Howard urges Ley to ‘get together’ with PM on four-year federal parliamentary terms – as it happened
Key eventsShow key events onlyPlease turn on JavaScript to use this featureWhat we learned, Tuesday 11 NovemberWe will wrap up the live blog for the evening now. Here’s what made the news:
The Nauruan president has stopped by Parliament House for a brief unannounced meeting amid media reports of alleged security contracts offered to an Australian motorcycle gang by his Pacific Island government.
The governor general, Sam Mostyn, is worried about the “fragility” of Australia’s democracy, voicing concern about a “collision of apathy and disinformation” in Australian society.
In a court-enforceable undertaking signed by Anthony Field, the blue Wiggle himself, the Wiggles have admitted their Emma Bow headbands likely breached consumer law.
Ahead of a Liberal party room meeting tomorrow, Angus Taylor, the shadow defence minister, said he is not “focused” on a leadership challenge against Sussan Ley amid grumbling over her hold on the Coalition.
The NSW government will outline fresh laws restricting protests outside places of worship, just a month after the supreme court struck down legislation that had given police expanded powers to move on protesters as unconstitutional.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, endorsed new laws limiting the use of masks and balaclavas at protests, part of law enforcement efforts to crack down on neo-Nazi activities around the country
Paul Keating said the late talkback radio heavyweight John Laws “partnered with” the former Labor prime minister in educating “middle ground” Australia.
NSW Nationals MPs will officially follow their federal counterparts in abandoning a commitment to net zero emissions by 2050
Coles’ board has rejected a request from shareholders to stop selling Tasmanian-farmed Atlantic salmon due to concerns about its negative effects on the environment.
A sexual abuse hearing against broadcaster Alan Jones is locked beginning August next year, in as the 84-year-old faces 25 charges of indecent assault and two of sexual touching against nine alleged victims
Until tomorrow, enjoy your evening.ShareUpdated at 06.55 GMTAndrew MessengerGreens co-founder could have membership reinstatedGreens co-founder Drew Hutton could have his life membership of the party’s Queensland branch reinstated in what he says is a “hollow” victory, after debate over his comments on “transgender ideology”.The Queensland Greens have flagged that a vote on his possible return would be held next week, after they received advice from lawyers that the party had denied him natural justice when revoking his membership.ShareUpdated at 06.53 GMTTom McIlroyLeeser defends Kerr’s role in the dismissalLiberal frontbencher Julian Leeser has defended Sir John Kerr, the governor-general at the time of the Dismissal, urging a fuller understanding of the dramatic end of the Whitlam government.Leeser, the MP for Berowra and shadow education minister, has used a speech at Old Parliament House commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1975 dismissal to argue Kerr acted appropriately to end the budget deadlock in the Senate.“The governor general’s actions in 1975 were not a ‘coup’, as some on the political left have claimed,” he said.“A coup is where someone seeks to hold power for themselves, often at the hands of the military, and refuses to relinquish that power.“What Kerr did was to be the guardian of the constitution and to break a political impasse by letting the Australian people have the ultimate say.”Leeser defended the then chief justice, Sir Garfield Barwick, for providing advice to Kerr about dismissing the government, noting his predecessors including Sir Samuel Griffith and Sir Owen Dixon had advised previous governors general on the use of the constitutions reserve powers.
In this instance, where a prime minister could not get his budget bills through the parliament, and where government departments were running out of money to pay public servants and honour contracts, Kerr’s duty was to allow the Australian people to break the deadlock and be the final arbiters of the political crisis at the ballot box.
