PM says Dutton has ‘right-wing negative megaphone on any issue’
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is speaking to ABC Melbourne this morning, and first up is asked about the Dunkley byelection which was triggered by the death of Peta Murphy last year. He touted Labor candidate and community leader Jodie Belyea, saying she has a “strong record of standing up for the disadvantaged [and] the underprivileged in the area”.
He is asked about comments made by the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, that Labor is “soft on crime” in the context of the Dunkley byelection. Albanese claimed Dutton has an “extreme right-wing negative megaphone on any issue”.
According to [Dutton’s comments], there was no crime 18 months ago, before the change of federal government, we know that that’s not the case. Your listeners know that is not the case.
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Anthony Albanese:
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In general our position tends to be that we don’t comment on matters set up before courts.
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We obviously are not a participant in the process, [and] don’t intend to be a participant in the process. What we want is to see a political solution, and that is primarily what the United States has said as well …
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We need to have a pathway to security and peace and prosperity in the region … That is the main game that we need to work on, that durable peace that has been absent for far too long.
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An out-of-control bushfire is threatening homes and lives north of Perth, with residents told to act immediately to survive.
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An emergency warning was issued early this morning for Bindoon, Breera, Gingin, Lennard Brook, Mooliabeenee and Moondah, 60km north of the city.
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WA’s Department of Fire and Emergency Services said:
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You are in danger and need to act immediately to survive. There is a threat to lives and homes.
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Crews are struggling to contain and control the fire, which is moving in multiple directions and has already burnt about 2,600 hectares. Almost 250 firefighters and support crew are battling the blaze, with aerial support expected to join the fight at first light on Monday.
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Residents were told to leave immediately if the way was clear, with an evacuation centre opened at the Bendigo centre recreation grounds on Weld Street in Gingin.
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– from AAP
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Circling back to the Sydney rain and with about half an hour to go before the 9am daily cut off, Sydney’s Observatory Hill had recorded nearly 62mm of rain.
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As noted by our own Peter Hannam, that’s the wettest 24 hours for the city since early April last year, and amounts to almost two-thirds of the city’s average rain for January, which is just over 100mm.
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An 11-year-old boy has died following a single-vehicle crash in Echuca, Victoria on Sunday.
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Police believe a vehicle travelling along the Murray Valley Highway left the road and struck a tree near Mt Terrick Road just after 12.30pm yesterday, subsequently catching fire.
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There were three occupants in the car, including the 11-year-old Echuca boy who was taken to hospital with critical injuries but has since died.
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A passenger, a 26-year-old Moama woman, died at the scene. The driver, a 23-year-old Echuca man, was airlifted to hospital and remains in a stable condition. He is assisting police with their inquiries.
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Police said the exact circumstances surrounding the crash are yet to be determined and that detectives will investigate.
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Albanese is asked about comments made by Oxfam Australia’s chief executive, Lyn Morgain, with the not-for-profit calling for the stage-three tax cuts to be abolished. Morgain told ABC News Breakfast earlier that the cuts were a “travesty” and it was “simply a very poor policy choice”.
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At a time when members of the Australian community are unhoused as a result of fire, as a result of flood, it seems unacceptable … that we could be giving large benefits to those who already have a great deal.
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Responding to her comments, Albanese said the government’s position on the stage-three tax cuts hasn’t changed and pointed to cost-of-living measures his government introduced around Medicare and childcare:
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… inequality is an issue and the government has looked at ways in which we can improve that position.
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He said the stage-three tax cuts begin at $45,000 and argued this was “important” to note. He said the government would continue to look at “a range of measures” in the lead up to the May budget and were prepared to also take action in between budgets because “we understand that people are doing it really tough out there”.
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Penny Wong will meet Israeli families of hostages taken by Hamas, as well as Palestinians impacted by settler violence in the West Bank, on a politically tricky trip to the Middle East this week.
