Australia news live: Dreyfus says opposition MPs privately apologised for gag move in antisemitism debate; ADF monitors Chinese warships
22.15 CET Dreyfus say opposition MPs privately apologised for gag move in antisemitism debate
The federal attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, spoke with ABC RN earlier, after the opposition last week attempted to gag him in parliament while talking about antisemitism.
As Krishani Dhanji reported at the time, Liberal MP Michael Sukkar moved that Dreyfus no longer be heard in his response to a question on antisemitism.
Tony Burke, the leader of the house, had his jaw drop open in legitimate-looking shock, while next to him Richard Marles also looked dumbfounded.
Dreyfus, who is Jewish, had spoken in his answer about standing in the debris of a firebombed synagogue in Melbourne and visiting Israel.
Speaking this morning, the attorney general said an 'extraordinary number' of opposition politicians had reached out to him.
They saw that what happened in parliament was a mistake, and they've apologised to me for it.
He didn't name those who had apologised, but said Sukkar had not.
Michael Sukkar moves that Mark Dreyfus no longer be heard while speaking on antisemitism during question time on 10 February. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP Share
Updated at 22.19 CET
4m ago
22.49 CET Victorian government announces review into public sector
Benita Kolovos
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, and state treasurer, Jaclyn Symes, are holding a press conference to announce a review into the public sector.
Allan said the review will be led by Helen Silver and will focus on 'waste, inefficiency and duplication'.
This independent review is ensuring a laser-focus on every dollar of expenditure in the Victorian government's budget, like households are focusing on every dollar that they spend, so too is the Victorian government.
The premier repeatedly said the review will not affect frontline services. She said her government will 'continue to invest in support at frontline services' – teachers, nurses, police, crime and child protection.
Symes, who became treasurer in late December, said she has formed the view the budget 'really needs a refresh'.
This is about ensuring that our frontline services are protected, the critical services of government that Victorians rely on are supported and promoted, whilst identifying duplication, inefficiencies, overlap, and indeed, maybe some of those programs that have been around for say 20 years, that are just not meeting the needs of the Victorian community.
View image in fullscreen
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan (left), and treasurer, Jaclyn Symes. Photograph: James Ross/AAP Share
Updated at 22.52 CET
9m ago
22.45 CET Telstra hikes dividend and announces $750m share buy-back
Telstra is raising its dividend and will spend up to $750m buying back its shares, AAP reports, after the telecommunications firm grew its first-half profit by 7.1%.
Telstra has said it made $1.1bn in net profit in the first half, after a strong performance from its mobile business with 119,000 net new customers.
Its revenue for the six months to 31 December was up 1.5% to $11.6bn, with earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation climbing 6% to $4.2bn. Chief executive, Vicki Brady, said:
These are a strong set of results, delivering a fourth consecutive year of first-half underlying growth, reflecting momentum across our business, strong cost control and disciplined capital management.
Telstra announced a 9.5% share fully franked interim dividend, up 5.6% from a year ago. The company will begin buying back its shares on 12 March.
It will also spend another $800m over the next four years upgrading its mobile network in partnership with Ericsson, to optimise network management with 'self-detection and self-healing properties'.
View image in fullscreen
The telco grew its first-half profit by 7.1%. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP Share
Updated at 22.47 CET
14m ago
22.40 CET
Malinauskas says SA government has spoken to BlueScope about potentially buying Whyalla
Peter Malinauskas said the state government had spoken with BlueScope steel, 'among other companies', about the possibility of buying the Whyalla steelworks.
But he said it 'wouldn't be appropriate to go into the all the discrete detail of the discussions we've had with steel manufacturers.'
BlueScope is a really good Australian company, it's publicly listed, it's well managed, it's finances are sound. So I would love to see BlueScope participate in an exercise to examine whether or not they want to purchase the steelworks, but that'll be a matter for them. Share
Updated at 22.48 CET
16m ago
22.37 CET
Malinauskas says SA government feeling 'confident' in yesterday's legislation
The South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas also spoke with ABC RN earlier this morning after yesterday's Whyalla announcement.
