What we learned, 27 July 2025
With that, we’re wrapping up the blog. Before we go, here are the biggest stories from today:
Prime minister Anthony Albanese says he believes Israel has breached international law by stopping food from entering Gaza;
The prime minister also said the government has not yet made a decision about whether YouTube will be included in a social media ban;
Albanese also said the timing of an end to the ban on the importation of US beef was a “absolutely” a coincidence;
Deputy prime minister Richard Marles has attended the Talisman Sabre war games in Darwin;
Dfat has confirmed two Australians were on a boat seized by the Israeli military as people on board tried to bring aid to Gaza despite a blockade;
Australian academic Feng Chongyi says an arrest warrant issued for him by Hong Kong authorities amounted to “political prosecution”;
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has rejected an analysis by rightwing thinktank the Institute of Public Affairs alleging the government spent $382m on treaty negotiations;
A race car driver has died at the scene of a crash during a race Saturday in New South Wales;
We’ll pick things up again tomorrow.
Updated
The piece of data that could determine the next interest rate move
Quarterly inflation data will dominate the economic agenda this week, while dwelling approvals, retail sales and property price figures will also be revealed.
Traders, economists and mortgage holders will be locked into the Australian Bureau of Statistics website this week for a piece of data that could determine whether the Reserve Bank cuts interest rates next month.
Minutes from the RBA board’s last meeting confirmed the central bank was holding out for more signs inflation was on track before cutting again, highlighting the importance of Wednesday’s quarterly consumer price index.
On Thursday, economists will gorge on a feast of data as the ABS releases retail trade, building approvals and international trade price figures.
The retail print is the last the bureau will produce before it switches over to a more comprehensive measure of consumption, the monthly household spending indicator.
Property analytics firm Cotality will update its home value index on Friday, with prices expected to continue rising as lower interest rates boost demand.
Meanwhile, investors on Wall Street are optimistic the US will soon reach a trade deal with the European Union.
– AAP
Updated
Australia’s housing auction market remains strong
Auction activity has climbed this weekend with 1,774 auctions scheduled. This is a slight increase on the 1,561 held last week but down from 1,975 auctions held at the same time last year.
Based on results collected so far, property data group Cotality’s summary shows the preliminary clearance rate was 74.7% across the country,on par with 70.4% recorded last week but above the 69.4% actual rate on final numbers and 65.1% at the same time, last year.
Across the capital cities:
Sydney: 431 of 601 auctions with a preliminary clearance rate of 73.8%
Melbourne: 628 of 837 auctions with a preliminary clearance rate of 76.3%
Brisbane: 145 0f 190 auctions with a preliminary clearance rate of 74.5%
Adelaide: 55 of 86 auctions with a preliminary clearance rate of 81.3%
Canberra: 38 of 49 auctions with a preliminary clearance rate of 73.7%
Tasmania: No auctions held.
Perth: Six auctions to be held.
Updated
Despite ambitious plans, Sydney’s Callan Park plans remain in limbo
On the banks of Iron Cove in Sydney’s inner west is one the city’s unsung treasures: 61 hectares of rolling lawns, bushland and sandstone buildings that was once home to Rozelle hospital – originally Callan Park hospital for the insane.
For those who dream big, it could be Sydney’s next Centennial Park, a vibrant parkland attracting visitors from around Sydney.
Years of disagreements over the site’s future, bureaucratic inertia and a highly restrictive Callan Park Act – which prevents any commercial activities, even restaurants and cafes – have left it in stasis.
But change could finally be on its way, for better or worse, as the state government considers changing the act – described by the planning minister, Paul Scully, as imposing “the most restrictions of any of our public spaces”.
Communities have come to expect a degree of activation in their public spaces these days, and while we are committed to protecting Callan Park, that doesn’t mean it should be locked away from the public who want to enjoy a cup of coffee in a beautiful inner-city park.
For more on this story, read the full report by Guardian Australia’s Anne Davies:
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NSW police celebrate role in transporting donated organs to patients
New South Wales police have marked the anniversary of a life-saving program where Highway Patrol officers help in the urgent transport of donor organs to patients who need them.
