Australia news live: Lebanon repatriation flights land in Sydney; broken promises failing to close gap, peak Aboriginal group says
Key events
Patterson says he would have concerns about the wounding of UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon “if that is the case that IDF action that wounded US peacekeepers.”
That would have been very unfortunate and very regrettable. It should be investigated and should not happen.
Patterson is canvased on the position of other world leaders, particularly the G7 leaders, who have called for a ceasefire and whether that means the Coalition is out of step with Australia’s international allies.
Patterson:
On 26 September, Australia with some other nations called for a ceasefire in Lebanon. Had Israel followed that advice, Hassan Nasrallah would still be alive today, the former head of Hezbollah.
Asked whether the Coalition position on ceasefire in southern Lebanon – that it can only happen when Hezbollah has been “degraded and defeated” – is at odds with the position of US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris – who have both called for de-escalation and ceasefire – Patterson says “it wouldn’t be remarkable for an Australian politician to disagree with an American politician.”
The administration under Biden and Kamala Harris is under Sen Treasurer left. I’m from centre right. We can be open and honest as mature adults about where we disagree.”
Pushed on whether the Coalition is out of step with the position of Australia’s biggest ally, the US, Patterson said:
Yes, on questions of principle, [the Coalition] are very strong supporters of Israel. We understand the circumstances they face. God forbid Australia ever faces challenges that Israel faces. God forbid that Australian politicians are ever faced with these choices, but if we would expect their Government to respond as decisively as Israel has.
Shadow Home Affairs Minister James Paterson says Prime Minister Anthony Albanese should “have the courage of his convictions” and “just be honest and op up” about where he disagrees with the United States.
Paterson says the PM “clearly” disagrees with the United States over Israel’s actions in Gaza and southern Lebanon.
It’s not a remarkable thing that Australia could come to a different judgment from the United States. We are our own sovereign country. The problem here is that the Prime Minister doesn’t have the courage of his own convictions.
Graham Readfearn
Regressive steps and broken promises failing to close the gap, says peak Aboriginal group
Monday will mark the first anniversary of the national referendum that voted against creating an indigenous voice to parliament. The peak body for Aboriginal community-controlled groups has taken the moment to check progress against a previous key moment – the signing of the national Closing the Gap agreement in 2020.
The Coalition of Peaks, representing more than 80 peak groups, says there have been regressive steps on youth justice and broken promises on funding and steps to make government services accountable.
Patricia Turner, the coalition’s lead convener and Gudanji-Arrernte woman, says there has also been “real progress” in areas, such as employment and early childhood education.
But the changes have to be systemic and they have to be long-term. There’s important work still to do to make sure the rubber’s hitting the road, funding is getting to communities, and governments are truly changing.
The new NT government wants to cut the age of criminal responsibility to 10 and Victoria had walked back plans to lift the age to 14. Turner said:
Imprisoning vulnerable children, many of whom have developmental delays that make their decision-making capacity that of seven or eight-year-olds, flies in the face of what State and Territory Governments signed up to under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.
A 2020 agreement signed by all governments pledged that by the end of 2023 each would create Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led bodies to improve the way they work with those communities. The coalition said:
To date, none of them have.
Turner said dedicated funding for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations was also falling short, seeing “money wasted on programs that aren’t designed by us, and don’t work for us”.
Lebanon repatriation flights land in Sydney
About 2,400 evacuees from Lebanon have now landed in Australia as the federal government prepares to end its evacuation program.
Demand for help leaving Beirut in the wake of Israel’s attacks on southern Lebanon has fallen in recent days, with less than 180 people on board flights to Cyprus that left on Friday.
The last two government-chartered flights will leave Beirut on Sunday before the Albanese government ends the operation.
194 Australians and family members have arrived in Australia overnight.
2,135 Australians and their family members have now returned to Australia from Lebanon on assisted-departure flights. pic.twitter.com/AvY8929i5P
— Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade 🇦🇺 (@dfat) October 11, 2024
Two more government-chartered repatriation flights landed in Sydney on Saturday evening, carrying hundreds of Australians and their family members.
One final Qantas flight is due to leave Cyprus on Wednesday evening.
The arrived passengers add to the 2,135 who have already arrived on long-haul flights chartered by Australia.
Australians and their family members still in Lebanon will need to resort to local flag carrier Middle East Airlines or other commercial outfits.
More than 2,200 people have been killed and another 1.2 million have been displaced across Lebanon, a nation about the size of Melbourne or Sydney.
– AAP
The assistant trade minister Tim Ayres and shadow immigration minister Dan Tehan have appeared on Sky News this morning, and the Coalition’s shadow home affairs minister James Paterson is speaking to ABC Insiders host David Speers shortly.
We will bring you the latest as it happens.
Good morning
And welcome to another Sunday Guardian live blog.
Almost 2,500 people have returned to Australia from Lebanon as the government is preparing to end its repatriation flights. The program began during Israel’s attacks on southern Lebanon but with falling numbers taking up the opportunity to evacuate, the last two government-chartered flights are expected to leave Beirut on Sunday after two landed in Sydney on Saturday night.
Monday will mark the one-year anniversary of the failed voice to parliament referendum, with Australia’s peak Aboriginal group using the moment to check in on the country’s efforts to close the gap. A body representing 80 peak groups says the last year has been characterised by backward steps and broken promises.
I’m Royce Kurmelovs and I’ll be taking the blog through the day.
With that, let’s get started …
