What we learned, Monday 25 May
And with that, we are going to put the blog to bed. Before we go, let’s recap the big headlines:
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The health minister, Mark Butler, said the government has raised “in the strongest possible way” its concerns with the Israeli government over the treatment of Australian and international activists detained by Israel after their flotilla was intercepted in international waters.
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Penny Wong headed to India today to meet with foreign ministers from India, Japan and the United States for the third Quad meeting in 18 months. It’s expected energy security will be among the hot topics the four countries discuss amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
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Both Zali Steggall and Allegra Spender fronted up to the media to confirm conversations are taking place for a potential teal party, but both aren’t promising anything and say there’s nothing yet to announce. Spender joined ABC Radio Sydney, saying that people have come up to her saying they’re worried about the political landscape and want to see change. Helen Haines and Monique Ryan ruled themselves out of the party.
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The Bondi terror attack was a “surprise attack” to intelligence and law enforcement agencies, the royal commission heard. Counsel assisting, Richard Lancaster SC, outlined some of the information received by the commission from NSW police that can’t be addressed in public hearings, which he said provided “important matters of context” in assessing their response.
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A “foreign state actor” successfully hacked the WhatsApp accounts of a parliamentarian and three of their staff, triggering a block of the popular messaging service on the commonwealth Department of Parliamentary Services IT systems.
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Australia’s first national anti-corruption commissioner, Paul Brereton, has resigned after nearly three years in the top job. Brereton said criticisms against him about potential conflicts of interest were “drawing attention away from the commission’s core purpose of strengthening integrity”.
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The last remaining Australian women and children left stranded in al-Roj detention camp in north-east Syria are set to return home. Guardian Australia has confirmed the group – which reportedly includes seven women and 14 children – have bought plane tickets to return to Australia.
Thank you for spending part of your day with us. We will be back tomorrow to do it all again.
Updated
Victorian Greens say state Labor capitulated to gun lobby by rejecting firearms cap
The Victorian Greens say the Allan government has capitulated to the gun lobby after rejecting a key recommendation from former police commissioner Ken Lay to cap the number of firearms a person can own, following the Bondi massacre.
Leader of the Victorian Greens, Ellen Sandell, said:
Victorians are right to ask why anyone needs dozens or even hundreds of firearms and why Labor is letting them.
This was Labor’s chance to show leadership on gun reform and community safety, but they blinked because they’re more worried about upsetting powerful gun lobby groups in marginal seats ahead of this year’s election than community safety.
This is exactly why people are fed up with Labor. They’ll say or do whatever they need to cling to power, even if it means rejecting common sense reforms to keep people safe, just because the lobbyists will get upset.
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Royal commission hearing concludes for the day
The royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion hearing has wrapped up for the day.
The final witness we heard from today was the chief operating officer at CSG New South Wales, who used the pseudonym ABP.
He was in contact with NSW police in the lead-up to Hanukah events in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, and said he requested a static police presence at Chanukah by the Sea and in the park.
Recalling a phone call he had with the eastern suburbs police command in December, he said the operations inspector said they didn’t believe a static presence was required based upon their own risk assessment.
He continued:
I said that there would be a lot of unease from the community not having a static police presence on the ground and I would have tried to convince him.
Public hearings will continue on Tuesday and Wednesday, after which a number of witnesses will return for closed sessions.
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Community Service Group notified police of likelihood of antisemitic attack prior to Bondi shooting, inquiry hears
The Community Service Group (CSG) requested assistance from NSW police to protect the Jewish community during Hanukah celebrations but did not receive a response from them, the royal commission has heard.
A senior officer of CSG New South Wales has been appearing at the royal commission under a pseudonym to protect their identity. CSG has operated as a private organisation since the 1970s to provide security to the Jewish community.
The witness, called “ABO”, says CSG produced its own threat assessments ahead of Hanukah 2025 which were emailed to NSW police.
Their documents warned the likelihood of “violent and/or antisemitic incidents is elevated due to the anticipated visibility of identifiably Jewish individuals in public spaces”.
It estimated about 1,000 guests during the Hanukah period at Bondi by the Sea, and reinforced the threat environment “remains heightened” for Jewish people.
“CSG is seeking assistance from NSW Police to ensure community safety,” it said.
The current security alert level for the New South Wales Jewish community [according to CSG’s metric], is five of six … A terrorist attack against the New South Wales Jewish community is likely, and there is a high level of antisemitic vilification.
The witness says there were 12 CSG volunteers at the Bondi event in December, none of whom were armed. NSW police did not respond to their email which requested additional resources, but attended in a roving capacity.
The witness also said NSW police had provided “far greater access” to CSG following the events of 7 October 2023 and there had been an “obvious and observable increase” in their presence at Jewish events since the terror attack in Bondi.
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Jacinta Allan ‘not necessarily convinced’ a firearms cap would target criminals
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, has defended her government’s decision not to act on a recommendation to cap firearms at four per licence holder, saying she’s “not convinced” they work.
Allan told reporters the government would enact the renaming 15 recommendations of the rapid review by former police commissioner, Ken Lay, which was commissioned in the wake of the Bondi terror attack. She said:
Victoria already has some of the strongest firearm laws in the country. These are laws that save lives, reflect the values of our community, and first and foremost have that focus on keeping the community safe. Ken’s work … highlights where Victoria’s firearm laws can be stronger, and that is exactly what we will be delivering with legislation to come before the Victorian parliament in June.
Allan said the laws will “go after the dangerous people who illegally hold traffic and use firearms”.
The vast majority of firearm owners, the overwhelming majority are law-abiding. I’m just not necessarily convinced that caps is the way to go, because the vast majority are responsible gun owners, that is my view, and the vast majority of gun owners do do the right thing … What we have to really target our focus on and our effort on are those evil actors, the criminals who get their hands on one single gun.
The police minister, Anthony Carbines, confirmed the state would not be part of the federal gun buyback scheme as a result:
The buyback scheme relates to caps, the government is not engaging in caps, and so the government won’t be engaging in the buyback scheme as it sits currently through the commonwealth.
He said the state wasn’t the only one with a “different position”:
There are many different positions and determinations being made by jurisdictions across the country when it comes to caps.
There is no consistent position, and Victoria has made its determination.
Updated
Victorian gun laws review shows firearms suicides outnumber assaults by more than three to one
Lay’s report also provided some interesting data regarding firearms licenses in Victoria. It said there were 240,300 firearms licence holders and 974,550 registered firearms. This is fewer than Queensland and New South Wales, which have 1.17 million and 1.13 million, respectively.
Lay’s report said hunting is the most common single reason for firearm possession in Victoria, with 131,000 people possessing firearms for that purpose. It said this was about five times the number of licence holders for primary production and seven times as many as for sports shooting.
The report said hunters possess 4.1 firearms on average, with almost 35,900 individuals possessing more than four firearms solely for hunting, including “one individual possessing 135 firearms solely for this purpose”.
The report also said the data on firearms-related harm in Victoria “tells a story that many Victorians may not expect” – this is because in the 10 years to December 2025, firearms suicides (342 deaths) outnumbered firearms assaults (104 deaths) by more than three to one.
The report reads:
Firearms-related harm is concentrated in private and domestic settings, not public places. It is more prevalent in regional Victoria than metropolitan Melbourne and disproportionately affects men and older people.
These patterns tell us that effective firearms regulation is as much about preventing self-harm and family violence as it is about preventing the kind of public mass casualty events that drive political and media attention.
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If you or someone you know needs support, please contact Lifeline 13 11 14, Beyond Blue 1300 224 636, or Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467 for 24/7 crisis support.
Updated
Victoria will not introduce cap on firearms ownership despite recommendation
The Victorian government will not introduce a firearms cap, despite a recommendation from a rapid review into the state’s gun laws that it commissioned after the Bondi terror attack.
The premier, Jacinta Allan, and the police minister, Anthony Carbines, will shortly hold a press conference to release the review into the state’s firearms laws, written by former Victoria police commissioner Ken Lay, and the government’s response.
The Lay review makes 16 recommendations, including imposing a cap of four firearms per individual, with exemptions allowing an additional six firearms for primary producers and sport shooters who can demonstrate a “compelling need” for them.
