Federal politics live: Nationals leader David Littleproud weighing up options on way forward for nuclear policy
Nationals leader David Littleproud has charted a potential path forward for the Coalition's nuclear policy.
Follow our live blog below.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
43 minutes ago
- ABC News
Preventative detention laws for migrants have failed, Tony Burke concedes
Laws designed to put certain migrants behind bars if they are deemed to threaten community safety have effectively failed, the immigration minister has conceded. The preventative detention regime was set up in 2023 after the High Court ordered the release of a man, referred to as "NZYQ", who had a criminal history and no right to remain in Australia but could not be deported to his home country. The laws, which also enabled ankle monitoring and curfews, applied to NZYQ and about 250 others with similar circumstances, but the government was forced to rewrite them after a second High Court case affirmed it could not "punish" the cohort. Tony Burke told Sky News this had resulted in such a high bar that nobody in the cohort could be detained under the laws. "No-one has come close to reaching the threshold that is in that legislation," he said. "I keep meeting with the department and keep asking, 'OK what people do we have at different thresholds that we can run a case …' I'm not giving up, I'm going to keep doing it, but I'll tell you, to be honest, I would much prefer the individuals out of the country." The government passed another law last year allowing Australia to pay other countries to take members of the cohort, a law the High Court is now testing after the government paid Nauru to accept three of them. Mr Burke said the government was "winning" so far and this avenue was more promising than preventative detention. "The reality is the legal thresholds we are stuck with because of some of the decisions of the High Court are more difficult to reach than I wanted them to be … That's why we've introduced the laws for third countries," he said. One member of the cohort, Friday Yokoju, was charged over a fatal attack in Footscray earlier this month. Mr Yokoju was charged with intentionally causing serious injury to a 62-year-old man. However, Victoria Police are weighing further charges after the man's death. The incident sparked criticism from the Coalition's new home affairs spokesperson Andrew Hastie, who accused Mr Burke of being "passive" by failing to make any preventative detention applications. "The reason why the parliament rushed through these preventative detention powers 18 months ago was to prevent exactly this sort of scenario where an innocent person is [allegedly] harmed by a member of this cohort," he told the ABC at the time. "If they can't deport them, they need to exercise the powers the parliament vested in the minister to prevent this from happening." Mr Burke said he expected Mr Yokoju would now "end up in a process where there'll be a long time in jail" if he was convicted and that he would not seek to deport him while this process was ongoing, but would prioritise others in the cohort. "If you're on a visa you are a guest in the country, and almost everybody who is in Australia is a good guest … For people who breach that trust, we're entitled to say your visa is cancelled and it's time for you to leave." Many in the NZYQ cohort had their visas cancelled a long time ago but they were unable to be deported for a variety of reasons. The government has also passed a law making it an offence not to cooperate with efforts to secure deportation, which can require members of the cohort to take steps such as applying for a passport in a third country or risk jail time.
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
NSW Liberal leader says women and young people have a ‘seat at the table' after election loss
NSW Opposition Leader Mark Speakman says women and young people have a 'seat at the table' in the state's Liberal branch amid calls to end federal intervention in the party following their bruising loss at last month's election. Liberal leader Sussan Ley confirmed earlier this month the federal takeover of the NSW division would continue until at least March 2026 but without ex-Victorian Liberal treasurer Alan Stockdale and ex-senator Richard Alston. Mr Stockdale stirred controversy when he told the NSW Liberal Women's Council in early June that 'women are sufficiently assertive now that we should be giving some thought to whether we need to protect men's involvement'. The comments sparked quick condemnation from Ms Ley as well as Queensland and NSW members of the Liberal Party whose NSW branch is often seen as being more moderate, including on issues such as women's involvement. In an exclusive interview, Mr Speakman said the NSW Liberal Party had made 'great strides' in recent years in increasing women's representation when asked whether the branch should act as a 'north star' to its federal counterpart. 'I'm not going to advise the federal branch whether or not they should have quotas, that's a matter for the feds, but in NSW our female representation in parliament has improved dramatically in recent years. 'Women now represent 45 per cent of our frontbench, they represent 45 per cent of our party room. We can always do better, but we have made great strides in getting female representation in the last few years.' Mr Speakman also praised the party's investment in young people. 'We've got eight MPs who are under 40,' he said. 'About half of those are under 35. Labor have no MPs under 35 at all. 'It's important that young people have a seat at the table as well. 'If their voice is unheard at the table, often they are overlooked.' The Liberal Party has faced immense scrutiny over the party's relationship with women following the 2025 federal election. Labor seized on multiple scandals during the campaign, including claims then opposition leader Peter Dutton was out of touch with women due to his plans to reform work-from-home rights and position on women in the military. Ms Ley said she was determined to get more women into the Liberal Party ranks and pushed back against condemnation of gender quotas from Liberal leadership rival Angus Taylor and former prime minister Tony Abbott.
