James Paterson addresses media on Lebanon pager explosions
The shadow home affairs minister is a known security hawk, so he was asked about the Lebanon pager explosions, which have killed at least nine people, including a 10-year-old girl, and injured thousands.
Paterson:
Well, this is a highly sophisticated and very patient attack. It highlights a couple of interesting things. Firstly, that supply chain security is very important. Connected devices are highly risky. And probably every intelligence agency in the world is waking up this morning and asking themselves, how do we stop this happening to us?
And if we chose to, how do we make this happen to our enemies? If it is confirmed that Israel is behind this operation, it wouldn’t surprise me and I think they’ll be well within their rights, given what Hezbollah has done to them in return.
And this is just another example of why we have a very serious situation in the Middle East. Hezbollah is a terrorist organisation, is listed in its entirety in Australia and we should stand with our friends and allies in Israel in defending themselves against this attack.
Q: Israel still hasn’t accept responsibility, but as you say, it is a likely prospect. A ten year old girl is dead though. Do you think it’s an adequate action?
Paterson:
Look, it’s not for me to pass moral judgment from 12,000km away about the choices that Israel has to make to defend itself while it’s under attack simultaneously by three terrorist organisations who deliberately target civilians.
But the truth is, in military operations it is impossible to conduct them without any civilian casualties at all. And the decision that all military commanders and governments have to make is, is it justified given the nature of the threat that they face?
The nature of the threat that Israel faces from Hezbollah is a very serious one.
We saw only a few months ago Israeli children killed on a soccer field because they were hit by strikes from Hezbollah and anything they can do to disrupt Hezbollah to make their business model more difficult, I understand why they’re doing.
Key events
Greens senator David Shoebridge is now asking to amend Jacqui Lambie’s original motion calling on Richard Marles to explain what happened with the publication (in error) of the 20-year report which had previously kept confidential on the royal commission website, and then who asked for it to be removed after it’s publication was discovered.
Shoebridge wants the motion amended to have the explanation deadline moved to tomorrow (the government tabled the report in the senate just before Lambie moved her first motion).
Simon Birmingham says the coalition supports the motion (which gives it the numbers)
Birmingham:
We support this motion now because the chaos and the mishandling and the on again, off again responses from the government and the accidental publication of the report, all deserve to be explained
Labor senator Malarndirri McCarthy is giving an explanation
She says the 20-year review of the Inspector General of the ADF was published:
in error, which I believe is where Senator [David] Shoebridge has accessed this document and in contravention of the understanding regarding confidentiality, evidence, procedures and understood conventions.
I am advised, the office of the royal commission removed the document from its website after becoming aware of the error, but it is now public, as I’ve just tabled it, prior to Senator [Jacqui] Lambie getting to her feet.
Lambie moved to suspend standing orders to have Richard Marles explain what happened.
Government tables the 20-year review of the Inspector General of the ADF
The review had been published on the royal commission into veteran and defence suicide website and then removed, after Jacqui Lambie moved to suspend standing orders asking Richard Marles to explain what happened.
Lambie and Greens senator David Shoebridge had given out copies of the report at a press conference this morning.
Anne Aly and Jason Clare respond to report into early childhood education:
The final report considers how to build an affordable, accessible, inclusive, high-quality, universal early learning system.
The report includes 56 recommendations across three volumes to achieve this.
It says every child should be able to access at least 30 hours or 3 days a week of high-quality early education and care by 2036.
The report also highlights that quality early education can improve outcomes for children, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, but it’s those from disadvantaged backgrounds who are also the most likely to be missing out.
The report says one of the first things we need to do to build a bigger and a better early education system, is build a bigger ECEC workforce. That’s why last month, the government announced a 15% wage increase for ECEC workers.
The Productivity Commission is making a few things very clear:
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To achieve the long-term goal of a universal ECEC system, the Australian Government should first act to ensure that cost is not a barrier to access for children from low-income families. The report recommends abolishing the activity test and increasing the rate of the Child Care Subsidy for families on incomes of up to $80,000 to 100% of the hourly rate cap.
