Ley had ‘a really strong point to make’ on Joy Division T-shirt, Liberal MP says – as it happened
Key eventsShow key events onlyPlease turn on JavaScript to use this featureWhat we learned: Wednesday, 29 OctoberCaitlin CassidyWith that, we will wrap the blog for the evening. Thanks for reading along; Krishani Dhanji will be back first thing tomorrow to wrap up the sitting week.Until then, here are the major developments from today:
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has blamed the end of state energy subsidies for the rise in quarterly inflation. The data, released today, shows inflation jumped 3.2% in the year to September, compared to a rise of 2.1% in the year to the June quarter.
Young girls are being “hunted” and “stalked” by sadistic “crimefluencers” who are mostly young men, the new federal police chief has warned.
Queensland’s education minister has said the 140 high school students across the state who spent their final weeks in high school preparing for an exam on the wrong Caesar will not be asked for what they have not prepared.
The Australian Conservation Foundation has launched a new legal challenge against the federal environment minister, Murray Watt, over his approval of Woodside’s North West Shelf extension, one of the world’s biggest liquified natural gas projects.
Convicted rapist Gareth Ward was due to be sentenced a short time ago, with media gathering inside the courtroom for the 2pm judgment and his two victims reportedly joining via video link.
The shadow communications minister, Melissa McIntosh, says the opposition leader had a “strong point to make” when taking aim at Anthony Albanese over wearing a Joy Division T-shirt.
And Anthony Albanese has touched down in Seoul, South Korea for the APEC summit.
ShareUpdated at 03.15 EDTAndrew MessengerQueensland treasurer says credit rating downgrade ‘inevitable’ and lays blame on Labor predecessorThe Queensland treasurer, David Janetzki, has told parliament a downgrade of the state’s credit rating is “inevitable” due to poor budgetary performance.Earlier this month, the rating agency S&P Global affirmed a negative outlook for Queensland’s state government, forecasting that the state would owe a debt to revenue ratio of 150% by 2028, up from 100% in 2023, due to a historically large infrastructure investment partly as a result of the 2032 Olympics and Paralympic Games.Janetzki blamed his predecessor Cameron Dick for a $5.38bn deficit, but said the budget had since improved and the state would now run a deficit of just $4.43bn:
Those opposite (the Labor opposition) squandered revenue rivers of gold with community safety, health and housing outcomes going backwards on their watch.
Mr. Speaker, Labor’s fiscal vandalism has made a credit rating downgrade highly likely, even inevitable. Their debt, deficit and deception legacy will take time to fix this term and the next.
ShareUpdated at 02.51 EDTLey had ‘strong point to make’ on Albanese’s T-shirt choices, shadow communications minister saysThe shadow communications minister, Melissa McIntosh, says the opposition leader had a “strong point to make” when taking aim at Anthony Albanese over wearing a Joy Division T-shirt.Members of the Coalition distanced themselves from Sussan Ley’s comments, including Bridget McKenzie, when asked about them on Sunrise this morning.But McIntosh said the history of the name, which relates to a wing of a Nazi concentration camp where women were forced into sexual slavery, was “really deep for people”.
It’s very disturbing. So, she has a really strong point to make. She didn’t like it. She can say that … It’s her right to stand up.
Pointed to the fact it was about judgment, and spending time on a person’s fashion choices rather than issues like the coast of living crisis, McIntosh said Ley could “multitask”.
I’m quite comfortable with her making her statement.
