BREAKING NEWS Greens candidate who wanted to deter Aussies from buying larger vehicles fails to win seat in parliament
Labor's Peter Khalil has retained the seat of Wills with 52.11 per cent of the two-candidate-preferred vote, narrowly defeating Greens contender Samantha Ratnam, who received 47.89 per cent.
The final margin was 3,931 votes.
Ms Ratman famously called for the government to increase registration fees and parking for larger vehicles like American-style pick-up trucks when she was a councillor for Melbourne 's City of Merri-bek.
'It's an undeniable fact that super-sized vehicles are dangerous. They have blind spots up to four metres in front of the vehicle,' Ms Ratnam said in 2024
'Large utes have a role in regional areas, but these luxury vehicles - that often cost upwards of $100,000 - have significantly higher emissions, and are more dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists than regular passenger cars.
'If we want to lower our transport emissions and reduce road fatalities, we need to see less of these monster cars on our streets.
'Our roads were simply not designed for these trucks - we need to deter people from purchasing these vehicles.'
Meanwhile there has been more bad news for Greens leader Adam Bandt.
Polling expert Dr Kevin Bonham has said Mr Bandt's political career is over.
'Melbourne: ALP gain from Green,' he said on Tuesday night
'Seat has been moved to expected win status (for Labor).'
He said that he avoids 'calling' seats but added: 'I project Bandt at 47.6 in the live count which is not recoverable'.
Labor's Sarah Witty is currently leading in the race for the seat of Melbourne by an estimated 4,043 votes with a swing of 9.2 per cent, as of Tuesday night.
Bandt needs around a third of preferences to retain his seat but the AEC's official preference counts reveal flows of under 26 per cent.
Daily Mail Australia's Political Editor Peter van Onselen says Bandt is a goner, short of a miracle turnaround.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
New Paisley bridge and roads plan to boost Glasgow Airport links
Work is set to begin on a £59m project to improve transport connections between Paisley town centre and Glasgow Airport.A harbour bridge, new roads and dedicated walking and cycling routes are included in the they do not include a long-called for rail link to the airport. It is hoped the network will bring millions of pounds of investment to Renfrewshire by improving access to the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland (AMIDS). Renfrewshire Council's AMIDS South project received £38.7m from the UK government's Levelling Up Fund, with further investment from the council and Transport Scotland. The project is expected to be complete by local authority has committed £18.8m to create a new road bridge across Paisley harbour and a 1.7km (1.1 mile) gateway route along the White Cart river.A network of roads, cycling and walking links from the town centre train station and bus interchange to AMIDS, Glasgow Airport and Inchinnan also feature in the a new road from Renfrew Road to the bridge crossing will connect the new Paisley Grammar School Community Campus. Transport Scotland has also provided £1.5m to build a safe access route from Gallowhill using the underpass on the former railway line. Council leader Iain Nicolson said it was one of the most significant developments in Renfrewshire's recent history. "It will bring high-quality jobs, world-leading industry and provide a significant boost to the area's economy so it is important that we provide the appropriate access to Scotland's home of manufacturing innovation," he said."This project will not only provide infrastructure to better connect communities to education and employment opportunities, but it will also significantly improve the offer to organisations looking to locate here with enhanced access to the airport and the fourth-busiest train station in Scotland."Farrans Construction, which was responsible for the Govan to Partick bridge in Glasgow, has been appointed to deliver the transport minister Simon Lightwood said the flagship project would deliver "a major boost for Paisley and for Scotland as a whole".He added: "It's exactly the kind of investment behind last month's announcement of nearly £340m from our Levelling Up Fund to communities across the UK."
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Netanyahu lashes out at Albanese as ‘weak politician who betrayed Israel' as diplomatic row escalates
Benjamin Netanyahu has launched an extraordinary broadside against Anthony Albanese, labelling Australia's prime minister 'weak' in a social media post, hours after local Jewish groups called for calm in diplomatic relations. 'History will remember Albanese for what he is: A weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia's Jews,' read a post on X from the account of Israel's prime minister, on Tuesday evening Australian time. Albanese's office was approached for comment. It came shortly after Australia's peak Jewish group urged composure on Tuesday as Israel's foreign minister warned of 'additional measures' against Australia amid a diplomatic 'tit-for-tat' over visa cancellations. 'There are real-life consequences here and we want to see the countries work through any issues before things get out of hand,' said Alex Ryvchin, the co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australia Jewry. The Israeli foreign minister, Gideon Sa'ar, accused the Albanese government of 'choosing to fuel' antisemitism after cancelling the visa of the far-right Israeli politician Simcha Rothman ahead of his planned speaking tour in Sydney and Melbourne later this week. Sa'ar also announced he would revoke the visas of Australian representatives to the Palestinian Authority, in a move labelled 'unjustified' and 'undermining international efforts towards peace and a two-state solution' by Australia's foreign minister, Penny Wong. The escalating diplomatic row followed Australia's decision earlier this month to recognise a Palestinian state at the UN general assembly in September after new commitments by the Palestinian Authority. The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, said while the prime minister deserved respect it was a 'two-way street' and accused Albanese of making 'bad decisions'. 'It is up to Anthony Albanese to explain how he is going to repair this relationship which is now in tatters as a result of his failures of leadership,' she said. Rothman's visa was cancelled by the home affairs department on Monday, citing 'an unacceptable risk' to order in Australia and concern the member of Netanyahu's governing coalition would make 'inflammatory statements to promote his controversial views and ideologies'. In a Hebrew-language video message shortly after his statement, Sa'ar warned Australia was 'persecuting Israel' and his government would 'take additional measures'. But Jewish groups in Australia called for cooler heads to prevail in light of the countries' 'extensive economic, scientific and cultural ties'. Ryvchin said both countries should end the 'diplomatic tit-for-tat that erodes the goodwill and cooperation built up over decades'. 