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The foreign minister will visit Jordan, Israel, the occupied Palestinian territories and the United Arab Emirates this week, flying out to the region today. Her trip will focus on advocating for a pathway out of the war in Gaza, as well as increasing humanitarian aid in the region for besieged Palestinians. Wong will also stress the importance of upholding international law, and the protection of civilians.
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The itinerary for Wong’s trip includes meeting her government counterparts in Israel and the Palestinian territories; she will also meet survivors of the 7 October Hamas terror attacks and the families of hostages taken, as well as Palestinian victims of settler violence.
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Wong claimed that Australia is “not a central player in the Middle East, but we are a respected voice”. In a statement ahead of her departure, the minister said she would push for a “pathway out of this conflict” in Gaza, including increases to humanitarian assistance.
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\n
I will express our profound concern that there are increasingly few safe places for Gazans. I will reiterate our call for safe, unimpeded and sustained humanitarian access so that food, water, fuel, medicine and essential assistance to reach people in desperate need, and so civilians can get to safety.
\n
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She again stressed Australia continuing to “unequivocally” condemn the Hamas attack, and for the immediate and unconditional release of hostages, once more calling for the terror group to “lay down its arms”.
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And welcome back to another week on the Australia news live blog – I’m Emily Wind, and I’ll be taking you through today’s rolling coverage.
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Making news today: The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, will visit the Middle East this week, meeting with Israeli families of hostages taken by Hamas and Palestinians impacted by settler violence in the West Bank. She will visit Jordan, Israel, the occupied Palestinian territories and the United Arab Emirates, flying out to the region today.
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The federal government has today opened applications for social and affordable housing under its major housing policy – the Housing Australia Future Fund (Haff).
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We will have more on both of these stories shortly.
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Meanwhile, overnight Denmark’s prime minister proclaimed Frederik X as king and his Hobart-born wife as Queen Mary after Queen Margrethe II formally signed her abdication.
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See something that needs attention on the blog today? You can get in touch via X, @emilywindwrites, or send me an email: emily.wind@theguardian.com.
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With that, let’s get started.
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Key events
Albanese says no plans for federal election in 2024
In his final question on ABC Melbourne radio, Anthony Albanese said he doesn’t have any intention for a federal election this year:
We have three year terms in Australia. That’s a pretty short period compared with every state and territory, and compared with most countries in the world [that] have four or five year periods. So I think that as a principle, governments should try to serve out their their full term.
Albanese says government will not comment on South Africa’s genocide case against Israel
Q: Are you going to take a position on South Africa taking Israel to the International Court accusing them of genocide?
Anthony Albanese:
In general our position tends to be that we don’t comment on matters set up before courts.
We obviously are not a participant in the process, [and] don’t intend to be a participant in the process. What we want is to see a political solution, and that is primarily what the United States has said as well …
We need to have a pathway to security and peace and prosperity in the region … That is the main game that we need to work on, that durable peace that has been absent for far too long.
PM reiterates calls for humanitarian law to be respected in Israel
Next up, Albanese is asked about the ongoing Middle East conflict and whether it is “reasonable for Israel’s actions to end in the death of this many Palestinians”.
The prime minister said Australia has long called for the protection of innocent lives and for international humanitarian law to be respected.
I think that every loss of innocent life is a tragedy, regardless of whether it is Israeli or Palestinian, and I think that’s an appropriate position for Australia to take.
PM comments on supermarket inquiry
Turning to Peter Dutton’s calls for a boycott on Woolworths, following their decision not to stock Australia Day merchandise, the prime minister said Dutton needs to explain whether this boycott would be forever and what impact it would have on workers.
Q: Coles and Woolworths have said they are pushing prices not for profiteering but because of inflation. Do you believe that?
Anthony Albanese:
I think the problem for the big supermarket chain is that when people look at the prices that they’re paying off the farmers, and then look at what the prices they’re charging … people can see there’s a discrepancy there.
Albanese said he met with Dr Craig Emerson this morning about the direction of the inquiry he is taking to “make sure that consumers are looked after”.
