Latest news with #FederalLabor
The Advertiser
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Advertiser
Opposition calls on PM to take up Israel trip invite
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is being pressured to visit Israel as Australia strengthens its language against the Middle Eastern nation for blocking aid into Gaza. Mr Albanese has been publicly invited by President Isaac Herzog after he strengthened his language to criticise Israel for a blockade of food and medical supplies into Gaza as it reinvigorates a military offensive. The new opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Michaelia Cash said Mr Albanese should take up the invitation and travel as soon as possible when there were no domestic issues like the NSW flood recovery. "Australia and Israel have always had a very strong relationship, which has deteriorated significantly under the Albanese government since Hamas's terrorist attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023," Senator Cash told AAP. "This is a good opportunity for the prime minister to reset the relationship." The October 7 attack killed 1200 people and resulted in 250 hostages being taken, according to Israel's tallies. Senator Cash is set to meet Israeli ambassador Amir Maimon in the next week. Australia has joined a growing chorus of nations strengthening its rhetoric against the Jewish state as the death toll in Gaza eclipses 54,000, according to the local health authority. More than two million people face starvation with a lack of basic supplies and the strip largely reduced to rubble following the nearly 20-month-long war. Aid was stopped to pressure Hamas into releasing more hostages after a ceasefire broke down earlier this year. The prime minister branded Israel's blockade as unacceptable and said its explanation for blocking aid was "completely untenable and without credibility". Federal Labor president and former treasurer Wayne Swan said he was sure Mr Albanese would consider the invite. "But you know, the behaviour of Israel at the moment is pretty outrageous when it comes to the blockage of aid into Gaza," he told Nine's Today Show on Friday. "Now, of course, we've got additional settlements going into the West Bank, so the behaviour of the Israeli government is pretty provocative at the moment. "But I'm sure the prime minister will do everything he can constructively to work with all those involved for a swift end to this conflict." Canada, France and the UK last week warned of "further concrete action" if Israel doesn't halt its military campaign and lift aid restrictions. A ceasefire deal brokered by the White House and signed off by Israel has renewed hope. The proposal hasn't been fully detailed publicly and has been submitted to Hamas. It comes ahead of a major international summit which will debate Palestinian statehood in New York in June. Australia hasn't confirmed who will attend the summit as a representative. Australia's representative to the United Nations James Larsen welcomed "the conference's ambition of a time-bound, irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution". Israel has criticised any push for Palestinian statehood as rewarding Hamas' terrorism, a point that has been reiterated by some Jewish groups in Australia as well as the opposition. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is being pressured to visit Israel as Australia strengthens its language against the Middle Eastern nation for blocking aid into Gaza. Mr Albanese has been publicly invited by President Isaac Herzog after he strengthened his language to criticise Israel for a blockade of food and medical supplies into Gaza as it reinvigorates a military offensive. The new opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Michaelia Cash said Mr Albanese should take up the invitation and travel as soon as possible when there were no domestic issues like the NSW flood recovery. "Australia and Israel have always had a very strong relationship, which has deteriorated significantly under the Albanese government since Hamas's terrorist attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023," Senator Cash told AAP. "This is a good opportunity for the prime minister to reset the relationship." The October 7 attack killed 1200 people and resulted in 250 hostages being taken, according to Israel's tallies. Senator Cash is set to meet Israeli ambassador Amir Maimon in the next week. Australia has joined a growing chorus of nations strengthening its rhetoric against the Jewish state as the death toll in Gaza eclipses 54,000, according to the local health authority. More than two million people face starvation with a lack of basic supplies and the strip largely reduced to rubble following the nearly 20-month-long war. Aid was stopped to pressure Hamas into releasing more hostages after a ceasefire broke down earlier this year. The prime minister branded Israel's blockade as unacceptable and said its explanation for blocking aid was "completely untenable and without credibility". Federal Labor president and former treasurer Wayne Swan said he was sure Mr Albanese would consider the invite. "But you know, the behaviour of Israel at the moment is pretty outrageous when it comes to the blockage of aid into Gaza," he told Nine's Today Show on Friday. "Now, of course, we've got