For any additional firearms above 10, Lay recommends that licence holders be required to provide a “genuine and exceptional need for each single additional firearm” and be subject to appropriate oversight, conditions and compliance requirements, at the discretion of the chief commissioner.
Lay said the cap would support a “nationally consistent approach” and reflected the current ownership patterns in the state.
But the government’s response said it would not accept the recommendation. It did not state the reason.
The remaining 15 recommendations were accepted, including updating existing firearms classifications and introducing a citizenship requirement for firearms licence holders.
Tasmania and Queensland had earlier ruled out introducing caps.
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Jacinta Allan confirms Neale Daniher will be honoured with state funeral
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, held a press conference earlier this afternoon, in which she confirmed plans for a state service to honour Neale Daniher. She told reporters:
A few moment ago, I spoke to Jan Daniher and expressed my deepest sympathy and condolences of the loss of her much-loved husband, Neale, and passed on my condolences on behalf of everyone in the Victorian community to Jan and the family. During that conversation I offered to Jan and the family the services of a state funeral to honour the incredible commitment and legacy of Neale Daniher, and the family have accepted that offer of our state funeral and arrangements will follow.
She said the news of Daniher’s death was “devastating”.
The thoughts and love of all Victorians will be going to the Daniher family as we hold them in our hearts today, and also reflect on the incredible contribution Neale has made to the life of our state – yes, as an incredible footballer, and the contribution he has made to the game here in this state and nationally – but that incredible commitment and determination following his diagnosis of MND and his determination not just to fight the beast but to give his energy to finding a cure, to raising money for a cure, and how that has touched the lives of so, so many families around the nation.
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Hate crimes towards Jewish groups more than doubled in NSW since 2023, royal commission hears
The number of hate crime incidents towards Jewish groups has surged from 40 in 2020 to 841 in 2025, the royal commission has heard.
The data, collected by the NSW police force’s engagement and hate crimes unit, showed the number of incidents were:
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40 in 2020
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59 in 2021
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118 in 2022
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353 for 2023
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445 in 2024
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841 in 2025.
There have been 287 incidents in the first quarter of 2026.
The assistant commissioner of Counter Terrorism and Special Tactics (CTST) at the NSW police force, Leanne McCusker, said the number of incidents was a “concerning level” and coincided with the attack on Israel in 2023 and subsequent war in Gaza.
No threat assessment was made by NSW police for the Hanukkah by the Sea event at Bondi.
McCusker said threat assessments have not historically been prepared for Jewish community events, including Hanukah, because they have been restricted to “major” events including New Year’s Eve, Australia Day and Mardi Gras.
Asked if it would have been a “good idea” for a threat assessment to have been made, she said she saw “no reason” why one couldn’t be completed and was “aware” of the recommendation for them to be done for future Hanukah events.
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Royal commission hearings resume
The royal commission hearings have returned after a lunch break, with the assistant commissioner of Counter Terrorism and Special Tactics (CTST) at the NSW police force, Leanne McCusker, on the stand.
McCusker is asked about the upgrading of the national terrorism threat level to “probable” in August 2024 following the conflict in the Middle East.
The commission hears that the NSW police force’s own threat assessment documents were updated in light of the escalation, which were sent to police commanders.
The documents warned the most likely terror attack to occur in NSW would target a crowded place and be executed by a lone actor or small group using rudimentary tactics.
Crowded places included “sport stadiums, transport infrastructure, shopping centres, tourist attractions, places of worship and civic spaces … parks, major streets and pedestrian traffic”, according to the documents.
The documents also stated crowded places were desirable targets “particularly during events of significance such as Australia Day, New Year’s Day and other commemorative events or religious holidays”.
McCusker said it was her expectation the documents would inform tasking and operational policing decisions for events, including for the Hanukah event at the park in Bondi in December 2025.
Updated
Last remaining Australian women and children in Syria’s al-Roj camp to return home
The last remaining Australian women and children left stranded in al-Roj detention camp in north-east Syria are set to return home.
Guardian Australia has confirmed the group – which reportedly includes seven women and 14 children – have bought plane tickets to return to Australia.
All are Australian citizens and have travel documents. One woman is subject to a temporary exclusion order imposed to prevent her re-entry into Australia.
The Australians are the wives, widows and children of jailed or dead Islamic State fighters, and most have been held at the camp for more than six years. Some of the women could face terror-related charges on landing in Australia.
But many of the women have said they were coerced or tricked into entering Syria, or visited neighbouring countries for humanitarian reasons before being trafficked into IS territory. Some of the children were born in the camp and have never been outside it.
In a statement, the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, said:
The Government will not repatriate or provide assistance to this group.
Australian Federal Police operations preparing for returns from Syria have been in place since 2015. In that time many people, including 45 men who went to fight have returned. Our agencies are ready if these citizens choose to return.
Updated
Thanks so much for following along on the blog today.
I’ll leave you with the brilliant Cait Kelly and see you back here bright and early tomorrow!
Tl;dr here’s what happened in question time
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Phil Thompson was the first MP in nearly five years to be suspended by the House, after refusing to withdraw comments calling the Albanese government “liars”.
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Thompson refused to withdraw the comments three times, causing the Speaker to “name” him, followed by a suspension vote in the House. Earlier in QT the Speaker also kicked out Liberal MP Ben Small for three hours (a punishment longer than the standard one hour for talking back to the Speaker).
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The Coalition focused on the budget and changes to capital gains tax today, with a series of scenarios of Australians being left worse off.
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The prime minister told Angus Taylor to watch his back, while he and Jim Chalmers tried to use shadow treasurer Tim Wilson’s own words against him.
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The PM dodged a question from the Greens on whether gas lobbyists attended Labor’s budget night fundraiser (but he took the question despite Milton Dick saying it wasn’t allowed).
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AG thanks inaugural national anti-corruption commissioner
The attorney general, Michelle Rowland, has issued a short statement thanking Paul Brereton for his service as Australia’s first Nacc commissioner.
As my colleague Sarah Basford Canales brought you a moment ago (see below), Brereton just resigned from his role after nearly three years.
Rowland said Brereton has made an “invaluable contribution” to the watchdog.
I thank Commissioner Brereton for his service as commissioner of the National Anti-Corruption Commission following his appointment in 2023.
Commissioner Brereton has made an invaluable contribution to the establishment of the NACC as its inaugural commissioner.
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Question time ends
And after all of that drama, the PM calls time on QT.
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Nacc chief Paul Brereton resigns
Australia’s first national anti-corruption commissioner, Paul Brereton, has resigned after nearly three years in the top job.
In a media statement this afternoon, Brereton said criticisms against him about potential conflicts of interest were “drawing attention away from the commission’s core purpose of strengthening integrity”.
I believe that the commission’s success is paramount, and not due to any single person. While I will continue to resist any suggestion of impropriety, I have decided that it is time, now that the commission is established and functioning with quality staff and good processes, to step aside and allow a new commissioner to lead it into the next phase of its development into a key and respected component of the integrity architecture of the commonwealth.
The Nacc’s original decision not to investigate the six people referred to it by the robodebt royal commission was heavily criticised, with the watchdog receiving more than 1,000 complaints. The Nacc inspector found that the Nacc’s original decision was “affected by apprehended bias” after determining Brereton had not removed himself from the decision-making process despite declaring a perceived conflict of interest with one of the six individuals.
A report was eventually released earlier this year, which found two of the public servants referred had engaged in serious corrupt conduct.
Brereton’s final day will be on 6 July. The Nacc is expected to appear before a Senate estimates hearing on Tuesday evening.
READ MORE:
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Who else has been suspended from the House?
This is quite dramatic, and something that hasn’t been seen in almost five years.
The last time a member was named and suspended from the House was in 2021.
It was Labor MP Julian Hill, who accused the then home affairs minister, Karen Andrews, of “killing my constituents” during a question about Afghanistan.
Anthony Albanese has been suspended three times – the first in 2002, then 2004 and 2006.
Jim Chalmers was once suspended in 2015.
After the vote, Milton Dick tells Phil Thompson he’s suspended for 24 hours. As he walks out, Liberal frontbencher Tony Pasin pats Thompson on the back.
