Australia news and politics live: Australian Federal Police charge Chinese national with foreign interference

Asked whether environmental approvals reforms could form part of Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ productivity roundtable later this month, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the event won’t be for “government decision-making”.

“The government will make decisions. The roundtable is not a substitute for government decision-making,” he said.

“(Environment) Minister (Murray) Watt is working closely with industry and environment groups.

“I would like to see these issues addressed as soon as possible. The reform of the environmental laws was something that was commissioned originally when Sussan Ley was the Minister.”

“We have a target and a plan to get there through the Safeguard Mechanism and capacity investment. That is the government’s position. A whole range of people put forward ideas over the next couple of weeks.”

Australia’s new Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett says anti-Semitism, social cohesion and hate crimes “absolutely that is right at the top of the list” of priorities.

“In the AFP we… commenced special operations last year to have a dedicated focus on anti-Semitism and we recently created a national security investigations capability dedicated to hate crimes and the role we play in social cohesion.

“I did say I would have more to say on my priorities going forward, but absolutely that is right at the top of the list.”

Her response came after a mass rally on Sydney Harbour Bridge on Sunday.

Australia’s new Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett says she’s honoured to take on the new role and be the first woman appointed to the role.

“I am truly humbled to serve as the ninth Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police. I first started my career with the AFP as a 21-year-old administrative assistant down in our Melbourne office, and I never imagined that, one day, I would be leading this very fine organisation,” she told a Canberra press conference.

“I want to pay tribute to Commissioner Reece Kershaw, who has transformed the AFP into a powerhouse of operational success under his leadership.

“Our success is the sum of many, and those who have enabled Commissioner Kershaw to deliver his vision are the intelligent men and women of the AFP, whose connection to mission is unwavering.”

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has said Australia’s new Federal Police Commissioner, Krissy Barrett, is a “true leader” and it was a no-brainer when deciding her appointment.

“The Prime Minister and I both immediately had the same name in mind. And that is for Krissy Barrett to be the ninth Federal Police commissioner,” he said.

“Throughout all the different work and the varied work that the Australian Federal Police conducts, Krissy Barrett has shown herself to understand the work and to be a true leader within it.

“We have been well-served by Reece Kershaw as commissioner, and we can all look forward to the service that will come to us by Krissy Barrett as the next Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced Krissy Barrett as Australia’s new Federal Police Commissioner.

Ms Barrett, who is currently APF Deputy Commissioner, will take over from Reece Kershaw from Monday for a five-year period.

She marks the first woman to hold the position as commissioner.

“She is highly renowned for her leadership capability, and I’ve certainly seen that firsthand in the dealings that I’ve had with Ms Barrett,” he said on Monday.

“I want to… thank Reece Kershaw for his decades of service and commitment to protecting Australians and Australia’s national interests, including six years as AFP Commissioner. Reece, you have achieved an enormous amount for our nation.”

Richard Marles says the march by 90,000 pro-Palestine protesters on Sydney Harbour Bridge on Sunday was “a very powerful statement” that Australians are “rightly appalled” by the Gaza war.

The Defence Minister on Monday said Australia would continue to call for a ceasefire and thanked protesters and organisers for being “peaceful”.

“The march yesterday was a very powerful statement, and I’d also reflect that the protests that we saw yesterday were peaceful and very much commend and thank the protesters and the organisers for that. It’s really important,” he said.

“I think Australians are rightly appalled by the tragedy that they see unfolding on their screens, playing out in Gaza. It’s a tragedy that we all want to see stop. It’s why the government has been calling for a ceasefire for a very long period of time now.”

Former Labor MP Joel Fitzgibbon has slammed Sydney Harbour Bridge “expert” protesters for acting like they have a “monopoly on compassion” and called for greater acknowledgement of the role Hamas has played in the war.

Speaking on Sky News on Monday, the ex-Defence Minister acknowledged that people across Gaza were suffering from starvation but questioned what messages pro-Palestine protesters were sending to the terrorist organisation.

“How many people walking across the bridge yesterday could name the leaders of Hamas? There seemed to be a lot of experts on the Harbour Bridge. But how much do they know?,” Mr Fitzgibbon questioned.

“There’s plenty of blame to go around.”

He suggested that protesters “seem to be marching for Hamas” and “seem to want to persuade us they have the monopoly on compassion”.

“They do not,” he said.

Mr Fitzgibbon also cautioned against Australia joining an international push to recognise Palestine as a state at the UN General Assembly in New York in September.

“Hamas, they know this meeting of the general assembly is coming up,” he said.

“Their expectation is that they will be running that Palestinian state, and we can’t allow that to happen.”

Sussan Ley says she welcomed the news today that the Australian Defence Force recruitment has been the highest in more than 15 years.

Defence Minister Richard Marles and Defence Personnel Minister Matt Keogh on Monday announced that last financial year, more than 7000 people enlisted into the Australian Defence Force.

“I always want to see ADF recruitment and retention improving. It’s good to see more people putting up their hands to join the defence forces, and I do hope that retention continues to improve,” she said.

“But unfortunately, these targets are not being met over the four years of the Labor Government

“More does need to be done and not enough has been done.

“This improvement is too little and it’s too late.”

After Opposition leader Sussan Ley didn’t answer repeated questions at a Canberra press conference last week about whether she believed starvation was occurring in Gaza, she changed her position while touring WA.

Speaking in Broome on Monday, she told reporters: “There is hunger and starvation in Gaza”.

“It needs to be addressed, and I’m pleased to see that the Israeli Government is doing exactly that.

“But what also needs to happen is for Hamas, the terrorist group that is in control of the Gaza Strip, to surrender, release the hostages, and surrender and then the war could end tomorrow.

“Ultimately, Australians do want to see Gazans fed. They want to see the Israeli hostages released. They want to see the war end.”

Opposition leader Sussan Ley slammed Sydney Harbour Bridge pro-Palestine protesters yesterday for throwing the city “into chaos for hours” and diverting vital resources.

She said that while Australia is a free democracy and protesters are allowed, it was “not reasonable” to have such a major road shut down.

“It’s not reasonable that we have protests that shut down a major arterial road,” she said.

“It’s not reasonable that we throw Sydney into chaos for hours and hours, and I just wonder about the people who genuinely needed emergency services and had to wait or couldn’t actually get them.

“I want to say a big thank you to our police and emergency services - over a thousand were diverted at the last minute to… help keep people safe.

“I see that Chris Minns is looking at what might happen next and I encourage the Premier to do that because we can’t continue to have these protests that shut down such an important area of a major city.”