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John Howard and Alexander Downer ‘appalled’ at decision to recognise Palestinian statehoodTom McIlroyFormer prime minister John Howard and former foreign minister Alexander Downer have issued a joint statement saying they are “appalled” by the Albanese government’s decision to recognise Palestinian statehood.They accused the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, of undermining the enduring trust between Australia and Israel.Albanese plans to recognise Palestine as a state at this month’s United Nation’s general assembly in New York.
The question of recognising Palestine as a sovereign state is not a matter of empty symbolism. It strikes at the heart of whether international law is to be respected or discarded whenever political expediency is deemed more convenient.
Some argue that recognition would “advance” the peace process. In reality, it entrenches division. It teaches the Palestinian leadership that peace is unnecessary for statehood and it signals to Israel that international institutions cannot be relied upon to uphold agreements or protect its security concerns. Far from building confidence between the parties, premature recognition would only deepen mistrust.
The pair say the federal government has damaged Labor’s standing on leadership in the Middle East.
We all want to see peace in the Middle East: a lasting two-state solution that guarantees Israel’s security and offers dignity and self-determination to the Palestinians. But such a peace cannot be imposed from abroad, nor achieved by unilateral recognition. It must be built painstakingly by the parties themselves, through negotiation, compromise, and responsibility. And it must be grounded in the framework of international law, not a bypass of it.
ShareUpdated at 04.41 BSTKey eventsShow key events onlyPlease turn on JavaScript to use this featureThe federal member for Leichhardt, Matt Smith, also known as possibly the tallest man in parliament, asks an extremely vague dixer on how the government is “delivering for Australian workers”.The minister for employment and workplace relations, Amanda Rishworth, says the federal government went to the election “with a commitment to penalty and overtime rates and we are delivering”.
Since we delivered these protections to penalty and overtime rates, I have met with many, many workers who say they can sleep more soundly at night because they know their penalty rates are protected … Our government has delivered reform that is have boosted wages, closed the gender pay gap and are creating more jobs. We are now seeing real wages grow with real wages growing for seven consecutive quarters …
As a government we will continue to focus on delivering for Australians and working Australians because that’s what Labor governments do.
ShareAs we mentioned in the blog earlier, the independent member for Clark, Andrew Wilkie, planned to quiz the attorney-general on whistleblower reforms after the sentencing of Richard Boyle last week.Michelle Rowland notes the court did not record a conviction against Boyle and imposed a 12 month good behaviour bond.
The decision to prosecute Mr Boyle is a matter for the independent Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions. But what I can say … is that the Albanese government is committed to delivering strong, effective and accessible protections for public sector whistleblowers through reform of the public interest disclosure act 2013.
That’s why yesterday we announced a public consultation process on exposure draft legislation will commence next week on a second stage of reforms to the public interest disclosure act … The government’s reforms will be designed to clarify and strengthen protections for whistleblowers, simplify public interest disclosures and strengthen the oversight of the system.
In addition the government proposes to establish a new whistleblower ombudsman … which would be the most significant addition to the federal integrity landscape since the establishment of the national anti-corruption commission.
ShareThe next dixer goes to the member for Canberra, Alicia Payne, who asks about Labor’s commitment to “build Australia’s future”.The prime minister says “every day” since Labor was re-elected has been “about delivery” and lists a laundry list of items that have been legislated.
We will continue over coming months to make sure that we tick off those commitments one by one, and it will be certainly a year of delivery is our focus, as we go forward.
Anthony Albanese also wishes Payne all the best as she goes on parental leave in the coming days.ShareLey and Albanese trade jabs on Andrews’ presence at Chinese paradeThe opposition leader, Sussan Ley, returns to her line of questioning on Daniel Andrews.
This month the prime minister expelled the Iranian ambassador, an action the Coalition has strongly supported but what message does it send when the prime minister of this country doesn’t have the spine to condemn his former flatmate, Daniel Andrews, for posing in photos with the Iranian president, a leader whose regime has actively orchestrated attacks on Australian soil?
To the delight of nobody, Anthony Albanese returns to his “delulu with no solulu” line:
Well, they are delulu, Mr Speaker, if they are going to come here over an [matter] in which there was bipartisan support for the expulsion of the Iranian ambassador for at least 12 hours … before there was criticism of the government’s action.
My government have taken decisive action. I am not responsible for what every Australian citizen does. What I’m responsible for … is what our government does.
