News and politics recap: Zomi Frankcom’s family call Israeli decision ‘an insult’

Chris Minns has apologised to Lily Hooper’s family after he incorrectly announced the 18-year-old hiker had been found alive after an eight day search.

The NSW Premier told Budget estimates on Thursday that the teen had been “found alive.”

He later retracted that claim and told the committee he had made a mistake.

“I apologise … it seems as if the earlier advice was wrong,” Mr Minns said.

““Lily’s body has been found. She’d been found deceased.”

Later in the afternoon, the premier released a statement apologising for any distress the confusion may have caused.

“Advice I received earlier today relating to Lily Hooper was incorrect,” Mr Minns said.

“I genuinely believed I was sharing good news.

“My deepest condolences are with Lily’s family. I am profoundly sorry to think that anything I said may have added to their heartbreak at an already devastating time.”

Jim Chalmers is continuing to insist Labor is a responsible economic manager on a day that gross Commonwealth Government debt surpassed $1 trillion for the first time.

Australia’s grim milestone was reached on Thursday as the Australian Office of Financial Management issued $4 billion worth of syndicated Treasury bonds that mature in May 2038.

Despite the prospect of higher government debt interest payments, Dr Chalmers issued a statement claiming Labor are great economic managers.

“Our responsible economic management has delivered one of the three strongest Budgets in the G20 and much lower debt to GDP than any major advanced economy,” he said.

Shadow treasurer Tim Wilson said the $1t debt milestone was a reminder that soaring government debt was adding to overall demand in the economy which adds to inflation — emphasising a point previously made by Reserve Bank of Australia governor Michele Bullock.

“Today is ultimately a sad day for the country,” he told reporters at Parliament House in Canberra.

“We have had our national debt pass the $1 trillion mark, and what we know is that more debt is being used to stoke inflation, increase interest rates, and increase the price at the supermarket.”

​​Read more. ​​

New laws protecting journalism have passed the Parliament with social media giants using Australian news urged to pay for it.

The News Bargaining Incentive and the News Journalism Payments scheme which passed are aimed to close a loophole where platforms could withdraw news and avoid obligations under the Code.

It now encourages platforms to do deals with at least eight news businesses by paying a lower rate than if they simply paid the incentive.

However, if they elect not to do deals, the funds will be returned to the news media sector to support journalism across Australia through the News Journalism Payments scheme.

Communications Minister Anika Wells said journalism was “an essential part of a strong democracy” and that the laws should help ensure the media sector was sustainable.

“These laws also back smaller and regional publishers which are so important in providing communities with a voice,” she said.

Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services Daniel Mulino encouraged digital platforms to do deals.

“Strong Australian public interest journalism matters to the diverse range of communities it serves, and it matters to the nation as a whole,” he said.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong was forced to defend the decision not to expel Israeli Ambassador Hillel Newman, arguing removing him would limit Australia’s ability to demand accountability over the killing of aid worker Zomi Frankcom.

Asked why the Government had not taken the step despite calls for Newman to be sent home, Senator Wong said diplomatic relations were not an endorsement of another country.

“We maintain those relationships because they enable us to engage in order to advance Australia’s interest,” she said.

“Removing an ambassador will remove our ability to be able to engage, press for Australia’s interests and relevantly here, to put the views of Australia and Zomi Frankcom’s, and an ongoing basis of Zomi Frankcom’s family to the Israeli government.”

Senator Wong reiterated the Government did not have confidence in Israel’s decision not to pursue criminal proceedings and said it failed to address key questions surrounding the three strikes on the World Central Kitchen convoy.

She also renewed demands for drone audio Australia has repeatedly sought and said Frankcom’s family deserved an apology “at least”.

“At minimum they deserve an apology. I said that publicly,” Senator Wong said, adding she would consult the family before determining the Government’s next steps.

Obviously they would like things to be very different. They would still like to have Zomi Frankcom with them.”

Foreign Minister Penny Wong says Australia is “outraged” by Israel’s decision not to pursue criminal proceedings over the Israeli strikes that killed Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom and six of her World Central Kitchen colleagues.

Speaking in Canberra after summoning Israeli Ambassador Hillel Newman, Senator Wong said the decision “falls short of the accountability we expect” and revealed Australia had still not received drone audio requested on behalf of Ms Frankcom’s family.