Over 40 years, more than 3700 emergency medical transfers have taken place within New South Wales, with more than 1300 in the past 10 years.
Between 60 and 100 transports are carried out every year, with 86 transfers so far, this year.
When a request comes in, highway patrol cars travel to a hospital or airport to collect the organ, stored inside a cooler box carried by a doctor or nurse, before the cars travel in convoy to another hospital or airport to deliver the organ.
Traffic and Highway Patrol Commander, Assistant Commissioner David Driver said officers can be called to help “any time of the day, every day of the year”.
Emergency medical transfers are a vital service, often helping to give people a second chance at life, and we are proud to provide this life-saving assistance to members of the community.
DonateLife NSW Co-State Medical Director Dr Michael O’Leary said this year marked more than four decades of partnership between the NSW Police Force and the NSW Organ and Tissue Donation Service.
The NSW Police Force plays a crucial role in making organ donation possible. Its support means donated organs get to the right place at the right time, and lives are saved as a result.
Dr O’Leary said there were about 1800 Australians waiting for an organ transplant and more than 14,000 people on dialysis due to kidney failure.
Updated
Alpine rescue finds hikers lost in Koscuiszko
New South Wales police have urged hikers to check weather conditions after a group of walkers was rescued in a multi-agency alpine rescue in Koscuiszko national park on Saturday night.
The search for seven hikers began at 1.15pm on Saturday after a personal locator beacon (PLB) was activated near Dead Horse Gap Track in Kosciuszko national park, south-west of Thredbo.
The hikers – aged from 21 to 48 – were found about 7pm before they were assessed by paramedics and treated for exposure to the cold. All were taken to Thredbo Village in a Snowcat vehicle.
Officers attached to Monaro Police district and Police Search and Rescue, State Emergency Service Alpine Search and Rescue operators, and NSW Ambulance Alpine Operations paramedics were involved in the search.
Police were told the hikers had become disoriented after a sudden change in weather conditions.
Monaro Police District Commander, Det Acting Supt Keith Price, said the fact the group had a PLB with them greatly assisted the rescuers.
Activating the PLB meant rescuers had a precise location as well as information about the stranded group, enabling the appropriate resources to be deployed more quickly.
Even experienced hikers with the right gear can be impacted by sudden weather changes and our advice to all hikers in the Alpine area is to always check for weather alerts, plan your route carefully, and take a PLB.
Updated
Queensland police seeking owner of mysterious sunken vessel
Queensland Police are looking for the owners of a sunken vessel found off Port Douglas, north of Cairns.
Water police found the vessel this morning halfway between Low Isles and Batt Reef after it was reported by a tourism helicopter at 10.10am.
It was described as an 8m sailing vessel; it’s believed no one was board when it sunk.
The vessel may have come adrift from moorings or its anchor, as the mast was disabled and tied to the foredeck, leaving it unable to sail.
Water police are appealing for the owners or anyone who recognises the vessel or has further information to contact police.
Updated
Australians take to the streets to support Palestinians
Thousands of people have today gathered in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne to protest on behalf of Palestinians, especially those in Gaza desperately seeking food aid. The protests come as ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas collapse.
Updated
Wong reiterates PM’s comments that blocking food aid to Gaza is a breach of international law
Circling back to the press conference in Darwin, and Penny Wong has backed the prime minister’s accusations today that Israel has breached international law by blocking aid to Gaza.
Speaking on Insiders this morning, Anthony Albanese said “quite clearly it is a breach of international law to stop food being delivered, which was a decision that Israel made in March”. He warned that Benjamin Netanyahu’s government was “losing support” internationally.
Asked whether Australia was obliged to act on the accused breach of international law, and whether further aid drops would be facilitated, Wong said the prime minister had made Australia’s position “clear”.
It is forbidden to withhold aid from civilians, that is not consistent with international law, but actually, just as importantly, it’s morally the wrong thing to do.
Wong said Australia would continue to contribute “what we are able to” in relation to the humanitarian effort, while adding the Australian government was not the “central part” of the aid response.
We’ll continue to work with our partners, including the United Kingdom, which has been playing a more constructive role in relation to this conflict. But the … quickest, most effective way to ensure that the children of Gaza are provided with the food that they need is for Israel to allow aid to flow unimpeded, for a ceasefire to be in place and for the hostages to be released.