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The report finds that the activity test, which links the amount that a family works, studies or volunteers with the amount of Child Care Subsidy they receive, is a barrier to access for low-income families and does little to incentivise labour force participation and should be removed.
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The report also recommends that governments introduce new measures to support the ECEC workforce – giving those who are starting in the sector access to tailored training options and creating better mentoring, professional development and career pathways for those who already work in the sector.
These measures, coupled with the recently announced improvements to pay, should alleviate some of the recruitment and retention challenges the sector has been experiencing for a long time.
Final Productivity Commission report into childcare released
It is not that different to the interim report which was released late last year, but it does provide more detail into what the government may address in a second term.
Key among those issues is the scrapping of the activity test. Under the current system, the amount of subsidised care a child receives is linked to their parent’s activity – paid and voluntary work.
The Productivity Commission makes the point that a child’s access to early childhood education should not be determined by whether or not their parent works.
As advocates have long argued, there are a lot of reasons why a parent or carer may not work, including that they have other children or care responsibilities which make it impossible. Parents and carers of twins or other multiple births have also struggled under the rules, because finding care places for two or more children at once can be a challenge, meaning work decisions are being made around care options.
Mehreen Faruqi makes statement on Lebanon pager attacks
The Greens senator has also responded to what happened in Lebanon, with a statement on social media.
“The horrific pagers attack that killed nine people, including a young child, and left thousands wounded across Lebanon is exactly the type of sickening warfare people in Naarm Melbourne were protesting against. The perpetrators must be held to account.”
James Paterson addresses media on Lebanon pager explosions
The shadow home affairs minister is a known security hawk, so he was asked about the Lebanon pager explosions, which have killed at least nine people, including a 10-year-old girl, and injured thousands.
Paterson:
Well, this is a highly sophisticated and very patient attack. It highlights a couple of interesting things. Firstly, that supply chain security is very important. Connected devices are highly risky. And probably every intelligence agency in the world is waking up this morning and asking themselves, how do we stop this happening to us?
And if we chose to, how do we make this happen to our enemies? If it is confirmed that Israel is behind this operation, it wouldn’t surprise me and I think they’ll be well within their rights, given what Hezbollah has done to them in return.
And this is just another example of why we have a very serious situation in the Middle East. Hezbollah is a terrorist organisation, is listed in its entirety in Australia and we should stand with our friends and allies in Israel in defending themselves against this attack.
Q: Israel still hasn’t accept responsibility, but as you say, it is a likely prospect. A ten year old girl is dead though. Do you think it’s an adequate action?
Paterson:
Look, it’s not for me to pass moral judgment from 12,000km away about the choices that Israel has to make to defend itself while it’s under attack simultaneously by three terrorist organisations who deliberately target civilians.
But the truth is, in military operations it is impossible to conduct them without any civilian casualties at all. And the decision that all military commanders and governments have to make is, is it justified given the nature of the threat that they face?
The nature of the threat that Israel faces from Hezbollah is a very serious one.
We saw only a few months ago Israeli children killed on a soccer field because they were hit by strikes from Hezbollah and anything they can do to disrupt Hezbollah to make their business model more difficult, I understand why they’re doing.
James Paterson’s team stepped up their game for the second transcript of the day – the subject line in this one reads: “Labor’s secret visa changes risks community safety, AUKUS Pillar Two expands, Instagram’s belated action to protect teenagers, Hezbollah pagers, Labor’s ineffective housing bill, PM’s empty DD threat, CFMEU is unreformable”.
It is so difficult to know where Paterson stands on issues.
Defence minister Richard Marles is headed to Vanuatu
Marles will arrive in Vanuatu today and will meet:
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The prime minister of Vanuatu, Charlot Salwai Tabimasmas
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Deputy prime minister, Matai Seremaiah Nawulu
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Minister of Internal Affairs, Andrew Napuat
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Minister of Finance and Economic Management, Johnny Koanapo
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Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Marco Rick Mahe.
Marles will be opening the re-developed Cook Barracks in Port Vila with Salwai Tabimasmas, which is part of Australia’s security partnership with Vanuatu and will “enhance the capability” of the nation’s police force.
