‘Absolutely appropriate’ for police to investigate alleged raising of Hezbollah flags, minister says
Katy Gallagher was also asked about calls from Peter Dutton to recall the parliament and give the AFP powers to arrest people who allegedly held Hezbollah flags at protests at the weekend.
Is this something the government would consider? Gallagher said:
I think that the leader of the opposition knows that the police are and have indicated that they are investigating the matters on the weekend, including the [alleged] raising of those flags of a listed terrorist organisation.
It is appropriate, and in this country, we do have law enforcement agencies that actually undertake the investigation. The investigation is not undertaken by the leader of the opposition.
Parliament is sitting next week. I think the leader of the opposition understands what he’s doing here, which is trying to raise and create further division at a moment where people are feeling extremely concerned about what’s happening in the Middle East.
Gallagher said the alleged raising of Hezbollah flags “is absolutely inappropriate, and it is absolutely appropriate that the police investigate that matter”.
Key events
Grave warning for Australians as Israel invades Lebanon
AAP has more details about Australia’s work to get citizens out of Lebanon, as Israel launches a ground invasion.
Those in Lebanon are being assisted by Dfat to secure commercial airline tickets as the risk of the international airport shutting heightens.
It follows months of repeated warnings Australians in Lebanon needed to leave as the security situation deteriorated and any repatriation effort in a crisis would be severely strained and unable to evacuate everyone.
Foreign minister Penny Wong has reiterated calls for Australians to take the first opportunity to leave:
There is a risk Beirut airport may close for an extended period… We continue to urge Australians in Lebanon to take the first opportunity they can to depart. Please do not wait for a preferred route.
Canada has secured 800 seats on commercial flights across three days to evacuate its citizens, permanent residents and their immediate families.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers urged restraint, saying Australia was “gravely concerned for the human cost of an escalation of this conflict”. You can read more of his comments earlier in the blog here.
Queensland needs a fresh start, Crisafulli says
The Queensland opposition leader, David Crisafulli, spoke to ABC News Breakfast this morning from Cairns, as the Miles’ Labor government goes into caretaker mode before the 26 October election.
He was asked about his use of the term “underdog” for himself, given the promising numbers in the polls. Crisafulli responded:
Since 1986, the last 12 elections, the LNP have won one. So you can forgive me for not buying any of that hype at all …
Ultimately, the battle lines for this election is – after 10 years of this government, are things better or worse when it comes to youth crime, health, housing, cost of living? And who’s got the right plans to do something about it? And that’s our focus. And the state does need a fresh start.
Crisafulli also spoke about his stance on youth crime:
I am proposing a 12-month plan – six months intensive – where young kids are given the structure to turn their life around … Yes, there will be people who disagree with one part of that plan. I respect that.
But what’s happening in Queensland at the moment is broken, and we intend to make sure that, at every single level of the youth crime crisis, we deal with it and do something about it – and change does need to occur.
Peter Hannam
Manufacturing gauge sinks to record lows outside the height of Covid
The Reserve Bank has made it clear that it’s mostly worried about bringing inflation to heel before it starts cutting interest rates. Data out today, though, might provide a couple of other data points for it to ponder.
First up, Judo Bank has released its monthly manufacturing purchasing manager’s index, with all the arrows pointing lower. New orders and production are sinking at the fastest pace since May 2020 and export orders are declining “solidly” (that’s a new descriptor).
The price factories are asking for their widgets (etc) are increasing but at a slower rate in line with input costs. The index also noted firms were cutting staff and workloads.
All up, the index is down for an eight month in a row, with the slide in September the steepest since May 2000 when Covid disruptions were near their worst.
Separately, the weekly ANZ–Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence survey also retreated a bit, with households’ confidence about financial conditions wilting at the fastest pace in more than a year, ANZ said.
More to the RBA’s liking, though, was a notable slide of 0.3 percentage points in inflation expectations to 4.6%. That’s a level last reached in September 2021.
Later this morning ABS will release August data on retail sales and building approvals, so the RBA – and the rest of us – can learn a bit more about how the economy is faring.
More than 80% of people in Lebanon are living in poverty, Caritas Australia chief says
The interim CEO of aid agency Caritas Australia, Kirsten Sayers, says more than 80% of people in Lebanon are now living in poverty. This comes amid news Israel has launched what it is calling a “limited” ground invasion.
Economically, Sayers said, the situation was already dire in Lebanon before this conflict, with “with the cost of purchasing essentials having skyrocketed by percentages in the hundreds” after the explosion in the Port of Beirut.
