Budapest Pride to challenge Orban's ban in Hungary
A record number of people are expected to attend Saturday's Pride march in the Hungarian capital Budapest, defying a ban that marks an unprecedented regression of LGBTQ rights in the European Union.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban's ruling coalition amended laws and the constitution earlier this year to prohibit the annual celebration, justifying his years-long clampdown on LGBTQ rights on "child protection" grounds.
While Orban has been emboldened by the anti-diversity offensive of US President Donald Trump, his own initiatives have drawn protests at home and condemnation from the EU and rights groups.
The nationalist leader on Friday said that while police would not "break up" the 30th edition of the Pride march, those who took part should be aware of "legal consequences".
Despite the risk of a fine, more than 35,000 people are expected to gather at 2:00 pm (1200 GMT) near Budapest's city hall, an hour before the march begins.
Ministers from several EU countries, and dozens of European lawmakers are expected to attend in defiance of the ban, reminiscent of that in Moscow in 2006 and Istanbul in 2015.
"We're not just standing up for ourselves... If this law isn't overturned, eastern Europe could face a wave of similar measures," Pride organiser Viktoria Radvanyi said.
- Freshly installed cameras -
Earlier this week, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen called on the Hungarian authorities to reverse the ban.
Thirty-three countries have also spoken up in support of the march.
While parade organisers risk up to a year in prison, attendees can face fines up to 500 euros ($580). The latest legal changes empower the authorities to use facial-recognition technology to identify those who take part.
Freshly installed cameras have appeared on lamp posts along the planned route of the march.
However, opposition Budapest mayor Gergely Karacsony has insisted that no attendee can face any reprisals as the march -- co-organised by the city hall this time -- is a municipal event and does not require police approval.
"The police have only one task tomorrow, and it is a serious one: to ensure the safety of Hungarian and European citizens attending the event," Karacsony said during a briefing with visiting EU equalities commissioner Hadja Lahbib.
Far-right groups have announced multiple counterprotests along the planned route of the procession.
Justice Minister Bence Tuzson this week sent a letter to EU embassies cautioning diplomats and staff against participating because of the police ban.
Several EU countries have informed their citizens of the potential of fines through travel advisories.
- 'Polarising society' -
Since Orban's return to power in 2010, the country of 9.6 million people has been steadily rolling back LGBTQ rights.
Legal changes have effectively barred same-sex couples from adopting children, prevented transgender people from changing their name or gender in official documents, and a 2021 law forbade the "display and promotion" of homosexuality to under-18s.
This March, lawmakers passed a bill targeting the annual Pride march, amending the 2021 law to prohibit any gathering violating its provisions.
A month later, parliament also adopted a constitutional change to strengthen the legal foundations for the ban.
"Orban is employing a tried-and-tested recipe ahead of next year's election by generating a conflict," political analyst Daniel Mikecz told AFP. Orban was "polarising society", he added.
Voter opinion polls suggest Orban's Fidesz party has been losing ground to the opposition.
The first Pride march was held in 1970 in New York to mark the anniversary of the city's Stonewall riots in June 1969, which sparked the gay rights movement.
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News.com.au
5 hours ago
- News.com.au
Budapest Pride to challenge Orban's ban in Hungary
A record number of people are expected to attend Saturday's Pride march in the Hungarian capital Budapest, defying a ban that marks an unprecedented regression of LGBTQ rights in the European Union. Prime Minister Viktor Orban's ruling coalition amended laws and the constitution earlier this year to prohibit the annual celebration, justifying his years-long clampdown on LGBTQ rights on "child protection" grounds. While Orban has been emboldened by the anti-diversity offensive of US President Donald Trump, his own initiatives have drawn protests at home and condemnation from the EU and rights groups. The nationalist leader on Friday said that while police would not "break up" the 30th edition of the Pride march, those who took part should be aware of "legal consequences". Despite the risk of a fine, more than 35,000 people are expected to gather at 2:00 pm (1200 GMT) near Budapest's city hall, an hour before the march begins. Ministers from several EU countries, and dozens of European lawmakers are expected to attend in defiance of the ban, reminiscent of that in Moscow in 2006 and Istanbul in 2015. "We're not just standing up for ourselves... If this law isn't overturned, eastern Europe could face a wave of similar measures," Pride organiser Viktoria Radvanyi said. - Freshly installed cameras - Earlier this week, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen called on the Hungarian authorities to reverse the ban. Thirty-three countries have also spoken up in support of the march. While parade organisers risk up to a year in prison, attendees can face fines up to 500 euros ($580). The latest legal changes empower the authorities to use facial-recognition technology to identify those who take part. Freshly installed cameras have appeared on lamp posts along the planned route of the march. However, opposition Budapest mayor Gergely Karacsony has insisted that no attendee can face any reprisals as the march -- co-organised by the city hall this time -- is a municipal event and does not require police approval. "The police have only one task tomorrow, and it is a serious one: to ensure the safety of Hungarian and European citizens attending the event," Karacsony said during a briefing with visiting EU equalities commissioner Hadja Lahbib. Far-right groups have announced multiple counterprotests along the planned route of the procession. Justice Minister Bence Tuzson this week sent a letter to EU embassies cautioning diplomats and staff against participating because of the police ban. Several EU countries have informed their citizens of the potential of fines through travel advisories. - 'Polarising society' - Since Orban's return to power in 2010, the country of 9.6 million people has been steadily rolling back LGBTQ rights. Legal changes have effectively barred same-sex couples from adopting children, prevented transgender people from changing their name or gender in official documents, and a 2021 law forbade the "display and promotion" of homosexuality to under-18s. This March, lawmakers passed a bill targeting the annual Pride march, amending the 2021 law to prohibit any gathering violating its provisions. A month later, parliament also adopted a constitutional change to strengthen the legal foundations for the ban. "Orban is employing a tried-and-tested recipe ahead of next year's election by generating a conflict," political analyst Daniel Mikecz told AFP. Orban was "polarising society", he added. Voter opinion polls suggest Orban's Fidesz party has been losing ground to the opposition. The first Pride march was held in 1970 in New York to mark the anniversary of the city's Stonewall riots in June 1969, which sparked the gay rights movement. ros/jza/jj/ach
Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
It's expensive, complex and dangerous. But it's one of the most important things we do
