What we learned today, Friday 10 October
That’s all for today. Thanks for joining and have a lovely weekend. Here’s the day’s main news stories:
Independent MPs Allegra Spender and Sophie Scamps have quit federal parliament’s social sports club following ACT senator David Pocock’s ban after he raised concerns about its sponsorship associations with the gambling industry;
Anthony Albanese has said US president Donald Trump deserves to be congratulated after securing agreement on the first phase of the Gaza peace plan;
The prime minister has said Australians need to “turn down the temperature” in politics after a man was charged with allegedly making death threats against him;
Independent MP Zali Steggall has warned against a crackdown on the right to protest and free speech after the court ruling against pro-Palestinian protesters who had planned a demonstration outside the Sydney Opera House on the weekend;
The Coalition’s immigration spokesperson, Paul Scarr, has taken a thinly veiled swipe at Andrew Hastie in a speech to the Migration Institute of Australia this afternoon.
Former Greens candidate Hannah Thomas’s legal team has begun court proceedings against the state of New South Wales;
The head of the Australian Submarine Agency has defended a consultancy contract that grew from $2.8m to $12.1m over the course of a year, saying it was “value for money”;
Scattered Lapsus$ hunters, the hackers claiming to hold troves of Qantas customer data, suggest the deadline to post the data if a ransom is not paid has been moved back to Saturday afternoon;
Two people have died on a private property in Tasmania’s north-west after a tree fell in wild winds;
Victoria police says an additional 33 officers from the Public Order Response Team were involved in the search for fugitive Dezi Freeman in Porepunkah today.
Updated
Bishop says ANU staff and students ‘accept’ she won’t resign
Julie Bishop has claimed community support for her to stay on as chancellor at the Australian National University after announcing the institution will break even in 2026.
The former politician has resisted calls to follow ANU’s former vice-chancellor, Prof Genevieve Bell, who resigned in September amid widespread concerns over a controversial restructure program. More than 2,000 staff and students signed a union-led petition demanding Bishop’s resignation earlier this year.
Bishop defended her record as chancellor of the ANU, saying she had community support. Asked about staff and student calls for her to resign, Bishop told Senate estimates:
That’s not the feedback that I’ve been getting, senator. In fact, the deans have confirmed their support for me. The council has confirmed their support for me …
I have met with many staff and students. I’ve met with the [staff union] representatives. I’ve met with the [student association] representatives, and they accept the council’s position in relation to my role.
She said the organisation expected to return to a break-even financial position at the end of 2026, after record years of operating losses and budget deficits.
Budget balance was the aim of ANU’s restructure program, which has seen course cuts, allegations of toxic work culture and at least 399 redundancies since it began in 2024.
Updated
‘We need a bigger scheme’: transport bureaucrat on alleged multimillion-dollar kickbacks
Returning to the NSW Icac, the commission has heard about the ways in which a former transport bureaucrat sought to increase earnings from kickback schemes under which he allegedly received more than $11.5m.
In a text message of November 2018, Ibrahim Helmy wrote to alleged co-conspirator Peter Le:
We need a bigger scheme … One that will make us back everything.
Helmy admitted he had previously encouraged Adam Spilsted, operations manager of contractor Direct Traffic, to apply for work in other regions of NSW, but denied he told him to use fake addresses to suggest the company had depots in those areas.
Several of the addresses used in the company’s application for government work allegedly referred to caravan parks in western NSW, while others were found to be made up. “I don’t even know what caravan parks are,” Helmy told the commission today, although he later clarified that he did.
Helmy admitted that from 2019 he began to receive payments from Direct Traffic, initially in the form of $1000 Australia Post gift cards, under an agreement that he would receive a percentage of the contracts it was awarded.
Helmy admitted to creating a spreadsheet which showed he was owed about $680,000 as of June 2021, but said it did not accurately reflect a sliding percentage scale he had allegedly agreed with Spilsted. He said:
I don’t know why this one says 3% all the way through.
Helmy will give further evidence to the inquiry next week.
Updated
Multiple properties in Porepunkah searched in hunt for fugitive Dezi Freeman, police say
Victoria police have provided an update on the search for fugitive and alleged police killer Dezi Freeman.
An additional 33 officers from the Public Order Response Team were involved in an additional sweep of the Porepunkah area today, police said.
Freeman has not been seen since he fled after allegedly shooting dead two police officers on 26 August. Last month, police announced a $1m reward for information leading to Freeman’s arrest.
In a statement, police said they had searched a number of private properties in Porepunkah over the past two days:
Victoria Police continues to maintain a significant presence in the Porepunkah area.
We are committed to using every available resource and the necessary skills required to find Freeman.
Updated
Pocock says many MPs he had spoken to were not aware of the gambling industry’s sponsorship when they joined the sports club:
We didn’t know that behind this was actually this registered lobbying organisation.
On Friday morning, Anthony Albanese accused Pocock of “getting himself in a story” and praised the sports club for raising money for charity.
Asked about the prime minister’s response, Pocock said he had brushed it off as a minor issue:
I actually think this highlights some of the big problems in this place when it comes to the influence of vested interests and a government putting there interests ahead of everyday Australian.
Almost 80% of people want to see a ban on gambling ads.
Updated
Pocock likens gambling sponsorship of parliamentary sports club to ‘buying social license’
Independent ACT senator David Pocock is speaking to the ABC about his parliamentary sports club ban after raising concerns about its sponsorship by the gambling industry.
