Joe Hinchliffe
Protesters interrupt Jim Chalmers’ finances preview in Queensland
Protesters have interrupted the treasurer Jim Chalmers’ federal finances preview to the Queensland Media Membership, with anti-coal and fuel indicators and chants.
Chalmers was solely minutes into what was slated as a comparatively prolonged speech adopted by questions posed from accredited media, opening with the “huge new strain” on the finances posed by ex-tropical Cyclone Alfred, when the primary protester slipped on to stage and stood proper subsequent to him holding a small signal studying: “no new coal and fuel”.
“When will the Labor celebration cease funding new coal and fuel initiatives?” the person, who had gray, thinning hair, stated repeatedly as he was led from the stage.
Chalmers tried to relaunch his speech when a youthful girl appeared beside him on stage with the identical slogan and interrupted him as soon as once more. She was additionally escorted from the stage.
Each went peacefully and had been solely on stage for moments, however peppered the treasurer with questions.
Chalmers briefly laughed nervously earlier than ploughing forward together with his pre-planned speech.
Key occasions
WA premier pronounces new cupboard
WA premier Roger Cook dinner has revealed his new-look cupboard, with a deal with financial diversification, following Western Australian Labor’s barnstorming third-term election victory, AAP stories.
The cupboard options a number of new portfolios, together with well being infrastructure to spice up capability within the sector, and the preventative well being portfolio to scale back long-term hospital demand.
A brand new aged care and seniors portfolio is designed to work with the federal authorities to ship extra care locations and unlock hospital beds.
Cook dinner stated a brand new housing and works portfolio would deal with authorities constructing and the financial diversification and manufacturing portfolios would work to make the WA financial system extra resilient in “globally unsure instances”.
We’re extra impacted by shifts in international commerce and the scale of that than just about another state so we have to proceed to make it possible for we do the whole lot we will to make sure that we handle these troubled waters.
A minister might be launched for every WA area, prioritising native job alternatives and infrastructure wants.
Some ministers have been reshuffled and the local weather motion portfolio has been changed with with local weather resilience.
“We have to make it possible for everyone seems to be conscious that the globe is getting hotter and we’re all going to need to adapt,” Cook dinner stated, including his authorities wasn’t giving up on the local weather and WA could be the primary state to finish coal-fired energy technology.
Deputy premier and treasurer Rita Saffioti has misplaced tourism and picked up sport and recreation.
Paul Papalia will now not deal with the police portfolio, taking up emergency companies, and Reece Whitby has dropped his surroundings position and picked up police.
Amber-Jade Sanderson will now not be the well being minister, with Meredith Hammat appointed to the portfolio.
Cook dinner will deal with the state growth, commerce and funding and financial diversification portfolios.
The brand new authorities is scheduled to be worn in on Wednesday as vote counting continues to find out the winners of a handful of seats.
A jury has been unable to succeed in a unanimous verdict within the trial of a person accused of homicide after a younger girl was fatally stabbed on an remoted seaside, AAP stories.
Toyah Cordingley, a 24-year-old natural meals retailer employee, was discovered buried in sand at a seaside outdoors Cairns in far north Queensland on 22 October 2018.
Rajwinder Singh, 40, a former hospital nurse from close by Innisfail, had pleaded not responsible to homicide.
Benita Kolovos
Hashish legalisation committee’s Liberal MPs say ‘established order must be upheld’
Legalise Hashish MP Rachel Payne was on the committee, which travelled to Canberra to see the ACT reforms first-hand. She stated they resulted in a fall within the degree of policing for private use and possession of greater than 90%:
If Victoria follows and decriminalises small quantities, it means our police now not need to waste their time, power and sources policing private hashish possession … it’s time for ‘a unique method’ – cease criminalising individuals and deal with hurt discount.
Nevertheless, the three Liberal MPs on the inquiry, together with the committee’s chair, Trung Luu, launched a minority report, wherein they stated the “established order must be upheld” and no reforms must be launched to legalise hashish in Victoria.
Their report learn:
It’s our view that extra time must be taken to analyse information, and the well being and financial penalties decriminalising hashish has had, notably on adolescents and younger adults – whereby hashish has been legalised for a substantial interval. This is able to paint a extra holistic image of the ramifications of this mannequin and what these amendments would do if applied right here in Victoria.
Benita Kolovos
Victorian parliamentary committee recommends decriminalising hashish
A parliamentary committee has beneficial decriminalising hashish for private use in Victoria.