Updated
Trade minister Farrell says he made a mistake about Trump raising US beef imports with PM
The trade minister, Don Farrell, says he made a mistake when he claimed US President Donald Trump had raised the issue of US beef exports to Australia directly in discussions with Anthony Albanese during an interview this morning on Sky News.
Farrell earlier told the Sydney Morning Herald, and his office confirmed with the Guardian, that he had erred when he made the statement, that he had in fact been referencing public comments Trump had made in his “Liberation Day” press conference.
Updated
Dfat confrims two Australians on vessel seized by Israeli military off Gaza coast
Two Australians are among those who were aboard a vessel seized by the Israeli military during an attempt to break a blockage on Gaza to bring aid to the strip.
A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told the Guardian:
Dfat is aware two Australians were on board the Freedom Flotilla Coalition vessel Handala, along with 19 others.
Our officials in Tel Aviv are liaising with authorities, and consular officers stand ready to offer assistance to affected Australians.
For more on this story, read the full report by the Guardian Australia’s Caitlin Cassidy:
Updated
Allan says ‘some challenges’ accommodating medical cannabis in existing laws
The Victorian premier has been asked about a motion by the Legalise Cannabis party, to be debated at state parliament this week, to protect workers taking medicinal cannabis from losing their jobs if they test positive for the drug while at work.
The Herald Sun has reported that the motion is backed by AFL coaches and medicinal cannabis users Damien Hardwick and Alastair Clarkson.
Jacinta Allan conceded there were “some challenges” with how medical cannabis fits within existing laws. She said one example was driving laws, and she noted the government was trialling research about the affect medicinal cannabis has on drivers:
There is some work being undertaken with road safety experts about how we can have a regime on our road network that recognises people who use medicinal cannabis and how that may interact with their use on the road network.
We’ve got nothing to add in terms of any further changes today but [we] recognise that this is something we need to continue to work through in response to bringing the opportunity for chronic pain sufferers … to access medicinal cannabis to alleviate their pain and … get back into work, to be able to get back into active community life.
Updated
Victorian premier questioned on cost of treaty negotiations
Jacinta Allan was asked at the press conference about analysis from the rightwing thinktank, the Institute of Public Affairs, suggesting the government has spent $382m on negotiating a statewide Indigenous treaty.
She described it as a “cherrypicked analysis from the conservative Liberal party aligned thinktank that doesn’t support treaty”. Allan went on:
We’ve been on a long and steady journey towards treaty here in Victoria. There’s been two pieces of legislation [passed] through the Victorian parliament, the First People’s Assembly has been through two direct elections. This is all about being on a process – and on a long and steady pathway – to have in place in Victoria a new, practical framework for how we not just listen to Indigenous Victorians, but involve them in the decisions and the policies and the projects and programs that directly affect them. International evidence, the Productivity Commission, tells us that this is the way that you can close the gap on that wide difference in outcomes between indigenous Victorians and the rest of our community.
You can read more on the Victorian government’s treaty bill, which will be introduced to parliament later this year, here:
Updated
Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel project to have 30 retail and hospitality spaces
The minister for transport infrastructure, Gabrielle Williams, says expressions of interest have opened for new tenants for the Campbell Arcade. She says they will be announced in coming weeks:
They’d probably be referred to as closer to pop-ups than tenancies. There are some restrictions as to what can be down here, mainly for reasons of ventilation. There wouldn’t be cooked food outlets down here. The exciting part of the process that’s now under way on the back of that expression of interest process is working through those options and those applications, and then very soon being able to come back out here and tell you which tenants are going to be occupying these incredible spaces, and really bringing them to life.
Williams said across the five new Metro Tunnel stations there were also 30 retail and hospitality spaces:
We also have to remember that these stations are community spaces … where people meet, they gather, they shop, they eat, and that’s what we’ve been facilitating through the development of those five brand new stations and the tenancies that form a part of them.