Updated
House suspends Liberal Phil Thompson
We’re beyond just booting a member out of question time now; the next step is to actually “name the member”, which Milton Dick does.
It’s one of the most severe disciplinary actions the House can take.
Once a member has been named (in this case Phil Thompson), the leader of the house (Tony Burke) calls on the chamber to vote that the MP “be suspended from the service of the house”.
Right now the members are moving across the floor to vote on the question.
It looks like the entirety of the crossbench is voting with the government to suspend Thompson.
According to parliamentary rules, a member will face a 24-hour suspension on their first occasion.
Updated
Liberal MP questions PM on veterans affairs and is asked to withdraw accusation
Liberal MP Phil Thompson is next and says that Labor broke a promise by gutting funding from allied health services for veterans.
Anthony Albanese says that the government has been working on reducing the backlog of veteran compensation claims – which he says was at 42,000 when Labor came into power in 2022.
Veterans affairs minister, Matt Keogh, says that the budget “contained an additional $169.7m to increase the fees going to allied health providers to support our veterans”.
Thompson returns to the dispatch box and asks to table the recommendations from the royal commission into defence and veteran suicides.
Veterans deserve better than [these] Albanese Labor lies. These are lies that you are peddling.
Dick tells Thompson to withdraw his accusation of lies, which Thompson refuses to do, not once but twice. Dan Tehan tries to defend Thompson, but Dick tells him to withdraw it a third time. Then Albanese gets up and tells leader Angus Taylor to make his MP withdraw.
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PM dodges question on whether gas lobbyists attended Labor fundraiser
Were gas lobbyists at Labor’s budget night fundraiser, the Greens MP Elizabeth Watson-Brown asks.
Milton Dick says the question is not allowed because party affairs aren’t within the question time standing orders.
Watson-Brown says it goes to Anthony Albanese’s official duties on budget night, adding “I’m just asking on behalf of the Australian people”.
Albanese stands up to answer the question anyway (except that he doesn’t actually answer the question).
He deflects:
The largest ever corporate donation that I’m aware of was to the Greens political party from the operator of a website and an accommodation search.
The second point I make is that before I became prime minister, under the former government there were fundraisers in this building, in ministerial offices, in the prime minister’s office, and in the speaker’s office. I, together with the speaker of the House of Representatives and the president [of the Senate] after I wrote to them, that has been stopped, and that is a good thing.
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Liberals continue focus on CGT changes
Liberal frontbencher Angie Bell gets a go next and says 39-year-old Aaron, who has two kids, has been investing in shares for 10 years to save up money to buy a home – but will now get slugged by the tax changes.
Anthony Albanese says he wants Aaron and his family to have a roof over their heads (which causes the opposition to erupt).
The PM points out that Aaron has been working for probably 20 years and hasn’t been able to buy a home under the current system.
If Aaron goes to the auction next Saturday, he won’t be standing there competing against someone who is, because they are an investor, going for their 10th house or their 12th house … Aaron will [have] a real shot.
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Liberal Ben Small ejected as Tim Wilson’s book gets another airing
Will the prime minister acknowledge that his budget is hurting small businesses, asks Nationals MP David Littleproud, citing an open letter from 40 young Australian founders who say the budget is an “aspiration ambush”.
Anthony Albanese says that there is support in the budget for small businesses and that the tax changes will particularly help young people.
He then whips out his pre-prepared quotes from Tim Wilson’s book.
When it comes to the young people, which is what the question went to, and the impact of the budget, as the shadow treasurer said - just to confirm that I’ve looked at this book - “it’s time to be honest. The tax system is screwing over young Australians.” That’s what it says.
The opposition quickly gets up to stop the PM from quoting (it doesn’t work and Albanese continues).
As he resumes, the member for Forrest, Ben Small, gets kicked out of the chamber for three whole hours for interrupting and then talking back when Milton Dick tells him to leave. Dick calls it a “serious offence”.
Updated
Shadow treasurer questions PM on trust tax change
Tim Wilson is back and asks the PM about Janet from Queensland, who set up a discretionary trust for her child with Down’s syndrome.
The PM says that there is an exemption in the 30% tax for vulnerable people and that the opposition shouldn’t be scaring people to score political points.
We’ve made it very clear that there are exemptions for vulnerable people.
What the constituent from Brisbane shouldn’t have to put up with is people promoting something in order to try to secure political advantage by scaring vulnerable people.
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Zali Steggall asks about CGT changes for non-housing assets
Over to the crossbench, independent Zali Steggall (who’s dominated headlines herself this morning) asks what modelling the government did on its changes to capital gains tax for assets that aren’t housing, and says Australians feel “blindsided” by the changes.
Jim Chalmers takes the question and says that the changes announced in the budget would have had a neutral, if not a more generous impact on shareholders.
The current discount undercompensates some investors for inflation and overcompensates others. On average, over the past 20 years, the indexation approach would have been broadly neutral or even a bit more generous for shareholders. The proportion of Australians who own shares has declined by almost 20% since Howard and Costello made that mistake in 1999.
Chalmers says that the budget is for young people, to get them into the housing market:
For too long now, too many young people have seen this aspiration of home ownership as something that belongs to somebody else, and we want to fix that.
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Coalition on the attack over capital gains tax changes
Tim Wilson is up next and says “Andrew from Parramatta” founded a startup in 2015. We realise he’s talking about cabinet secretary Andrew Charlton, who quickly looks up.
Wilson says Charlton said that the new capital gains tax regime “doesn’t interact well with small businesses”, and asks whether the the treasurer agrees with his colleague.
An array of opposition members shout “great question”.
Jim Chalmers says he’s taking everything Wilson says with a grain of salt:
The last time the shadow treasurer tried to cite an example, this time at the National Press Club, it turned out the person that he had based his entire speech around was more than likely exempt or able to access very considerable concessions and carve-outs.
He then tries to quote Wilson back to himself - with the shadow treasurer’s book, which keeps getting a run during QT. Chalmers says:
When it comes to the changes that the shadow treasurer is asking me about, I remind him of somebody who said this, and I’m quoting, ‘there’s no intergenerational justice in such preferential arrangements’.
The opposition tries to raise a point of order on relevance, but Milton Dick says that there’s no rule against quoting books, but tells the treasurer to remain relevant. Chalmers continues:
We want to be careful that the Daily Tee doesn’t put him on the front of the paper with a little hammer and sickle next to him, Mr Speaker, because this is exactly the problem that he’s describing that this government has the courage to try and fix.
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It’s question time!
Angus Taylor starts strong, addressing his question to “Mr Squeaker” (instead of Speaker) and says that over the last week he’s spoken to hundreds of Australians who are asking “why did the Albanese Labor government lie to Australians about plans to tax them more?”
Anthony Albanese says he too has spoken to many Australians over the last week about the budget.
He then lists through the number of homes that are being built around the country through the government’s schemes, and says the changes are “pro aspiration and pro supply”.
Albanese then issues a warning at Taylor, telling him to watch his back against leadership rival Andrew Hastie.
Perhaps he might like to speak to the next leader of the Liberal party, who said this: I feel the anger regularly from young Australians who feel locked out of the housing market, red hot anger, frustration, also a sense of despair that they can’t get a stake in the country, that they can’t afford a home again. We’ve got to listen to what they say.
Good advice from the member for Canning [Hastie]. You might like to watch him just behind you.
Updated
As we quickly count down towards question time, let’s take a look at who’s been out and about in parliament today.
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Queensland to expand parole bans
Queensland laws that prevent child and serial killers from applying for parole will be expanded to include all prisoners serving a life sentence, the state’s corrective services minister has declared.
Corrective services minister, Laura Gerber, held a press conference on Monday to make “two significant announcements”: the release of an independent review into the state’s parole board and the expansion of restricted prisoners laws.
Gerber said the existing, “narrow” restricted prisoners laws meant that only “multiple murders and child killers” could be blocked from applying for parole for a period of up to a decade.
We are expanding that framework so that now anyone sentenced to life imprisonment can be held behind bars for up to 10 more years longer.
This expansion was not among the 46 recommendations of the independent review.
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Watt rejects criticism of proposed national environmental standard
The environment minister, Murray Watt, and his department have rejected criticism they watered down a draft national environmental standard meant to protect threatened species and world heritage areas.
