News live: Albanese confirms three Australians on board US submarine that sank Iranian warship

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Shoebridge says US submarine contravened Geneva conventions by ‘abandoning’ Iranian survivors on the high seas

Greens senator David Shoebridge says the US submarine that downed the Iranian warship with three Australians involved contravened the second Geneva conventions by “abandoning” the Iranian survivors.

Shoebridge said the Iranian warship, which was struck down near Sri Lanka, had been in the area for a “friendship visit” and was carrying low munitions.

While international law expert Don Rothwell has said the downing of the ship was legal, now that the US and Iran have begun engaging in armed conflict, Shoebridge said the US submarine should have helped the survivors:

The abandoning of the survivors to leave them to be picked up hours later by a Sri Lankan asset when there was no credible threat to the US nuclear submarine, that is clearly a contravention of the second Geneva convention.

If you sink a military asset. If it’s no longer a threat to you at the high seas, you have an obligation to rescue the survivors. And the United States, and with Australian personnel on board, grossly breach that obligation.

Shoebridge says Australian personnel involvement in conflict ‘inevitable’

Greens senator David Shoebridge has issued a scathing rebuke of the prime minister’s claim that “no Australian personnel have participated in any offensive action against Iran” when three Australians were on board the US submarine that sank an Iranian warship near Sri Lanka.

Shoebridge, the Greens justice and foreign affairs spokesperson, said it was an “extraordinary” claim.

Speaking to journalists at Parliament House, Shoebridge said it was “inevitable” that Australians would end up involved in the conflict alongside the US, due to the Aukus partnership that has seen dozens of Australian defence personnel stationed on US submarines.

It is extraordinary that the prime minister, literally in the same sentence, said that Australian personnel were on a US nuclear attack class submarine that struck and sunk an Iranian frigate, but Australia is not directly involved in the war in Iran. These two facts cannot sit together in the same sentence.

It is as sure as day follows night that Australians throughout the US military are actively involved part of the United States and Israel’s illegal war in Iran.”

Shoebridge added that the involvement of the Australian personnel makes Australia “obviously, clearly, unambiguously, part of an illegal war, part of a war that is breaking down the norms of international law.”

Victorian pharmacists to provide pill without doctor’s script

More Australian women will be able to access the contraceptive pill without a script from a general practitioner in a bid to save time and money, AAP reports.

As Women’s Day approaches on Sunday, the Victorian government has given the green light for chemists to supply the pill to women over the age of 18 who have not had a doctor’s consultation.

Women have been eligible to go to certain Victorian pharmacies to get a resupply of the medication since 2023 under a trial.

But the state program will be expanded from 1 July so women can get their first script and supply at one of 850 participating pharmacies.

Trained pharmacists will still be required to conduct a consultation and outline any risks.

Victoria’s premier, Jacinta Allan, said the move would particularly benefit younger women and those in rural and regional Victoria.

NSW government won’t legalise e-scooters ‘until we’ve got the ebike situation under control’

The NSW transport minister, John Graham, has told budget estimates the government won’t legalise private e-scooters until it has addressed safety concerns about the use of ebikes.

The Minns government signalled in May last year that it would legalise e-scooters for over-16s on shared paths and bike lanes on roads – but not footpaths – at speeds of up to 20km/h, following a parliamentary inquiry into the use of e-micromobility devices.

It has yet to do so, but since then has been compelled to turn to ebike reform, amid safety concerns including a surge in injuries and an incident in which 40 or so ebikes swarmed the Sydney Harbour Bridge last month. It will introduce a minimum age to ride an ebike, and give police powers to crush overpowered bikes, changes which Graham says he expects by legislated by August.

The opposition has called for an ebike licence plate scheme, which the government is yet to support. Under questioning from the opposition transport spokesperson, Natalie Ward, Graham says the government will not make private e-scooters legal “until we’ve got the ebike situation under control”.

I think other cities have made [e-scooters] work. I just think it’s the wrong moment today to introduce them on to our streets. I think the public mood is … we should get the ebike share schemes under control. That decision has been made, those regulations are coming into force, and we should deal with some of the private e-bike issues that we’ve seen.

