The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, lashed the opposition for calling her “nasty” during a heated question time and said it did not demonstrate leadership in terms of respect for women;
Parliamentary report calls for new law enshrining trade principles
The Australian government should enshrine in law some key principles for negotiating trade agreements, according to a new report from the parliamentary joint standing committee on trade and investment growth.
The report stems from a request made by the trade minister, Don Farrell, shortly before Labor held its national conference in Brisbane last August. He asked the committee to conduct an inquiry into the process for negotiating trade deals. Unions have long been critical of key parts in the process, including the lack of legislated safeguards and transparency before free trade agreements are signed.
The committee, chaired by Labor MP Steve Georganas, has made eight recommendations that it argued would “strengthen Australia’s approach to negotiating trade and investment agreements, contributing to better outcomes and ensuring that agreements are of greatest benefit to the Australian community”.
These recommendations include that the Australian government “require an independent review, including modelling and analysis, to be undertaken on each proposed or under review trade and investment agreement”. Australia should “seek to include human rights, labour and environmental chapters in its trade agreements” and should “seek to not include provisions in trade and investment agreements that waive labour market and skills testing or include investor state dispute settlement (ISDS) provisions”.
ISDS provisions are controversial because of the potential for foreign investors to sue Australia over the impact of policy decisions.
The committee also called on the government to “establish a legislative framework for the negotiation of Australia’s trade and investment agreements” - a recommendation that could be contentious because of the potential to bind future Coalition governments.
The final report said elements of the process for negotiating trade deals, including stakeholder consultation and reviews of its impact, could be enshrined in law.
It said it would not be appropriate to be “highly prescriptive in ruling certain provisions in or out of future trade and investment agreements” but there were “certain exceptional commitments that are fundamental to the public interest that could be appropriately enshrined in a legislative framework”. That could include “broad principles in relation to maintaining consistency with international rights and standards, and retaining the ability to regulate in the public interest across key policy areas”.
Bonza was almost bought by Australian buyer before administration: report
As administrators determine the future of Bonza following the abrupt repossession of its aircraft on Tuesday, the company that provided maintenance services to the budget airline has said a local buyer was on the cusp of taking the airline over from US private investment firm 777 Partners.
Speaking to the industry news outlet Australian Aviation, Bradley Davren, the CEO of AVCRO which has provided maintenance, repairs and overhaul to Bonza since it launched last year, said the airline had developed a sustainable business model before entering administration.
Davren told Australian Aviation that a “very serious commitment” had been made by the unnamed local backer before the airline’s five remaining Boeing 737-Max 8 aircraft – procured through lease deals part owned by 777 Partners – were repossessed on Tuesday morning by a new company set up in April, Phoenix Aviation Capital, that owned a controlling stake in the aircraft leases. Davren said:
They were in a position where ultimately the current owner could have just shifted that liability away from themselves and the airline would have kept moving fat, dumb and happy without issue ... The lead backer, to my understanding, is very well-known and would absolutely do wonders for multiple reasons.
Yet to be seen if that eventuates, but had that outcome come to fruition, I suspect you would have seen Bonza kick into overdrive.
Davren also sought to rubbish suggestions Bonza’s business model had been unviable or that it had issues with finances:
The airline was trading with absolutely no credit issues. Obviously, we would be one of their largest creditors. They were never on stop credit with us. They never even appeared to be trending in that direction, and in fact, it’s unfair to the employees if this is wound up, to suggest that this is the reason why ... Their load factors are fantastic.
A senior US official has warned against “shortcuts” to nuclear disarmament as the Australian government considers signing a treaty imposing a blanket ban on nuclear weapons.
There is no sign that the government is about to join the relatively new agreement, known as the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), and it is not supported by any of the existing nuclear weapons states.
But Labor committed in its party platform to sign and ratify the TPNW after taking account of several factors. Earlier this week MPs and senators from across the political spectrum vowed to press the government to join the TPNW, saying “history is calling”.
Paul Dean, the principal deputy assistant secretary in the US State Department’s bureau of arms control, deterrence and stability, held a virtual press briefing today. Guardian Australia asked him whether he had any message for the Australian government as it considered whether it could sign the TPNW.
Dean replied that he understood “the frustration globally with the pace of disarmament” but added that it was “important to really understand that there are no shortcuts available in nuclear stability and nuclear disarmament”.
He said the US was committed to pursuing “negotiations in good faith toward disarmament”, but said this would require Russia “to engage constructively in arms control”. He added:
I think, by the same token, we need a good-faith interlocutor on the side of the PRC [People’s Republic of China] to make some progress in managing a complicated nuclear deterrence relationship in a way that really minimises the risk of misunderstanding, misimpression, miscalculation that can lead to poor decision-making and unnecessary and costly arms races.
