Acting foreign minister Katy Gallagher said on Friday afternoon that Australia ‘remains extremely concerned about the potential for miscalculation and further escalation of conflict’ in the Middle East. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP
Acting foreign minister Katy Gallagher said on Friday afternoon that Australia ‘remains extremely concerned about the potential for miscalculation and further escalation of conflict’ in the Middle East. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP
PM says social media firms have ‘responsibility to act’ on misinformation and graphic content
Anthony Albanese said social media companies “have a responsibility to act” when it comes to misinformation and violent images from its platforms.
Speaking to the media just now, he said:
It shouldn’t [take] the eSafety commissioner to intervene, to direct companies – in this case X and Meta – to take down violent videos that show people of lost their lives …
Albanese said images that were circulated from the Bondi Junction stabbing attack had a “real detrimental impact”. He said people with footage from the attack should have forwarded it to police to assist with their investigations, rather than post to social media.
[We all have] a responsibility, but the social media companies that make a lot of money out of their business have a social responsibility and I want to see social media companies start to understand their social responsibility that they have to others as well, because that’s where they get their social licence.
Federal government ‘committed’ to doing more to tackle violence against women, PM says
Turning to the mass stabbing attack at Bondi Junction last weekend, Albanese said that violence against women is “far too prevalent”. He also noted a demonstration held in Ballarat last week on the issue.
What we know is that violence against women is far too prevalent. It too often occurs from a partner or a family member and we know that the statistic of a woman on average dying every week due to violence from a partner or someone they know, it doesn’t tell the story – numbers don’t tell the story. These are human tragedies.
As well, violence has an intergenerational impact on children who witness it in the home and we need to do more to combat violence against women. My government is committed to doing that and they know that state and territory governments are committed to that as well.
Prime minister Anthony Albanese. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP
PM says ‘a range of programs’ aimed at supporting healthcare as AMA flags record surgery wait times
Anthony Albanese is speaking to the media from Melbourne, taking questions from reporters.
The PM is asked about a report from the Australian Medical Association showing planned surgery wait times in public hospitals are now the longest on record. We covered this earlier in the blog here.
Responding, Albanese said “doctors [are] interest groups in the lead up to a budget, there’s nothing unusual about people putting forward bids”.
He pointed to a national cabinet meeting last year which established principles to see the commonwealth provide increased support for the health and hospital systems in the states and territories.
In addition to that, we have a range of programs aimed at supporting primary healthcare as well, and that’s one way that you take pressure off the public hospital systems.
He pointed to urgent care clinics and said 58 were opened by the end of last year.
Youth on welfare ‘pushed’ into homelessness, report shows
Teenagers who rely on welfare to pay rent are being pushed towards homelessness and the situation is worse now than a year ago, AAP reports.
Analysis from Homelessness Australia has found people aged 16 and 17 continue to pay more than three-quarters of their income on rent.
Young tenants in Brisbane are in a worse situation now than 12 months ago as they have to dedicate 83% of their income toward housing, up from 76% in March 2023. Perth’s youth have also fallen behind, paying 76% of income – which is 2% higher than last year.
The percentage of income young tenants spend on rent has remained high elsewhere, but the situation is improving slowly.
The portion of income spent on rent is 94% in Sydney, 73% in Melbourne, 77% in Canberra, 63% in Darwin, 60% in Hobart and 59% in Adelaide. Homelessness Australia cross-referenced payments against rental prices for a two bedroom unit in major metropolitan areas to come up with the results.
Homelessness Australia chief executive Kate Colvin. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP
Chief executive Kate Colvin said young renters were lower down the pecking order when seeking housing because they received less income support:
Right when they need stability to take their first steps in employment or further education they are pushed into poverty, resulting in social exclusion, mental illness and lost lifetime productivity.
The costs and consequences of our warped housing system will only escalate for young people and the broader society, unless we make better choices.
Australia must protect multiculturalism, prime minister says
Anthony Albanese has defended Australia’s multiculturalism as cracks in social cohesion emerge after two stabbing attacks in Sydney, AAP reports.
The prime minister said multiculturalism had overwhelmingly been a success and the nation was enriched by the diversity. He told 3AW radio:
Multiculturalism has been a part of modern Australia, and people in cities like Melbourne and Sydney live in peace and harmony.
