Vanuatu blocks deal until immigration restrictions eased
The ultimatum comes as the government presses ahead with efforts to strike yet more new agreements with Pacific nations as it tries to press back China's advance across the region
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News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Verbal clash between Australia and Israel sparks community concern
Australia's leading Jewish organisation has issued a rare public rebuke of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Anthony Albanese, as strained relations between the two countries worsened overnight. The group warned that their recent verbal clashes are placing the Jewish community in a vulnerable position. In letters delivered on Tuesday, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) said Australian Jews are being drawn into a damaging 'war of words' between the two governments. In the letter to Mr Albanese, the ECAJ said they were 'appalled' by the comments made by the Minister for Home Affairs Tony Burke. Mr Burke on Wednesday criticised Mr Netanyahu, saying, 'Strength is not measured by how many people you can blow up or how many children you can leave hungry.' The ECAJ said it was 'an incendiary and irresponsible comment'. The letter also called out Mr Albanese's own public criticism of Israel, saying his statement accusing Mr Netanyahu of being 'in denial' about the war's consequences was 'excessive and gratuitously insulting.' A similar tone was adopted in the letter to Mr Netanyahu, where the ECAJ condemned his remarks that characterised Mr Albanese as 'a weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia's Jews.' Mr Netanyahu had personally attacked Mr Albanese on social media and in a stunning letter obtained by Sky News Australia, following tensions over Labor's decision to recognise Palestine. He accused Mr Albanese of pouring 'fuel on this anti-Semitic fire' by recognising a Palestinian state. '(It) emboldens those who menace Australian Jews and encourages the Jew-hatred now stalking your streets,' Mr Netanyahu said. 'Prime Minister, anti-Semitism is a cancer. It spreads when leaders stay silent. It retreats when leaders act. 'I call upon you to replace weakness with action, appeasement with resolve, and to do so by a clear date: the Jewish New Year, September 23, 2025. 'History will not forgive hesitation. It will honour action.' On X, Mr Netanyahu wrote that history 'will remember Albanese for what he is'. 'A weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia's Jews.' The ECAJ described Mr Netanyahu's comments as 'inflammatory and provocative'. '(They) demonstrated a woeful lack of understanding of social and political conditions in Australia,' the ECAJ letter said. 'These comments have played straight into the hands of opponents of Israel and anti-Semites, to the detriment of the Australian Jewish community.' In both letters, the ECAJ urged the leaders to resolve differences through diplomacy rather than public posturing. 'The Australian Jewish community will not be left to deal with the fallout of a spat between two leaders who are playing to their respective domestic audiences.' The letters emphasised that both countries are 'mature democracies' and that their governments should act with the restraint expected of national leaders.
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Tasmanian Labor leader Dean Winter out after failed no confidence motion in Premier Jeremy Rockliff
Dean Winter is out as Tasmania's Labor Party leader a day his no confidence motion in Premier Jeremy Rockliff failed spectacularly. Josh Willie will take over as Opposition Leader following a caucus vote. The Mercury reported that under Labor rules, a spill of leadership positions occurs after an election loss. Mr Willie emerged victorious in a ballot against fellow Clark MP Ella Haddad to secure the leadership candidacy. 'It is a great honour to be elected Leader of the Tasmanian Labor Party,' Mr Willie said in a statement. 'Tasmanian Labor has a proud history and I look forward to giving this role everything I've got to return Labor to government.' Mr Willie thanked Mr Winter for his service, saying he had 'strong Labor values'. Janie Finlay was elected unopposed as new deputy leader, replacing Anita Dow. The spill comes after Labor suffered a humiliating defeat in Tasmania's parliament on Tuesday – the first day of sitting since the snap state election resulted in a hung parliament – with the motion failing to secure a single crossbench vote. Mr Winter's motion was met with a rare display of unity from all other sides, leaving Labor exposed and widely criticised. Newly elected member for Franklin and former ABC reporter Peter George delivered one of the most scathing assessments of Labor's performance. 'Labor set about undermining the very notion of collaboration and compromise as it sought to lead a minority government,' Mr George told the House of Assembly. 'In my years of reporting politics, which stretch back to the Whitlam years, never have I come across an opposition party less ready for government.' Premier Rockliff, the only Liberal MP to speak on the motion, emphasised the need for collaboration in a minority government. 'We cannot ignore the fact that in minority government we must come together and agree on policy positions that reflect the wider will of the people,' Mr Rockliff said. 'Minority government may well be here for decades to come, and that's why we need to listen, learn and continue to make progress. We might not always agree, but everyone deserves to be heard.' He blamed Mr Winter for sending parliament 'right back where we were.' Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff said her party could not back a motion that put Labor into power – but said the minor party did not have confidence in the Liberals either. 'We tried really hard to work with Labor,' Ms Woodruff said. 'Mr Winter showed no capacity or intention to negotiate with the Greens or to make policy compromises. 'Labor has nothing to offer. They continue to blindly back building a billion-dollar stadium the state doesn't need and clearly can't afford.' Labor won only 10 seats in the 35-seat parliament at the snap July election called after a previous no confidence in Mr Rockliff succeeded.
Sky News AU
2 hours ago
- Sky News AU
‘War of words': Australia-Israel relationship takes a ‘terrible turn' after Netanyahu's letter
Shadow Assistant Education and Mental Health Minister Zoe McKenzie says Australia-Israel relations have taken an 'extraordinary turn' for the worse. 'It's an extraordinary turn,' Ms McKenzie told Sky News host Chris Kenny. 'This war of words that are particularly harsh and pointed … are a terrible turn in terms of a longstanding relationship between Australia and Israel. 'I feel for the Jewish people in Australia.'