Guardian Australia reported the criticism after an updated draft for one of the proposed standards was published earlier this month.
Watt told a Senate estimates hearing on Monday:
We, of course, reject the claim that’s being made that what is being proposed contradicts the outcomes-based approach. In fact, we believe that what we’ve put forward as a standard reflects an outcomes-based approach.
Let me explain that a little. New national environmental standards are meant to turn around the decline in nature by specifying mandated outcomes for the environment that have to be met before a development can be approved.
A new clause in the updated draft for a standard covering matters of national environmental significance, which includes threatened species, world heritage areas and the Great Barrier Reef, states those objectives would be considered to have been met if developers comply with a set of process-focused principles.
This change has raised alarm bells for some environment groups and legal experts who argue following a set of steps in project assessments is not the same as ensuring specific, mandated outcomes for nature are delivered.
Greens leader Larissa Waters asked officials: “How does compliance with process equate with outcomes? Please walk me through how that makes sense.”
Officials said the new clause was “about having a standard that is able to be applied by decision makers and by proponents and that they are able to demonstrate consistency with the standard through the process”.
Watt added “those principles are designed to deliver the outcomes that we’re seeking. That’s why we don’t accept the criticism that we’ve walked away from outcomes”.
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NSW police deemed terror threat ‘possible’ after 7 October 2023 attack on Israel
The assistant commissioner of counter terrorism and special tactics (CTST) at the NSW police force, Leanne McCusker, has briefly appeared as the third witness at the royal commission prior to a lunch break.
She confirms that between October and December 2023, CTST held a series of intelligence briefings on the conflict between Israel and Hamas as a result of the 7 October 2023 attack and possible global impacts.
The threat in NSW was identified at the time as “possible” as opposed to “probable”.
Following that the meetings concluded but Operation Shelter was put in place, which was set up to “protect activity” to have a “collective and coordinated and consistent approach regarding intelligence”.
We also heard from assistant commissioner of the AFP, Stephen Nutt, that days after the Bondi terror attack, the AFP made an application for government funding for four additional national security investigations teams, which was granted.
Some $5.5m was provided this financial year to fund the expansion.
Updated
Boele rules out joining possible teal party before next election
The teals’ newest MP – Nicolette Boele, who won Bradfield by the skin of her teeth in 2025 – is the latest to rule out joining a potential teal party.
Allegra Spender and Zali Steggall confirmed that conversations had taken place over recent weeks and months, but said there was nothing yet to announce.
Boele says that even before she was elected there were conversations on how independents would cope with the electoral donation and spending that benefit the major parties.
In a statement she writes:
I will contest the next election as a community independent – that has never been up for debate.
Even before I was elected in 2025, there were live conversations about how community independents could weather the changes from the major party duopoly’s new laws on election campaign finance aimed at reducing competition and further entrenching their power.
But she does say that she has always been open to collaboration and that “whether or not my efforts on behalf of Bradfield are best achieved through a formal alliance of community independents is genuinely open for discussion”.
I am answerable to my community first and foremost. Major party MPs are answerable to party hacks and special interests.
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One Nation polling ‘doesn’t tell me anything I don’t know’, Canavan says
Nationals leader, Matt Canavan, says that recent polling showing that if an election were held today the Coalition would face a wipeout by One Nation (and be reduced to around a dozen seats), “doesn’t tell me anything I don’t know”.
Speaking at a press conference alongside Nationals MP Alison Penfold, Canavan says that he’s been prosecuting the issues that One Nation has been platforming for a while.
We’re in a massive fight and I completely understand why we’re in that fight, people have been disappointed with [us].
I haven’t budged on a lot of issues, I’ve got a lot of fight in me.
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Nationals MP introduces bill to protect women’s only spaces and specify biological definition of man and woman
Nationals MP Alison Penfold has introduced a bill into the House this morning to amend the Sex Discrimination Act to protect women’s only spaces and specify the biological definition of a man and woman.
It won’t get through. As we know, the government has a majority in the House, and rarely – if ever – passes private members bills. It’s also a culture war that the government likely doesn’t want to get involved in.
Penfold says she committed to her electorate three years ago to introduce the bill if elected. But it also follows the federal court upholding a landmark decision that found a women-only social media app and its founder, Sall Grover, unlawfully discriminated against Roxanne Tickle after the transgender woman was denied access to the platform.
In the aftermath of the court’s decision, the Coalition committed to reforming the Sex Discrimination Act.
Penfold tells a press conference:
The parliament could choose to make a decision and vote on this bill and resolve the issues that Sall is facing.
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‘Absolutely a concern’ in 2025 that antisemitism could lead to terror attacks, AFP assistant commissioner says
Assistant commissioner of the AFP, Stephen Nutt, is the next witness at the royal commission.
He confirms the AFP had no role in providing resources to the Hanukah event at Bondi when the terror attack occurred.
Nutt says prior to the attack on Israel in 2023, antisemitism was not investigated by a specific AFP command or task force. That has since changed, with antisemitism becoming a strategic priority for law enforcement agencies.
What we started to see was … the increase in the temperature in the community, where we saw protest activity, which is a legitimate part of functioning democracy, turn violent … We saw increasingly antisemitic chants, we saw gatherings where praise around the attack was occurring, and we also saw an increasingly open display of prohibited hate symbols.
One of the incidents Nutt was pointed to was the Dural caravan explosives hoax in January 2025, which he alleged was part of a fabricated terrorism plot but achieved its desired effect in having a “very concerning impact on the Jewish community’s feeling of safety, but also more broadly across Australia”.
He says at the time, the AFP wasn’t just concerned about threats of vandalism and abuse towards the Jewish community, but also “religiously motivated violent extremism, ideologically motivated violent extremism, and also politically motivated violent extremism”.
There was absolutely a concern that antisemitism could escalate to actual terrorist acts.
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Asio chief Mike Burgess says national terrorism risk remains at 'upper end of probable'
The national terrorism risk remains at the ‘upper end of probable’ in the aftermath of the Bondi terror attack, Mike Burgess has told the royal commission.
Asio’s director general said the “temperature is higher” than when the threat level was raised to probable in 2024, which means a greater than 50% chance someone will plan to undertake an act of terror.
He said in 2024, the war in the Middle East invoked a “range of emotions” in Australia and “those behaviours including antisemitism that, in our view, that were left unchecked, were therefore normalised and gave more permission for violence through 2023 and through to August [2024] when we raised it”.
In the current security environment, Burgess said there is a “concerning trajectory, as in it’s getting hotter”.
There is more permission for violence and an environment where people can go to violence with little or no warning means we’re on the upper end of probable. The next level up is expected. But in the current system, that requires us to have specific intelligence that there is a plan and a location for an act of terror.
Burgess said Asio continues to put the resources “where we know the threat is” and is investigating matters “out of abundance of caution”, including ensuring “individuals in Australia who might have connections with Iran and the IRGC are not a security problem”.
Asked if the public could be assured Asio had sufficient resources and powers to respond to antisemitic conduct, Burgess said “I believe they can”. His public testimony has concluded.
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Asio didn’t request extra resources in 2025 as ‘no serious matters’ were left untreated, royal commission hears
Mike Burgess has told the royal commission that Asio did not ask the federal government for extra resourcing in 2025 as there were no “serious matters” that couldn’t be addressed.
Pressed on whether additional resources would have better allowed Asio to address threats of political violence, the director general replied:
Even if we’d identified that we needed more resources, the very nature of our recruitment and clearance process would have seen a 12-month lag before those resources came onboard. But of course it’s my day job to look at that ...
I am very clear that we knew we were busy and we had a lot on our plate. Again, I fall back on: at no time did we have serious matters that we knew about that we were leaving untreated – because that is the important measure for me in terms of the effectiveness of the security service.
Burgess said it was correct that despite an overall increase in funding to Asio from 2020 to 2025, the proportion of money allocated to counter-terrorism significantly declined in the same period, as the commission’s interim report found.
But he said “that’s an allocation of funding across the entire national intelligence community”.
It’s not a one-for-one representation of what my organization is doing in identifying and understanding these threats, including counter-terrorism.
