Australian politics live: Penny Wong says government ‘outraged’ and will call in Israel ambassador over IDF decision not to investigate Frankcom killing | Australia news
Government ‘outraged’ over IDF decision not to investigate killing of aid workers
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, says the government is “outraged” over the decision by the Israel Defense Forces not to pursue a criminal investigation into the strike on an aid convoy in 2024 that killed seven people, including Australian Zomi Frankcom.
In a statement issued this morning Wong says it falls “far short of the accountability we expect” and she will call in Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Hillel Newman, and has “directed Australia’s ambassador to Israel [Neil Hawkins] to convey our views directly to Israel as the Australian government considers next steps”.
Wong adds:
The Australian government learned of Israel’s decision late last night, moments before it was announced, on World Humanitarian Day – which is especially insulting to Zomi’s loved ones, humanitarians and all Australians.
Zomi represented the best of Australia. Her courage deserves to be celebrated. Her family deserves justice.
The decision not to investigate further came despite the IDF’s admissions that the strikes on Zomi and her colleagues’ vehicles were the result of serious failures to follow procedures, mistaken identification and errors in decision-making, Wong said.
This was confirmed by Special Adviser Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin’s report.
Democracies seek and accept higher standards. The Australian government will not stop pressing Israel for justice for Zomi and her colleagues.
Key events
Victorian premier to call royal commission into constructor sector
Benita Kolovos
The Victorian premier, Ben Carroll, will call a royal commission into the construction sector today.
The announcement will follow a special meeting of cabinet at 9am, where ministers will approve the launch of the inquiry, the terms of reference, and likely the commissioner.
The letters patent – the documents that formally establish the royal commission – will be delivered to the Victorian governor for approval after cabinet, then a press conference will be held about midday.
Carroll’s first act as premier three weeks ago was announce a royal commission into alleged corruption in the construction sector.
He said the inquiry would leave “no stone unturned” and would examine not just the union but also top tier construction companies, subcontracting arrangements and government.
Carroll also said a special prosecutor would be appointed to work in parallel to the royal commission, and that the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission will be bolstered with follow-the-money powers.
Josh Butler
Israel move “incredibly concerning”, Paterson says
Zomi Frankcom “never should have been killed”, Liberal shadow defence minister James Paterson said this morning, in some guarded comments raising concern about Israel clearing its military over the strike which destroyed the aid convoy carrying the Australian humanitarian worker and her World Central Kitchen colleagues.
“It’s a tragedy that she was [killed], and it is incredibly concerning to hear this news out of Israel,” Paterson said.
I look forward to receiving a full briefing to understand why this decision was made and the nature of the decision.
The shadow defence minister said he had only seen media reports thus far, and said he would keep his comments brief until receiving further information.
Asked further whether Israel’s decision stacked up, Paterson replied:
It’s a very big call for me to make this far away to understand what the factors were that went into that decision, and so I just want to be cautious without being briefed.
The former Liberal staffer, Fiona Brown, says she has settled her claim against the commonwealth for $1.48m – almost $1m less than Brittany Higgins was awarded in the aftermath of claims that Brown and then defence minister Linda Reynolds tried to cover up her rape.
Speaking to the Australian, Brown said the settlement did not make up for the impact of the affair on her career but that she vindicated by the award.
“I feel like I fought a good fight – I stood up for myself,” she told the paper today.
The girl from Earlwood was the underdog in the race. I feel I have ultimately triumphed over those who tore me down. I have been given a second go at life.
The breakdown of Brown’s payout, the Australian reports, are $450,000 in general damages for hurt, humiliation and distress; $490,000 for lost future earning capacity and employment opportunities; $40,000 for medical expenses; and $500,000 for legal fees.
‘Outrageous’: Greens leader says sending Israeli ambassador home should be on the table
Greens leader Larissa Waters says strong words are not enough, and the government should sanction the state of Israel after its defence force decided not to pursue a criminal investigation into the killing of World Central Kitchen aid workers including Australian Zomi Frankom.
Waters tells RN Breakfast that sending the Israeli ambassador to Israel home should be on the table, saying, “he’s been saying there’s nothing to see here ever since this conflict began”.
It is absolutely outrageous that after two years of investigating, the Israeli authorities have cleared themselves of any wrongdoing … The Australian government needs to do more than just issue some strongly worded statements. They need to sanction the state of Israel and they need to make sure that we are not involved in a two-way arms trade, which we are at the moment.
Waters says she appreciates the strong language from the foreign minister, Penny Wong, in response to the decision made overnight, but that more action is now needed.
‘A gratuitous insult’: government ministers react to IDF dismissing Frankcom investigation
The emergency services minister, Kristy McBain says she is deeply disappointed by the IDF’s decision not to pursue a criminal investigation into the strike that killed aid worker Zomi Frankcom, who McBain says helped support communities affected by the 2019 black summer bushfires in her own electorate.