My position is very, very clear. Which is we did not send any government representative because it would not have been appropriate … But the idea that what you do on an issue such as opposition of the Iranian regime is look for difference where there is none actually undermines Australia’s position in … international politics.
Anthony Albanese speaks during question time. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAPShareUpdated at 05.19 BSTHome affairs minister pays tribute to AFP commissioner ahead of retirementThe first dixer comes from member for Richmond, Justine Elliot, on how the federal government is honouring police bravery.The minister for home affairs, Tony Burke, notes that 29 September marks National Police Remembrance Day, “an important day where we pay tribute to the courageous officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty”.
The unspeakable violence committed against officers in Tasmania and Victoria, Constable Keith Anthony Smith, detective leading constable Phillip Thompson and senior constable Vadim De Waart as well as the detective who’s still recovering from serious injury has shaken us as a nation.
He acknowledges that the federal police commissioner, Reece Kershaw, is in attendance in the gallery.
By the time Parliament resumes after today, the AFP commissioner will be Chrissy Barrett, so this is our last chance to be able to acknowledge as a Parliament the extraordinary work of Reece Kershaw.
He retires on 4 October, to spend time with his family … Today as a parliament, Commissioner Kershaw we honour you. The parliament acknowledges that Australians are safer because of your leadership and we thank you for your service.
The prime minister chimes in, wishing Kershaw “happy fishing”.ShareUpdated at 05.14 BSTPM will ‘never meet’ with Vladimir PutinAnthony Albanese, in response to Ley’s question, says Labor has had a “very different approach from the approach of the former government”.He expresses his “unequivocal opposition” to Vladimir Putin and his “outrageous authoritarian regime”, adding he will join a coalition of the willing this evening to discuss democracy, freedom and human rights in Russia.
During the election campaign this became a source of difference two the two political parties.
We on this side have always been unequivocal about standing with the people of Ukraine, and I am pleased that the Coalition appear to the credit of the new leadership, appear to be backing the participation in the coalition of the willing this time.
In this country we stand for human rights and liberty. We continue to do so in all of its forms. Yesterday we introduced new sanctions against Russia as well as the position we’ve had over a period of time with North Korea.
I haven’t, and never will, meet Vladimir Putin. I haven’t and never will meet the leader of North Korea as well, and we will give every support to people fighting for democracy right around the world. That’s my government’s approach.
ShareUpdated at 05.13 BSTQuestion time beginsQuestion Time is under way, beginning with a question from the leader of the opposition, Sussan Ley on the former Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews’ attendance at a CCP military parade this week:
Prime minister, today I once again unequivocally express the coalition’s utter condemnation of former premier Dan Andrews attendance at the CCP military parade, where he stood with dictators, despots and war criminals like Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un. Will the Prime Minister show the necessary leadership to join with us and so many other Labor leaders in this condemnation?
ShareUpdated at 05.11 BSTGreens welcome compensation for robodebt victims but continue pressure on outstanding recommendationsThe Greens have welcomed the announcement of $475m in compensation to robodebt victims while urging the federal government to implement remaining recommendations from the royal commission.A Commonwealth ombudsman’s report, handed down last month, found more than 1,000 welfare recipients had their welfare payments unlawfully cancelled by the automated system over two years.Last week, the Greens and crossbenchers introduced a bill that would force the government to implement the outstanding recommendations from the robodebt royal commission, including a six year limit on debt recovery.The Greens spokesperson for social services, Senator Penny Allman-Payne, said:
It’s good news that robodebt victims will be getting more compensation, but it sure would be cheaper and easier for everyone if the government would stop ignoring the law and punching down on poor people.
The last time the Greens asked in estimates, neither the minister nor the department could confirm the current welfare compliance system is lawful. Millions of payments are suspended every year under this potentially unlawful system, with little process or oversight.
The Greens have a bill in parliament right now. Labor could 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. History will repeat itself until they do.
ShareUpdated at 05.00 BSTAsylum Seeker Centre says government should be ‘ashamed’ at passing of Nauru billThe Centre’s CEO, Elijah Buol, said the passage of the bill was “more than bad legislation, it’s a moral failure and a deliberate step away from justice and towards fear-based politics”:
It removes basic legal protections from migrants, refugees, and people seeking asylum, allowing deportations without notice, without the chance to respond and without fairness.
This legislation risks entrenching the perception that certain groups are permanently conditional in their belonging, subject to different rules, and denied the same access to justice. Such a move erodes trust in institutions not only among affected individuals, but across multicultural communities who see these laws as part of a pattern of exclusion.