PM says Dutton has ‘right-wing negative megaphone on any issue’
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is speaking to ABC Melbourne this morning, and first up is asked about the Dunkley byelection which was triggered by the death of Peta Murphy last year. He touted Labor candidate and community leader Jodie Belyea, saying she has a “strong record of standing up for the disadvantaged [and] the underprivileged in the area”.
He is asked about comments made by the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, that Labor is “soft on crime” in the context of the Dunkley byelection. Albanese claimed Dutton has an “extreme right-wing negative megaphone on any issue”.
According to [Dutton’s comments], there was no crime 18 months ago, before the change of federal government, we know that that’s not the case. Your listeners know that is not the case.
Wet weather due for already-drenched Queensland
In more weather news via AAP, northern Australia has been warned to brace for storms and a deluge of rain in the coming days.
A tropical low off the coast of Darwin and monsoonal rains in far north Queensland are expected to bring large volumes of rainfall to already sodden regions.
The Bureau of Meteorology said some areas south of Darwin could experience up to 500mm of rain between Sunday and Wednesday with widespread totals elsewhere in the region totalling 200 to 300mm.
A severe weather warning has been issued for the Top End in the Northern Territory, including Darwin and the Tiwi Islands, with damaging wind gusts and monsoon squalls also expected.
Significant rainfall over parts of the top end in the coming week…(source: @bom_au) pic.twitter.com/BiNsYrf40U
— @phannam@mastodon.green (@p_hannam) January 14, 2024
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Act immediately warning issued over WA bushfire
An out-of-control bushfire is threatening homes and lives north of Perth, with residents told to act immediately to survive.
An emergency warning was issued early this morning for Bindoon, Breera, Gingin, Lennard Brook, Mooliabeenee and Moondah, 60km north of the city.
WA’s Department of Fire and Emergency Services said:
You are in danger and need to act immediately to survive. There is a threat to lives and homes.
Crews are struggling to contain and control the fire, which is moving in multiple directions and has already burnt about 2,600 hectares. Almost 250 firefighters and support crew are battling the blaze, with aerial support expected to join the fight at first light on Monday.
Residents were told to leave immediately if the way was clear, with an evacuation centre opened at the Bendigo centre recreation grounds on Weld Street in Gingin.
– from AAP
Sydney records wettest 24 hours since last April with 62mm of rain
Circling back to the Sydney rain and with about half an hour to go before the 9am daily cut off, Sydney’s Observatory Hill had recorded nearly 62mm of rain.
As noted by our own Peter Hannam, that’s the wettest 24 hours for the city since early April last year, and amounts to almost two-thirds of the city’s average rain for January, which is just over 100mm.
Queensland mayor says urgent need for more crews on the ground in wake of Cyclone Jasper
The mayor of Douglas Shire, Michael Kerr, spoke to the Today show earlier this morning about the ongoing recovery efforts in north Queensland following ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper.
He said there are people in his community who are “exhausted” and “broken” still waiting for assistance. He said it is not a “finger blaming game” – with visits from the premier, emergency management minister and Queensland Reconstruction having taken place – but there is an urgent need for more crews on-the-ground to help clear debris, salvage possessions and rebuild.
I don’t think people truly get an understanding of how isolated these areas are. You’re getting a lot of decisions being made out of Brisbane offices rather than people on the ground up there that can see these communities. There’s big distances between them. There’s a lot of isolation. There’s a lot of nothing in between…
Queensland [is] great at preparing for events. That’s one thing I’ve seen over the last couple of years. But when it comes to the events, that’s after it’s happened, clearly there’s some fallout there that we need to get sorted.
11-year old dead and two injured after crash in Victoria
An 11-year-old boy has died following a single-vehicle crash in Echuca, Victoria on Sunday.
Police believe a vehicle travelling along the Murray Valley Highway left the road and struck a tree near Mt Terrick Road just after 12.30pm yesterday, subsequently catching fire.
There were three occupants in the car, including the 11-year-old Echuca boy who was taken to hospital with critical injuries but has since died.