“The Australian government does not believe the removal of two officers from their positions and three officers being reprimanded is sufficient accountability for the deaths of seven people including an Australian citizen,” she said.

Senator Wong said there were still “many unanswered questions” about why three strikes were carried out minutes apart and why the convoy was targeted in a humanitarian zone.

She also criticised the timing of Israel’s announcement, saying Australia was given only moments’ notice on World Humanitarian Day and could not warn Ms Frankcom’s family beforehand.

“To learn of these developments in the circumstances was especially insulting and hurtful to Zomi Frankcom’s loved ones, to humanitarians and to Australians,” she said. Senator Wong said the Government would continue pressing Israel for justice and consult Ms Frankcom’s family before announcing any further steps.

Premier Ben Carroll has announced details of the royal commission following a special cabinet meeting.

The Victorian royal commission will be overseen by the former Chief Justice of South Australia, Chris Kourakis.

The commission will have the power to call former premiers Jacinta Allan and Daniel Andrews.

The Premier also promised the commission would have access to confidential cabinet documents.

Mr Carroll said the first thing he did as Premier was to call for the royal commission.

“I did that because Victorians deserve the truth,” he said.

“They deserve to know how organised crime found its way onto our building sites, who allowed it to happen, and how we make sure it never happens again.

“Nothing less than a royal commission with full coercive powers and public hearings will get us there.”

with NCA Newswire

Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff says dozens of penguins are being tested for H5 bird flu after 28 of the seabirds were found dead on an island north-west of the State.

“Specialist teams have been deployed to King Island after 28 dead penguins were discovered at the Port of Grassy,” Mr Rockliff wrote on Facebook.

“Testing is ongoing to confirm whether the penguins and other birds found on site have H5 bird flu.

“While that testing happens, further teams are being surged to the area. They will greatly increase the surveillance and collection capacity on the ground.

“The risk to Tasmanians remains very low. And there remains zero detection in Tasmanian poultry.”

Despite their sharp ideological differences and more than a touch of personal political enmity, Paul Keating and John Howard were both motivated by the same central doctrine as prime ministers.

They believed that no matter how much noise there was in the daily news cycle, if they got the policy right as leaders the politics would take care of itself.

But it was the most consequential re-imagining of the economy of the post-war period, setting the groundwork for decades of export-driven prosperity.

The policy was right. And the politics did sort themselves out.

But the Albanese Government now appears to be on a quest to challenge that enduring aphorism.

It is chalking up victory after victory on major policy and yet still managing to get the politics horribly wrong.

Some of it can be put down to a universal dissatisfaction with governments at present, fuelled by persistent cost-of-living pressures and a general belief that institutional authority has divorced itself from the challenges of daily life.

That is the mass malaise which is driving people towards disruptors like One Nation.

But most of the Albanese Government’s political problems have been self-inflicted.

Its decision to break its central economic promise and change negative gearing and capital gains taxes set a challenge to rival Howard’s on the GST.

And so far it has failed.

​Read Mark Riley’s full opinion piece. ​

The Victorian construction sector will be subject to a royal commission following years of allegations that organised crime and corruption has infiltrated the government’s major infrastructure projects.

Premier Ben Carroll announced the royal commission on Thursday following a special cabinet meeting.

The Victorian royal commission will be overseen by the former Chief Justice of South Australia, Chris Kourakis.

The commission will have the power to call former premiers Jacinta Allan and Daniel Andrews.

The announcement comes 100 days out from the state election.

Mr Carroll is scheduled to hold a press conference shortly.

​with NCA Newswire ​

Israel’s ambassador has expressed condolences to the family of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom but insists the military investigation into her death was conducted properly.

“We’re very sorry for the family,” the ambassador told reporters outside Parliament House after being hauled in for a meeting with Foreign Minister Penny Wong.

A recently completed investigation has cleared Israeli soldiers of criminal wrongdoing over a Gaza air strike that killed Ms Frankcom and other aid workers two years ago.

“We express deep sorrow and grief with the family of Zomi Frankcom, and I’d like to tell them straightforward: we grieve with you,” the ambassador said.

“We are sorry for the circumstances that brought about this death. Any innocent life is a tragedy”.

The Ambassador also declared, “We must accept the findings of a court after (a) thoroughly independent investigation”.