Shadow attorney general Julian Leeser. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAPShareUpdated at 06.51 GMTJosh ButlerHoward calls for Ley to back four-year parliamentary termsFormer Liberal prime minister John Howard has implored current leader Sussan Ley to back the extension of federal parliamentary terms from three to four years, saying it was “crazy” the commonwealth government had shorter terms than state counterparts.Howard, PM from 1996 to 2007, told an event at old Parliament House that he was “very much in favour” of four-year terms. He said Labor PM Bob Hawke had approached him during their years in parliament about the idea, and then he approached then-Labor leader Mark Latham in later years, but no agreement was reached.“I would say to Sussan Ley, to the prime minister (Albanese), get together on it now. Don’t attach conditions. It’s ludicrous you’ve got four-year terms in all the states but the national parliament doesn’t. It’s just crazy,” Howard said in the conversation with broadcaster Barrie Cassidy.“Maybe it’s something you could agree on without too much haggling and rancour. That’s a matter for those now in authority.”The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has said he’s in favour of four-year terms, but wouldn’t proceed on any constitutional change without guaranteed bipartisanship. In an ABC radio interview this morning, Albanese said:
The problem is our constitution is very difficult to change and there have been attempts on two occasions to have that change enshrined in our constitution. I think it’s common sense.
But the problem has been unless there’s bipartisan support for referendums – there have only been eight have been carried of almost 50 that have been put. So, at the moment my focus is on dealing with cost of living and on dealing with measures that affect the day-to-day lives and living standards of Australians.
ShareUpdated at 06.27 GMTTory ShepherdSA algal bloom report lays bare how ill-prepared governments were, Hanson-Young saysOn the SA algal bloom, SA Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said today’s report “laid bare just how ill-prepared both the state and federal governments were for this type of ecological and economic disaster”.She pointed to a recommendation that the government invest $500 million to the Marine Environment Restoration Fund for “urgent, large-scale recovery and resilience projects in South Australian waters, prioritising meaningful reef restoration and seagrass regeneration”. She said:South Australians are bearing the brunt of one of the worst climate-induced events in our nation’s history. We are the canary in the coal mine when it comes to responding, preparing for and mitigating the worst of the climate crisis. NSW nationals senator Ross Cadell said:This algal bloom has not been like any traditional disaster in which a distinct start and end point can be identified, rather its impacts have been long-lasting and unpredictable.Australia needs a mechanism to support communities impacted by these slow-onset events, whether it be an algal bloom, mice plague, or drought.ShareOpposition calls for explanation of Nauru president’s visitThe shadow home affairs minister, Jonno Duniam, has called on the federal government to explain the unannounced visit to parliament today by the president of Nauru, David Adeang.Duniam said:
It is bizarre to have a head of state from one of our closest neighbours visit without any prior notice or proper diplomatic protocol. The prime minister needs to explain why he didn’t want Australians to know about this meeting.
Common courtesy and proper protocol would typically mean that the government would announce to the parliament, the press and the wider community that we were hosting a head of state, especially from our Pacific family.
Duniam said there had been months of secrecy surrounding the deal to deal with the NZYQ cohort to resettle in Nauru, and called on the government to be transparent with Australians.
Through this continued excessive secrecy and obfuscation, Australians are realising that the Labor Government is avoiding transparency and making policy decisions it doesn’t want Australians or their parliament to know about.
Australians deserve to know what deals are being discussed, especially when it comes to community safety and national security. The government’s refusal even to brief the Canberra press gallery about today’s visit by the Nauruan president raises even more questions about what it’s hiding – and whether taxpayer funds are being used with integrity.
ShareUpdated at 05.58 GMTAir T to acquire Rex after creditor supportUS-based Air T will acquire regional airline Rex after the majority of creditors voted in support of the company’s bid.The bid includes a support package including a loan of up to $60m and a restructuring of existing Australian government debt.Rex will be administered under a binding deed of company arrangement while the transaction is finalised. Photograph: Jane Dempster/AAPShareUpdated at 05.53 GMTMore energy rebates under consideration, Leigh saysThe assistant minister for productivity, competition and charities, Andrew Leigh, says more energy rebates to bring down electricity bills are under consideration but has warned the rebates can’t last “forever”.Leigh told ABC’s Afternoon Briefing:
It’s under consideration by the government but is sitting alongside the work we are doing in moving to the renewables transition.
