Sussan Ley may be a better option for Liberal leadership, says former Labor campaign strategist
'Susan Ley may be a better option for them just because she's a woman,' Mr Hawker told Sky News Australia.
'That sends a message to a lot of would-be Liberal voters out there who've said we're not prepared to support a party that is giving us four Liberal members of parliament who are women against 40 for the Labor Party and counting.'
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Sky News AU
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Labor MP Ed Husic expressed strong views on the need for the Australian government to recognise Palestine, emphasising the urgency of the situation. 'We've seen since March the way in which aid has been throttled going into Gaza, that has been a deliberate decision by the Netanyahu government," Mr Husic told Sky News Australia. 'Labor Party members have supported the establishment of the state of Palestine, and we've reaffirmed that most recently in two national conferences. 'That image of that one year old who weighs the same as a three month old baby as a result of starvation… those images have driven that type of reaction.'
Perth Now
21 minutes ago
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Disgraced abuser MP to face parliamentary ouster
A parliamentary push could begin within weeks to remove a disgraced state MP after his conviction for sexually abusing two young men. NSW Premier Chris Minns said it would be "ridiculous" for independent MP Gareth Ward to be allowed to continue serving the state after he was found guilty of the crimes. He called on the representative for the south coast seat of Kiama to immediately resign but added he had received legal advice that the former Liberal could be expelled from parliament if required. "It is completely ridiculous to be in a situation where someone has been not accused, not charged, but convicted of incredibly serious sexual assault convictions and stay as a member of parliament," Mr Minns told reporters on Monday. "This is just an untenable situation." The "integrity" of the oldest parliament in Australia needed to be protected, the premier added, and action should be taken "as soon as possible" when parliament returned in early August. "Many voters will say, are you really suggesting that someone who's been convicted of these incredibly serious charges continues on as a member of parliament, even if they're in jail," Mr Minns said. Under the NSW constitution, state MPs will have their seat vacated if convicted of offences punishable with a term of more than five years' imprisonment. The most serious charge for which Ward was found guilty carries a maximum 14-year jail term, but he still has the ability to appeal his convictions. He was accused of inviting a drunk 18-year-old man - whom he met a year prior - to his South Coast home in February 2013. The man told a jury that Ward, then a first-term Liberal MP, plied him with drinks before indecently assaulting him three times in one night despite his attempts to resist. Two years later, Ward sexually assaulted an intoxicated political staffer after a mid-week event at NSW Parliament House. The man, who was 24 at the time, said Ward climbed into bed with him, groped his backside and sexually assaulted him despite him repeatedly saying "no". The coalition also condemned the conduct of the former minister for families, communities and community services, suggesting they would back any move to drive him out of parliament. "There is no way he can effectively represent his constituents," Opposition Leader Mark Speakman said. "If the power is there to expel Mr Ward he should be expelled." Ward has held the Kiama electorate since 2011, winning three elections under the Liberal banner before securing the seat at the 2023 poll as an independent. He remains on bail under strict conditions ahead of a detention application due to be heard in court on Wednesday. He is yet to be sentenced. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
Perth Now
an hour ago
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PM stares down internal push for Palestine recognition
The prime minister is staring down internal pressure to recognise a Palestinian state as Labor figures decry the "unspeakable cruelty" being thrust on civilians in Gaza. Anthony Albanese has been urged to follow in the footsteps of his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, but on Sunday said he would not "imminently" recognise Palestinian statehood. Both major parties in Australia support a two-state solution for Palestinians and Israelis, however Mr Albanese said any resolution would need to guarantee Hamas, the de-facto ruling authority in Gaza, played no part in the future nation. There would also need to be agreements on the rebuilding of Gaza and the West Bank, and a resolution of issues over the expansion of Israeli settlements. But former Labor frontbencher Ed Husic pointed out that recognition of a Palestinian state had been part of Labor's national platform since at least 2018. "We've already green-lighted it through our party, we've taken it to elections - the circumstances demand it," the MP told reporters in Canberra on Monday. "The announcement by the (Israeli) government to partition or reshape the way in which borders exist in Gaza means that we need to send a strong signal that we are opposed to that." Former Labor Foreign Minister Bob Carr echoed the call. There were ways to address the various obstacles to the new nation being established, he said, adding those considerations were outweighed by a "bigger fact and bigger truth". "Deaths are coming fast, unspeakable cruelty is being visited against babies and children in the enforcement of something not seen in the modern world - that is, an advanced state using mass starvation as a weapon of war and giving effect to a genocide," he said. "We will insist that the Palestinian state that comes into being will be one that opts to be a non-militarised state ... that is a serious security guarantee that can be delivered in negotiations, and which the Palestinians have already offered." More than 140 out of the 193 members of the United Nations already recognise the state of Palestine, including EU members Spain and Ireland. The international push to recognise Palestine has been fuelled by the escalating crisis in Gaza, where more than two million people are facing starvation. Israel cut off aid to Gaza in March before re-opening channels under tight restrictions in May, measures it says are necessary to stop the supplies being diverted to fund Hamas operations. Its officials say enough food has been let into Gaza during the war and Hamas is responsible for the suffering of civilians. Israel's military offensive has already killed more than 58,000 Palestinians, according to health authorities in Gaza. The campaign began after Hamas, a designated terrorist organisation in Australia, attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1200 people and took 251 hostages. Opposition frontbencher Dan Tehan said Hamas was responsible for continuing to "politicise and weaponise the use of aid in Gaza". Multiple aid organisations, including Amnesty and Medecins Sans Frontieres, have condemned the Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation for the trickle of aid being supplied in recent months.