He was asked if the legislation that was pushed through yesterday could be legally challenged? The premier said the government received 'legal advice from some of the smartest minds we have in the nation' and were feeling confident:
We live in a country where the law prevails and that affords individuals and entities rights, and they're entitled to pursue them as they see fit.
But needless to say, the events that transpired in Parliament didn't take place without the South Australian government getting access to the best advice in the country, including legal advice from some of the smartest minds we have in the nation in that particular field of law, and we're rather confident. Share
20m ago
22.33 CET
SA premier says he 'won't apologise' for making sure state government had everything lined up before acting on Whyalla
The South Australian premier was asked if his government should have moved faster on Whyalla, given so many people have lost quite a lot of money in this process?
Peter Malinauskas said that when state government's take this sort of action, 'you want to do it with caution and a degree of thoughtfulness.'
So I make no apologies about making sure we got everything lined up before we act[ed].
But more than that, although there's been wide reporting globally particularly in the financial press about the state of GFG and its struggles, here in Whyalla, the workers have been getting paid. Creditors have had quarters and they have been paid. There have been challenges of late payments but still getting paid. All that started to change late last year, that's what invited the government intervention and hence what we saw in mid-February. Share
25m ago
22.29 CET
Malinauskas on amount of debt owed to state government and creditors
The South Australian premier, Peter Malinauskas, has been making the media rounds this morning, and spoke to ABC News Breakfast earlier about the Whyalla steelworks' administration.
He was tight-lipped on the announcement the prime minister will make today, but said the state and federal governments had been 'working closely together now for some time to be able to arrive at this point'.
Asked how much GFG Alliance owes the government and creditors, Malinauskas said there was 'a degree of transparency now that is going to be allowed to take place that wasn't true this time yesterday' in terms of GFG's financial situations.
The numbers that have been bandied around publicly is over $300m worth of creditors that aren't being funded by GFG, and we have no reason to believe that number is in any way too small. But let's wait and see what the administrators find out about the full picture of the size of that debt. Share
Updated at 22.31 CET
33m ago
22.20 CET
'Extraordinary' opposition gag attempt was 'wrong', Dreyfus says
Continuing to speak on ABC RN, Mark Dreyfus said it was 'it was an extraordinary thing to gag' in the parliament.
The gag is used very rarely. To seek to gag the attorney general of the Commonwealth when I'm talking about the subject as serious as this – and a subject as personal and as close to me as this – was wrong.
Asked how difficult it is to juggle being attorney general with also being a member of the Jewish community, he responded he is proud of his role – but it is personal.
I hope that I'm managing to balance those difficulties, but it is personal. We must never forget the Holocaust and I'll keep saying that.
I've really just come back from the … 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, a place where my great-grandmother died, was murdered by the Nazis. And it is very personal, but so it is for every member of the Jewish community.
Dreyfus said he believes Australians 'stand with the Jewish community against antisemitism and stand with the Jewish community in wanting to remember the Holocaust and wanting to say 'never again'.' Share
Updated at 22.24 CET
39m ago
22.15 CET
Dreyfus say opposition MPs privately apologised for gag move in antisemitism debate
The federal attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, spoke with ABC RN earlier, after the opposition last week attempted to gag him in parliament while talking about antisemitism.
As Krishani Dhanji reported at the time, Liberal MP Michael Sukkar moved that Dreyfus no longer be heard in his response to a question on antisemitism.
Tony Burke, the leader of the house, had his jaw drop open in legitimate-looking shock, while next to him Richard Marles also looked dumbfounded.
Dreyfus, who is Jewish, had spoken in his answer about standing in the debris of a firebombed synagogue in Melbourne and visiting Israel.
Speaking this morning, the attorney general said an 'extraordinary number' of opposition politicians had reached out to him.
