‘It’s a difficult time in our relationship’: Wong rejects calls to end diplomatic ties with Israel
Penny Wong says Australia does not maintain diplomatic relations “as an endorsement of any particular country”, rejecting calls to expel the ambassador and sever diplomatic relations.
She tells the press conference:
We maintain those relationships because they enable us to engage in order to advance Australia’s interest.
Removing an ambassador would remove our ability to be able to engage, press for Australia’s interests.
Asked how she would describe the current status of the relationship between Australia and Israel, she asks:
Obviously it’s a difficult time in our relationship. We made our views clear about this issue.
Key events
It’s question time
Angus Taylor begins today and asks the prime minister “how much is Labor’s debt costing Australians every minute?”, as gross national debt ticks over $1tn today.
Anthony Albanese says he has some facts to share on the level of debt in Australia.
He says it’s $173bn lower now than it was forecasted by the Coalition, the former Coalition government “more than doubled the debt before the pandemic”, and quotes ratings agency S&P Global who he says, said “Australia’s fiscal performance is sound”
When I came to office in 2022, which I’m responsible for the period since then, the Budget was in deficit to the tune of $78 billion, with no surplus projected at any time before 2060–61, and with nothing to show for it.
‘Incredibly sad and difficult day’ Albanese and Taylor reflect on missing teen hiker found dead
Before questions begin, Angus Taylor addresses the parliament on the missing teen hiker who was found dead today. She was found in the NSW southern highlands in Taylor’s electorate
We can only imagine what Lily’s family is going through right now. Such news would be a nightmare for any parent, and we grieve for Lily’s wider family and friends too.
The prime minister joins him, and pays tribute to the volunteers and emergency service workers who joined in the search for her.
Lily Hooper had so much more to offer the world. Her passing, I have no doubt, will be felt very deeply across Southern Highlands, among her family, her friends, and indeed right across the nation. Our thoughts are, of course, with her family and loved ones on what is an incredibly sad and difficult day.
Wong says Zomi Frankom’s family deserve an apology “at least” from the Israeli government.
She says she will meet with Frankom’s family as soon as she is able to “and when they are ready to” to help determine the government’s next steps.
They deserve apology. At least. At minimum they deserve an apology.
Asked whether the government should sanction the state of Israel or cut contracts with Israeli businesses, Wong says there are already sanctions on Israeli individuals in place.
We have sanctions on Israeli ministers and I think we’ve seen the response from the prime minister’s Netanyahu’s government on that.
We have sanctioned those engaged in settler violence and settler entities.
‘It’s a difficult time in our relationship’: Wong rejects calls to end diplomatic ties with Israel
Penny Wong says Australia does not maintain diplomatic relations “as an endorsement of any particular country”, rejecting calls to expel the ambassador and sever diplomatic relations.
She tells the press conference:
We maintain those relationships because they enable us to engage in order to advance Australia’s interest.
Removing an ambassador would remove our ability to be able to engage, press for Australia’s interests.
Asked how she would describe the current status of the relationship between Australia and Israel, she asks:
Obviously it’s a difficult time in our relationship. We made our views clear about this issue.
Wong speaks to the media after calling in Israeli ambassador
Penny Wong has again reiterated her outrage at the Israeli Defense Force’s decision not to criminally investigate the killing of Australian Zomi Frankcom and six other aid workers of the World Central Kitchen.
The foreign minister says the government wasn’t even able to inform Frankcom’s family due to how late the government found out. She said the timing was “especially insulting and hurtful”.
Wong says there are still unanswered questions from the investigation:
I make clear to [the ambassador] Australia’s views that Israel’s decision calls falls short of the accountability we expect, and last night Australia’s ambassador to Israel conveyed the same message directly to Israeli authorities including the office of the foreign minister.
There are still many unanswered questions. These include why, even if the first strike was a catastrophic error, two further strikes followed, each two minutes apart …
The Australian government does not believe the removal of two officers from their positions and three officers being reprimanded is sufficient accountability for the deaths of seven people, including an Australian citizen.
And we do not have confidence in the IDF’s military advocate general’s process given many an unanswered questions.
Wong says the government has not received the drone audio, despite multiple requests by the government on behalf of Frankcom’s family.
Christopher Knaus
Mining giant BHP failed to reduce its emissions at all last year, its latest annual report shows
Guardian Australia and the ABC’s Four Corners revealed earlier this year that the company had delayed or abandoned major decarbonisation initiatives at its Western Australian iron ore operations, despite previously describing global heating as an existential threat that required the biggest mobilisation since the second world war.
BHP, one of the world’s worst historic polluters, emitted 9.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent from its operations in 2025-26, a small increase on the financial year prior, according to an annual report released this week.