Burgess also told the royal commission he didn’t believe all the antisemitic attacks in Australia throughout 2024 and 2025 were orchestrated by Iran.
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Preventing lone actors from carrying out attacks ‘extremely hard’ for Asio, royal commission hears
The royal commission line of questioning has moved to 2024, when Asio lifted its national terrorism threat to “probable”, with politically motivated violence joining espionage and foreign interference as the body’s principal security concerns.
At the time, Mike Burgess said hateful rhetoric had targeted Israeli and Jewish communities as well as Muslim and Palestinian communities, and raised concerns over the potential for lone actors to commit terror attacks.
Burgess told the royal commission the war in the Middle East was a factor in raising the threat to “probable”, and the risk of lone actors was difficult to counter.
During the height of the caliphate and prior to that, we had groups like Al-Qaeda that would plan complex terrorist attacks offshore in western countries. And whilst that was still a possibility, the most likely possibility was a lone actor going to violence with little or no warning … That’s where it gets extremely hard for us … It’s hard for someone to call the police or the national security hotline or for us to pick up indications, that is just the nature of the threat environment we have today.
Under our law, which is appropriate, all my officers’ actions have to be proportionate to the threat we’re facing and lawful, and under law, we can’t be everywhere. We’re not all-seeing and all-knowing and we don’t aspire to be.
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Concerns raised with Israel over behaviour of Ben-Gvir, Albanese says
Albanese says the treatment of Australian and international activists detained by Israel was not consistent with how “we want anyone treated”.
He’s asked about a request from Australian activist Gemma O’Toole to discuss how she was treated in Israel and whether the government raised concerns about the behaviour of Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, as well as the Israeli forces.
The PM brushes off the meeting request and says “I’m not going to respond without any notice for someone I don’t know, I don’t know their circumstances.”
He adds:
The government made our position very clear, and it went to the behaviour of Ben-Gvir. I think that people will have a look at the way that people were treated. It isn’t consistent with how we want Australians – I go further than that, how we want anyone – treated.
This morning cabinet minister Mark Butler was stronger and said the treatment of Australians in Israel was “disgraceful”.
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Labor to wedge Coalition on tax cuts and negative gearing
The PM says the legislation introduced Thursday will include measures announced in the budget including the working Australian tax offset (Wato), standard $1,000 tax deduction, and changes to negative gearing and CGT.
This poses a problem for the Liberals, who have promised to support the Wato but vehemently oppose the tax concession changes.
It looks and sounds like a big ol’ political wedge to me.
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Labor to introduce income tax offset and changes to negative gearing and CGT on Thursday
We’re onto questions and the PM is asked whether the startup sector will get a carve-out of the capital gains tax changes.
Anthony Albanese says that Treasury is consulting with the tech industry but also business sector, which he said the government has been doing since before the budget was handed down.
He says the government will introduce legislation to cut taxes and change tax settings on Thursday and that a second tranche of legislation will be introduced later to deal with details and implementation.
Albanese also won’t say whether he’s open to a Senate inquiry examining the tax changes.
On budget night, we very specifically said that we’d go out there and consult on the details, including the interaction with the rather complex tax system across the board, that we would do that - that we set forward on budget night the direction in which we are talking.
We’ll have the core elements, they’ll be in the legislation this Thursday and then, what we will have is legislation with the implementation in detail. That is the normal process that occurs with tax policy.
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PM provides fuel reserves update and confirms supply secure until July
Anthony Albanese says that Australia has two more days of jet fuel in reserve than it did before the conflict started in the Middle East in February.
The prime minister held another virtual national cabinet meeting this morning as the government continues to try to secure supply while limited fuel goes through the Middle East.
There are 38 days of diesel, which the energy minister, Chris Bowen, says is the most supply the country has had since the minimum stock obligation came in 2023.
Albanese says:
Supply is looking secure into July, and I do want to thank the Australian people for agreeing to do what we asked them to do – which is the hoarding of fuel has stopped, people are taking just what they need, and that means that, for those sectors who rely particularly upon diesel, it is making a difference.
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Zali Steggall says feedback from voters for teal party ‘overwhelmingly yes’
Steggall says community feedback has been positive to the idea of a teal party:
At the end of the day, it’s got to come from communities and our voters are looking for alternative solutions. The feedback I’m getting is overwhelmingly yes.
People are very disillusioned with the major parties. I mean, the Coalition lurched to the far right is a never-ending – it just continues.
The appointment of Tony Abbott to be the president of the Liberal party shows, I would argue, that they have not listened to the community and are still not willing to acknowledge the policy areas that they are completely silent or just absent on.
And then you have the difficulties of the Labor caucus where there is no free vote.
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Spender says states without strong opposition an ‘opportunity’ to create more options
Spender said she is worried about some parts of the country, like WA and SA, which she says do not have strong opposition:
I think that there’s an opportunity to say, look, is it an evolution of what we do? Is it more community independents? Is there some different way of working together that can create more options? Well, then I’m certainly open to looking.
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Steggall: ‘There has to be an alterative choice from the major parties and One Nation’
Independents Allegra Spender and Zali Steggall are addressing the media in Parliament House amid speculation about the teals setting up a party. They have confirmed they are in chats.
Steggal said:
What we are seeing evolve is a growth of One Nation and people frustrated with the major parties.
A real change in the Australian political landscape and I think it is beholden on me, myself as a community independent, to take responsibility and look at what the options are and how we evolve and build more consensus to enable more communities to benefit from choice.
There has to be an alternative choice from the major parties and One Nation: that is sensible.
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WhatsApp temporarily blocked in parliament after hack by 'foreign state actor'
A “foreign state actor” successfully hacked the WhatsApp accounts of a parliamentarian and three of their staff, triggering a block of the popular messaging service on the commonwealth Department of Parliamentary Services IT systems.
A DPS official this morning told Senate estimates that the department was notified on 6 March of the hack, which gave control over the accounts to the hacker.
“The specific reports came from one parliamentarian and three staffers, all compromised in the same manner,” the official said. “These accounts were on both personal and DPS devices.”
The DPS put in a temporary block of the WhatsApp web-based app from the DPS IT “environment” on 9 March and informed the Australian Signals Directorate.
“The objective was to take over the accounts, which is what did occur,” the DPS official said.
“The evidence suggests it was a foreign state actor. There’s lots of public reporting of state-sponsored WhatsApp fishing campaigns targeting government officials.”
The WhatsApp block was lifted on Sunday night.
Hacking of devices related to parliamentarians has also been reported in the UK, with MPs and related staff urged to improve cybersecurity practices.
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Victorian confirms default electricity prices to drop
A sliver of good news here for Victorian households, with the energy regulator confirming the state’s default electricity prices will be 5% lower from 1 July.
The final Victorian Default Offer (VDO) for the 2026-27 financial year, published by the Essential Services Commission, shows flat rate plans will drop by between 3% and 8% across the state’s five electricity networks, saving a typical household between $50 and $160 a year.
Across Victoria, the average saving will be 5% or $84.
The VDO serves as a safeguard for households that cannot or do not shop around for electricity, with 17% currently on these plans. It also acts as a benchmark for the wider Victorian retail market.
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Scamps leaves the door open to teal party
The Sydney independent Sophie Scamps says she’s open to ideas for a “stronger alliance” between the teals and has been consulting closely with her community.
The response to the teals having discussions about forming a party has been flooding in this morning, and the reaction has been mixed.
While some of her colleagues, including Monique Ryan and Kate Chaney, have closed the door to joining a teal party, Scamps isn’t ruling it out.
In a statement, she said:
People have been coming to me with ideas for some time about the potential for a stronger alliance – one that complements the community independent movement. These conversations been accelerated by new electoral campaign laws that will make it difficult for independent candidates, particularly new ones, to run – along with the seismic political shift that has seen the Liberals lurching further to the far right.
As always, I will be consulting closely with my community before making any major decisions.
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Over in estimates this morning, the environment minister, Murray Watt, and the shadow communications minister, Sarah Henderson, have been at each other’s throats in the environment hearing over … checks notes … Labor’s broken promises on tax changes.
How is this relevant, asks Watt? To which Henderson says that there are many “small business operating in the energy and environment sector” that will be impacted by the CGT changes.
Watt calls the line of questioning “pathetic”.
