TRANSCRIPT
- The Opposition accused of politicising antisemitism
- Australians widely condemn Donald Trump's future plans for Gaza
- Former West Coast Eagle Adam Hunter dead at the age of 43
The Prime Minister has accused the opposition of politicising antisemitic attacks in a fiery session of Parliament over legislation to strengthen the country's hate speech laws.
Jewish Liberal MP Julian Leeser has told Parliament the government is failing to do all they can to stop antisemitic attacks, while Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has repeatedly said that the attacks are part of a national crisis that has been brewing for some time on the back of a lack of concrete action.
Anthony Albanese has also been criticised for not revealing exactly when he knew about an explosives laden caravan in the Sydney suburb of Dural.
But he has told Parliament the opposition is trying to take advantage.
"They want intelligence agencies to be able to do that work without political interference, and without political games. That is what they want here. But the priority of those opposite is to play political games."
**
Australian groups and individuals have condemned a plan by US President Donald Trump for the US to take over Gaza.
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry says Gaza's civilian population should not be made to move from the shattered enclave.
Both the Jewish Council of Australia and the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network says Palestinians have a right to return and a right to remain in Gaza, calling Donald Trump’s declaration a plan for ethnic cleansing.
This man in the Sydney suburb of Merrylands has told SBS Arabic it's up to the countries themselves to decide what happens.
"Donald Trump is known for being erratic and impulsive. He makes very risky decisions. He is creating chaos with Canada, creating chaos with Europe. So don't expect a big improvement when it comes from Donald Trump."
**
An Australian man is among thousands of Islamic State members being held in prison in Syria.
The Associated Press says the man identified himself to a group of their journalists visiting detainees in Gweiran Prison, now called Panorama, in the country's northeast.
AP has reported the young man said his name was Maher, and that he was a nurse from Melbourne.
He says he was not arrested in 2019 in Baghouz, but instead gave himself up when the US-led coalition opened a humanitarian corridor in Syria.
**
A search and rescue effort is underway to find a man swept away in flood waters in the far north Queensland community of Ingham.
Police say the man remains unaccounted for after last being seen on Tuesday evening.
Heavy rain has devastated the region in the last few days, with the nearby Herbert River rising beyond a 15.2m flood record set almost 60 years ago.
Local mayor Ramon Jayo says officials are doing the best that they can to help the town, but everyone is on edge.
"The record books would show that we didn't exceed the 1967. But all the landmarks out there, all the old people have said that they've never seen water to that extent, and 1967 was smaller than this one. We've got a lot of significant damage out there, and we are hurting."
**
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has launched an international gender equality strategy to advance the human rights of women and girls.
The strategy focuses on five priorities, including ending gender-based violence, protecting women's reproductive health, gender responsive peace and security, and gender equitable climate action.
Senator Wong has told an International Women’s Day event in Canberra that gender equality is in the national interest.
"What we do know is gender equality is a stronger predictor of peace than a nation's wealth or a nation's political system. We know that peace agreements are more likely to last when women can participate in them, and we know that gender equality reduces poverty, strengthens social cohesion, unlocks economic productivity and enhances prosperity for current and future generations. "
**
China has slammed Australia for banning the A-I DeepSeek app from government devices on national security grounds.
The Foreign Ministry has released a statement saying it opposes the politicisation of economic, trade and technological issues.
The advice from Australia's intelligence agencies was that Deepseek represented an unacceptable risk.
But Beijing's statement says the Chinese government has never and will never require enterprises or individuals to illegally collect or store data.
**
The brakes have been put on electric vehicle sales in Australia, amid an overall drop in new car purchases in January.
The latest sales figures from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries show that sales for electric cars have plummeted, accounting for just over 4 percent [[4.4]] of all sales, the lowest since October 2022.
The sales have fallen despite growing price competition and new limits on emissions as part of the government's New Vehicle Efficiency Standard.
Hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles as well as SUVs have remained the only models resistant to the downturn.
**
And in AFL news, former West Coast Eagles player Adam Hunter has passed away at the age of 43.
He was found dead in Bunbury, just hours after training with the South Bunbury Football Club.
The star wingman played 151 games for the Eagles over a decade-long AFL career from 2000-09 before injuries led to his premature retirement.
Mr Hunter was also a member of the 2006 winning premiership winning Eagles side.
