Netanyahu ‘needs to listen to the international community’: Albanese
Anthony Albanese says Australia supports calls for immediate ceasefires both across the Lebanon-Israel border and in Gaza.
I say to Prime Minister Netanyahu that he needs to listen to the international community. Just like the other players in that region need to listen to the international community. The calls are very clear when you have the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, other nations all calling for a de-escalation of this conflict.
We are very concerned and the world is concerned about the escalation that is continuing here and the consequences for it.
Key events
Jonathan Barrett
Casino operator Star suffers share plunge
The value of Star Entertainment has fallen almost $600m this morning, after shares in the embattled casino operator resumed trading on the ASX for the first time this month.
Star had been in a trading halt after it failed to lodge its financial accounts on time amid concerns over its viability.
Its full year financials were published yesterday, almost one month overdue, showing a $1.69bn full year loss. The casino operator warned that it was facing “significant near-term liquidity requirements” even after securing a new debt facility.
Star’s shares were halted at 45 cents at the start of the month, giving Star a market value of $1.3bn. At midday, shares were trading around the 25 cent mark, which equates to a market cap of about $720m.
The casino group is in discussions with state governments to renew casino licences in NSW and Queensland, while it also grapples with demands from gambling and financial crime regulators that could result in significant fines, adding more financial pressure.
Peter Hannam
Chalmers says China’s economic stimulus efforts are helping Australia
By coincidence, Jim Chalmers has been visiting China this week as the first Australian treasurer to do so in seven years.
Before he landed, Chinese officials had already begun announcing the nation’s biggest stimulus package in years in a bid to revive an economy that has been peering into a deflationary hole as its property market wilts.
The sweeping moves – from interest rate cuts and pressure for banks to lend to even handouts to the poor – suggest officials are clearly getting worried the economy won’t meet its 5% growth goal this year.
It remains to be seen what other spending plans are in the works because consumer confidence will take more than lower borrowing costs to revive.
China’s financial markets, though, have generally rocketed this week, with some international investors calling for a buy “everything” China strategy. (That doesn’t seem very discerning.)
Anyway, Chalmers himself didn’t reveal much that isn’t already public, telling a media conference in Beijing today that the news “can only be a good thing for Australia”.
As with “a lot of people around the world, we have been concerned about the softer conditions here in the Chinese economy,” he said. (The Reserve Bank yesterday cited slow Chinese growth as one of three “vulnerabilities” that could shake Australia’s financial stability.”)
The Australia‑China Strategic Economic Dialogue, which Chalmers attended, will be an annual gathering from now on, so the channels of discussion, at least, will become more regular.
But as a reminder of the Jekyll/Hyde relationship Australia (and allies) have with Australia, Chalmers was asked about a ballistic missile launch by China this week, and warships from Japan, Australia and New Zealand sailing through the Taiwan Strait this week.
“I was able to reiterate in the meetings yesterday afternoon our expectations of safe and professional conduct of all militaries operating in our region,” Chalmers said.
“But, as you would expect, the overwhelming focus of our discussions here has been the economy,” he said.
Townsville police issue emergency declaration for fuel truck rollover on Flinders Highway
Townsville police has issued an emergency declaration under the Public Safety Preservation Act just before 9am after a fuel truck rolled over on the Flinders Highway at Pentland.
There is an exclusion zone 2km around the crash site, near the Warrigal Creek.
QLD police are urging motorists and the public to avoid the area, and for those within the exclusion zone to remain indoors until further notice.
Daniel Hurst
Wong says ‘a Palestinian state cannot threaten Israel’s security’
Penny Wong went on to say that Australia supports the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, but “there can be no role for terrorists” and “a Palestinian state cannot threaten Israel’s security”.
She says Australia is “ready to play our part” in helping the Palestinian Authority reform, including with support for public administration capacity building.
Wong says Israel “must not be allowed to continue to take unilateral actions to entrench the occupation and prevent a viable Palestinian state”. Israel, she says, “must stop establishing settlements, which are illegal under international law and a major obstacle to peace” and should hold to account settlers engaging in violence against Palestinians.
Australia open to coordinated effort to set ‘a clear timeline for the international declaration of Palestinian statehood’
Daniel Hurst
Separate from her speech to the UN security council, Penny Wong also spoke in New York about a pathway to recognising Palestine during a speech to a ministerial meeting focused on Gaza.
While the foreign affairs minister said the most pressing need was for ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon, she also reiterated the need for a path to “a just and enduring peace”. Wong said the world “can no longer wait”.
Speaking at the UN headquarters at a ministerial meeting on the situation in Gaza and the implementation of the two-state solution, Wong said:
Like other partners, Australia no longer sees recognition of a Palestinian state as only occurring at the end of negotiations but rather as a way of building momentum towards a two-state solution.
But individual country actions alone are not moving the dial – which is why Australia wants to engage on new ways to break the cycle, including the role of the UN security council in setting a pathway for two-states, with a clear timeline for the international declaration of Palestinian statehood.
