Advocates urge reform of WA tenancy laws
Published 23 July 2025, 8:43 am
Western Australia has some of the weakest renter protections in the country and is now one of just two jurisdictions that still allow no-fault evictions. Housing advocates are urging reform while the WA Government says it's doing everything it can to build more social and affordable homes. The stakes could not be higher for one single mother in Perth who is now preparing to live in her car.
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ABC News
16 minutes ago
- ABC News
Wong calls for international action on Gaza as government weighs timing of Palestinian recognition
Foreign Minister Penny Wong says the international community must do what it can to change the situation in Gaza, as the government actively considers when it should move to recognise Palestinian statehood. France, the United Kingdom and now Canada say they will recognise a Palestinian state at the next United Nations General Assembly in September, provided several conditions are met, including that Hamas plays no role in Palestine's governance. It adds further pressure on the Australian government to explain its own timeline for recognising Palestine, which Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his government would only do if it was a "meaningful action". Senator Wong on Thursday did not rule out Australia making a similar declaration, reiterating that it was a matter of "when, not if" as she pointed to several developments, including the Arab League nations' unprecedented step to call on Hamas to disarm and relinquish power in Gaza. "This is something that we are thinking very carefully about," she told ABC's Afternoon Briefing. "What Canada and the United Kingdom and France and the Palestinian Authority and the Arab League are all seeking to do is work out what we can each do to break the cycle of violence that is consuming the Middle East. "We cannot continue to stand by and watch what is happening in Gaza and not take the sorts of actions you are seeing. "We have to see we can do as an international community to change the pathway that the region is on." Earlier in the day, Treasurer Jim Chalmers also said he personally welcomed the momentum towards recognising a Palestinian state in an interview with Sky News. "From a personal point of view, I welcome this momentum, this progress that's been made in the international community," he said. "From an Australian point of view, recognition of the state of Palestine is a matter of when, not if." Australia and several other nations signed a statement earlier this week expressing a willingness to recognise the state of Palestine and work on an architecture to guarantee Gaza's reconstruction and the disarmament of Hamas. But Mr Albanese said on Sunday, before the UK or Canada's announcements, that Australia would not follow France to recognise Palestine in September. "What we will do is we'll make a decision based upon the time. Is the time right now? Are we about to imminently do that? No, we are not," he said on Sunday. He added that the United States also had a "critical" role in negotiating to move the conflict in the Middle East forward. Mr Albanese spoke again with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer overnight to discuss "the situation in Gaza", according to a readout of the call. On that call Mr Albanese reiterated Australia's long-standing "and strong" support for a two-state solution to Mr Starmer, who announced his nation's move to recognise Palestine two days ago. Mr Starmer laid out his framework for taking forward recognition of Palestine "as a driver for peace", and the leaders agreed on the importance of using international momentum to secure a ceasefire, the release of all hostages and the acceleration of aid, "as well as ensuring Hamas did not play a role in a future state". Israel's foreign ministry has warned nations moving to recognise Israel that doing so would reward Hamas and harm efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza, as well as the framework for the release of hostages. Mr Albanese said yesterday that for a two-state solution to be "genuinely" advanced, Middle Eastern states would also have to recognise Israel, and that Israel would need to have confidence that it could exist without a threat to its security. Twenty-eight UN member states do not recognise Israel, including 15 nations in the Arab League, though their statement earlier this week expressed hope that relations between the countries could be normalised. The prime minister has also pointed to unanswered questions about how an unwilling Hamas would be removed and democratic institutions rebuilt in Gaza. Coalition frontbencher James Paterson questioned on Sky News the value of a "premature" recognition of Palestine. "If you were to recognise a Palestinian state today, as the Albanese government is leaning towards doing, you would be recognising a state which is in part governed by a terrorist organisation, which is in part governed by an organisation which continues to hold 50 Israelis hostage, which has sworn the destruction of the state of Israel and the people in it, which has caused death and devastation for the people of Gaza," he said. "I think it's going to be a very long time before any state can recognise a Palestinian state, Australia included, because Hamas has shown no interest in returning the hostages, certainly no interest in demilitarising or giving up its control over Gaza."
