Australian news and politics live updates: Peter Dutton says ‘dealmaker’ Trump can deliver on change
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Key Events
‘Big thinker and dealmaker’: Dutton backs Trump to continue worldwide shakeup
Donald Trump has been hailed a “big thinker and a deal maker” by federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton after the president proposed the US take over and redevelop Gaza.
Mr Trump’s suggestion on Wednesday that the bombed-out strip could be redeveloped into the “Riviera of the Middle East” has been widely denounced, including by Europe and Middle Eastern nations.
The White House later walked back some of the president’s comments, saying Palestinians would be temporarily relocated rather than permanently displaced and said no decision had been made about sending in US troops.
Mr Dutton said the billionaire, the subject of a popular 1987 memoir Trump: The Art of the Deal, didn’t become president for the second time “by being anything other than shrewd”.
“I think a lot of people ... are coming to grips with it as well as he’s a big thinker and a deal maker,” the opposition leader told Sydney radio 2GB on Thursday.
Labor caves on mandatory sentences for terrorism, Coalition claims a win
Labor has caved to Coalition demands to introduce mandatory minimum jail terms for terrorism and the display of hate symbols as it faces increasing pressure to take tougher action against anti-Semitism.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke revealed the plan on Wednesday evening in amendments to a government bill to outlaw hate crimes.
He said the move put the Parliament on the edge of passing the “toughest laws against hate speech that Australia has ever had.”
Labor had previously resisted legislating for mandatory minimum sentences on the grounds that would not reduce crime and could undermine the independence of the judiciary.
On Thursday, Mr Albanese said Labor had opted for mandatory minimum terms as criminals had to be held to account.
“Putting this in place, and then having a review of how the laws are operating by the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence is an appropriate thing to do, and something that we’ve worked through,” he told the ABC.
Albanese continues to refuse commentary on Trump’s Gaza takeover
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has refused again to comment on US President Donald Trump’s shock announcement of a plan to take over the Gaza Strip and to permanently relocate Palestinians.
Asked repeatedly on ABC News for his response, he refused to expand from his previously stated position that Australia’s stance has been “long-standing and bipartisan for two states in the region.”
Pressed on whether the US position would potentially upend a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, he said clearly the policy announced by Mr Trump was “a different one.”
But he added: “I’ve said that I’m not going to respond to every statement, every day that is made. I’ll determine, and my government will determine, Australia’s position, which has been consistent for a long period of time.
“That is consistent as well with what the world has said, and I might say, as well as consistent with what a long-standing US policy has been.”
Mr Trump’s announcement has been criticised globally.
“I wanted to be very clear on this: Gaza is the land of Gazan Palestinians and they must stay in Gaza,” Jose Manuel Albares, the Spanish foreign minister said.
France’s foreign ministry reiterated its “opposition to any forced displacement of the Palestinian population of Gaza.”
John Swinney, Scotland’s first minister said there must be “no ethnic cleansing” in Gaza.
Minns announces tough new anti-Semitism laws in NSW
A suite of “tough new measures” aimed at snuffing out the fire that is the recent rise in racial hatred and anti-Semitism has been announced by the NSW government in a move it says will empower police and send the message these crimes “have no place”.
The package of reforms includes a new criminal offence for people who intentionally incite racial hatred. The proposed maximum penalty is two years behind bars.
The government will expand the section of the Crimes Act that deals with nazi symbols to target those who display them on or near a synagogue.
On top of that, lawmakers will create an aggravated offence for graffiti attacks on places of worship, and introduce legislation to stop people intentionally blocking access to these sites or harassing those who attend them.
Albo promises funding to repair Queensland flood crisis infrastructure
Nicola Smith reports Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has promised a temporary fix for a collapsed bridge that has cut off supplies of fuel, water and food to communities near Townsville, Queensland.
Part of the Ollera Creek Bridge collapsed on Sunday under torrential rain that has caused the worst flooding seen in decades. Two people have died and many homes have been submerged.
Mr Albanese flew to Townsville on Wednesday night with Emergencies Minister Jenny McAllister to offer Government support.
The Australian Defence Force would build a temporary structure over the bridge and Singaporean Chinooks were on standby to help, he said.
“These are tough times, but North Queensland is a tough people. My government is on the ground providing whatever resources are required,” Mr Albanese told ABC News.
“I approved eight local government areas to get support for infrastructure build back last night,” he added. “We need to fix this bridge temporarily. But as well, I’ve discussed with the premier we need to build back better this bridge.”
Earlier this year, the Government pledged $7.2 billion towards improving the Bruce Highway, the 1,700 kilometre-long artery that connects Queensland’s south-east to the far north.
Ukraine PM says troop death figures over 45k in war with Russia
Ukraine has brought back 150 troops from Russian captivity, President Volodymyr Zelensky says in an announcement of the latest prisoner swap with Russia.
“All of them are from different sectors of the front ... Some of the boys were held captive for more than two years,” he said via social media.
Russia and Ukraine on Wednesday exchanged 150 prisoners of war each after mediation by the United Arab Emirates, the Russian defence ministry said.
Ukraine had lost 45,100 soldiers on the battlefield since Russia’s all-out invasion began nearly three years ago, Zelenskiy said in an interview with UK journalist Piers Morgan.
Iran says it’s ready to sit down with Donald Trump
Iran is ready to give the United States a chance to resolve disputes between the arch foes, a senior Iranian official said, a day after President Donald Trump restored his “maximum pressure” campaign on the country.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said US concerns about Iran developing nuclear weapons were not a complicated issue and could be resolved given Tehran’s opposition to weapons of mass destruction.
“The clerical establishment’s will is to give diplomacy with Trump another chance, but Tehran is deeply concerned about Israel’s sabotage,” said the senior official.
The official said Tehran wanted the United States to “rein in Israel if Washington is seeking a deal” with the Islamic Republic.
Albo on the move and heading to flood affected disaster zones in Queensland
The PM is on the move today with Anthony Albanese heading north to flood-ravaged areas of North Queensland.
Mr Albanese will be joined by the Minister for Emergency Management, Jenny McAllister, and the Premier of Queensland, David Crisafulli.
They will visit and meet with staff and volunteers at the Townsville Disaster Management Centre, attend a meeting of the Queensland Disaster Management Committee (QDMC) and visit Ollera Creek.
Sam Kerr tells court of racism, fears for her life and a notorious murder in Australia
Australia soccer star Sam Kerr has denied she was “drunk and kicking off” in the back of a London taxi before the ill-fated exchange with police that led to her being tried on a racially aggravated public order offence in a British court.
On a draining day in the witness box, the Matildas captain relived the racism her family suffered in Australia, spoke of her similar experiences in England and reiterated she and her partner Kristie Mewis were “terrified” and feared they were being “kidnapped” by the cab’s driver.
Kerr said she normally shuns taxis on safety reasons, noting she had grown up amid speculation about Perth’s “Claremont killer”.
On a lighter note the trial doubled as an unusual gender reveal as Kerr said her American fiancée Mewis was carrying a baby boy, due in May.
Trump’s plan for Gaza so far outside the box it is almost unthinkable
President Donald Trump basked as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel praised his “willingness to think outside the box”.
But when it came to the Gaza Strip, Trump’s thinking on Tuesday was so far outside the box that it was not clear he even knew there was a box.
Trump’s announcement that he intends to seize control of Gaza, displace the Palestinian population and turn the coastal enclave into “the Riviera of the Middle East” was the kind of thing he might have said to get a rise on “The Howard Stern Show” a decade or two ago. Provocative, intriguing, outlandish, outrageous — and not at all presidential.