I saw that repeatedly during my time as The Age's world editor in 2019 and 2020, when readers came to us for information on the Hong Kong riots and the struggle between democracy and Chinese Communist Party rule on the islands. They came to us for our coverage of the war in Syria, they came to us to find out what would happen when Britain split from the EU, and they came to us when a mysterious virus out of Wuhan rampaged across Italy. This is why The Age and its sister publications invest so much in a first-class world news team, regular foreign excursions and the assignment of four of our top journalists to permanent overseas postings. On that note, I must thank Rob Harris for a stellar three years as your European correspondent. Few will ever write a piece with the poignancy and insight he seems to be able to summon at will. It has been a privilege to be able to bring you his inimitable reporting. Yesterday's story, which he wrote for you from a bomb shelter in Ukraine, is a great example of his powerful storytelling ability. We look forward to him returning home and resuming his work on everything from federal politics to the Melbourne Cup. And we welcome his replacement, David Crowe, to the posting. I don't need to convince any of you of Crowe's journalistic calibre. One of the country's finest reporters, you will be as well served by his work from Europe as you were during his time as our chief political correspondent in Canberra. Loading In other parts of the world, Lisa Visentin in North Asia and Zach Hope in South-East Asia continue to impress. Hope's reporting on Myanmar in recent months has been excellent, and I highly recommend reading Visentin's colourful story from the Chinese border town of Manzhouli, which she likens to a Russian outpost. Our foreign coverage is expensive, complicated and sometimes dangerous. Those facts are inescapable. Without your support and your subscription, it would be extremely difficult for us to maintain such comprehensive overseas coverage.
The Advertiser
a day ago
- The Advertiser
Chaos: PETA attacks Royals, US skins kangaroos, Pauline hopping mad at Albo
In politics, timing can be everything. US President Donald Trump set himself a deadline and task to seal 90 trade deals in 90 days, and the July 8 cut-off is nearly here, at which point he has promised to activate his full arsenal of tariffs. The federal government is yet to meet with the president in the flesh, seemingly a key ingredient in successful negotiations with the brash New Yorker, after a missed opportunity at the G7 summit in Canada last week when Trump cancelled several meetings, including with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, to focus on hatching a plan to bomb Iranian nuclear targets. Then there was no crossing of paths this week between the president and Defence Minister Richard Marles at a NATO Summit at The Hague. Labor keeps reminding voters that, while a face-to-face would be handy, it is not the only diplomatic or administrative channel into the Oval Office. Time will shortly tell, however, as it is running out and President Trump has shown no signs of leniency and keeps asking Australia to increase its defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP, after convincing the EU and NATO to hike their spending to 5 per cent. But Mr Albanese continues to rebuke the request, as recently as Friday morning, with Australia's spending to lift to about 2.4pc of GDP by 2034. It is currently just over 2 per cent, however, the government says it is less about the size of the funding pool, but what it does with what it has that matters. A not particularly flash omen for Australia's fortunes, however, is that Mr Trump has threatened to increase tariffs against Spain after that country said it was actually not that on contributing more to the EU military kitty. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt has also bought in, saying that if Europe can do it, then Australia can, too. Meanwhile, the state of New York has announced that it will be building the first new nuclear power plant in the US for 15 years, something former Liberal leader Peter Dutton would have liked to have happened prior to the May 3 election. Federal Parliament is due to sit for the first time since February on July 22, and it appears likely that a handful of Labor MPs will be sitting on the Opposition benches in the lower house, given the thumping nature of the government's landslide win. It will be interesting to see who draws the short straws. But we now do know who will possibly be attending Labor's much hyped economic reform and productivity roundtable in April, with Treasurer Jim Chalmers announcing on Friday afternoon that invitations have been issued to Productivity Commission chair Danielle Wood, ACTU secretary Sally McManus, ACTU president Michele O'Neil, Bran Black, the chief executive of the Business Council of Australia, Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Andrew McKellar, Australian Industry Group chief executive Innes Willox, Small Business Organisations chair Matthew Addison and Cassandra Goldie from the Australian Council of Social Services. PETA has accused Prince William and Princess Kate of being "staggeringly out of touch", which is interesting in itself, given the barbs directed at the animal rights group for its eternal virtue-signalling in search of relevancy. The royal couple's crime? It appears to boil down to breeding dogs. The heir to the throne's offending was exposed on his 43rd birthday after a photo was posted of William with Orla, the clan's pet cocker spaniel, and three of the new mum's puppies. The pic set alarm bells and keyboards off at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals HQ, and a media statement was released accusing the royal couple of "churning out a litter" when animal shelters worldwide are "overflowing with puppies desperate for a second chance at a loving home". It reminds us of that time, last month, when Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce urged men to get their prostate checked, in finding some good in a bad situation, before he headed into surgery after an early cancer diagnosis. However, PETA used it for its own purposes in sending its "long-time sparring partner" a get-well gift in the form of a book about cancer survival and telling the world about it in a press release citing unattributed research suggesting a meat-free diet reduced prostate cancer risks. "Recovering from surgery is the perfect time to rest, read and reconsider our lifestyle choices," said a spokesperson in sealing the inaugural monthly Chaos award for dud PR campaign. Markets open to kangaroo products shrank a little further after sportswear company Umbro said it would stop using leather made from the animal's hide in its football boots worldwide from 2026, after stopping US sales in 2019. Sporting goods multinationals Puma and Nike swapped kangaroo leather for synthetics in 2023 after a long campaign by animal advocates. And the market will get a whole lot smaller if US Democrat Senators Tammy Duckworth and Cory Booker successfully convince colleagues to pass the Kangaroo Protection Act that the pair introduced this week, seeking to ban the import and sale of products made from kangaroo body parts across the US. The Australian Wild Game Industry Council, which was the Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia, is yet to bounce into action in addressing how the changes will impact the local manufacturing and harvesting industries. KIAA representatives have previously travelled to the US to balance the "emotive misinformation" targeting US politicians from activist groups and said that, while leather did not underpin