Australia news LIVE: Israeli president arrives in Sydney as court challenge looms; Coalition unites again
Liberal MP warns against political 'assassination' of party's first female leader
By Nick Newling
Shadow attorney-general Andrew Wallace has described growing speculation over a challenge to Opposition Leader Sussan Ley's leadership this week by right-wing aspirant Angus Taylor as 'hypothetical', 'rumour' and 'innuendo'.
'At the moment, there is no challenge, and I'm getting on with my job as the shadow attorney-general to prosecute our political agenda and to ensure that this government does what it should be doing, and that is keeping Australians safe,' Wallace told journalists at Parliament House.
'Sussan Ley is our elected leader. She is the first woman leader of the Liberal Party. And were she to be deposed, I can almost guarantee you there'll be people out there saying, 'Oh, you know, you guys have just politically assassinated the first female leader of the Liberal Party', Wallace said.
Wallace said Ley had done 'a good job in very difficult circumstances', but did not criticise senator Jane Hume for this morning saying the party was being led astray.
'We have a very strong tradition in our party room, and that is that people are free to voice any concerns or issues that they have ... We do believe in the ability to be able to have your say. We do believe in the ability to be able to even cross the floor if you’re a backbencher. So I would encourage my colleagues to speak freely,' Wallace said.
Speaking earlier to Sky News, Wallace said he backed Ley’s leadership and that she needed clear air to lead the party.
Flag burning the focus of two bills tabled in parliament
By Nick Newling
The first two bills tabled in the House of Representatives today have both focused on burning or damaging the Australian flag, less than three weeks after a similar move failed in the Senate.
The first bill, introduced by Nationals MP Pat Conaghan, seeks to amend the Flags Act 1953 to create an offence if a person 'desecrates or otherwise dishonours' the Australian flag in public, including if images or videos of the act are communicated to the public. The amendment seeks to make the offence punishable with a penalty of one year in jail.
The second bill, from independent MP Rebekha Sharkie, seeks to amend the Criminal Code Act 1995 to the same end, but includes the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags as well. The amendment would mean a person 'intentionally or recklessly' burning or desecrating the flags could be jailed for a minimum 12 months for a repeat offence, with a maximum penalty of two years in prison.
On January 20, during the snap return of parliament to pass the government’s gun and hate speech reforms, an amendment to criminalise burning the flag was backed by the Coalition, One Nation, the United Australia Party and independent senator Tammy Tyrell. It failed because Labor and the Greens wouldn’t support the move, which suggests today’s moves will also be unsuccessful.
Constitutional scholars have long argued that any move to criminalise flag burning would be unconstitutional, as it would prohibit Australian citizen’s implied freedom of political communication.
Both bills will be debated tomorrow.
Former Nat encourages crossbench defections
By Nick Newling
Former Nationals MP turned independent Andrew Gee has welcomed defections from the party to the crossbench, saying 'all is not happy in the once happy kingdom' of the Coalition.
'I can tell you that I get reports about what goes on in there, and the reports that I’ve received are the Nationals party room was not a fun place to be last week, and so I don’t know of any who are planning on making the move, but I basically extended the invitation to them, and I would say to them, 'A better life awaits you', Gee told journalists at Parliament House.
'You won’t have party bosses telling you what to do. You won’t have to put up with the juvenile theatrics. You can actually truly represent your communities. So any National Party MPs out there who want to make the move, come and have a chat.'
The Coalition reunited yesterday after a 17-day split led by Nationals leader David Littleproud. A Nationals party room meeting was held last week in which rogue MP Colin Boyce unsuccessfully challenged for the leadership, and MP Darren Chester put up an emphatically supported motion to reunite the Coalition as a priority.
'Every single person that stopped me at electorate events over the weekend wanted to say how shocked and appalled they were at what’s happening in the Coalition, and that’s usually followed by the comment, 'You got out at the right time. You must be very happy', Gee said.
Gee moved to the crossbench in 2022 over the Nationals’ opposition of the Voice referendum.
NSW premier calls for respect during Herzog visit
By Matt O'Sullivan
NSW Premier Chris Minns has urged protesters to show respect and reminded the broader public that Sydney was on the 'international stage' during the visit by Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
'We want this 48-hour period to go off without incident,' Minns told reporters this morning.
'That’s hugely important for our reputation, but also in terms of unity and civility in the weeks and months and years ahead, long after the president has left our shores.'
Minns rejected the argument from protest groups that his government had outlawed all protest. 'That’s not the case. There’s been protests in various parts of Sydney since the 14th of December [Bondi terror attack].'
Minns said it was important the government managed public order and community harmony 'in a respectful way', and noted there would be a massive police operation in Sydney over the next 48 hours.
'I know there’s disagreement about this visit,' he said. 'But I think it’s hugely important for the long-term unity of the city and the country if there is disagreement, it’s done in a calm and respectful way. It doesn’t spill into conflict.
'I think that would be very hard for our city to recover from.'
Senator suspicious about $30k discount on minister’s phone bill
By Mike Foley
Labor MPs are being grilled at Senate estimates hearings in Canberra today and this morning the Liberal Party is enjoying a brief interlude from its poor political fortunes by making the government squirm over a $60,000 phone bill.
Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen and his staff racked up the eye-watering bill in November 2024, when they visited Azerbaijan for the UN’s annual climate conference.