'Calm heads need to take control of the situation otherwise there will be a risk to some $2bn dollars in bilateral trade, extensive investment in Australian start-ups, vital security cooperation and the Israeli-made medicine and medical technology that we all rely on,' he said. The Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council said while it did not agree with many of Rothman's views, it found the decision to cancel his visa to be a 'disturbing precedent'. 'It is very disappointing that Australia and Israel have regressed from a close friendship to unproductive diplomatic jousting, which of course was started by unwarranted and hostile actions by the Australian government,' the council said in a statement. Sign up: AU Breaking News email The president of the Zionist Federation of Australia, Jeremy Leibler, told the Jewish Independent website on Tuesday that Rothman's views were 'out of step with mainstream Israeli opinion and with the values of most Australian Jews'. But he criticised the decision to ban him, saying: 'It is one thing to disagree strongly with an elected representative of a democracy and ally, it is quite another to deny them entry on that basis. Australia ought not to set such a precedent.' The progressive Jewish Council of Australia supported the decision but questioned why Rothman had been granted a visa in the first place. 'As with Russia, members of Israel's ruling coalition parties should already be subject to sanctions by the Australian government, including Rothman,' its spokesperson, Bart Shteinman, said. 'Israel's aggressive decision to retaliate to Rothman's visa refusal by expelling Australian diplomats to the Palestinian Authority is a major escalation in hostilities against Australia. 'If it needed any further demonstration, Israel is not interested in maintaining a relationship with the Australian government and cares little what strong words or statements it issues.' The department cited Rothman's previous statements as part of its decision to revoke the visa they approved on 8 August. These included his claim in May that children within Gaza are 'enemies' who should not be allowed to flee into Israel as 'you don't let them conquer your country with refugees'. In another example cited, Rothman was reported to have said the idea of a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine had 'poisoned the minds of the entire world' and was the 'first step toward the destruction of the state of Israel'. The department said that if it was publicly known that Rothman had entered Australia with the government's permission, it 'may encourage others to feel emboldened to voice any anti-Islamic sentiments'. The right-leaning Australian Jewish Association, who invited Rothman and organised the speaking tour, said it would host an online event with Rothman on Sunday evening, stating, the 'show will go on'. Sa'ar's decision to revoke the visas of three Australian diplomats – who are based in East Jerusalem and work in the West Bank – is expected to complicate Australia's work with the Palestinian Authority. The foreign affairs department is working to remove the affected representatives. The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know. If you have something to share on this subject you can contact us confidentially using the following methods. Secure Messaging in the Guardian app The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said. If you don't already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS/Android) and go to the menu. Select 'Secure Messaging'. SecureDrop, instant messengers, email, telephone and post If you can safely use the tor network without being observed or monitored you can send messages and documents to the Guardian via our SecureDrop platform. Finally, our guide at lists several ways to contact us securely, and discusses the pros and cons of each.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Mining giant BHP's profits slump to five-year low - but record output cheers investors
Mining giant BHP posted its weakest annual underlying profit in five years on Tuesday after oversupply concerns and slowing Chinese demand weighed on iron ore prices. Prices for iron ore, the FTSE 100-listed miner's top-earning commodity, have been relatively volatile this year, with futures trading at $112 per tonne in October 2024 compared with around $101/t at time of writing. Futures have been under pressure from additional supply from Australia, Brazil and South Africa, as well as weaker Chinese steel consumption, which has kept prices well below the $140/t seen in January 2024 and Covid-era highs touching $220/t. BHP, the world's largest listed miner, reported an underlying attributable profit of $10.16billion for the year ended 30 June, missing forecasts of $10.22billion and down from $13.66billion last year. It marked the group's lowest profit since 2020. BHP announced a final dividend of $0.60 per share, down from $0.74 a year earlier and taking the total annual payout to $1.10 - the miner's weakest dividend since 2017. But BHP shares rose on Tuesday morning as boss Mike Henry cheered 'record production' and a 'strong performance' despite a 'backdrop of global disruption'. The group met full-year production guidance across all assets, setting new records in copper and iron ore output. Henry said BHP would 'continue to invest in growth', earmarking $11billion in capital and exploration to be spent over each of the next two years He added: 'The global economic outlook is mixed. Growth is expected to ease to 3 per cent or slightly below in the near-term amid shifting trade policies, yet demand for commodities remains strong, particularly in China and India. 'We remain confident in the long-term fundamentals of steelmaking materials, copper and fertilisers, which are critical to global growth, urbanisation and the energy transition. 'Backed by a diversified portfolio of large, long-life assets, disciplined low-cost operations and a strong balance sheet, BHP is well-positioned to deliver enduring value through the cycle.' BHP shares were up 1.9 per cent to 2,024p in early trading in London, where the group has its secondary listing. Shares in BHP's primary market of Australia also rose. Adam Vettese, market analyst for eToro, said: 'BHP offers resilience and defensive attributes that appeal to long term investors, even as near-term profits are hit by commodity weakness. 'Investors will need to accept some short-term pain for the longer-term opportunity, but BHP's scale, asset quality and strategy underpin a compelling investment case as the energy transition accelerates.' Matt Britzman, senior equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, added: 'What sets BHP apart is its enviable cost base.
