Australian news and politics live updates: Anthony Albanese defends decision on new hate crime laws
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Key Events
Dutton says the terrorism information timeline should be available
“Well, it should be made public and there should be transparency around is because it is without precedent,” Mr Dutton said.
“There is no way in the world that the Prime Minister would be kept in the dark for 10 days about an alleged terrorist plot that could kill hundreds of Australians.
Why was the Premier of New South Wales notified about it if there was a national security imperative to keep it from political leaders?
“It just doesn’t add up.”
Coalition happy Labor has decided to implement mandatory minimum sentencing for hate crime
Mr Dutton has epressed his happiness that the new hate crime laws will be put in place to try and curb the growing anti-Semitic attacks in Australia.
“We are also very pleased that the Government has seen fit to support our proposal in relation to mandatory sentences for acts of anti-Semitism.”
“Anti-Semitism has no place in our society whatsoever and the escalation that has taken place since October 7 has been a national shame and a national disgrace.”
‘Chopping and changing’: Dutton says PM should be held accountable for lack of knowledge
Peter Dutton has called out the PM on his transparency over the planned mass terrorism event in Sydney.
“The Prime Minister can run around with all sorts of theories about why he can’t disclose the dates that he was advised by the Australian Federal Police for national security reasons, but, again, that’s not a credible story either,” Peter Dutton says.
“The Prime Minister keeps chopping and changing his position. That’s exactly why there needs to be an independent inquiry in relation to this matter.
“An eminent Australian from the criminal intelligence and law enforcement community needs to be appointed to conduct this review because it can’t happen again.”
Peter Dutton demands independent inquiry into caravan terrorism incident
Oppositon leader Peter Dutton says he has written to the PM to demand an independent inquiry into the Sydney caravan terror incident and why there was a delay in Mr Albanese being notified.
Mr Dutton says the Prime Minister wasn’t notified until nine days or 10 days after what was believed to be the biggest planned terrorist attack in our country and the public needs to know why.
“It is inconceivable that the Prime Minister didn’t know about it,” Mr Dutton said.
Dutton to address media on Labor’s new mandatory minimum sentencing laws for hate crimes
Coalition leader Peter Dutton is about to speak to the media about Labor’s new mandatory minimum sentencing laws for hate crimes amid the growing anti-Semitic attacks in Australia.
The Albanese goverment has pushed through the new laws after mounting pressure to toughen up laws to punish offenders.
Woodside boss warns Trump agendas could pose threat for Australian business
Woodside Energy boss Meg O’Neill has warned Donald Trump’s red tape slashing, pro-oil and gas agenda will siphon more investment offshore unless Australia gets its house in order.
Ms O’Neill will tell the Melbourne Mining Club on Thursday that America’s deregulation and swing away from free trade towards protectionism both pose a threat to Australia.
It adds to ongoing concern in the energy industry that regulatory fights, lawfare, and uncertainty are pushing the land Down Under down the list of places to invest in big projects.
Latika M Bourke: Is Albo lacking leadership or is he out of his depth?
Anthony Albanese’s timidity in responding to what may be Donald Trump’s most jaw-dropping idea yet — to “clean out” Gaza of its Palestinian inhabitants and commercialise the heavily bombed enclave into the “Riviera of the Middle East” stood in stark contrast to the widespread condemnation from world leaders.
It was as shock-and-awe as you could get from the US President who we’ve grown accustomed to breaking all the rules.
And it was yet another indication that Mr Trump, in his second iteration, is less an isolationist and more an imperialist in his inclinations.
But astonishingly the Prime Minister had zilch to say when he was asked about the President’s proposal, other than retreating to the pro forma position of stating Australia’s long-held support for a two-state solution.
Trump signs executive order banning transgender girls and women from female sport
President Donald Trump has issued an executive order to exclude transgender girls and women from female-designated sporting competitions and teams.
Republicans say the directive restores fairness, while critics say it tramples on the rights of a small minority of athletes.
Trump’s order directs the Department of Justice to ban transgender girls and women from participating in female school sports.
It comes under Trump’s interpretation of Title IX, a law against sex discrimination in federally funded education programs, a White House official said in a briefing. The order calls for “immediate enforcement” in schools nationwide.
The official said the Department of Education would lead investigations into schools to ensure compliance, but that work could shift to other agencies if the department is dismantled, as Trump has pledged to do.
‘Big thinker and dealmaker’: Dutton backs Trump
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
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.