The government should feel ashamed of betraying their promise of a humane and compassionate approach to refugees. But what’s evident from the process to pass this bill is that they already do.
Secret deals, no consultation, and rushed legislation all point to the fact they know this is wrong, but have chosen to do it anyway.
ShareUpdated at 05.01 BSTBill to deport noncitizens to Nauru passes SenateSarah Basford CanalesA bill to strip basic legal protections from the noncitizens it plans to deport to Nauru and retrospectively validate visa decisions made before the high court’s NZYQ ruling has passed the Senate.Shortly before it was passed with Coalition support, Greens and crossbench senators spoke against the changes, labelling it “racist” and “rushed”.The Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi accused Labor of creating a bill that would make US president Donald Trump “proud”:
You praise migrants for what they bring to this country. You eat our food, you enjoy our festivals, but then you stitch up dirty deals with the Coalition to demonise us.
The independent Victorian senator Lidia Thorpe said: “It is bills like these that normalise racism and white supremacy in the highest places of power in the colony.”The ACT senator David Pocock pointed out the major parties both labelled the cohort “violent” but were willing to send them to a tiny Pacific nation for an expected $2.5bn over a three-decade period.ShareUpdated at 04.49 BSTJohn Howard and Alexander Downer ‘appalled’ at decision to recognise Palestinian statehoodTom McIlroyFormer prime minister John Howard and former foreign minister Alexander Downer have issued a joint statement saying they are “appalled” by the Albanese government’s decision to recognise Palestinian statehood.They accused the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, of undermining the enduring trust between Australia and Israel.Albanese plans to recognise Palestine as a state at this month’s United Nation’s general assembly in New York.
The question of recognising Palestine as a sovereign state is not a matter of empty symbolism. It strikes at the heart of whether international law is to be respected or discarded whenever political expediency is deemed more convenient.
Some argue that recognition would “advance” the peace process. In reality, it entrenches division. It teaches the Palestinian leadership that peace is unnecessary for statehood and it signals to Israel that international institutions cannot be relied upon to uphold agreements or protect its security concerns. Far from building confidence between the parties, premature recognition would only deepen mistrust.
The pair say the federal government has damaged Labor’s standing on leadership in the Middle East.
We all want to see peace in the Middle East: a lasting two-state solution that guarantees Israel’s security and offers dignity and self-determination to the Palestinians. But such a peace cannot be imposed from abroad, nor achieved by unilateral recognition. It must be built painstakingly by the parties themselves, through negotiation, compromise, and responsibility. And it must be grounded in the framework of international law, not a bypass of it.
ShareUpdated at 04.41 BSTPresident Trump being ‘played’ by Putin, former PM saysThe former prime minister Tony Abbott has penned his inaugural blog post on the popular platform Substack titled: The World is Even More Dangerous than You Think.The musings are focused on Donald Trump’s presidency which he describes as “even more transactional and unpredictable than the first”.
Like most conservatives, I was elated when Donald Trump returned to the US presidency. I thought he’d been a pretty good president the first time round, at least until the pandemic struck … In fact, Trump 2.0 has been Trump unleashed. I still think it’s better to have Donald Trump than Kamala Harris as “leader of the free world”; but, if anything, this Trump presidency is even more transactional and unpredictable than the first.
Abbott said Trump seemed “genuinely fascinated by dictators who can murder their opponents, invade their enemies, and stay in office forever”, representing a split from “usual courtesies” about shared values and historical ties.
The post-war global order has endured largely because of the assumption that America would fight for its allies and vice versa. What’s so currently unsettling is that this can no longer be taken for granted.
Perhaps, at some point, President Trump will work out that he’s being “played” by Putin; and that he’s needlessly alienating those normally bound to America through common values and interests. But rather than assume the best, the more the world’s democracies can do for themselves, individually and collectively, without relying on American leadership or even help, the better for all of us.