additional settlements going into the West Bank, so the behaviour of the Israeli government is pretty provocative at the moment. "But I'm sure the prime minister will do everything he can constructively to work with all those involved for a swift end to this conflict." Canada, France and the UK last week warned of "further concrete action" if Israel doesn't halt its military campaign and lift aid restrictions. A ceasefire deal brokered by the White House and signed off by Israel has renewed hope. The proposal hasn't been fully detailed publicly and has been submitted to Hamas. It comes ahead of a major international summit which will debate Palestinian statehood in New York in June. Australia hasn't confirmed who will attend the summit as a representative. Australia's representative to the United Nations James Larsen welcomed "the conference's ambition of a time-bound, irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution". Israel has criticised any push for Palestinian statehood as rewarding Hamas' terrorism, a point that has been reiterated by some Jewish groups in Australia as well as the opposition. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is being pressured to visit Israel as Australia strengthens its language against the Middle Eastern nation for blocking aid into Gaza. Mr Albanese has been publicly invited by President Isaac Herzog after he strengthened his language to criticise Israel for a blockade of food and medical supplies into Gaza as it reinvigorates a military offensive. The new opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Michaelia Cash said Mr Albanese should take up the invitation and travel as soon as possible when there were no domestic issues like the NSW flood recovery. "Australia and Israel have always had a very strong relationship, which has deteriorated significantly under the Albanese government since Hamas's terrorist attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023," Senator Cash told AAP. "This is a good opportunity for the prime minister to reset the relationship." The October 7 attack killed 1200 people and resulted in 250 hostages being taken, according to Israel's tallies. Senator Cash is set to meet Israeli ambassador Amir Maimon in the next week. Australia has joined a growing chorus of nations strengthening its rhetoric against the Jewish state as the death toll in Gaza eclipses 54,000, according to the local health authority. More than two million people face starvation with a lack of basic supplies and the strip largely reduced to rubble following the nearly 20-month-long war. Aid was stopped to pressure Hamas into releasing more hostages after a ceasefire broke down earlier this year. The prime minister branded Israel's blockade as unacceptable and said its explanation for blocking aid was "completely untenable and without credibility". Federal Labor president and former treasurer Wayne Swan said he was sure Mr Albanese would consider the invite. "But you know, the behaviour of Israel at the moment is pretty outrageous when it comes to the blockage of aid into Gaza," he told Nine's Today Show on Friday. "Now, of course, we've got additional settlements going into the West Bank, so the behaviour of the Israeli government is pretty provocative at the moment. "But I'm sure the prime minister will do everything he can constructively to work with all those involved for a swift end to this conflict." Canada, France and the UK last week warned of "further concrete action" if Israel doesn't halt its military campaign and lift aid restrictions. A ceasefire deal brokered by the White House and signed off by Israel has renewed hope. The proposal hasn't been fully detailed publicly and has been submitted to Hamas. It comes ahead of a major international summit which will debate Palestinian statehood in New York in June. Australia hasn't confirmed who will attend the summit as a representative. Australia's representative to the United Nations James Larsen welcomed "the conference's ambition of a time-bound, irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution". Israel has criticised any push for Palestinian statehood as rewarding Hamas' terrorism, a point that has been reiterated by some Jewish groups in Australia as well as the opposition. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is being pressured to visit Israel as Australia strengthens its language against the Middle Eastern nation for blocking aid into Gaza. Mr Albanese has been publicly invited by President Isaac Herzog after he strengthened his language to criticise Israel for a blockade of food and medical supplies into Gaza as it reinvigorates a military offensive. The new opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Michaelia Cash said Mr Albanese should take up the invitation and travel as soon as possible when there were no domestic issues like the NSW flood recovery. "Australia and Israel have always had a very strong relationship, which has deteriorated significantly under the Albanese government since Hamas's terrorist attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023," Senator Cash told AAP. "This is a good opportunity for the prime minister to reset the relationship." The October 7 attack killed 1200 people and resulted in 250 hostages being taken, according to Israel's tallies. Senator Cash is