ABC News
16 minutes ago
- ABC News
Convicted sex offender Gareth Ward faces expulsion from NSW parliament
NSW MP Gareth Ward could become the first member of the Legislative Assembly expelled from the New South Wales parliament in more than 100 years when politicians return to Macquarie Street next week. The Legislative Assembly is expected to consider a motion to expel Ward as its first order of business on Tuesday, following his conviction for sexually abusing two young men. It would be the first time since 1917 that the parliament has used this power. The vote is expected to pass comfortably, with both the government and opposition supporting Ward's removal. On Monday, Premier Chris Minns said Ward's continued presence in parliament was "ridiculous" and threatened the integrity of the institution. Mr Minns called on Ward to resign and said if he did not, the parliament would take steps to remove him. On Thursday, Opposition leader Mark Speakman repeated his support for the expulsion motion. "The fact that he is now incarcerated makes that call even stronger," Mr Speakman said. Ward spent his first night in Silverwater jail after his bail was revoked in the District Court on Wednesday, where a date was set for his sentencing in September. Once expelled, Ward will lose his salary and entitlements immediately. The Speaker of the House will assume responsibility for the Kiama electorate until a by-election is held and a new member is sworn in. If Ward is discharged from the parliament, it is the Speaker's responsibility to contact the electoral commission to organise a by-election in the seat. If Ward appealed against his conviction and succeeded, he would remain removed from parliament and would have to recontest the seat of Kiama to return. The last time a member was expelled from the Legislative Assembly was in 1917. Richard Arthur Price was removed for conduct "unworthy of a member of parliament and seriously reflecting on the dignity of the House", after a royal commission found he had made baseless allegations against a minister. Mr Price recontested and won the subsequent by-election just weeks later. Expulsion remains one of the most serious sanctions parliament can impose on one of its own. In the Legislative Council, the last expulsion occurred in 1969, when Alexander Armstrong MLC was found to have engaged in conduct that included procuring false evidence, entertaining the possibility of bribing a Supreme Court judge, and offering false testimony. Mr Armstrong unsuccessfully challenged his expulsion in the Court of Appeal. As the reality of Ward being jailed sinks in, there are mixed feelings on the streets of Kiama about the future. Couple Sue and Glenn Lawrence said the former Liberal turned independent had been effective for the electorate, but that it was time for him to resign. "I think it's the right thing to do, as much as he has done a lot for Kiama as a politician," Ms Lawrence said. Russell Hawkins said Ward should have stepped down long ago. "I think he shouldn't have contested the previous election," Mr Hawkins said. "He's been found guilty. I think it's repugnant what he did, and I'm glad he's going to be out." There was concern for the electorate of more than 80,000 people to be left without representation in parliament from next week. "There will have to be a vote for a new person," Mr Lawrence said. "You could get the Liberals coming back in again or Labor, I don't know, but we do need somebody here." Other residents said they were in less of a rush and were eager to wait until any appeal was finalised. "I'm puzzled," Rupert Jarvis said. "Overall, in his capacity as an MP, I think he does an excellent job." Another resident, Margaret Mitchell said: "He's done years and years of incredible service" for Kiama. Ward's electorate office in Kiama was temporarily closed last week but has since reopened. Staff told the ABC they were continuing to respond to enquiries and had received strong support from the community. They also urged the public to treat all political staff with respect. A day after he was sent to prison, Ward's defamation case against Sydney radio station 2SM was mentioned in the District Court. The case was relisted on the court's active list following Ward's conviction for sexual assault offences, prompting consideration of how the guilty verdict may affect the defamation proceedings. A certificate of conviction could be tendered as part of the broadcaster's early serious harm defence or in support of an application for summary dismissal. The matter is due back in court on September 11.
