Australia news live: PM says Fatima Payman ‘at no stage’ raised Middle East concerns in caucus; Victorian minister compares Metro tunnel to Roman aqueduct | Australia news
Payman ‘at no stage’ raised concerns in caucus about the Middle East: Albanese
Circling back to Anthony Albanese’s press conference. He says Senator Fatima Payman “at no stage” raised concerns with caucus about what is happening in the Middle East “or about anything else”.
Here is his full comment:
There’s 103 people who are members of my caucus who have a common position … One of the things I find disappointing about Senator Payman, is that – and the decision she’s taken, she has a right to take that decision – [but] at no stage, no stage, did Senator Payman stand in the caucus and make any comments about the Middle East or about anything else … No comments in the time in which Senator Payman has had the privilege of serving the Senate as a Labor senator.
Key events
Sarah Basford Canales
Continuing from our last post: The AFP’s deputy commissioner, Krissy Barrett, said the climate protesters hadn’t been arrested but were part of the “ongoing investigations” into incidents at Parliament House on Thursday.
Barrett said the AFP were aware of other protesters in the building beyond those who made it to the roof and who glued themselves to the foyer’s marble columns.
In total, we were aware of up to 30 protesters who were in the vicinity, either inside or outside [on Thursday] who were removed … part of our ongoing investigation will be to talk to others, review footage, those sorts of things, to see if there are other offences that we can charge and prosecute.
Barrett added preliminary inquiries suggest the roof protesters scaled a $125m security fence in 2018 installed to keep protesters and security threats out. Barrett said:
The information we have available to us is that they breached the fence that- it sits on the grass either side of the house and was able to get over that fence. It did trigger an alarm and therefore, we were obviously aware, but they were up on the roof.
Parliament House protesters used ‘premeditated’, ‘diversionary tactics’, AFP chief says
Sarah Basford Canales
It is hard to believe there was a significant protest at Parliament House among all the other political news yesterday.
While the press gallery was focused on the resignation of the Western Australian senator Fatima Payman from the Labor party, the Australian federal police (AFP) were again appearing before senators for a spillover estimates hearing.
Essentially, that happens when senators feel they have a lot more questions and topics than can be slotted into a neat timeslot during the estimates week schedule.
It was particularly useful timing as earlier on Thursday two protests occurred within the building simultaneously. Around 10am, a group of climate protesters glued their hands to marble columns in the building’s foyer.
Shortly after, while the climate protesters were being dealt with, another group of protesters scaled a security fence to reach a sealed-off roof section of Parliament House’s facade. There, they unfurled banners protesting the Labor government’s approach to the war in Gaza and remained there for some time during the morning.
The AFP commissioner, Reece Kershaw, told the estimates hearing the protesters had used “premeditated”, “diversionary tactics” to the initial response.
We did also have some false phone calls of other protests happening at nearby areas that did not occur. So … not only was there diversionary efforts at Parliament House, but there was on diverting AFP resources to other areas. So this was quite what I would call a criminal act. Hence the four arrests and the charges.
Benita Kolovos
Victorian minister gives enthusiastic endorsement of new train platform
Victoria’s acting premier, Ben Carroll, and the transport infrastructure minister, Danny Pearson, are holding a press conference to mark trains resuming on the Lilydale line after level crossing removal works.
Speaking from the new platform at Croydon station, which is set to open later this month, Pearson gives it a very, very enthusiastic endorsement. He says:
It’s million dollar views, baby. You’re looking over the Dandenongs, it is just stunning, right? Like seriously, I could see me on a Friday night having a barbecue up here, looking over the views, right? Like it’s just an absolute knockout being delivered by this government … it is epic. It is just so fantastic. It will be a complete game changer for the community … It’s cool. It’s awesome. It’s great.
He goes on to describe the Metro Tunnel, which the government says will open in 2025, as a modern equivalent to the Ancient Roman aqueduct.
Asked by a journo why he is so excited this morning, Pearson says: “It’s just caffeine. Just lots of caffeine in the morning today.”
Recognition of a Palestinian state is ‘part of the peace process, not an impediment to peace’, Labor veteran says
The former Labor senator for NSW Doug Cameron has called for the recognition of a Palestinian state as “part of the peace process, not an impediment to peace”.
In a post to X, Cameron said:
Why does the parliamentary party refuse to progress the peace process by recognising Palestine? Have not heard a logical reason why the will of the ALP [national conference] and the majority of R&F is ignored. Recognising Palestine is part of the peace process not an impediment to peace!
Albanese weighs in on UK election results
Changing topics, Anthony Albanese is asked for his thoughts on the results coming out of the UK election – where Keir Starmer looks set to be Britain’s next prime minister, returning Labour to power and bringing an end to 14 years of Conservative rule.
Albanese says he knows Starmer well and has met him “on a number of occasions”. The PM also says he has worked “constructively” with Rishi Sunak and “I wish him well as well”.
We have a strong relationship between our two countries. But in Sir Keir Starmer and [deputy leader] Angela Rayner and so many others who I am so familiar with in the British Labour party, I look forward very much to working with them.
They have similar views to us on a range of issues. I’m sure we will work closely on Aukus – where we worked very closely as well with the former government. I went through in my first six months of being the prime minister of Australia, I met three different British prime ministers [and] had constructive engagement with all of them.
