Fears remain for the safety of Australians in Gaza and the Middle East; A political brawl erupts in the Qatar Airways senate inquiry; Officials confident Australia can still host the next Commonwealth Games, despite Victoria pulling out.
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TRANSCRIPT:
- Fears remain for the safety of Australians in Gaza and the Middle East;
- A political brawl erupts in the Qatar Airways senate inquiry;
- Officials confident Australia can still host the next Commonwealth Games, despite Victoria pulling out.
There are unconfirmed reports an Australian is among the dozens of people taken hostage in Gaza following the weekend Hamas attack on Israel.
Defence Minister Richard Marles has told Channel 7 he could not provide more detail at the moment.
But he says the safety of Australians in the Middle East remains the federal government's top priority as the war between Israel and Hamas escalates.
"I'm aware of the speculation around that but I'm not in a position to confirm any details in respect of that person... There's about 10,000 Australians who live in Israel. There are more who are there as tourists, and right now we're in the process of trying to assess the wellbeing of all those Australians... And we will be pretty reticent about talking about any individual cases, as I'm sure you'd understand."
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Australian leaders have defended their decision to light up national landmarks across the country in the colours of the Israeli flag.
Flinders Street Station in Melbourne and Sydney's Opera House were among those to be illuminated in blue and white in a show of solidarity following the weekend's significant escalation in the longstanding conflict between Hamas and Israel.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns says he believes lighting up the building was the right thing to do.
The Premier has also condemned the pro-Palestinian protests, describing them as "abhorent".
"To have some people celebrate atrocious indiscriminate killing and kidnapping in Israel is appalling, and I think that at the end of the day this is the opposite of the dynamic multicultural community that we want in NSW and in Australia."
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A coroner in Tasmania has been temporarily blocked from accessing documents for an inquest into a jumping castle tragedy two years ago that claimed the lives of six children.
The documents include interviews and written responses of the jumping castle owner and operators, the school's principal, a teacher, and an engineering report.
WorkSafe Tasmania launched legal action in the state's Supreme Court to block the coroner's acccess, arguing that doing so could prejudice ongoing investigations into the December 2021 tragedy at Hillcrest Primary School.
Justice Gregory Geason has now found in favour of the regulator, ruling that coronial access would put potential criminal proceedings at risk.
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A parliamentary inquiry into Qantas and Qatar Airways has descended into an apparent political brawl.
A Coalition report has recommended the government flip its decision to block extra Qatar flights.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has lashed out at Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie, saying she had "no understanding" of the sector and that it was up to Transport Minister Catherine King to consider the matter.
Senator McKenzie meanwhile has accused Mr Albanese of a "cozy personal and political relationship" with former Qantas boss Alan Joyce that skewed his decision-making, accusing him of wanting to score cheap political points.
"I can assure the prime minister that as the shadow transport minister I understand how the aviation system works. The Labor Party is trying to discredit the work of this select committee that they fought very very hard to make sure was never set up."
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Australia's Electoral Commission is urging voters to be respectful at early polling booths, amid reports of heightened tensions and rude behaviour.
A-E-C Commissioner Tom Rogers says there have been regular reports of threats and hostile behaviour to staff and volunteers ahead of the October 14 referendum.
The call for civility comes as the yes and no campaigns make their final pitches to undecided voters.
Former Indigenous athlete and federal senator Nova Peris has called on Australians to vote yes.
"We as First Nations people have never denied you white Australia and we're asking you to see us and to put us as the firstborn in the nation's birth certificate."
But South Australian Senator Kerrynne Liddle says Indigenous Australians don't want an advisory body in Canberra.
"What I'm hearing from Indigenous Australians that are doing it the toughest is they don't believe that another committee caught up in Canberra, fraught with a bunch of finger pointers is the answer. The issue is actually the monies that's going from the Commonwealth to the states and the states also having responsibility."
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Australian officials say they remain confident of hosting the next Commonwealth Games, despite Victoria's withdrawal.
Victoria pulled out in July, citing cost blowouts.
Commonwealth Games Australia chief executive officer Craig Phillips says any decision on a new host and format is likely to drift into next year.
Phillips says "an Australian solution is the priority" amid talks about the Games being staged in multiple cities using existing facilities.
