Victorian MP stands down from Greens after ‘consensual relationship’ with staffer
Benita Kolovos
The Victorian Greens MP for Prahran, Sam Hibbins, is standing down from the party after revealing he had a “consensual relationship with a staff member from my office”.
In a statement, Hibbins said the relationship ended “some time ago” but it was a breach of the party room rules. He said:
I accept the consequences of my decisions that affect my personal and professional lives. I am working to make amends to the most important people in my life, my family and our community. I’ve always worked hard to advance the Greens’ cause, and know this is a distraction from my work and the work of the Greens, but I remain committed to serving my electorate of Prahran.
Hibbins said he understood this incident would “shake people’s trust in politicians”.
At a time when life is so difficult for so many, when people are struggling and are already disengaged from politics, I know something like this will shake people’s trust in politicians and politics even further. We are human and we make mistakes. The important thing is making amends and focusing on what really matters.
For me, it’s my beautiful family. It’s continuing my fight for social and economic justice and the unacceptable fact that so many Victorians cannot afford groceries or a place to live. It’s continuing to fight for the fantastic community I love and live in, Prahran. I leave the party room with goodwill towards my Greens colleagues. They’re doing a terrific job. I wish them well in the future.
I deeply regret what has happened. I have made a very human mistake, but I am working to find the best way forward.
Key events
Pauline Hanson ‘deeply disappointed’ at court ruling and will appeal
Pauline Hanson has responded to the federal court finding against her by saying she is “deeply disappointed” and will be appealing.
Earlier today, Justice Angus Stewart found that Hanson had racially vilified Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi by telling her to “piss off back to Pakistan”.
Hanson took to X to say the outcome “demonstrates the inappropriately broad application of section 18C”.
Senator Hanson is deeply disappointed by today’s federal court judgment.
The outcome demonstrates the inappropriately broad application of section 18C, particularly in so far as it impinges upon freedom of political expression.
Given the importance of this matter, Senator Hanson has instructed her lawyers to prepare and lodge appeal documents. She will not make further comment as the matter is before the court.
Federal Court Decision
Senator Hanson is deeply disappointed by today’s Federal Court judgment.
The outcome demonstrates the inappropriately broad application of section 18C, particularly in so far as it impinges upon freedom of political expression.
Given the importance of…
— Pauline Hanson 🇦🇺 (@PaulineHansonOz) October 31, 2024
Man, 63, arrested after allegedly performing Nazi salute at Melbourne protest
A man who allegedly performed a Nazi salute during a violent protest outside a controversial weapons exhibition has been arrested following an investigation.
Violent confrontations between anti-war protesters and police broke outside the Land Forces 2024 exhibition in Melbourne over three days in September.
At the time numerous arrests were made and police circulated photos of those they were keen on speaking to after numerous officers and protesters were injured.
Wheelie bins were set alight and horse manure, food-grade acid and glass bottles were hurdled at police barricades.
On Friday, police said another 12 people had been arrested since the protest on 11 September, which is in addition to the 89 people charged or fined on the day.
Among those a 30-year-old Preston man will face court after he allegedly pushed crates against police horses.
A 63-year-old Crib Point man will be charged on summons for allegedly performing the Nazi salute in a public place on 11 September.
Police say that during the protests outside the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre there were rocks, projectiles, liquid which smelt strongly of vomit, horse manure, eggs and liquid irritants hurled at police officers, horses and expo attendees.
Several police horses and riders were also allegedly splashed with a liquid irritant – including being sprayed under face protectors, going into their mouths and nostrils – and were repeatedly pushed and hit with plastic crates.
Police have again circulated images of people they wish to speak to over those incidents.
Via AAP
Victorian MP stands down from Greens after ‘consensual relationship’ with staffer
Benita Kolovos
The Victorian Greens MP for Prahran, Sam Hibbins, is standing down from the party after revealing he had a “consensual relationship with a staff member from my office”.
In a statement, Hibbins said the relationship ended “some time ago” but it was a breach of the party room rules. He said:
I accept the consequences of my decisions that affect my personal and professional lives. I am working to make amends to the most important people in my life, my family and our community. I’ve always worked hard to advance the Greens’ cause, and know this is a distraction from my work and the work of the Greens, but I remain committed to serving my electorate of Prahran.
Hibbins said he understood this incident would “shake people’s trust in politicians”.
At a time when life is so difficult for so many, when people are struggling and are already disengaged from politics, I know something like this will shake people’s trust in politicians and politics even further. We are human and we make mistakes. The important thing is making amends and focusing on what really matters.
For me, it’s my beautiful family. It’s continuing my fight for social and economic justice and the unacceptable fact that so many Victorians cannot afford groceries or a place to live. It’s continuing to fight for the fantastic community I love and live in, Prahran. I leave the party room with goodwill towards my Greens colleagues. They’re doing a terrific job. I wish them well in the future.