They saw that what happened in parliament was a mistake, and they've apologised to me for it.
He didn't name those who had apologised, but said Sukkar had not.
View image in fullscreen
Michael Sukkar moves that Mark Dreyfus no longer be heard while speaking on antisemitism during question time on 10 February. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP Share
Updated at 22.19 CET
45m ago
22.08 CET
Marles rejects Trump's accusation Zelenskyy is a 'dictator'
Richard Marles was asked about Donald Trump's escalated attacks on Volodymyr Zelenskyy, after the US president called the Ukrainian leader 'a dictator' who had 'better move fast' or he 'won't have a country left'.
Trump calls Zelenskyy a dictator amid fears of irreconcilable rift
Read more
Asked if he thinks Zelenskyy is a dictator, Marles said 'no', but said 'I'm also not about to engage in a running commentary of President Trump's remarks.'
We obviously, and I think the world obviously, welcomes any efforts to bring about peace. The war in Ukraine has seen a very significant loss of life over what's coming up to three years.
Having said that, it can't be peace on any terms – and to be clear, I don't think America is saying that either. It is really important that we are empowering Ukraine in this process. And we've said from the outset, and we continue to say, that this conflict can only be resolved on Ukraine's terms.
The aggressor here is Russia. They were the ones who illegally crossed into Ukraine, who invaded Ukraine. That is why we are supporting Ukraine. We see that what's at stake here.
The host notes that Trump is not 'saying any of that', and Marles repeats that he won't give 'a running commentary on what President Trump is saying.' Share
Updated at 22.20 CET
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The Herald Scotland
11 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Trump is battling higher ed. Meet the man he wants leading the charge
As under secretary, Kent would oversee the office in charge of billions in federal student aid and that ensures America's colleges provide a quality education. Kent's nomination comes as the administration has sought to shut down much of the Department of Education while using it and other federal education policies to dramatically upend the higher education system. The administration has specifically investigated and frozen billions in funding to multiple Ivy League institutions like Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania. The administration and Columbia University just agreed to a $200 million fine to settle accusations that the New York institution had discriminated against its Jewish community following months of pressure and hundreds of millions in halted federal funding. The settlement is supposed to restore that money. But the shakeup of higher education extends beyond the Ivy League schools as the Trump administration has frozen billions in research funding, throttled the flow of international students, and launched dozens of investigations into private and public colleges. For-profits schools, though, have largely been spared and Trump has suggested redirecting billions from Ivy League universities to trade schools. The Department of Education declined to make Kent available for an interview, but Education Secretary Linda McMahon praised him as a "natural leader" whose experience and concern for students "make him the ideal selection for under secretary of education." "Nicholas' technical expertise and vast experience in higher education, especially his work on accreditation and accountability reforms, will be a great benefit to current and aspiring postsecondary students, faculty, and staff," she said in a statement to USA TODAY. While awaiting Senate approval, Kent is working on other policies for the Department of Education, including the administration's school choice initiatives at the K-12 level. Backers of the administration's pick say Kent would bring a deep knowledge of higher education policy and fairness to the role. And while higher education advocacy groups have pushed back on the department's attacks on colleges, they have embraced Kent. The American Council on Education, the largest trade group of colleges, endorsed him in a March letter to the Senate's education committee. Other supporters include trade groups for community colleges, private universities and veteran organizations. But critics want to know more about his ties to Education Affiliates, the for-profit college company that paid millions to settle claims of fraud without a determination of liability. They also question his time at Career Education Colleges and Universities, the for-profit trade group that pushed rolling back federal regulations directed at proprietary universities, as for-profit schools are often called. Others questioned what he accomplished while working in Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin's administration as deputy secretary of education in Virginia. Those worried about his nomination say Kent could have addressed their concerns, but the Senate committee advanced