the industry, there was a concern any negativity around their products will jeopardise larger markets for meat for people and pets. Hides were once seen as so valueless they were tipped into landfills before a market in high-value leather products opened up, however, changes in consumer behaviour or overseas laws may not change the number of kangaroos culled or harvested due to government harvest quotas. The Wall Street Journal this week broke an "exclusive" story that Shell is considering a $125 billion bid to acquire BP in what would be the largest oil deal in a generation. BP's shares initially surged before Shell issued a market statement to report that it had not made an approach or held talks with BP in regards to a possible offer. Under rule 2.8 of the UK's takeover code that police mergers and acquisitions of listed companies, Shell's public denial of any offer being in the pipeline means it now cannot make a formal offer to buy BP for at least six months except under conditions like making an offer should another company make a bid for BP. The situation, though, will exercise some minds as to the local implications if Shell were to take over BP, given the prevailing cost-of-living crisis, local regulations and retail service station dominance of the pair in Australia. One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has pumped the brakes on celebrations in now having four senators in the upper house following the May 3 election - the same as the Nationals. The Queensland firebrand discovered through media reports this week that PHON's staffing allocation had been effectively halved by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who ticked off funding for four staff in total. Senator Hanson and Malcolm Roberts had two personal staff each following the 2022 election. So incensed is Senator Hanson that she has threatened to take the matter to the National Anti-Corruption Commission. In a letter to the PM, she said: "It seems reasonable to assume that these unfair staffing allocations are politically and personally motivated." "My office has made several attempts to have a serious discussion with the crossbench liaison within your office. Despite repeated outreach, there has been a noticeable lack of urgency and a failure to return calls. This has further compounded the disrespect felt by our offices," she wrote. "Senators (David) Pocock, Lambie and (Tammy) Tyrrell have had no changes to their staffing numbers. Senator (Ralph) Babet has reportedly lost one staffer, while Senator (Fatima) Payman's allocation stands at zero. While I recognise political differences exist, there appears to be no fair or consistent rationale for these disparities." The situation has some echoes of members of the crossbench having reduced staffing details three years ago, with Senator Pocock being particularly vocal about the situation. Nationals leader David Littleproud kicked off shadow cabinet on Thursday by suggesting that the Coalition had to choose between getting in the fetal position and giving up following its "humiliating and disappointing" landslide election defeat or "come out swinging". "And being from western Queensland, we always take the latter," he said. In reminding attendees that political fortunes can rapidly turn, Mr Littleproud said they must cop the election loss on the chin and quickly move on. "Australians are still doing it tough... the mob will turn and turn big time against the Albanese government," he said. "And when they do, we'll be ready for it." Liberal leader Sussan Ley told the party room that while the election was sobering, it was time to rebuild with "every voice in this room" having a role to play, in signalling a "bottom-up" approach for new party policy development. One of those voices, however, was opposition defence spokesperson Angus Taylor telling Sky News that he does not support gender quotas for party preselection, just a day after Ms Ley said she was open to the idea. Mr Taylor's comments did not escape new Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek, who said on Friday morning that Mr Taylor was "all the proof you need that Liberal Party preselection is not based on merit". "It's extremely disappointing to see the Liberal Party still not learning the lessons of their recent defeat," she said. Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds said in a gender review ordered after the election loss that the party faces extinction if unable to increase support from female voters. While Ms Ley has previously said her appointment as the first female Liberal leader "sends a signal", it does not erase the fact that the current 48th parliament will contain fewer Liberal women than at any point in the last three decades. The other gender issue this week for the Liberals was a set of explicit images of women posted to the party's Facebook page on Wednesday night that were quickly removed and blamed on a hacker. Meanwhile, when Mr Littleproud was asked in a media interview this week whether he was a fan of fashionable food trends, like acai bowls and matcha, the MP for Maranoa, which covers a huge section of Western Queensland, said we "haven't seen too much of them out here". "Normally, the good old hot box has always got the pie, or the good old sausage roll always gets you through to lunchtime," he said. "I've always stuck with them. None of this fancy stuff. I see acai bowls, I don't know whether I've had one. Nonetheless, I'm prepared to try one. "I'm all with the new trends in society, so next time I get to a capital city, I'll give it a go just to see what the other half do." Meanwhile, the government has also its important National Security Council basically intact, with those around the table at a meeting this week including Mr Albanese, Mr Marles, Treasurer Jim Chalmers, Senators Penny Wong and Katy Gallagher, Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy and Michelle Rowland, who switched from Communications to the Attorney-General portfolio following the election, and Energy Minister Chris Bowen. The Fair Work Ombudsman has launched an investigation into the horticulture labour hire sector to target labour hire providers in a crackdown on modern slavery and forced labour. The watchdog revealed, in a report summing up its findings after a three-year campaign investigating more than 500 employers, that labour hire operators had notably higher breach rates than growers in every region where both were investigated. Victoria's Mornington Peninsula and Yarra Valley region had the highest rates of overall non-compliance, with 83 per cent of targeted employers found to have failed to meet obligations under the Fair Work Act. Next worst breach rates were in NSW's Riverina with 72pc, Sunraysia and Shepparton in Victoria on 70pc and 63pc respectively and Coffs Harbour and Grafton in NSW with 61pc. Inspectors visited 360 farms and orchards and issued $760,000 in fines to employers who had failed to meet their pay slip and record-keeping obligations and recovered $384,000 in wages for 464 underpaid workers. No one could begrudge Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff a few moments of meditation with his favourite mug in his favourite place after facing a no-confidence motion in the parliament and convincing State Governor Barbara Baker to grant his request for a snap election to be held on July 19. How's the serenity? Just don't read the comments. In politics, timing can be everything. US President Donald Trump set himself a deadline and task to seal 90 trade deals in 90 days, and the July 8 cut-off is nearly here, at which point he has promised to activate his full arsenal of tariffs. The federal government is yet to meet with the president in the flesh, seemingly