She said the increase in costs has been “incomprehensible” – comparing it to Australians spending $160 a week on average for food, and having this increased to $560 in just one year:
Most previously self-sufficient families are now facing a similar level of need to the nation’s sizeable refugee population and this conflict, bringing damage to resources and infrastructure, will only make things worse.
She said the conflict could result in “the destruction of critical infrastructure such as roads, and potentially make it hard for commercial companies and even aid organisations to get goods across borders”.
NSW opposition urges state government to strengthen ban on display of terrorist symbols
Catie McLeod
The New South Wales opposition is urging the Minns Labor government to strengthen the ban on the display of symbols of proscribed terrorist groups in the state if the federal parliament does not do so.
The NSW opposition leader, Mark Speakman, issued a statement this morning calling on the premier, Chris Minns, to step in if the federal government didn’t remedy “possible gaps” in national criminal laws.
It comes after some people who took part in rallies in Sydney and Melbourne at the weekend to protest against Israel’s attacks on Lebanon displayed Hezbollah flags.
More than 6,000 Lebanese people have been wounded and more than 1,000 killed in the past two weeks, including 100 people who died in Israeli strikes on Sunday, according to the country’s health ministry.
The Australian government has recognised Hezbollah – a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and militant group backed by Iran – as a terrorist organisation since September 2021.
Speakman said the commonwealth criminal code made it an offence to display the symbols of terrorist organisations, but only if another matter – such as disseminating ideas based on racial hatred or intimidation – could be proved:
Tough legislation will ensure that NSW is no safe haven for those who support or sympathise with terrorist organisations. I urge the Minns Labor government to show their commitment to public safety by being prepared to introduce such legislation.
In 2022 the NSW parliament passed laws banning Nazi symbols, which meant anyone intentionally waving a Nazi flag or displaying memorabilia bearing swastikas could be jailed for up to a year or fined $100,000.
Qatar Airways’ plan to buy stake in Virgin pitched as ‘great news for Australians’
Jayne Hrdlicka, the CEO of Virgin, was on ABC News Breakfast earlier amid news Qatar Airways intends to buy a 25% stake in Virgin.
Speaking on what this would mean for Virgin, she said:
It means that we’ve got an important shareholder who has scale that we don’t have, who has expertise that we don’t have, that can help us … to do things that we otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford to do as quickly and give us the chance to compete better domestically. We think that this is great news for Australians.
It means a very strong competitor domestically to stand the best of time. And also the ability to put our toe in the water and add services between Australia and Doha, which opens up 107 new destinations for Australians with one stop over Doha.
Homemade pipe bombs allegedly discovered inside car during random breath test
A man has been charged after two homemade pipe bombs were allegedly found inside his car during a random breath test.
Midday yesterday, officers stopped a vehicle along the Sturt Highway near Hay, in the NSW Riverina, for random breath testing. During a search of the car police allegedly located cannabis leaf, methylamphetamine, a large knife and two explosive devices – alleged to be homemade pipe bombs.
Police closed the Sturt Highway and an exclusion zone was established. The rescue bomb disposal unit allegedly confirmed that the devices were explosives before they were dismantled.
Two men, aged 33 and 30, were arrested and taken to Hay police station while police established an investigation.
The 33-year-old man was charged with two counts of possessing an explosive in a public place, two counts of possessing a prohibited drug and custody of a knife in a public place. He was refused bail to appear before Griffith local court today.
The 30-year-old was released without charge, pending further investigations.
More PrEP secured amid shortage
Natasha May
The government has temporarily approved an overseas supplier of PrEP to ensure the thousands of Australians, with or at risk of contracting HIV, are protected amid a shortage of the medication.
Pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, is an antiretroviral drug taken by people at high risk of HIV infection, which lowers their chance of catching HIV, but has been in short supply for over a month.
For the more than 27,000 Australians that use PrEP the government says the supply situation will improve from today, with the Laurus Labs USA registered brand will be listed on the pharmaceutical benefits scheme, allowing supply at a subsidised cost for the period of the shortage.
The supply of tens of thousands of units will resolve the shortage by early November, according to the government, with approximately four months’ supply in the country by then, and future planned deliveries meeting normal ongoing demand.
The health minister Mark Butler said:
PrEP is highly important for Australians living with or at risk of HIV and we have taken swift action to ensure they are protected from current shortages. We are committed to supporting those with HIV and to the once thought impossible goal of eliminating transmission of HIV in Australia by 2030.
Man dies after quad bike crash
A man has died after a quad bike crash in the north-west of NSW.
Emergency services were called to reports of a vehicle crash yesterday afternoon, about 25km south of Moree.
Police found a quad bike that had rolled over on the levee bank of the Tycannach Creek, and a man – aged 82 – was pronounced dead at the scene.