his nomination and six others without a hearing in a 12-11 vote. The previous under secretary, James Kvaal, received a committee hearing before the Senate confirmed him, though none of the nine preceding under secretaries did. "With decades of experience in higher education, Mr. Kent will bring proven expertise and leadership to the Department of Education," said Stephen Lewerenz, the education committee's Republican spokesperson. "We look forward to his nomination moving through the full Senate." U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, the ranking member of the committee voted against Kent's nomination saying, "we should not be confirming a former lobbyist who represented for-profit colleges to oversee higher education." The final vote on Kent is not yet scheduled, and Republicans hold a majority, making his confirmation likely. Company paid $13 million to settle 'numerous allegations of predatory conduct' Kent earned his undergraduate degree in 2005 at West Virginia Wesleyan College, a private school with ties to the United Methodist Church. He launched his higher education career early by taking college courses while in high school, according to details shared about his high school and college life by Education Department spokesperson Madison Biedermann. He also was a first-generation student who received a Pell Grant, an award geared toward low-income students. After graduating, he spent two years working for the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools, according to his LinkedIn page listing his work history. It's a smaller player in the accreditation space that approves many for-profit schools that offer bachelor's degrees and shorter programs for jobs like a licensed practical nurse, massage therapist or dental hygienist. In 2008, he joined Education Affiliates, and in 2009 he started a master's program at George Washington University with a concentration in higher education administration. By this time, Dorothy Thomas had been at Education Affiliates for years and was on the road to blowing the whistle on the gaming of student aid she would see. Thomas, who is speaking for the first time about her experience to USA TODAY, was one of the company's original hires in 2005. Back then, the Maryland-based company owned 10 for-profit trade schools. The company didn't stay small long. Thomas was on the road often, zig-zagging from Florida, Maryland, Alabama, Pennsylvania and other states trying to ensure the schools complied with the government's complicated guidelines to receive student aid. As the company grew, she said she noticed college staff overstated how long students stayed in their classes, even beyond their graduation, and instead pocketed the federal funding. In 2013, she filed a lawsuit against the company in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee against Education Affiliates and its parent company. By then, it had 53 campuses and more than 60,000 students. The suit alleged, among other things, that the company had deliberately gamed the federal student aid system. Her whistleblower suit mentioned a case involving a campus in Essington, Pennsylvania where Thomas found 30 cases in an audit of 266 students that would require the for-profit company to return federal funds to the government. Of those 30, 11 had already graduated and 16 had dropped out, but the company still marked them as active students and received federal aid. (The remaining three were ineligible for different reasons.) She learned that staff were directing students to acquire fraudulent high school diplomas from the internet to fake their eligibility to take college classes and receive financial aid. Thomas brought these concerns and others to her superiors, including the then-CEO, but she was met with "near universal hostility," according to her lawsuit. The suit went on to say executives "attempted at all costs to minimize the results thereof by blatantly changing the results, doctoring actual documents in student files, or simply refusing to return and refund funding to the Department of Education." Thomas said she was fired in 2012 after the company had learned she had brought her complaints to the Education Department. But it wasn't just Thomas who raised concerns. Her whistleblower suit would join four others against the company covering a span from 2005 to 2013. The resulting investigation included five different state attorneys general offices across the U.S., the Education Department and the FBI. The plaintiffs were mostly former employees, but some included students who said they were fraudulently enrolled. Though the specifics of the complaints varied, most painted the company as focused on growth rather than student success. Several of the suits specifically alleged the company's leadership knew that staff directed students to obtain phony diplomas or enrolled people who were academically ineligible. Thomas' suit, for example, referenced a PowerPoint from leadership that directed campuses to shred student attendance records. At the same time, Kent was rising in the ranks at Education