a key ingredient in successful negotiations with the brash New Yorker, after a missed opportunity at the G7 summit in Canada last week when Trump cancelled several meetings, including with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, to focus on hatching a plan to bomb Iranian nuclear targets. Then there was no crossing of paths this week between the president and Defence Minister Richard Marles at a NATO Summit at The Hague. Labor keeps reminding voters that, while a face-to-face would be handy, it is not the only diplomatic or administrative channel into the Oval Office. Time will shortly tell, however, as it is running out and President Trump has shown no signs of leniency and keeps asking Australia to increase its defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP, after convincing the EU and NATO to hike their spending to 5 per cent. But Mr Albanese continues to rebuke the request, as recently as Friday morning, with Australia's spending to lift to about 2.4pc of GDP by 2034. It is currently just over 2 per cent, however, the government says it is less about the size of the funding pool, but what it does with what it has that matters. A not particularly flash omen for Australia's fortunes, however, is that Mr Trump has threatened to increase tariffs against Spain after that country said it was actually not that on contributing more to the EU military kitty. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt has also bought in, saying that if Europe can do it, then Australia can, too. Meanwhile, the state of New York has announced that it will be building the first new nuclear power plant in the US for 15 years, something former Liberal leader Peter Dutton would have liked to have happened prior to the May 3 election. Federal Parliament is due to sit for the first time since February on July 22, and it appears likely that a handful of Labor MPs will be sitting on the Opposition benches in the lower house, given the thumping nature of the government's landslide win. It will be interesting to see who draws the short straws. But we now do know who will possibly be attending Labor's much hyped economic reform and productivity roundtable in April, with Treasurer Jim Chalmers announcing on Friday afternoon that invitations have been issued to Productivity Commission chair Danielle Wood, ACTU secretary Sally McManus, ACTU president Michele O'Neil, Bran Black, the chief executive of the Business Council of Australia, Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Andrew McKellar, Australian Industry Group chief executive Innes Willox, Small Business Organisations chair Matthew Addison and Cassandra Goldie from the Australian Council of Social Services. PETA has accused Prince William and Princess Kate of being "staggeringly out of touch", which is interesting in itself, given the barbs directed at the animal rights group for its eternal virtue-signalling in search of relevancy. The royal couple's crime? It appears to boil down to breeding dogs. The heir to the throne's offending was exposed on his 43rd birthday after a photo was posted of William with Orla, the clan's pet cocker spaniel, and three of the new mum's puppies. The pic set alarm bells and keyboards off at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals HQ, and a media statement was released accusing the royal couple of "churning out a litter" when animal shelters worldwide are "overflowing with puppies desperate for a second chance at a loving home". It reminds us of that time, last month, when Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce urged men to get their prostate checked, in finding some good in a bad situation, before he headed into surgery after an early cancer diagnosis. However, PETA used it for its own purposes in sending its "long-time sparring partner" a get-well gift in the form of a book about cancer survival and telling the world about it in a press release citing unattributed research suggesting a meat-free diet reduced prostate cancer risks. "Recovering from surgery is the perfect time to rest, read and reconsider our lifestyle choices," said a spokesperson in sealing the inaugural monthly Chaos award for dud PR campaign. Markets open to kangaroo products shrank a little further after sportswear company Umbro said it would stop using leather made from the animal's hide in its football boots worldwide from 2026, after stopping US sales in 2019. Sporting goods multinationals Puma and Nike swapped kangaroo leather for synthetics in 2023 after a long campaign by animal advocates. And the market will get a whole lot smaller if US Democrat Senators Tammy Duckworth and Cory Booker successfully convince colleagues to pass the Kangaroo Protection Act that the pair introduced this week, seeking to ban the import and sale of products made from kangaroo body parts across the US. The Australian Wild Game Industry Council, which was the Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia, is yet to bounce into action in addressing how the changes will impact the local manufacturing and harvesting industries. KIAA representatives have previously travelled to the US to balance the "emotive misinformation" targeting US politicians from activist groups and said that, while leather did not underpin the industry, there was a concern any negativity around their products will jeopardise larger markets for meat for people and pets. Hides were once seen as so valueless they were tipped into landfills before a market in high-value leather products opened up, however, changes in consumer behaviour or overseas laws may not change the number of kangaroos culled or harvested due to government harvest quotas. The Wall Street Journal this week broke an "exclusive" story that Shell is considering a $125 billion bid to acquire BP in what would be the largest oil deal in a generation. BP's shares initially surged before Shell issued a market statement to report that it had not made an approach or held talks with BP in regards to a possible offer. Under rule 2.8 of the UK's takeover code that police mergers and acquisitions of listed companies, Shell's public denial of any offer being in the pipeline means it now cannot make a formal offer to buy BP for at least six months except under conditions like making an offer should another company make a bid for BP. The situation, though, will exercise some minds as to the local implications if Shell were to take over BP, given the prevailing cost-of-living crisis, local regulations and retail service station dominance of the pair in Australia. One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has pumped the brakes on celebrations in now having four senators in the upper house following the May 3 election - the same as the Nationals. The Queensland firebrand discovered through media reports this week that PHON's staffing allocation had been effectively halved by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who ticked off funding for four staff in total. Senator Hanson and Malcolm Roberts had two personal staff each following the 2022 election. So incensed is Senator Hanson that she has threatened to take the matter to the National Anti-Corruption Commission. In a letter to the PM, she said: "It seems reasonable to assume that these unfair staffing allocations are politically and personally motivated." "My office has made several attempts to have a serious discussion with the crossbench liaison within your office. Despite repeated outreach, there has been a noticeable lack of urgency and a failure to return calls. This has further compounded the disrespect felt by our offices," she wrote. "Senators (David) Pocock, Lambie and (Tammy) Tyrrell have had no changes to their staffing numbers. Senator (Ralph) Babet has reportedly lost one staffer, while Senator (Fatima) Payman's allocation stands at zero. While I recognise political differences exist, there appears to be no fair or consistent rationale for these disparities." The situation has some echoes of members of the crossbench having reduced staffing details three years ago, with Senator Pocock being particularly vocal about the situation. Nationals leader David Littleproud kicked off shadow cabinet on Thursday by suggesting that the Coalition had to choose between getting in the fetal position and giving up following its "humiliating and disappointing" landslide election defeat or "come out swinging". "And being from western Queensland, we always take the latter," he said. In reminding attendees that political fortunes can rapidly turn, Mr Littleproud said they must cop the election loss on the chin and quickly move on. "Australians are still doing it tough... the mob will turn and turn big time against the Albanese government," he said. "And when they do, we'll be ready for it." Liberal leader Sussan Ley told the party room that while the election was sobering, it was time to rebuild with "every voice in this room" having a role to play, in signalling a "bottom-up" approach for new party policy development. One of those voices, however, was opposition defence spokesperson Angus Taylor telling Sky News that he does not support gender quotas for party preselection, just a day after Ms Ley said she was open to the idea. Mr Taylor's comments did not escape new Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek, who said on Friday morning that Mr Taylor was "all the proof you need that Liberal Party preselection is not based on merit". "It's extremely disappointing to see the Liberal Party still not learning the lessons of their recent defeat," she said. Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds said in a gender review ordered after the election loss that the party faces extinction if unable to increase support from female voters. While Ms Ley has previously said her appointment as the first female Liberal leader "sends a signal", it does not erase the fact that the current 48th parliament will contain fewer Liberal women than at any point in the last three decades. The other gender issue this week for the Liberals was a set of explicit images of women posted to the party's Facebook page on Wednesday night that were quickly removed and blamed on a hacker. Meanwhile, when Mr Littleproud was asked in a media interview this week whether he was a fan of fashionable food trends, like acai bowls and matcha, the MP for Maranoa, which covers a huge section of Western Queensland, said we "haven't seen too much of them out here". "Normally, the good old hot box has always got the pie, or the good old sausage roll always gets you through to lunchtime," he said. "I've always stuck with them. None of this fancy stuff. I see acai bowls, I don't know whether I've had one. Nonetheless, I'm prepared to try one. "I'm all with the new trends in society, so next time I get to a capital city, I'll give it a go just to see what the other half do." Meanwhile, the government has also its important National Security Council basically intact, with those around the table at a meeting this week including Mr Albanese, Mr Marles, Treasurer Jim Chalmers, Senators Penny Wong and Katy Gallagher, Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy and Michelle Rowland, who switched from Communications to the Attorney-General portfolio following the election, and Energy Minister Chris Bowen. The Fair Work Ombudsman has launched an investigation into the horticulture labour hire sector to target labour hire providers in a crackdown on modern slavery and forced labour. The watchdog revealed, in a report summing up its findings after a three-year campaign investigating more than 500 employers, that labour hire operators had notably higher breach rates than growers in every region where both were investigated. Victoria's Mornington Peninsula and Yarra Valley region had the highest rates of overall non-compliance, with 83 per cent of targeted employers found to have failed to meet obligations under the Fair Work Act. Next worst breach rates were in NSW's Riverina with 72pc, Sunraysia and Shepparton in Victoria on 70pc and 63pc respectively and Coffs Harbour and Grafton in NSW with 61pc. Inspectors visited 360 farms and orchards and issued $760,000 in fines to employers who had failed to meet their pay slip and record-keeping obligations and recovered $384,000 in wages for 464 underpaid workers. No one could begrudge Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff a few moments of meditation with his favourite mug in his favourite place after facing a no-confidence motion in the parliament and convincing State Governor Barbara Baker to grant his request for a snap election to be held on July 19. How's the serenity? Just don't read the comments. In politics, timing can be everything. US President Donald Trump set himself a deadline and task to seal 90 trade deals in 90 days, and the July 8 cut-off is nearly here, at which point he has promised to activate his full arsenal of tariffs. The federal government is yet to meet with the president in the flesh, seemingly a key ingredient in successful negotiations with the brash New Yorker, after a missed opportunity at the G7 summit in Canada last week when Trump cancelled several meetings, including with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, to focus on hatching a plan to bomb Iranian nuclear targets. Then there was no crossing of paths this week between the president and Defence Minister Richard Marles at a NATO Summit at The Hague. Labor keeps reminding voters that, while a face-to-face would be handy, it is not the only diplomatic or administrative channel into the Oval Office. Time will shortly tell, however, as it is running out and President Trump has shown no signs of leniency and keeps asking Australia to increase its defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP, after convincing the EU and NATO to hike their spending to 5 per cent. But Mr Albanese continues to rebuke the request, as recently as Friday morning, with Australia's spending to lift to about 2.4pc of GDP by 2034. It is currently just over 2 per cent, however, the government says it is less about the size of the funding pool, but what it does with what it has that matters. A not particularly flash omen for Australia's fortunes, however, is that Mr Trump has threatened to increase tariffs against Spain after that country said it was actually not that on contributing more to the EU military kitty. