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Governor general ‘delighted’ to welcome Herzog to Government House
Sam Mostyn says she is “delighted” to welcome Israel’s president Isaac Herzog to Government House.
The governor general presented a photo of Herzog’s father, former president Chaim Herzog, from his 1986 trip to Australia, when he was Israel’s president.
Herzog said he was “honoured to see his father’s photo here”.
Mostyn described Government House as a “place of peace where all are welcome”.
I think it’s terribly important that your visit stands with those who are grieving.
Herzog said both Australia and Israel “share the need to fight antisemitism with no doubts … so we uproot this phenomenon,” adding that he shares “the hope that we can bring the relations between our nations on a renewed path”.
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Josh Butler
Australia condemns Israel over measures to extend control over the West Bank
Australia has joined global condemnation of Israel over measures to tighten its control of the West Bank.
Announcing the measures, which involve extending Israeli control in areas that are currently under Palestinian administration, Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, made clear they were aimed at strengthening Israeli settlements in the West Bank and pre-empting the emergence of an independent sovereign Palestine.
The US, EU and Arab states have expressed alarm and concern over the plan. A spokesperson for Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade added to that global backlash.
“Australia objects to the Israel Security Cabinet’s decision to expand Israel’s control over the West Bank. This decision will undermine stability and security,” they said in a statement.
The Australian Government has been clear that settlements are illegal under international law and a significant obstacle to peace. Altering the demographic composition of Palestine is unacceptable.
A two-state solution remains the only viable path to long-term peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike.
Landmark high court win for survivors of clergy abuse
Christopher Knaus
The high court has delivered a landmark win for survivors of clergy abuse this morning, finding the Catholic church had a duty of care to protect a child from one of its paedophile priests.
Lawyers have been keenly watching the case and say it will have broader consequences for the liability of the church over historical child sexual abuse claims.
The case was brought by a boy known only as AA, who was sexually assaulted by Father Ron Pickin in 1969 in a presbytery in the Newcastle-Maitland region. AA was 13.
AA had argued that the Newcastle-Maitland diocese was liable for the abuse because it had a duty of care to protect him from Pickin and breached that duty.
The church said it owed no such duty of care, because there was no evidence it knew of the risks posed by priests at that time.
The church deployed that argument successfully in the NSW Court of Appeal, prompting AA to take the case to the high court.
On Wednesday, the high court ruled in AA’s favour, saying:
The duty the Diocese owed to AA in 1969 was a duty to a child to ensure that while the child was under the care, supervision or control of a priest of the Diocese, as a result of the priest purportedly performing a function of a priest of the Diocese, reasonable care was taken to prevent reasonably foreseeable personal injury to the child.
Protest against Herzog’s visit continues outside parliament
We have more photos from the protest outside Parliament House. As my colleague Josh Butler brought you from the ground, members of the Greens and independent senator David Pocock have been down there at the rally.
Isaac Herzog is at Government House for a lunch with the prime minister, and received a ceremonial welcome earlier.
Tom McIlroy
Farrell heads back to Brussels for EU free trade talks
The trade minister, Don Farrell, is headed back to Brussels this week for more negotiations on a free trade agreement with the European Union.
Momentum is growing towards a deal and the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, is expected to visit Australia in the next few months.
Farrell is set to meet EU commissioner for trade and economic security, Maroš Šefčovič, while in Brussels, as well as commissioner for agriculture and food, Christophe Hansen, to progress a mutually beneficial trade agreement.
It will be the sixth meeting between Farrell and Šefčovič. Farrell said:
Australia has always been a trading nation, and the Albanese Labor government is committed to opening up new markets for our exporters, delivering more well-paying jobs across our economy, and cutting costs at the checkout for Australians.
The European Union is a potential market of 27 countries and 450 million consumers – a huge opportunity for our world-class producers, businesses and exporters.”
Labor wants to strengthen ties with the EU, amid growing global uncertainty. Farrell said:
We have been absolutely clear that any deal must be in Australia’s national interest and include new, commercially meaningful market access for our agricultural producers.
As we have demonstrated time and time again, Australia is ready to do a deal – but we will not agree to a deal, for deals sake.
Josh Taylor
eSafety tries to keep breakdown of 4.7 million social media account removals secret
The office of the Australian eSafety commissioner is exploring whether to make a public interest immunity claim to avoid having to disclose the numbers of user accounts deactivated on each of the 10 platforms under the social media ban, with investigations still ongoing into the early days of the policy.