She tells ABC News Breakfast:
It’s a significant loss not only to her family, but to the Australian community, because she was the best of us. The people that run into danger, that try to help others. So it is deeply disappointing that this news was obviously released on world humanitarian day, but deeply disappointing no further action taken … I think we’re all really concerned that nothing more is going to be done about this.
The assistant minister for citizenship and multiculturalism, Julian Hill, also told RN Breakfast Australians would be outraged by the decision.
It’s difficult not to see that this is a gratuitous insult to Zomi Frankcom’s family, to her memory, to her colleagues, indeed to Australia, that this announcement was made on World Humanitarian Day, it beggars belief. And pleased to see, rightly, that the minister will be calling in the Israeli ambassador, that Australia’s ambassador in Israel will be conveying these views directly to the Israeli government.
Human rights expert says Wong should expel Israeli ambassador: ‘This bloke is clearly an unacceptable representative’
Chris Sidoti says the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, should send the Israeli ambassador, Hillel Newman, home, but not break diplomatic ties with Israel.
Wong has said in her statement this morning that she will haul in the ambassador and instruct him to convey the government’s outrage to the Israeli government directly.
Sidoti says:
The minister, when she sees the ambassador, should tell him that he’s going home. I don’t support breaking diplomatic relations with Israel. I don’t support the closing of embassies, but this bloke is clearly an unacceptable representative.
Sidoti is also asked how significant it is that the IDF has confirmed for the first time it did open fire on a car killing five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab, along with six relatives in Gaza in 2024. Sidoti says it is significant, but again questions the length of time it has taken, and whether there will be any justice.
They counted 335 bullet holes in that family’s vehicle. Why is it that only now this matter is being referred for criminal investigation when we have known more about that incident than any other incident in Gaza in the last three years? Why are they taking so long? … [it] leaves me entirely cynical about any prospect of justice coming out of the internal processes of the Israeli system.
‘What the hell have they been doing?’: former human rights commissioner on IDF decision not to investigate Frankcom killing
Former human rights commissioner Chris Sidoti has lambasted the Israeli military’s decision not to pursue a criminal investigation into the killing of aid worker Zomi Frankcom and six others when their aid convoy was hit by airstrikes.
Sidoti, a commissioner on the UN Commission of Inquiry on Palestine and Israel, is speaking to RN Breakfast says there’s no confidence in the IDF’s process.
The Israeli military constantly announces internal investigations and then we hear nothing more, at least here in five cases they have announced the results of the investigations … And only now are we being told that these matters, some of these matters, are going to be referred to criminal investigation. Well, what the hell have they been doing for the last two, two and a half years? There’s no confidence either in the appropriateness, the thoroughness of the internal investigations or of any criminal prosecutions that may flow.
Sidoti is also critical of the report by the government-appointed special adviser, Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin, into Frankcom’s death, saying his review was “a very soft touch”.
The review conducted by the Australian appointee was itself a very soft touch, I have to say. The recommendations that were made, apology, reparations were the very least that could have been expected. And yet the Israeli authorities are not even responding to those. It’s a ridiculous situation.
Australia’s gross national debt to tick over $1tn
Later this morning, Australia’s gross national debt will hit $1tn. The Australian Office of Financial Management which calculates and publishes the Commonwealth’s sovereign debt, had it at at $983.7bn as at 14 August.
Shadow treasurer, Tim Wilson says the AOFM will update that at 10:30am today where it’ll hit the trillion dollar mark. But he says the figure will ebb and flow slightly, dropping back down under a trillion on Friday, before increasing back to $1tn in coming weeks.
There are a couple of measures of debt – there’s gross debt, which is the total amount of money a country owes, and then there’s net debt which is gross debt minus all the money the country has or makes like financial assets, and taxes accrued by people or businesses.
According to the budget, in the financial year 2024-25 the gross debt was $928.6bn while net debt was $532.3bn. The budget estimates gross debt will hit $1,051tn in the 2026-27 (the current financial year).
Wilson says the government’s budget is fuelling debt:
Today’s debt is tomorrow’s taxes, and the debt the Albanese government is racking up is being spent as fuel for inflation making the damage so much greater
Gambling reforms pass into law after late night vote
Sarah Basford Canales
The government’s gambling reforms passed the Senate late last night after hours of debate, bringing in new restrictions to limit gambling advertising and a one-stop “opt-out register”.
The debate began after 5pm and continued until 9pm when senators were forced to end discussions and vote on amendments from the opposition and crossbenchers. Ultimately, the government’s bill passed unamended after 9.30pm sealing it into law.
Liberal senator Andrew McLachlan said he couldn’t support the bill, lamenting it was not what the late Labor MP Peta Murphy urged when delivering her landmark report on gambling harms. Murphy’s report recommended a total ban on inducements and wagering ads.