ABC News
16 minutes ago
- ABC News
Sussan Ley finds her feet as Albanese reaches for the Medicare card again
Welcome back to your weekly federal politics update, where Brett Worthington gets you up to speed on the happenings from Parliament House. To the casual observer, Question Time is little more than an insult to intelligence. Sit in there for five minutes and it's clear why it was never called Answer Time. When they get a question from the opposition or crossbench, ministers filibuster their three minutes to prevent having to give an actual answer. When they get a question their side of politics has scripted, ministers find themselves talking about opposition policies. In one of the more ridiculous moments this week, Labor tasked new MP Ali France, who has arrived in parliament with one of the most compelling life stories, to ask the prime minister how Labor's pursuit of its agenda compared to others in the parliament. It's as if Labor forgets the nation just made very clear what it thought of the policies the Coalition took to the last election. It won the battle, now its job is to get on with governing, rather than looking in the rear vision mirror. The Coalition finds itself in the political wilderness, numbers diminished and at sea over which policies it will retain. Sussan Ley is fledgling in her leadership and yet to assert her control of the opposition. Ley and her office have taken steps to open up the party, making it a more professional operation and moving it away from the closed shop Peter Dutton led. At an optics level, you can see just how timid her early steps are, including quite literally when she arrives at Question Time. When Prime Minister Anthony Albanese arrives (or even when Dutton used to arrive), the frontbencher sitting in their seat immediately vacates it. Ley instead enters and takes her old seat on the frontbench, patiently waiting for the person sitting in her seat to vacate it. More telling of her uncertainty at the top was her handling of the scenes of starvation emanating from Gaza. Ley found herself unwilling to say if starvation was occurring in Gaza, something even Benjamin Netanyahu's biggest backer, Donald Trump, was willing to concede this week. The opposition leader said she was "incredibly distressed by the images" but declined to say if starvation was occurring. She wasn't alone. Fellow frontbencher Dan Tehan laid the blame solely at the feet of Hamas. Liberal Dave Sharma, a former Australian ambassador to Israel, struck a different tone, arguing there was overwhelming evidence of malnutrition and food shortages and argued the way to counter Hamas would be for Israel to allow for aid to flow freely into Gaza. Detractors of Ley will say partyroom changes since she became leader have seen her support in the room go backwards — a point her supporters flatly reject. But if she's having to spend her days looking over her shoulder, it makes it hard to navigate a path forward. She's also not alone in finding herself in a bind over Gaza. As nations by the day offer their support for Palestinian statehood, Albanese has repeatedly insisted it was a matter of when, not if. To date, his line has been to accuse those calling for recognition of seeking to win political points. It's a criticism he's intending to level at the Greens. But as France, then Britain, then Canada all moved to recognise Palestine, Albanese has unintentionally found himself offering a rebuke of the leaders he otherwise says he respects. A House of Representatives attendant walked into the chamber on Tuesday about 30 minutes into Question Time. They handed Albanese a yellow envelope, which he discreetly opened. A flash of green could be seen between his fingers as he slipped the item into his suit jacket. It wouldn't remain hidden for long. Four minutes after its arrival, Albanese was brandishing his Medicare card, repeating in parliament a stunt he became renowned for during the campaign. A day earlier, Liberal frontbencher Melissa McIntosh showcased her digital dexterity as she sought to cover the numbers on the Medicare and credit cards she was holding up, accusing Albanese of misleading voters over their prospects of a bulk-billed visit to the GP. Speaker Milton Dick, who on Monday was quick to remind McIntosh to "not use props", was more muted in his rebuke of the prime minister. "The member for Lindsay used a similar tactic yesterday," he said. "I'm sure the prime minister will look after that card carefully and will continue with his answer." By Wednesday, Albanese was again brandishing his Medicare card, in another clear rebuke of the Speaker's earlier rulings. Dick was again elected to parliament as a Labor MP at May's election. But like in the last term, he resigned from the parliamentary party and doesn't attend caucus meetings, in a bid to bolster his impartiality credentials overseeing the chamber. A clearly respected figure, the Coalition broke with convention and supported his return to the prestigious position last week. His ability to retain respect in the chamber rests on politicians seeing him as an impartial figure, something the prime minister has repeatedly tested this week. Where there has been no shortage of respect is between an unlikely duo on the outer fringes of Labor's back bench. First-term man-mountain Matt Smith finds himself squeezed into a two seater alongside fellow giant Dan Repacholi for Question Time. Across the aisle sits Labor's Tracey Roberts, the second term WA MP who the Queenslander physically towers over. Earlier this year, Roberts announced she'd been diagnosed with multiple systems atrophy, a rare progressive neurodegenerative condition that affects her mobility and speech. Despite the diagnosis, she vowed to serve a full term if the voters of Pearce again backed her in, which they did in spades. On paper, there's little the former professional basketballer from Far North Queensland and a former mayor from Perth's northern suburbs would have in common. But their seating arrangements has led to gentle moments of quiet kindness. After Roberts stood to ask a question in Question Time, Smith reached out his lengthy arm to assist her. When Roberts leaves the chamber, he's often nearby, offering a stabilising guide. They say if you want a friend in politics get a dog. But every so often you see signs that alternatives to a dog still exist.