Updated
Melbourne’s Campbell Arcade to reopen on Monday after major restoration
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, and transport infrastructure minister, Gabrielle Williams, held a press conference earlier today to announce that Campbell Arcade – a pedestrian arcade connecting Flinders Street Station to Degraves Street – will reopen tomorrow.
The 70-year-old arcade has been closed since 2022 because of Metro Tunnel works. When the tunnel opens later this year, it will also become a walkway to the new town hall station.
Allan says restoration works to restore the arcade to its “former glory” have included replacing the ceiling, upgrading lighting and repairing 1950s-era heritage features, including tiled shop fronts and display cases. She says:
This is an historic arcade built in the 1950s to accommodate passenger movements ahead of the 1956 Olympics. It has been closed for a number of years whilst we’ve undertaken important connectivity works, and standing here in the middle of Campbell Arcade, you get a sense of how the Metro Tunnel is going to connect into the existing public transport network … Campbell Arcade is part of that direct underground connectivity between the historic Flinders Street station that serviced our city and state for decades upon decades, and the brand new town hall that is literally behind that wall that will provide that direct connection for passengers, making it easier for people to connect between stations.
Guardian Australia got a sneak peek at the three completed stations last month:
Updated
Wong says UK, Australia to keep working on Women, Peace and Security agenda
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has spoken in Darwin alongside British foreign secretary David Lammy about the role of women in the defence force. Wong said women and girls “bear the brunt too often in horrific conflicts around the world” and specifically pointed to sexual violence carried out by Russian forces in Ukraine.
I’m very grateful that as part of our discussions, the UK and Australia are agreeing to continue to work together to progress the Women, Peace and Security objectives. We’ll continue to do that. It matters. And most of all, today, I do want to thank the remarkable women behind me and all the women who serve in our defence personnel who help keep us safer.
Lammy said:
It’s a huge pleasure to be here with one of the great female foreign secretaries of our time and to have behind us women across our armed forces and across three nations – Australia, New Zealand, and of course, the United Kingdom. And to reflect 25 years since the United Nations came together to recognise the importance of women to our security and our peace.
For more, read the Guardian’s previous reporting here:
Updated
NSW spending $1.5m on literary hub to rival Melbourne’s Wheeler Centre and boost Sydney Writers festival
Sydney’s literati is about to get what Melbourne has had for more than decade – a rival to the Wheeler Centre that established the southern city’s Unesco-endorsed reputation as the literary and publishing capital of Australia.
The New South Wales arts minister, John Graham, today announced the establishment of a dedicated literature hub, to be based out of the state’s public library, as is Melbourne’s Wheeler Centre.
The new hub, with initial funding of $1.5m from the state government, will mean Sydney Writers festival events will take place all year round – 75 literary events over the next 12 months.
“There’s nothing like a festival in terms of the intensity and the sheer numbers of fantastic things that are on,” the creative director of the Sydney Writers festival, Ann Mossop, said.
For more, read the full story by Guardian Australia’s Kelly Burke:
Updated
Timing of US beef ban end ‘absolutely’ a coincidence
A decision to allow US beef imports into Australia was not aimed at appeasing the White House as part of tariff talks, the prime minister says.
The lifting of a ban on US beef imports shortly after US President Donald Trump demanded it is just a coincidence, prime minister Anthony Albanese insists.
Trump claimed credit for Australia’s decision to ease its biosecurity restrictions on America – a grievance used by the White House to help justify placing tariffs on Australia.
But the two were not linked, Albanese claimed.
Asked on ABC’s Insiders program today if it was just a coincidence, he said: “absolutely”.
There has been an independent review, it took 10 years. The decision has been made and it was made independently, at arm’s length of any political decision.
He pointed out Trump had said he was unaware that Australia was going to make the decision until after the fact.
Trump also did not raise it directly with him in phone conversations, although he had made his displeasure over the ban publicly known, Albanese said.
For his part, the US president seemed to think the move was part of an Australian bid to broker a deal on tariffs.
Australia was great. They opened up beef yesterday for the first time ever,” Trump said on Friday, US time.
We asked them to do it, and all of a sudden we got word that they would, so obviously they’re looking to do something.