I deeply regret what has happened. I have made a very human mistake, but I am working to find the best way forward.
Faruqi says court ruling shows ‘hate speech is not free speech’
Senator Mehreen Faruqi has released a statement on the federal court found Pauline Hanson racially vilified her in a post to X.
Faruqi said it meant “migrants and people of colour should know that they don’t have to be grateful and keep quiet”.
“I will be louder and more defiant than ever.”
Faruqi’s statement said:
This ruling draws a line in the sand that hate speech is not free speech, and that people who racially target marginalised communities cannot get away with it scot-free.
The court has made clear that there is no place for the relentless and vile racism so many of us have been copping throughout our lives here. It sends a strong message to racists that they will be held to account. I hope this helps us build an anti-racist Australia.
The decision to take Pauline Hanson to court was not taken lightly, and it has taken a very personal toll on me and my family, but I did it for so many people who bear the brunt of racism and who are impacted by destructive racist language every single day. I have been vindicated today, and so have they.
It is about time Senator Pauline Hanson faced consequences for the racism she’s been piling on Muslims, people of colour and First Nations people for more than 30 years. She has been found to have engaged in racist behaviour and I hope she reflects on that.
Racism is rife in this country and Muslims are being marginalised, silenced, smeared and vilified more than ever for taking a stand against Israel’s genocide in Gaza. This decision becomes even more important in the context of rising Islamophobia.
Dark Mofo’s back in 2025
Dark Mofo is returning next year after skipping a year.
The festival, a “midwinter solstice festival”, has today announced a full return in 2025 including a music program, the winter feast, the ogoh-ogoh, night mass and the nude solstice swim.
The festival skipped this year due to rising costs and the need for a “reset”.
Dark Mofo artistic director Chris Twite said:
Dark Mofo is back. For our eleventh chapter once more we’ll bathe the city in red and deliver two weeks of inspiring art, music and ritual.
The full Dark Mofo 2025 program details will be announced next year.
Faruqi says court win sends message that ‘racists will be held accountable’
Kate Lyons
Senator Faruqi, who was in tears in the courtroom as the judge handed down his ruling – as were most of her legal team – has addressed the media outside the federal court, saying that the win today was legally “historic” and sent “a strong message to racists that they will be held accountable”.
“Today is a good day for people of colour, Muslims and all of us who have been working to build an anti-racist society,” she said.
Today is a win for every single person who has been told to go back to where they came from – and believe me there are too many of us who have been subjected to this ultimate racist slur far too many times in this country.
Telling someone to go back to where they came from is a strong form of racism and it is also an affirmation for migrants that people of colour do not have to be grateful or to keep quiet, and I will be speaking out more loudly and more strongly than ever before
Faruqi said the judgment “draws a line that hate speech is not free speech and those who subject people to racial abuse will not get away scot-free.”
Today’s judgment is landmark, it is historic and it is groundbreaking and it will set a new precedent of how racism is viewed in this country. It is a warning for people like Pauline Hanson and I do hope it emboldens individuals and communities to assert their right to live free from racism.
Faruqi thanked her family, staff and legal team, saying:
The decision to take Pauline Hanson to court was not taken lightly and it has taken a very personal toll on me and my family, but I did it for everyone in this country who feels and is targeted by the destructive impact of racist language.
Today I have been vindicated and all those people who face racism have been vindicated as well.
Natasha May
Boom in new doctors as record numbers move to Australia, Butler says
The most recent cohort of new doctors was the largest influx in over a decade, with one new doctor added every hour last year on average, health minister Mark Butler says.
The registration of 9,490 new doctors in 2023-24 was even greater than the 2022-23 cohort of 8,356 new doctors, which at the time was the largest influx of new doctors in more than a decade, according to a statement Butler released this morning.
The boom is driven by record numbers of internationally qualified doctors moving to Australia, Butler says.
The 5,431 doctors from overseas registered to practise in Australia in the past financial year represents an 80% increase on the 2,991 doctors who registered in 2018-19, the last year before Covid.
It follows changes implemented under the Kruk review which have reduced the time for internationally qualified doctors’ applications to be assessed, which went from over 100 days in 2021-22 to less than 70 days in 2023-24.
Butler says there are also more doctors choosing to become general practitioners, bucking the trend that has seen government reports warn there would not be enough to meet growing healthcare needs.
In 2024, there was a 13% increase on the year before of doctors accepting a place on a government-funded training program to become a GP or rural GP with more than 1,600.
Next year there are expected to be more than 1,750 offers made to junior doctors to begin GP training, leading to an intake that could be up to 10% larger than 2024, according to the health minister.
Butler says:
We know the difficulty that too many Australians face getting in to see a doctor and we are doing everything we can to attract, train and retain more doctors.