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Australians ‘have had an absolute gutful' of Welcome to Country ceremonies, survey finds
Australians have tired of 'pointless' Welcome to Country ceremonies, new polling data has revealed, amid calls for a 'review' of their use at public events. A survey of 1005 Australians conducted by independent marketing research firm Dynata on behalf of the conservative Institute of Public Affairs last month found that more than half (56 per cent) of participants agreed the practice has 'become divisive'. Only 17 per cent disagreed with the statement, while 27 per cent said they were unsure. Surprisingly, 48 per cent of those aged 18 to 24 — a demographic often thought to be more progressive than generations past — did not believe the ritual to be a unifying one. Sentiment around the performance of Welcome to Country before major events like Anzac Day or sporting matches was more mixed — 46 per cent and 49 per cent respectively said they should no longer be performed before either event, versus 34 per cent and 30 per cent who said they should continue. IPA deputy executive director Daniel Wild said the survey results were proof 'Australians have had an absolute gutful' of the 'divisive and pointless' tradition. 'Even younger Australians, who the political class insist are left-wing and woke, by a two-to-one margin believe Welcome to Country performances are divisive,' Mr Wild said in a statement accompanying the findings. 'And they are evenly split on the performances at sporting events and Anzac Day ceremonies, further underscoring how divisive it is. 'Commonsense, working class, mainstream Australians understand something that the highly credentialed elites do not: Australians do not want to be divided by race, and we do not want or need to be welcomed to our own country.' He also took aim at Opposition Leader Sussan Ley, who opened her National Press Club address on Wednesday by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land and maintained that while it should not become a box-ticking exercise, there is 'a time and a place' for the declaration and Welcome to Country ceremonies. 'Look, I think Acknowledgement of Country have their place, but in significant moments like yesterday was one of those places,' Ms Ley told ABC Radio on Thursday, asked if her speech 'settled' the ongoing debate over their use. 'And as Environment Minister and Health Minister, I listened carefully and I participated in what I would describe as meaningful Welcome to Country ceremonies that involved the circumstances of Indigenous Australians with respect to our natural environment and their health that were relevant and important. 'I don't think it should be ticking a box on a Teams meeting. I don't think it should be at every work meeting, because I think that actually diminishes the value of what it is. 'So there is a time and a place, and it's about striking the right balance.' Her words were a marked departure from the stance of her predecessor Peter Dutton, who omitted Acknowledgement of Country statements at major events and speeches during his election campaign, said the practice was overdone and went as far as to say he didn't support Welcome to Country ceremonies on Anzac Day. Mr Wild argued Ms Ley's stance was also 'at odds with modern Australia', and accused her of '[failing] to state who the purported traditional owners of the National Press Club are'. A number of Indigenous community leaders and academics, speaking to The Daily Telegraph, also questioned the frequency with which Welcome to Country ceremonies were being performed, as well as the motives behind them. 'Welcome to Country is overused. It is meant to be a sacred ceremony between tribes, not to be commercialised like a money-making machine,' former South Australian AFL player Tyson Lindsay said. 'I talk to my elders about it and they say it is not acceptable, every time we hear it we cringe now … There are too many real issues facing Aboriginal people to be worrying about these empty symbolic gestures. 'I am looking for real change for the good of rather than symbolic tokenism.' Prominent Indigenous leader and businessman Warren Mundine said he was sick of the practice being hijacked for political purposes. 'A welcome is supposed to be, 'I'm glad you're here',' Mr Mundine explained. 'It's like welcoming someone into your house.' Speaking to earlier this year, Wiradjuri woman and University of Melbourne Associate Professor of Indigenous Education, Dr Jessa Rogers, said the misconception the tradition is 'about welcoming you to Australia' was 'completely ridiculous'. 'People think that a Welcome to Country is welcoming them to Australia, when in fact it is welcoming them to the specific Country of that local Aboriginal nation,' Dr Rogers said. Simply put, Dr Rogers explained, Welcome to Country is a formal welcome by the traditional owners and custodians of a particular place, to their country. 'Country is not the same as 'Australia',' she said. 'It is a spiritual concept as well as a physical one — it encompasses landmarks but also people, skies, waterways and beings. Country is what we belong to as Aboriginal people.'
