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| Australia live news: 70 people barred from first India repatriation flight; Morrison comments on Israel-Palestine conflict | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Follow the latest updates | Follow the latest updates |
| A Zoom meeting between Australians stranded in India and surrounding countries and Anthony Albanese, Michelle Rowland and Penny Wong has begun. | |
| More than 50 Australians are telling their stories. Most returned to care for family, or to meet their visa requirements, and have been stranded, in a lot of cases, since March. The ban on returning citizens has made accessing a way home even harder. One, a 14-year-old boy who is in India with his mother, has just been told his Australian school will no longer be offering online schooling, meaning he is falling behind. His father has been trying to organise the return of his family for more than a year. | |
| So far, Labor can not offer any answers. Albanese has told the meeting that it is a “fundamental principle” that Australians should have access to their own country. | |
| Thanks Josh, and the rest of the team for guiding us through the day’s news. | |
| I will have the blog for the rest of the evening, and there is still much to get through so let’s get stuck in. | |
| And with that, I will hand over to my colleague, Mostafa Rachwani, to take you through the evening. | |
| NSW Labor’s shadow minister for family and community services, Penny Sharpe has resigned from the shadow ministry because she will not vote in favour of the state government’s mandatory disease testing legislation. | |
| The legislation will require anyone who assaults a frontline worker to be subjected to a mandatory blood test for HIV and hepatitis B and C. | |
| Labor will support the legislation, but Sharpe said she would abstain, meaning she will need to resign “with great sadness” from her roles, but would remain in parliament. | |
| She said that experience meant she could not support the bill. | |
| Barry O’Farrell says he has asked the government to look at what can be done to ensure the flights can be full in the future if others test positive. Say for example, a standby system. He didn’t say it in those words, but I think that was what he was getting at. | Barry O’Farrell says he has asked the government to look at what can be done to ensure the flights can be full in the future if others test positive. Say for example, a standby system. He didn’t say it in those words, but I think that was what he was getting at. |
| Australia’s high commissioner in India, Barry O’Farrell, is on ABC being asked about the news that nearly half of those who were due to come back to Australia on the first repatriation flight since the travel ban will no longer be able to travel due to either testing positive for Covid-19, or being a close contact of someone who has. | Australia’s high commissioner in India, Barry O’Farrell, is on ABC being asked about the news that nearly half of those who were due to come back to Australia on the first repatriation flight since the travel ban will no longer be able to travel due to either testing positive for Covid-19, or being a close contact of someone who has. |
| He says 10,000 have registered to come home. | He says 10,000 have registered to come home. |
| On the issue of unaccompanied children in India trying to get back to Australia, he says the difficulty is getting airlines to accept unaccompanied children coming back, and secondly needing an adult to quarantine with them on their return to Australia. | On the issue of unaccompanied children in India trying to get back to Australia, he says the difficulty is getting airlines to accept unaccompanied children coming back, and secondly needing an adult to quarantine with them on their return to Australia. |
| He said: | He said: |
| The plane bringing Australians back from India was sent over this morning with more medical supplies. | The plane bringing Australians back from India was sent over this morning with more medical supplies. |
| Guardian Australia has now confirmed that of the 150 vulnerable Australians booked to take the first repatriation flight home from India when the travel ban expires, more than 40 have tested positive to Covid-19. The number who will be unable to fly rises to more than 70 when you factor in the close contacts of those who have tested positive. | Guardian Australia has now confirmed that of the 150 vulnerable Australians booked to take the first repatriation flight home from India when the travel ban expires, more than 40 have tested positive to Covid-19. The number who will be unable to fly rises to more than 70 when you factor in the close contacts of those who have tested positive. |
| The flight is due to leave Delhi after midnight and travel to the Northern Territory where repatriated Australians will quarantine at the Howard Springs facility. | The flight is due to leave Delhi after midnight and travel to the Northern Territory where repatriated Australians will quarantine at the Howard Springs facility. |
| These numbers come from the first Covid test, which is administered 48 hours before flying. There is a second test administered eight hours before flying (later this afternoon), meaning it’s possible that more than 70 people will be barred from the flight. | These numbers come from the first Covid test, which is administered 48 hours before flying. There is a second test administered eight hours before flying (later this afternoon), meaning it’s possible that more than 70 people will be barred from the flight. |
| Unfortunately, it’s not possible to substitute other Australians onto the flight at short notice because of the strict processes to prepare for the repatriation flights (to gather at a hotel for a period and test negative before flying). | Unfortunately, it’s not possible to substitute other Australians onto the flight at short notice because of the strict processes to prepare for the repatriation flights (to gather at a hotel for a period and test negative before flying). |
| There are 9,500 Australians stranded in India, 950 of who are classed as vulnerable and 173 of who are unaccompanied minors. | There are 9,500 Australians stranded in India, 950 of who are classed as vulnerable and 173 of who are unaccompanied minors. |