In a Senate estimates hearing on Tuesday night, Liberal senators Dean Smith and Jane Hume attempted to get the eSafety commissioner to reveal the true breakdown of the 4.7 million accounts blocked under the social media ban across the 10 platforms.
The senators pointed out that with Meta’s three platforms and Snapchat publicly disclosing their figures at being about 1 million combined, it raised questions on whether the aggregate figure could be relied on.
Officials said they “simply added” up the numbers from each platform, with commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, saying some platforms would have larger numbers than others.
Heidi Snell, eSafety’s regulatory general manager, said it would not be appropriate to disclose the individual numbers at this point as it could prejudice investigations eSafety is undertaking to assess whether the platforms are appropriately complying with the ban, and flagged eSafety might make a public interest immunity claim to avoid disclosing the numbers at this stage.
Snell said a majority of the platforms had requested confidentiality on the use of the numbers, but once the investigations are complete, eSafety may have a different view on releasing the numbers.
Inman Grant said the 4.7 million deactivations “cannot be considered anything but a stunning success”.
Minister Nita Green accused Liberal senators questioning the policy of being led by fellow Coalition senators Alex Antic and Matt Canavan, who expressed opposition to the policy, despite the Coalition pushing for it in 2024.
Governor general ‘delighted’ to welcome Herzog to Government House
Sam Mostyn says she is “delighted” to welcome Israel’s president Isaac Herzog to Government House.
The governor general presented a photo of Herzog’s father, former president Chaim Herzog, from his 1986 trip to Australia, when he was Israel’s president.
Herzog said he was “honoured to see his father’s photo here”.
Mostyn described Government House as a “place of peace where all are welcome”.
I think it’s terribly important that your visit stands with those who are grieving.
Herzog said both Australia and Israel “share the need to fight antisemitism with no doubts … so we uproot this phenomenon,” adding that he shares “the hope that we can bring the relations between our nations on a renewed path”.
‘Wrong decision to invite Herzog’: Pocock attends protest outside parliament
Independent senator David Pocock is out the front of Parliament House today, protesting Isaac Herzog’s visit.
Speaking to a reporter, Pocock said the right to protest must be defended after the clashes between demonstrators and police in Sydney on Monday.
He said:
We saw what happened in Sydney and there is a worrying clampdown on protest across this country, and I also think it was the wrong decision to invite president Herzog at a time when we have seen so much strain on communities, tension in communities across the country.
Ahmed al-Ahmed receives standing ovation in NSW parliament
Penry Buckley
Bondi hero Ahmed al-Ahmed received a standing ovation from New South Wales MPs in question time today.
Al-Ahmed, who disarmed one of the alleged Bondi gunmen before being shot five times, was welcomed by the speaker of the legislative assembly, Greg Piper, as a “person that has become a national hero, an international hero indeed, an inspiration to our communities right around Australia but certainly here in NSW”, prompting MPs to stand and applaud.
Ahmed, his arm in a sling, stood up to acknowledge the welcome.
Piper says:
Thank you, and for those guests that have joined us here, particularly Ahmed, that is not a common occurrence here in the legislative assembly.
Ahmed says his recovery has faced a setback. In a post on Instagram he shared:
Today I went through a nerve test on my hand, and it confirmed what I feared. Doctors sent electric shocks through it again and again. Even at 100 mA, I felt nothing.
That moment was painful, but it did not break me. I remember the days when I saved lives and made a difference. If I had that strength once, I will find it again.
Josh Butler
Greens senator claims NSW at risk of becoming ‘police state’
Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi has claimed her home state of NSW is at risk of becoming a “violent police state”, in a speech at a protest against Israeli president Isaac Herzog.
Outside Parliament House in Canberra, Faruqi was critical of what she called “disgraceful” actions of police at a Sydney rally this week.
“How on earth can you justify assaulting Muslims doing their prayers, peacefully doing their prayers?” she said.
I have spoken to so many Muslims since Monday, and we are scared. We are scared. We are fearful.
The Greens senator was also strongly critical of the invitation for Herzog to visit Australia and Parliament House today, calling it “shameful”.
Herzog’s visit is to offer sympathy to the Australian Jewish community after the Bondi antisemitic massacre in December.
A chant of “arrest Herzog” broke out during Faruqi’s speech.
Israeli president Isaac Herzog is posing for photographs alongside Australian governor general Sam Mostyn.