Private e-scooters are legal on roads and footpaths, subject to speed limits, in most Australian states and territories, excluding NSW and the Northern Territory. A shared e-scooter scheme is under way in NSW in Wollongong and Foster-Toncurry.

Empty seats on flights bringing stranded Australians home from the Middle East

There have been empty seats on the commercial flights commissioned to bring stranded travellers home to Australia from the Middle East, AAP reports.

Thousands of passengers have been stuck in limbo in Gulf transit hubs since the airspace was closed when the escalating US and Israeli air war against Iran began on the weekend.

The Australian government says it is working with the United Arab Emirates government to arrange a few commercial flights to get people home, and the first two left last night.

However, despite many people being stuck, the flights landing in Australia have not always been full as people are only getting a couple of hours’ notice from the airlines and some are hesitant to fly because of safety concerns.

The first two flights left last night: an Emirates plane touched down just before 11pm in Sydney, with another arriving in Melbourne about 6.20am this morning.

A third plane, from Abu Dhabi to Sydney, was due to arrive just after 9.30am.

Emirates is expected to operate another four flights from Dubai in the next 24 hours, while Etihad and Qatar Airways have tentatively scheduled a small number of flights that might not go ahead due to the closure of airspace.

Jim Chalmers consults with economists before May budget

About 30 of the country’s leading private sector economists have descended on the Treasury building in Canberra this morning, where behind closed doors they will hold forth on what they would do to fix the economy if they were in charge.

Jim Chalmers gave a brief opening address to the herd of dismal scientists (as the profession is often dubbed), telling them he wanted to hear their ideas for unleashing the economy’s productive capacity, a couple of months out from what the treasurer has said will be an “ambitious” budget.

Lifting productivity is a tricky, long-term endeavour, but it’s seen as a cure-all for what ails the economy, especially its ability to grow without adding to inflation.

Treasury officials, including the Treasury secretary, Jenny Wilkinson, are on hand for a talkfest spread across four sessions, during which time officials will also be keen to hear the economists’ view on the impact on inflation and growth from the US-Israel war on Iran.

Albanese said there’s ‘no question’ Iran war will have economic impact

The prime minister said Australia was not “immune” from the effects of the Iranian war, but said the country was well positioned to handle economic issues linked to the conflict.

He told Sky:

Our task is to be really clear about what Australia’s interest are, and what the interests of the world are in promoting a global peace, security and prosperity. …

There is no question that when you have a global event like this, it will have an economic impact.

Albanese added his priority in the short-term is getting Australians home safely.

Albanese confirms three Australians on board US submarine that sank Iranian warship

Prime minister Anthony Albanese confirmed three Australian submariners were on board a US submarine that torpedoed and sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean.

Albanese spoke to Sky News this morning, saying:

We wouldn’t normally confirm such an issue … I can confirm that there were three Australian personnel on board that vessel.

I can confirm also though that no Australian personnel have participated in any offensive action against Iran.

The attack by the US submarine killed at least 87 people.

Aussie shares tank as oil prices jump again

The share market had heavy early losses, with the benchmark ASX 200 index opening 1.1% lower, after the overseas sell-off.

At 8,840 points, Aussie stocks are down a hefty 3.9% so far this week as investors digest the potential impact of soaring oil prices following the US-Israel attacks on Iran.

The global Brent crude price jumped nearly 5% overnight to trade at $US85.41 a barrel, about $US15 higher over the week.

Oil is on track for its biggest weekly gain since the early days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, according to Bloomberg.

The only segment of the local share market in the green is energy stocks, which are up more than 7% in early trade as investors factor in a boost to profits from the energy market ructions.

Paul Dalton, an investment director at fund manager Federated Hermes, said a “sell-first-ask-questions-later mentality” had taken hold.

“Clearly this is a fast-moving situation with a wide range of possible outcomes and hard-to-predict implications for the global economy and financial markets,” Dalton said.

“The key uncertainties remain the future of the Iranian regime, the duration of the conflict and the degree to which it may escalate.”

The Aussie dollar is hanging in there, fetching just over US70 cents, reflecting in part the increasing chance the Reserve Bank will need to hike interest rates over coming months.