While the Liberals and Nationals are fighting amongst themselves the question of renewables transition Labor is getting on with the job of getting more wind and solar into the system providing subsidies for household batteries in my own electorate we opened one of the community batteries. All this is really important in order to provide cheaper power to Australians. For those on the default market offer they will now be getting three hours of free power every day.
On the news of housing price rises following the 5% deposit scheme introduction, Leigh said the primary driver for increase in housing prices is the lag in building more homes- something the government has been addressing and working with states on planning and zoning reforms.Andrew Leigh. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPShareUpdated at 05.37 GMTAppeal filed in landmark Torres Strait Islands climate caseLisa CoxTorres Strait community leaders Uncle Pabai Pabai and Uncle Paul Kabai have filed an appeal to the full federal court seeking to overturn the court’s finding that the commonwealth did not owe Torres Strait Islanders a duty of care to protect them from climate breakdown.The original case, dismissed by Justice Michael Wigney in July, sought orders requiring the government to take steps to prevent climate harm to their communities, including by cutting greenhouse gas emissions at the pace climate scientists say is necessary.Wigney found that the Torres Strait Islands “have been, and continue to be, ravaged by climate change and its impacts”. He found the applicants’ case had failed “not so much because there was no merit in their factual allegations” but because the common law of negligence “was not a suitable legal vehicle”.Uncle Pabai and Uncle Paul will challenge the decision in the full federal court. Their legal team will argue that the judge erred in several of his legal conclusions.Uncle Paul said:
We’ve decided we’re going to continue this fight because we don’t have a choice. We have to keep fighting, not just for our own communities – but for our brothers and sisters on the mainland, and in the Pacific, the bushfire and the flood survivors, the farmers and the school kids.
ShareUpdated at 05.29 GMTNauruan president visits parliament for unannounced meetingSarah Basford CanalesThe Nauruan president has stopped by Parliament House for a brief unannounced meeting amid media reports of alleged security contracts offered to an Australian motorcycle gang by his Pacific Island government.The president, David Adeang, was spotted by ABC cameras with a small entourage heading into Capital Hill on Tuesday afternoon.Guardian Australia has contacted the offices of the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, and of the prime minister.We’ll have more shortly.David Adeang, the president of Nauru, in September. Photograph: Pamela Smith/APShareUpdated at 05.57 GMTQueensland Liberal frontbencher says electorate survey backs ditching net zeroThe shadow attorney general, Andrew Wallace, has revealed that in his Queensland electorate, there has been an “emphatic” response to a survey he had conducted calling for the Liberal party to ditch the net zero policy.Ahead of Liberals meeting on Wednesday to thrash out its position on net zero, Wallace told ABC’s Afternoon Briefing that in response to over 23,000 emails sent out to his electorate of Fisher, the response was to dump the policy of net zero carbon emissions by 2050.He said:
It has been emphatically that we should dump net zero. It does not mean that I will necessarily support that. Ultimately it is a matter for discussion, particularly amongst the shadow executive.
