Bridget McKenzie condemns Penny Wong over UN speech on two-state solution
The Coalition senator Bridget McKenzie says the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah “had to be done to show force” in order to prevent an “escalation”.
McKenzie also criticised those calling for an end to Israel’s military campaign in the Gaza strip and bombing of southern Lebanon, saying that she believed “Israel has a right to defend itself.”
The reality is that Hezbollah is incredibly active on that Lebanese-Israeli border, continually attacking Israel and I think it has been – it’s all good and well for us to say we believe in Israel’s right to self-defence, but every single time they defend themselves, we somehow seek to minimise that or criticise them.
McKenzie said Israel is “feeling incredibly insecure at the moment and with good cause”. She also criticised Penny Wong for her address to the United Nations where she called for a ceasefire, accusing the foreign minister of “trashing our decades-long bipartisan approach to a negotiated two-state solution in the Middle East”.
And this isn’t the first time she has done it. She is actually wanting to recognise a state of Palestine before we’ve got a negotiated settlement, and now she is calling for timelines to be put in place before conditions for settlement.
Key events
Sky News host and newspaper columnist Peta Credlin has a swag of awards for journalism, a prime time nightly TV show and occupies significant real estate in the Murdoch press twice a week.
In addition to her various platforms, according to evidence heard in the federal court, Credlin has also been described as a “Liberal party mentor”, dispensing advice from the sidelines.
Ousted Liberal MP Moira Deeming told the defamation trial she brought against the Victorian opposition leader, John Pesutto, that she has kept Credlin “in the loop, in general, at all times”.
Deeming alleges Pesutto falsely portrayed her as a Nazi sympathiser after she helped organise and spoke at the “Let Women Speak” rally in March 2023 which was gatecrashed by neo-Nazis. She was expelled from the party less than two months later after an initial suspension in the days after the rally.
In more than 30 pages of texts, Credlin is seen advising Deeming how to wrangle the party and the media. This week, the court heard Credlin had also helped Pesutto, who confirmed under cross examination he reached out to her to help his former chief of staff in early 2023.
On becoming leader, I was reaching out widely to as many in the party as I could … I recognised Mrs Credlin had served in senior roles.
For more on this story, read the full feature from Guardian Australia’s Amanda Meade:
Penny Wong concerned about violence escalation in Lebanon as Hezbollah leader killed in Israeli strike
The foreign minister, Penny Wong, is worried about the escalation of violence in Lebanon, as Hezbollah confirms its leader was killed by an Israeli strike.
Senator Wong reiterated her call for Australians to leave Lebanon as soon as they can.
Speaking to Sky News on Sunday, Wong said the region was caught in a “cycle of violence”.
The continued retribution … will not bring peace and it will not bring security, which is why Australia and others, including the United States and the United Kingdom, have called for a ceasefire in Lebanon and diplomacy to try and resolve this.
Because we have seen so many people, so many people die.
– AAP
Andrew Messenger
Labor lashes LNP’s GP tax policy as ‘more nonsense’
Treasurer and designated Labor attack dog Cameron Dick has hit out at the opposition’s GP tax policy.
Dick said the opposition had failed to say “how much this is going to cost and how they’re going to pay for it”.
They’ve already racked up billions of dollars in unfunded promises to Queenslanders, but they won’t be honest about how they’re going to pay for it. So, until the LNP can tell Queenslanders how they’re going to pay for this, Queenslanders know one thing: the LNP will have to cut doctors and nurses from hospitals, just like they’re going to have to cut housing to pay for their unfunded promises.
The opposition claimed in its press conference it would pay for the $100m policy by cancelling the gigantic Pioneer-Burdekin pumped hydro scheme in central Queensland.
This is more nonsense from David Crisafulli. He’s mixing capital expenditure up with operating expenditure. That’s just the truth. That doesn’t work in government.
Andrew Messenger
GP clinics to be exempt from payroll tax under LNP, Queensland party pledges
Queensland’s LNP has promised to introduce a law exempting GP clinics from payroll tax.
Clinics historically have been not required to pay the tax for contracted doctors. But the federal court ruled in 2022 that they were employees for payroll tax purposes.
“This plan means that it will be cheaper for patients to see a GP under the LNP,” health spokesperson Ros Bates said.
And this is another combined component of providing health services when you need them.
The LNP’s plan will save bulk billing, and it will keep GPS open, and it will stop Labor’s patient tax.
If bulk billing collapses in GPS, the health system itself will collapse.
Shadow treasurer David Janetzki said the policy would cost about $100m in tax not levied.
The Labor state government imposed an amnesty until June next year to allow clinics to make new financial arrangements.
Under the government’s policy, clinics could avoid paying the tax where patients directly pay a doctor, who then pays a fee for practising as part of a clinic.
Wild weather causes more than 600 calls to SES for help in north-east NSW
The SES responded to more than 270 calls for help in the 24 hours to 9am on Sunday, receiving 628 calls for assistance since the wild weather began on Friday.
Rain areas in north-east New South Wales will begin to ease to patchier showers today, although flood impacts continue. Showers developing across western and southern inland parts as a front crosses.
SES volunteers doorknocked homes in Lismore on Saturday night, warning residents to prepare to evacuate.
Two adults and a baby had to be rescued from rising flood waters in Cougal, west of Tweed Heads, while there was another rescue in nearby Uki as a car towing a vehicle got stuck on a causeway.