set to meet Israeli ambassador Amir Maimon in the next week. Australia has joined a growing chorus of nations strengthening its rhetoric against the Jewish state as the death toll in Gaza eclipses 54,000, according to the local health authority. More than two million people face starvation with a lack of basic supplies and the strip largely reduced to rubble following the nearly 20-month-long war. Aid was stopped to pressure Hamas into releasing more hostages after a ceasefire broke down earlier this year. The prime minister branded Israel's blockade as unacceptable and said its explanation for blocking aid was "completely untenable and without credibility". Federal Labor president and former treasurer Wayne Swan said he was sure Mr Albanese would consider the invite. "But you know, the behaviour of Israel at the moment is pretty outrageous when it comes to the blockage of aid into Gaza," he told Nine's Today Show on Friday. "Now, of course, we've got additional settlements going into the West Bank, so the behaviour of the Israeli government is pretty provocative at the moment. "But I'm sure the prime minister will do everything he can constructively to work with all those involved for a swift end to this conflict." Canada, France and the UK last week warned of "further concrete action" if Israel doesn't halt its military campaign and lift aid restrictions. A ceasefire deal brokered by the White House and signed off by Israel has renewed hope. The proposal hasn't been fully detailed publicly and has been submitted to Hamas. It comes ahead of a major international summit which will debate Palestinian statehood in New York in June. Australia hasn't confirmed who will attend the summit as a representative. Australia's representative to the United Nations James Larsen welcomed "the conference's ambition of a time-bound, irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution". Israel has criticised any push for Palestinian statehood as rewarding Hamas' terrorism, a point that has been reiterated by some Jewish groups in Australia as well as the opposition.
West Australian
2 days ago
- Politics
- West Australian
Opposition calls on PM to take up Israel trip invite
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is being pressured to visit Israel as Australia strengthens its language against the Middle Eastern nation for blocking aid into Gaza. Mr Albanese has been publicly invited by President Isaac Herzog after he strengthened his language to criticise Israel for a blockade of food and medical supplies into Gaza as it reinvigorates a military offensive. The new opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Michaelia Cash said Mr Albanese should take up the invitation and travel as soon as possible when there were no domestic issues like the NSW flood recovery. "Australia and Israel have always had a very strong relationship, which has deteriorated significantly under the Albanese government since Hamas's terrorist attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023," Senator Cash told AAP. "This is a good opportunity for the prime minister to reset the relationship." The October 7 attack killed 1200 people and resulted in 250 hostages being taken, according to Israel's tallies. Senator Cash is set to meet Israeli ambassador Amir Maimon in the next week. Australia has joined a growing chorus of nations strengthening its rhetoric against the Jewish state as the death toll in Gaza eclipses 54,000, according to the local health authority. More than two million people face starvation with a lack of basic supplies and the strip largely reduced to rubble following the nearly 20-month-long war. Aid was stopped to pressure Hamas into releasing more hostages after a ceasefire broke down earlier this year. The prime minister branded Israel's blockade as unacceptable and said its explanation for blocking aid was "completely untenable and without credibility". Federal Labor president and former treasurer Wayne Swan said he was sure Mr Albanese would consider the invite. "But you know, the behaviour of Israel at the moment is pretty outrageous when it comes to the blockage of aid into Gaza," he told Nine's Today Show on Friday. "Now, of course, we've got additional settlements going into the West Bank, so the behaviour of the Israeli government is pretty provocative at the moment. "But I'm sure the prime minister will do everything he can constructively to work with all those involved for a swift end to this conflict." Canada, France and the UK last week warned of "further concrete action" if Israel doesn't halt its military campaign and lift aid restrictions. A ceasefire deal brokered by the White House and signed off by Israel has renewed hope. The proposal hasn't been fully detailed publicly and has been submitted to Hamas. It comes ahead of a major international summit which will debate Palestinian statehood in New York in June. Australia hasn't confirmed who will attend the summit as a representative. Australia's representative to the United Nations James Larsen welcomed "the conference's ambition of a time-bound, irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution". Israel has criticised any push for Palestinian statehood as rewarding Hamas' terrorism, a point that has been reiterated by some Jewish groups in Australia as well as the opposition.
