‘Free speech is not about the right to vilify’, prime minister says
Tom McIlroy
Albanese said states and territories were right to introduce new penalties to limit masked protests.
Because what that enables is to encourage activity where people aren’t being identified. If people are engaged in legitimate political activity, they shouldn’t be frightened of being identified.
Free speech is not about the right to vilify and to engage in antisemitic behaviour and to encourage hatred and division and violence, which is where this all leads.
He said neo-Nazi activity had no place in modern Australia.
Key events
Tom McIlroy
Albanese backs new laws that could limit use of masks and balaclavas at protests
Prime minister Anthony Albanese endorsed new laws limiting the use of masks and balaclavas at protests, part of law enforcement efforts to crackdown on neo-Nazi activities around the country.
A group of about 60 far-right extremists gathered outside the New South Wales parliament at the weekend, the latest in a string of protests by men wearing black clothing and spreading antisemetic hate.
Speaking on ABC radio in Melbourne, Albanese said efforts by NSW and other states to limit masks in public settings were appropriate:
Hate has no place in our society, and the sort of vilification that we’ve seen, the fact that Nazis in New South Wales notified the police and were essentially given permission to conduct such hateful activity is completely unacceptable.
The New South Wales premier has made that clear.
No smoking gun link between 5% deposit scheme and spike in home prices, experts say
Property prices grew at the fastest rate in more than two years following the federal government’s expanded deposit guarantee scheme kicking in, but there is not enough evidence of a direct link between the two, housing experts told AAP.
Home values grew 1.1% in October, which coincided with places for the 5% deposit scheme being uncapped and property eligibility expanded, housing data group Cotality found.
Economists had predicted the scheme would boost demand and further drive up already growing prices, and the federal opposition was quick to pounce on the figures.
But Cotality’s head of research, Eliza Owen, said while the deposit scheme was one of many factors influencing strong growth, especially in the lower to middle end of the market, it was difficult to establish a causal relationship.
Supporting the case the scheme had an impact is evidence that it drove demand in homes under eligibility price caps, Owen said. They increased by 1.2%, compared with 1% for dwellings above – a difference of 22 basis points.
Caitlin Cassidy
NSW police commissioner says he would have sought legal advice if he had been briefed before neo-Nazi protest
Mal Lanyon says he was “disappointed” he wasn’t briefed on Saturday’s neo-Nazi rally outside the state’s parliament, given the “high-profile” nature of the group and if he had been, he would have sought legal advice on objecting to the demonstration.
About 60 men clad in black called for the abolition of a supposed Jewish lobby at the protest, with speakers repeating antisemitic tropes.
The decision by NSW police to not oppose the protest was condemned as “unfathomable” on Sunday by one Jewish group.
Speaking on ABC’s 7.30 on Monday evening, Lanyon again blamed a “communication error” for allowing a form one application for the protest to be approved without his consultation and said he wanted to “make sure that I’m certainly over those matters of significance”.
He said there was “nothing there” in the application that indicated there was a risk to public safety if the protest went ahead, but if he had been briefed, he would have asked to see if there were sufficient grounds to object to it in the supreme court:
I understand the deep distress of the Jewish community. I truly do. And obviously we work very closely with senior leaders within the Jewish community … I find the actions of this group absolutely reprehensible, but obviously we have to work within legislation as police.
Lanyon said police continued to investigate whether hate speech had been used at the rally, including in consultation with legal experts.
Angus Taylor says leadership challenge against Ley ‘not something I’m focused on’
Angus Taylor, the shadow defence minister, said he is not “focused” on a leadership challenge against Sussan Ley amid grumblings over her hold on the Coalition.
Taylor spoke to Channel Nine’s Sunrise this morning, where he was asked about rumours he was mulling challenging Ley for the top spot. He said:
Well, that’s just not right. I’m focused on making sure we’ve got the policies we need coming together to hold this government to account and to be contestable at the next election.
Taylor was asked to “categorically” rule out a challenge to Ley, but he demurred, saying:
It’s not something I’m focused on. I’m focused on what I just described. I’m focused on making sure Australians have what they need to have an affordable life, a better standard of living.