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt has also bought in, saying that if Europe can do it, then Australia can, too. Meanwhile, the state of New York has announced that it will be building the first new nuclear power plant in the US for 15 years, something former Liberal leader Peter Dutton would have liked to have happened prior to the May 3 election. Federal Parliament is due to sit for the first time since February on July 22, and it appears likely that a handful of Labor MPs will be sitting on the Opposition benches in the lower house, given the thumping nature of the government's landslide win. It will be interesting to see who draws the short straws. But we now do know who will possibly be attending Labor's much hyped economic reform and productivity roundtable in April, with Treasurer Jim Chalmers announcing on Friday afternoon that invitations have been issued to Productivity Commission chair Danielle Wood, ACTU secretary Sally McManus, ACTU president Michele O'Neil, Bran Black, the chief executive of the Business Council of Australia, Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Andrew McKellar, Australian Industry Group chief executive Innes Willox, Small Business Organisations chair Matthew Addison and Cassandra Goldie from the Australian Council of Social Services. PETA has accused Prince William and Princess Kate of being "staggeringly out of touch", which is interesting in itself, given the barbs directed at the animal rights group for its eternal virtue-signalling in search of relevancy. The royal couple's crime? It appears to boil down to breeding dogs. The heir to the throne's offending was exposed on his 43rd birthday after a photo was posted of William with Orla, the clan's pet cocker spaniel, and three of the new mum's puppies. The pic set alarm bells and keyboards off at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals HQ, and a media statement was released accusing the royal couple of "churning out a litter" when animal shelters worldwide are "overflowing with puppies desperate for a second chance at a loving home". It reminds us of that time, last month, when Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce urged men to get their prostate checked, in finding some good in a bad situation, before he headed into surgery after an early cancer diagnosis. However, PETA used it for its own purposes in sending its "long-time sparring partner" a get-well gift in the form of a book about cancer survival and telling the world about it in a press release citing unattributed research suggesting a meat-free diet reduced prostate cancer risks. "Recovering from surgery is the perfect time to rest, read and reconsider our lifestyle choices," said a spokesperson in sealing the inaugural monthly Chaos award for dud PR campaign. Markets open to kangaroo products shrank a little further after sportswear company Umbro said it would stop using leather made from the animal's hide in its football boots worldwide from 2026, after stopping US sales in 2019. Sporting goods multinationals Puma and Nike swapped kangaroo leather for synthetics in 2023 after a long campaign by animal advocates. And the market will get a whole lot smaller if US Democrat Senators Tammy Duckworth and Cory Booker successfully convince colleagues to pass the Kangaroo Protection Act that the pair introduced this week, seeking to ban the import and sale of products made from kangaroo body parts across the US. The Australian Wild Game Industry Council, which was the Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia, is yet to bounce into action in addressing how the changes will impact the local manufacturing and harvesting industries. KIAA representatives have previously travelled to the US to balance the "emotive misinformation" targeting US politicians from activist groups and said that, while leather did not underpin the industry, there was a concern any negativity around their products will jeopardise larger markets for meat for people and pets. Hides were once seen as so valueless they were tipped into landfills before a market in high-value leather products opened up, however, changes in consumer behaviour or overseas laws may not change the number of kangaroos culled or harvested due to government harvest quotas. The Wall Street Journal this week broke an "exclusive" story that Shell is considering a $125 billion bid to acquire BP in what would be the largest oil deal in a generation. BP's shares initially surged before Shell issued a market statement to report that it had not made an approach or held talks with BP in regards to a possible offer. Under rule 2.8 of the UK's takeover code that police mergers and acquisitions of listed companies, Shell's public denial of any offer being in the pipeline means it now cannot make a formal offer to buy BP for at least six months except under conditions like making an offer should another company make a bid for BP. The situation, though, will exercise some minds as to the local implications if Shell were to take over BP, given the prevailing cost-of-living crisis, local regulations and retail service station dominance of the pair in Australia. One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has pumped the brakes on celebrations in now having four senators in the upper house following the May 3 election - the same as the Nationals. The Queensland firebrand discovered through media reports this week that PHON's staffing allocation had been effectively halved by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who ticked off funding for four staff in total. Senator Hanson and Malcolm Roberts had two personal staff each following the 2022 election. So incensed is Senator Hanson that she has threatened to take the matter to the National Anti-Corruption Commission. In a letter to the PM, she said: "It seems reasonable to assume that these unfair staffing allocations are politically and personally motivated." "My office has made several attempts to have a serious discussion with the crossbench liaison within your office. Despite repeated outreach, there has been a noticeable lack of urgency and a failure to return calls. This has further compounded the disrespect felt by our offices," she wrote. "Senators (David) Pocock, Lambie and (Tammy) Tyrrell have had no changes to their staffing numbers. Senator (Ralph) Babet has reportedly lost one staffer, while Senator (Fatima) Payman's allocation stands at zero. While I recognise political differences exist, there appears to be no fair or consistent rationale for these disparities." The situation has some echoes of members of the crossbench having reduced staffing details three years ago, with Senator Pocock being particularly vocal about the situation. Nationals leader David Littleproud kicked off shadow cabinet on Thursday by suggesting that the Coalition had to choose between getting in the fetal position and giving up following its "humiliating and disappointing" landslide election defeat or "come out swinging". "And being from western Queensland, we always take the latter," he said. In reminding attendees that political fortunes can rapidly turn, Mr Littleproud said they must cop the election loss on the chin and quickly move on. "Australians are still doing it tough... the mob will turn and turn big time against the Albanese government," he said. "And when they do, we'll be ready for it." Liberal leader Sussan Ley told the party room that while the election was sobering, it was time to rebuild with "every voice in this room" having a role to play, in signalling a "bottom-up" approach for new party policy development. One of those voices, however, was opposition defence spokesperson Angus Taylor telling Sky News that he does not support gender quotas for party preselection, just a day after Ms Ley said she was open to the idea. Mr Taylor's comments did not escape new Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek, who said on Friday morning that Mr Taylor was "all the proof you need that Liberal Party preselection is not based on merit". "It's extremely disappointing to see the Liberal Party still not learning the lessons of their recent defeat," she said. Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds said in a gender review ordered after the election loss that the party faces extinction if unable to increase support from female voters. While Ms Ley has previously said her appointment as the first female Liberal leader "sends a signal", it does not erase the fact that the current 48th parliament will contain fewer Liberal women than at any point in the last three decades. The other gender issue this week for the Liberals was a set of explicit images of women posted to the party's Facebook page on Wednesday night that were quickly removed and blamed on a hacker. Meanwhile, when Mr Littleproud was asked in a media interview this week whether he was a fan of fashionable food trends, like acai bowls and matcha, the MP for Maranoa, which covers a huge section of Western Queensland, said we "haven't seen too much of them out here". "Normally, the good old hot box has always got the pie, or the good old sausage roll always gets you through to lunchtime," he said. "I've always stuck with them. None of this fancy stuff. I see acai bowls, I don't know whether I've had one. Nonetheless, I'm prepared to try one. "I'm all with the new trends in society, so next time I get to a capital city, I'll give it a go just to see what the other half do." Meanwhile, the government has also its important National Security Council basically intact, with those around the table at a meeting this week including Mr Albanese, Mr Marles, Treasurer Jim Chalmers, Senators Penny Wong and Katy Gallagher, Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy and Michelle Rowland, who switched from Communications to the Attorney-General portfolio following the election, and Energy Minister Chris Bowen. The Fair Work Ombudsman has launched an investigation into the horticulture labour hire sector to target labour hire providers in a crackdown on modern slavery and forced labour. The watchdog revealed, in a report summing up its findings after a three-year campaign investigating more than 500 employers, that labour hire operators had notably higher breach rates than growers in every region where both were investigated. Victoria's Mornington Peninsula and Yarra Valley region had the highest rates of overall non-compliance, with 83 per cent of targeted employers found to have failed to meet obligations under the Fair Work Act. Next worst breach rates were in NSW's Riverina with 72pc, Sunraysia and Shepparton in Victoria on 70pc and 63pc respectively and Coffs Harbour and Grafton in NSW with 61pc. Inspectors visited 360 farms and orchards and issued $760,000 in fines to employers who had failed to meet their pay slip and record-keeping obligations and recovered $384,000 in wages for 464 underpaid workers. No one could begrudge Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff a few moments of meditation with his favourite mug in his favourite place after facing a no-confidence motion in the parliament and convincing State Governor Barbara Baker to grant his request for a snap election to be held on July 19. How's the serenity? Just don't read the comments. In politics, timing can be everything. US President Donald Trump set himself a deadline and task to seal 90 trade deals in 90 days, and the July 8 cut-off is nearly here, at which point he has promised to activate his full arsenal of tariffs. The federal government is yet to meet with the president in the flesh, seemingly a key ingredient in successful negotiations with the brash New Yorker, after a missed opportunity at the G7 summit in Canada last week when Trump cancelled several meetings, including with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, to focus on hatching a plan to bomb Iranian nuclear targets. Then there was no crossing of paths this week between the president and Defence Minister Richard Marles at a NATO Summit at The Hague. Labor keeps reminding voters that, while a face-to-face would be handy, it is not the only diplomatic or administrative channel into the Oval Office. Time will shortly tell, however, as it is running out and President Trump has shown no signs of leniency and keeps asking Australia to increase its defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP, after convincing the EU and NATO to hike their spending to 5 per cent. But Mr Albanese continues to rebuke the request, as recently as Friday morning, with Australia's spending to lift to about 2.4pc of GDP by 2034. It is currently just over 2 per cent, however, the government says it is less about the size of the funding pool, but what it does with what it has that matters. A not particularly flash omen for Australia's fortunes, however, is that Mr Trump has threatened to increase tariffs against Spain after that country said it was actually not that on contributing more to the EU military kitty. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt has also bought in, saying that if Europe can do it, then Australia can, too. Meanwhile, the state of New York has announced that it will be building the first new nuclear power plant in the US for 15 years, something former Liberal leader Peter Dutton would have liked to have happened prior to the May 3 election. Federal Parliament is due to sit for the first time since February on July 22, and it appears likely that a handful of Labor MPs will be sitting on the Opposition benches in the lower house, given the thumping nature of the government's landslide win. It will be interesting to see who draws the short straws. But we now do know who will possibly be attending Labor's much hyped economic reform and productivity roundtable in April, with Treasurer Jim Chalmers announcing on Friday afternoon that invitations have been issued to Productivity Commission chair Danielle Wood, ACTU secretary Sally McManus, ACTU president Michele O'Neil, Bran Black, the chief executive of the Business Council of Australia, Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Andrew McKellar, Australian Industry Group chief executive Innes Willox, Small Business Organisations chair Matthew Addison and Cassandra Goldie from the Australian Council of Social Services. PETA has accused Prince William and Princess Kate of being "staggeringly out of touch", which is interesting in itself, given the barbs directed at the animal rights group for its eternal virtue-signalling in search of relevancy. The royal couple's crime? It appears to boil down to breeding dogs. The heir to the throne's offending was exposed on his 43rd birthday after a photo was posted of William with Orla, the clan's pet cocker spaniel, and three of the new mum's puppies. The pic set alarm bells and keyboards off at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals HQ, and a media statement was released accusing the royal couple of "churning out a litter" when animal shelters worldwide are "overflowing with puppies desperate for a second chance at a loving home". It reminds us of that time, last month, when Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce urged men to get their prostate checked, in finding some good in a bad situation, before he headed into surgery after an early cancer diagnosis. However, PETA used it for its own purposes in sending its "long-time sparring partner" a get-well gift in the form of a book about cancer survival and telling the world about it in a press release citing unattributed research suggesting a meat-free diet reduced prostate cancer risks. "Recovering from surgery is the perfect time to rest, read and reconsider our lifestyle choices," said a spokesperson in sealing the inaugural monthly Chaos award for dud PR campaign. Markets open to kangaroo products shrank a little further after sportswear company Umbro said it would stop using leather made from the animal's hide in its football boots worldwide from 2026, after stopping US sales in 2019. Sporting goods multinationals Puma and Nike swapped kangaroo leather for synthetics in 2023 after a long campaign by animal advocates. And the market will get a whole lot smaller if US Democrat Senators Tammy Duckworth and Cory Booker successfully convince colleagues to pass the Kangaroo Protection Act that the pair introduced this week, seeking to ban the import and sale of products made from kangaroo body parts across the US. The Australian Wild Game Industry Council, which was the Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia, is