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Politics
- Perth Now
Opposition calls on PM to take up Israel trip invite
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is being pressured to visit Israel as Australia strengthens its language against the Middle Eastern nation for blocking aid into Gaza. Mr Albanese has been publicly invited by President Isaac Herzog after he strengthened his language to criticise Israel for a blockade of food and medical supplies into Gaza as it reinvigorates a military offensive. The new opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Michaelia Cash said Mr Albanese should take up the invitation and travel as soon as possible when there were no domestic issues like the NSW flood recovery. "Australia and Israel have always had a very strong relationship, which has deteriorated significantly under the Albanese government since Hamas's terrorist attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023," Senator Cash told AAP. "This is a good opportunity for the prime minister to reset the relationship." The October 7 attack killed 1200 people and resulted in 250 hostages being taken, according to Israel's tallies. Senator Cash is set to meet Israeli ambassador Amir Maimon in the next week. Australia has joined a growing chorus of nations strengthening its rhetoric against the Jewish state as the death toll in Gaza eclipses 54,000, according to the local health authority. More than two million people face starvation with a lack of basic supplies and the strip largely reduced to rubble following the nearly 20-month-long war. Aid was stopped to pressure Hamas into releasing more hostages after a ceasefire broke down earlier this year. The prime minister branded Israel's blockade as unacceptable and said its explanation for blocking aid was "completely untenable and without credibility". Federal Labor president and former treasurer Wayne Swan said he was sure Mr Albanese would consider the invite. "But you know, the behaviour of Israel at the moment is pretty outrageous when it comes to the blockage of aid into Gaza," he told Nine's Today Show on Friday. "Now, of course, we've got additional settlements going into the West Bank, so the behaviour of the Israeli government is pretty provocative at the moment. "But I'm sure the prime minister will do everything he can constructively to work with all those involved for a swift end to this conflict." Canada, France and the UK last week warned of "further concrete action" if Israel doesn't halt its military campaign and lift aid restrictions. A ceasefire deal brokered by the White House and signed off by Israel has renewed hope. The proposal hasn't been fully detailed publicly and has been submitted to Hamas. It comes ahead of a major international summit which will debate Palestinian statehood in New York in June. Australia hasn't confirmed who will attend the summit as a representative. Australia's representative to the United Nations James Larsen welcomed "the conference's ambition of a time-bound, irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution". Israel has criticised any push for Palestinian statehood as rewarding Hamas' terrorism, a point that has been reiterated by some Jewish groups in Australia as well as the opposition.
West Australian
3 days ago
- Business
- West Australian
Cian Hussey: Albonese has the chance to ‘do a Roger'
Labor's resounding victory, the trouncing of the Greens, and the disorder of the Liberals at the Federal election creates a fascinating opportunity for Anthony Albanese. He could set Australia up for a generation of Labor governments if he 'does a Roger'. Roger Cook is the incredibly popular Premier of WA. He has taken a model of a seemingly centre-of-the-road Labor Party — pro-worker, obviously because it is the Labor Party, but also pro-business and investment — pioneered by his predecessor Mark McGowan to a new level. At the State election in March, Cook led the Labor Party to its third consecutive victory. There was a swing against Labor, but this was to be expected given its starting point was 53 of 59 seats in the Lower House. All the same, Labor retains an incredibly comfortable position with 46 seats in this Parliament. This is because of WA Labor's astonishing popularity. Premier Cook owns the political spectrum. Business is comfortable with Cook because he leads a Government that is pragmatic, where ministers are willing to pick up the phone or have a meeting and hash out an issue. Workers are comfortable with Cook because — as the Premier himself said at an event in Perth last year — they are the Labor Party, being on the side of unions and workers 'is written on the box'. No doubt it helps that West Australians are overall happy and wealthy. GDP per capita in WA is about 60 per cent higher than in NSW, and 77 per cent higher than in Victoria. However, there is a lesson here for Anthony Albanese. If he can own the political spectrum by becoming more pragmatic and pro-business, like Cook, he will set Labor up for victory at the 2028 election, and possibly the 2031 election too. Last year Cook was one of the staunchest opponents of Federal Labor's Nature Positive plan, as it then existed. He has sought to reduce red tape, delays and duplication and unlock investment. He recently said that he is open to thorium mining in WA, something that does not currently take place. 