The Legislative Council authorized and social points committee – consisting of three Labor MPs, three Coalition MPs and two crossbenchers – made the advice throughout a evaluate of a invoice launched to parliament by the Legalise Hashish celebration.
Their evaluate, tabled in parliament on Tuesday, beneficial following the ACT mannequin, which permits the cultivation of as much as two hashish crops per individual and the possession of as much as 50g of dried hashish or 150g of harvested hashish for adults.
It additionally beneficial that any change to the state’s hashish legal guidelines must also be accompanied by expunging of prior convictions for possession.
The committee stated any laws must be progressed as a authorities invoice, fairly than a non-public member’s invoice, and must be adopted by a evaluate 5 years after it comes into impact to make sure applicable monitoring and analysis.
It discovered legal guidelines that prohibit the cultivation and possession of hashish for private use haven’t diminished demand or related prison exercise:
Hashish arrests in Victoria are overwhelmingly for small possession offences and result in elevated and probably avoidable contact with the prison justice system and occupy police and taxpayer sources that might be higher focused at extra critical prison exercise. A unique method – comparable to proposed by the invoice – may cut back stigma and the implications of small possession offenders being caught up within the prison justice system.
Continued in subsequent submit.
Emily Wind
Many thanks for becoming a member of me on the weblog at this time, I’ll hand over to Josh Taylor to take you thru the remainder of at this time’s rolling protection. Take care.
Wong urges ‘all events’ to respect phrases of Gaza ceasefire
The international minister Penny Wong says Australia urges “all events” to “respect the phrases of the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal, and for it to be applied in full”.
In an announcement posted to X amid IDF strikes in Gaza that have killed at least 200, Wong wrote that “all civilians should be protected” and “all events should abide by worldwide humanitarian regulation”:
Terrorist group Hamas should launch all hostages instantly, unconditionally and with dignity.
Palestinian civilians can not pay the worth of defeating Hamas. It has now been two weeks since humanitarian support final entered Gaza.
We be a part of companions, together with the UK, Germany and France, in calling on Israel to abide by its obligations, together with to supply fundamental companies and facilitate humanitarian help.
Australia helps ongoing worldwide efforts to increase the ceasefire and urges the events to interact constructively in negotiations towards a everlasting finish to hostilities.
Main events vow to rebuild firebombed synagogue in Victoria
A firebombed synagogue is about to endure a multimillion-dollar restoration irrespective of who wins the upcoming federal election, AAP stories, with each main events pledging funds in direction of the rebuild.
The Adass Israel synagogue and group centre in Ripponlea, Melbourne, was set alight whereas individuals had been inside during a pre-dawn attack in December 2024.
Two of the synagogue’s three buildings had been gutted within the blaze whereas Torah scrolls, books and papers had been additionally destroyed.
Labor at this time vowed to supply $30m in direction of the rebuild, in addition to $1.2m in direction of safety upgrades for current buildings. Anthony Albanese and the native MP, Josh Burns, stated in an announcement:
It was an try to threaten and silence the Jewish group, in Melbourne and proper round Australia. We gained’t stand for that. We’re dedicated to making sure that this group rebuilds.
It comes a day after the opposition chief, Peter Dutton, pledged as much as $35m to revive the synagogue and bolster safety if the Coalition wins authorities.
The fireplace was declared a probable terror assault by Victoria and Australian Federal Police. These accountable stay on the run, with no official affirmation of who could also be accountable.
Heavy rainfall and flooding forecast in north-east Queensland
The Bureau of Meteorology has shared an replace on the heavy rainfall and flooding forecast in north0east Queensland:
Extreme Climate Replace: Heavy rainfall and flooding growing for the North-East Tropical Queensland coast.
Video present: 12:00pm AEST 18 March 2025.
Newest forecasts and warnings: https://t.co/4W35o8iFmh or the BOM Climate app. pic.twitter.com/sOm3tsdv7h
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) March 18, 2025
Joe Hinchliffe
Protesters interrupt Jim Chalmers’ finances preview in Queensland
Protesters have interrupted the treasurer Jim Chalmers’ federal finances preview to the Queensland Media Membership, with anti-coal and fuel indicators and chants.
Chalmers was solely minutes into what was slated as a comparatively prolonged speech adopted by questions posed from accredited media, opening with the “huge new strain” on the finances posed by ex-tropical Cyclone Alfred, when the primary protester slipped on to stage and stood proper subsequent to him holding a small signal studying: “no new coal and fuel”.
