Live: Labor rebukes Hanson claim PM 'crossed a line' with criticism
Attorney-General Michelle Rowland has urged Pauline Hanson to reflect on her own actions after the One Nation leader accused the prime minister of crossing a line in his criticism of the minor party.
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Wong condemns 'disgraceful' comments of sacked Israeli commander
By Erin Handley
By Erin Handley
Acting Prime Minister Penny Wong has condemned "disgraceful" comments made by an Israeli commander who defended ordering a deadly drone strike that killed Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom.
Frankcom and six of her World Central Kitchen (WCK) colleagues were killed in Gaza in 2024 after an Israeli attack on their convoy.
In an interview with the ABC, conducted in October last year but published last week, Colonel Nochi Mendel said he didn’t intend to hurt aid workers but added: "I'm not sorry for what I did."
"I thought those comments were disgraceful … utterly disgraceful," Wong told ABC News on Monday.
"They were not only disgraceful but extremely distressing for [her brother] Mal Frankcom and Zomi's family, as well as all those who knew and loved her."
Colonel Mendel was fired as chief of staff for the Israeli military's Nahal infantry brigade.
Last month the IDF said it would not pursue a criminal investigation against those involved, despite describing the repeated strikes on the convoy as a grave mistake.
WCK slammed Colonel Mendel's claim that it was not a neutral organisation, saying that was "false and outrageous".
The organisation reiterated its calls for an independent investigation. Wong said she would continue to push for justice and full accountability over Frankcom’s death.
China warns there will be 'consequences' over Taiwan's presence at Pacific Islands Forum
By Stephen Dziedzic
By Stephen Dziedzic
China's special envoy to the Pacific has warned there will be "consequences" over Taiwan's presence at this year's Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) leaders meeting after the democratically ruled island's foreign minister appeared at its opening ceremony in Palau.
Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung joined a group of dignitaries in Palau's commercial centre Koror for a ceremony marking the formal opening, which has drawn hundreds of politicians, officials, non-government organisations and journalists to the picturesque Micronesian nation.
Taiwan has vastly more room to manoeuvre at this year's PIF leaders meeting because it maintains diplomatic ties with Palau.
In a bid to scale up those commercial and development ties with Palau, Taipei brought a large business delegation to the country this week.
The foreign minister's appearance at the opening ceremony drew particular attention because Taiwan's participation at the meeting is usually so tightly controlled by the PIF secretariat.
China's Pacific envoy, Qian Bo, told reporters after the ceremony that Beijing had "serious concerns" about the space being given to Taiwan, although he insisted China had the "understanding and support" of most Pacific nations.
"Taiwan is not a dialogue partner with the forum so we have serious concerns," he said.
"We have made our position very clear to the government of Palau and the secretariat."
Read more at the link below.
Hanson should look at own actions: Rowland
By Courtney Gould
By Courtney Gould
Attorney-General Michelle Rowland was also asked about Pauline Hanson's claim the prime minister had been inciting violence against her.
The One Nation leader yesterday accused Anthony Albanese of crossing a line by saying the minor party sought to divide Australia while also claiming "hard right populists" were peddling dangerous and divisive politics.
Rowland tells ABC's Radio National Breakfast it's dangerous to be a woman in politics no matter the person's political affiliation.
"The prevalence of algorithms that are feeding not only hate but also extremism against not only myself but many other politicians right across the aisle is completely unacceptable, and it is out of control," Rowland says.
But she says Hanson should also examine whether her own actions were driving some of the threats too.
"When you go on and you entertain some of the individuals whom she has been entertaining, who are not only convicted criminals, but when you admit that you have a party that has been infiltrated by extremists and neo-Nazis, this is exactly the kind of dangers to which politicians are being put in this country," Rowland says.
"I think sometimes when comments like this are made, one needs to look at oneself and one's behaviour, and the kinds of standards that they accept into their own party and their own ideology."
Key Event
No import ban on smart glasses about striking the 'right balance': Rowland
By Courtney Gould
By Courtney Gould
Attorney-General Michelle Rowland is also on a bit of a breakfast media blitz following the release of the government's proposed changes to Australia's privacy laws.
The changes include a right to erasure from social media giants and search engines and a crackdown on companies collecting "more information than they need".
However, the changes won't look at an import ban for smart glasses, which can be used to covertly record people without their consent.
Rowland says the legislation needs to take a technology-neutral approach. But she notes that while it is an issue of concern for many, the technology has been a "real game changer" for the vision-impaired.
So it's about getting "the balance right," she tells ABC's Radio National Breakfast.
"One of the key points here when we talk about addressing digital harms is that we identify the harms and we need to address those harms without stifling innovation," she says.
Leaders have their own reasons on why they might not have attended PIF: Wong
By Courtney Gould
By Courtney Gould
A meeting of Pacific Island leaders in Palau got off to a tumultuous start after several decided not to attend.
NZ Foreign Minister Winston Peters told reporters yesterday at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) there were reasons to be "suspicious" about what's driving the leaders' absence given Palau's diplomatic ties to Taiwan.
Asked about his remarks and whether they referred to China, Penny Wong declined to be drawn in.
"I've been very upfront that we are in a state of permanent contest in the Pacific. Second, Australia does regard the Pacific Islands Forum as such a key part of regionalism, so important to ensuring that the Pacific can make decisions for itself about its region," she tells ABC's News Breakfast.