Wallace would not say what position he would take to the party room tomorrow, and wasn’t going to pre-determine what the outcome of the meeting would be.Andrew Wallace Photograph: Mike Bowers/The GuardianOn Sussan Ley’s leadership, Wallace said Ley was “cool and calm under pressure” and he supported her as leader. He said rival Angus Taylor has been an “exemplar” in the shadow ministry, and was “not throwing his toys out of the cot”.He said Taylor had not done anything “privately or publicly” that would confirm he was trying to destabilise Ley’s leadership.ShareUpdated at 05.20 GMTTory ShepherdUnderstanding full impact of algal bloom could take years, Senate committee hearsContinued from previous post:The committee also heard it could be years before the full impact is understood. It recommended funding and frameworks to better research, monitor and respond to future blooms. Other recommendations include better role definitions for all levels of government and better arrangements for incorporating “climate-induced, slow-onset and significant ecological events” into a national framework.Marine ecosystem restoration and resilience through “meaningful reef restoration” should also be funded, along with better support for industry.The committee also noted the “eco-anxiety” created by the bloom, and the need for First Nations knowledge to be integrated into recovery and management.ShareUpdated at 05.03 GMTSA algal bloom caused ‘an outpouring of grief’, Senate inquiry reportsTory ShepherdSouth Australia’s algal bloom, which has been likened to an “underwater bushfire”, caused an “outpouring of grief” at its scale and impact, a senate inquiry has reported.In March, a mysterious brown sludge was spotted on the SA coast, and surfers reported respiratory symptoms from what would turn out to be a harmful algal bloom.Since then, more than 82,000 deaths from almost 700 different species have been reported to a citizen science project being run on the iNaturalist app.Little was known about the specific algal bloom, leading to changing health advice. Last week, research was published showing that the bloom was predominantly Karenia cristata, not Karenia mikimotoi as had been previously thought.While there are similarities in how the species act, less is known about cristata and the brevetoxins it produces.The committee reported today it was concerned at the length of time it took the state government to communicate and coordinate with the federal government, after it heard that a lack of information had led to the spreading of misinformation and conspiracy theories.Initial advice was that the bloom was caused by a combination of an ongoing marine heatwave, an “upwelling” over the 2023-24 summer that pushed more nutrients to the ocean surface, and the 2022-2023 Murray River floods washing other nutrients out to sea. However, experts who gave evidence to the inquiry have cast doubt on the role of the floods, and the changing nature of the algal species within the bloom mean much is still unknown about what caused it. Photograph: Hollie Adams/ReutersShareUpdated at 05.06 GMTAdeshola OrePolice charge 21-year-old over Sydney plumber shooting deathNSW police have provided an update after charging an alleged gunman over the shooting death of Sydney plumber John Versace.Versace, 23, was shot dead in the driveway of his Condell Park home in Sydney’s south-west in May in a possible case of mistaken identity. Police have previously charged two men over the incident.Speaking to reporters, Det Sup Jason Box said police charged a 21-year-old man with Versace’s murder:
We allege this 21-year-old man was driven to Mr Versace’s premises in a vehicle by a co-accused. He (allegedly) approached Mr Versace in the driveway of his premises and fired multiple shots from a pistol which proved fatal.
Box alleged the 21-year-old then returned to the vehicle and was driven from the scene by the co-accused:
These two people have fled the location using a number of stage vehicles that they have placed previously and destroying or attempting to destroy them by fire.
The pair then continued to another location where they were collected by a third man, Box alleged.ShareUpdated at 04.37 GMTTom McIlroyAlbanese set to host Indonesian president in SydneyThe prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is preparing to host Indonesia’s president, Prabowo Subianto, in Sydney on Wednesday.The one-day visit will be Prabowo’s first to Australia since taking office in October last year.Albanese plans to use the visit to continue discussions on how both countries can further deepen bilateral relations. This year marks 75 years of cooperation between Indonesia and Australia.Indonesia’s president Prabowo Subianto. Photograph: Chalinee Thirasupa/Reuters“I am delighted to host President Prabowo in Australia and to return the warm and generous hospitality he provided when I visited Jakarta earlier this year,” Albanese said in a statement, adding:
Australia and Indonesia share a deep trust and unbreakable bond as neighbours, partners and friends. Together we are committed to working for a secure, stable and prosperous Indo‑Pacific.I look forward to building on our previous discussions about how we can develop the strength and depth of our bilateral relationship.