As part of his closing arguments, Mehreen Faruqi’s counsel, Saul Holt, has addressed his earlier accusation that Pauline Hanson was “lying under oath” when she said she did not know that Faruqi was a Muslim at the time she sent her tweet telling her to “piss off back to Pakistan”.
Hanson gave evidence that she did not know Faruqi’s religion in September 2022, and only learnt it sometime before she submitted her affidavit to the court in January this year.
Holt put to Hanson that was “a lie”, given Faruqi was the first female Muslim senator, 97% of the Pakistani population are Muslim and Faruqi has worn Muslim “garb” in the senate.
Hanson said she did not know, had not seen Faruqi in a burqa or hijab, had never asked Faruqi or anyone their religious status and it “didn’t cross her mind” to include that she didn’t know Faruqi’s religion when she dictated her tweet in her affidavit.
Justice Angus Stewart makes reference to a Guardian article which covered Faruqi’s first speech to the parliament, which included she was Muslim. The article has not been accepted into evidence (thus far) and Justice Stewart says he “wouldn’t infer that Senator Hanson reads the Guardian” but that it might have been reported more widely.
Holt says that he believes Hanson wasn’t telling the truth about not knowing Faruqi’s religious status for three reasons:
that the pair are colleagues in the Senate and “the likelihood of her knowing something about Senator Faruqi would have that kind of an inferential case would be high”;
that Hanson knew Faruqi was from Pakistan; and
that Hanson has demonstrated “an intense interest in Islam, Muslims and particularly Muslims in power” and therefore bearing in mind “all of those things” “the notion that she didn’t know that Senator Faruqi was a Muslim in that case is is so unlikely that your Honor would would at least not accept her evidence”.
Hanson’s counsel has since submitted that “it would be wrong to assume that Senator Hanson was at the speech in question” [Faruqi’s first speech] but he can’t go further than that (and say that she absolutely wasn’t) because anything that happened in the chamber is not allowed in this court case.
The court is adjourned. Justice Angus Stewart will deliver his judgement at a date to be set.
Priya Nadesalingam, who spent four years in detention with her family, is speaking to ABC Afternoon Briefing about the government’s proposed deportation bill.
The family has been back in Biloela for two years now, and was asked about her reaction to the proposed legislation:
I am very sad, my heart is broken… There are thousands of people like me and my family. Please do not force people to leave Australia, put [them] in jail… These people are part of the Australian community, just like we are.
Bonza’s grounding extended amid uncertainty over future
As we flagged earlier, budget airline Bonza’s planes will remain grounded for a further five days at the least, after it entered voluntary administration.
All Bonza flights up to and including Tuesday, 7 May have been cancelled. In a statement, the administrators said:
Whilst the administrators are continually in discussions with the lessor of the company’s fleet and relevant parties regarding resumption of operations, those discussions are occurring daily and will continue to take place over the forthcoming days and into next week.
The administrators and the company appreciate the impact this is having on customers and employees.
A further update is scheduled to be issued later today.
Scott Weber, the CEO of the Police Federation of Australia, is telling the Senate vaping inquiry that the sale of illegal vapes is a “huge issue” but police do not have the capability or numbers to tackle it.
Weber says vapes present a “health issue that has now turned into a criminal one”. However, police “don’t know what to do”.
Weber says a clearer national licensing scheme is needed so that police can enforce it in the same way they do liquor, which reverses the onus on the vendor to prove that they have the right to sell it. He says police need more training, education and capability to be able to address illegal vapes - but at the moment police officers don’t have the time either.
The federal government would need to fund dedicated police officers to the issue as currently there are police shortages across the country whose priorities are issues like violence, he said.
Birmingham said government should plan to visit Solomon Islands soon
The shadow foreign minister, Simon Birmingham, says Penny Wong should visit the Solomon Islands “where appropriate” and he would be prepared to visit, too, following the election of its new prime minister, Jeremiah Manele.
Speaking to ABC Afternoon Briefing, he said:
Ultimately we would expect the Albanese government to want to, and to seek to, engage with a new government in the Solomon Islands as quickly as they reasonably can – respectful of the need for [a] new prime minister to get their feet under the table and respectful of the timelines they may have in mind … We will be willing as an opposition to cooperate in any engagements where appropriate.
The shadow minister for foreign affairs, Simon Birmingham. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP
Social services minister responds to data showing 50% of people applying for domestic violence payment are rejected
The social services minister, Amanda Rishworth, was asked about data published by Guardian Australia that half of people trying to access emergency financial support for domestic and family violence are having their claims rejected:
Speaking to Afternoon Briefing on the ABC, Rishworth said it was “not the only payment that’s available” and added:
… The eligibility is deliberately focused on people when they are leaving a violent circumstance.
