Jews and Palestinians deserve dignity equally
David Leser is right: what Israel is doing in Gaza is indefensible (' Israel's actions in Gaza indefensible ', May 17). The mass killing of civilians, starvation and destruction of homes and hospitals cannot be justified. Language matters. Anti-semitism — unlike most racism — is often bound up with tone, implication and intent. Its shape-shifting nature explains why no single definition suffices. As Leser writes, 'Judgment and sensitivity are needed.' Holocaust comparisons, in careless, malign or cynical hands, become Twitter gotchas, not moral insights. Far left and far right alike accuse Jews of 'controlling the media or government' – and some far-left Jews give this language cover. That's not solidarity with Palestine; it's betrayal. But collective punishment, whether of Palestinians or Jews, helps no one. As Leser's article makes clear, Palestinian civilians are now enduring the worst form of it imaginable. Hamas and the Israeli government each treat human life with contempt. Each radicalises the other. And social media – our great engine of outrage – keeps us loyal to our 'team' at all costs. Are we not capable of more than his? Jews and Palestinians are related peoples, both indigenous to the land. Both deserve dignity. What Netanyahu and his cohorts are doing is a betrayal of that shared history – and of people like me, whose family was destroyed in the Holocaust. It is Kahanism. It is odious. Simon Tedeschi, Newtown
It's always tempting to take the authoritarian path and declare that something should be compulsory reading for this or that bunch of people. That's particularly the case with David Leser's article. He presents an enlightened comparison between the two most highly publicised definitions of anti-semitism, that of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) and the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism. Acknowledging that the latter is not perfect, he exposes the perverse implications of the former that allow criticism of Israel to be immediately condemned as anti-semitic. Since one can't dictate the reading diet of politicians, editors or the officials of unrepresentative Jewish organisations, those who share Leser's dismay at Israel's inhumanity can only voice a plea for his analysis to be read widely and taken with the utmost seriousness. As he concludes, 'defending Palestinian life and dignity' is not anti-semitic, but 'an expression of our human and Jewish ethics'. Tom Knowles, Parkville (Vic)
Thank you, David Leser. While I have been deeply anguished watching the slaughter in Gaza, I rarely spoke aloud, fearing expressing anti-semitic thoughts. I silenced myself. Your analysis of Israel's decimation of the people of Gaza is similar in style, if not in scale, to the Holocaust. Your analysis of different definitions of anti-semitism is liberating. This opinion does not ignore the horrific actions of Hamas. Victor Branson, Waterloo
David Leser should not despair, what is being inflicted by Israel on the people of Gaza is not something Jews in general have to own responsibility for. It is something being carried out by a country against a captive group within its borders, by a leader whose bloodlust appears to only be capable of being satiated by murder on a grand scale. John Guy, St Ives
Who could argue with David Leser's analysis? Who would want to? He speaks as a humanitarian with rationality and bravery in the interest of telling the truth about Gaza. The pain he undoubtedly feels in bringing Israel to account should be assuaged by the fact future historians will certainly agree we've witnessed a Palestinian Holocaust, consciously perpetrated by the people who, ironically, used their own Holocaust to justify their genocidal actions. Those who disagree with Leser need to put forward a rational argument as to where and why he's wrong. Simply dismissing him as 'anti-semitic' is to run away from reality. Tim Lenehan, Ballalaba
Criticism of Israel's actions, when they are cruel and inhuman and violate the human rights of Palestinians, is not anti-semitic. Standing up for the weak and powerless when the aggressor is the state of Israel is not anti-semitism. Criticising the actions of Israel is not, by definition, anti-semitic. Our children and grandchildren will ask us how this genocide was allowed to happen. I don't think they'll find our fear of being called anti-semitic a convincing excuse for silence. Prue Nelson, Cremorne Point
In criticising the IHRA definition of antisemitism for supposedly being overprotective of Israel, David Leser neglects to mention it specifically states that criticising Israel as you would criticise any other country is not anti-semitic. In saying it's anti-semitic to describe Israel's existence as a racist endeavour, the definition doesn't refer to Israel's behaviour, as Leser implies, but to suggesting Jewish self-determination in the Jewish homeland is somehow racist. Those who favour the Jerusalem Declaration do so because it lets them feel it's somehow not anti-semitic to deny Jewish self-determination in their homeland while demanding that same right for others. Leser's accusations of apartheid, genocide and deliberate starvation are simply wrong. All Israeli citizens have equal rights, and the restrictions in the West Bank are purely for security, necessitated by terrorism. In Gaza, Israel evacuates civilians for their safety, rather than targeting them as a genocidal army would do, and it only attacks civilian buildings and facilities because Hamas illegally militarises them, making them legitimate and important targets. Israel blocked aid, after enough entered Gaza to last for months, because Hamas steals and uses it to consolidate its power, but deliveries will soon resume. Jamie Hyams, Director of Public Affairs, Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council, Melbourne (Vic)