Backpacker Piper James died ‘as a result of drowning’ at K’gari after dingo attack, coroner says

Piper James, the Canadian backpacker found dead on K’gari island in January, died from drowning “in the setting of multiple injuries, due to, or as a consequence of a dingo attack”, the Queensland coroner said this morning.

A spokesperson for the coroner’s court said in a statement:

The Coroners Court of Queensland advises that the results of Piper’s cause of death have now been determined by the assigned Queensland Health forensic pathologist and has been accepted by the investigating Coroner.

Piper died as a result of drowning in the setting of multiple injuries, due to, or as a consequence of a dingo attack.

The investigation into Piper’s death is ongoing, and no further information can be provided at this time.

Some flights arriving in Australia have reportedly had spare seats

Flights carrying Australians fleeing the Middle East are arriving with empty seats as late-notice airline confirmations and safety concerns keep some citizens from returning home, AAP reports.

The flights landing in Australia have not always been full as people are only getting a couple of hours’ notice from the airlines and some are hesitant to fly because of safety concerns.

There are 24,000 Australians in the UAE, made up of travellers and residents, while about 115,000 are across the broader Middle East.

The federal government has deployed military assets to assist stranded Australian citizens and permanent residents.

Eight Emirates flights between Dubai and Australia/New Zealand set for next 24 hours

Emirates plans to fly eight flights between Dubai and Australia and New Zealand over the next 24 hours as airlines work to move thousands of travellers stuck by the war in Iran.

The UAE airline has slowly begun limited repatriation flights out of Dubai after days of airspace closures. Emirates will have more than 100 flights depart Dubai and return to the airport from destinations around the world by the end of Friday, which will carry passengers as well as essential cargo like perishables and pharmaceuticals, the airline said.

A spokesperson added:

Emirates will continue to gradually build back its flying schedule, subject to airspace availability and all operational requirements being met. Safety is always our top priority.

We continue to monitor the situation and adapt our operations accordingly.

An Emirates flight from Sydney arrived last night, and one from Melbourne landed this morning.

Marsupials previously thought extinct for millennia discovered in New Guinea

Researchers led by the Australian scientist Tim Flannery have made a once-in-a-lifetime discovery: that two charismatic marsupial species that had been thought extinct for 6,000 years are alive in rainforest in remote West Papua.

The pair are rare examples of “Lazarus taxa” – species that disappeared from fossil records in the distant past that are later found to have survived.

One of the species is a striped possum with an extraordinarily elongated fourth digit, twice as long as the rest of its fingers, that it uses to extract and feed on wood-boring insect larvae. Fossil records had previously indicated the species, known as the pygmy long-fingered possum (Dactylonax kambuayai), lived in Australia’s central Queensland region about 300,000 years ago but seemed to have vanished during the ice age.

Before the recent discovery it was last known to have lived in West Papua until about 6,000 years ago.

Read more here:

Oil disruption to drive ASX sell-off

Australian shares are poised to drop sharply today, as investors become increasingly concerned about a prolonged war in the Middle East and a breakout in global inflation.

Futures pricing indicates the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 will open about 1.6% lower this morning to trade below the 8,800-point mark, in what would mark one of the biggest single-day drops in the market over the past 12 months.

Global share markets have been hit by inflation fears caused by the Middle East conflict, linked to energy market disruptions.

A rising oil price is a major global inflation trigger given it drives up costs across nearly all goods and services in the economy.

The Australia Bank markets team said in a morning note that “clearly the length of the Middle East conflict is key to whether there will be a protracted negative energy supply shock”.

While a 1.6% drop today would be significant, it is far smaller than the sell-off prompted by Donald Trump’s “liberation day” tariffs last year. A technology-led rout in early February also led to a 2% fall in the benchmark index.

Australia bans Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir under new laws

Australia has banned extreme Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir, in the first use of laws introduced in response to the Bondi massacre, AAP reports.

The organisation had been listed as a prohibited hate group, the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, announced late on Thursday.

“There’s a general acceptance from Australians that there is a level of hatred and dehumanising language that does provide a pathway for violence, even if it’s not using the words violence,” he told ABC radio on Friday.

