Jordyn Beazley
Organisers of pro-Palestine protest who have planned a march across the Sydney Harbour Bridge are vowing to go ahead despite the NSW premier rejecting the protest.
In a statement to social media, spokesperson for the Sydney-based Palestine Action Group Josh Lees, said: “[The premier] made clear on the radio this morning that he’s not opposing it because of the timing of the protest. He is opposed to it happening at any time.”
We are determined to go ahead this Sunday.
If the police and the premier want to stop us from protesting, they have to take us to the Supreme Court, and we’re prepared to fight them in court if necessary. Obviously, we wish it won’t come to that. We would rather have the authorities in agreement that we should all be standing together against the genocide.
Earlier this morning the premier, Chris Minns, said on ABC Sydney that he wouldn’t close it “for any circumstances”.
I’m asking the organisers to work with New South Wales Police on an alternative route and to shut it down in these circumstances, would be beyond the resources of the New South Wales Government.
I do acknowledge that there’s widespread community concern about the humanitarian aid and war situation in Gaza, particularly in relation to Palestinians, shared by many Australians.
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Commonwealth to fund high school anti-vaping program
Natasha May
The federal government will fund a vaping education course in high schools across the country after new research demonstrates the program’s effectiveness.
About 5,100 year seven and eight students across 40 schools were involved in the trial of OurFutures vaping prevention education program designed by the Matilda Centre at the University of Sydney.
Half of the students received their usual health education and the other half received the four-lesson web-based skills and education program.
The results, published today in the Lancet show students who participated in the program were 65% less likely to have used vapes after 12 months compared to those who did not do the course and 80% said the information they learned will help them handle vaping situations in future.
The program had already been designed by researchers to be used for education around alcohol and the government funded the trial to adapt the model to vaping behaviours.
The health minister, Mark Butler, told the media at parliament that the program would be rolled out in every high school, and schools could register their interest to participate in the program immediately.
This highly prestigious evidence based program that’s proven to work at the 40 schools where it was trialled will now be funded by the fed gov to roll out in every single high school.
Updated at 23.04 EDT
Sarah Basford Canales
Jumping back to the Coalition press conference, Sussan Ley is asked a final question on whether she believes the US president, Donald Trump, is wrong to float applying 15% to 20% tariffs on Australia, as reported overnight.
Ley said she doesn’t comment on the domestic or international policy of other nations but suggested Anthony Albanese needed to have a face-to-face conversation with Trump.
In response to that, it’s very clear that the impact we can have is the conversation that allows the real reassurance that I know Australians want, about tariffs, about Aukus, about the strength of the relationship between our most important ally, and without a personal relationship, without a personal conversation, that’s not happened.
Updated at 22.59 EDT
Hecs debt relief bill being debated in lower house
The house is debating the government’s Hecs debt bill, to cut existing debts by 20%.
The opposition has just said they’ll pass the legislation – which was a key Labor election promise.
Anthony Albanese spoke on the bill a little earlier.
Education is the most powerful weapon we have against disadvantage, it is the best investment that we can make in a stronger, more productive and more skilled economy. Education is fundamental to the Labor mission, it opens the doors of opportunity and widens them.
The house will also debate the childcare legislation today, which the government has said it wants to pass through parliament this week.
Updated at 22.57 EDT
Sarah Basford Canales
Coalition will recognise Palestine when Hamas no longer in charge, Ley says
Sussan Ley has reiterated the Coalition’s policy to recognise Palestinian statehood will only occur when “there is peace” and Hamas is no longer in charge of Gaza.
The opposition leader was asked whether the Coalition still retained its long-held policy of a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine following France’s decision to recognise Palestine as a means of achieving peace in Gaza. Ley responded:
When there is peace, our policy is a two-state solution, but first there has to be peace, and we shouldn’t get ahead of a process that is not present at the moment. And unfortunately, with Hamas in charge, there is no partner for peace, and until that situation resolves, only then could we take those important next steps.