Affiliates. He started as an accreditation specialist but over seven years had risen to vice president of legislative and regulatory affairs, a position he held for roughly three years. Thomas did not work with Kent directly. Still, she was flabbergasted to see the administration considering someone from Education Affiliates' leadership for a high-ranking government position given he worked for the company during a time it was accused of directing students to fake diplomas and gaming financial aid. "Am I happy to see him as the under secretary nominee? No, no," she said. In 2015, Rod J. Rosenstein, then-U.S Attorney for Maryland who would go on to be deputy attorney general for the first Trump administration, announced the $13 million settlement. Ted Mitchell, then under secretary of the Education Department, said at the time the settled cases included "numerous allegations of predatory conduct that victimized students and bilked taxpayers." Years later, Mitchell as president of the American Council on Education signed a letter endorsing Kent. He declined to answer questions about the 2015 statement. But another senior leader of the group, Jon Fansmith said, "The ACE letter of support is a sincere recommendation based on Ted's and ACE's experience over a number of years of working with Mr. Kent in a variety of professional roles." Kent's time with the for-profit group is listed on his LinkedIn page, but it was not included in the Education Department's announcement about his nomination. Ben DeGweck, general counsel for Education Affiliates, confirmed that Kent had been a vice president with the company and that he was "never involved in any part of the allegations, nor the internal or external discussions related to the settlement, which is now more than a decade old matter." "His focus while at Education Affiliates was on external regulatory and legislative matters related to higher education," DeGweck said in a statement to USA TODAY. The company also supports his nomination, saying it is "confident he will bring an ethical and fair approach to all institutions of higher education, regardless of sector." The Education Department declined to answer USA TODAY's questions about Kent's time at Education Affiliates. Instead, in a statement shared by Bindermann the agency said Kent's 20-plus years of experience in the higher education space gave him a "well-rounded and pragmatic understanding of the education landscape." Thomas was skeptical of the company's statement based on her experience working at the company and given Kent was part of the corporate team. And Christopher Madaio, a former chief of an investigative unit within Education Department, said in his experience investigating for-profit colleges, pressure to grow profits often comes from those in leadership. Madaio is now a senior adviser for the Institute of College Access and Success, a group which sent a letter to the Senate education committee alongside teachers' unions and others pushing for a public hearing on Kent's nomination. He said the company's response is appreciated, but he said he believes "there is value to putting people who seek this type of important position under oath and asking them questions about their experience, prior employers, and principles." A defender of for-profit colleges Kent spent less than a year working at Washington, D.C.'s public school system before starting consulting work through the Dulles Advisory Group. In a public filing, Kent wrote that he was the "sole managing director" and it was "used only as a pass-through entity for funds received for consulting income." He added the company had been dormant since 2017. That was when Kent started working for Career Education Colleges and Universities. The group's CEO, Jason Altmire, said he understood Kent wasn't involved in the Education Affiliates settlement and that the company had admitted no wrongdoing. He added that Kent's "impeccable character" meant he was not worried about his past employment. At that for-profit trade group, Kent earned a reputation as an avid critic of regulation of for-profit schools, especially toward Biden administration policies. He often spoke against the 90/10 rule, a regulation that requires for-profit colleges receive at least 10% of their income from sources other than the federal government. Previously, funding from the Department of Veterans Affairs, which includes the G.I. Bill, had counted toward the 10% side. Veteran advocacy groups argued that loophole gave for-profit colleges an incentive to aggressively recruit students paying with the G.I. Bill as a counterbalance to students paying only with federal financial aid. In 2021, Congress voted to include all forms of federal funding on the 90% side of the rule, not just money from the Education Department as part of a pandemic relief package. CECU, and sometimes Kent directly, had initially argued against that effort, saying the move would limit veterans' access to higher education. Still, representatives for the for-profit sector participated in the federal rulemaking process and CECU abstained from