ShareUpdated at 04.37 BSTPenry BuckleyPlanned Sydney Harbour Bridge march linked to anti-vaxxers and conspiracy theoristsAs we reported yesterday, NSW police are considering an application by a group for a march across Sydney’s Harbour Bridge.The group, which has come together under the name “Australia Unites Against Government Corruption”, have lodged a form 1 notifying police about a planned public assembly on Saturday 13 September.As the ABC has reported, the group includes My Place Australia – whose mission statement invites members to “celebrate our sovereignty” – and MMAMV, whose Facebook page calls for access to “unvaccinated breastmilk”. Both groups have campaigned against vaccine mandates.The ABC has reported organisers plan to march via Milsons Point across the Harbour Bridge to Hyde Park, and are expecting 10,000 people to attend.A spokesperson for MMAMV told Guardian Australia the march had been planned for some time but would now also be a “stand” against neo-Nazis attending an anti-immigration rally in Melbourne on Sunday.A spokesperson for another group involved in the protest, The People’s Revolution, said they were also calling for “robust discussion around migration reform”.In a statement, NSW police has said it is aware of “planned assembly in Sydney on Saturday 13 September 2025”.
Officers from North West Metropolitan Region have received a Form 1 and are consulting relevant stakeholders.
If police accept the application, protesters can be protected from being charged for offences like blocking traffic. If police reject it, the protest is not considered illegal, but protesters do not have the same protections.ShareUpdated at 04.24 BSTWilkie to press government on whistleblower protections after Boyle caseThe independent member for Clark, Andrew Wilkie, will use today’s question time to press the attorney general on Australia’s whistleblower protections.As the minutes tick down to showtime, Wilkie has disrupted a copy of his question, which will raise the case of whistleblower Richard Boyle, who was last week spared jail after exposing unethical debt collection practices at the Australian Taxation Office.Andrew Wilkie in August. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPJudge Liesl Kudelka sentenced Boyle, 49, in the South Australian district court on Thursday, seven years after the former debt collection officer went public with allegations that led to reforms within the ATO.In a plea deal with prosecutors, the Adelaide man admitted four criminal charges, reduced from the original 66 laid after he appeared on the ABC’s Four Corners program. Wilkie will ask:
Attorney general, last week ATO whistleblower Richard Boyle was sentenced after facing a lengthy prosecution for blowing the whistle on egregious wrongdoing in the ATO.
His case was of course yet another demonstration that our whistleblower protections are deeply inadequate.
Minister, exactly when will the government table the necessary amendments to the Public Interest Disclosure Act, and the Corporations Act, so the whistleblowers aren’t the ones being punished?
You can read about the issue here:ShareUpdated at 04.18 BSTFact check: are all members of the NZYQ cohort criminals who have reoffended since being released from immigration detention?Sarah Basford CanalesThe Senate is debating a home affairs bill to strip natural justice from noncitizens within the NZYQ cohort in an effort to expedite their deportation to Nauru.But just who is within the NZYQ cohort? And are they all violent criminals, as some politicians have claimed?Well, according to the home affairs department’s evidence in March 2025, around nine of the 300 or so person group have been previously charged with a low-level crime, or have no criminal history at all.Officials said 13 within the group had a murder or attempted murder conviction, 95 had a criminal history of sex-based offending, and for assault and violent offending, kidnapping and armed robbery, the total was 133.Other criminal histories within the cohort include:But remember, these are convictions that have been served already.In March, the department also said around a third of the group had been charged with a breach of visa conditions or migration laws since being released from indefinite detention as a result of the high court’s ruling in November 2023.As a result of the concern for community safety, some of the released cohort were placed under strict monitoring conditions, including ankle bracelets and curfews. More than two-thirds of the group were not subject to curfews or electronic monitoring as of February.ShareUpdated at 04.11 BSTLong road ahead for defence suicide inquiry reformsA mountain of work is needed to deliver more than 100 recommendations from a damning veteran suicide royal commission, the government concedes.Nine recommendations have been fully implemented and a further 110 are under way, the veterans’ affairs minister, Matt Keogh, told parliament on Thursday.The limited progress comes almost a year after the inquiry’s final report was handed down, but the minister said a suite of reforms would ensure members of the defence force, veterans and their families received the care they needed:
We will continue to do what’s right to take action on the royal commission as quickly as we can. It’s the least we can do.
Labor provided its response in December, accepting the overwhelming majority of the 122 recommendations. A defence and veterans’ service commission will be operational by the end of September as the government recruits a commissioner to head the body.Measures that will allow defence force personnel convicted of sexual crimes to be booted from the military would be in place by the end of 2025, Keogh said.The opposition veterans’ affairs spokesperson, Darren Chester, accused Keogh of “putting lipstick on a pig”:
It was extraordinary that the minister came in here and endeavoured to pretend this is a good reform when it actually disenfranchises our veterans and their families.
The opposition was given less than a day’s notice about Keogh’s progress report, which Chester claimed had been worked on for weeks.-AAP.ShareUpdated at 03.53 BST
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