– AAP
Updated
MSF Australia: Israeli government claims of no famine conditions in Gaza a ‘lie’
Médecins Sans Frontières Australia says the Israeli government’s announcement that it will allow food into Gaza should be treated with caution because questions remain about how the plan will be carried out.
Speaking to the ABC today, MSF Australia’s executive director Jennifer Tierney says not enough is known about the airdrops to make an informed judgment about whether this a serious effort to deliver aid.
You need to be able to make sure that there is security, that people who have been under siege for months on end – who are starving and desperate to get support – don’t rush the aid points, that bad actors don’t take advantage of the situation.
And so to see this turnaround so quickly, it is really quite concerning that we’re going to see a lot of the same scenes that we’re watching play out right now, which is, people converging on aid points, creating security situations and people getting shot at and killed.
Tierney says there has been a total blockade on all the essentials of life in Gaza and claims by the Israeli government that there are no famine conditions in Gaza are a “lie”.
That is a lie. It is a lie. We are seeing one in four people in our clinics who are malnourished. Our staff are unable to get food. Sometimes, they’re eating just one meal a day. The community centres that we’re using to supply food to our patients aren’t able to do so on a stable basis. We have patients, we have 20, I think it was 23 newborns who were in the NICU who were unable to get formula on multiple days this week ... We have the proof. We have the data. We have the patients in our facilities, and we have the Australians and New Zealanders and thousands of other people on the ground who are witnessing this happening.
Tierney says it is “absolutely essential” and “really good” for the Australian government to “push and push stronger” for action, and she encouraged people to continue to pressure their MPs.
Updated
Foreign Minister Penny Wong will be giving a press conference around noon in Darwin where she will discuss China’s bounty on Australian academic Feng Chongyi and other matters.
We will bring you the latest as it happens.
Updated
Political parties hold vast amounts of data about Australians that could be stolen by hackers, experts say
More than two years before the data breach of Clive Palmer’s Trumpet of Patriots and United Australia parties in June this year, the federal government was warned there was a significant risk to political parties – which are exempt from many data protection obligations – holding sensitive information about voters.
The ransomware attack on Trumpet of Patriots earlier was the first time Australians became aware of a large breach of any political party’s data. It only became public because the party decided to report it. The attack also affected the United Australia party.
Supporters were told that data obtained in the attack could include email addresses, phone numbers, identity records, banking records, employment history and other documents, but that the party was unsure of the amount of information compromised.
It is unclear whether Palmer’s political parties were required to publicly report the breaches.
For more on this story, read the full report by the Guardian Australia’s Josh Taylor:
Updated
Australia’s trade minister Don Farrell defends UK defence pact
A UK-Australia defence pact won’t upend Aukus and won’t anger the US as it reviews whether to continue with the trilateral security pact, trade minister Don Farrell says.
Speaking to Sky News this morning, Farrell said the bilateral relationship with the UK signed in Geelong on Saturday was about strengthening ties with Britain and would only reinforce the Aukus alliance.
The message that the Americans will get out of this is that the other two parties to Aukus are very, very supportive of the continuation of the project.
Shadow foreign affairs minister Michaelia Cash told Sky Newsthe Coalition backed the agreement but questioned whether the US was notified.
Was the US brought in on this? Did they know about it? What was their response to it?
Updated
Opposition’s Michaelia Cash blames Hamas for Israel blocking food to Gaza
Shadow foreign affairs minister Michaelia Cash says Hamas is to blame for Israel’s denial of aid into Gaza and that the government failed to hold the group responsible in a statement issued on Friday.
Speaking to Sky News this morning, before the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, appeared on ABC Insiders, Cash said the government should have demanded Hamas surrender.
What this statement does not do is squarely say to the global community, we would like to see the end of the war in Gaza. And the next sentence should have been, ‘and we call on the terrorists Hamas, who commenced this war, and who are ensuring the suffering of the civilians in Gaza, to end this war tomorrow’.
Albanese later said he believed Israel was breaking international by refusing to allow aid into Gaza.
Updated
WA Liberals support motion to ditch Australian goal of net zero by 2050
The Western Australian Liberal Party has supported a motion to abandon Australia’s pledge to reach net zero emissions by 2050.