filing a challenge against the final rule. Altmire praised the Trump administration's recent tweak to the rule allowing universities to count some unaccredited programs toward the non-federal funding side. He said the rule does a poor job of measuring quality, but that the group appreciated "the Department's efforts to at least apply it in a more evenhanded way for as long as it remains in statute." He told USA TODAY Kent was what the Education Department needed during a transitional time in higher education. He added that Kent had deep policy knowledge and "is not driven by partisanship and brings a fair and unbiased perspective to the role." Unlike McMahon, who is newer to the often byzantine world of higher education policy, Kent knows his way around. That is the assessment of Kevin Kinser, a Pennsylvania State University professor, who has long studied the for-profit sector and college accreditation. He said Kent likely understands the "ways that the higher education universe is dependent on the federal government for its viability," and how the administration could use that reliance to bend universities to its will. As for what Kent might do? Kinser said he might expect a drive for policies that would have colleges prioritize preparing students for the workforce. That stance would be in contrast to a traditional view of higher education that holds a degree is about helping people be engaged members of society in addition to getting a job. Kinser also said Kent's time working with an accreditor is likely to be useful as Trump on the campaign trail had declared college accreditation his "secret weapon" to take back universities from the "radical left." The administration has already pressured Columbia's and Harvard's accreditors to take action against the universities in response to its findings that they violated the rights of Jewish students. Trump also has signed an executive order that aims to make it easier for universities to switch accreditors and would ramp up efforts to recognize new ones. Kent has also won the support of some veterans groups focused on higher education and some trade groups, including the American Association of Community Colleges, which praised his knowledge of the department's policy making process. Others, such as Ohio University emeritus professor Richard Vedder, are unconcerned about Kent's ties to the for-profit industry. Vedder has studied for-profits and is the author of "Let Colleges Fail: The Power of Creative Destruction in Higher Education." Though he would not call himself an advocate for proprietary schools, he said the federal government and some Democratic members of Congress have long been unfairly critical of the for-profit industry. But Vedder said that every sector of higher education has "bad apples." And he added that all types of higher ed are subject to some Education Department regulations. Why should working at a for-profit disqualify someone from a top government post, he asked. It was important, he said, to have people who are familiar with higher education in that role. Vedder thought someone like Kent might push to reconfigure the 90/10 rule. He also questioned if he would push for more limits on federal student lending or even advocate to get the government out of that market altogether. Holding higher ed accountable or MAGA agenda to disrupt? In September 2023, Kent hung up his policy hat and moved into the public sector as a member of Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin's administration. A Republican, Youngkin on his first day in office signed an executive order to end the use of "inherently divisive concepts, including critical race theory," in K-12 public schools. In 2024, his administration reviewed the curriculum for courses about race and diversity at George Mason University and Virginia Commonwealth University. The universities subsequently dropped the courses. Youngkin's administration also made headlines that year for signing a Democratic-sponsored bill ending the use of legacy admissions at Virginia's public schools. That cause is often associated with higher education access advocates who say the practice favors wealthy students. Kent's departing message to the Commonwealth focused on other accomplishments. The two paragraph email, which was obtained by USA TODAY, touted "reducing costs" while advocating for free speech and accountability at Virginia's colleges. He added he was "especially proud" of providing "data to make more informed decisions." That appears to be a reference to the "Virginia higher education planning guide and college outcomes," a tool with data like college graduation rates and student demographics. Much of that data was already available via the state organization that oversees higher education institutions in the state. It's unclear what Kent's legacy in Virginia will be long term. Of the lawmakers who responded to USA TODAY's media inquiries, a Republican and two Democrats told USA TODAY they didn't have much or any experience working with Kent directly in his roughly year and a half within the governor's office. But