yet to bounce into action in addressing how the changes will impact the local manufacturing and harvesting industries. KIAA representatives have previously travelled to the US to balance the "emotive misinformation" targeting US politicians from activist groups and said that, while leather did not underpin the industry, there was a concern any negativity around their products will jeopardise larger markets for meat for people and pets. Hides were once seen as so valueless they were tipped into landfills before a market in high-value leather products opened up, however, changes in consumer behaviour or overseas laws may not change the number of kangaroos culled or harvested due to government harvest quotas. The Wall Street Journal this week broke an "exclusive" story that Shell is considering a $125 billion bid to acquire BP in what would be the largest oil deal in a generation. BP's shares initially surged before Shell issued a market statement to report that it had not made an approach or held talks with BP in regards to a possible offer. Under rule 2.8 of the UK's takeover code that police mergers and acquisitions of listed companies, Shell's public denial of any offer being in the pipeline means it now cannot make a formal offer to buy BP for at least six months except under conditions like making an offer should another company make a bid for BP. The situation, though, will exercise some minds as to the local implications if Shell were to take over BP, given the prevailing cost-of-living crisis, local regulations and retail service station dominance of the pair in Australia. One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has pumped the brakes on celebrations in now having four senators in the upper house following the May 3 election - the same as the Nationals. The Queensland firebrand discovered through media reports this week that PHON's staffing allocation had been effectively halved by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who ticked off funding for four staff in total. Senator Hanson and Malcolm Roberts had two personal staff each following the 2022 election. So incensed is Senator Hanson that she has threatened to take the matter to the National Anti-Corruption Commission. In a letter to the PM, she said: "It seems reasonable to assume that these unfair staffing allocations are politically and personally motivated." "My office has made several attempts to have a serious discussion with the crossbench liaison within your office. Despite repeated outreach, there has been a noticeable lack of urgency and a failure to return calls. This has further compounded the disrespect felt by our offices," she wrote. "Senators (David) Pocock, Lambie and (Tammy) Tyrrell have had no changes to their staffing numbers. Senator (Ralph) Babet has reportedly lost one staffer, while Senator (Fatima) Payman's allocation stands at zero. While I recognise political differences exist, there appears to be no fair or consistent rationale for these disparities." The situation has some echoes of members of the crossbench having reduced staffing details three years ago, with Senator Pocock being particularly vocal about the situation. Nationals leader David Littleproud kicked off shadow cabinet on Thursday by suggesting that the Coalition had to choose between getting in the fetal position and giving up following its "humiliating and disappointing" landslide election defeat or "come out swinging". "And being from western Queensland, we always take the latter," he said. In reminding attendees that political fortunes can rapidly turn, Mr Littleproud said they must cop the election loss on the chin and quickly move on. "Australians are still doing it tough... the mob will turn and turn big time against the Albanese government," he said. "And when they do, we'll be ready for it." Liberal leader Sussan Ley told the party room that while the election was sobering, it was time to rebuild with "every voice in this room" having a role to play, in signalling a "bottom-up" approach for new party policy development. One of those voices, however, was opposition defence spokesperson Angus Taylor telling Sky News that he does not support gender quotas for party preselection, just a day after Ms Ley said she was open to the idea. Mr Taylor's comments did not escape new Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek, who said on Friday morning that Mr Taylor was "all the proof you need that Liberal Party preselection is not based on merit". "It's extremely disappointing to see the Liberal Party still not learning the lessons of their recent defeat," she said. Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds said in a gender review ordered after the election loss that the party faces extinction if unable to increase support from female voters. While Ms Ley has previously said her appointment as the first female Liberal leader "sends a signal", it does not erase the fact that the current 48th parliament will contain fewer Liberal women than at any point in the last three decades. The other gender issue this week for the Liberals was a set of explicit images of women posted to the party's Facebook page on Wednesday night that were quickly removed and blamed on a hacker. Meanwhile, when Mr Littleproud was asked in a media interview this week whether he was a fan of fashionable food trends, like acai bowls and matcha, the MP for Maranoa, which covers a huge section of Western Queensland, said we "haven't seen too much of them out here". "Normally, the good old hot box has always got the pie, or the good old sausage roll always gets you through to lunchtime," he said. "I've always stuck with them. None of this fancy stuff. I see acai bowls, I don't know whether I've had one. Nonetheless, I'm prepared to try one. "I'm all with the new trends in society, so next time I get to a capital city, I'll give it a go just to see what the other half do." Meanwhile, the government has also its important National Security Council basically intact, with those around the table at a meeting this week including Mr Albanese, Mr Marles, Treasurer Jim Chalmers, Senators Penny Wong and Katy Gallagher, Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy and Michelle Rowland, who switched from Communications to the Attorney-General portfolio following the election, and Energy Minister Chris Bowen. The Fair Work Ombudsman has launched an investigation into the horticulture labour hire sector to target labour hire providers in a crackdown on modern slavery and forced labour. The watchdog revealed, in a report summing up its findings after a three-year campaign investigating more than 500 employers, that labour hire operators had notably higher breach rates than growers in every region where both were investigated. Victoria's Mornington Peninsula and Yarra Valley region had the highest rates of overall non-compliance, with 83 per cent of targeted employers found to have failed to meet obligations under the Fair Work Act. Next worst breach rates were in NSW's Riverina with 72pc, Sunraysia and Shepparton in Victoria on 70pc and 63pc respectively and Coffs Harbour and Grafton in NSW with 61pc. Inspectors visited 360 farms and orchards and issued $760,000 in fines to employers who had failed to meet their pay slip and record-keeping obligations and recovered $384,000 in wages for 464 underpaid workers. No one could begrudge Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff a few moments of meditation with his favourite mug in his favourite place after facing a no-confidence motion in the parliament and convincing State Governor Barbara Baker to grant his request for a snap election to be held on July 19. How's the serenity? Just don't read the comments.