So we commend the collective initiative being discussed here today to build momentum to achieve a two-state solution. We stand ready to support this work.
The reference to individual country actions “not moving the dial” is notable because Spain, Norway and Ireland each recognised Palestine as a state in May this year. The Labor government did not act on calls from the Greens to immediately follow suit at the time. Wong is now speaking about exploring “new ways to break the cycle” and a clear deadline for international recognition of Palestine (more than 140 UN members states already recognise Palestine).
Jim Chalmers says Australia ‘not immune’ from weaker growth in China
Treasurer Jim Chalmers says he consulted with BHP, Rio, Fortescue, Woodside and others before his visit to China “to understand the implications for our exports of a softer Chinese [economy]”.
We saw iron ore fall 40% since the start of the year. Similar with thermal coal. That has implications for us and for the budget but, importantly, it has implications for the economy. So, even in the course of this week, we saw a minor improvement in the prices we get for some of our bulk commodities, that is obviously a good thing when it comes to our major exporters.
More broadly, softness has implications for growth in the global economy. We’ve seen in the last 24 hours our Reserve Bank putting out its financial stability analysis, talked about the consequences of weaker Chinese growth for the global economy. We’re not immune from that across the board but the easiest way to understand it is when it comes to the impact on our exporters.
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, is speaking live from Beijing, China:
When steps are taken here to boost economic activity and growth in the Chinese economy, subject to the details that will be released in good time, we see that as a very, very good development for Australia.
Chalmers has been meeting his counterparts in economic agencies in a two-day visit to Beijing.
You can read about what is on the agenda here:
Shorten announces two NDIS pilots
Josh Butler
Two NDIS announcements from minister Bill Shorten this morning: one on a new pilot program to gear services toward vulnerable participants who may not be getting the help they need, and another on a trial to design new payment options.
On the first, Shorten said the NDIS would begin a pilot to “focus on the delivery of support coordination and supported independent living (SIL) for participants including those who have complex and high needs”. These are for people who need seven-day-a-week care, often overnight, and programs that ensure people are getting the right support for their needs.
Shorten said reviews of the NDIS found the government needs “to incentivise and pay for high-quality supports from committed high-quality providers”. Some issues at play here include some high-quality providers experiencing financial difficulty – issues that need to be solved to keep those providers running.
The payment options announcement will see 31 providers share in $330,000 to help co-design “blended payment options”, in a bid to “test if there is a better payment option than the current fee-for-service model”.
“Under the current fee-for-service model, a participant pays a provider for their services and often that’s the end of it. The idea of a blended payment method will test if there might be a better option – where both participants and providers are clearer from the start on the desired outcome and thereby work more effectively towards that,” Shorten said
Shorten’s office said the trial would look at two options: “an enrolment payment, where providers are paid for providing supports over a period of time (for example one or two years). The second is an outcome-based payment where a provider is paid when a participant’s goal is achieved.”
Rideshare driver charged after crash killed girl, dad
A four-month investigation has culminated in charges being laid against a rideshare driver after a father and daughter were killed while passengers in his car.
The 12-year-old girl and her 41-year-old father died when the Toyota sedan they were travelling in was hit by a ute on 26 May.
The car rolled, trapping the 52-year-old driver and his passengers after the collision near an intersection on Milperra Road at Milperra, in south-west Sydney.
The male passenger’s 10-year-old son was also injured in the crash but survived despite suffering serious injuries.
On Thursday, the rideshare driver attended Bankstown police station and was charged with two counts each of negligent driving occasioning death and causing bodily harm by misconduct while in charge of a motor vehicle. He was granted bail to appear at Bankstown local court in early November.
– Australian Associated Press
Netanyahu ‘needs to listen to the international community’: Albanese
Anthony Albanese says Australia supports calls for immediate ceasefires both across the Lebanon-Israel border and in Gaza.
I say to Prime Minister Netanyahu that he needs to listen to the international community. Just like the other players in that region need to listen to the international community. The calls are very clear when you have the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, other nations all calling for a de-escalation of this conflict.
We are very concerned and the world is concerned about the escalation that is continuing here and the consequences for it.
Albanese says Home for Australia plan is his ‘only focus’
Prime minister Anthony Albanese is asked again on negative gearing: “There’s a question around the future potential for changes. There was no answer there.”
He responds:
I have said what we’re doing. And I have said what we’re not doing. What we’re doing is very clear, which is our Home For Australia plan. That is what we are doing.
I’m saying that is our focus and our only focus is on that.
Prime minister Anthony Albanese is speaking live from Melbourne.
Asked about his statement yesterday that he has “no plans” to change negative gearing and isn’t taking reforms to the next election, Albanese says:
I talk about what we’re doing, not what we’re not doing. What we’re trying to do is get our legislation through in parliament as part of our $32bn Home for Australia plan. There’s two key pieces of legislation. One is Build to Rent. Now, what that’s about is providing incentives for the private sector to make sure that there’s increased supply. And the second is our Help to Buy scheme. That’s about 40,000 people getting assistance to buy their own home. Now, the Housing Australia Future Fund … goes to social housing, that was held up by the Coalition government.