the chair of the Virginia Senate's education committee, Democrat Ghazala Hashmi, said Kent's nomination raised "significant concerns." Hashmi, who is also the Democratic nominee for Virginia's lieutenant governor, pointed to his work with CECU to limit regulations for for-profit colleges and said in Virginia he had "hoped to destabilize accreditation policies for colleges and universities," but she did "not allow his efforts to go far." "Kent's stance aligns with a broader MAGA agenda to dismantle consumer protections and accountability measures and to undermine the quality of higher education," Hashmi said. In contrast, a trade group of private universities in Virginia said he was vital to "expanding and strengthening student aid programs." Youngkin praised Kent's work, saying in a statement shared by the Education Department that he "strengthened the management of our higher education institutions, increasing transparency to hold them accountable to parents and students." The governor's office did not respond to USA TODAY's request for comment about Kent's accomplishments in the state. Regardless of his future, Kent is already notable for signing up for a top job at an agency the president doesn't want to exist. Chris Quintana is an investigative reporter at USA TODAY. He can be reached at cquintana@ or via Signal at 202-308-9021. He is on X at @CQuintanaDC
Scotsman
12 hours ago
- Scotsman
Inside the efforts to save endangered butterfly at the Scottish Parliament
Most people walking around Holyrood are probably not aware of the biodiversity efforts going on in the Scottish Parliament. Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... As the MSPs wander through the corridors of power in Holyrood, they are probably unaware of the work going on right above their heads to save a unique endangered butterfly. For years a Scottish subspecies of the northern brown argus butterfly, found almost only on Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh, was hunted to near extinction by butterfly collectors in the Victoria era. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Thanks to a 'safe haven' in the Palace of Holyroodhouse's gardens, the butterfly was able to survive - but even now in the 21st century, it is still classed as 'vulnerable' to extinction. Northern brown argus butterfly | Butterfly Conservation Trust In recent years there has been a concerted effort in the area to try to save the insect from further decline. This includes in the Scottish Parliament itself, where the conservation team is working hard to create the safe habitat these butterflies might depend on. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Victoria Barby, sustainable development performance manager at the parliament, told Scotland on Sunday of the efforts she and her team are making to save this little-known butterfly. She said: 'This butterfly was thought to be extinct because during the Victorian times collectors paid kids to go up Arthur's Seat and pick the butterflies. 'We are trying to encourage the butterfly population back because it is only found around the Arthur's Seat area.' The team has covered some of the parliament's roof with rockrose, the butterfly's preferred habitat, to help encourage the northern brown argus butterfly and caterpillar to thrive. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Staff then need to access the rockrose using high ropes to water it and maintain the habitat throughout the year. Ms Barby said: 'It is very important we do this because we are in a biodiversity crisis. 'We are losing species, particularly insects, all the time. 'Insects are so important because they are pollinators - without them we would not have any food, which is an issue. 'Every insect that we can protect and encourage will be really helpful because as a species ourselves we need them to survive.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The northern brown argus butterfly | Ken Willmott/Butterfly Conservation Trust Ms Barby says most people will be completely unaware of the vital work she and her team are doing behind-the-scenes at the parliament - but that does not make it any less important. She said: 'It is not easy to spot these butterflies, and the caterpillars even less so, because they are high above your head. 'People would not even know all of this was going on. 'But hopefully if people are at parliament and look out at the members' garden they will see a lot of different species and biodiversity. 'We are trying to do everything we can to improve biodiversity in the area as much as possible.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ms Barby hopes the measures her team are taking will be successful in bringing the northern brown argus butterfly out of the 'vulnerable' to extinction category. However, she adds 'having some difference is better than doing nothing'. She said: 'A little bit helps - it is our duty to do what we can, particularly in our own back yard, everything we can. 'This butterfly effect can encourage biodiversity and species to grow across the country and across the world.'