The ABC reports that delegates at the WA Liberal State Council voted with overwhelming support to abandon the targets when they were read without needing to go to a ballot.
It passed alongside a motion to get rid of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islands flags behind the prime minister at press conferences.
Federal MP Andrew Hastie said the ballot, held in a hotel in his Canning electorate, was about sending a “clear signal” to Australians.
Energy underlies everything in the economy, energy security is national security. If we’re not getting cheap, reliable, affordable power then we’re not going to be competitive as a nation.
The Liberals only hold four seats in Western Australia, with the votes expected to put pressure on Sussan Ley to abandon the federal Coalition’s support for Australia’s climate commitments.
Australia’s commitment to reaching net zero is an international pledge under the Paris Climate Agreement and a critical step to address the existential threat posed by climate change.
In an advisory opinion delivered earlier this week, the International Court of Justice said the obligations of governments to address climate change go beyond commitments to the Paris Climate Agreement and that governments that fail or refuse to act could face legal action.
Updated
Australian academic Feng Chongyi says Hong Kong arrest warrant ‘political persecution’
Australian academic Feng Chongyi has told the ABC how he discovered Hong Kong authorities had issued an arrest warrant for him when he saw the news on WhatApp.
This is outrageous. [It is] political persecution and violation of basic human rights. And I also feel very sad that the Hong Kong authorities have now joined the security apparatus of the totalitarian CCP regime to eliminate political opposition and destroy civil society in Hong Kong.
Feng is one of 19 activists living overseas accused by Hong Kong of subversion under a strict national security law for their alleged participation in the Hong Kong Parliament, a pro-democracy group.
For more on this story, read the Guardian Australia’s previous reporting:
Updated
Australian government appears to still be heavily reliant on consultants, media reports reveal
The Albanese government has issued $637m in third-party contracts in the past six months despite promises to stop the federal government’s reliance on consultants.
The Age reports that the figure was contained in a biannual statement tabled in parliament on Tuesday, showing the government had 131 consultancy contracts valued at $2m or more active for at least one day between 1 January and 30 June. Some contracts were worth $30m alone.
These figures come as the government announced it would reverse its ban on the consulting firm PwC after it misused tax data.
For more on that story, read the full report by Guardian Australia’s Henry Belot:
Updated
Doug Cameron on Albanese: ‘you don’t need to be a lawyer to know that Israel has breached international law’
A young Anthony Albanese may have supported Palestine but the prime minister has abandoned his principles and “capitulated” to Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, former Labor senator and left faction heavy weight Doug Cameron says.
Responding to the prime minister’s appearance on ABC Insiders this morning Cameron attacked the PM’s stance with a series of social media posts, calling on Albanese to “be strong, be independent and true to your past principles”, saying “you don’t need to be a lawyer to know that Israel has breached international law”.
Genocide, ethnic cleansing, starving, murdering and mutilating innocent civilians and children is illegal.
The Labor leadership has increasingly been at odds with the party’s base on Gaza, with growing calls for stronger action on Israel including the imposition of sanctions.
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Albanese won’t comment on what action he’ll take on Job-Ready Graduates Scheme
On the issue of HECS debt, the prime minister is asked whether the government will take action on the Job-Ready Graduates Scheme introduced by the Morrison government now that the government has cut HECS debts by 20%.
We’re dealing with one thing at a time, David, and this week, what we have done is fulfil the commitments that we gave, as the first piece of legislation and it will be the first piece of legislation that passes the parliament. In the coming week, we’ll make sure it goes through both the House of Reps and the Senate will save 3 million Australians an average of $5,500 each.
The PM was asked also about the future of the government’s budget and leaked modelling from Treasury that suggests taxes will have to increase and spending will have to fall to fix future problems with the budget over time.
He says the government has a process and that it will consider the issues on their merits as they arise, saying “we need to get fiscal policy right”.
What it means is what we have done is we produced two budget surpluses and we have reduced the budget deficit going forward compared to what it was anticipated to be before we were elected.
Updated
No decision yet about including YouTube in social media ban, PM says
Asked about reports that Google is threatening to sue the Australian government if YouTube is included in its social media ban for young people, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, says no decision has been made on whether to include the service. He says the e-Safety commissioner “has made her view clear” on the issue.