Senator Faruqi is outside the federal court in Sydney, celebrating with her legal team:
Mehreen Faruqi and her legal team celebrate outside the Federal Court after a judge found that a tweet about her by Pauline Hanson breached Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act pic.twitter.com/80l3Apsmtn
— Kate Lyons (@MsKateLyons) October 31, 2024
Rafqa Touma
NSW expands Indigenous youth program to deter from crime
The Safe Aboriginal Youth program is expanding to new locations across New South Wales, as part of the Minns government’s reforms announced in Moree.
The program, which provides a safe transport and outreach service to keep young people off the streets late at night, is designed to help divert young people from crime and reduce the risk of them becoming victims of crime.
It will have new locations in Moree, Orange, Coffs Harbour and Tamworth, and will also expand services in Dubbo. These locations were identified after consultation with local communities and analysis of crime data. The program already operates in Kempsey, Taree, Newcastle, Dubbo, Bourke and Wilcannia.
This expansion is part of the Minns Labor government’s $26.2m package of initiatives it says will address youth crime in regional NSW. Aboriginal community controlled organisations will be prioritised to manage services in new locations.
“The journey for every young person across NSW is different, and we want to make sure as many young people as possible have opportunities to find a positive path in life,” the minister for youth justice, Jihad Dib, said.
Our priority is to keep young people safe, supported and away from possible involvement with the justice system.
The minister for Aboriginal affairs and treaty, David Harris, said:
Early intervention is critical to giving at-risk youth the best chance of staying away from harmful activities and getting their lives on a positive pathway.
ATO reveals almost a third of companies paid no income tax in 2022-23
Elias Visontay
Australia’s largest corporations paid almost $100bn in income tax in a year, fresh statistics published by the government reveal.
The latest data, released by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) on Friday, covers the 2022-23 financial year, and reveals the office received $97.9bn in income tax from large corporations, an increase of 16.7% from the previous year.
ATO deputy commissioner Rebecca Saint said that when also considering additional tax revenue raised by the ATO’s tax avoidance task force, revenues from large corporates totalled $100bn in 2022-23.
Tax paid by the oil and gas sector increased from $1.5bn in 2021-22 to $11.6bn in 2022-23, with some oil and gas companies now among the largest taxpayers in Australia, Saint said. This result was driven by a combination of commodity prices, the project production life cycle and ATO intervention, she said.
The ATO noted that the $100bn figure for 2022-23 was difficult to compare to previous years, because the definition of what was considered a large corporation in the corporate tax transport (CCT) report increased to cover Australian-owned private entities with total income above $100m, up from the $200m threshold in previous years.
The share of entities that paid no income tax has decreased from 36% in 2013–14 to 31% in 2022–23.
Saint said:
While there are legitimate reasons why a company may pay no income tax, the Australian community can be assured we pay close attention to those who pay no income tax to ensure that they are not trying to game the system.
Kate Lyons
Faruqi in tears after court ruling
An emotional Senator Mehreen Faruqi hugged her legal team in tears after a judge declared that a tweet from Senator Pauline Hanson about her, in which Hanson said Faruqi should “piss off back to Pakistan”, had breach Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act.
Justice Angus Stewart found the tweet from Hanson, in response to one posted by Faruqi regarding the Queen’s death, portrayed Faruqi as a “second-class citizen” who “took advantage” of Australia and as a migrant to the country “should be grateful for what she has and keep quiet”, which he declared to be “exclusionary”.
Stewart also found Hanson’s comment that Faruqi should “piss off back to Pakistan” was a “variant of the slogan ‘go back to from where you came from’”, which he said was an “evident racist trope” and a “strong form of racism”.
Court rules Pauline Hanson tweet racially vilified Mehreen Faruqi
Justice Angus Stewart has found that Pauline Hanson’s tweet, where she said Mehreen Faruqi should “piss off back to Pakistan”, is unlawful.
Hanson will need to delete the tweet and pay Faruqi’s costs for the proceedings.
Stewart rejected Hanson’s arguments, including that Faruqi’s tweet on the Queen’s passing justified her response, and that it did not fall within the fair comment exemption because it was a “angry, personal attack”.
The judge said:
The court has concluded that the tweet was reasonably likely in all the circumstances to have been profoundly and seriously offensive, insulting, humiliating and intimidating to a significant number of members of the identified groups and to the reasonable targeted person in the position of Senator Faruqi.
Based on frequent public statements made by Senator Hanson over nearly three decades, the court has found that Senator Hanson has a tendency to make negative, derogatory, discriminating or hateful statements in relation to about or against groups of people relevantly identified as persons of colour, migrants to Australia and Muslims, and to do so because of those characteristics.
He said that under section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, the post was unlawful in that “it was reasonably likely in all the circumstances to offend and self humiliate and intimidate the applicant and groups of people, namely people of colour who are migrants to Australia or are Australians of relatively recent migrant heritage and Muslims who are people of colour in Australia”.