Daniel Hurst
Penny Wong says Lebanese civilians ‘should not pay the price’ for Hezbollah
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, told the UN security council Australia was calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon. Speaking hours after the Israeli government rejected US-backed international calls for a three-week ceasefire, Wong said:
Hezbollah are terrorists that have not complied with security council resolution 1701, but Lebanese civilians should not pay the price.
De-escalation is urgent, dialogue is needed, and parties must implement this Resolution in full.
Lebanon cannot become the next Gaza. Just as in Gaza, Australia calls for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon.
Wong made broader comments about “widespread” civilian suffering around the world, including in Sudan, where tens of thousands of people had died and “more than 700,000 children face severe or acute malnutrition”.
She said that civilians in Ukraine continued to suffer “because of Russia’s senseless invasion”. Wong said:
President [Vladimir] Putin’s use of the veto to protect his own illegal actions is the act of a coward.
The UN live stream showed the Russian representative watching and taking notes at this point. Wong added:
Australia was a founding member of the UN. We opposed the veto from the start.
We must reform the council to meet the challenges of today.
Wong said reforms to the security council should include ensuring “greater permanent and non-permanent representation for Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and the Asia-Pacific”. She noted that Australia’s longstanding candidacy for a non-permanent seat on the UN security council for 2029-2030 “reflects our commitment to contribute to international peace and security”.
She said peace was “not a gift” and “never a given” but was “a duty we all share”.
Daniel Hurst
No party must obstruct Middle East peace, Wong says
Continuing her address to the UN security council in New York, the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, said:
The world demands a ceasefire in Gaza.
Hostages must be released.
Aid must flow. And this humanitarian catastrophe must end.
Yet the only hope to finally break the endless cycle of violence – for a secure, prosperous future for Palestinians and Israelis – is a Palestinian state alongside the State of Israel.
The international community – including this security council – must work together to pave a path to lasting peace.
We cannot wait for the parties to do this themselves; we cannot allow any party to obstruct the prospect of peace.
(Quick analysis: Wong’s rhetorical support for a two-state solution as a long-term way to end the cycle of violence is not new, but it is notable that she has included language against waiting “for the parties” to pave the path to lasting peace “themselves” and that no party must obstruct it.
For months, the government has been swapping notes with other countries about how to build momentum for a two-state solution, and has said recognition of Palestinian statehood need not come at the very end of a peace process. But Australia has not been specific about when it would be ready to take that step.)
Penny Wong tells UN security council: civilians need to be protected
Daniel Hurst
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, is addressing the UN security council in New York now. Australia is not a security council member at present, but is contributing to an open debate on the maintenance of international peace and security.
Wong began by repeating one of her themes of the week – the need to adhere to international humanitarian law to limit suffering in conflict:
War has rules – even when confronting terrorists; even when defending borders.
Civilians need to be protected.
But in conflicts around the world, this is not happening.
Nearly a year ago, Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis – the worst loss of Jewish life in a single day since the Holocaust – and Hamas terrorists continue to hold hostages.
In Israel’s response, over 40,000 Palestinians have been killed – more than 11,000 children. And more than 300 aid workers since this war began. Gaza is the deadliest place on earth to be an aid worker.
We cannot protect civilians without protecting the aid workers who are delivering food, water and medicine they need to survive.
This week, Australia has convened ministers and humanitarian leaders to pursue a new Declaration for the Protection of Humanitarian Personnel.
Tony Burke rejects Dutton’s criticism of international education system
A spokesperson for the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, says government “won’t apologise for returning integrity to the international education system” in reply to the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, yesterday saying international students trying to stay in Australia are “the modern version of boat arrivals”.
The spokesperson said:
It’s unclear what Peter Dutton is criticising. Is it the AAT that he stacked and we are replacing, or the issues with international education that emerged when he was minister and we have made wholesale reform to fix?
Clearly Peter Dutton doesn’t think we should be rejecting fraudulent student visa applications – our government won’t apologise for returning integrity to the international education system.
Bridie Jabour spoke to chief political correspondent Paul Karp about why Australia could be gearing up for another election battle over housing.
You can listen to the Full Story here:
They talk negative gearing – the tax incentive that benefits investors, which has become one of the most controversial policies in Australian politics and is widely viewed to have contributed to Labor losing the 2019 election. This week it seemed the prime minister was open to considering change, if only for the briefest of moments.
Latest search for Samantha Murphy’s body called off
The latest search for the body of missing New South Wales mother Samantha Murphy has failed to turn up anything of interest and has been called off.
State and federal police faced wet conditions on Tuesday as they began a new search in Grenville, south of Ballarat, which wrapped up on Thursday.
The 51-year-old was last seen alive when she went for a run on the morning of 4 February.
You can read more about the search efforts here:
– Australian Associated Press