Asked about the impact of the sponsorship, Pocock says it highlight’s the sectors “soft power”:
It shows at a micro level why gambling companies are sponsoring sports so much. Because it is about human connection and for them it’s about buying social license ... more and more we know this is becoming a problem for young people.
Updated
Independent MP Kate Chaney calls Pocock’s sports club ban ‘completely ridiculous’
Independent MP Kate Chaney is speaking to the ABC.
Asked about David Pocock’s parliamentary sports club ban, she said it was “completely ridiculous”.
He’s a very well respected parliamentarian but also sportsman.
If he gets kicked out when he just states the facts it says less about him and more about the powerful, vested interests that are used to getting their way.
Updated
Liberal MP takes a swipe at Pocock’s sports club ban
The criticism over the decision to boot David Pocock from the parliamentary sports club is coming in thick and fast.
Liberal MP Simon Kennedy took a swipe at Pocock’s ban, which came after he raised concerns about the club’s sponsorship by the gambling industry. Kennedy said the government needed to do more on gambling.
The prime minister’s the [president] of the sports club and he’s also been sitting on the Murphy Review for more than 830 days. The PM and Labor have a gambling problem … The prime minister needs to stand up, respond to the Murphy report and protect vulnerable Australians.
Kennedy has been pressing the government to take action to curb online sports betting TV ads during sports matches.
The MP, who replaced former prime minister Scott Morrison and regularly plays matches organised by the club, said Pocock should be reinstated.
He joked:
We beat Pocock and Queensland in last year’s touch footy State of Origin – but even I wouldn’t wish Pocock off the team. Without him, [Liberal MP] Phil Thompson will be Queensland’s fastest player, and that’s saying something.
Updated
Qantas hackers move deadline to tomorrow
Just a quick update on the Qantas data hack.
Scattered Lapsus$ hunters, the hackers claiming to hold troves of Qantas customer data, among almost 40 other companies, now suggest the deadline to post the data if a ransom is not paid will be at 11.59pm on 10 October New York time. That means 2.59pm Saturday AEDT.
That is according to posts on the dark web that have been shared on the open web, as well as reports from cybersecurity researchers monitoring the situation.
These things can change, but we will keep an eye out.
Updated
Independent MP Sophie Scamps latest to quit parliamentary social sports club
Independent MP Sophie Scamps says she is quitting the federal parliamentary social sports club after cross-bencher David Pocock was banned.
Guardian Australia today revealed the independent ACT senator – a former Wallabies captain – was banned from attending the club in Parliament House after he raised concerns about the gambling industry sponsoring it. In a statement, Scamps, the member for Mackellar, said:
I’m out of there. It is beyond ridiculous that the Parliamentary Sports Club boots out one of our premier sports people and a sitting Senator for telling the truth about the gambling industry …
I am appalled that a club set up to provide parliamentarians with the opportunity for a spot of healthy recreation was advertised as an opportunity for lobbyists to rub shoulders with politicians. I just wanted to play a bit of sport and meet some of my colleagues across the political aisle. I feel used.
Scamps said the gambling industry was doing “enormous harm”, particularly to children by normalising gambling through sport.
Updated
No tolls on Victoria’s new West Gate Tunnel over January weekends
Road toll operator Transurban won’t charge drivers using Melbourne’s new West Gate Tunnel on weekends this summer.
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, took to social media on Friday to share a letter from Transubran confirming the discounted travel.
It comes after she wrote to the road toll operator on Thursday, asking it to match the government’s commitment for free public transport on weekends from the moment the Metro Tunnel opens in early December until 1 February.
The West Gate Tunnel’s opening will follow later in December.
Updated
Video: Reserve Bank governor blames high house prices on lack of supply
Circling back to Senate estimates, the Reserve Bank of Australia’s governor, Michele Bullock, appeared earlier today. She blamed high house prices on a lack of supply, rather than on monetary policy.
Bullock was responding to a question from the Greens senator Nick McKim on whether the RBA played any role in the nation’s housing price spike.
Watch Bullock’s answer here:
Updated
Severe weather warnings for Tasmania and parts of mainland Australia’s south-east
The Bureau of Meteorology provided a weather update a little earlier.
Sarah Scully, a senior meteorologist, said a strong cold front was bringing damaging wind gusts to Australia’s south-east.
She said severe weather warnings were in place for all of Tasmania, the lower south-east corner of South Australia, southern Victoria and NSW’s southern ranges.
Winds were expected to ease soon in South Australia and western Victoria, Scully said.
She said the eastern parts of Victoria and NSW would start to get respite this evening, while in Tasmania, winds were expected to ease tomorrow morning.
Updated
Two dead in Tasmania as wild winds lash state
Two people have died on a private property in Tasmania’s north-west after a tree fell in wild winds. It comes amid wet weather and severe wind across the state, with gusts reaching 139km/h in the state’s south-west.
Emergency services were called to the scene about 12.10pm, police said.
According to the ABC, the state police’s acting commander, Brenda Orr, said: “It appears that the severe weather has resulted in a tree falling on private property, resulting in the death of those two people. No other people have been injured.
“Both people were on private property, out in the open, when a tree fell.”
Tasmania SES said it had responded to 72 requests for assistance today, with most due to wind-related damage.
Chris Irvine, the Tasmania SES’s acting assistant director of operations and resources, said volunteers had been assisting the community since the early hours of the morning.
Irvine said widespread gusts of up to 110km/h were expected across the state this afternoon, before easing this evening.
Members of the public should take all precautions for their own personal safety and be aware of the potential for falling trees and branches.