Q: So are you concerned that 50% of people are still being knocked back?
Rishworth said the program will assess eligibility and “if someone is not eligible for the program, they will be diverted to other services and support”.
There are many reasons people [are not] eligible for the program. Some reasons are people withdraw their application, they no longer need the financial support. So – lots of reasons people may not progress. But this is an important part of the system, but not the only part of support in the system.
The minister for social services, Amanda Rishworth. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP
Andrew Wilkie wants ACCC to investigate Qantas ‘carrier charges’
The independent MP Andrew Wilkie has written to the ACCC calling on it to investigate Qantas “carrier charges” on frequent flyer tickets.
In a letter to the ACCC’s chair, Gina Cass-Gottlieb, Wilkie said he was concerned the charges are “an underhand[ed] means for the airline to actually charge for flights despite the customer’s understanding that such flights are paid for with points”.
He said carrier charges are “not itemised or explained” and “vary considerably with the route, class of travel and airport of origin”:
Customers can only find out how much they will be when making a booking as they are not listed anywhere. I would not be surprised if many loyal Qantas customers do not realise they are being charged by the airline for using their well-earned loyalty points.
Wilkie called for the ACCC to investigate the carrier charges “with the view to banning” them or “at least ensuring they are published and readily available to customers prior to booking flights”.
Andrew Wilkie says Qantas’ use of ‘carrier charges’ on frequent flier tickets should be investigated. Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/EPA
Faruqi agrees with commonwealth arguments that Hanson tweet not political communication
Continuing from our last post: Leneham finishes and Faruqi’s counsel, Saul Holt, is now making his arguments on these issues.
Holt mostly agrees with the commonwealth, arguing Hanson’s tweet was not political communication just because she is a senator. Holt:
It is an angry slur that could have been written by anyone regardless of their status as a senator or otherwise. And the way in which that was justified was by [Hanson’s counsel] Mr Smark was to make a rhetorical submission that politics … involve[s] a silencing of one’s opponents and assaulting one’s opponents or offending one’s opponents as part of the persuasive process.
And it might be accepted that Australian politics is no different from politics in many other parts of the world in that respect. But:
... Is there some inherent component of it which requires it to be racially abusive? And the answer is no.
Commonwealth wrapping up arguments at Faruqi v Hanson case
At the end of his submission to the federal court, the barrister representing the commonwealth attorney-general Craig Leneham has just finished his arguments on why the constitutional validity of section 18c or 18d of the racial discrimination act does not apply in this case.
What does it come down to according to the commonwealth? After going through all the precedents, Leneham says:
We say [it] would comfortably lead your honour to reject any suggestion that the very high threshold test is satisfied in this case by our friends [Hanson’s counsel]. They just haven’t met that significant burden.
The burden being, how Pauline Hanson’s tweet to Mehreen Faruqi telling her to ‘piss off back to Pakistan’ was protected political speech, or falling under the implied right of freedom of speech.
The commonwealth says, in our view, it’s not. And therefore Hanson’s argument that the legislation Faruqi brought this case with is a block to her freedom of speech, or political communication, should be rejected.
Youth minister responds to pro-Palestine encampments
The minister for youth, Anne Aly, has responded to the growing number of pro-Palestine encampments being established at universities across the country. Speaking to ABC’s Afternoon Briefing just now, she said:
The right to protest is a cornerstone of our democracy and something that I support, however I draw the line at where protests become intimidating or violent and it concerns me that there are students on campuses that are feeling unsafe on-campus. It concerns me as a former academic who has worked at university campuses for much of my working life ...
The education minister, Jason Clare, has written to vice chancellors – all universities have a code of conduct for students and staff and it is important that the universities enforce the code of conduct. If these protests are becoming violent or are making people on-campus feel unsafe in any way, it is absolutely unacceptable and there has to be a line in the sand here.
The Bureau of Meteorology has published a weather update for the weekend, flagging widespread rain for NSW and thunderstorms spread across large parts of the state:
Weather Update: Widespread rain for New South Wales this weekend.
Bonza passengers in limbo as planes grounded for longer
Bonza passengers will be grounded for almost another week as the budget airline’s administrators talk with the lessor of its fleet, AAP reports.
Administrators Hall Chadwick confirmed today there would be no flights until at least Wednesday – five more days than previously expected.
The firm would continue to talk with the lessor of Bonza’s fleet and other parties about the “resumption of operations” into next week, a spokesman said.
Customers with bookings during this period are advised not to travel to the airport. Customers scheduled to travel during this time are requested to make alternative arrangements with other airline carriers.
Hall Chadwick was expected to give another update later today.