The scene was examined by forensic investigators, and a report will be prepared for the coroner.
Joe Hinchliffe
Steven Miles catches public transport to officially launch election campaign
Forget Harris’s limo or Trump’s private jet, Queensland’s premier caught public transport this morning to travel to the governor and ask her to dissolve parliament, officially launching the state’s election campaign.
Steven Miles and his wife Kim caught the train from their home in Mango Hill to Roma Street in the city before hailing a 61 bus to Paddington and walking the last leg to Government House.
Miles’ 50c fare is his signature policy from 10 months as premier after Annastacia Palaszczuk stood down and her former deputy ascended to the peak of Queensland politics.
It looks likely to be his lasting legacy, given that the opposition leader LNP David Crisafulli – widely tipped to win the election – has said he will continue the policy.
Along with his decision to abandon plans to demolish and rebuild the Gabba for 2032 Olympics, making public transport cheap was key to what Miles has sought to characterise as his own vision for the sunshine state.
Miles’ choice of transport on Tuesday was perhaps reminiscent of former Uruguayan president Jose Mujica, who used to get around in a 1987 Volkswagen Beetle.
I’m on a 50 cent bus to see the Governor and officially start the election campaign.
This election is about who you trust most to tackle the cost of living and take our state forward.
I have clear plans – the other side has slick slogans.
That’s why I’m asking for your vote. pic.twitter.com/OUiWjdXpKI
— Steven Miles (@StevenJMiles) September 30, 2024
Natasha May
Vape-selling training for pharmacists
Continuing from our last post: The government says its has worked with the peak professional body for pharmacists, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia to develop updated guidelines, education and training for pharmacists to support the tobacco and vaping reforms.
More than 2,000 pharmacists attended a national webinar training and further face-to-face workshops and online educational products and information for pharmacists will be available, according to the government.
Pharmacists will also have automatic insurance coverage when supplying vaping products for smoking and nicotine dependence.
Prescriptions no longer needed to buy vapes from pharmacy to help quit smoking
Natasha May
From today, people 18 years or older will no longer need a prescription to buy vapes from a pharmacy for the purpose of helping to quit smoking or manage nicotine dependence.
Vapes will have similar restrictions to other pharmacist-only products including allergy and asthma medications, with pharmacists required to sight photo ID for age verification purposes and have a conversation about the health harms of vaping.
If you need a quick recap of why the government – which has wanted to crack down on vaping – is easing the laws around access, let me take you back to June.
The government had been pushing for world-first reforms that would have meant vapes would only be available at pharmacies with a prescription from a GP or nurse practitioner, a move backed by more than 50 public health organisations, peak doctor groups, and groups across social work and education.
But to get the support in the Senate needed to pass the reforms into law, the government reached a last-minute deal with the Greens under which the prescription model was abandoned.
Then, to give pharmacists enough time to prepare for the last-minute change in the legislation, the original prescription model was put in place for the first three months – which brings us to today, when the deal agreed with the Greens kicks in and there no prescription needed for vapes with a nicotine concentration of 20 mg/mL or less. Those aged under 18 will need a prescription, no matter what.
Labor taking ‘comprehensive approach’ to gambling ads
Q: Will there be an outright ban on gambling advertising? That’s what the report recommended. It was very comprehensive.
Michelle Rowland said the government was consulting on a model addressing the three key areas she had outlined (see previous post):
This is an area in which the government is taking a comprehensive approach. We’ll continue to work through this because we know that Australians want change in this area, and the government’s made it clear that the status quo is unsustainable.
Communications minister discusses prospect of gambling ad ban
Michelle Rowland was on ABC News Breakfast earlier and was asked about the prospect of an outright ban on gambling advertising.
She responded that the government is pursuing “a very comprehensive suite of reforms” in response to the late Peta Murphy’s report.
The minister said three key areas needed addressing – protecting children, breaking “that nexus between sport and online wagering” and dealing with the saturation of ads:
Particularly that targeting of ads towards one of the most vulnerable cohorts, which is young men aged 18 to around 35. So we’re working through that comprehensively.
Rowland said a large number of the recommendations deal with state and commonwealth relations, “so we need to work through those carefully”:
We’re doing this as expeditiously as possible, but I can obviously appreciate that your viewers would have wanted action in this area some 10 years ago.
We know that Australia, unfortunately, suffers some $25bn a year from gambling losses. Of course, the vast majority of that comprises land-based gambling – both pokies and casinos – for which there is little or no advertising. But we do know that online wagering is an area of growing harms.
We want our response to be forward-looking, we want it to be effective, and we want it to ensure that there are limited unintended consequences, that they can be dealt with, and that it is an effective approach.