Albanese says he looks forward to Starmer potentially visiting Australia as part of the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, which he expects “will occur and in coming months”.
It’s been a very disciplined, significant campaign by the British Labour party and certainly, without pre-empting – the polls have closed now so I think I can comment – that I congratulate all those who have been successful.
The prime minister says his Labor caucus is “the most diverse caucus that there has ever been”, after being asked whether the party could attract more young people by allowing conscience votes?
Anthony Albanese responds that “we’re a broad-based party” and says:
My government has more than 50% women. That stands in stark contrast to those opposite who essentially have gone backwards – it is unbelievable that they have gone backwards, and the Queensland LNP seem incapable of selecting a woman …
He notes that two members of his caucus were sworn in on the Koran, and “we have a government led in the Senate by someone called Wong, and in the House of Representatives by someone called Albanese”.
That is what we have. That is what Australia looks like. We are open, our branch membership is open … We have diversity, we’re an open party, we’re an inclusive party across people of gender, faith, ethnicity, sexuality …
Anthony Albanese also weighs in on pro-Palestine protests outside Labor MPs’ electorate offices:
I find it incomprehensible how anyone in mainstream politics could regard that action as something that is legitimate and should be encouraged … I don’t think prime minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu is thinking, ‘I wonder what’s happening outside an electorate office in Marrickville Road before I make decisions.’
It’s just completely self-indulgent and what is occurring, though, is that people in my electorate who are vulnerable people – people who turn up to electorate offices, need help with health, with social security, with migration, with issues with Centrelink, with the NDIS – and they are currently stopped from doing that and that has been the case for many months.
Payman ‘at no stage’ raised concerns in caucus about the Middle East: Albanese
Circling back to Anthony Albanese’s press conference. He says Senator Fatima Payman “at no stage” raised concerns with caucus about what is happening in the Middle East “or about anything else”.
Here is his full comment:
There’s 103 people who are members of my caucus who have a common position … One of the things I find disappointing about Senator Payman, is that – and the decision she’s taken, she has a right to take that decision – [but] at no stage, no stage, did Senator Payman stand in the caucus and make any comments about the Middle East or about anything else … No comments in the time in which Senator Payman has had the privilege of serving the Senate as a Labor senator.
Cait Kelly
Labor response to employment services review ‘deeply disappointing’, Acoss says
Yesterday afternoon the government put out its official response to last year’s review into employment providers.
The parliamentary review found the system had failed, was expensive and often did not help people get into jobs. It also urged Labor to re-establish a commonwealth job agency and overhaul the mutual obligations regime.
In a response this morning, the Australian Council of Social Service CEO, Dr Cassandra Goldie, said:
The current employment services model is inflicting serious harm while failing to help 900,000 people who are unemployed find work.
While changes outlined in the May budget offered small steps in the right direction, the government has failed to take urgent action to prevent harm or provide a clear plan for badly needed reform. Today’s response is deeply disappointing.
Nearly two-thirds of people affected have had to rely on income support for more than a year – a sign employment services aren’t working.
Acoss will continue to seek firm commitments from the government to end automated payment suspensions, create an independent body to lift standards, invest in a much larger national wage subsidy and work experience scheme and establish a national council made up of people using employment services to advise the minister on reforms.
Just following on from our last post: Senator Fatima Payman said in an interview this morning that she had “not made the decision to leave the party until yesterday morning and I hold firm to that”.
You can read her full comments earlier in the blog here.
Anthony Albanese weighs in on the timing of Fatima Payman’s announcement she would resign from the Labor party, and says:
I heard a month ago – a month ago – where this was going to go, and if you look at some of the meticulous timing of events, including Senator Payman choosing question time yesterday to make the statements that she did – I just thought the press gallery were, you know, sleeping in after a big night in the press gallery ball when there were so few in the gallery yesterday at 2[pm].
But if you look at that, if you look at the timing – she wasn’t walking past the Insiders studio and … David Speers didn’t yell out, “Hey Fatima come and have a chat.” The budget week statements, the opinion piece that was put in in the lead-up to the crossing of the floor – people can draw their own conclusions, like I have mine, people will draw their own. But people should be upfront about their actions and should be accountable and responsible for them.
Anthony Albanese continues his response:
It seems to me as well beyond obvious that it’s not in the interest of small and minority groups to isolate themselves, which is what a faith-based party system would do.
I note as well that many people who are refugees in Australia have fled theocracies, have fled regimes that have been based upon so-called religion that has resulted in the oppression of people who do not subscribe to what is often extreme forms. Hamas is an extremist organisation that does nothing to look after Palestinians who don’t fit their view of the world.
PM says faith-based political parties would ‘undermine social cohesion’
A reporter asks Anthony Albanese about the “grassroots” political movement Muslim Vote, which has previously said it would back at least three independent candidates aiming to topple Labor ministers and the government whip in western Sydney at the next federal election.
Albanese responds:
I don’t think and don’t want Australia to go down the road of faith-based political parties because [all] that will do is undermine social cohesion.
Muslim Vote has not indicated it is a political party but a “grassroots movement” working to mobilise volunteers who would support independent candidates.
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