Greens claim single lower house election win in Brisbane seat of Ryan
The Greens party has declared victory in the inner-Brisbane seat of Ryan with Elizabeth Watson-Brown the only party member in the lower house.
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SBS Australia
3 hours ago
- SBS Australia
PM urged to intervene after Australian journalist hit by rubber bullet in LA protests
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young has urged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to hold US President Donald Trump accountable, after an Australian journalist was shot by a rubber bullet while covering protests in Los Angeles . Nine's US correspondent Lauren Tomasi said her calf was left with what she described as "a nasty bruise", after a policeman fired the rubber bullet which struck her leg. Footage of the incident appears to show one police officer directing his aim in the direction of Tomasi and a camera operator. "It really did hurt, I'd say they were the size of a golf ball," Tomasi said on Melbourne's 3AW radio. "I guess it comes part and parcel of the job sometimes but it does ... give you a sense of ... the situation here is out of control." Nine later released a statement saying: "Lauren and her camera operator are safe and will continue their essential work covering these events." "This incident serves as a stark reminder of the inherent dangers journalists can face while reporting from the frontlines of protests, underscoring the importance of their role in providing vital information," the company said. Hanson-Young said it was "simply shocking and completely unacceptable" that US authorities would shoot at an Australian journalist, and urged Albanese to seek an urgent explanation from Trump. "As Albanese is preparing for his first meeting with President Trump, the first thing he must tell the president is to stop shooting at our journalists," she said. "Freedom of the press is a fundamental pillar of a strong, functioning democracy." Albanese will travel as a guest to the G7 summit in Canada next week, where a meeting with Trump is likely but not locked in. "You can't have the Australian prime minister meeting with the US president within days, and have this issue sidelined," Senator Hanson-Young said. "There is no reason why the prime minister should not be picking up the phone today and asking for an explanation." The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said in a statement the Australian Consulate-General in Los Angeles was in contact with Tomasi and "stands ready to provide consular assistance if required". "Australia supports media freedom and the protection of journalists. All journalists should be able to do their work safely," a spokesperson added. DFAT added that Australians are being urged to avoid areas where demonstrations and protests were happening. SBS News has contacted the Prime Minister's Office for comment. Speaking to Sky News shortly after the footage aired, deputy prime minister Richard Marles said he was unaware of the incident but glad "that reporter is OK". Coalition senator Matt Canavan said the footage suggested "it looks like there was a targeting there," but was reluctant to jump to conclusions. "What it should be is a detailed investigation of all these matters," he told the ABC. Then-prime minister Scott Morrison asked Australia's embassy in Washington DC to investigate the assault. In 2023, a review by the US Office of the Inspector General found excessive force was used against the two media workers. In recent days, thousands of protesters have marched on the streets of Los Angeles, rallying against an immigration crackdown.
News.com.au
3 hours ago
- News.com.au
ASPI senior defence analyst says Australia needs to be prepared for ‘protracted war'
A senior security expert has warned of the 'very clear threat' of China invading Taiwan, urging Australia to upgrade its defence capabilities and warning that Australia 'needs to be ready for the prospect' of war. Malcolm Davis, a senior defence strategy analyst at conservative think tank the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, urged the government to increase spending to safeguard against China's rising aggression and influence in the Pacific. The comments come as US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth called on Australia to uplift its spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP, with levels currently set to increase to 2.33 per cent by 2033-34. Australia's defence budget is expected to come under further scrutiny with Anthony Albanese expected to have a face-to-face meeting with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of this weekend's G7 Leaders Summit in Canada. Speaking to Sky on Monday, Mr Davis agreed with comments from US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and said there was 'very clear threat that China is going to move on Taiwan within the next to three years'. He said Australia needed to ensure that our military assets were up to the task of responding to a 'protracted war,' flagging the need for improved resilience against 'integrated air and missile defence systems'. '(Defence spending) needs to include sustainability and building sustainability for protracted war that could last months or years in our region, and ensure that we can stay in the fight, a high intensity fight, for that period of time,' he said. 'And it includes preparedness and essentially, the ability to respond to challenges and attacks on our society and our country. 'I think that we do need to be ready for the prospect that if war does happen, Australia will be attacked directly.' Mr Davis said the spending needed to be accelerated 'not in 10 years' but in a 'year or two,' adding that investment needs to also be 'smart and targeted'. The defence expert also said critical infrastructure in Australia's north, like RWF Tindall, ports, oil and energy facilities were all 'essentially undefended'. 'The government talks about building integrated air and missile defence systems, and they have developed the command and control system for that, but they don't have any missiles to shoot with,' he continued. 'They talk about possibly using a naval based missile or an air based missile, but those platforms have to be in the right place at the right time.' Although Defence Minister Richard Marles has left the door open for further discussions with the US, stating that the government was 'clearly willing to have the conversation with America,' he said the outcome will be based on Australia's 'national interest'. 'We will work it through from there and make sure that we do the appropriate defence spending based on meeting the strategic moment,' he told Sky. Mr Albanese has recently clashed with the conservative think tank after it released a report stating a 'generational investment' in defence has been 'put off for another generation'. Report author and former home affairs deputy secretary Mark Ablong said a failure to boost defence 'will make all Australians less secure,' and 'risks a brittle and hollowed defence force' and a 'paper ADF'. However Mr Albanese rubbished the report as 'predictable' and political and stood by the government's plan. 'ASPI regularly produce these sort of reports, you know, run by people who have been in a position to make a difference in the past as part of former governments,' he told ABC radio. 'You know, I think it's predictable, frankly.'
News.com.au
3 hours ago
- News.com.au
West Australia could get an extra public holiday as state looks at syncing its system with the East Coast
West Australians could be treated to an additional public holiday next year as the state looks at aligning its system with the east coast. WA currently has the lowest number of public holidays in the nation, and usually has a day off one week earlier than its eastern state counterparts. The state celebrates WA Day on the fist Monday in June, then celebrates the Kings Birthday on the fourth weekend in September. Most other states and territories celebrate the Kings Birthday on the second weekend in June. Premier Roger Cook said his department was looking at realigning West Australian public holidays with the east coast so they were better synched. 'It is ridiculous you have a situation where Western Australia closes its doors or shuts the shop when the east coast is open for business,' he said. 'Today of course, you'll have frustrated members of the Western Australian business community that can't access their colleagues on the east coast. 'I'm reviewing the whole range of public holidays we have in Western Australia and where they land to make sure that we've got better alignment and that they work better for the WA community 'We are part of a national economy, and we should be working together much better to ensure better alignment around these days. ' CCIWA chief economist Aaron Morey said it was a good call from the premier but he did not support an additional public holiday. 'I think it's a good call from the Premier and lining up holidays definitely has public merit, how many birthdays does the king need?' he said. 'We're going to see some distraction today, the Melbourne Collingwood game on, I think people would rather be at home watching that.' But Mr Morey said he did not support having an additional public holiday in WA, which were huge headache for small businesses doing it tough. 'Someone might see a public holiday as a benefit, but for a small business, they just see another day when they have to pay $65 an hour for someone to wash dishes,' he said. 'It's really difficult for small business to navigate and to plan around public holidays, and so certainly not supportive of that concept.'
