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ABC News
33 minutes ago
- ABC News
Julie Bishop rejects bullying allegations and Labor abandons the P-word
Welcome back to your weekly federal politics update, where Brett Worthington gets you up to speed on the happenings from Parliament House. It's one big happy family at the good ship government and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. In interview after interview Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers were jumping out of their skin to tell the world just how aligned they were. We text all the time, they said. We meet in person all they time, they insisted. Don't believe what you read in the newspapers, they cried. Questions arose after the Australian Financial Review reported on Wednesday that the two men had held private talks to agree to rein in public expectations about the artist formerly known as the productivity roundtable. The paper reported any tension was mere "frisson" rather than anything serious but it prompted no shortage of rebuttals. It's been months since Albanese first announced the treasurer would hold a three-day productivity summit in August. In the time since, the rebrandings have been thick and fast, as no shortage of ideas emerge ahead of the what's now being called the three-day economic roundtable (productivity is so yesterday, it seems). There is nothing new about points of tension between prime ministers and treasurers, and there is little to suggest Albanese and Chalmers' relationship is any different to their predecessors. Treasurers have the freedom to be ambitious, while prime ministers tend to be more cautious, acutely aware of public sentiment. That's been on display here. Chalmers has bemoaned the "rule in, rule out" game, encouraging people instead to bring forward their best ideas to boost productivity (or whatever word the government is now using). Albanese, meanwhile, has been very willing to rule out proposals, whether its changes to negative gearing or adopting a four-day work week. When it was first pitched, the government vowed the roundtable wouldn't bear the hallmarks of the first term jobs and skills summit, the announcements from which seemed pre-ordained before the event. Leaked Treasury advice, revealed by the ABC on Thursday, went some way to undermining that thanks to a pre-written list of outcomes for the yet-to-be-held event. The document was prepared for the cabinet. Chalmers insists that it shouldn't be a "big surprise" that briefings had been prepared. But Opposition Leader Sussan Ley, smelling a rat, argued it showed the talks were a "stitch up". Both men say there is low hanging fruit that they hope the economic reform-nee-productivity roundtable can tackle. While it remains to be seen what fruit will be picked next week, one thing that is almost certain is that if you drive an EV, you should expect things are about to get more costly. Labor looks set to use the summit the thrash out road user charging rules to see electric vehicle owners make a greater contribution to road repairs, to help offset falling fuel excise revenue. As for why no one says productivity? Ask people in Labor and they will tell you the word tanks in focus groups. When people hear it, they think it means they need to work harder, even if the ambition is the opposite. Albanese's week started with a highly choreographed event, in which he and Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong pledged Australia would recognise Palestine next month. The scale of the moment can't be understated. Decades in the making, Albanese and Wong have spent recent months painstakingly preparing for the pledge, knowing all too well that once said, there'd be no going back. Shame no one told Parliament House's lawn mower, the engine of which roared so loudly that the Albanese and Wong could hardly be heard. Albanese has talked about recognising Palestinian statehood for decades and he seemed acutely aware of the moment. But telling too was how quickly he then donned a hard hat and high-vis vest. He headed to Melbourne on Tuesday to talk about housing and to Brisbane on Wednesday to talk batteries and to attend the Ekka, where he happily ate a famous strawberry sundae (maybe don't look up the pictures of the consumption). While questions about Palestinian recognition might have followed him, the image people saw was that of PM moving throughout the country, signalling his agenda was much bigger than events in the Middle East. Attracting barely a peep from the United States, the Coalition quickly announced it would repeal the recognition if it won the next election, before accusing Labor of emboldening Hamas. Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Michaelia Cash has taken with gusto to adding theatrical flair to her pronunciation of Hamas, so much so it's almost impossible to describe. Pronunciation aside, this is where things start getting confusing. On Wednesday, Nine newspapers published comments attributed to one of Hamas's co-founders, Sheikh Hassan Yousef, praising Albanese's "political courage", comments the Coalition couldn't pounce on quick enough. But then a statement published on Hamas's English and Telegram channels denied the issuing of the statement, insisting Yousef was imprisoned without any means of communication. Awkwardly for Ley, after saying Hamas was "cheering" on the government, when told Hamas had rejected the comments she replied: "I am not responding to comments by Hamas and nor am I taking them seriously." A quick look at former foreign minister Julie Bishop's Instagram profile shows a dizzying post-political career filled with curated images of her travelling the world, speaking at global events and attending glitzy opening nights. The former foreign minister and deputy Liberal leader retired from federal politics in 2019 after failing to replace Malcolm Turnbull as PM. In the years since, she's opened an advisory firm, joined boards and become a special UN envoy on Myanmar. Among her more prestigious appointments was becoming the chancellor of the Australian National University (ANU). For such a high-profile figure, Bishop has been noticeably quiet in the role in recent months as festering tensions at the ANU boil over amid widespread job and funding cuts. Which brings us to this week and a Senate inquiry interrogating the quality of governance at the nation's universities. Appearing on Tuesday, ANU academic Liz Allen used parliamentary privilege to accuse Bishop and other members of the executive of bullying. Allen, a staff-elected member of the ANU council until she quit earlier this year, accused Bishop of being "hostile and arrogant" to staff and suggested the previous vice-chancellor Brian Schmidt had "kept the chancellor's behaviour in check". In highly charged testimony, she spoke of the personal toll she had experienced and accused Bishop of blocking her from leaving a room after berating her. Bishop didn't appear at the hearing but issued a statement to "reject any suggestion" that she had acted in "any way other than with respect, courtesy and civility". Speaking on Wednesday, ACT senator David Pocock said "everyone in the room was really moved" by Allen's testimony and said it highlighted the human toll poor leadership and governance was having at the ANU. He's also called for Bishop to stand aside while the allegations are investigated. For now, neither Bishop nor embattled vice chancellor Genevieve Bell are budging but neither are the calls for their removal.