Department of Climate Change secretary Mike Kaiser said the department had failed to ask the government’s telco provider to switch on international roaming.
The department said it admitted the error and the telco refunded $30,000 of the bill.
Liberal senator Sarah Henderson said it was 'very unusual' for a telco to drop charges, and pointed out that many Australian travellers did not enjoy such perks when they were struck with similar, but hopefully somewhat cheaper, bill shock.
'I am concerned about this,' Henderson said.
'If there was no liability by the carrier it just seems odd ... It would be brilliant if all Australians could get a refund on their telephone bill. There have been plenty of Australians who travelled overseas who’ve made probably a similar error.'
Environment Minister Murray Watt, who represents Bowen in the Senate, said he was 'personally aware' of cases where telcos had waived excess charges for customers.
The debate continues, as the department checks with legal advisers if it can reveal the name of the telco in question.
Pro-Palestine chants to be banned in Queensland
By Courtney Kruk and Daniel Lo Surdo
Public chanting of 'globalise the intifada' and 'from the river to the sea' would be criminalised in Queensland under new legislation expected to be introduced to state parliament this week.
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli on Sunday signalled the draft laws would also include tougher penalties on the display of swastikas, Nazi emblems, the Hamas and Islamic State flags, and the Hezbollah emblem. The government will also usher in a crackdown on intimidation and wilful damage at places of worship, with penalties of up to seven years behind bars.
The reforms will be introduced in response to the Bondi terror attack, and comes as pro-Palestine demonstrators prepare for nationwide protests against Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit to Australia, which began today.
In NSW, Premier Chris Minns is set to introduce legislation banning the chanting of 'globalise the intifada', after a Labor-controlled parliamentary committee found the phrase was an unfair political view that called for violence against Jewish Australians.
Albanese says Littleproud looked like 'hostage' next to Ley
By Daniel Lo Surdo
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese watched on with 'some incredulity' as the Coalition reunified after its 17-day split, and says Nationals leader David Littleproud 'looked like a hostage' as he announced a revival of the alliance alongside Sussan Ley on Sunday.
Albanese decried the state of traditional conservatism in Australia as 'unfortunate' and says he found it difficult to believe the 'carry on' emerging from the Liberal and National party rooms.
'I just sit back and watch with some incredulity, I’ve got to say, at their carry on,' Albanese told Nova Sydney radio.
'They really don’t like each other and I think, yesterday, having a look at them, you know, David Littleproud looked like a hostage at that press conference.'
Albanese outlined hopes for a stronger opposition, which he said can bolster the functioning of the government, though he warned against support for Pauline Hanson’s One Nation, as the far-right party enjoys encouraging polling results.
Ley hasn’t been given 'fair chance': Plibersek
By Daniel Lo Surdo
Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek has come to the defence of Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and says the Liberals haven’t given Ley a 'fair chance' as leader and declaring the dysfunction engulfing the Coalition was 'not good for democracy'.
Plibersek accused Liberal leadership aspirant Angus Taylor of 'snapping at [Ley’s] heels' from the beginning of her leadership, and said he had 'never really let up'.
'They’ve kept it going with the sort of chaos and speculation about leadership,' Plibersek told Channel Seven’s Sunrise.
'To cause the chaos and then use the chaos as an excuse to knock off their first woman leader, I mean, I think people will say that for what it is. It’s pretty shallow and pretty cynical.'
The most recent Newspoll in The Australian marked Ley as the most unpopular major party leader in 23 years. In this masthead’s Resolve Political Monitor, Ley received 29 per cent of the preferred prime minister count.
Ley dismissed suggestions on Monday that her leadership could be challenged as early as this week, finding her focus was instead on holding the Albanese government to account after reunifying the Coalition at the weekend.
Ley defends Taylor relationship amid leadership woes
By Daniel Lo Surdo
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has defended her relationships with Liberal leadership aspirant Angus Taylor and Nationals leader David Littleproud, as more ominous polling heaps pressure on Ley.
The most recent Newspoll in The Australian marked Ley as the most unpopular major party leader in 23 years. In this masthead’s Resolve Political Monitor, Ley received 29 per cent of the preferred prime minister count.
Ley dismissed suggestions on Monday that her leadership could be challenged as early as this week, finding her focus was instead on holding the Albanese government to account after reunifying the Coalition at the weekend.
She said that all her Coalition colleagues, including Taylor, were 'overwhelmingly' behind the decision to revive the conservative alliance and backed her relationship with the Nationals after their 17-day split.
'I have talked to Angus about the challenges facing Australians, as I have every one of my team,' Ley told ABC TV.
'We have been involved in the discussions leading up to reforming the Coalition, and it’s important for Australians to know with respect to the Liberal and National parties, we’ve resolved our differences.'
Ley rejected suggestions that she and Littleproud’s relationship was toxic, finding the Coalition had 'strengthened our process' following the recent split.
Heavy security presence surrounds Israeli president
By
Israeli President Isaac Herzog has been spotted in Sydney after touching down in Australia earlier this morning.
Vision captured by Nine cameras shows Herzog and wife Michal enjoying the view from a balcony at an undisclosed location.
There is a heavy security presence surrounding Herzog and his entourage. Snipers could be seen on rooftops nearby.