The most destructive winds were now isolated to the far north-east of the state and would continue to ease early this afternoon, the SES said.
Updated
Australian made more than 240 representations to Iraq before detained citizen was released, Dfat says
The Australian government has made more than 240 representations to Iraq regarding Australia man, Robert Pether, who was detained in a Baghdadi prison for four years until his release in June.
In Senate estimates, Department of Foreign Affairs (Dfat) officials confirmed those representations also included discussions by the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong. The official said the most recent was by Wong with her Iraqi counterpart at the UN general assembly last month, following Pether’s release.
While Pether was released from jail months ago, he remains in Iraq due to a travel ban placed on him. Pether’s wife, Desree Pether, said he needed urgent medical care and was unable to receive it in Iraq due to the ban.
The department’s first assistant secretary, Elizabeth McGregor, said Australia continued to advocate for the ban to be lifted.:
We are working tirelessly, tirelessly to secure the lifting of that travel ban that is on him.
Updated
Former NSW transport bureaucrat admits contractor’s offer to return favour meant ‘nothing else’ but cash benefit
Returning to the Icac hearing on an alleged multimillion-dollar kickback scheme involving NSW transport workers, the commission has seen messages from a contractor thanking former transport bureaucrat Ibrahim Helmy for assisting with an application to be included on a government roadwork suppliers’ panel.
One message sent before the deadline by Adam Spilsted, the operations manager for contractor Direct Traffic, said he hoped the company could “return the favour”.
Asked by counsel assisting Rob Ranken SC what he understood by this, Helmy replied that he was not expecting payment for his initial help with the application. Later, Ranken asked again: “What other benefit did you have in mind if it wasn’t cash?”
Helmy said: “Yeah, I guess there’s nothing else.”
Helmy said an informal agreement was reached several days before the application deadline at a dinner meeting with Spilsted and his wife, Mechelina Van Der Ende-Plakke, a director of Direct Traffic. Helmy was asked about later messages to a female associate in which he wrote: “They [Direct Traffic] still aren’t sure why I’m helping them.”
“I think I didn’t want to tell her what I was doing at the time,” he said.
Spilsted told the inquiry in July that Helmy initially offered to help secure roadwork contracts because he knew his father, although he said he later went behind his “wife’s back” to pay alleged kickbacks to Helmy.
Read our story from yesterday here:
Updated
Queensland confirms state-owned coal plants will run for up to a decade longer
The Queensland government has released a new five-year energy roadmap, extending the life of its state-owned coal plants by up to a decade compared to the previous government’s plans.
The state’s treasurer and energy minister, David Janetzki, is speaking to the Queensland media club, saying the plan is “pragmatic and realistic”.
He said the plan was “grounded in realities of consumer needs, infrastructure costs and deliverability time frames”. He said:
That means the journey will be delivered the Queensland way.
Anthony Albanese was asked about the coal extension during his press conference today, before the state government confirmed it.
At the time, he said he wouldn’t comment on “speculation” but pressed: “We know that the cheapest form of new energy is, of course, renewables.”
Updated
Former transport bureaucrat allegedly sought to help contractor under agreement to ‘return the favour’
The former transport bureaucrat at the centre of an alleged multimillion-dollar kickback scheme is giving evidence before the New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) again today.
As we reported yesterday, Ibrahim Helmy has admitted to artificially inflating invoices for one contractor in order to share the difference with them. Helmy was allegedly paid with envelopes of cash, some at an Oporto fast-food restaurant in western Sydney.
Today, the commission has heard evidence of how he allegedly sought to help another contractor, Direct Traffic, secure a potentially lucrative position on a panel of confirmed roadwork suppliers for the Department for Transport in September 2018.
That allegedly includes sharing confidential documents with them close to the deadline to assist with their last-minute application, as well as offering to change their format to make it editable.
The hearing has again focused on the informal language used in messages between Helmy and an alleged co-conspirator in the transport department, Peter Le. “Hey sexy boy,” Helmy messaged Le on the day before the deadline. “Sorry to do this to u [sic] … But can u send these plans in word not pdf.”
“I better be getting paaaaid for this,” Le wrote back. Helmy told the commission Le’s reference to getting paid was “just a joke”. “I hadn’t told him who I’m sending [the documents] to at this stage,” he said.
Read more here:
Updated
That’s it from me today. Thanks for following along on a busy sitting week!
I’ll leave you with the wonderful Adeshola Ore. Have a great weekend (I’ll be having a sleep-in).
Updated
No threat to Australia after 7.4 magnitude quake in the Philippines: BoM
The Bureau of Meteorology says there is no threat to Australia after a 7.4 magnitude quake in the Philippines.
The quake struck the Mindanao region on Friday, triggering a tsunami warning.
Reuters reports Indonesia has issued its own tsunami warning for the North Sulawesi and Papua regions.
You can follow live updates on our blog here:
Updated
NSW announces $145m first all-electric bus depot for Macquarie Park
Sydney’s first purpose-built all-electric bus depot is to be built in Macquarie Park and will service 150 buses running on routes across the city’s north.
The depot, due to open by 2028, is part of the state’s conversion of 8,000 buses to zero-emission technology.
The transport minister, John Graham, said the announcement of the $145m depot, jointly funded by federal and state governments, was a “big moment” in the rollout.
“This first all-electric depot really is a big step forward,” he told reporters this morning. “It’s really unprecedented to be building an all-electric [depot].”