| Here’s some more detail on how the contact tracing for the latest Covid case in Victoria is going via the daily department press release: | Here’s some more detail on how the contact tracing for the latest Covid case in Victoria is going via the daily department press release: |
| 41 patrons and staff who attended the Curry Vault CBD exposure site are currently identified as primary close contacts. All have returned negative test results. | 41 patrons and staff who attended the Curry Vault CBD exposure site are currently identified as primary close contacts. All have returned negative test results. |
| 17 people who attended the Pact Altona North exposure site are currently identified as primary close contacts, and 14 negative test results have so far been returned. | 17 people who attended the Pact Altona North exposure site are currently identified as primary close contacts, and 14 negative test results have so far been returned. |
| 31 people who attended the Indiagate Epping exposure site are currently identified as primary close contacts. All have returned negative test results. | 31 people who attended the Indiagate Epping exposure site are currently identified as primary close contacts. All have returned negative test results. |
| 60 people who attended the Woolworths Epping exposure site are currently identified as primary close contacts, and 49 negative test results have so far been returned. | 60 people who attended the Woolworths Epping exposure site are currently identified as primary close contacts, and 49 negative test results have so far been returned. |
| It’s been reported that about 70 Australians will be unable to fly on the first repatriation flight scheduled to arrive in Darwin tomorrow because they have contracted Covid or are close contacts of cases. | It’s been reported that about 70 Australians will be unable to fly on the first repatriation flight scheduled to arrive in Darwin tomorrow because they have contracted Covid or are close contacts of cases. |
| The Guardian has contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for further clarification, and a spokeswoman said the department was working to provide more clarification on the matter. | The Guardian has contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for further clarification, and a spokeswoman said the department was working to provide more clarification on the matter. |
| It is unclear if the seats the roughly 70 passengers have been forced to forfeit because of their Covid status will be offered to other vulnerable Australians before the plane departs. | It is unclear if the seats the roughly 70 passengers have been forced to forfeit because of their Covid status will be offered to other vulnerable Australians before the plane departs. |
| It is understood the flight was planned to repatriate about 150 Australians. | It is understood the flight was planned to repatriate about 150 Australians. |
| Australia’s high commissioner to India Barry O’Farrell told the ABC: | Australia’s high commissioner to India Barry O’Farrell told the ABC: |
| No new Covid-19 cases in South Australia. | No new Covid-19 cases in South Australia. |
| Also in that News Breakfast interview was this exchange in which Stuart Robert defended Liberal MP Andrew Laming by saying he is “clearly” meeting the standard he has set for himself. | Also in that News Breakfast interview was this exchange in which Stuart Robert defended Liberal MP Andrew Laming by saying he is “clearly” meeting the standard he has set for himself. |
| I’m not sure that is quite the ringing endorsement he intended. | I’m not sure that is quite the ringing endorsement he intended. |
| Here is the full exchange: | Here is the full exchange: |
| Multiple outlets are reporting 40 people who were due to be evacuated from New Dehli on the first evacuation flight since the India travel ban have tested positive to Covid-19, meaning they can no longer fly. Including close contacts, 70 out of the 150 Australians who booked on the flight will not be able to return now. | Multiple outlets are reporting 40 people who were due to be evacuated from New Dehli on the first evacuation flight since the India travel ban have tested positive to Covid-19, meaning they can no longer fly. Including close contacts, 70 out of the 150 Australians who booked on the flight will not be able to return now. |
| The employment minister, Stuart Robert, was asked on ABC News Breakfast this morning about Anthony Albanese’s commitment in the budget reply speech to criminalise wage theft. | The employment minister, Stuart Robert, was asked on ABC News Breakfast this morning about Anthony Albanese’s commitment in the budget reply speech to criminalise wage theft. |
| Asked if wage theft should be criminalised, Robert falsely claimed the Coalition had tried but didn’t have the Senate numbers to do so: | Asked if wage theft should be criminalised, Robert falsely claimed the Coalition had tried but didn’t have the Senate numbers to do so: |
| In fact, the Coalition removed the wage theft section from its own bill after other pro-business sections were blocked. | In fact, the Coalition removed the wage theft section from its own bill after other pro-business sections were blocked. |
| Labor’s shadow industrial relations minister, Tony Burke, told Guardian Australia: | Labor’s shadow industrial relations minister, Tony Burke, told Guardian Australia: |
| In case you missed it, independent MP Craig Kelly yesterday indicated he wants Facebook to be found in contempt of parliament for removing his Facebook page after he repeatedly posted misinformation. | In case you missed it, independent MP Craig Kelly yesterday indicated he wants Facebook to be found in contempt of parliament for removing his Facebook page after he repeatedly posted misinformation. |
| Prime minister Scott Morrison has just been asked about the situation in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank at a post-budget lunch. | Prime minister Scott Morrison has just been asked about the situation in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank at a post-budget lunch. |
| Morrison said: | Morrison said: |