Two others were rescued after driving into flood waters late on Saturday and early Sunday morning.
About 4,300 energy customers in the region were without power on Saturday night, and hundreds are still without power. Easing conditions are expected to make it easier for workers to restore it.
– AAP
Reprieve for NSW north coast as flood warnings downgraded
Flood warnings have been downgraded along the NSW north coast, giving locals a reprieve from the wild winds and heavy rains that smashed the region.
People on the NSW north coast are breathing a collective sigh of relief, with flood warnings in the area downgraded after heavy rains lashed the region.
Calmer conditions are forecast for Sunday, but the NSW State Emergency Service (SES) has warned everyone should remain vigilant and steer clear of flood waters.
The SES downgraded warnings to “advice” from “watch and act” and “prepare to evacuate” on Sunday morning after heavy rain and flooding in areas around Lismore.
The flood risk remains, but at minor levels.
Minor flooding is also expected in the Tweed and Rous Rivers, Wilsons River, Richmond River and Orara River.
A minor-to-moderate flood warning is current for the Bellinger River.
Not only have flood warnings in the area been downgraded, but severe weather warnings have been cancelled for the Northern Rivers and Northern Tablelands districts, giving locals a reprieve from wild winds that also smashed the region.
– AAP
Data breaches surge at Service Australia as scammers try to hack customers using stolen details
Services Australia has seen a massive surge in data breaches by scammers harvesting information from previous hacks and using it to access customer accounts, Guardian Australia can reveal.
Data obtained under freedom of information by a user, known as CR, on the transparency website Right to Know reveals that, as of 5 July, Services Australia had reported 49 data breaches in 2024 due to social engineering – where people call an agency pretending to be someone in order to access information.
The figure was more than 440% higher than the nine social engineering-related reports across the whole of 2023. Just one report of such a breach was recorded in each of the previous three years.
The agency also reported four instances where data was compromised by people using stolen or compromised credentials – indicating they were logging into Services Australia’s system under someone else’s login – in 2022 and 2023.
For more on this Guardian exclusive, read the full report by Josh Taylor:
Fierce weather prompts evacuation warnings in Northern Rivers
Wild weather across northern New South Wales has prompted state emergency services to warn someNorthern Rivers residents to monitor conditions and prepare to evacuate in the event of flooding.
Heavy rain, strong winds and thunderstorms lashed the region on Friday and Saturday, with the NSW State Emergency Service (SES) advising Lismore residents to monitor moderate flooding on the Wilson’s River.
Lowernorth Lismore residents, outside the levee and surrounding areas, were issued a prepare-to-vacuate warning overnight.
Authorities issued 14 alerts for the region before Sunday morning, some involving fallen trees and debris.
The Northern Rivers was subject to catastrophic flooding in 2022 that completely inundated towns such as Lismore.
Coalition rules out Chinese EVs ban, says McKenzie
McKenzie says the Coalition has no plans to ban Chinese electric vehicles from entering the market.
It’s not the Coalition’s plan. We won’t be banning EVs.
McKenzie says the Coalition is working out its transport policy – but would not be drawn on whether the party plans to scrap vehicle emissions standards.
I will have more to say closer to the election.
Asked whether she would support a road user charge for EV drivers, McKenzie says “It is only petrol excise that is actually funding those roads and again doing nothing.”
Petrol excise does not directly fund road construction but is taken into general revenue.
The Coalition oversaw the collapse of the Australian car industry in 2014 when former Treasurer Joe Hockey demanded General Motors Holden “come clean” about its plans to continue in the country.
Since then, Australia has one of the most competitive car markets in a developed country with it entirely reliant on imports.
McKenzie sidesteps question about divestiture powers for airlines
McKenzie is asked about the Coalition’s duopoly-busting position with regards to the major supermarkets. She is asked – several times – whether the Coalition would expand the divestiture power from supermarkets to airlines.
McKenzie doesn’t this directly but does say a lack of choice is hurting consumers.
I want a robust competition framework that delivers for the Australian people and that means more choice and lower prices.
Immigration partly to blame for housing supply issues: McKenzie
Asked what voters may think about political figures with a string of negatively geared properties, McKenzie there is a “very real” housing crisis “not just for renters and first home buyers but indeed for those trying to hold onto their home as interest rates stay incredibly high”.
McKenzie says that supply is the issue and says that local governments need to open up new developments, efforts to address costs in the construction industry, and that too many big builds in the public sector has “sucked that skilled workforce that could be used for housing construction”.
She also suggested immigration was to blame:
If you are going to pour more demand in to the tune of 1.1 million additional people, that will cause supply issues.
Asked whether the Coalition would end these “big builds”, McKenzie says they will look at “the unions’ hold on the migration skills list”.
Construction has been screaming for workforce for a long time, not just in public infrastructure builds, but in our housing constructor and residential sector, and the unions have made sure that despite the demand and need for that skilled workforce of tradies in our community, they’re not allowed to come in. Of the 1.1 million people coming in, we’re not allowed to say we need more chippies, plumbers or sparkies.
Challenged on the Coalition’s plan to actually cut migration, McKenzie says “that is actually a bottleneck on one of the key issues of why we can’t build the houses quick enough”.
The point the Senator is making is not entirely clear.