Energy divides Coalition
Apparently, Australians don't know their own minds (' Trump set to bedevil Coalition ', May 17). According to Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie, 'Obviously, our country is best served by a strong Nationals-and Liberals Coalition government'; she went on to suggest this Coalition may not hold. At the heart of the Coalition's troubles – Peter Hartcher characterises it as a 'civil war' – is energy policy. With many Coalition members still denying the need to commit to renewables, and the consequent policy insecurity that that signals to investors, Canavan, Joyce and others see their chance to dump the by-now totally inadequate net zero target. Ted O'Brien tries to square the circle by still advocating nuclear to achieve it. All this should be, in light of the election result, a moot point as Labor ploughs on with our energy transformation. Yet it seems the Nationals will continue their lobbying and stirring, particularly in regions where renewables are seeking social licence. But what most, including the National Farmers Federation, understand is that we are in a race against climate change. The Coalition can no longer hold us back. Fiona Colin, Malvern East (Vic)
Saudis send signal
Nothing sends a more powerful signal about the future of energy than Saudi Arabia planning to become a renewable energy superpower (' Trump and Saudi's crown prince truly deserve each other ', May 17). It has gained more than any other nation from the oil boom of the past 50 years, but also has the most to lose.As a nation whose destiny is also tied to fossil fuels, Australia would do well to heed this lesson. Sooner or later, demand for our coal and gas will decline, then enter a tailspin. We will need new exports to fill the gap. The sooner we start planning for this the better. Ken Enderby, Concord
Confusion over super is taxing
I'm a bit concerned that your correspondent (Letters, May 17) thinks he should be taxed on his superannuation. Did he not pay tax during his working life? Does his super fund not pay tax? Does he not pay tax on the income from his investments? I appreciate his sentiments, but he hasn't given it much thought. In any event, Jim Chalmers does indeed want to introduce tax on superannuation balances over $3 million. Jenny Greenwood, Hunters Hill
The tax system is very broken when one can legally pay no tax, or when there is a tax on a tax. A progressive (income tax) and flat tax (GST) with a combination of legal but dubious deductions is a recipe for tax chaos that makes for an unfair system that seems to benefit the wealthy. Peter Mohacsi, Bowral
I agree with your correspondent who suggests retirees on generous super payouts need to be taxed. Self-managed super funds have become like a magic pudding. The more one cuts into them, the greater they grow. If the fund is large enough, payments are quickly replaced by capital gains of one kind or another after the annual drawdown. And no taxes are levied. For many retirees, the income from investments in retirement can become much greater than the taxable wages earned during their working lives. This is a strange inversion. I note that the major policy of one of the few Liberal candidates still hanging out for a seat is that no taxation be levelled at superannuation income. No wonder he's struggling. Fear and greed remain the twin emotions of capitalism. We can do better. Bruce Wilson, Merewether Heights
Oh, what an opportunity we missed when the proposed reforms of the opposition were buried at the 2019 election. Negative gearing applicable only to new dwellings, change in capital gains, a small tax of 15 per cent on retirement fund incomes above $100,000 – what a difference these would have made to the housing situation and budget repair. My highly credentialled daughter works six days a week to earn little more than my fund earnings of $128,000, yet she pays $37,000 in tax per year and I pay none. How inequitable is that? Looks like another Boomer-ing advantage over everyone n else. Duncan Cameron, Lane Cove
Why not simply give or donate more? Edward Loong, Milsons Point
Patriotism still not accepted
'Progressive patriotism' (Letters, May 17) must be intended as a foil to the MAGA-style regressive patriotism we see in the US, but the expression reeks of overkill: we don't face the same situation as Canada, where patriotism has a much sharper edge as a result of Trump not only wanting to make America great, but territorially greater by annexing a sovereign nation. Here, those leaning to the right will see 'progressive' as a Trojan horse potentially unleashing a Pandora's box of policies to upend the status quo, while for others on the left the idea of lining up under a jingoistic 'patriotism' banner is a move well outside their comfort zone. This surely is a political slogan with a limited shelf-life. Doug Walker, Baulkham Hills