| Morrison’s reference to the two-state solution no longer being bipartisan in Australia is an attack against his Labor opponents, and not strictly accurate. | Morrison’s reference to the two-state solution no longer being bipartisan in Australia is an attack against his Labor opponents, and not strictly accurate. |
| At its national conference in March, Labor recommitted to a two-state solution but also agreed to an amendment that a Labor government would recognise Palestine as a state and “expects that this issue will be an important priority for the next Labor government”. | At its national conference in March, Labor recommitted to a two-state solution but also agreed to an amendment that a Labor government would recognise Palestine as a state and “expects that this issue will be an important priority for the next Labor government”. |
| Immigration minister Alex Hawke has been forced to defend new laws that allow for refugees convicted of serious crimes to be locked up for life. | Immigration minister Alex Hawke has been forced to defend new laws that allow for refugees convicted of serious crimes to be locked up for life. |
| Refugee lawyers are furious after the indefinite detention powers were quickly and quietly ushered through parliament with bipartisan support this week. | Refugee lawyers are furious after the indefinite detention powers were quickly and quietly ushered through parliament with bipartisan support this week. |
| Individuals affected by the laws are now faced with a stark choice between going back to their country of origin – where they could face persecution – or spending decades in immigration detention. | Individuals affected by the laws are now faced with a stark choice between going back to their country of origin – where they could face persecution – or spending decades in immigration detention. |
| Hawke insisted the laws were not created to redesign the country’s immigration detention framework. | Hawke insisted the laws were not created to redesign the country’s immigration detention framework. |
| “The government takes its international obligations very seriously, and has a longstanding policy to not forcibly remove an unlawful non-citizen in breach of Australia’s non-refoulement obligations,” he said. | “The government takes its international obligations very seriously, and has a longstanding policy to not forcibly remove an unlawful non-citizen in breach of Australia’s non-refoulement obligations,” he said. |
| “The amendments are designed to ensure that detainees are not required to be removed in breach of Australia’s international protection obligations.” | “The amendments are designed to ensure that detainees are not required to be removed in breach of Australia’s international protection obligations.” |
| Jana Favero from the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre said the bill had been rushed through parliament without proper scrutiny of its alarming consequences. | Jana Favero from the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre said the bill had been rushed through parliament without proper scrutiny of its alarming consequences. |
| She said the legislation did nothing to protect against the forcible return of refugees to their country of origin. | She said the legislation did nothing to protect against the forcible return of refugees to their country of origin. |
| “Even worse, its real consequence and purpose is to obscure worsening human rights abuses through the minister’s discriminative, arbitrary and unchecked power to indefinitely detain refugees whose visas have been cancelled, for the rest of their lives without any independent oversight or fair legal process,” Favero said. | “Even worse, its real consequence and purpose is to obscure worsening human rights abuses through the minister’s discriminative, arbitrary and unchecked power to indefinitely detain refugees whose visas have been cancelled, for the rest of their lives without any independent oversight or fair legal process,” Favero said. |
| Labor successfully moved amendments to introduce a merits review into the process and ensure the laws are reviewed by parliament’s intelligence and security committee after two years. | Labor successfully moved amendments to introduce a merits review into the process and ensure the laws are reviewed by parliament’s intelligence and security committee after two years. |
| The Greens opposed the legislation. | The Greens opposed the legislation. |
| A man who went on a violent rampage in Sydney’s CBD after murdering a vulnerable woman in a “cruel, brutal attack” has been jailed for at least 33 years, AAP reports. | A man who went on a violent rampage in Sydney’s CBD after murdering a vulnerable woman in a “cruel, brutal attack” has been jailed for at least 33 years, AAP reports. |
| Mert Ney pleaded guilty to the stabbing murder of escort Michaela Dunn, 24, in a Clarence Street apartment on 13 August 2019. | Mert Ney pleaded guilty to the stabbing murder of escort Michaela Dunn, 24, in a Clarence Street apartment on 13 August 2019. |
| The 23-year-old also admitted wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm for stabbing Lin Bo during his rampage. | The 23-year-old also admitted wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm for stabbing Lin Bo during his rampage. |
| In the NSW supreme court on Friday, justice Peter Johnson jailed him for 44 years with non-parole period of 33 years. | In the NSW supreme court on Friday, justice Peter Johnson jailed him for 44 years with non-parole period of 33 years. |
| He found Ney was a dangerous man who had had gone into the city to murder a young woman, to use violence and to terrify people. | He found Ney was a dangerous man who had had gone into the city to murder a young woman, to use violence and to terrify people. |
| Although he had yelled “Allahu Akbar” on the street and delivered the Islamic State salute, the judge found he was not a religious zealot and the crimes did not relate to terrorism. | Although he had yelled “Allahu Akbar” on the street and delivered the Islamic State salute, the judge found he was not a religious zealot and the crimes did not relate to terrorism. |
| Because of Ney’s mental health, he rejected the crown’s submission that he should be jailed for the rest of his life. | Because of Ney’s mental health, he rejected the crown’s submission that he should be jailed for the rest of his life. |