Jerome Laxale, the federal member for Bennelong, said it was a “great day” and that the project, including its $115m commonwealth contribution, had been “easy to fight for”.
In September, Brookvale became the first of Sydney’s 11 bus depots to be converted. Leichhardt and Kingsgrove are expected to be fitted with electric chargers by 2026.
The ACT and Victoria have electric bus depots, while Western Australia is building its first fully electric site. South Australia is installing electric chargers at its Morphettville depot.
Updated
Coalition’s immigration spokesperson takes veiled dig at Hastie in speech calling for debate ‘based on facts and evidence’
The Coalition’s immigration spokesperson has taken a thinly veiled swipe at Andrew Hastie in a speech to the Migration Institute of Australia this afternoon.
Paul Scarr, a moderate, has promised a more empathetic and measured approach to migration when coming into the role, and says debate on the issue must be “based on evidence and facts”.
Hastie has recently made public comments about “mass migration” – a term Scarr has rejected – and said migration levels have made Australians feel like “strangers” in their own country.
In his speech, Scarr said:
The debate with respect to Australia’s immigration policy must be had. It is an important debate. But the debate must be based on evidence and facts. It must be measured and considered. It must not seek to inflame emotion, but rather to engage in good faith.
The shadow immigration minister also didn’t hold back on his criticism of the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, accusing him of vacating the space and neglecting to have a nuanced debate.
He said when Burke recently revealed Australia’s permanent migration intake for this year, he did so in a three-sentence statement, which was “simply not good enough”.
When making proposals, it is simply not good enough to provide a number without explaining how you derived that number. You need to be clear on proposed policy settings and linking them to how you are going to achieve outcomes. You need to be able to answer detailed questions about numbers for different visa categories. If you do not do that, you lose credibility …
It is especially not good enough in the context of Australia going through one of the most tumultuous periods of discussion of immigration policy in recent times. Transparency is important … Otherwise, the vacuum is left to be filled by the extreme fringe elements.
Updated
Allegra Spender reveals she quit parliamentary sports club over gambling ties
Independent MP Allegra Spender revealed she has quit the parliamentary sports club and called Senator David Pocock’s ban an “absolute disgrace”.
Spender has also been pushing the government to act on gambling reform and to respond to the late Peta Murphy’s landmark parliamentary review, which was handed to Labor more than two years ago.
In a statement, Spender wrote:
What an absolute disgrace that former Wallaby, Senator David Pocock has been excluded … because he raised concerns about the club’s links to the gambling industry.
The sports club should be about politicians’ love of sport, not their sad addiction to the gambling lobby.
Fellow independent Monique Ryan also quit after it was first revealed the gambling lobby was sponsoring the club.
Updated
Following from the last post …
Asked later how many people’s payments had been illegally cancelled, the deputy secretary of DEWR, Tania Rishniw, said:
We’re working through those numbers. As I said earlier, each cancellation or reduction under the legislation that’s been [cancelled] or suspended was paused for a different reason. The total number of people impacted, we’re still working through.
While cancellations were paused, the department said there had been 321,995 payment suspensions for 205,870 job seekers between May and July this year.
Updated
Government investigating after more than 300,000 Jobseeker payments illegally cancelled over four years
Yesterday the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) was asked about the legality of the TCF, the system that operates mutual obligations.
Analysis from Economic Justice Australia shows more than 300,000 income support payments were illegally cancelled between 2020 and 2024.
The secretary of DEWR, Natalie James, said the system “was not always operating as intended”.
She said the government was looking into whether providers were making illegal decisions over suspensions and cancellations.
There are thousands of decisions being made in any week under these provisions. And so humans are not perfect, and obviously, as we’ve found out, nor are our systems.
There are times where the providers aren’t exercising the judgments we would prefer.
Before anything gets into a system, a provider, an employee and a provider is making a judgment about whether certain requirements have been met.
Payment cancellations are now on hold while the government works out how to operate the system legally.
Updated
Hannah Thomas begins legal action against state of NSW
Hannah Thomas’ legal team has begun court proceedings against the state of New South Wales.
O’Brien Criminal & Civil Solicitors has filed the proceedings with the supreme court and said their client would be claiming damages for malicious prosecution, assault and battery by police officers and misfeasance in public office.
Thomas was arrested after protesting outside SEC Plating in Belmore in June. The former Greens candidate underwent two rounds of surgery on her right eye after allegedly being injured by a police officer at the protest.
In September, she was awarded almost $22,000 in legal costs after prosecutors dropped charges against her.
Thomas’ solicitor, Peter O’Brien, said:
This case represents a deeply troubling example of what happens when the rule of law is set aside by those sworn to uphold it.
We are seeking redress not only for Ms Thomas’s individual suffering, including the ongoing injury to her right eye, but also to uphold the broader principle that police powers must never be abused.
Updated
Tasmanian woman detained in Israel allegedly fed ‘stale bread and brown water only’, Greens senator says
Over in Senate estimates, the Department of Foreign Affairs (Dfat) is answering questions about an Australian woman who remains detained in Israel after the ship she was on as part of the pro-Palestinian aid flotilla was intercepted.
The Greens senator, Nick McKim, said Tasmanian woman, Madeleine Habib, who captained the Conscience ship, was allegedly told by Israeli officials she would remain “indefinitely detained” unless she signed a waiver.
McKim attempted to table email correspondence allegedly between Dfat officials and Habib’s husband that, he said, contained “extremely disturbing” pieces of information about her detention in Israel’s Ketziot prison.