Perth Now
9 hours ago
- Perth Now
‘Real mess': Fury over Hamas praise
Sussan Ley says Anthony Albanese is 'making a real mess' after Hamas praised his decision to recognise Palestinian statehood. Hamas, the Islamist militants behind the October 7 attacks on Israel in 2023, overnight issued statements to Australian media saying it welcomed any support to 'help the Palestinian people achieve their national goals'. The group - a registered terrorist organisation in Australia - runs Gaza, where Israel has waged a 22-month war in a bid to wipe it out and rescue hostages taken the October 7 assault. The Opposition Leader said on Thursday the Prime Minister needed to rethink his decision. 'On the same day, a listed terror organisation calls our Prime Minister a hero, while our closest ally, the US, says that these actions are going to make peace in the region less likely,' Ms Ley told Nine's Today. 'So it's really quite extraordinary, because remember, the Prime Minister used justification for this decision by saying Hamas would not be involved. 'And I saw the Treasurer yesterday saying, oh, Hamas will have no role in a future Palestinian state. Really? As if we can control these things?' Opposition Leader Sussan Ley is calling on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to reverse his decision to recognise Palestinian statehood. Martin Ollman / Newswire Credit: NewsWire She said she was 'really concerned because, like all Australians, I want to see Gazans fed, the hostages released and the war to come to an end'. 'But this decision is opposed by the Coalition for these reasons, and that's why we will revoke it in government, because it doesn't bring about a two-state solution, it doesn't make the world a safer place,' Ms Ley said. Hamas supporting recognition is not a surprise – Palestinian statehood is a core goal for the group. So too is the destruction of Israel, meaning it does not support a two-state solution, where Israelis and Palestinians living within sovereign, internationally recognised borders. The Albanese government has rejected the criticism, with a spokesperson saying Mr Albanese's move is against the goals of Hamas and in line with broader regional efforts to 'isolate' it. 'What Australia has done is contribute international momentum towards a two-state solution, which Hamas opposes,' the spokesperson said. 'We are supporting the Arab League's efforts to isolate Hamas. 'Hamas always tries to manipulate facts for their own propaganda.' More to come.
7NEWS
a day ago
- 7NEWS
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese calls Israel's blocking of aid into Gaza an ‘affront to common decency'
Israel limiting humanitarian aid into Gaza goes against international law and is an 'affront to common decency', the prime minister says. Australia is among 29 countries that issued a joint statement overnight calling for urgent action by Israel to allow aid to enter Gaza. 'The humanitarian suffering in Gaza has reached unimaginable levels,' the statement said. 'Famine is unfolding before our eyes.' 'Humanitarian space must be protected and aid should never be politicised.' Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Israel's actions in blocking aid to the region was 'not defensible'. 'It's certainly not something that's consistent with international law,' he told ABC radio on Wednesday. 'We're also seeing people killed while trying to get access to food and water. Now, in 2025 that's completely unacceptable. 'It is an affront to common decency and community humanity what is happening in Gaza.' Israel has denied responsibility for the lack of food in the Gaza Strip, accusing Hamas of stealing aid shipments. It has also denied there is starvation among the population, although it has throttled the flow of food to Gaza for months, according to international human rights groups. The prime minister's latest comments come two days after he announced Australia would recognise Palestinian statehood at September's UN General Assembly, joining the UK, France and Canada in the move. The shift means Australia's foreign policy has diverged from that of the US, a key ally that has for decades opposed formal recognition of Palestine. However, the White House has declined to directly criticise Australia for its actions in recognising Palestine after US President Donald Trump suggested a similar move from Canada could affect trade talks. A spokesman told Nine newspapers the president had an open mind on the status of Palestine, despite not backing statehood. Albanese said the US would have a critical role to play in peace talks. 'One of the things that has defined president Trump's position internationally on global affairs is that he is an advocate for peace and he's been an advocate for peace in the Middle East for a long period of time,' he said. While some have argued Australia's decision to break from the US could imperil the bilateral relationship, Flinders University international relations expert Jessica Genauer said the government's diplomatic calculus had helped dampen any impact. 'Because Australia waited until other important countries all said they're planning to recognise Palestine ... I don't think it will be singled out by the US,' Genauer said. 'The Trump administration is opposed to countries recognising Palestine, but I think that they would put Australia in with a whole group of other countries and it wouldn't particularly be detrimental to Australia's relationship.' Australia will join more than 140 UN member states in recognising Palestine, but Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said the prime minister's priorities were wrong. 'He's clearly distracted by what he's been talking about now for weeks with respect to Palestinian recognition, that is actually not going to make the world a safer place,' she told Seven's Sunrise program. The coalition has pledged to reverse the recognition decision should it win the next election. Crossbench senator Fatima Payman, who defected from Labor in 2024 after criticising the government's stance on the Middle East, said recognising statehood was overdue but could not be an end point. 'Symbolism matters, but saving lives matters more so when we're thinking about what Australia needs to do next, it's to make sure that they keep that pressure on Israel,' she told ABC radio.
