Australia news LIVE: Netanyahu blasts Australia over Palestine recognition push; Reserve Bank to meet ahead of expected rate cut
Latest posts
6.46am
Netanyahu attacks Australia over Palestine recognition
By Angus Thompson
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has branded Australia 'shameful' in its advocacy for Palestinian statehood and accused foreign leaders of capitulating to public opinion over the Gaza war.
His comments came as Israel was roundly criticised at a United Nations Security Council meeting on Sunday, with China calling the 'collective punishment' of people in Gaza unacceptable and Russia warning against a 'reckless intensification of hostilities'.
The meeting was called by Britain, Denmark, Greece, France and Slovenia in response to the Israeli announcement on Friday that it would to widen its military offensive and eventually take control of the whole Gaza Strip.
But in a wide-ranging press conference staged 'to puncture the lies and tell the truth' about Israeli military and humanitarian action, Netanyahu denied Israel had a 'starvation policy' and hit out at foreign powers for backing the 'absurdity' of recognising Palestine in the pursuit of peace.
6.41am
Split in Albanese's caucus on AI threat
By Paul Sakkal
Labor is about to dump proposed new laws to regulate artificial intelligence as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's caucus splits on whether to clamp down on the sprawling technology.
Underlining a growing appetite in the cabinet to seize what the Productivity Commission says could be a $200 billion boon, assistant minister Andrew Charlton will lead a delegation to the US this week to meet executives from powerhouse firms OpenAI, Nvidia and Amazon Web Services.
But Labor is confronting union calls to protect workers from replacement as it tries to deal Australia into the AI race. Backbencher Ed Husic is also urging Labor to push ahead with a new AI regulatory act he first proposed when he was a minister in Labor's first term in office.
According to four government sources, including two ministers, none of whom could speak publicly about internal discussions, Labor is veering away from new laws that would deal with AI's potential downsides.
6.39am
What's making news today
By Daniel Lo Surdo
Hello and welcome to the national news blog. My name is Daniel Lo Surdo, and I'll be helming our live coverage this morning.
Here's what is making news today:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has branded Australia 'shameful' in its advocacy for Palestinian statehood. It came after Israel was widely criticised at a United Nations Security Council meeting on Sunday, with China and Russia among the latest nations lashing Israel's conduct in Gaza. In a wide-ranging press conference, Netanyahu criticised foreign powers for supporting the 'absurdity' of recognising Palestine in the pursuit of peace.
The Reserve Bank of Australia will begin its two-day deliberations later today ahead of a decision on the official interest rate decision on Tuesday, in which a cut is all but guaranteed. An interest rate reduction would mark the third this year, and follow a shock decision last month to deny relief to Australian home buyers and businesses. It comes after the June-quarter inflation figures showed headline inflation at its lowest levels since early 2021, while underlying inflation also eased.
Labor is about to dump proposed new laws to regulate artificial intelligence as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's caucus splits on whether to clamp down on the sprawling technology. The government is veering away from new laws that would deal with AI's potential downsides, with Minister for Industry and Innovation Tim Ayres working on a lighter touch model that will mostly adopt existing regulations in areas including privacy and copyright, and avoiding new red tape.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Age
23 minutes ago
- The Age
Jacinta Allan faces backbench jitters over preselection
Loading There is also no obvious justification for Allan to seek to have preselections called in. One MP suggested the premier did not have the internal power to override the factions, while another said it provided an opportunity to stamp her authority. On Monday, Allan repeatedly refused to say whether she wanted all her MPs to be re-endorsed, but said she supported her team. 'I'm not going to comment on internal party processes that are still being worked through,' Allan said. 'What I will say is I have a great, strong Labor team who are working hard every single day out and about in their local community.' One MP said they were feeling exposed but that it was 'in the hands of the Victorian ALP factional gods'. 'We all know what we sign up for – at times uncertain, at times brutal, but always united thereafter.' Another MP said some of their colleagues were reluctant to fundraise for their 2026 campaigns until they were sure they would be endorsed to run again. However, another Labor figure said the concerns were just 'nervous energy'. They did not believe there was a serious push to renew the party room by forcing MPs out. Preselections for the upper house are expected to be particularly messy, with MPs elected in the second ticket spot in 2022 at risk of losing their seats if Labor endures a swing. Jostling could result in some MPs being shuffled to safer positions. Labor factions are expected to hammer out the details of a new power-sharing arrangement or stability deal over coming months, which carves out seats and upper house spots to different groupings. This is expected to prompt some wheeling and dealing, involving discussions about moving younger MPs into safer positions on upper house tickets. To do this, factional swaps would be required that could push other MPs into second or third ticket positions, which would be considered less safe. Loading A future stability deal will also have to account for MPs who are part of the Australian Workers Union, who were shut out of the current arrangement but have since reunited with the broader Labor Right. A handful of ministers and backbenchers are also expected to announce in coming months they will not contest the November 2026 election. The Age last month revealed a push to overhaul the way gender quotas are calculated in Victorian Labor's preselections, sparking anger that the number of women selected for winnable seats could go backwards. The draft motion was ultimately withdrawn following internal outrage. Victorian Labor declined to comment. Start the day with a summary of the day's most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
The Age
23 minutes ago