Patriotism is a poor choice for Labor's slogan. For many people, it conjures up memories of the last century, when most of the wars could be traced back to scoundrels and despots hiding behind the banner of patriotism to expand their empires. When linked with 'progressive', which implies looking to the future, the slogan has the ring of an oxymoron, and Labor would be unwise to fall in behind the moron who proposed it. I agree with letter writers that 'patriotism' is also a quality that can be trumpeted by all political wannabes across the spectrum, and so it becomes meaningless. John Vigours, Neutral Bay
Good news for the environment
Given the dire state of our natural environment, it is encouraging that new Environment Minister Murray Watt is prioritising reform of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (' Watt revamps environment laws Albanese once blocked ', May 17). His first test is whether to allow a 50-year extension of Woodside's North West Shelf fossil gas terminal. Approval will compromise Labor's climate credentials, threaten marine species at Scott Reef, degrade ancient Murujuga rock art and impose global costs. Climate harm caused by BHP, Rio Tinto, Santos, Whitehaven and Woodside between 1991-2020 exceeds $900 billion. With a strong mandate from the electorate to act on climate change, this is an opportunity for Minister Watt and Labor to demonstrate leadership. The world cannot afford 50 more years of Woodside's pollution. Karen Lamb, Geelong (Vic)
Bad luck to be old
My congratulations to Nola Tucker (Letters, May 17) on her well-written 'apology' to NSW hospital commissioner Beasley and the Minns government over her 'nonagenarian husband' occasionally being forced to occupy a public hospital bed. We of the pre-Boomer generation are slow to anger, but once our ire is well aglow, it would be as well to recall that we still vote and have loving families who also vote, and that 'young puppy' politicians and bureaucrats with gratuitous insults will feel our sting. Ian Usman Lewis, Armidale
I do apologise to residents of NSW for being part of 'an avalanche of ageing' and, worse, for having 'high expectations' of our health system. If it's any consolation. the 'ageing' thing has quite taken me by surprise too. Peter Skinner, Beecroft
Gambling with society
Tim Costello is spot-on (' Ministry pairing 'conflict of interest ‴ , May 17). Gambling, especially sports gambling, is a dead-set national health issue. The only role sporting codes, media companies and wagering firms should play in its discussion is about how many zillions of dollars they will contribute to address the massive damage they have done. Who's running our nation – our federal government or the various sporting codes, media companies and wagering firms? Col Shephard, Yamba
Sad loss
Condolences to Sussan Ley on the death of her mother (‴ Gift of fate': Sussan Ley mourns death of mother Angela ', smh.com.au, May 17). Irrespective of your age or status, the loss of a parent is one of the saddest and most harrowing of all of life's experiences. Stephanie Edwards, Leichhardt
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The Age
19 minutes ago
- The Age
The moment lunch with Tim Wilson turned into an ambush
Wilson's tanned skin turns a deeper shade. I notice our unexpected guest has a plastic loop on her mobile phone case around her middle finger, making it very easy to film us as she fires questions. She's feisty, but her hands are trembling slightly. 'You want nuclear in Australia, and you are a Zionist?' she asks for a third time, not waiting for an answer. 'And you want people killed, and you want babies killed?' Wilson tells her that he is having lunch, and this is grossly inappropriate. Nevertheless, she persists – for a full five minutes. This being Brighton, a well-do-to suburb south-east of Melbourne's CBD with a strong sense of self-worth (think Mosman in Sydney), the discourse soon turns to housing. Our anti-Wilson activist is bitter that her daughter and granddaughter ('who went to Brighton Primary') were forced to move two hours away because of housing affordability. She also says Wilson was invisible on the streets of Goldstein. The antagonists start to align on criticism of the Victorian state Labor government's massive underinvestment in local education. The temperature calms. Wilson masterfully suggests a visit to the local state MP, James Newbury, just down the road. But he can't help himself, slyly querying if bowling up and filming people without permission and verbally abusing them is really the best way to win friends and influence. 'No, no, I do need to do more letter writing, yes,' is her withering rejoinder. A man at the next table decides enough is enough and in a thick European accent tells the local activist to move on. She disappears down the side street. 'Save my love to Zoe,' is Wilson's slightly garbled postscript to break the tension. It's a joking reference to teal independent Zoe Daniel, from whom he has just regained the affluent seat with a significant Jewish community situated on Port Phillip Bay. Wilson asks his cafe neighbour for validation – he is indeed a recognised local face. 