Here’s a photo of their meeting earlier at Government House.
Herzog meets governor general as protests continue outside Government House
Israeli president Isaac Herzog has arrived at Government House, the first of multiple engagements today in Canberra, including talks with prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and governor general, Sam Mostyn.
Senior politicians including the speaker, Milton Dick, and the opposition leader, Sussan Ley, were present, along with the government’s special envoy to combat antisemitism, Jillian Segal.
Israel’s outgoing ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, also attended the event, as well as senior bureaucrats including the secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Steven Kennedy, Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Betty Pavelich and Paul Kenny, Special Operation Command, who represented the defence force chief.
Herzog and his wife, Michal, were welcomed with a ceremonial 21-gun salute by the Federation Guard. The couple will visit Parliament House this afternoon, ahead of travelling to Melbourne on Thursday.
Arrivals were closely monitored and only pre-approved people were allowed into Government House.
Protesters positioned at the Government House lookout could be heard yelling in the background.
Patrick Commins
Cutting CGT discount would have ‘marginal’ impact on property prices, treasury secretary says
The treasury secretary, Jenny Wilkinson, said cutting the capital gains tax discount for property prices would probably only have a “marginal” impact on home prices.
Wilkinson, appearing in estimates this morning, said she was no expert on the subject, but that most of the academic research suggested a couple of things.
First, the impact on home values from changing tax settings depends very much on what is being proposed, and second, “that most of these impacts are relatively modest”.
The government is reportedly mulling changes to the CGT discount, which a variety of experts believe is too generous, inequitable, and potentially distorts investment decisions.
But when it comes to what such a change might mean for property prices, Wilkinson says it would likely be “marginal”.
That doesn’t mean that there aren’t other impacts. Our assessment … has been that changes in some of these tax settings could, for example, change the balance of owner-occupier versus investors in the market.
In other words, it might have more impact on home ownership rates than on house prices.
Protesters gather outside Parliament House to rally against Herzog’s visit
Josh Butler
Several hundred people have gathered outside Parliament House in protest of the visit of Israeli president Isaac Herzog later today.
Many are carrying large signs – including “stop arming Israel”, “Jews against Herzog” and “justice for Palestine” – as the crowd on parliament’s front lawn is awaiting speeches soon to start, with Greens MPs among the speakers.
We can see Greens politicians including Larissa Waters and Mehreen Faruqi in the crowd, holding a large “Greens for a free Palestine” banner.
Another large banner at the front of the rally reads “Herzog and IDF security not welcome”.
There is a small group of police standing between the protest and Parliament House, but the crowd is peaceful and quiet so far.
NSW police chief says he apologised to Muslim community leaders over Monday protest incident
Penry Buckley
The New South Wales police commissioner, Mal Lanyon, says he has apologised to Muslim community leaders “for any offence that may have been taken” following an incident at Monday night’s protest in Sydney in which a group of people praying were moved on by police.
The controversial incident, which was shared widely on social media, prompted the premier, Chris Minns, to reject the suggestion it showed police disproportionately targeted the Muslim community. A coalition of Muslim groups has called for Lanyon to resign over the incident.
Yesterday, Lanyon told reporters he had spoken with Muslim community members about the police action, but today he told 2GB he had apologised.
Asked if police had acted appropriately during the incident, Lanyon said:
Again, it needs to be taken in context, and if you see what’s happening behind, the police are coming forward long after the conflict has started. They are moving forward in a line and dispersing the crowd.
I’ve made contact with senior members of the Muslim community and have apologised for any offence that may have been taken for those that were in a religious prayer, but the action of the police was required to actually start dispersing the crowd, they were moving forward because of the actions of protesters.
Isaac Herzog visits Government House in Canberra
We’re getting some more photos from Government House for Israeli president Isaac Herzog’s visit.
He’s receiving a ceremonial welcome. So far we’ve spotted house speaker, Milton Dick, opposition leader, Sussan Ley, secretary of the department of prime minister and cabinet, Stephen Kennedy, and governor general, Sam Mostyn.
Herzog arrived from Sydney with the prime minister.
Israeli president to meet with governor general at Government House
Isaac Herzog will soon have lunch with the governor general, prime minister, and leader of the opposition today at Government House.
The details are being tightly held, so we don’t know if anyone else will be there.
Security is also, unsurprisingly, very tight.
Our friends at AAP have just snapped a pic of a sniper at Government House ahead of the arrival.