He says the minister will make their decision “independently of any of these threats that are made by the social media companies”.
I say to them that social media has a social responsibility. There is no doubt that young people are being impacted adversely in their mental health by some of the engagement with social media and that is why the government has acted.
I’ll be meeting parents again this week, people who have been through tragedy, frankly, and the government has a responsibility to act and across the parliament we have acted and one of the things that concerns some of the social media companies is that we are leading the world and I’m proud that we’re prepared to stand these people up.
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Albanese: decision to let in US beef part of a ‘review process’
Turning now to the relationship with the US, Anthony Albanese is asked about how the Trump administration has been framing the decision by Australia to lift restrictions on imports of US beef to Australia.
The Trump administration says this has been a triumph of negotiation; Albanese says it was the result of “a process that has been there for 10 years, the review process”. He says Donald Trump did not raise the issue with him directly, but raised it “publicly”.
So he – his views were well-known, and the Americans – before Donald Trump assumed the presidency in January – in December they made some changes and then at the beginning of this year, some further changes.
Updated
Albanese: no Middle East solution ‘without solving the Palestinian question’
Anthony Albanese says that Australia is not about to “imminently” recognise a Palestinian state and says that while “Australia will always make our decisions as a sovereign state” involvement of the United States “is critical”.
The United States was playing a role in negotiating with the Saudis and Jordan and states in the region about how you move the Middle East conflict forward.
Albanese says he agrees with the assessment of former prime minister John Howard that “there can be no solution in the Middle East without solving the Palestinian question”, saying “Howard was right then and anyone who thinks that now is right as well”.
We need security for the state of Israel, but you need to have the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinians for their own state realised as well. That will mean security arrangements, it will need agreements as well about the rebuilding of Gaza and the West Bank. It will need the issue of settlements to resolve as well.
The PM says it is unlikely these issues will resolve before the UN meets in September but he says Australia will “play a constructive role in that”.
As a middle power, we don’t have a great deal of direct influence in the Middle East. That’s the truth.
What we do have, though, is the capacity to engage with our international partners, which is why we have been prepared to be a part of statements with like-minded countries.
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PM: Guarantee needed Hamas won’t be involved in any future Palestine state before Australia recognises it
Australia will not follow the lead of France and recognise a Palestinian state but will “make a decision at an appropriate time”, Albanese says.
Albanese reiterated Australia’s support for a two-state solution, describing French recognition of a Palestinian state as a “gesture”.
So some would argue – why don’t you just recognise a state? You need to recognise a Palestinian state as part of moving forward. How do you exclude Hamas from any involvement there? How do you ensure that a Palestinian state operates in an appropriate way which does not threaten the existence of Israel? And so we won’t do any decision as a gesture. We will do it as a way forward if the circumstances are met.
Albanese said his government would need guarantees that Hamas would not be involved in any future Palestinian state in order to recognise it. He said there had been no elections in the Palestinian Authority “for a long period of time”.
The PM said “you need to consider all of the circumstances at any particular time” and that “a decision takes forward the operation of two states, effectively”. He pointed to efforts to negotiate a normalisation of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Updated
Albanese: Hamas can have no role in any future state, Israel must operate within international law
Anthony Albanese says he has spoken to Israeli President Isaac Herzog to tell him Israel is losing support.
What I have said to the Israeli President, Isaac Herzog, is that what sometimes friends have to say to their other friends when they are losing support. Israel is – I think, when you look at internationally, the statements that have been made by including this week more than two dozen nations combining to call out the lack of aid being allowed into Gaza – is that they need to recognise, they need to operate within international law.
Asked again to clarify whether he is describing a breach of international law, Albanese says Israel has “quite clearly” breached international law.
International law says that you can’t hold innocent people responsible for what is a conflict. I mean, we have to be very clear. Hamas’ actions on October 7 is where the current atrocities began and Hamas can have no role in a future state.
Hamas is terrorist organisation who I find – their actions are abhorrent. The fact they have held on to the hostages, they’re not only holding Israeli citizens as hostage, but they’re holding Palestinians hostage as well, effectively through their failure to engage in any constructive way.