'I don't know who you are,' the man replies. 'I just don't like people bothering each other.' The whole thing was excruciating. Who would be a politician? Tim Wilson, that's who. Wilson is 45, a Liberal, and a liberal, one-quarter Armenian, a happily married gay man, carrying a few extra kilos but, frankly, for someone who has just engaged in a gruelling election campaign, a man with pretty great skin. 'It's politics, right,' Wilson says a short time later between mouthfuls of the cafe's signature Abundance Bowl, an enormous pile of salad greens, sweet potato, quinoa, seeds and a fried egg, to which he has deleted the halloumi and added not just avocado but pan seared salmon. He ordered it almost every day of the campaign. I have the similar salmon bowl. The flavour mix is terrific, the mouthfeel excellent. But wine is waved away – it's a Monday – in favour of a double espresso, which sits largely untouched. Today Melbourne feels on the precipice of winter. It is allegedly going to reach 18 degrees, but locals are mistrustful. One passer-by is in a puffer jacket, the next in T-shirt and shorts. Wilson is wearing his campaign uniform: jeans, blue blazer, a crisp shirt, bright-yellow pin lapel. And to be fair, during our 90 minutes together, 14 well-wishers come up to congratulate him. Earlier in our conversation, he says going from civilian life to winning an election and straight into the shadow ministry is 'feeling like you're being shot out of a catapult and haven't quite hit the ground yet. Still from election night there are SMS that I haven't even read. It is not an unwillingness, it's a simple incapacity.' I want to know about winning – and losing. 'I can tell you there are two winnings,' Wilson says. For him, nothing beat the feeling of winning his first preselection in 2016 after Liberal veteran Andrew Robb had retired. 'Everybody expected me lose', but Wilson went all in, resigning from his post as human rights commissioner just to contest. 'Bold,' I venture. 'Bold, but welcome to Tim Town,' he agrees, opening his hands as if to demonstrate 'voila!' – but only for a split second. 'I remember that adrenaline rush, and also quite frankly shock.' This time, victory was not a shock but rather 'a mountain to climb'. At which point he turns to losing. 'Pretty much from the last election day I had a personal and professional purgatory. It feels violent,' he says, describing the post-loss businesslike phone call from the bureaucracy to losing MPs. 'You're out, this person's in, pack up the office, sort that out – bang, bang, bang, bang. 'All of a sudden nothing – and you are out.' A lot of people were very worried. A psychologist friend suggested a chat. He went. 'Part of it is just to vent and get things off your chest,' he says. 'And somebody to listen. I found that very helpful.' The morning after the loss, his husband, Ryan Bolger, a school teacher, told him: 'You can look at this as the moment that ends you – or you can look at this as a gift.' His purpose taken away from him, the couple left Goldstein so Wilson could find his space and his place, moving back to their old apartment in South Yarra, where Wilson undertook a PhD in the carbon economy. 'I don't find making money something that excites me,' he says. His voice quickens in summary mode: 'It's an awful, horrific experience. But anyone who experienced a big professional setback will know those experiences. The difference is you do it in full public glare. And of course, you are known for the last thing you did.' Which in his case, was to lose. The 2025 Goldstein campaign was controversial. The very morning of our lunch, Daniel was on ABC radio talking about dirty tricks and a personal campaign directed at her. Wilson says the campaign was intense. 'We both had very passionate supporters. No one's trying to pretend otherwise.' As to her accusations about attacks on her from groups supporting Wilson, he sits there, anger clearly rising. 'I'm really resisting in light of the difficult circumstances she is facing and living right now – fighting back.' One political commentator describes Wilson as 'charming but very egotistical'. I realise I have known him for a decade, back when I was media editor at The Australian and he was a member of the free market think tank the Institute of Public Affairs and had a higher profile than many Liberal MPs. For Wilson, liberalism – the philosophy that promotes individual rights and freedoms – is the foundation of society. 'I hate the term 'moderate', because my liberalism doesn't come in moderation. I believe in that very strongly,' he says. 'I think what people are used to is this kind of idea that you have these kind of moderates who don't fight, and then they have these conservatives who fight very aggressively, whereas I'm somebody who fights very aggressively and not afraid to.' Which included contacting The Age at 3.45am one morning to protest at one aspect of the paper's coverage, which he is a little sheepish about, explaining he couldn't sleep that night. 'I don't particularly enjoy a fight, but I definitely enjoy a crusade and to be able to go and achieve change,' he says. 