Key events
What we learned: Friday 4 October
With that, we will bid farewell to the blog for the day. Thanks for being with us and, as always, we’ll be back first thing tomorrow.
Here were the major developments of the day:
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A joint police statement warned “there will be no tolerance for illegal behaviour or violence on any day of the year” in the lead-up to protests planned for the 7 October anniversary.
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NSW Premier Chris Minns labeled social media an ‘unregulated experiment’ on kids as NSW survey released.
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He also called planned pro-Palestinian rallies over the long weekend “hugely insensitive.”
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Organisers of the rallies hit back at the NSW premier’s warning of ‘overwhelming police presence’ at weekend, saying they “have a right to mourn the lives of our families and loved ones.”
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Federal court rejects X’s claim that it can’t be fined by eSafety over child safety questions
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Prime minister Anthony Albanese pleaded with Australians to leave Lebanon, saying hundreds of places available.
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He also introduced Tu Le as Labor challenger for western Sydney seat of Fowler.
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The opposition leader held a joint press conference with Queensland Liberal National party leader David Crissafulli, who has been tipped by polls to win the 26 October vote.
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A critical incident was declared in western Sydney after Police shot two men after the men allegedly drove a stolen vehicle at them.
Caitlin Cassidy
NSW Police’s Paul Dunstan: ‘too early to comment’ about police shooting two men at Wentworthville
NSW police say it is “way too early to say” whether two men shot by police in Sydney today after an alleged burglary will recover, as investigations continue into the incident.
Early this afternoon, officers responding to a report of a stolen car in Wentworthville fired their guns at the vehicle after it was allegedly driven at them.
Briefing the media a short time ago, acting assistant commissioner Paul Dunstan said one of the men remained in a “very serious condition”, adding that as time went on the pair were stabilising but it was “way too early to say” what the outcome would be.
The five police who were involved in the incident were wearing body worn cameras at the time, Dunstan said. Three police shot their firearms and were assisting police with their inquiries.
Asked whether the show of force was warranted, Dunstan said it was “too early to comment” and he didn’t want to predict the outcome of the critical incident investigation.
Penny Wong says about 500 Australians to fly home from Beirut via Cyprus and more flights possible
Sarah Basford Canales
The Albanese government has confirmed up to 500 Australians and their close relatives will board flights from Lebanon tomorrow as efforts ramp up to expatriate citizens following Israel’s ground incursion into the country’s southern regions.
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, said on Friday afternoon the passengers would depart from Beirut, the Lebanese capital, and arrive in nearby Cyprus before taking two Qantas flights to Sydney.
The government has indicated there will be further flights planned in the coming days, but it warned they would be subject to demand and Beirut’s airport remaining operational.
“Our message to Australians in Lebanon remains – now is the time to leave. Please take the first flight option that is available. There is no guarantee of preferred flights or that these flights will continue.”
Wong said a Canadian assisted-departure flight had left on Thursday night carrying 41 Australians.
The departure flights are free-of-charge for eligible Australians, permanent residents and their immediate family members with a right of entry to Australia. The government said it would prioritise vulnerable passengers.
Australians in Lebanon who wish to leave should ensure they are registered via DFAT’s Crisis Portal or by calling the Australian Government’s 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on +61 2 6261 3305.
Read more:
Woolworths and property group developing large retail and residential complex in Brisbane
Woolworths has struck a deal with a residential property developer to turn a vacant Brisbane site into a multi-storey complex that includes a supermarket, AAP reports.
Mosaic Property says work on the Kangaroo Point site will begin in 2025 and the 16-level property should be completed by 2027, with 128 luxury residences with city and river views and a rooftop pool.
Woolworths’ development arm, Fabcot, bought land for the project in 2020 and 2021 and won approval from the Brisbane city council for its development in 2023.
Once the project is complete, Woolworths will lease and operate the supermarket under a long-term deal.
It can take five to seven years to deliver new centres and stores, sometimes longer, involving lengthy planning, construction and approval processes, he said.
Car stolen in Wentworthville owned by Penrith MP Karen McKeown’s husband
Penrith state MP Karen McKeown has confirmed via a statement that a car belonging to her husband was stolen on Thursday night, after intruders broke into her house.
It is alleged police officers were in an underground car park of a unit when that stolen vehicle was driven at them at about 12.10 pm today in Wentworthville, in western Sydney.
Both of the cars’ occupants were shot in the confrontation.
McKeown says she was “shaken” by the events:
While I am shaken from the events, thankfully I am unharmed.
Political leaders often praise police for their bravery.
Today, I have had a first-hand experience of this.
Pacific countries agree to establish natural disasters response group
Brisbane will host a new rapid response team to be deployed through the Pacific in the event of natural disasters.
A clutch of Pacific defence leaders have agreed to immediately establish the Pacific Response Group in the Queensland capital before the cyclone season.
Deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, made the announcement with counterparts from across the region in Auckland this week at the South Pacific Defence Ministers meeting.
It is wonderful to be back in New Zealand for the 2024 South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting.
I look forward to discussions with my counterparts about how we can deepen our cooperation across the Pacific. pic.twitter.com/M1Oaos5i8M— Richard Marles (@RichardMarlesMP) October 1, 2024
The response group will have up to 15 personnel – from Australia, Fiji, France, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Tonga – that would only deploy on the request of a Pacific country.
They would assist local civilian authorities to plan a disaster response and identify potential assistance from other nations.
Marles says in the aftermath of disasters, small island nations can find themselves “overwhelmed with the love and it does require coordination from the get-go”.
“That’s really what the Pacific Response Group is going to do,” he says.
Australia and New Zealand defence teams are often deployed in disasters to ferry people or supplies to affected areas.
The New Zealand defence minister, Judith Collins, says those scenarios required teamwork.
“When we have disasters that we need to help each other with, we do need to have better coordination,” she says.
“They’ll set it up in Brisbane, they’ll do it quickly, because we’re coming into the next cyclone season, and they’ll have a couple of our senior people (and) we’ll be prepared.”
Via AAP.
Good afternoon, Mostafa Rachwani with you to take you through the rest of the day’s news.
Police will address the media after a critical incident was declared in Wentworthville in Sydney’s western suburbs.
We will bring you that at 4:15 pm.
Benita Kolovos
Defamation trial told of Sky News host message about Moira Deeming
Sky News host Peta Credlin warned against expelling Moira Deeming from the Victorian Liberal party room in a text message to John Pesutto’s chief of staff, whose office she was then helping to set up, a court has heard.
Story here:
Police suspend search in Hobart for missing boat owner
Search efforts to find a man whose boat washed ashore empty, south of Hobart, have been suspended, AAP reports.
A wide-scale air, land and sea search was launched on Wednesday afternoon after a 10-metre cruiser beached at Kingston.
Police said the vessel’s owner, aged in his 70s, had set off from a marina in Hobart’s north earlier that morning.
Authorities on Thursday said they held grave concerns for the man, who likely went overboard on Wednesday and wasn’t believed to be wearing a lifejacket.