McLachlan said:
I don’t see anything in the bill that really diminishes the rivers of gold that the corporates are earning, and sufficient restraints on their abilities to prey on the most vulnerable, particularly our children. I’ve listened to the charities who have to respond to the carnage caused by addiction. It’s their voices we should be acting on, not those that are making them money.
The Greens and ACT senator, David Pocock, also spoke extensively about how Labor’s proposal didn’t go far enough to stop the normalisation of gambling in Australia.
Labor senator, Anthony Chisholm, ended the evening debate saying:
The reforms that we have announced as part of this legislation [are] going to make a meaningful difference. I understand that it’s not in your political interest to acknowledge that, but it is something that we are determined to deliver on because we know that is going to make a difference for people, not only those who are at risk of harm, who may be suffering from harm, but also for young people at the same time.
The changes will limit TV gambling ads to three per hour between 5am and 8.30pm, ban gambling ads on player jerseys and in stadiums, ban celebrities and players from promoting gambling, and create a “triple lock” system for online ads requiring users to be over 18, logged in and provided with an opt-out option.
Read more:
Gaming platform Roblox accepts undertaking by eSafety to improve safety
The eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, is doing the media rounds this morning, after putting Roblox, which has been accused of hosting grooming and sexual exploitation on its platform, on notice to improve its safety measures or face court.
Roblox has accepted an undertaking by the online safety regulator, and will be independently audited.
Speaking to ABC RN Breakfast, Inman Grant says eSafety has been investigating the platform for more than two years but found “children’s accounts were not protected at the highest levels of privacy by default. And there were things like children’s profiles and biographies and account names being available.”
We’re surprised when we look closely at Roblox, that basic functionality, like not allowing adult predators or any adult to contact a child without explicit consent, was enabled … but if a predator has a roadmap for grooming that tells them that this child is 12, they go to a specific school and they like Taylor Swift, it’s not only on platform that we worry about either. Often this is the primary hunting ground where they identify the kids and then they move them to other platforms.
Asked why then the platform was exempt from the under-16s social media ban, Inman Grant says its because the legislation focuses on social media, not gaming platforms.
But she adds that she told Roblox that “the more social media functionality that they developed, the more likely they were to be captured by this [social media ban]”.
Governor general ‘devastated for the women’ hurt by Sydney Swans incident
Luca Ittimani
The governor general, Sam Mostyn, says she is “devastated for the women” affected by the alleged behaviour of Sydney Swans players linked with a sexual assault allegation.
In remarks published by the ABC, Mostyn raised alarm at Australia’s “appalling statistics” on domestic and sexual violence against women. She said the allegation “shocked and troubled” her, adding:
My thoughts remain with the alleged sexual assault victim, and I hope she is very well supported. I am also devastated for the women of the Swans … and women across the industry who have been hurt by this incident.
Sadly, the lack of respect for women across the country remains an issue for us all to be concerned about, particularly in sport. … I note Australia still has appalling statistics when it comes to domestic and sexual violence against women.
Mostyn, a former Swans board member and the first female AFL commissioner, reflected on her experience in her comments.
Bringing a woman’s perspective to the game was incredibly important, and today we need to remain committed to bringing more women into positions of influence in the AFL and all sports.
Government ‘outraged’ over IDF decision not to investigate killing of aid workers
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, says the government is “outraged” over the decision by the Israel Defense Forces not to pursue a criminal investigation into the strike on an aid convoy in 2024 that killed seven people, including Australian Zomi Frankcom.
In a statement issued this morning Wong says it falls “far short of the accountability we expect” and she will call in Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Hillel Newman, and has “directed Australia’s ambassador to Israel [Neil Hawkins] to convey our views directly to Israel as the Australian government considers next steps”.
Wong adds:
The Australian government learned of Israel’s decision late last night, moments before it was announced, on World Humanitarian Day – which is especially insulting to Zomi’s loved ones, humanitarians and all Australians.
Zomi represented the best of Australia. Her courage deserves to be celebrated. Her family deserves justice.
The decision not to investigate further came despite the IDF’s admissions that the strikes on Zomi and her colleagues’ vehicles were the result of serious failures to follow procedures, mistaken identification and errors in decision-making, Wong said.
This was confirmed by Special Adviser Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin’s report.
Democracies seek and accept higher standards. The Australian government will not stop pressing Israel for justice for Zomi and her colleagues.
Welcome
Krishani Dhanji
Good morning, Krishani Dhanji here with you for the final sitting day of the week.
The government has expressed outrage after the Israel Defense Forces decided not to open a criminal investigation against those responsible for killing Australian Zomi Frankcom and six others after airstrikes hit a convoy of World Central Kitchen vehicles.
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, says she will call in the Israeli ambassador to Australia to make the government’s views known – more on that shortly.
And the government and Coalition have had a busy few days, together passing gambling reforms, the NDIS overhaul and today it’s expected the parliament will also pass news bargaining incentive legislation.
It’s going to be another busy day – let’s get cracking.