'I'm also not afraid of failure.' Wilson played a key role in defeating Labor's policy to change capital gains tax under Bill Shorten; now he is fighting against Labor's proposed tax changes on superannuation. I ask if there could ever be a gay leader of the Liberal Party (subtext – him). 'It's yet to be tested,' he says. 'I don't feel anyone is sitting there thinking this is an insurmountable barrier to anybody. 'There's a time where my relationship with my husband would have found me in gaol, and now it finds me, frankly, barely able to tick a diversity box.' How did the couple – who married in 2018 – meet? 'We actually met at Liberal Party State Council.' 'How romantic,' I reply. Here, Wilson looks down to apparently study his lunch and says something softly to himself. It occurs to me that Wilson might be more confident attacking Labor's superannuation policy than discussing affairs of the heart. But he reasserts himself, not pretending it was the most romantic of settings. 'It wasn't, but nonetheless it is what it was.' Ryan and he have common values, he says, brightening. 'As he says, at least he knew what he was getting himself in for.' Wilson admires Margaret Thatcher, has a poster of Ronald Reagan on his wall, and loves Milton Friedman 'because he explained economics with a charm and a smile'. He name-checks two little known political women, Pauline Sabin, who fought against prohibition, and Katharine Stewart-Murray, a distant British relative, who tried to topple her own prime minister, Neville Chamberlain, over his appeasement of Adolf Hitler in 1938. 'I like Menzies a lot as well because, in the end, he's a man of rebirth, and perhaps like me, he's a man who failed first,' Wilson says with a smile.
Sydney Morning Herald
22 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
The moment lunch with Tim Wilson turned into an ambush
Wilson's tanned skin turns a deeper shade. I notice our unexpected guest has a plastic loop on her mobile phone case around her middle finger, making it very easy to film us as she fires questions. She's feisty, but her hands are trembling slightly. 'You want nuclear in Australia, and you are a Zionist?' she asks for a third time, not waiting for an answer. 'And you want people killed, and you want babies killed?' Wilson tells her that he is having lunch, and this is grossly inappropriate. Nevertheless, she persists – for a full five minutes. This being Brighton, a well-do-to suburb south-east of Melbourne's CBD with a strong sense of self-worth (think Mosman in Sydney), the discourse soon turns to housing. Our anti-Wilson activist is bitter that her daughter and granddaughter ('who went to Brighton Primary') were forced to move two hours away because of housing affordability. She also says Wilson was invisible on the streets of Goldstein. The antagonists start to align on criticism of the Victorian state Labor government's massive underinvestment in local education. The temperature calms. Wilson masterfully suggests a visit to the local state MP, James Newbury, just down the road. But he can't help himself, slyly querying if bowling up and filming people without permission and verbally abusing them is really the best way to win friends and influence. 'No, no, I do need to do more letter writing, yes,' is her withering rejoinder. A man at the next table decides enough is enough and in a thick European accent tells the local activist to move on. She disappears down the side street. 'Save my love to Zoe,' is Wilson's slightly garbled postscript to break the tension. It's a joking reference to teal independent Zoe Daniel, from whom he has just regained the affluent seat with a significant Jewish community situated on Port Phillip Bay. Wilson asks his cafe neighbour for validation – he is indeed a recognised local face. 'I don't know who you are,' the man replies. 'I just don't like people bothering each other.' The whole thing was excruciating. Who would be a politician? Tim Wilson, that's who. Wilson is 45, a Liberal, and a liberal, one-quarter Armenian, a happily married gay man, carrying a few extra kilos but, frankly, for someone who has just engaged in a gruelling election campaign, a man with pretty great skin. 'It's politics, right,' Wilson says a short time later between mouthfuls of the cafe's signature Abundance Bowl, an enormous pile of salad greens, sweet potato, quinoa, seeds and a fried egg, to which he has deleted the halloumi and added not just avocado but pan seared salmon. He ordered it almost every day of the campaign. I have the similar salmon bowl. The flavour mix is terrific, the mouthfeel excellent. But wine is waved away – it's a Monday – in favour of a double espresso, which sits largely untouched. Today Melbourne feels on the precipice of winter. It is allegedly going to reach 18 degrees, but locals are mistrustful. One passer-by is in a puffer jacket, the next in T-shirt and shorts. Wilson is wearing his campaign uniform: jeans, blue blazer, a crisp shirt, bright-yellow pin lapel. And to be fair, during our 90 minutes together, 14 well-wishers come up to congratulate him. Earlier in our conversation, he says going from civilian life to winning an election and straight into the shadow ministry is 'feeling like you're being shot out of a catapult and haven't quite hit the ground yet. Still from election night there are SMS that I haven't even read. It is not an unwillingness, it's a simple incapacity.' I want to know about winning – and losing. 