ShareUpdated at 02.31 EDTBrisbane man jailed for preparing to travel to Syria to help overthrow the al-Assad governmentA 35-year-old Brisbane man has been sentenced to six years in prison for preparing to travel to Syria to “engage in hostile activities”, the AFP says.A multi-pronged investigation by the Queensland joint counter-terrorism team with the AFP, Queensland Police Services and Asio found that between mid-2016 and February 2017, the man undertook a range of activities as part of planning to enter Syria and help fight to overthrow the government led by Bashar al-Assad.The AFP says he researched flights from Brisbane to Türkiye, where he planned to illegally cross the Turkish border into Syria. After search warrants in 2018, a USB was seized which contained electronic books on guerrilla warfare, guides for manufacturing explosives and several issues of a magazine produced by al-Qaida.The man was charged with three counts of making preparations for incursions into foreign countries for the purpose of engaging in hostile activities. He entered a guilty plea last year.On Tuesday, he was sentenced yesterday by the Queensland supreme court to serve a minimum non-parole period of four years and six months.ShareUpdated at 02.16 EDTMore than 50 people charged for alleged ‘serious and organised crime’ in South AustraliaSA police have arrested and charged 55 people allegedly involved in “serious and organised crime” as part of a coordinated operation across Adelaide and regional parts of the state.Some 23 properties were raided in Operation Ironside from 5am, with search warrants executed. Six people were also arrested at correctional services facilities and taken to the city watchhouse.The 55 people are facing 813 criminal charges, including money laundering, drug trafficking and drug manufacturing, and are expected to appear in Adelaide magistrates court today.Police also restrained more than $25.8m in assets – including 23 properties, 70 cars and bank accounts holding $588,000.Operation Ironside is a joint initiative between the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and state law enforcement agencies that used intelligence gathered from encrypted ANOM devices – a technology created by the FBI to infilitrate criminal syndicates.The deputy commissioner of police, Linda Williams, said since the commencement of Operation Ironside in 2021, 109 individuals had been arrested for their alleged involvement in serious criminal offending and $40m worth of assets was restrained.ShareUpdated at 02.03 EDTHusic says there will be a ‘lot of people’ concerned with the actions of the Netanyahu government after Israeli strikes on GazaHusic was also asked about strikes launched by Israel on Gaza after the Netanyahu government accused Hamas of breaching the terms of the ceasefire.Asked if he was concerned about the developments, Husic, who has been vocal in his concerns for the human suffering in Gaza, replied: “of course”.
It was always going to be that the Trump administration would have the maximum leverage on the Netanyahu government to bring them to the table, in tandem with all the work the Gulf states were doing.
That 20-point peace plan, I’m sure people can pick it apart, but the biggest thing it gave us was an element not present for two years, which was hope. We want that to continue … What we want to see is peace.
Husic added that Australians wanted to see that “kids are not targeted any more and they have the life they should deserve, and all Palestinians are freed from fear, along with Israelis, as a result of what Hamas did”.
We need this peace plan to work, big time it needs to work. But in terms of some of the actions of the Netanyahu government, I think there will be a lot of people concerned about it. The sooner it ceases and the sooner we get progress on the peace plan, the better for so many people.
ShareUpdated at 01.56 EDTEd Husic warns proposed environmental powers could be detrimentally used by future ministersThe former energy minister Ed Husic, who was dumped from cabinet in May, has told ABC’s Afternoon Briefing he holds concerns over parts of the ministerial powers outlined in Labor’s proposed environment law changes.The Albanese government plans to introduce its planned changes to the national law – the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act – to parliament later this week.Husic praised work the environment minister, Murray Watt, had done, but warned an element of the bill, which allowed the minister of the day to approve a project even if it had unacceptable environmental impact, could be detrimentally used by future governments:
We have a Coalition fight at the moment which includes members of that coalition that doubt the role of human-induced climate change and we’re going to give them the power to override environmental laws in what is called the national interest for them to make decisions. That’s a really consequential power to put (in).
Husic said he had raised his views through caucus and would support Labor’s decision. But he added it was something that “needs contemplation” and if a future Coalition minister had less regard for environmental incomes, then it was a “matter of concern”.Husic vowed after he was moved to the backbench that he would be “constructive” but added that he would speak out on “important” issues when no longer constrained by cabinet solidarity.ShareUpdated at 01.55 EDT‘Farewell old friend’: Irishman killed in mine disasterTributes have flowed from across the globe after an Irish expat was identified as one of two people killed in an underground mine explosion.The outback town of Cobar has been left reeling after the early morning disaster on Tuesday, which experts say appeared to be an avoidable tragedy.A woman in her 20s and a man in his 60s were killed, while a second woman in her 20s was flown to hospital with hearing damage and shock.The man has been identified as Irish national Ambrose “Ambie” McMullen, who lived in Cobar and has been remembered as “well-known” in his home town of Cootehill.Ciaran Mullooly, an Irish member of the European Parliament, remembered working with McMullen in the 1980s in a post on Facebook:
Ambie was a treasured colleague … (he) was a lovely man, great fun and craic and we enjoyed many’s (sic) the night out. RIP Ambie, farewell old friend.
