‘Surprise, surprise': Labor coming up with new ideas for ‘higher taxes'
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‘Hamas got what they wanted': Sydney's ‘march of hatred' photos sell for ‘propaganda'
Sky News host Rowan Dean discusses the pro-Palestine march on the Sydney Harbour Bridge last week, which was labelled a 'march of hatred' with 'buffoons on the bridge'. 'What was most conspicuous about the crowds was the total absence of any serious political or community leaders,' Mr Dean said. 'The images merely confirm what a disaster the last few decades of Australia's so-called multi-immigration policies have been for this once proud, relaxed, and comfortable nation. 'Hamas got what they wanted, which was propaganda photos that went around the world.'
Sky News AU
38 minutes ago
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Andrew Hastie still ‘interested' in Liberal Party leadership after Coalition's major May Election wipeout
Shadow home affairs minister Andrew Hastie has revealed he still believes he can one day lead the Liberal Party. Mr Hastie was seen as a leading contender after the party's wipeout at the May election left the leadership wide open. But the MP for Canning in Perth's affluent southern suburbs ruled himself out citing 'personal reasons', including his young children and the arduous commute from Western Australia. Watch Sunday Agenda in full including interviews with Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke and his counterpart Andrew Hastie with a Streaming Subscription. He has now become a central figure in the Coalition's push to dump its commitment to net zero by 2050, insisting on Sky News Sunday Agenda that he 'wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't fight for a better deal for the Australian people'. Asked directly by Sky News Political Editor Andrew Clennell if he aspired to take the leadership in the future, Mr Hastie said: 'I'm interested in leading the Liberal Party'. 'But around May I made it very clear that my young family, my wife, comes first, and also my constituency, so I'm just doing what I can to serve my constituents here in Canning,' Mr Hastie said. 'I'm obviously enjoying this role of Home Affairs and I'll keep doing that. That's my job. But I'm not going to lie to you and say I don't have any ambition to lead. 'Of course I do, but timing in politics is everything and right now, Sussan Ley is our leader and we're doing everything we can to build a platform to win the next election.' Mr Hastie was steadfast that he could take the mantle, dismissing concerns about experience and whether he could do the job as a WA MP. Asked if he had what it took to lead from the west coast, he said: 'I do and, Andrew, all this practice, getting up talking to you early in the morning, it's possible." Sussan Ley defeated Angus Taylor in a tight leadership contest in May, but has since faced numerous internal policy fights. Climate policy threatened to permanently split the Nationals and the Liberal Party, and now Ms Ley has been forced to deal with warring factions within her own party. Numerous moderate Liberals have insisted the Coalition – which is conducting a review of the policy alongside a Nationals Party review – should keep net zero emissions by 2050. But Mr Hastie has been a strong voice against the move, which could continue to plague Ms Ley's leadership. After being grilled on whether he was a climate sceptic, Mr Hastie said he accepted the climate was changing but questioned how Australia should respond. 'Should we transfer our heavy industry, Australian jobs offshore? Should we demand that the Australian people pay more for their power bills?' he said on Sunday. 'Should we actually orchestrate a massive transfer of wealth through our tax system, so that Australians are paying more for the power? 'I think that's fundamentally unjust and it's hypocritical. 'Given that we just suffered a massive loss at the election, given that were going through a process of revisiting policy, I've spoken my mind. But I'm probably in the minority and that's okay.'
ABC News
38 minutes ago
- ABC News
There is 'precedent' to recognise countries under terrorist occupation, minister says
The home affairs minister says there is "precedent" for Australia to recognise countries occupied by terrorist forces, even as the federal government maintains Hamas can play no role in a future Palestinian state. Australia has not followed France, the United Kingdom and Canada in a commitment to move to recognise Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly in September. Those nations have stipulated their endorsement of a Palestinian state is conditional on Hamas playing no role in its governance, a position the federal government also holds. However speaking on Sky News, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said there had been cases in the past in which Australia maintained relations with nations even while terror groups had controlled them. "There have frequently been countries where part of that nation has been occupied by a terrorist group and we haven't ceased to recognise the country," Mr Burke said. "Both Syria and Iraq had a long period where parts of those countries were being occupied and realistically controlled by ISIS. It didn't stop us from recognising and having diplomatic relations with those countries themselves. In that same interview, Mr Burke said Hamas was a terror group that stood "condemned" and which had caused unspeakable harm to Israelis and Palestinians. Hamas has controlled Gaza since 2007, when it took over the strip shortly after defeating rival faction Fatah in the final elections held in Gaza. The Fatah-led Palestinian Authority exercises partial control in the West Bank, though it is also administered by Israel. In a joint statement yesterday, the foreign ministers of Australia, Germany, Italy, New Zealand and the UK said they were united in their commitment to implementing a "negotiated" two-state solution as the only way to guarantee both Israelis and Palestinians could live side by side in peace. "A political resolution based on a negotiated two-state solution requires the total demilitarisation of Hamas and its complete exclusion from any form of governance in the Gaza Strip, where the Palestinian Authority must have a central role," the statement read. Shadow Home Affairs Minister Andrew Hastie said the prospect of a two-state solution that excluded Hamas was "deeply unrealistic". "Hamas still enjoys widespread grassroots support among the Palestinian people," Mr Hastie told Sky News. He pointed to polling by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, which operates out of Ramallah in the West Bank. Its most recent poll of 1,200 people in the West Bank and Gaza, conducted in September last year, found a moderate drop in support for Hamas and in the favourability of its October 7 terror attack against Israel, though about a third expressed support for Hamas, and more than half still believed its 2023 offensive against Israel was a "correct" decision. "We saw last year in Beijing Hamas and Fatah meet, facilitated by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and sign the Beijing Declaration, which committed to a government of national unity," Mr Hastie said. "So in fact the war in Gaza has brought Hamas and Fatah together. "In order for a two-state solution to work, you have got to exclude Hamas, and that will be very difficult." The 2024 Beijing Declaration agrees to a "comprehensive Palestinian national unity that includes all Palestinian factions" and a temporary national unity government after the war — which would defy international conditions for recognition that Hamas play no role in Palestine's governance. Mr Hastie said the global community must temper its aims with realism, saying "some sort of settlement" must be pursued. "We won't have a lasting peace, that is true, there is always outbreaks in the Middle East," he said. "But we do need to move towards a peace settlement, and this is going to involve compromise and it is going to be uncomfortable. "It is trite to come up with easy solutions on a statement, this is going to be a lot of hard work. If there was an easy solution we would already be there." Defence Minister Richard Marles told ABC Insiders the only way to secure lasting peace was through recognition of both Israeli and Palestinian states. He said recognition would not be a reward for Hamas, because the terror group could play no role in a future state. "We have consistently said that Hamas can have no role in any future Palestinian state," he said.