- The Age
Macron backs Albanese on Palestinian statehood in face of sharp criticism from Israel
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she had 'deep concern' over the military plan and put this view to Abbas in a phone call on Monday. Meloni believed the Israeli decisions 'appear to be leading to further military escalation' in the Gaza Strip, her office said, and she described this as 'unjustifiable and unacceptable'. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had 'deep concern' over Israel's military plan for Gaza. Credit: Bloomberg The Italian prime minister has argued against recognising Palestine at this point because of her concerns about the timing. 'I am very much in favour of the State of Palestine, but I am not in favour of recognising it prior to establishing it,' she told the Italian media last month. Her comments on the Israeli plan to take Gaza City signal the growing concerns in Europe about Netanyahu and his military strategy, amid warnings about starvation, civilian casualties and lack of medical care in the territory. Israel's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sharren Haskel, slammed Australia for planning to recognise a Palestinian state when Hamas was refusing to return the last 50 hostages it took in the October 7 attack. 'Fifty of our hostages remain in Hamas's dungeons of torture, being starved to death – being forced to dig their own graves,' she said, in a reference to a video of hostage Evyatar David released last week. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks with family members of Israeli hostage Evyatar David at the opening ceremony of the Knesset Museum on Monday. Credit: AP 'Yet the Australian government has decided now is the right time to reward the monsters of October 7 with recognition of a Palestinian state.' The Times of Israel reported that Hamas senior leader Ghazi Hamad said last week that the moves to recognise a Palestinian state were the result of 'the fruits' of the October 7 attacks. 'Why are all the countries recognising a Palestinian state today? Before October 7, did any country dare recognise a Palestinian state?' Hamad said on Al Jazeera. Loading 'The fruits of October 7 are what caused the entire world to open its eyes to the Palestinian issue – and they are moving toward it with force. That is, that the Palestinian people are a people who deserve a country.' Albanese has declared that Hamas must have no place in a Palestinian state, a position also taken by European leaders, while also saying the Australian decision on Monday was predicated on assurances that Palestine would accept Israel's right to exist. Haskel cited the Hamas interview to accuse the Australian government of rewarding a terrorist organisation that committed the worst slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust. 'This decision by Australia won't change anything in Israel or Gaza, but let's be quite clear, this is all about domestic politics, not peace,' she said. Palestinian critics of the Australian decision, including several cited by this masthead, also argued the formal recognition of statehood would not change anything in the war in Gaza. Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what's making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter.
Sydney Morning Herald
23 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Israel-Palestine war: Emmanuel Macron backs Anthony Albanese on Palestinian statehood
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she had 'deep concern' over the military plan and put this view to Abbas in a phone call on Monday. Meloni believed the Israeli decisions 'appear to be leading to further military escalation' in the Gaza Strip, her office said, and she described this as 'unjustifiable and unacceptable'. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had 'deep concern' over Israel's military plan for Gaza. Credit: Bloomberg The Italian prime minister has argued against recognising Palestine at this point because of her concerns about the timing. 'I am very much in favour of the State of Palestine, but I am not in favour of recognising it prior to establishing it,' she told the Italian media last month. Her comments on the Israeli plan to take Gaza City signal the growing concerns in Europe about Netanyahu and his military strategy, amid warnings about starvation, civilian casualties and lack of medical care in the territory. Israel's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sharren Haskel, slammed Australia for planning to recognise a Palestinian state when Hamas was refusing to return the last 50 hostages it took in the October 7 attack. 'Fifty of our hostages remain in Hamas's dungeons of torture, being starved to death – being forced to dig their own graves,' she said, in a reference to a video of hostage Evyatar David released last week. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks with family members of Israeli hostage Evyatar David at the opening ceremony of the Knesset Museum on Monday. Credit: AP 'Yet the Australian government has decided now is the right time to reward the monsters of October 7 with recognition of a Palestinian state.' The Times of Israel reported that Hamas senior leader Ghazi Hamad said last week that the moves to recognise a Palestinian state were the result of 'the fruits' of the October 7 attacks. 'Why are all the countries recognising a Palestinian state today? Before October 7, did any country dare recognise a Palestinian state?' Hamad said on Al Jazeera. Loading 'The fruits of October 7 are what caused the entire world to open its eyes to the Palestinian issue – and they are moving toward it with force. That is, that the Palestinian people are a people who deserve a country.' Albanese has declared that Hamas must have no place in a Palestinian state, a position also taken by European leaders, while also saying the Australian decision on Monday was predicated on assurances that Palestine would accept Israel's right to exist. Haskel cited the Hamas interview to accuse the Australian government of rewarding a terrorist organisation that committed the worst slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust. 'This decision by Australia won't change anything in Israel or Gaza, but let's be quite clear, this is all about domestic politics, not peace,' she said. Palestinian critics of the Australian decision, including several cited by this masthead, also argued the formal recognition of statehood would not change anything in the war in Gaza. Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what's making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter.