"Obviously, leaders make their own decisions about their travel and their range of reasons why some leaders have not been able to attend."
On whether she'd be disappointed if Solomon Islands PM Matthew Wale was replaced with a pro-China leader, Wong says that is a matter for the people of the Solomon Islands.
Key Event
RAAF plane loaded with hygiene and shelter kits to be deployed to Nepal
By Courtney Gould
By Courtney Gould
Penny Wong also stopped by ABC's News Breakfast, where she was asked if Australia was offering further assistance to Nepal.
The acting prime minister says she spoke to her Nepali counterpart, Shisir Khanal, over the weekend and offered further Australian assistance.
Australia will send a Royal Australian Air Force plane loaded with shelter kits, hygiene kits and other essential aid items to the region today.
"What they wanted was more humanitarian supplies and that's what's being delivered," Wong says.
The foreign minister also thanked Australians who have donated about $2 million so far to support search and rescue efforts.
Number of missing Australians remains at 43
By Courtney Gould
By Courtney Gould
Acting Prime Minister Penny Wong says the government is "working around the clock" to get information on the unaccounted-for Australians after the Nepal-Tibet floods.
Forty-three Australians remain missing after the flash floods, with more than 4,400 people still missing on both sides of the border.
Australian hiker Michael Keats is one of those unaccounted for. Overnight, his partner shared a tribute to him, saying she believes he's dead.
Speaking with Nine, Wong says the government has not received confirmation of his death.
"We respect the rights of families to make public statements and to deal with this as they see fit. The Australian government has not yet received official confirmation of Mr Keats's passing. He does remain unaccounted for in terms of the information that we have," she says.
Australia risks missing out on AI economic boom
By Clare Armstrong
By Clare Armstrong
Australia will miss the economic benefits of the artificial intelligence boom unless businesses actually use the technology to make bigger changes, Treasury has warned.
New advice provided to Treasurer Jim Chalmers said Australia's current AI uptake was widespread but shallow, with less than 10 per cent of businesses reporting "significant" adoption.
The Treasury note said much-feared job losses had not yet materialised, but officials were watching young and entry-level workers overseas for early signs.
Officials described AI as the first "credible" accelerant of global economic growth in almost two decades, but found Australia was at risk of failing to capture the benefits of the technology.
Chalmers said AI was shaping up to be the "biggest economic transformation in our lifetime" and he was confident Australia could "maximise the economic upside and minimise the risks".
Read more of this story at the link below.
Australia to support Pacific athletes
By Courtney Gould
By Courtney Gould
Australia will provide $15.6m over four years to support Pacific athletes in the lead-up to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The cash injection will help athletes and officials from 13 Pacific countries access high-performance training and qualification opportunities to compete at major international sporting events.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who touched down in Palau for the Pacific Islands Forum on Monday evening, said the partnership reflected Australia's commitment to ensure Pacific athletes had every opportunity to compete and succeed.
"The Pacific is home to incredible sporting talent. This new partnership will contribute to producing the next generation of successful athletes," he said.
"As we move forward in planning for Brisbane 2032 Australia looks forward to welcoming the best of the best sporting talent from the Pacific and supporting them to go for gold."
Key Event
Secret Harbour results are a message for Labor but One Nation is not the solution, says Wong
By Marina Freri
By Marina Freri
Foreign Minister Penny Wong was asked on 7.30 about One Nation's victory in WA's Secret Harbour by-election, and what the implications were for the Labor Party.
"I accept there's a message sent in this by-election for us. I accept that. And I think we understand that. We understand the importance of delivering real change," she told 7.30's Sarah Ferguson.
The foreign minister said it was a disappointing result and blamed the cost of living crisis for the massive swing away from the ALP in Secret Harbour.
"Obviously this is a very disappointing result in a state by-election … we all are disappointed by this result," Wong said.
"I think what we do know is people are doing it tough … and we have to make sure we do deal with some of the very pressing cost-of-living issues that people are talking [about] and are experiencing."
But Wong also warned voters that Pauline Hanson did not have all the answers to the problems they were facing.
"As someone who sits in the Senate with Pauline Hanson, what I would say to you is … there's a lot of anger and a lot of complaints, but really very few solutions."
Property downturn spreads to 93pc of suburbs in Australia's capital cities
By David Taylor
By David Taylor
Property data firm Cotality has released its monthly national Home Value Index (HVI), showing a 0.9 per cent fall in August.
This marks the fifth straight month that Australian property prices have slipped.
The data also shows the nation's housing downturn has accelerated, with most suburbs recording weaker auction results in the final month of winter.
The country's median property value is now 3.6 per cent below the record high in March.
Sydney continued to lead the pace of declines, with home values down 1.4 per cent in August to be 7.1 per cent below peak levels recorded in February.
Read more at the link below.
Good morning 👋
By Courtney Gould
By Courtney Gould
Hello! Welcome to our politics live blog. I'm Courtney Gould from the ABC's Parliament House team, here to guide you through the day.
Congratulations for making it through another winter, friends. Can you feel the spring in your step already? So what's on the agenda today? Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has arrived in Palau for the Pacific Islands Forum (more on that shortly from our man on the ground).
Because deputy Richard Marles is also out of the country (he's in the US to discuss AI and defence) Penny Wong is our acting prime minister. She's about to do the breakfast television rounds to give an update on the Nepal floods.
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.