The email correspondence, which had not yet been approved for tabling, alleged Habib had been provided with “stale bread and brown water only”, McKim said.
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, said she was not able to comment on specific cases and noted that Dfat officials had said the email’s information was at least 12 hours old. Wong said:
Our expectation is that Israel ensures that humane treatment to any detainees is in line with international norms.
Updated
PM won’t give ‘running commentary’ on NACC chief
Finally, the PM is asked about revelations the chief of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), Paul Brereton, has continued to advise the defence department on several occasions while in the role.
After the ABC uncovered the situation last week, officials confirmed during estimates that Brereton had briefed the department on 11 occasions since 1 July 2023.
Albanese refused to comment, saying the government followed through on its 2022 election promise to establish a NACC that was independent and worked “at arm’s length” from it.
You won’t get a running commentary about the activity of an independent body, because that is the whole point of having an independent body without political interference.
Updated
PM pins high house prices on Coalition after Reserve Bank denies responsibility
After the Reserve Bank governor blamed high house prices on a supply shortfall at estimates this morning, Albanese is asked if the government is at fault.
“Yeah, over decades,” the PM said, pinning a lot of the responsibility on the former Coalition government for not building more housing, including social housing.
In estimates this morning, the Reserve Bank governor, Michele Bullock, was asked about housing affordability. Bullock has consistently called for more supply to ease housing pressures, but declined today to comment on how other government initiatives or policies might affect prices.
Albanese said:
Housing supply shortfalls are a result of neglect by governments. The former government didn’t bother to have a housing minister for half the time that they were in office. They built just over 300 houses the entire time they were there in terms of social housing.
Updated
David Pocock ban from the parliamentary sports club is ‘David Pocock being David Pocock’, says PM
Albanese is asked about the story by my colleague, Henry Belot, on ACT independent senator David Pocock’s ban from attending Parliament House’s social sports club after the former Wallabies star raised concerns over the gambling industry sponsoring it.
Like a football, Albanese punts the question and takes a dig at Pocock. (I’ll note here the government is still under serious pressure for not responding to a landmark gambling inquiry report by the late Peta Murphy, which was handed down more than two years ago.)
I would say David Pocock being David Pocock, getting himself in the story. This is an organisation that raises money for charity.
The amount of time I’ve spent on the Australian parliament sports club this year is zero.
Asked whether it was appropriate that he was the president of the sports club, Albanese said:
Yes, as prime minister, it comes with the gig.
Updated
PM says ‘nothing unusual’ about receiving briefings on super bill
Anthony Albanese tries to pour cold water on revelations from estimates yesterday that the PM’s office has been taking an interest in the treasurer’s superannuation tax bill for accounts more than $3m.
He was asked a few times (in a few different ways) why the PM’s office would take a briefing on the bill. Albanese said it was a normal process.
He added that there would be no changes to the legislation (which still doesn’t have the support of the Coalition or Greens to pass through the Senate).
We received briefings on polices all the time … There is nothing unusual about that. That’s what occurs right across the full suite of policy issues.
Albanese declined to specify what concerns had been raised over the bill when answering a later question, saying that the government “makes no apologies” for engaging with people.
Updated
‘We also need to talk about the day after’ Gaza hostage release: PM
Asked if the federal government had received a request to send troops to Israel to support the ceasefire in Gaza as part of the peace plan, Albanese said Australia would continue to work with allies on such issues.
Albanese reiterated that the federal government “welcomes the breakthrough” in the conflict.
We also need to talk about the day after [the Israeli hostages are released], which requires a two-state solution. Australia has worked constructively with people.
President Trump deserves congratulations for the leadership the United States has shown.
Updated
PM says Australians need to ‘turn down the temperature’ in politics after allegedly receiving a death threat
Albanese is asked about a man charged with allegedly making death threats against him.
He said that as the matter was before the courts, he couldn’t comment on the specifics of the case. He added that generally speaking, Australia needed to “turn down the temperature” and increase mutual respect in political debates.
It’s something that I’ve tried to bring to political discourse in this country.
Issues that I face are far more acute than 10 years ago, five years ago. Certainly a lot more acute than [when] I was first elected … The role of social media, people being able to say things that they would never say to your face, is something I’ve spoken about regularly. There’s no place for violence.
Updated
PM announces $5m for Boggo Road renewable project upgrade
Albanese says the federal government will inject $5m to upgrade the Boggo Road precinct renewable project.
We are adding jobs and opportunities in Brisbane. This is part of our cities policy … [and] revitalising our cities and making a difference here in Brisbane.
Updated
PM touts government’s social housing agenda in Queensland
Anthony Albanese is speaking at a press conference in Brisbane.
The prime minister is spruiking the government’s $43bn housing agenda at a social housing site in the federal seat of Griffith.
Updated
Penny Wong calls Trump’s Gaza peace deal an ‘extraordinary achievement’
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, is speaking to Sky News.
She was asked if Donald Trump was the only leader who could have persuaded Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to agree to the Gaza peace deal.
Wong said that it was “probably true”.
We always knew over this last year … that we needed US engagement.
President Trump has got this over the line. It’s an extraordinary achievement.
Updated
Open web domain used by alleged Qantas hackers seized
With just hours before the hacker group Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters claim they will post the Salesforce customer data of Qantas and almost 40 other companies online, the US federal bureau of investigation has seized the open web domain used by the hackers.
A notice now appears on the site from US and French authorities saying the site has been seized.
Tech site 404Media is reporting that the dark web domain used by the hackers remains online.
The deadline is set for 3pm AEDT this afternoon.