'I think we need to have a more flexible outlook in terms of alternative energy sources . . . we just need to be open to the fact that technology and energy sources will evolve over time,' Cook said. His comments could be taken as softly opening the door to the possibility of mining not only thorium, but also uranium, in WA. Cook encouraged his Federal Labor colleagues to approve Woodside's North West Shelf expansion project (which went through a lengthy approvals process in WA and was subject to a number of legal challenges already), and he has recently reminded West Australians that carbon emissions may have to rise in WA if they are to see an overall decline in the world. It's a sensible line that he has been running for some time. It also happens to be true. If the world wants more steel for windmills and more lithium for electric cars, more mining needs to happen in WA. At a mining conference last year, Cook said: 'At the end of the day, we're not trying to save WA, we're not even trying to save Australia, we're trying to save the planet.' The ejection of the Greens from Parliament shows that Australians do not support their radicalism. It presents a significant opportunity for Albanese to adopt a Cook-style pragmatism. There is a historical Federal parallel here too. Australia is somewhat peculiar in that it was a centre-left government under Bob Hawke and Paul Keating that undertook economic liberalisation and deregulation in the 1980s and 1990s. In the UK this was done by the Conservative Thatcher government, and in the US by the Republican Reagan government. One cynical reading of this is that Bob Hawke saw an opportunity to go after the Liberals where they ought to have existed. The Liberals under Malcolm Fraser squandered an opportunity to embrace reform that should have been their bread and butter. Hawke took their bread and their butter, and the Labor Party dined on it for 13 years. Albanese gave this kind of political manoeuvre a try during the recent campaign by offering both higher spending and beating the Liberals on tax cuts. That is not to say that there are not long-term consequences of this kind of politics. Racking up debt, crystallising sections of government dependence, and expanding the State have significant negative cultural and economic implications. But until a strong, intellectually consistent counterweight to the Labor Party comes along, Albanese could 'do a Roger', own the field, and win again and again. Cian J. Hussey is a public policy analyst.
Perth Now
04-05-2025
- Health
- Perth Now
Go get tested: Barnaby Joyce reveals cancer diagnosis
Federal Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce has been praised for being "very brave" after revealing he will undergo surgery for prostate cancer. The one-time deputy prime minister, who comfortably won his regional NSW seat of New England in Saturday's election, revealed his diagnosis on Sunday. Mr Joyce, 58, received the diagnosis following a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test. The test came back with an elevated result and a subsequent MRI and biopsy revealed he had prostate cancer. Mr Joyce, who will have the surgery on Monday, told Seven's Sunrise program he kept his diagnosis quiet until after the election. "I waited until obviously after the election - I didn't want a big circus going on," he said. "Literally, straight after this ... I'm going ... straight down the road and straight into surgery." Mr Joyce said he felt fine, before noting that was normal with a disease like prostate cancer. "You don't feel bad, you go to the toilet a bit more than you should," he added. Federal Labor frontbencher Tanya Plibersek praised Mr Joyce for going public with his diagnosis. "It's very brave of Barnaby to share his experience," she told Seven. "I really do think that having high-profile people like Barnaby talk about their health challenges is really important to encourage other men to get the test." Ms Plibersek noted that Labor Party national president Wayne Swan, 70, was diagnosed with prostate cancer at the age of 48. "Wayne had surgery decades ago and his health is terrific," she said. Prostate cancer was generally very treatable if caught early, Mr Joyce noted. Labor had a landslide victory at the election, reducing the coalition to one of their worst performances at the polls, after Liberal Leader Peter Dutton lost his own seat.