Amanda Rishworth, the minister for employment, was sitting alongside Taylor at the time. She was asked if his response was “convincing”.
“Well, no,” she replied.
John Howard says the Whitlam episode empowered Australians to better decide the country’s future
RN’s Sally Sara spoke to former prime minister John Howard this morning about his own reflection on Gough Whitlam’s removal. Howard called Whitlam an “outstanding parliamentarian”, and one of the best he ever saw.
Sara asked Howard what political lessons the country learned from Whitlam’s tenure and dismissal. He said:
I think the greatest lesson is that we have a very durable and workable constitution, which ultimately allowed the people of Australia to decide the country’s future.
And there wasn’t any doubt that once the Australian people had a clear run at deciding who was going to govern their affairs, what their answer was.
And in the end, it was resolved, and they had a say, and they decided to give Malcolm Fraser the biggest majority since federation.
Albanese reflects on moment Whitlam removed
The prime minister spoke more about Whitlam in an interview with Radio National Breakfast this morning.
Albanese recalled being in year 7 when Whitlam was removed, saying he “skipped off” school to attend a rally in Sydney’s Domain. He recounted:
For someone like my mum, who’d waited a long, long time, 23 years to see the election of a Labor government, it was seen to be this intervention that was very unfair, that was something that they didn’t expect could ever happen in Australia.
Albanese was asked about any parallels between a rise in distrust in institutions after the Whitlam episode, and distrust in government in modern times. He said:
The world has obviously changed substantially. All the things that are undermining trust in institutions, of course, misinformation, disinformation that comes from social media conspiracy theories out there, the polarisation to the far left and the far right. The difficulty in 2025, I think, of ascertaining the truth, and just some agreement about facts is far more difficult. …
People benefit from the fact that the sources of information can be many and instantaneous, but with that has also brought challenges and a greater silo effect.
Read the Guardian’s coverage of Gough Whitlam’s removal from 50 years ago
Prime minister Anthony Albanese said Gough Whitlam’s removal was a “calculated plot” to remove a democratically elected government during a speech last night at Old Parliament House. The remarks came ahead of the 50th anniversary today of governor general Sir John Kerr’s move to dismiss the Labor government, on 11 November 1975.
“The dismissal was a calculated plot, hatched by conservative forces which sacrificed conventions and institutions in the pursuit of power,” Albanese said last night.
The Guardian, then only a UK newspaper, covered Whitlam’s dismissal 50 years ago under the headline “Australia in turmoil as Whitlam is fired”.
You can read an archived version of that article online here:
Catie McLeod
Impassioned locals voiced opposition to new fast food restaurant
Nevertheless, councillors listened to impassioned submissions from locals who raised concerns about safety risks, health and wellbeing, rubbish, and the detriment to the suburb’s unique character.
Greens councillor Julie O’Brien, who introduced the motion opposing the development, said she didn’t believe the neglect of the existing building should be rewarded by leasing it out to McDonald’s.
She added:
Our role as councillors isn’t to make the least risky decision every time, sometimes it’s about making the right one.
Residents in the council chamber applauded as O’Brien’s motion was passed, rejecting the McDonald’s and setting the council up for a potential legal confrontation should the company appeal the decision in the Victorian civil and administrative tribunal (Vcat).
Three councillors, including the mayor, voted against O’Brien’s motion, one of whom cited concerns about the potential cost of a Vcat appeal.
Melbourne council rejects new 24-hour McDonald’s store on inner north High Street
Catie McLeod
A proposal to open a 24-hour McDonald’s in the inner Melbourne suburb of Northcote has been rejected by the local council after opposition from community members including a petition that garnered more than 11,000 signatures.
Darebin councillors voted 6-3 at a planning meeting on Monday night to reject the application for minor works at 323 High Street Northcote which would have transformed the dilapidated building into a McDonald’s convenience restaurant.
At the start of the meeting, council staff told councillors planning permission was not required because the building was in a commercial zone and didn’t need a permit to become a convenience restaurant.
The staff said the site had already been granted a permit for redevelopment in 2021 and the new application was simply to amend the permit so that the building could be turned into a McDonald’s store.