Asked what the federal government should be doing to end the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Ley said:
The Australian government should make it very clear that they know that the war could end tomorrow if Hamas surrender and release the hostages.
Updated at 22.56 EDT
Albanese needs to secure a meeting with Trump, Ley says
Asked how the government should deal with a Trump administration that keeps changing its mind and public statements, Sussan Ley says the PM needs to meet with Trump in person.
Ley says 20 world leaders have already met with Trump face-to-face.
You need to ask the prime minister, and I’m sure you will, what is he doing about getting a meeting? What is his plan? How much longer do we have to have a situation where we haven’t had that face-to-face meeting?
She adds that the government still has questions to answer on its decision to open up more beef imports from the US.
Updated at 22.45 EDT
‘We have time to get the energy policy right’: Ley
The opposition leader says it’s the opposition’s role to hold the government to account on energy.
Sussan Ley promises the opposition will form an energy policy before the next election, but it has time to get it right.
We have about two years and nine months to the next election. We have the time to get energy policy right. We need to reflect on the result that we had on 3 May, listen to the Australian people and develop energy policy with two fundamental principles, playing our part in reducing emissions in a transparent and responsible way and assuring that we have a stable, reliable grid that provides affordable energy.
Ley says the government can’t fulfil its energy policy that is “renewables only” without expecting prices to increase.
The shadow energy minister, Dan Tehan, says the first meeting of his policy committee was constructive, and the short-term focus will be on gas.
Updated at 22.46 EDT
Ley ‘incredibly distressed’ by images out of Gaza but won’t say whether they constitute evidence of starvation
On to questions, Sussan Ley says she’s “incredibly distressed” by the images coming out of Gaza, but won’t say whether she believes that it’s evidence of starvation.
Ley says Hamas, who still hold dozens of hostages, could release those hostages and end the conflict now.
Asked directly if there is evidence of starvation of the Palestinian population in Gaza, Ley says it’s a “complex situation”.
I’ve been incredibly distressed by the images that I’ve seen, incredibly distressed, as has everyone around the world. I’m pleased that aid is now starting to flow into Gaza …
There are reports of Hamas interrupting the flow of aid and carrying on its atrocious activities at this time. Now, if we want the war to end, and we all do, we know the simplest, quickest way is for Hamas to surrender and release the hostages.
(A leaked US assessment found no evidence of Hamas interrupting the flow of aid.)
She’s asked by a few journalists about the situation in Gaza, but says again that she’s “distressed” by the images, and that Hamas should end the conflict.
Sussan Ley. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAPShare
Updated at 22.46 EDT
Coalition confirms it will not oppose Labor’s Hecs debt reduction bill
The opposition has confirmed it will pass the government’s bill to cut Hecs debts by 20%.
The Liberal leader, Sussan Ley, says the opposition cares about students who are struggling with the cost of living, and won’t block the bill from passing through parliament.
Speaking to the media at a press conference in Parliament House, she says:
We agreed to not oppose the bill as it makes its way through the parliament. We do care about students who are struggling with the cost of living and said we would be positive where we can be, and critical where we need to be.
The shadow education minister, Jonno Duniam, adds that the opposition will also be constructive with the government to fix the childcare system (the other piece of legislation that will be debated this week).
This is not a Labor problem, not a Liberal problem … it is something we all need to be responsible for as leaders.
This is not a blame game, let’s get on and fix the mess and we will stand with [the government] in doing it.
Updated at 22.19 EDT
‘Beyond comprehension’ for Israel to claim no starvation crisis in Gaza, Albanese says
Josh Butler
Anthony Albanese says it is “beyond comprehension” that Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the Israeli embassy in Australia have claimed there is no starvation crisis in Gaza.
The prime minister criticised the claims from the Israeli government in comments to the Labor caucus room this morning. He was referring to comments from Netanyahu, reported overseas, as well as reports from Australian media outlets about comments from the deputy Israeli ambassador, Amir Meron.