“When will the Labor celebration cease funding new coal and fuel initiatives?” the person, who had gray, thinning hair, stated repeatedly as he was led from the stage.
Chalmers tried to relaunch his speech when a youthful girl appeared beside him on stage with the identical slogan and interrupted him as soon as once more. She was additionally escorted from the stage.
Each went peacefully and had been solely on stage for moments, however peppered the treasurer with questions.
Chalmers briefly laughed nervously earlier than ploughing forward together with his pre-planned speech.
Patrick Commins
Chalmers confirms finances will embrace deficit near $29.6bn predicted in December
Jim Chalmers has confirmed subsequent Tuesday’s finances will unveil a deficit near the $26.9bn predicted on the December replace, as he flagged windfall tax features from excessive commodity costs and a booming jobs market had been now a factor of the previous.
The federal government has needed to scramble to finalise a fourth Labor finances after ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred nixed plans to name an earlier April election.
However Chalmers, in a speech in Brisbane, welcomed the chance to place the financial system “entrance and centre” within the upcoming election marketing campaign. He warned a vote for Peter Dutton risked torpedoing a fragile post-pandemic recovery.
Proceed studying the complete story under:
Palestinian advocates condemn Israel’s ‘obliteration of the ceasefire in Gaza’ as a minimum of 100 killed
The Australian Palestine Advocacy Community has condemned Israel’s “obliteration of the ceasefire in Gaza”, the place the death toll has risen to at least 100.
In an announcement, Apan’s president, Nasser Mashni, stated Israel had “shattered any phantasm that it ever meant to uphold this ceasefire”, calling on the Australian authorities to unequivocally condemn the transfer.
At present it has made very clear that it’s going to proceed its genocidal marketing campaign in opposition to Palestinians in Gaza, in full view of the world, with out consequence.
The query is now not whether or not Israel will commit additional atrocities. The query is, will the Australian authorities lastly act – or will it proceed enabling these atrocities? …
Australia should lower all ties with this rogue state, impose sanctions and an arms embargo, and cease shielding it from accountability.
You’ll be able to comply with updates on our separate stay weblog, under:
Cait Kelly
Welfare recipients and advocates demand jobseeker be lifted to scale back charges of poverty
Thursday will mark 5 years because the Scott Morrison authorities raised earnings help by $275 per week amid pandemic lockdowns, a transfer that lifted almost 1,000,000 individuals above the poverty line in a single day.
This 12 months on Thursday, the Albanese authorities will enhance jobseeker by the indexation price – $1.55 per week – leaving single jobseeker recipients $220 under the poverty line.
Welfare recipients and advocates will marketing campaign this week at Parliament Home, arguing poverty is a coverage selection and demanding jobseeker be lifted to scale back charges of poverty.
Avery Howard, vice-president of the Australian Unemployed Staff’ Union and a jobseeker recipient, stated:
With the fourth finances from this authorities being handed down subsequent week, they’ve proven us time and time once more that they’re selecting to maintain thousands and thousands of us in poverty.
The complement made it apparent that they’ll vastly alleviate poverty in Australia, however they’re deliberately maintaining us again in some misguided try at a “accountable finances”. There’s by no means something accountable about trapping individuals in poverty.
Jordyn Beazley
NSW premier and police minister once more refuse to say after they discovered caravan plot was possible a hoax
The New South Wales premier and police minister have once more refused to straight reply what date they discovered of investigators’ perception that the caravan discovered laden with explosives on the outskirts of Sydney was not a terror occasion.
Throughout query time, the opposition chief, Mark Speakman, requested the Chris Minns, when he was first briefed the incident “might be a faux terrorism plot”. Minns responded by pointing to feedback from police that they dominated out the chance the incident was terrorism on 21 February.
This is similar day controversial hate speech and spiritual worship payments geared toward curbing antisemitism that had been rushed by way of state parliament had been handed.
Minns stated:
As we’ve stated many instances within the media in the previous few weeks, we had been briefed early on that this might be one thing apart from terrorism because it’s classically outlined, and that no line of inquiry was being dominated out by NSW police.
I need to make it clear, nevertheless, that regardless of it not being terrorism because it’s outlined, this did instil terror into members of our group.
The police minister, Yasmin Catley, was additionally requested throughout query time when she discovered the caravan plot was believed to be faux.
She stated:
I’ve answered this query time and time once more in finances estimates and I’ve stated, and I’ll say, that I can’t reveal the contents of confidential police briefings. Over summer time, we now have skilled abhorrent, abhorrent scenes on our streets of antisemitism.