It is now a crime to be a member of Hizb ut-Tahrir, to recruit for it, and to provide training, funds or support to the group. Other countries that have banned Hizb ut-Tahrir include a number of Muslim-majority nations such as Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

The tough new hate crimes laws were enacted after the 14 December terror attack at Bondi. Burke said in a statement:

For a long time, Hizb ut-Tahrir has been able to spread hate and create a pathway for others to engage in violence.

The Australian government’s new hate group listing framework has been designed to stop organisations like Hizb ut-Tahrir, from spreading hate and sowing the seeds of division in the community, that risks not only our social cohesion but the safety of Australians.

Tropical low forces residents to seek higher ground in far north Queensland

Overnight flash flooding and more rain on the way is causing havoc for residents told to seek higher ground, AAP reports.

Far north Queensland continues to brace for a tropical low to cross the coast but many locals have already been told to leave because of flooding.

Police issued a flood emergency warning for the Daintree River at 9.30pm on Thursday, saying flash flooding was already occurring and residents should move to safety at higher ground.

In other areas, sandbag stations are in place with heavy rain, flooding and damaging winds forecast on Friday as the tropical low tracks northeast of Cairns.

Up to 240 millimetres of rain is expected to fall in a six-hour period on Friday, which may lead to dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding, the Bureau of Meteorology says.

Local infrastructure has already been affected, with the wild conditions causing the Daintree Ferry to come loose from its moorings.

Guardian investigation verified destruction at Iranian girls’ school

Back to the Israeli ambassador’s claims this morning about the Iranian girls’ school that was bombed. Hillel Newman did not offer any evidence to back up his suggestions that the bombing “had not been authenticated”.

Earlier this week, the Guardian pieced together video footage of the Saturday morning attack, the worst mass casualty event of the Iran war so far. Between 10am and 10.45am, during the school’s morning session, a missile directly hit Shajareh Tayyebeh school, in Minab, southern Iran, demolishing its concrete building.

Verified footage and images show the destruction that killed dozens of seven to 12-year-old girls, including graphic content that shows children’s bodies buried in debris (which the Guardian did not publish due to their graphic nature).

The Guardian cross-referenced verified videos from the site with satellite imagery to confirm the location of the primary school.

As Tess McClure and Deepa Parent report, the school’s location, the nearby smoke, and the timing of the bombing – in the first round of strikes by US and Israeli forces – all gave credence to the assertion that the school was hit as part of a series of strikes by the US and Israel on or around a nearby Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) complex. There is no indication the school was in any sense a military-use building.

You can read more of our visual investigation here:

Burke also won’t confirm Australians on US submarine

Tony Burke was asked earlier if he would confirm there were two Australian sailors on the American submarine that sank an Iranian warship. He said he respected the question but wouldn’t give an answer, telling RN:

We don’t confirm the location of Australian military personnel on any operation that our allies might conduct.

He was pressed about any confusion between the reports and government messaging saying Australia wasn’t involved in the war. Burke said he wasn’t in a position to comment on the submarine strikes, adding:

We’re certainly not directing any involvement in this conflict.

Israeli ambassador questions facts behind bombing of girls' school in Iran

Hillel Newman was asked about the bombing of a school in Iran that killed at least 165 students. He cast doubt on the details around the blast, saying the bombing “has not been authenticated” and “one cannot believe pictures or even photos or words that come out of Iran”.

What I would like to say is that there’s a clear distinction between the activity and the operation of the US and Israel, which is a joint operation. It’s not an Israeli operation, it’s a joint US-Israel operation. There’s a clear distinction. We target military installations.

The school was struck on the first day of US and Israeli strikes on the country. The UN human rights office has called for an investigation into the deadly attack.

Newman told RN:

Our attacks are pinpointed and quite accurate against military installations. That’s why you don’t hear great numbers of civilians that have been affected. Regarding the school, therefore, we have our doubts. We cannot believe anything that comes out of Iran.

There are a few options regarding the school. One is that it’s not even true.

He said it will take Israel “time to get the truth”.

I can assure you, there was no intention to hit any school. There’s no intention to hit any civilian. There are mistakes that can happen during a war, but we’re not even sure that this is the case. It might even have been Iranian fire that fell short on the school, if it was a school.