The increase was driven by what BHP described as “a combination of activity-driven changes and changes to emissions calculation methodologies”.
Emissions at its West Australian iron operations were stable, but increased at its coal operations in Queensland and New South Wales.
BHP’s scope 3, or indirect, emissions also increased by a small amount.
The company has set a target of 30% operational emissions reductions by 2030, which it says it is on track to achieve, and a goal of net zero by 2050. BHP says it has reduced emissions by 33% since 2019-2020.
The annual report also cited “increased scrutiny” of its climate performance as a risk to the company. The annual report said:
BHP is exposed to increasing scrutiny and evolving climate-related policy, regulatory and legal risks associated with GHG emissions. Key risks include stricter government decarbonisation policies, increased potential for climate-related litigation and other legal risks, and changing and divergent climate change-related policy settings across relevant jurisdictions. This risk could give rise to higher costs associated with carbon pricing, regulatory compliance, mitigation activities and legal matters, which may reduce future profitability and cash flows and potentially increase the risk of impairment. It may also impact BHP’s licence to operate, access to capital and ability to maintain stakeholder trust.
News bargaining incentive laws pass the Parliament
Safe to say it’s been a big week for the government, passing the gambling reforms and NDIS overhaul and now the news bargaining incentive (NBI).
Yesterday the government announced a late change to the NBI, increasing the levy tech giants would have to pay if they didn’t make deals to pay at least eight publishers under the legislation. That was after the Coalition earlier this week said the laws didn’t raise enough money for journalism.
The laws have now gone through the Senate.
Patrick Commins
Chance of another RBA rate hike drops after jobs data
The chance of a Reserve Bank interest rate hike by the end of this year has dropped from 68% to a still-high 62%, Bloomberg reports, after this morning’s jobs data showed unemployment unexpectedly edged up to 4.5%.
Economists are sifting through the figures and what it means for interest rates.
Jack Chambers at ANZ said a gradually softening labour market, combined with a similar signal from wages growth, “suggests that the labour market and wages will not be a source of upside inflation risk for the RBA”.
David Bassanese, at BetaShares, said while a 15,800 fall in employed people in the month was a surprise (experts had forecast a 12,000 increase), “it follows two months of unusually strong gains – so to an extent we can attribute the drop to monthly volatility”.
It’s too early to suggest there’s been a marked slowing in employment growth.
Along with slowing house prices, and the recent lower-than-expected June quarter inflation result, it’s another reason to expect the RBA to remain benched at the upcoming late-September policy meeting.
‘What’s the point of you?’ Shoebridge lashes Labor, Coalition over Asio questioning powers
The government has secured support from the Coalition to extend extraordinary questioning powers for Australia’s spy agency, introduced after 9/11.
As my colleague Tom McIlroy reported a couple of months ago, Labor had tried to make the questioning powers permanent, before quietly backing down.
The extension will last until 2028, when the laws will have to be re-examined and put before the parliament again.
The Greens have accused the government of guillotining debate, by allowing just one hour in the chamber before the vote.
Greens senator David Shoebridge tells the Senate:
The current prime minister, a person who has shrunk in office to a degree that it’s hard to recognise, because the same bloke who said that in 2003, that these laws are a threat to our civil liberties, that they are the worst of tyranny – he’s now leading a government that wants to supersize them.
And no one from Labor has the guts to explain how that happened. None of them. And of course, the poodles in the Coalition trot along behind them and say, “security state, no worries”. What’s the point of you?
Bird flu testing under way after 28 little penguins found dead in Tasmania
Lisa Cox
Aerial surveillance in Tasmania has detected 28 dead little penguins on King Island. Tests are under way to determine whether the animals died of H5 bird flu.
The state government said the animals, along with three dead crested terns, were spotted at the Port of Grassy on King Island on Wednesday.
A spokesperson for the natural resources and environment department said:
Unfortunately, our surveillance team found 28 dead penguins and three dead crested terns at the Port of Grassy on King Island yesterday.
Tasmanians care deeply about our wildlife, and particularly our penguins, so we understand that reports like these may be distressing for the community.
The spokesperson said samples had been collected and sent for laboratory testing, with results expected “during the week”.
They said staff planned to collect the dead birds today to reduce the risk of transmission.
Mistakes ‘on both sides’ says Israeli ambassador
Hillel Newman said there was no intention to kill innocent civilians, and therefore there was “no criminal liability” on the IDF soldiers.
The Israeli ambassador said the IDF is documented to have tried to contact the World Central Kitchen convoy, but could not connect, leading to an operational failure.