A passenger, a 26-year-old Moama woman, died at the scene. The driver, a 23-year-old Echuca man, was airlifted to hospital and remains in a stable condition. He is assisting police with their inquiries.
Police said the exact circumstances surrounding the crash are yet to be determined and that detectives will investigate.
Labor MP calls for ‘consequences’ for Australians supporting illegal settler activity in the West Bank
The Labor MP for Bruce, Julian Hill, is calling on his own government to take a stronger stance against settler activity deemed illegal under international law. He also said Australian citizens should be banned from funding Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
In a tweet this morning, Hill wrote:
Firm words & stern finger pointing are not enough. The international community needs to attach consequences for settlers and Israeli authorities of continued illegal settlement activity – Visa bans and other measures.
Australia should also investigate if tax-deductible vehicles can funnel money to support West Bank settler activity, and consider making it illegal for Australians to fund settlement activity.
You can read more from Josh Butler below:
Wong speaks as she prepares to depart for the Middle East
The foreign minister, Penny Wong, is speaking to the media from Adelaide as she prepares to depart for the Middle East. As Josh Butler brought us earlier, she will visit Israel, Jordan, the Occupied Palestinian Territories and the United Arab Emirates.
Wong reiterated a point she made previously that while Australia isn’t a “central player in the Middle East”, it is a “respected voice” and she will be advocating for a pathway out of the conflict.
I will be focusing on advocating Australia’s position, our priority on international humanitarian assistance [and] our priority on international humanitarian law.
I will be engaging with many parties in the region.
Obviously this is a conflict which has been devastating and tragic and so many Australians with different perspectives are deeply worried about it.
What I would say to Australians is – we are not a central player in this, but we have a respected voice and we will be using it to advocate ultimately the pathway out of the conflict is something that must be found by the parties to that conflict.
Wet weather in Sydney today
If you’re commuting to the office in Sydney this morning, remember to bring your umbrella!
The city has received a bucketing this morning and will have a very high chance of showers until late this afternoon and evening. The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting a thunderstorm early this morning, possibly severe, with rainfall up to 45mm possible.
The rain radar seems to show two weather systems moving in different directions.
This is as glamorous as Sydney will get today.
Rain and clouds at Darling Harbour and Barangaroo on a damp dawn. pic.twitter.com/CJlQCnBVaO
— tim ritchie (@timritchie) January 14, 2024
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Oxfam Australia calls for stage three tax cuts to be scrapped
Circling back to comments made by Oxfam Australia’s chief executive, Lyn Morgain, around the stage-three tax cuts, here is what she said on ABC News Breakfast earlier this morning.
The not-for-profit is calling for an end to – or a scaling back of – the stage-three tax cuts. Morgain descried them as a “travesty” and said:
At a time when members of the Australian community are unhoused as a result of fire, as a result of flood, it seems unacceptable … that we could be giving large benefits to those who already have a great deal. To us, this is simply a very poor policy choice.
This comes as new research from Oxfam found the wealth of the three richest Australians has doubled since 2020, and nearly five billion people around the world have become poorer.
Asked what factors are driving inequality, Morgain said a large part of this is the way financial markets work:
The reality is that in times of crisis, there’s massive public expenditure into markets [and] often times corporations receive what we call windfall benefits [that are] well beyond what you might expect from normal profit.
We’re saying when that happens, that money needs to be clawed back into the community in order to help the community deal with the very circumstances that created it.
Oxfam is calling on the government to impose a windfall profits tax.
Albanese says crowning of Hobart-born Queen Mary ‘fantastic day’ for all Australians
Finally, Albanese commented on the coronation of Frederik X as Denmark king, and his Hobart-born wife as Queen Mary, after Queen Margrethe II formally signed her abdication. He said this was a “fantastic day” for Mary, and for Australians:
The world is watching the coronation of Frederik and Mary this morning, and every one of those reports will mention the fact that Mary was a very proud Hobart person before becoming very much proud of her role as the Queen of Denmark, where she has carried herself in a way that I think just brings enormous support and pride to all Australians.
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