PM says he ‘didn’t have to declare any flights taken on private jets owned by billionaires’
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, says he hasn’t had to declare flights taken on the private jets of billionaires, answering questions on reports he sought free Qantas flight upgrades directly from Alan Joyce while serving as transport minister.
He spoke to press from Newcastle a short while ago:
Peter Dutton has declared some of his flights. There is a difference between both of us. My flights were commercial, with Qantas or Virgin, or Emirates. They were all declared in the appropriate way. I didn’t have to declare any flights on private jets owned by billionaires like Gina Rinehart, because I haven’t engaged in it. As simple as that. And it’s up to Mr Dutton to explain how those flights were organised to private parties.
Key events
Former Prime Minister Julia Gillard and the University of Adelaide have agreed to establish the Julia Gillard Prime Ministerial Library on the University’s North Terrace campus.
The uni will work with National Archives of Australia to bring the trove of documents from Ms Gillard’s career and Prime Ministership closer to the public.
Gillard said:
I am deeply honoured that plans are underway to establish the Julia Gillard Prime Ministerial Library on the grounds of the university where my tertiary education journey began.
I have many fond memories from my time at the University of Adelaide, where I studied law, economics and literature. I have continued my relationship with the University as an Honorary Professor and through the annual Julia Gillard Lecture.
I am excited to see the library take shape in the coming years and become a dynamic, living space for students, staff and the general public.
Josh Butler
Circling back to Albanese’s press conference – Labor is trying to change the topic (or at least muddy the waters) around the prime minister’s Qantas upgrades by pointing out Peter Dutton’s own disclosures of accepting flights related to mining billionaire Gina Rinehart.
Albanese referenced Dutton taking flights “organised to private parties”. It seemed to be a reference to a story we broke in January, where the opposition leader was flown to a party – at Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting mine in the Pilbara – by another billionaire rich-lister.
Senior Labor minister Murray Watt referenced this story last night, tweeting a screenshot with the caption “speaking of flights”.
Watt yesterday also noted Dutton had accepted flights in 2022 from Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting, including a Perth-to-Pilbara air fare and flights between Sydney, Rockhampton and Mackay to attend a Bali bombing memorial.
On Tuesday, Albanese defended his actions by saying all the upgrades were disclosed, but he didn’t directly answer several questions about whether he’d asked the then chief executive, Alan Joyce, for the upgrades himself.
“I didn’t have to declare any flights on private jets owned by billionaires like Gina Rinehart, because I haven’t engaged in it. As simple as that. And it’s up to Mr Dutton to explain how those flights were organised to private parties,” the PM said at a press conference.
Benita Kolovos
Stamp duty bill introduced to Victorian parliament
Earlier this morning, the Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, held a news conference in Docklands, where she announced the approval of three new residential towers in the area.
She says two permits for 915 new homes to be built in three towers at Collins Wharf were approved by the planning minister, Sonya Kilkenny, on Monday.
The $521m Lendlease development includes two 28-storey buildings with 349 and 375 apartments, and a 16-storey building with 191 apartments.
She also announced the government will be introducing the Duties Amendment (More Homes) bill 2024 to parliament to allow for the 12-month off-the-plan stamp duty concessions she announced last week to come into effect.
Under the plan, anyone buying off-the-plan apartments, townhouses and units will receive a huge discount on their stamp duty.
The bill will be debated in the lower house this week before it goes to the upper house in the following sitting week, where Allan urged both the Liberals and Greens to support it.
Allan told reporters:
We need to take this action immediately and that’s why, too, I’m calling on the Liberal party, the Greens political party, to not stand in the way of this action that we are taking in the parliament this week. Industry, home builders and homebuyers deserve the certainty from all political parties in the parliament that they will support this legislation to move through the parliament as quickly and effectively as possible, and that’s why we are bringing it to the parliament this week. We don’t want to see any games. We want to see it introduced straight away. Homebuyers are relying on it. So too are home builders.
Mostafa Rachwani
Tony Burke says Labor didn’t try to legislate against hate out of fears of ugly debate
The minister for immigration, Tony Burke, has said the government introduced envoys to Islamophobia and antisemitism, as opposed to legislating against such hate, to avoid an “ugly” political debate.
Burke was speaking at a conference on social cohesion in western Sydney earlier and said that while there were state laws to address hate based on faith, there was no federal law that protects communities from such hate.