We need to, like most things that are important in life … make sure that we nurture our multiculturalism, that we at all times show respect for each other.
Prime minister Anthony Albanese. Photograph: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images
Young people concerned government isn't planning for the long-term, thinktank says
A non-partisan thinktank run by younger Australians says political leaders should ensure they are planning for the long-term, with young people feeling “let down” and uncertain for the future amid overlapping crises.
The survey found young people believe a lack of long-term planning contributes to a range of crises, which are affecting their future prospects. This included climate change, the housing crisis, the tax system, growing intergenerational wealth inequality and the growing cost – but declining quality – of education.
The report reads:
Young people have little confidence that their political leaders can develop long- term, bold, and well-designed policy responses to difficult structural problems.
A lack of long-term planning and policy action leaves younger generations in a precarious position with an uncertain future, buffeted by overlapping crises and declining economic outcomes.
Students at the University of New South Wales. Photograph: Dean Lewins/AAP
Young people believe parliamentarians aren’t planning for the future because outside sources make it difficult, they are just in it for themselves, or they act for donors and lobbyists rather than for the community, the survey found.
The thinktank said there was a “political imperative” for parliamentarians to address the concerns of young people, as Millennials and Gen Z now make up almost 45% of voters.
Canavan’s press release coincides with Pembroke Resources’ opening of their new Olive Downs steelmaking coalmine. Conservationists labelled public funding for the project as “deeply irresponsible” years ago:
When first announced, the coalmine was forecast to provide the state with $5.5bn in royalties and be in operation for 79 years. Canavan’s statement reads:
We’ve been told coal is dead as many times as the Great Barrier Reef, but the reality is both are thriving. Coal demand has never been higher.
Civil liberties council ‘concerned’ by push for tougher penalties on parents if children found with knives
The NSW Council for Civil Liberties says it is concerned by a push for criminal offences to be introduced for the parents of minors found with weapons, including knives.
It’s been reported that some NSW police officers have been calling for this change via the union, as we flagged earlier.
The council said data from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research indicates knife crime has declined over recent consecutive years, and called on the state government to “resist populist calls for legislative change that will not make our communities safer”.
President Lydia Shelly said charging parents on the basis their child has committed an offence “oversimplifies the intricate circumstances surrounding children who have contact with the criminal justice system”:
The stance reportedly taken by NSW police poses significant risks to children. Parents facing criminal charges and a possible conviction may jeopardise their employment opportunities, destabilise their housing situation, and potentially disrupt their ability to maintain custody of their children.
A NSW police patch on a police officers shirt. Photograph: Carly Earl/The Guardian
Shelly said the state government should focus on strengthening families, and a whole-of-government approach was needed to prevent children from entering the criminal justice system in the first place.
Parents of children who have been charged with a criminal offence do not deserve to be demonised by the media, the NSW police or the NSW government.
NSW health minister flags increased talks between states around mental healthcare
The New South Wales health minister, Ryan Park, says there will be increased discussion between states to ensure pressures on the healthcare system can be alleviated.
He was answering a question on ABC TV about 40-year-old Joel Cauchi, who had recently moved from Brisbane to Sydney before carrying out the Bondi Junction stabbing attack. Cauchi’s family said he struggled with his mental health and had previously received treatment in Queensland.
Park said he and his colleague Rose Jackson would ensure NSW agencies contribute to the coronial inquest, which will work through some of these issues.
I have already asked our agencies to have a look if there are any areas where we can improve that information exchange or information flow.
We know that this person wasn’t a person treated through the NSW mental health services but that doesn’t mean we can’t, as policymakers and legislators, look at ways in which we can make our system stronger …
I want to emphasise this was a person who had only recently come into NSW, had not had anything to do at this stage with our mental health services and tragically, was clearly very, very, unwell. Unfortunately the randomness of this type of attack made it very difficult for any health service to try to provide the care that that person clearly needed.
NSW minister for health Ryan Park. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP
John Mullen to commence on Qantas board more than two months earlier than planned
John Mullen will commence as non-executive director and chairman-elect of Qantas from Monday, more than two months earlier than previously announced.
Qantas confirmed Richard Goyder remains as chairman. As previously reported, Goyder will retire before the company’s annual general meeting in late 2024.