The National
13 hours ago
- The National
Miriam Margolyes 'disgusted' by Labour's complicity in Gaza
In an exclusive interview with the Sunday National, Margolyes said the UK Government was supporting "evil on a grand scale". The 84-year-old British-Australian actress, who is Jewish, has previously shown her support for Gaza, having recently signed a letter calling for change in the BBC as a result of its reporting on Israel and Palestine – but she has rarely spoken to the media about her position. Miriam Margolyes (Image: Impressive PR) Margolyes said that while she had always been a Labour supporter, the UK is currently in "a right old mess". "I think it's about as low as it's been, certainly in my lifetime," she told the Sunday National. READ MORE: My family starves in Gaza while the world watches. We must keep speaking up "They've forgotten what Labour is about. I don't recognise any of the people, I don't recognise what they want, I don't share in their hopes. I feel very, very depressed about the political situation, I really do." Margolyes highlighted the UK Government's "ghastly" position on a number of issues, but was particularly "concerned" about Gaza. She said: "Because I'm Jewish – although not a believer in it – I do care very much about what happens to Israel and to the Palestinian people. And that is where I think we've gone terribly wrong. "I think the Labour Party should have made more sanctions against Israel, and stopped this nonsense about antisemitism. "Of course, there is antisemitism, there's always been antisemitism – nobody likes Jews, they never have. "But this is about Israel and the actions of Israel, it's not about Jews." (Image: Fatima Shbair / AP)Margolyes went on to say that when she sees "that people who have nothing now – who have no home, no food, no medicine, no hope – are being hounded from place to place by an immensely powerful opposing power, I know that it's wrong". "I don't have to think about it, I know that evil is happening on a grand scale, and my country is supporting and helping it," she told the Sunday National. "I'm shocked and disgusted and dazed by this, and I don't understand why everybody isn't, I really don't see why people allow this horror to take place. "It's completely, completely wicked." READ MORE: Scottish community-owned island announces full boycott of Israel Margolyes acknowledged that she often receives criticism for speaking on political issues as an actress, but maintained that "it's not about me as an actress, I'm thinking about it as a person". "I try and raise awareness when I think something is wrong. And I am absolutely bloody certain that what Israel is doing is wrong, wicked, indefensible," she told the Sunday National. She continued: "For 80 years, they have tried to destroy the spirit of the Palestinian people. They have failed conspicuously. "If they think that bombing and killing young children, and herding people from place to place, if they think that's going to build loyalty towards Israel in Palestinians, or stop them from being their enemy, they are quite wrong. "They are building – ensuring – hatred every day. "Of course, I have to speak about that. I'm a human being, it's about being a human being. Keir Starmer, and that long drink of a fellow Jacob Rees-Mogg, and Nigel Farage, they've all forgotten how to be human." Margolyes added as an aside: "Everybody thinks that I'm a comedian, and that I'm a bundle of laughs. When there are things to be laughing about and have fun with, I'm happy to do it. But God Almighty, it's difficult now, isn't it?" 'I would vote SNP if I lived in Scotland' WHEN Margolyes spoke to The National last year, she revealed that she would welcome Scottish independence. One year later, her position remains the same – and she has revealed who she would vote for if she lived in Scotland. "I like the way that the SNP politicians talk about Scotland. If I lived in Scotland, I would probably vote [[SNP]]," she said. "I don't live in Scotland, but I hope that they do very well in the elections." Margolyes will be returning to Scotland next month for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with her show Margolyes And Dickens: More Best Bits. Miriam Margolyes (Image: PA) The show is split into two parts: A deep-dive into the world of Charles Dickens, who she describes as "the art in my life", followed by an open-floor Q&A. Margolyes expressed her love for the Fringe, having first come to the festival when she was around 10 years old, but stressed that it was becoming harder for young people to attend. She said: "It's all so expensive. I'm very lucky because I've become well known, so I've got a production company that's representing me. I don't have to do anything, I just have to deliver a show and go on stage and do it. READ MORE: Comedian cancels Fringe show over 'terror' charge bail conditions' "I don't have to do what I did have to do when I first came, which was to go round with leaflets, begging people to put them up in their restaurants and launderettes and on their windscreens, begging for attention, trying to talk to journalists. "It's hard for young people to get going. I think that there should be a kind of, not exactly a levy, but people like me who've got money, we should put aside a lump sum to help young people find a place to live, so that life can flourish and that they don't dwindle and die because they can't find a place to perform. She concluded: "It's the young that give it the majesty and the miracle, it's not oldies like me. It's the young: They're the people that astonish and delight." Margolyes And Dickens: More Best Bits is at the Pentland Theatre at Pleasance at EICC, August 9 to 24 at 6pm.