But he said that should the government try to change that, it would result in “the ugliest debate I could imagine”.
Instead, the government appointed Jillian Segal as the first antisemitism envoy and Aftab Malik as the first anti-Islamophobia envoy:
In the absence of federal law, and certainly at the moment, should we try to change that, the debate in the parliament would be one of the ugliest debates I could imagine, which we aren’t wanting to bring on to people. So the way of being able to make clear statements against discrimination on the basis of people’s faith was to create two positions which did not require a vote of parliament.
The reason is very simple, antisemitism has an element of racist bigotry and bigotry on faith, Islamophobia is entirely about faith – neither of them have the federal protection that is there against racism, against sexism, against other forms of bigotry. So in establishing those envoys, we are establishing a very clear principle that these forms of bigotry and hatred are completely unacceptable.
Burke also dismissed claims refugee arrivals from Gaza did not go through the proper security checks, saying such claims only “added kerosene to the fire”.
Finally, he also addressed the government’s decision to reject the visa of American rightwing pundit Candace Owens because she would undermine social cohesion. He said it was “one of the easiest decisions” of his life.
Men think sexual harassment is improving, women don’t
There’s a stark difference between male business leaders and female employees in their perceptions about sexual harassment in Australian workplaces, a recent survey of 500 leaders and 1,000 employees has found.
More than 70% of male leaders said they had high confidence a colleague felt safe to report sexual harassment. This dropped to only one-in-two women, the survey commissioned by the violence prevention organisation Our Watch found.
Almost 80% of male bosses said they had a high degree of confidence appropriate action would be taken by employers if a report was made, compared with about one-in-two female workers.
Nearly 4 million women have experienced workplace sexual harassment in the past five years, which is a much higher rate than men and meant women had a more personalised experience with sexual harassment, the Our Watch vhief executive, Patty Kinnersly, said.
Workplace leaders thought the insidious problem was improving but that isn’t what the data reflected, she said.
– Australian Associated Press
PM asked if he called Alan Joyce directly about flight upgrades
Anthony Albanese has been asked a few times whether he called the Qantas chief executive, Alan Joyce, directly about flight upgrades.
He said:
There is no accusations being made with any specifics at all about any of this. None. None. People are – Peter Dutton is making this statement. If there is a suggestion to be made, let it be made specifically and I will answer it, but I have said very clearly that I recall direct discussions with Alan Joyce over the flights, the Emirates, Qantas flight to Dubai and of course the first flight to Perth. They are the only times I was on a plane with Alan Joyce. Of the 22 flights, 10 of them were during the leadership ballot between myself and Bill Shorten in 2013 over a one-month period where both Qantas and Virgin provided upgrades for flights that were paid for by the Australian Labor party to make sure there was not any cost to taxpayers for what was internal business.
Albanese reiterated his claim that his financial arrangements are completely transparent:
In terms of transparency, Bridget McKenzie can answer questions herself about things. Peter Dutton can answer questions about his flights. I assume, his flights upgrades, the same circumstances I am in with the exception that I don’t have access to a private jet on call, which has happened with Mr Dutton, and it is up to him to explain that. Just like all of my financial arrangements are completely transparent.
PM says he ‘didn’t have to declare any flights taken on private jets owned by billionaires’
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, says he hasn’t had to declare flights taken on the private jets of billionaires, answering questions on reports he sought free Qantas flight upgrades directly from Alan Joyce while serving as transport minister.
He spoke to press from Newcastle a short while ago:
Peter Dutton has declared some of his flights. There is a difference between both of us. My flights were commercial, with Qantas or Virgin, or Emirates. They were all declared in the appropriate way. I didn’t have to declare any flights on private jets owned by billionaires like Gina Rinehart, because I haven’t engaged in it. As simple as that. And it’s up to Mr Dutton to explain how those flights were organised to private parties.
Donna Lu
More than 10% of Australian teenagers found to identify as gay, bisexual, pansexual or asexual
More than one in 10 Australian teenagers identify as gay, bisexual, pansexual or asexual, a survey of high school students has found.
Researchers surveyed 6,388 year 8 students between 2019 and 2021, finding that 12% of the teenagers reported diverse sexualities, while 3.3% identified as gender-diverse.