Meron reportedly told journalists in a briefing, to which Guardian Australia was not invited, that Israel believed photos of starving Palestinians were “false pictures” from a “false campaign that is being [led] by Hamas”.
“We don’t recognise any famine or any starvation in the Gaza Strip,” Meron reportedly said.
In comments to the Labor party meeting today, Albanese referred to such claims as “beyond comprehension”.
Albanese also told the party room that while there should be a “caveat” on any health information shared by Hamas, he added that Israel had blocked many journalists from entering Gaza to report first-hand.
Updated at 22.02 EDT
CommBank won’t refund $270m to low-income customers despite big banks’ promises
Luca Ittimani
Commonwealth Bank has told the corporate regulator it won’t pay back the $270m in fees it charged over 2 million low-income customers despite new refund promises from three other big banks in the watchdog’s sights.
We told you earlier this morning refunds of a further $57m in fees to 730,000 customers will be made by three other big banks in the sights of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (Asic).
ANZ, Bendigo Bank and Westpac had already paid $8m to over 55,000 customers after the ASIC last year found banks had charged high fees to people earning low incomes who were entitled to low-fee accounts. The new refunds from those banks, and several others not originally part of Asic’s report, were announced in the regulator’s update overnight.
CBA, though, admitted it charged $270m to 2.2 million other customers in similar circumstances from 2019 to 2024 but said it would make no further refunds, having already made goodwill payments of $25m to nearly 90,000 customers.
Photograph: AAP
The Asic reports were focused on helping lower-earning customers who likely had First Nations heritage. Banks don’t collect data on customers’ heritage so outcomes focused on customers who were receiving government payments and eligible for concession cards.
CommBank told Asic low-income customers benefited from the flexibility of overdraw features on high-fee accounts. The bank told Guardian Australia the group was a diverse cohort with varying income, savings and home ownership.
The other three banks also committed to migrate an additional 815,000 low-income customers from high-fee to low-fee accounts, saving them an expected $40m a year, while making it easier for customers to move to low fee accounts.
CommBank told Asic it planned to migrate 1.5 million customers in similar circumstances to a new account with no overdraw fees, pending authorisation, and would pause fees for those customers in August if it did not receive an authorisation decision by 31 July.
Updated at 22.01 EDT
Wondering why parliament hasn’t begun sitting yet?
Tuesdays are party room days, which means all the parties have their own meetings to discuss through policies with their members. It’s also a chance for the leader to gee up their caucus or for members to air any grievances or concerns they might have.
After the party room, the media get a bit of a rundown about what was discussed, including what legislation might be supported or rejected this week.
Sitting starts at 12pm, and of course question time goes ahead at the normal time of 2pm.
Updated at 21.32 EDT
Andrew Messenger
Queensland premier can’t recall if he discussed gender-affirming care ban with director general
Queensland premier David Crisafulli has told parliament he can’t recall if he discussed a ban on gender-affirming care with the public servant who made it in advance.
Under state law, the decision was required to be made by department of health director general, David Rosengren.
Crisafulli met with Rosengren five days before it was announced, without health minister Tim Nicholls.
In a parliamentary estimates hearing on Tuesday, Greens MP Michael Berkman asked Crisafulli if he discussed the ban at the meeting. The premier responded:
I can’t say to the member whether or not we discussed that or not, because I can’t recall.
That was a decision taken by cabinet. So ultimately, I accept that decision. Whether or not I discuss it with the director general, I’m not certain, member, I genuinely am not.
Crisafulli was also asked if he viewed a copy of the directive before it was made, but didn’t answer the question.
The ban covers to the state’s public health system, but does not apply to cisgender children seeking puberty blockers.
The Queensland premier, David Crisafulli, at an estimates hearing on Tuesday. Photograph: Darren England/AAPShare
Updated at 21.26 EDT
Benita Kolovos
Jacinta Allan condemns ‘shameful’ behaviour of pro-Palestine protesters outside NGV on Sunday
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, said some of the behaviour at a pro-Palestine protest held out the front of the National Gallery of Victoria on Sunday, which forced the gallery into lockdown for a brief period of time, was “disgraceful”.