He told reporters:
There were operational failures, I said that. There were failures, let’s say, on both sides there were mistakes made by the convoy but there were mistakes made by Israel.
They tried to make contact with the convoy in order to see what was going on and there was no connection, so there were operational failures, who knows who’s guilty of that, that’s not the important issue. The important issue is there was no intention to kill innocent people, there was a true belief that Hamas had taken control of the convoy and therefore there’s no criminal liability.
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, who just met Newman to express the government and public’s outrage, is due to speak to the media in about an hour.
‘Respect the process and accept it’: Israeli ambassador refuses to apologise over Frankcom’s death
Achol Arok
Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Hillel Newman, has backed the decision by the Israel Defense Forces not to pursue a criminal investigation into the 2024 strike on an aid convoy that killed seven people, including Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom.
The decision not to investigate further came despite the IDF’s admissions that the strikes on the vehicles of Frankcom and her colleagues were the result of serious failures to follow procedures, mistaken identification and errors in decision-making.
Speaking outside parliament shortly after meeting with the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, Newman said while the deaths were “a tragedy … that does not mean criminal liability”.
We must respect that conclusion and what happens from now. If the findings are not to your liking, that’s not a reason to go against a court … we’ll respect the process and accept it.
What does it mean, justice? Lynch people in the street? No, justice is – that’s why you have a court, the court measures what happened and comes to a decision.
We express deep sorrow and grief with the family. I don’t want to go into … ‘apologise’ has all kinds of legal ramifications.
Benita Kolovos
‘Nothing off limits’ for royal commission, Carroll says
The Victorian premier, Ben Carroll, says the royal commission will have full coercive powers and public hearings. He says he has appointed Christopher Kourakis because he was “unquestionable integrity”, “impartiality” and “unfavouring fidelity to the rule of law”.
He went on:
He has a single motivation: to ensure the law serves the community. I chose someone independent, rigorous and fearless, the best in Australia, because that is what this job demands. The terms of reference are broad; they are expansive. Nothing is off limits. They cover the conduct of the CFMEU, construction companies, labor hire firms, consortia, and criminal actors on Victoria’s major projects, and they cover the role of government, the executive, government departments, and delivery agencies in overseeing these projects.
Carroll says it will be up to the commission to decide who has to appear before hearings:
Not the government, not me. The commissioner. If he wants to hear from ministers, former ministers, senior officials, union leaders, or company executives, he has the power to call them.
Benita Kolovos
Terms of reference released commissioner appointed
The Victorian premier, Ben Carroll, is about to hold press conference to release the terms of defence for the a royal commission into the construction section.
Christopher Kourakis has been appointed commissioner and he has until 20 August 2027 to report back to government.
Nick Visser
Teenager in hospital and another in custody after incident at Sydney high school
A teenage boy is in custody and another boy is in hospital for a cut to his abdomen after an incident at a high school in Sydney’s Granville South.
NSW police said emergency services were called to the school around 10.15am Thursday morning after reports a boy, 14, had been injured. Officers were told the boy suffered a cut to his abdomen and was treated at the scene by NSW Ambulance paramedics before he was taken to the hospital.
Officials described his condition as stable.
Another student, also 14, was detained on-site before police arrived and then taken into custody. A knife was seized at the school and taken for further examination. No charges have yet been filed.
NSW Ambulance and Westmead hospital referred any questions to police.
All other students are reported to be safe and no further incidents have been reported.
Body found in search for missing hiker Lily Hooper
Ima Caldwell
According to the NSW premier a body has been found in Nattai national park, where a search party of 200 had been looking for Lily Hooper – who went missing last Wednesday.
NSW police confirmed to Guardian Australia that a person had been located at a national park south of Sydney, but did not confirm if it was Hooper.
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, paused budget estimates after he was handed a note confirming she had been located alive, saying it was “fantastic news”.
However Minns soon afterwards apologised and said Hooper’s body had been found and she was deceased.
Cait Kelly
Race discrimination commissioner proposes national racism data plan
The royal commission into antisemitism has been discussing a national racism data plan. The race discrimination commissioner, Giridharan Sivaraman, said a database of racism should be developed – to take the onus off community organisations, who normally do it themselves but do not have the resources to capture the full picture.
What is reported and what is complained about is just a microcosm … And the obligation falls on the community to [collect the data].
That is a huge obligation on small organisations, and they will tell you what is reported to them is a fraction of what’s happening in the communities.
He cautioned, though, about collecting the data properly, with data sovereignty and an anti-racism framework at the forefront of the framework:
The history of collecting data [on First Nations peoples] has been to surveil them; to take their children away; it’s been to their detriment. We have to think about why we are collecting this data. We have to make sure we are doing it in an anti racist way.