When emergency services arrived shortly after the explosion, they were told McMullen was already dead. The two women were brought to the surface but one of them died soon after.Police confirmed on Wednesday that McMullen’s body had been recovered from below ground. He was remembered by locals in Ireland for his love of Gaelic football, along with a friendly personality.-AAP.ShareAnne DaviesContinued from previous post:The threat of compulsory acquisition drew an immediate rebuke from Lock the Gate Alliance. Its national coordinator, Carmel Flint, said:
It’s very disappointing to see Premier Chris Minns take the side of gas giant Santos against local farmers and Gomeroi Traditional owners who merely seek to protect land, water, and culture from dangerous gasfields and associated pipelines.
Santos is the primary cause of Australia’s gas price hike because it has been siphoning our domestic gas and sending it to overseas markets for the past ten years. Rewarding this company with more gasfields is contrary to the national interest and will do nothing to reduce energy prices.
Minns linked the need for more power and compulsory acquisition to saving the Tomago aluminium smelter, which this week spoke to its workforce saying that its future was uncertain beyond 2028 when its current electricity contracts are due to expire.He said NSW remained committed to renewables:
Now I want to make it clear, of course, we support renewable energy, but the truth of the matter is, gas is part of the future as well. And when the wind isn’t blowing and the sun isn’t shining, we need to be able to turn on other sources of energy to keep industry going.
The truth is, there is no future for domestic manufacturing without the continued presence of gas, particularly on the east coast. There is no renewable energy transition if we don’t have the gas there to back it up.
ShareUpdated at 01.25 EDTAnne DaviesNSW premier floats compulsory land acquisitions and says he will do ‘whatever it takes’ to make controversial Santos gas pipeline happenFarmers whose land will be traversed by a proposed pipeline carrying gas from Santos’s controversial Narrabri gas field face compulsory acquisition of the corridor by the NSW government.More than 100 impacted properties owners in the Hunter Valley alone are opposed to its construction. About 66% of landholders along the entire HGP route have so far not agreed to host the pipeline on their land.But the NSW premier, Chris Minns, said he would do whatever it takes to make the project happen and that he considered more gas essential for NSW industry. He told the Australian Workers Union Conference on Wednesday:
Since coming into office, we’ve made every approval that’s been in front of us in relation to the Narrabri project. I can tell you today that we want landholders to work with Santos and the owners of the fields to come to an agreement that works for both parties.
But if that doesn’t happen, we will be considering compulsory acquisition of the pipeline easement around the field to ensure that the project gets going and that we can get energy into the manufacturing base of the Hunter for New South Wales.
The premier urged Santos to give final investment signoff to the controversial Narrabri project while also urging the commonwealth to establish an east coast gas reserve:
What we need now is for Santos to, quite simply, commit to Narrabri and make an investment decision. And we need the commonwealth government to finally pull the eastern states together to establish the east coast gas reserve so Australian gas is used to support Australian industry, first at Australian prices.
The gas reserve is well overdue. It’s a no brainer. It needs to happen.
ShareUpdated at 01.25 EDTSentencing of convicted rapist Gareth Ward delayed to Friday after 11th-hour bidJordyn BeazleyConvicted rapist Gareth Ward was due to be sentenced a short time ago, with media gathering inside the courtroom for the 2pm judgment and his two victims reportedly joining via video link.But the sentencing was delayed to 10am Friday after Ward’s lawyers made an 11th-hour bid for his sentence to reflect the sentencing practices at the time of his offending, which was in 2013 and 2015.Judge Kara Shead on Wednesday in the Parramatta district court said that Ward’s lawyers had denied that 21B of the Sentencing Act – which requires sentencing to be in line with the current practices – applied in this instance.His lawyers and the crown will now make submissions on why 21B should or shouldn’t apply.“It should have been considered before today,” Shead said.“No doubt the victims are experiencing a great amount of frustration.”Ward, 44, was found guilty in July of sexually abusing two young men in 2013 and 2015. He is appealing against the convictions, which include three counts of indecent assault and one of sexual intercourse without consent. He has been remanded in custody since July in Cessnock prions.Ward resigned as a New South Wales MP last month, just hours before he was to be kicked out of parliament.In 2021, Ward left the Liberal party and moved to the crossbench after identifying himself as the state MP under investigation by the child abuse and sex crimes squad.ShareUpdated at 01.15 EDT
Δημοσιεύτηκε: 2025-10-29 07:15:00
πηγή: www.theguardian.com