Qantas has an injunction preventing people from accessing, using or publishing any customer data from the hack. Salesforce - the company that received the threat as it was hosting the data of the companies - has said it will not negotiate or pay any extortion demand.
Updated
Bullock says housing policy ‘not my bailiwick’
At Senate estimates, there was an interesting exchange between the RBA governor, Michele Bullock, and Greens senator Nick McKim over housing unaffordability.
Bullock has consistently called for more supply to ease housing pressures, but declined to comment on how other government initiatives or policies might affect prices.
While the impact of supply shortages is widely acknowledged as a major contributor to unaffordability, the Howard-era decision to halve the rate of capital gains tax has made dwellings even more attractive to investors at the expense of owner-occupiers. Investors have also taken full advantage of negative gearing.
McKim asked Bullock why she wouldn’t address policies like the CGT discount while “being very happy to talk about supply”. Bullock said:
There’s a plethora of policies, and I have not done analysis of looking at those various policies to decide whether or not different policies would have different impacts and what you should do with them holistically. That’s not my bailiwick.
The RBA regularly refers to its dual mandate of setting monetary policy to achieve both price stability and full employment for not commenting on specific government policies. But the RBA does consider financial stability implications for any potential problems in the housing market.
Updated
Bullock tells Senate estimates inflation is ‘sticky’
The Reserve Bank governor, Michele Bullock, has described services inflation as “sticky”, amid signs households costs are trending up, at Senate estimates this morning.
Services inflation refers to important household items including rents, insurance, education and medical costs. Bullock said:
I’d have to say that in Australia, like many other countries, services inflation does remain a little sticky.
It is higher. It’s been offset by slightly lower goods inflation, but services inflation is still up around 3%, and in some countries, it’s a bit higher than that.
Last month, the RBA’s monetary policy board held the cash rate steady at 3.6%, dashing hopes of mortgage holders that the central bank would deliver further interest rate relief.
Analysts were alarmed in September after monthly inflation figures showed price growth jumped back to 3% in the year to August, the very top of the central bank’s target range, moderating hopes of further rate cuts.
Bullock said she expects the unemployment rate to “drift a little bit higher” for the remainder of the year, even as the labour market remains in a “pretty good place”.
Any persistent increase in inflation and unemployment could prove tricky for the RBA, given the central bank would typically raise rates to combat inflation and cut rates to address rising unemployment.
Updated
We have pictures of the Australians on the Global Sumud Flotilla who have arrived back in Sydney this morning after being detained by Israeli forces.
Juliet Lamont, who spoke to media this morning, has vowed to return to Gaza. Lamont says she was beaten, groped and verbally abused by Israeli prison guards while detained.
Updated
Steggall warns against ‘totalitarian crackdown’ against protest being replicated in Australia
Independent MP Zali Steggall says while she respects the court ruling against pro-Palestinian protesters who had planned a demonstration outside the Sydney Opera House on the weekend, there must not be a crackdown on the right to protest and free speech.
Speaking to Sky News a little earlier, Steggall said we’ve seen a “totalitarian crackdown” in the United States, which should not be replicated in Australia.
I would urge that everyone has to abide by the law, and if the police needs to enforce the law, that is their role, and it’s appropriate. But I think we need to be mindful that laws against protesters have really been toughed of late, often against climate change protesters, and we have to be very careful that the right to free speech, that the right to protest, is not being curtailed when it’s topics that some or others don’t like. We’re seeing a dangerous rise of that in the US.
It’s a dangerous slide when you start … breaking down on that right to protest and free speech.
The NSW court of appeal on Thursday ruled that anyone marching on the Opera House on Sunday could be held in contempt of court, as it sided with police against the Palestine Action Group due to “extreme” safety concerns.
Updated
Mehreen Faruqi calls on Albanese to speak up after Australians’ detainment on Gaza flotilla
The Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi said the treatment of the trio, and four other Australians arrested by Israel, should compel the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and the foreign minister, Penny Wong, to speak out against Israel.
We were all really worried sick of how the Israeli military would treat them, and we were right to be worried sick.
The treatment of these Australians by Israel shows us that minister Wong’s strategy of trying to appease genocidal bullies is completely failing. Shamefully, Prime Minister Albanese and Minister Wong remain silent as these courageous humanitarians were on vessels trying to break an illegal siege …
I hope they can speak up now …
Faruqi said she believed humanitarian work would continue until the war had ended.
I have no doubt that people will continue to take to the streets, continue tot take to the oceans, until we have long-term peace and liberation.
Updated
Three Australians detained by Israel on humanitarian flotilla arrive back in Sydney
More than a hundred people, many bearing Palestinian flags and wearing keffiyehs, gathered at Sydney International Airport this morning to welcome home three Australians detained by Israel after being arrested onboard a humanitarian flotilla attempting to provide aid to Gaza.
Abubakir Rafiq, Juliet Lamont and Hamish Paterson were greeted by supporters just after 7.30am. Rafiq said:
In international waters, we were kidnapped and abducted by Israel. This is a crime under international law. While we were held hostage we were abused, we were tortured, we were kicked, punched, spat at, we were refused access to medication …
The Australian government knew that this was a possibility for us, yet they continue to maintain their relationship with a genocidal state and continue to enable the apartheid and occupation.
Lamont said the group would return to the waters surrounding Gaza, in an even larger flotilla, until the war had ended.
The eyes of the world were on the 500 of us, and that was happening to us. Imagine what is happening to the 11,000 Palestinians in jail and nobody is watching them ...