It’s all happening while the teals publicly consider forming a new party. You can watch the fiery exchange below:
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Bondi a ‘surprise attack’ to intelligence agencies, Royal Commission hears
The Bondi terror attack was a “surprise attack” to intelligence and law enforcement agencies, the royal commission has heard.
Counsel assisting, Richard Lancaster SC, outlined some of the information received by the commission from NSW police that can’t be addressed in public hearings, which he said provided “important matters of context” in assessing their response.
There is no evidence that any intelligence agency or law enforcement agency had any actual knowledge or specific information to suggest that there might be an armed attack on the Hanukkah celebration at Bondi on 14 December 2025. In that sense it was a surprise attack.
Lancaster said the evidence would indicate that CSG asked NSW Police for police presence for the “entirety” of the Hanukkah events at Bondi Beach and Dover Heights.
He said NSW Police “decided not to provide a static presence for the duration of the Bondi event” and instead allocated mobile tasking – meaning officers were instructed to attend periodically.
At the time the shooting began, there were four police officers at Archer Park … Within 29 seconds of the start of the shooting, eleven people were shot, tragically ten of them fatally … Within five minutes, there are eleven officers on the scene … The first shooter was shot and killed and the second shooter was shot and apprehended around seven minutes and 41 seconds after the start of the shooting.
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Senators call out Albanese government for lack of action against Israel
Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi and independent senator Lidia Thorpe were at Sydney International Airport to greet the returning Australians.
Faruqi said it was a “good day” to see “these brave global Sumud flotilla” participants return after carrying “love, humanity and commitment to a free Palestine”.
But she had harsh words for the role of the Albanese government, urging Labor to sanction Israel and cut ties with the country:
Israel has been able to so brazenly assault and torture these Australian humanitarian because Israel has been given full cover … and active support by countries like Australia.
Anthony Albanese and Penny Wong should be ashamed of calling Israel a friend and ally. Words of concern from Penny Wong are useless because they do nothing to stop the killing of Palestinians.
Thorpe said Australians had a duty of care to “not watch this genocide in real time”.
We have to take this seriously. What is it going to take? I’ll be going back to parliament today and I’ll be sending the message that we have heard today.
Cabinet minister Mark Butler said this morning that the treatment of activists by Israeli forces was “disgraceful” and that the government had raised concerns with Israel in the “strongest possible way”.
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Seven Australians return to Sydney airport after detention by Israeli forces
Seven Australians captured and detained by Israel after participating in the Global Sumud Flotilla returned to Sydney this morning, where they were greeted by dozens of family members and supporters.
Zack Schofield, wearing a grey Israel-issued sweatsuit with the logo crossed out, was travelling on board the flotilla. Standing outside the international terminal at Sydney airport, he described abuses and broken bones, alleging Israel had used “violence and humiliation to punish us … for trying to help Palestinians”. He said:
Today you’re going to hear of the abuses that they experienced at the hands of Australia’s ally, the state of Israel. … How can we live in a safe world when our government continues to call this state a friend and ally? How can any of us be proud to be Australians?
Israel’s prison service has denied the allegations.
Juliet Lamont, who was also detained on another flotilla last year, said she had returned for the latest action, but it was a “bittersweet” moment coming back to Australian shores:
Why were we forced to set sail to deliver humanitarian aid and medicine and baby food to the most vulnerable people in the planet? It was not our job to be out on the Mediterranean and do that.
She described being cable tied and hog tied by Israeli forces during her detention, saying so much water had been thrown into her face at one point “I thought I was going to drown”.
Surya McEwan, another participant, said he had lost count of the number of times he had been punched and kicked in the face and body. He said he had a fractured cheekbone, a contusion on his lung and a concussion after his detention.
The Israeli ambassador to Australia, Hillel Newman, has claimed that the detained flotilla members were handled with “great sensitivity”. He rejected claims of violence and sexual abuse.
Royal commission begins second block of hearings
The royal commission on antisemitism and social cohesion has begun its second week of hearings in Sydney. This week, the commissioner will examine the circumstances surrounding the Bondi attack, including the terrorism threat level and security environment in the lead up to 14 December and the conduct of security, intelligence and law enforcement agencies.
The commissioner, Virginia Bell, said that most of the evidence after Wednesday would occur in hearings closed to the public due to their sensitive nature.
Counsel assisting, Richard Lancaster SC, noted prior to Asio’s director general Mike Burgess’ appearance that the national terrorism threat was raised to “probable” by Asio in August of 2024, and antisemitism was identified as one of Asio’s most pressing issues in 2025.
He said despite an overall increase in funding to Asio from 2020 to 2025, the proportion of money allocated to counter-terrorism significantly declined in the same period.
Burgess maintains that Asio was not underfunded in the period leading up to and including 2025.
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Kate Chaney pours cold water on speculation she will join teal party
It seems like more independents might be out than in, after Zali Steggall and Allegra Spender both confirmed that conversations have been taking place around a potential teal party (but said there was nothing yet to announce).
WA independent, Kate Chaney, has just dropped a statement saying that she intends to remain an independent. Her colleagues, Monique Ryan and Helen Haines also ruled themselves out of joining a teal party.
She says that while she’ll continue to collaborate with the crossbench, she will remain an independent “right now”.
Our political poles are shifting. The Liberal Party is moving further to the right. The big issues impacting the lives of everyday Australians no longer fit on the convenient left-right political spectrum.
In this context, I have had many conversations with my fellow community independents about the challenges Australia faces, and have thought deeply about how I can best contribute to a healthy democracy.
I am interested in working more collaboratively with other crossbenchers on policy – many of our communities have similar values – but right now I do not think that requires me to be a member of a political party.
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‘Go your hardest’ says Haines on teal party, but says she won’t be joining
Helen Haines has ruled herself out this morning from joining any teal party (as has Melbourne independent Monique Ryan), but tells her colleagues to go for it if they want to.
Haines quotes her colleague Bob Katter:
Let a thousand blossoms bloom, if people want to talk about forming more formal allegiances through a party, go your hardest … it’s not something for me.
Alongside her, regional SA independent, Rebekah Sharkie says that there are “a lot of similarities” between all the teal independents but also says it’s “not for me”.
And former Nationals MP turned independent, Andrew Gee, who represents the regional seat of Calare also says he won’t be making the switch (if there is indeed a party set up)
My independence has been hard won, there’s a mandate for it and I value it too highly
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Haines says independents can take on One Nation
The community independent Helen Haines, who has ruled out joining a teal party, believes the movement can take on One Nation.
Polling by Redbridge Group and Accent Research released over the weekend showed One Nation at a level of support that would give them up to 59 seats if an election were held today – leaving the Coalition just a handful of seats and pushing Labor into minority.
But Haines – speaking to reporters at Parliament – believes that the independents can counter the right wing party.
Community independents are really smart, and the best part of their smarts is they have the collective smarts of their community behind them.
But it’s perhaps not so simple. The independent candidate for Farrer, Michelle Milthorpe, lost against One Nation’s David Farley at the recent byelection, which was her second attempt at winning the seat.
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Aboriginal stockman’s long journey home
The remains of an Aboriginal stockman who was found dead almost 70 years ago will finally be returned home.
Lower Southern Arrernte man Thomas Cowell died of natural causes while droving cattle in South Australia’s far north and was found in his swag on 27 March, 1959. He was buried nearby but local flooding disturbed his remains in 1966, and because the family could not be found the remains were sent to the SA Museum.
But now, his extended family has been identified and they will be part of a reburial ceremony on 28 May in Witjira National Park in outback SA.
SA Museum’s Aboriginal heritage and repatriation manager, Anna Russo, said:
Tom was about 65 and it seems he may have been a bit of a loner when he died almost sixty years ago.
But that doesn’t mean he’s been forgotten, and the museum has worked very hard over the past few years to find his family and community and ensure he is returned home to Country.
House prices slipping as auction and open home interest fades
Australia’s house prices are slipping as the market slows, with auction success rates and open home attendance stuck at their recent lows
The national auction clearance rate was 58.2% in the week to Sunday, Cotality reported. It has held below 60% for much of the past two months, indicating housing has become more of a buyer’s market.