But Israel as a democratic state has a responsibility to ensure that innocent lives are not lost and what we have seen is too many Israeli and Palestinians lives lost and every life matters.
Updated
PM on Gaza: stopping food deliveries ‘quite clearly’ a breach of international law
Albanese suggests Israel has breached international law by stopping food being delivered to Gaza.
Albanese:
Quite clearly it is a breach of international law to stop food being delivered, which was a decision that Israel made in March.
When asked whether he was describing this as a breach of international law, Albanese said he was “not a lawyer” but that he considered it a “breach of decent humanity and of morality”.
Everyone can see that. I’m a supporter of Israel and Israel’s right to defend itself, but that boy isn’t challenging Israel’s right to existence, and nor are the many who continue to suffer from the unavailability of food and water. The fact that people have lost their lives queueing to get food and water distributed, not by the UN, but distributed by the joint Israeli-American operation is a tragedy.
Updated
Albanese: image of starving child in Gaza ‘breaks your heart’; says Israel aid airdrops ‘just a start’
Prime minister Anthony Albanese has told ABC Insiders a decision by the Israeli government to allow some aid into Gaza is “just a start” and more needs to be done to protect the innocent.
Albanese pointed to images of a starving one-year-old boy saying “it breaks your heart”.
A one-year-old boy is not a Hamas fighter. The civilian casualties and deaths in Gaza is completely unacceptable. It’s completely indefensible. My government has been very consistent in calling for a ceasefire. We have been consistent in calling out the terrorists in Hamas and saying that the hostages should be released. But we have rules of engagement and they are there for a reason. They are to stop innocent lives being lost and that is what we have seen.
Albanese said he had been moved by the images of this “innocent young boy”.
For anyone with any sense of humanity, you have to be moved by that. And you have to acknowledge that every innocent life matters – whether they be Israeli or Palestinian.
The PM said “we need to move to a longer-term” solution and he called for a two-state solution.
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Race car driver killed during motor championship
A racing car driver has died in a single-vehicle crash during a state championship event at a motorsport park.
Emergency services were called to Sydney Motorsport Park after the incident on Saturday night during the NSW Motor Race Championship.
Paramedics gave medical treatment to the driver, 53, but he died at the scene.
Police have established a crime scene and will investigate the crash.
Officers will prepare a report for the coroner.
Motorsport Australia has been notified, police said.
– AAP
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Anthony Albanese will speak to ABC Insiders host David Speers this morning.
Earlier, the trade minister Don Farrell spoke to Sky News, followed by the shadow foreign minister Michaelia Cash.
We will bring you the latest as it happens.
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Deputy PM to attend war games in Darwin with UK counterparts
Richard Marles will be in Darwin today to attend the Talisman Sabre military exercises after signing a 50-year submarine deal with Britain.
The deputy prime minister signed the Anglo-Australian submarine agreement with visiting UK ministers David Lammy and John Healey on Saturday. That agreement will continue the Aukus nuclear submarine deal despite a review by the US government.
Lammy and Healey will join Marles in Darwin today to watch the military exercise.
Talisman Sabre, Australia’s largest and most sophisticated war-fighting exercise, started on 13 July and involves more than 35,000 personnel from 19 militaries across three weeks.
In addition to the US, forces from Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga, and the UK have joined as partners.
Malaysia and Vietnam are attending as observers.
The 2025 war games involve the UK’s Carrier Strike Group, led by the Royal Navy flagship HMS Prince of Wales – the first UK carrier strike group to visit Australia since 1997.
– AAP
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Good Morning
And welcome to another Sunday Guardian live blog.
The Talisman Sabre war games will continue in Darwin today with the defence minister Richard Marles expected to attend alongside visiting UK ministers David Lammy and John Healey. The exercises in Australia’s Top End involve 35,000 personnel from 19 countries, with Malaysia and Vietnam joining as observers.
A race car driver has been killed in a crash during a state championship event in Sydney overnight. The 53-year-old driver was competing in the NSW Motor Race Championship when the crash occurred. He died at the scene.
I’m Royce Kurmelovs and I’ll be taking the blog through the day.
With that, let’s get started …
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