We are going back, and we’re going to take 150 boats this time. We will break the illegal siege on Gaza, we will deliver humanitarian aid, and we will show Palestinians solidarity and love.
Updated
Government’s FOI bill ‘destroying trust’: independent MP
Returning to Nicolette Boele’s interview on ABC RN Breakfast, she’s asked about the government’s controversial proposed changes to the freedom of information laws.
Legal experts have already raised concerns parts of the amendments could be “ripe” for constitutional challenge.
It’s an issue the crossbench are ropable over – two MPs, Allegra Spender and Helen Haines both pushed the government on cabinet secrecy during question time yesterday.
Neither the Coalition nor Greens have said they’ll green light the amendments. Boele says:
All of the changes that are being put forward are working against Australians who want trust in federal politics, they want trust in these institutions and what the government’s proposing with these amended changes are basically, [the] opposite to that. It’s destroying the trust. And instead of having this culture of secrecy, people want to know what the government’s decisions are in their name.
Updated
Stop the clickbait, Pope warns
Australian media representatives are among those to hear directly from the Pope, who championed press freedom and specifically the role of invaluable newswire agencies, while denouncing clickbait content, the invaluable newswire agency AAP reports.
At the Vatican on Thursday, Pope Leo XIV held a private audience with members of MINDS International, an alliance of global newswires.
“Current events call for particular discernment and responsibility, and it is clear that the media has a crucial role in forming consciences and helping critical thinking,” the Pontiff told the gathering, which included AAP’s board chair, Jonty Low, CEO, Emma Cowdroy and editor, Andrew Drummond.
In the first six months of his papacy, Pope Leo has been a proactive supporter of journalism as “a public good that we all should protect”:
One form of active citizenship is to value and support ... agencies that demonstrate seriousness and true freedom in their work.
This is invaluable and must be an antidote to the proliferation of ‘junk’ information.
He also spoke out against the spread of clickbait.
Communication must be freed from the misguided thinking that corrupts it, from unfair competition and the degrading practice of so-called clickbait.
Updated
We’re still talking about superannuation tax concessions?
We can’t seem to stop hearing about the government’s plan to increase tax on superannuation balances over $3m … yes that’s right, we’re still talking about it.
The government brought up this legislation about two years ago, and when first proposed it was supposed to be in effect from 1 July 2025, which (checks calendar) has now passed.
It turns out the prime minister’s office has been recently taking more of an interest in the bill and receiving briefings, said Diane Brown, the deputy secretary of the revenue division.
There have been some conversations with the prime minister’s office … It’s probably not unusual for that to occur from time to time.
Weighing in, independent MP Nicolette Boele tells ABC RN Breakfast she’s concerned that the government just “has an idea and runs with it” instead of having a whole-scale reform conversation about taxation which is what her colleague and fellow independent, Allegra Spender has been pushing for, and what Boele believes her community wants:
This is too often what happens when you get a government that has such a large majority that they don’t take people along on key policy issues.
People have been planning for decades for how they save for retirement and structure those investments. So any changes that are made to super need to be considered and provide people looking to retire with plenty of warning.
Updated
Former US envoy predicts Israel will agree to ceasefire deal
Israel’s security cabinet will likely agree to the Gaza ceasefire deal when they meet today, says a former US Middle East envoy for humanitarian issues.
David Satterfield, the former envoy and former US ambassador to Turkey, tells ABC RN Breakfast he believes the circumstances created by president Trump, and the Arab League have made the first phase a “deal they cannot say no to”.
I don’t think there are high risks to this first phase. The ceasefire, the release of the living hostages, the rapid identification and turnover of those bodies that can be found, and the introduction of humanitarian assistance, coupled with that, first of all steps, the Israeli withdrawal to the agreed initial line. I think that will happen. The problematic and hard to negotiate issues are what follows. This phase one is, if you will, the opening of the door.
But the toughest point of the plan will be the disarmament of Hamas and its removal of power, which Satterfield are “absolutely linked”.
An armed Hamas is a Hamas which will retain the ability to assert, albeit clandestinely, effective governance. Disarmament must be in parallel to the process of shifting Hamas out of that effective governance role. And so the question that has to be raised here is what pressures can be brought to bear upon Hamas in order to affect that goal.
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Josh Burns says he hopes ceasefire deal will help everyone ‘take a deep breath’
Labor MP Josh Burns, who’s just won the McKinnon Prize for political leadership alongside Liberal MP Julian Leeser for their roles in fighting antisemitism, says the deal brings “cautious optimism”.
Burns tells ABC News Breakfast today is about the families having their loved ones return home and about the Palestinians who have “been living in tents and who have been displaced from their homes”.
On what this means for Australia and whether the deal will help lower the temperature of debate, Burns says he hopes everyone can “take a big breath”.
What I think really matters is how we talk about difficult things and how we see the humanity in one another, and I really hope that some of the dehumanising and some of the attacking we have seen across society can take – everyone can take a big breath and we can all look at each other and see more humanity.
Burns, who is Jewish, says it’s important for people on all sides to acknowledge the pain and suffering across all communities.
Updated
‘Hard not to be excited’ about Gaza plan: Mark Butler
On Sunrise this morning the health minister, Mark Butler, and Liberal senator Jane Hume are both positive on the progress of the Gaza deal, but acknowledge it’s still “early days”. You can read more on the latest of the peace deal on our live blog here.