Sydney and Melbourne auction success rates picked up from last week but are still lower than they were a year ago, respectively at 56.9% and 60.2%.
Brisbane recorded a preliminary 45.7%, meaning more than half of reported auctions failed. Domain data for the week to Saturday found Brisbane’s rate was even lower, at 22%, with almost four in five auctions failing.
Real estate group Ray White reported interest is falling, with the number of people attending open homes staying at low levels. Ray White’s chief economist, Nerida Conisbee, said:
The most important signal remains open home attendance. Nationally, attendance averaged 2.1 attendees per property, broadly in line with last week, but well below 3.5 at the same time last year. This shows buyer foot traffic has not recovered after the sharp fall seen in recent weeks …
With policy uncertainty still settling, interest rates higher and buyer attendance materially lower than a year ago, this softer demand environment is likely to persist for some time.
Cotality home value data shows the median home price in Australia’s five biggest cities has been falling since 10 May, with growth slowing in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. Sydney and Melbourne prices have been falling for months.
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Taylor bats aways teal party speculation
The Liberal party leader, Angus Taylor, says the teals have acted like a party for years, laughing off any concerns that moderates from his party would defect and join their ranks.
Standing up in Canberra alongside deputy Jane Hume, Taylor says:
The teals have already acted like a party for years. I don’t know what’s here, they act like a political party, but I tell you what, we are the one party or coalition that is fighting the Labor party every day.
Taylor’s also asked about the threat to the Liberals on the other side (and arguably now the bigger threat to the party), and comments from Barnaby Joyce this morning that the Liberals are “splitting the One Nation vote”. Taylor laughs awkwardly for a moment and says:
Sorry, look, honestly, if you want to fight the Labor party, support the Liberal and National parties. We are the ones fighting the Labor party every day.
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Haines and Ryan rule themelves out from potential teal party
Well we now know which independents are definitely not going to be joining any teal party – Helen Haines and Monique Ryan.
Ryan has just released a statement saying that she made a commitment to her electorate of Kooyong in inner Melbourne to represent them as an independent.
Representing the people of Kooyong in Canberra has been one of the biggest honours of my life. I will continue to do that in the capacity in which I was elected: as a community independent, voted for and answerable to the people of Kooyong.
A spokesperson for Haines also confirmed to Guardian Australia that she will not be joining any party, and will remain as an independent.
Haines was an early community independent after being elected to the regional Victorian seat of Indi in 2019, succeeding the OG community independent, Cathy McGowan, who held that same seat from 2013 and retired in 2019.
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Spy boss to appear at antisemitism royal commission
Asio’s chief, Mike Burgess, will be the first witness to appear Monday morning at the start of Block 2 of public hearings of the royal commission on antisemitism and social cohesion.
The second fortnight block of hearings will focus of what police and intelligence agencies knew leading up to the Bondi terror attack, and how information was shared between security agencies.
Asio’s director general, Burgess, will give evidence, followed by Australian Federal Police assistance commissioners Stephen Nutt (global operations) and Leanne McCusker (counter-terrorism and special tactics).
Their evidence will be followed by two pseudonymised witnesses from the CSG Jewish community security organisation.
Among the issues under scrutiny will be security arrangements for the Hanukah by the Sea event that was targeted by two gunmen on 14 December and what was known by counter-terrorism agencies and police about the shooters before the attack.
Fifteen people were killed by the two gunmen, who targeted members of the Jewish community as they celebrated Hanukah at a beachside park.
While some of the commission’s proceedings will be open to the public, significant parts of the evidence of the second hearing block will be heard behind closed doors, to avoid revealing sensitive national security information and impacting the ongoing criminal prosecution of the surviving shooter, Naveed Akram.
The royal commission’s interim report has already detailed that, in the lead-up to the 14 December attack at Bondi, NSW Police were warned by CSG that a heightened atmosphere of antisemitism made a terror attack on the community likely. CSG told police in an email in November:
A terrorist attack against the NSW Jewish Community is likely and there is a high level of antisemitic vilification.
Police planned to provide a high-visibility presence at the event, but they noted internally there was “no need to stay the entire duration” and ultimately only four officers and one area commander attended the event at various times.
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Government concerned as diphtheria cases continue to grow
The federal health minister, Mark Butler, told ABC News Breakfast on Monday that diphtheria “case numbers are continuing to grow particularly in the NT and the north of WA, so we are very concerned about this”.
There are almost 250 cases associated with the outbreak, the latest national surveillance data shows, including 146 in the NT and 89 in WA.
“We’re supporting Aboriginal medical services who really are on the frontline here and are deeply trusted in their community, so providing that support will also help containment,” Butler said.
Support includes a $7.2m federal government package for vaccines, a health worker surge workforce and community outreach.
On Friday, the chief medical officer, Prof Michael Kidd, declared diphtheria a Communicable Disease Incident of National Significance.
This is the largest outbreak since national records began in 1991.
If you are unsure whether your vaccinations are up to date, please check with your GP, Aboriginal Medical Service, pharmacy or local health clinic. Vaccination is the strongest protection against diphtheria, especially for children, older adults needing boosters, and people living in or travelling to higher-risk areas.
Read more:
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Abbott ‘clearly a masochist’, says Turnbull on Liberal presidency
Malcolm Turnbull has been arguing that the Liberals have been listening to too much Sky After Dark and not enough to what the Australians want – and believes that they will make the same mistake when they confirm Tony Abbott as the Liberal party president.
Abbott will run for the presidency unopposed after the former foreign minister Alexander Downer withdrew from the race, aiming to run for vice-president instead.
Turnbull says, good for Tony:
He’s clearly a masochist. But anyway, he’s got a strong commitment to politics, so good on him.
For the Liberal party, I think the problem is that if you look at what Tony has been saying and what [Sky News host] Peta Credlin has been saying and the News Corp sort of columnists that are close to them are saying is, they’re basically arguing that the Liberal party’s mistake has been not being right-wing enough. They’ve been saying this, despite every election sending them the message that a significant part of the electorate feel they have gone too far to the right.
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Liberal party ‘validating’ One Nation platform, says Turnbull
Malcolm Turnbull says the Liberals in Australia are making the same mistakes as the UK’s Conservative party by legitimising One Nation’s platform.
Turnbull has some choice words for the party he once led (no surprises there, it’s his favourite pasttime), telling RN Breakfast that the Liberals shouldn’t keep chasing Pauline Hanson to the right and abandoning the centre.
He says that Australians “historically have preferred to see the contest to be at the centre”:
If you’re the Liberal party leader … and say you essentially legitimise and validate One Nation’s platform, people will always go for the real deal. And this is exactly the mistake the Tories have made in the UK with Reform.
I was talking to [Reform UK leader] Nigel Farage about this in London just recently. It’s a real phenomenon. I mean, if centre-right parties abandon the centre, they will get overwhelmed by the party that is to their right. And so it’s a mistake happening in both countries, in the UK and Australia.
He says that both the Liberals and Conservatives in the UK are “seeing their vote dwindle at the expense of a competitor on the populist right”.
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Turnbull denies active involvement in setting up teal party
The former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has denied any involvement in the talks between the teals to set up a party, but says that there “is a vacuum for an alternative centre party” which the teals could be a part of.
Turnbull’s name has been swirling around the rumour mill in recent days on the issue. He has previously talked up Allegra Spender’s credibility as an economic voice.
Joining the ABC’s RN Breakfast, Turnbull says:
I think there is a vacuum in Australian politics at the moment because the Liberal party has moved so far to the right and in doing so is diminishing. It’s done itself enormous damage.
I think there is a vacuum for an alternative centre party. The teals would be obvious people to be part of that or to do that. And I’ve talked to them about that publicly. I mean, going back some years. But whether they actually decide to do so is up to them.
So I’m not involved with any plans to set something up.
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Tim Wilson on teals: ‘No one actually takes this party seriously’
Over on the other side of the political debate, the shadow treasurer, Tim Wilson, has shut down the idea of Liberal moderates joining a potential teal party.
Speaking to Nine earlier this morning, the moderate – who won his seat back from the teal independent Zoe Daniel at the last election – said no one would take the group seriously.
His colleague Jane Hume, a fellow moderate, said that the teals have acted as a party for a while, with the same funding and same campaign teams (“if it walks like a duck and it quacks like a duck”… she said).