Good morning, Nick Visser here to snag the blog. Let’s see what Tuesday holds, shall we?
Woman and child drown in Dandenong Creek
A woman and child have drowned after falling into a river in Dandenong yesterday afternoon, police said.
A witness reported two people had been swept away after falling into Dandenong Creek, near Allan Street, at about 3.45pm.
It is believed the woman went to the aid of the child and then got into difficulty herself.
Police found the pair in the water and carried out CPR but were were unable to save them.
They have not yet been identified. Police will prepare a report for the coroner.
Anyone who witnessed the incident or has information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or log onto www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
Paul Keating pays tribute to late ‘king’ of radio, John Laws
Caitlin Cassidy
Paul Keating says talkback radio heavyweight John Laws “partnered with” the former Labor prime minister in educating “middle ground” Australia.
In a statement after Laws’ death, aged 90, on Monday, Keating recalled the 15 years he spent doing interviews with and for Laws during his time as treasurer and prime minister, “lifting John’s program to be one to be listened to in respect of wider and deeper national, social and economic issues”:
In my terms, owing to John’s regard and general restraint, I was able to secure, without rude and perpetual interruption, which is the norm these days, 30 to 40 minutes of radio time to expatiate on complex issues whenever the issues suited.
It was those long interviews … which let the public into the wider and deeper national issues then to hand … John Laws led a public life he was entitled to be proud of. He certainly partnered with me … in educating a big and substantial chunk of the middle-ground constituency. As it turned out, a large measure of the country’s economic literacy was to emerge from John’s program.
Keating said Laws was “king” of the radio medium before the digital age, praising his “air of authority” and interviewing style:
One of John’s strengths was that he knew what he didn’t know. But would know enough to kick off an interview, coming in where he thought, but letting the interviewee do most of the talking.
NSW Nationals abandon net zero following federal colleagues
Penry Buckley
NSW Nationals MPs will officially follow their federal counterparts in abandoning a commitment to net zero emissions by 2050, in a widely anticipated move that sets up a split in the Coalition and a test for the state’s embattled opposition Liberal leader Mark Speakman.
In a statement late last night, the NSW Nationals leader, Dugald Saunders, said the decision came after “in depth” party room discussions yesterday. They followed a briefing from a Nationals-aligned thinktank, the Page Research Centre, and senator Ross Cadell, whose policy position informed the federal party’s move. Saunders said:
We agree in principle with the federal Nationals’ cheaper, better and fairer plan. Regional NSW should not carry all the burden of Labor’s renewables rollout.
Saunders said the party would work with its Coalition partners to reach “a clear, united position” on an energy policy with “affordability, reliability and the environment” at its centre. The move comes after grassroots Nationals voted to abandon net zero in June.
Speakman, who faces a potential leadership challenge in the final sitting weeks of the year amid poor polling, was asked on Monday what would happen to the Coalition’s net zero commitments if the Nationals abandoned the policy. He said he would “cross that bridge when we come to it”, but that he supported “an aspiration of net zero by 2050”.
I think it is pretty clear the way people voted in 2025 and 2022 at a federal level. Compare that with what happened in 2023 [state elections] where we had almost no losses in northern Sydney. People want a Liberal party with strong environmental credentials.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it’ll be Nick Visser with the main action.
Paul Keating has paid tribute to John Laws who died yesterday aged 90, saying the talkback radio heavyweight was the “king” of radio in the pre-digital age. The former Labor prime minister said Laws “partnered with” him in educating “middle ground” Australia about economics and had a legacy “to be proud of”. More coming up.
NSW Nationals MPs will officially follow their federal counterparts in abandoning a commitment to net zero emissions by 2050, in a widely anticipated move that sets up a split in the Coalition and a test for the state’s embattled opposition Liberal leader Mark Speakman. More shortly.
The NSW police commissioner says he would have sought advice on objecting to Saturday’s neo-Nazi protest in the supreme court but he was not asked for his opinion by the officers who made the decision to allow it go ahead. Mal Lanyon told 7.30 he understood the “distress” of the Jewish community but blamed an internal “communication error” which meant he wasn’t involved. More coming up.