Butler says its hard not to be excited that perhaps the “worst of this awful conflict is behind us:
The prospect of hostages returning to their families in Israel, Defence Forces starting to withdraw from Gaza, humanitarian aid flowing again to civilians there, is very hard not to be excited that we are finally on the road to peace.
We don’t underestimate the possibility that things can fall off the rails, which is why we do urge all parties to stick to the letter of President Trump’s 20-point plan.
While there’s been a split between the two major parties over their stance on the region – the government has recognised Palestinian statehood while the Coalition has said it would revoke that – there is bipartisanship support of this deal.
Hume reflects on the 48 Israelis who remain in hostage – 20 who are still believed to be alive, who under the deal will be returned from early next week. She says “this is a really good start”.
On whether Donald Trump will get his coveted Nobel peace prize, Butler says he doesn’t think the Australian government gets a vote and at the end of the day “it’s not about prizes it’s about peace”, while Hume says that if the deal succeeds, “you name me who else” deserves the prize.
Updated
Good morning,
Krishani Dhanji with you, thanks to Martin Farrer for getting us started. The House isn’t sitting today but we still have Senate estimates so expect another big day.
We’ll be likely hearing more reaction to the first stage of the Gaza peace deal signed yesterday, and whatever other drama estimates brings up.
Stick with us!
Returning to the interview on 730: in response to the comment from anchor Sarah Ferguson that Trump appeared to believe Israel was becoming isolated in the world, Israel’s deputy foreign minister said:
Look, Israel has been through a tough period of time. OK, we’ve been in many discussions with many of our allies, and many nations that we truly expected to stand beside us during those very difficult times.
Look, Donald Trump is the best friend Israel has ever had. He was able to negotiate, through pressure on Hezbollah, a ceasefire with Lebanon. He was able to negotiate. This is the second ceasefire with Hamas, because of pressure on Hamas. He understands it’s not about the end result. It’s not about the obsession about the Palestinian state, it’s about the process, about building constructive steps towards peace, stability and coexistence.
You can read more about Haskel here:
Deadline looms on hacker threat to post Qantas data
Qantas is one of almost 40 companies facing having their data potentially posted on the dark web after a hacker group, Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters, reportedly sent a ransom note to Salesforce ordering payment by today.
The Qantas data includes personal and contact information of the companies’ customers and employees, including dates of birth. Qantas previously stated the hackers may have also accessed frequent flyer numbers and membership-tier data, which could include information on which people are given exclusive access to Qantas’s chairman’s lounge.
As is becoming standard practice after ransomware attacks of large organisations in Australia, Qantas obtained an ongoing injunction from the NSW supreme court ensuring protections to prevent the stolen data being accessed, viewed, released, used, transmitted or published by anyone, including third parties.
“We continue to offer a 24/7 support line and specialist identity protection advice to affected customers,” a Qantas spokesperson said.
A Salesforce spokesperson told Guardian Australia earlier this week the company “will not engage, negotiate with, or pay any extortion demand”.
This post was amended on 10 October 2025. A previous version incorrectly stated that Qantas data also included purchase histories and passport details.
Updated
Admiral defends fourfold increase in Aukus consultancy contract
The head of the Australian Submarine Agency has defended a consultancy contract that grew from $2.8m to $12.1m over the course of a year, saying it was “value for money”.
In a Senate estimates hearing last night, Vice Admiral Jonathan Mead said the organisational review by the Boston Consulting Group between November 2024 to last month was crucial to ensuring the agency had the right structure after it transitioned from an Aukus taskforce in July 2023.
The initial contract was valued at $2.8m in November 2024. It was extended twice more before it reached its final value of $12.1m, more than four times as much as the original estimate.
Mead said the agency was tasked with “something that has never been undertaken before in this country and is probably one of the most complex engineering tasks in the world”.
I can look you in the eye and tell you that, in my opinion, we got value for money, the agency now looks a lot different … [the Australian] government had given us very specific outcomes to deliver the optimal pathway. The three [Aukus] leaders agreed to that trilaterally. We were always under the scrutiny of government, but [also] by our trilateral partners to deliver in accordance with the schedule.
Israel's deputy foreign minister takes aim at Australia
Israel’s deputy foreign minister has praised the US president, Donald Trump, as the “best friend Israel has ever had” and taken aim at Australia, as well as other European states, for their recognition of Palestinian statehood last month.
Sharren Haskel said on ABC’s 730 last night that Gaza was “a two-state solution failure that was brought on us, that exploded in our face” and that Australia and European states had “gifted Hamas” with their recognition of Palestine.
Haskell claimed the negotiation deadlock between Israel and Hamas broke for two reasons: “One is the military pressure, and the second one is Trump pressure on Hamas.” She continued:
Unfortunately, during the very sensitive negotiation that we’ve had just a couple of months ago, European countries, including Australia, have gifted Hamas and made it very clear to them that the longer this war will continue, the more they will reward Hamas.
I mean, you have to understand when Hamas praises you, and thank you, that you are on the wrong side of history. And so, they have pushed back and obliterated the chances for the peace negotiation that we’re taking on during that time.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it’ll be Krishani Dhanji with the main action.
Israel’s deputy foreign minister has praised Donald Trump as the “best friend Israel has ever had” and taken aim at Australia, as well as other European states, for their recognition of Palestinian statehood last month. Her comments come as Gaza flotilla activists deported by Israel arrive back in Australia this morning.
The head of the Australian Submarine Agency told Senate estimates last night that a consultancy contract grew from $2.8m to $12.1m over the course of a year, but defended it as “value for money”. More details shortly.