The findings, the study’s authors say, highlight an “urgent need” for support services in schools and healthcare settings to mitigate against an increased risk of stigma, discrimination and violence.
Read the full story here:
Kelly Burke
‘Immense’ contribution
More on Dr Michael Brand, director of the Art Gallery of NSW, stepping down.
Brand oversaw the $344m Sydney Modern project that included the opening of the award-winning new building, Naala Badu, and the revitalisation of the 153-year-old original building, Naala Nura, both completed almost two years ago.
Brand did not reveal what his next move would be.
The president of the board of trustees, David Gonski, who is stepping down from his role in December, said Brand’s contribution to the AGNSW had been immense.
AGNSW director to step down next year
The director of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Dr Michael Brand, is stepping down from in July 2025.
Brand joined the gallery as director in 2012. He said:
When we unveiled the Sydney Modern vision in 2013, I said it would be a green light for art, artists and audiences. I am extremely proud of all that we have achieved together in the last 12 years to create a unique art museum experience on Gadigal Country in Sydney for our local and international audiences.
This ambitious project is what called me back to Australia so my decision to step down next year follows much reflection. As we are now building on the success of the Sydney Modern transformation, it feels like the right time to transition to a new generation of leadership for the next exciting chapter in the history of our 153-year-old art museum.
The president of the board of trustees, David Gonski AC, said:
We are indebted to [Brand’s] ambition and vision to create a globally significant art museum in Sydney.
A national and international search for a new director will commence soon, Gonski said.
Benita Kolovos
More on the overhaul of committal hearings in Victoria
For the accused, audiovisual link appearances will become default position in committal proceedings, while the committal hearing process will be bypassed altogether for homicide matters after a successful pilot, which fast-tracked cases to the supreme court.
The Victorian attorney general, Jaclyn Symes, says the reforms act on a number of recommendations made by the Victorian Law Reform Commission in its 2020 report into committal hearings.
She says she knows her changes will be met with “mixed reviews” from the legal community but she was taking into account victim’s experiences.
Symes told reporters outside parliament:
The most compelling evidence put to me is that when you have sexual offence cases in particular, but [also] family violence and stalking matters, where witnesses are being cross examined in a committal process, then having to repeat that process because the case is proceeding, that’s unacceptable. There is lack of evidence to suggest that cases are being knocked out in the committal stage. It’s just a rerun and so [the reform is] avoiding the retraumatisation of victims having to give repeated evidence and particularly be cross examined.
There is no doubt the cross examination process, is an important process of a trial, but it is the most stressful for a victim and a witness and if we can avoid them having to do that twice, I think this is called for.
She says there will be a 12-month implementation period and a review of the changes once they’re in place.
Overhaul of committal hearings in Victoria
Benita Kolovos
Traumatic pre-trial cross-examinations will be banned in Victoria as part of a push to protect victims and witnesses in family violence, sexual offence and stalking cases.
The Victorian attorney general, Jaclyn Symes, is announcing new laws she says will guarantee that victims of particularly traumatic cases will only have to give evidence at committal hearings.
It will reduce the number of cross-examinations, which Symes says is one of the most challenging parts of the criminal trial process.
The justice legislation amendment (committals) bill 2024, will also significantly reduce the amount of pre-trial evidence given by all victims and witnesses, ensuring only questioning that is essential to resolve matters earlier is permitted.
The laws will also prevent child victims, witnesses and those with cognitive impairments from having to testify multiple times in family violence cases by allowing them to give prerecorded video evidence, as is already done in sexual offence proceedings.
Keep an eye out for more detail in the next blog post.
Mehreen Faruqi calls on government to sanction Israel
Greens deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi is calling on the Albanese government to sanction Israel after its parliament voted to ban UN relief agency Unrwa from the country and declared it a terrorist organisation.
Faruqi said:
Undermining and stopping UNRWA from providing aid to Palestinians has been a long term goal of Israel and it’s outrageous that now they are even closer to achieving this because the world has refused to take action to stop them.
The Labor government has been ‘urging’ Israel to abide by international law for a year, and all we’ve seen is its war crimes and genocide escalating.
Enough with the weasel words. It’s time for Albanese and Wong to impose sanctions and expel the Israeli ambassador.
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, condemned Israel’s ban on Unrwa operations earlier today.
Read more here:
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