'I can tell you there are two winnings,' Wilson says. For him, nothing beat the feeling of winning his first preselection in 2016 after Liberal veteran Andrew Robb had retired. 'Everybody expected me lose', but Wilson went all in, resigning from his post as human rights commissioner just to contest. 'Bold,' I venture. 'Bold, but welcome to Tim Town,' he agrees, opening his hands as if to demonstrate 'voila!' – but only for a split second. 'I remember that adrenaline rush, and also quite frankly shock.' This time, victory was not a shock but rather 'a mountain to climb'. At which point he turns to losing. 'Pretty much from the last election day I had a personal and professional purgatory. It feels violent,' he says, describing the post-loss businesslike phone call from the bureaucracy to losing MPs. 'You're out, this person's in, pack up the office, sort that out – bang, bang, bang, bang. 'All of a sudden nothing – and you are out.' A lot of people were very worried. A psychologist friend suggested a chat. He went. 'Part of it is just to vent and get things off your chest,' he says. 'And somebody to listen. I found that very helpful.' The morning after the loss, his husband, Ryan Bolger, a school teacher, told him: 'You can look at this as the moment that ends you – or you can look at this as a gift.' His purpose taken away from him, the couple left Goldstein so Wilson could find his space and his place, moving back to their old apartment in South Yarra, where Wilson undertook a PhD in the carbon economy. 'I don't find making money something that excites me,' he says. His voice quickens in summary mode: 'It's an awful, horrific experience. But anyone who experienced a big professional setback will know those experiences. The difference is you do it in full public glare. And of course, you are known for the last thing you did.' Which in his case, was to lose. The 2025 Goldstein campaign was controversial. The very morning of our lunch, Daniel was on ABC radio talking about dirty tricks and a personal campaign directed at her. Wilson says the campaign was intense. 'We both had very passionate supporters. No one's trying to pretend otherwise.' As to her accusations about attacks on her from groups supporting Wilson, he sits there, anger clearly rising. 'I'm really resisting in light of the difficult circumstances she is facing and living right now – fighting back.' One political commentator describes Wilson as 'charming but very egotistical'. I realise I have known him for a decade, back when I was media editor at The Australian and he was a member of the free market think tank the Institute of Public Affairs and had a higher profile than many Liberal MPs. For Wilson, liberalism – the philosophy that promotes individual rights and freedoms – is the foundation of society. 'I hate the term 'moderate', because my liberalism doesn't come in moderation. I believe in that very strongly,' he says. 'I think what people are used to is this kind of idea that you have these kind of moderates who don't fight, and then they have these conservatives who fight very aggressively, whereas I'm somebody who fights very aggressively and not afraid to.' Which included contacting The Age at 3.45am one morning to protest at one aspect of the paper's coverage, which he is a little sheepish about, explaining he couldn't sleep that night. 'I don't particularly enjoy a fight, but I definitely enjoy a crusade and to be able to go and achieve change,' he says. 'I'm also not afraid of failure.' Wilson played a key role in defeating Labor's policy to change capital gains tax under Bill Shorten; now he is fighting against Labor's proposed tax changes on superannuation. I ask if there could ever be a gay leader of the Liberal Party (subtext – him). 'It's yet to be tested,' he says. 'I don't feel anyone is sitting there thinking this is an insurmountable barrier to anybody. 'There's a time where my relationship with my husband would have found me in gaol, and now it finds me, frankly, barely able to tick a diversity box.' How did the couple – who married in 2018 – meet? 'We actually met at Liberal Party State Council.' 'How romantic,' I reply. Here, Wilson looks down to apparently study his lunch and says something softly to himself. It occurs to me that Wilson might be more confident attacking Labor's superannuation policy than discussing affairs of the heart. But he reasserts himself, not pretending it was the most romantic of settings. 'It wasn't, but nonetheless it is what it was.' Ryan and he have common values, he says, brightening. 'As he says, at least he knew what he was getting himself in for.' Wilson admires Margaret Thatcher, has a poster of Ronald Reagan on his wall, and loves Milton Friedman 'because he explained economics with a charm and a smile'. He name-checks two little known political women, Pauline Sabin, who fought against prohibition, and Katharine Stewart-Murray, a distant British relative, who tried to topple her own prime minister, Neville Chamberlain, over his appeasement of Adolf Hitler in 1938. 'I like Menzies a lot as well because, in the end, he's a man of rebirth, and perhaps like me, he's a man who failed first,' Wilson says with a smile.