Some protesters said they targeted the gallery because it is supported by well-known Jewish philanthropists John and Pauline Gandel. Allan says the criticism of the Gandels was “shameful”.
We are blessed to have the philanthropic generosity from families like the Gandels … That behaviour that we saw on Sunday, where antisemitism came to the street, the National Gallery was just disgraceful. It is shameful.
It was shameful behaviour, and those people who choose to cloak their extremism under the conflict of the Middle East are shameful and should be condemned.
Allan says she is concerned both about the starvation crisis in Gaza as well as the “extremist behaviour” at protests.
We can condemn, and I do condemn in the strongest terms, that behaviour on Sunday, but we can also share the grief of the community of what we are seeing at the consequences of this ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
She says the images coming out of Gaza are “devastating”. Asked whether it was time to recognise Palestine, the premier says she would “follow the lead of the federal government” on the issue, and said there must be a permanent ceasefire in the region.
It comes as Victorian Labor members will use this weekend’s state conference to demand the federal government “immediately” recognise a Palestinian state and impose sanctions on Israel – in what will be their strongest push to date on the issue.
Updated at 21.42 EDT
Bigger hailstones and more hailstorms expected as world heats up
Graham Readfearn
As the Nationals row about net zero, research adds “bigger hail” to the list of threats from the climate crisis.
With some in the Nationals pushing for the party to scrap its commitment to reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and One Nation again reminding Australians they don’t believe the climate crisis is even a thing, comes another reminder of the risks of global heating.
Now we can add bigger hailstones and more frequent hailstorms to the very long list of risks from global heating.
Dr Tim Raupach of the University of New South Wales used climate models to work out what might happen to hail in a warmer world – one that would be about 2.8C hotter than before the industrial revolution.
Raupach’s projections – published today in the journal Geophysical Research Letters – found an increase in the frequency of hailstorms in the areas around Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane.
The research also found the models forecasting the size of hail would get bigger around Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Kalgoorlie and Perth.
People living around Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Kalgoorlie and Perth can expect more of these. Photograph: Xinhua/Rex/Shutterstock
A reason for the potential increase in the size of the hail could be down to changes in the strength of the updraft in thunderstorms which keep hailstones in the cloud for longer, allowing them to grow larger before gravity eventually wins and the stones drop. Raupach said:
We looked at changes in hailstone size between simulations of historical and future periods and we can see increases in hail size produced by the model around Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne and Perth.
For example, in past simulations, very large, 10cm hailstones were expected once every 20 years around Melbourne. But in a warmer future, it’s once every three years.
How to cut the risks? Raupach says two obvious steps are to cut greenhouse gas emissions and allow for the increased risk in the design of the urban environment.
Updated at 22.15 EDT
Patrick Commins
Pocock and Ryan want exporters to divert uncontracted gas for domestic use
Senator David Pocock has joined fellow teal independent, Monique Ryan, in calling on the government to force exporters to divert uncontracted gas for domestic use.
Amid soaring energy prices and fears of supply shortfalls on the east coast, Labor has commissioned a review of the gas market to be conducted over the next six months.
Australian Institute analysis released this morning shows that electricity prices have doubled and wholesale gas prices on the east coast have tripled since exports began in 2015.
The government has opened the door to an east coast gas reservation scheme.
But Pocock said there was no need to reserve extra gas as there was more than enough of the resource to play its part in the clean energy transition without opening new gas fields.
We’re paying international prices for our own gas, and we’re not even getting a return through things like the PRRT (petroleum resource rent tax), which the latest forecasts show is actually going to decline.
This is a scam.
Ryan said that “in the last four years of the slow-dawning realisation from Australians of how significantly we have been duped by our government by decades of policy failure, particularly on gas”.
Every time one of us opens up bills for electricity or for gas, we are seeing evidence of government failure.
Updated at 21.05 EDT