Wilson said:
I don’t think there’s any chance of that because I think no one actually takes this party seriously. It’s about them achieving their own survival, not the good of the nation.
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Were the teal party conversations sparked by the government’s electoral reforms?
Yes and no, Allegra Spender and Zali Steggall say.
Earlier on RN Breakfast, Steggall said that she had a “showdown” with the special minister of state, Don Farrell, over the changes, which she said were “rigged” towards the major parties.
She said that the changes forced her to look at the “setup and the disadvantage there is in being a community independent versus [being a] a major party”.
There are many things that favour major party structures, and again, the public was incredibly cynical about that move, that it’s yet again major parties trying to rig the game for their benefit.
Spender said that it was a factor in the discussions but that the talks are “beyond just campaign financing”.
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Spender confirms teal party conversations
Both Zali Steggall and Allegra Spender have fronted up to the media this morning to confirm conversations are taking place for a potential teal party, but both aren’t promising anything and say there’s nothing yet to announce.
Spender has joined ABC Radio Sydney, saying that people have come up to her saying they’re worried about the political landscape and want to see change.
She’s asked whether the discussion was sparked by changes to electoral donation laws that benefit parties over independents, and says that the changes were a consideration but the idea goes beyond just that.
She adds that things might look a little different in their corner compared to other established parties.
I have had conversations over a period of time about how politics could evolve because people keep on coming to me and say they really worried about the times that we’re in.
The question is: look, are there ways to better collaborate to evolve and how we work together or how some of us work together so that we can more explicitly align on certain areas and then where our communities and where we fundamentally disagree to have that freedom.
I don’t think people want a party like we’ve seen it with the sort of major parties. I think if any evolution [it] wants to be something quite different.
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Menopause national awareness campaign launches
A nation-first campaign to spread awareness about the symptoms of menopause and perimenopause will launch today.
The federal government campaign, which will run to the end of the year, is designed to lift the lid on how women experience symptoms and direct them to health information and treatment options.
The campaign is the result of a Senate inquiry in 2024, which found many women entered this stage of life lacking information about the impact of symptoms and where to get help.
The women’s minister, Katy Gallagher, said:
Menopause should not come as a surprise, but for too long silence and stigma have left too many women in the dark ... It is important that this campaign reflects the different experiences of perimenopause and menopause, because no two women experience it the same way, and every woman deserves to feel seen and supported.
Read more:
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‘They have learnt nothing’: Steggall criticises Abbott’s appointment as Liberal party president
Zali Steggall says the public wants rational policies not “culture wars”, criticising Tony Abbott’s impending appointment as Liberal party president.
Abbott was the only nominee for the presidency after the other contender – former foreign minister Alexander Downer – chose to instead run for one of the vice-president’s positions.
Steggall tells RN Breakfast says the appointment shows the party has “learned nothing”.
The Australian public, the sensible public, wants rational policies. They don’t want culture wars. They don’t want blame game. They want something constructive.
The Coalition currently wants to repeal net zero, which means taking Australia out of the Paris agreement … They want to blame migrants who have actually built Australia …
The divisiveness is toxic, putting Tony Abbott in charge just shows they have learned nothing.
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‘There are conversations’, Steggall confirms independents in talks
One of the MPs at the centre of the teal party whispers, Zali Steggall, has confirmed to the ABC’s RN Breakfast that there are conversations going on between the group of independents on forming a party.
Steggall says the discussions are looking at how they can work in a “collaborative way to be more effective in holding government to account”
Steggall ousted former Liberal prime minister, Tony Abbott in 2019 in the Sydney seat of Warringah.
The independent says that she’s considering different options but warns that not all the speculation in the media is correct – ruling out that she’s had conversations with other Liberals.
There are conversations [with independents]. That’s about all I can say at this point … I’ve worked with my fellow members on the crossbench a lot across both houses, the Senate and the House. And I can really see how we find efficiencies, we work together in supporting one another.
I’ve had discussions with David [Pocock], as I have with many others. Only independents, though, speculation about discussions with Liberals … I certainly have not had those discussions.
Steggall also says that she’s spoken to Malcolm Turnbull during her time as a parliamentarian, but not about this potential venture.
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Wong departs for Quad meeting in India
Penny Wong will head to India today to meet with foreign ministers from India, Japan and the United States for the third Quad meeting in 18 months.
It’s expected energy security will be among the hot topics the four countries discuss amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
The foreign minister noted the Quad partnership was “vital” in “uncertain times”.
She said:
The Albanese government will continue to strengthen Australia’s relationships and work even harder in new and existing coalitions like the Quad as we keep building Australia’s future in an ever less stable world.
At the last meeting in July 2025, the countries agreed to work together to diversify the global supply of critical minerals in response to concerns about China’s market dominance.
‘If it walks like a duck …’ Hume calls teal party the worst kept secret in Canberra
The Liberal deputy leader, Jane Hume, says that the teals in party talks has been the “worst-kept secret” in Canberra, arguing the group have acted like a party for a while.
She tells Sky News the move would be good for Labor and the Greens because the teals vote with them “70% of the time”.
Indulge me for a second to bring you some facts on this. It’s a claim the Coalition have made a lot, particularly during the last parliament and during the 2025 election campaign.
If you want to see how often the community independents actually voted with Labor or the Greens versus the Coalition – have a read of this very in depth fact check by my colleague, Nick Evershed:
Now back to Hume:
This is probably the worst-kept secret in Canberra, isn’t it? For a number of years, we’ve been saying that if it walks like a duck and it quacks like a duck, it’s a duck. The teals have been a party since they began. They’ve had the same funding sources, they’ve had the same campaign teams, they’ve worn the same colours, but worse than that, they had the same slogan, and the slogan was about integrity, and that integrity has now simply been gone out the window.
Hume is asked whether she has been approached to join the new party, she says “absolutely not” and adds:
I think changing political parties is a little bit like changing football teams. I can’t understand why people would even consider it.
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Treatment of Australians by Israeli forces and minister ‘disgraceful’: Butler
The health minister, Mark Butler, says the government has raised “in the strongest possible way” its concerns with the Israeli government over the treatment of Australian and international activists detained by Israel after their flotilla was intercepted in international waters.
He singled out Israeli minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir who was condemned internationally after posting a video of himself abusing the activists captured.
Butler told the ABC:
We have [raised these issues] in the strongest possible terms, both in Israel itself, but also with the Israeli ambassador to Australia here in Canberra.
The treatment of those Australians and people from many other countries as well has been disgraceful, particularly the behaviour of Minister Ben Gvir. We’ve raised our concerns in the strongest possible way. We’re really glad that the Australians are starting now to return home and reunite with their families, but this has been a particularly concerning event.
Teal party speculation ‘not a surprise’ says cabinet minister
Mark Butler says he’s not surprised to see speculation that the community teal independents could form a party – with the political spectrum in “flux” right now.
Speaking to ABC’s News Breakfast this morning, the health minister says (rather unsurprisingly) that it’s “a matter for them”.
There’s speculation this morning that Allegra Spender and Zali Steggall could be leading talks for a grouping of the independents. Independent senator David Pocock yesterday said he was open to a party forming to help counter One Nation.
Butler says:
They’ve [teal independents] obviously made inroads in particular communities in Australia. They’ll make their own assessment about whether that works for them.
There obviously is a lot of flux in the non-Labor parts of politics right now, so to see speculation like that’s perhaps not a surprise.
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Welcome
Good morning, Krishani Dhanji with you for a busy sitting week ahead.
There’s lots on the agenda this week; the government is working on implementing its budget promises, which could see changes to capital gains tax discounts after widespread backlash from industry and investor groups.
The teal independents could band together to form a new party, says David Pocock. There are whispers conversations are happening behind the scenes – reportedly led by Zali Steggall and Allegra Spender – and that a new party could push back against the growing influence of One Nation.
Australian activists on board the latest Gaza flotilla are returning home after being detained in Israel. The group have alleged mistreatment and abuse by Israeli forces.
And it’s Senate estimates this week, which means department officials will face a grilling from pollies – and we’ll be watching eagerly. We’ll bring you all the juicy details as they come.