ShareUpdated at 04.11 GMTSarah Basford CanalesHigh court fight over compensation claims for indefinite detentionThe federal government is in the high court today to fight off a claim made by a member of the NZYQ cohort over his indefinite detention that could result in millions of dollars in compensation.The Saudi-Austrian businessman Safwat Abdel-Hady was placed in immigration detention in 2017 when his visa was cancelled after pleading guilty in 2012 to offences related to alleged drink-spiking.As reported at the time by my former colleague Paul Karp, Abdel-Hady was declared not medically fit to travel and therefore there were no real prospects of removing him from Australia.On Tuesday, the court heard from Abdel-Hady’s legal team, who argued he should not have been detained by authorities using a precedent established in the 2004 case of Al-Kateb. The high court’s ruling in 2004 had authorised the indefinite detention of non-citizens without a valid visa even in circumstances where it is impossible to deport the individual before it was overturned almost two decades later in November 2023. If his lawyers are successful, the former businessman stands to win millions of dollars in compensation. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAPThe 2023 ruling facilitated the release of approximately 350 non-citizens from indefinite detention and resulted in the Albanese government signing a $2.5bn deal with Nauru to off-load the cohort there.Lawyers acting for the government said Abdel-Hady’s argument that the 2023 NZYQ ruling changed the “interpretation” of Al-Kateb’s case was wrong. Instead, it looked at whether the high court held an opinion that the ruling in Al-Kateb’s case could allow authorities to detain someone indefinitely under the Migration Act.“In a real practical way, the plaintiff was detained because of the way in which Al-Kateb was decided, and the detention in this case thus sits at the intersection of legislative, judicial and executive power,” a summary of the defence’s legal arguments said.Read more:ShareUpdated at 04.24 GMTNick VisserThat’s all for me, thanks for sticking with us today. Adeshola Ore will take things from here before Josh Taylor steps in to see you through the evening. So long!SharePenry BuckleyNSW attorney general believes new protest laws will not be affected by supreme court decisionThe NSW attorney general, Michael Daley, says he believes the government’s second attempt to restrict protests outside places of worship will not be captured by a supreme court decision striking down earlier laws.In question time, he told parliament it was never the government’s intention to restrict peaceful protests “that happened to be near a place of worship”. The earlier law gave police the power to move on protesters who were “in or near” a place of worship. Daley said:
The supreme court’s decision did not affect the offence of intentionally blocking, impeding, harassing, intimidating or threatening a person accessing a place of worship, and that is important … The amendments in the bill balance community protections with the freedom of political expression, sometimes that is difficult.
The premier and the police minister, Yasmin Catley, have continued to field questions about why they were not aware of Saturday’s neo-Nazi rally before it happened, and whether anyone in their offices was warned, but have repeated earlier denials.It comes after the NSW speaker, Greg Piper, and NSW police deputy commissioner Peter Thurtell revealed that they were advised about the rally before it took place.NSW attorney general Michael Daley. Photograph: Bianca De Marchi/AAPShareUpdated at 03.45 GMTMinns government again moves to limit protests outside places of worshipPenry BuckleyThe NSW government will outline fresh laws restricting protests outside places of worship, just a month after the supreme court struck down legislation that had given police expanded powers to move on protesters as unconstitutional.In question time today, the NSW premier, Chris Minns, said the laws were being considered in response to Saturday’s neo-Nazi rally outside parliament, and this time would limit people “harassing, blocking, intimidating people from entering a place of worship”. The government is already considering expanding a ban on Nazi symbols to include chants and slogans.Last month, Justice Anna Mitchelmore ruled that the police powers to move on protesters “in or near” places of worship impermissibly burdened the freedom of political communication implied in Australia’s constitution, following a challenge by the Palestine Action Group.Chris Minns. Photograph: Hollie Adams/ReutersThe Minns government passed the laws in February after a wave of antisemitic attacks over the summer, which included a caravan being found laden with explosives in Dural, on the outskirts of Sydney.As he announced the laws today, Minns challenged the belief of the Australian federal police that the Dural caravan incident was “a hoax” by organised crime. He said:
We also need to address directly the assertion that antisemitism is a hoax, that the Dural caravan plot, the so-called Dural caravan plot, was a hoax. Mr Speaker, it emboldens extremists, and they used that rhetoric to justify their appalling, obnoxious behaviour on Macquarie Street.
ShareUpdated at 03.32 GMT
Publicado: 2025-11-11 06:55:00
fonte: www.theguardian.com