The Advertiser
2 hours ago
- The Advertiser
UN head calls for probe over Gaza Strip food aid deaths
It is unacceptable that civilians are risking - and losing - their lives just trying to get food in the Gaza Strip, a United Nations spokesman says after health officials said at least 27 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded trying to reach an aid distribution site. "The Secretary-General (Antonio Guterres) continues to call for an immediate and independent investigation into these events and for the perpetrators to be held to account," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters. The Israeli military said its forces had opened fire on a group of people on Tuesday they viewed as a threat after they left a designated access route near a distribution centre in Rafah and approached their positions. It added it was still investigating what had happened. The deaths came hours after Israel said three of its soldiers had been killed in fighting in the north of the Gaza Strip as its forces pushed ahead with a months-long offensive against Hamas militants that has laid much of the enclave to waste. Reuters could not independently verify the reports in the northern and southern parts of the Gaza Strip. An International Committee of the Red Cross spokesperson said its field hospital in Rafah had received 184 casualties, adding that 19 of those were dead upon arrival, and eight died of their wounds shortly after. Video showed injured people, including at least one woman, being rushed to a medical centre on carts drawn by donkeys. Health officials said at least 18 more Palestinians were killed in other military strikes in the territory on Tuesday. The United Nations human rights office in Geneva said on Tuesday the impediment of access to food relief for civilians in the Gaza Strip might constitute a war crime and described attacks on people trying to access food aid as "unconscionable". The head of the UN agency, Volker Turk, urged a prompt and impartial investigation into the killings. Israeli government spokesman David Mencer denied that civilians had been targeted. "The IDF is doing everything in its power to allow Gazans to get to the humanitarian aid. The IDF is not preventing the arrival of Gazans at humanitarian aid sites. Indeed, we are encouraging it," Mencer said. The ten elected members of the UN Security Council asked for the 15-member body to vote on Wednesday on a draft resolution that demands "an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza respected by all parties," diplomats said. The draft text, seen by Reuters, also demands the release of all hostages held by Hamas and others, and the immediate lifting of all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and its safe and unhindered distribution at scale, including by the UN throughout the enclave. A resolution needs nine votes in favour and no vetoes by the permanent members - the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom or France - to pass. It is unacceptable that civilians are risking - and losing - their lives just trying to get food in the Gaza Strip, a United Nations spokesman says after health officials said at least 27 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded trying to reach an aid distribution site. "The Secretary-General (Antonio Guterres) continues to call for an immediate and independent investigation into these events and for the perpetrators to be held to account," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters. The Israeli military said its forces had opened fire on a group of people on Tuesday they viewed as a threat after they left a designated access route near a distribution centre in Rafah and approached their positions. It added it was still investigating what had happened. The deaths came hours after Israel said three of its soldiers had been killed in fighting in the north of the Gaza Strip as its forces pushed ahead with a months-long offensive against Hamas militants that has laid much of the enclave to waste. Reuters could not independently verify the reports in the northern and southern parts of the Gaza Strip. An International Committee of the Red Cross spokesperson said its field hospital in Rafah had received 184 casualties, adding that 19 of those were dead upon arrival, and eight died of their wounds shortly after. Video showed injured people, including at least one woman, being rushed to a medical centre on carts drawn by donkeys. Health officials said at least 18 more Palestinians were killed in other military strikes in the territory on Tuesday. The United Nations human rights office in Geneva said on Tuesday the impediment of access to food relief for civilians in the Gaza Strip might constitute a war crime and described attacks on people trying to access food aid as "unconscionable". The head of the UN agency, Volker Turk, urged a prompt and impartial investigation into the killings. Israeli government spokesman David Mencer denied that civilians had been targeted. "The IDF is doing everything in its power to allow Gazans to get to the humanitarian aid. The IDF is not preventing the arrival of Gazans at humanitarian aid sites. Indeed, we are encouraging it," Mencer said. The ten elected members of the UN Security Council asked for the 15-member body to vote on Wednesday on a draft resolution that demands "an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza respected by all parties," diplomats said. The draft text, seen by Reuters, also demands the release of all hostages held by Hamas and others, and the immediate lifting of all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and its safe and unhindered distribution at scale, including by the UN throughout the enclave. A resolution needs nine votes in favour and no vetoes by the permanent members - the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom or France - to pass. It is unacceptable that civilians are risking - and losing - their lives just trying to get food in the Gaza Strip, a United Nations spokesman says after health officials said at least 27 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded trying to reach an aid distribution site. "The Secretary-General (Antonio Guterres) continues to call for an immediate and independent investigation into these events and for the perpetrators to be held to account," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters. The Israeli military said its forces had opened fire on a group of people on Tuesday they viewed as a threat after they left a designated access route near a distribution centre in Rafah and approached their positions. It added it was still investigating what had happened. The deaths came hours after Israel said three of its soldiers had been killed in fighting in the north of the Gaza Strip as its forces pushed ahead with a months-long offensive against Hamas militants that has laid much of the enclave to waste. Reuters could not independently verify the reports in the northern and southern parts of the Gaza Strip. An International Committee of the Red Cross spokesperson said its field hospital in Rafah had received 184 casualties, adding that 19 of those were dead upon arrival, and eight died of their wounds shortly after. Video showed injured people, including at least one woman, being rushed to a medical centre on carts drawn by donkeys. Health officials said at least 18 more Palestinians were killed in other military strikes in the territory on Tuesday. The United Nations human rights office in Geneva said on Tuesday the impediment of access to food relief for civilians in the Gaza Strip might constitute a war crime and described attacks on people trying to access food aid as "unconscionable". The head of the UN agency, Volker Turk, urged a prompt and impartial investigation into the killings. Israeli government spokesman David Mencer denied that civilians had been targeted. "The IDF is doing everything in its power to allow Gazans to get to the humanitarian aid. The IDF is not preventing the arrival of Gazans at humanitarian aid sites. Indeed, we are encouraging it," Mencer said. The ten elected members of the UN Security Council asked for the 15-member body to vote on Wednesday on a draft resolution that demands "an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza respected by all parties," diplomats said. The draft text, seen by Reuters, also demands the release of all hostages held by Hamas and others, and the immediate lifting of all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and its safe and unhindered distribution at scale, including by the UN throughout the enclave. A resolution needs nine votes in favour and no vetoes by the permanent members - the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom or France - to pass. It is unacceptable that civilians are risking - and losing - their lives just trying to get food in the Gaza Strip, a United Nations spokesman says after health officials said at least 27 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded trying to reach an aid distribution site. "The Secretary-General (Antonio Guterres) continues to call for an immediate and independent investigation into these events and for the perpetrators to be held to account," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters. The Israeli military said its forces had opened fire on a group of people on Tuesday they viewed as a threat after they left a designated access route near a distribution centre in Rafah and approached their positions. It added it was still investigating what had happened. The deaths came hours after Israel said three of its soldiers had been killed in fighting in the north of the Gaza Strip as its forces pushed ahead with a months-long offensive against Hamas militants that has laid much of the enclave to waste. Reuters could not independently verify the reports in the northern and southern parts of the Gaza Strip. An International Committee of the Red Cross spokesperson said its field hospital in Rafah had received 184 casualties, adding that 19 of those were dead upon arrival, and eight died of their wounds shortly after. Video showed injured people, including at least one woman, being rushed to a medical centre on carts drawn by donkeys. Health officials said at least 18 more Palestinians were killed in other military strikes in the territory on Tuesday. The United Nations human rights office in Geneva said on Tuesday the impediment of access to food relief for civilians in the Gaza Strip might constitute a war crime and described attacks on people trying to access food aid as "unconscionable". The head of the UN agency, Volker Turk, urged a prompt and impartial investigation into the killings. Israeli government spokesman David Mencer denied that civilians had been targeted. "The IDF is doing everything in its power to allow Gazans to get to the humanitarian aid. The IDF is not preventing the arrival of Gazans at humanitarian aid sites. Indeed, we are encouraging it," Mencer said. The ten elected members of the UN Security Council asked for the 15-member body to vote on Wednesday on a draft resolution that demands "an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza respected by all parties," diplomats said. The draft text, seen by Reuters, also demands the release of all hostages held by Hamas and others, and the immediate lifting of all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and its safe and unhindered distribution at scale, including by the UN throughout the enclave. A resolution needs nine votes in favour and no vetoes by the permanent members - the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom or France - to pass.
