Anthony Albanese says Australia will recognise a Palestinian state at UN general assembly
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, says Australia will recognise a Palestinian state.
Albanese is speaking at Parliament House in Canberra after a cabinet meeting earlier today. He said:
Today I can confirm that at the 80th session of the United Nations general assembly in September, Australia will recognise the state of Palestine.
The decision comes after the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, chastised Australia and other European nations considering recognition of Palestine as “shameful”. Netanyahu said any such decisions would not change Israel’s position in Gaza.
Key events
Penny Wong says recognition will come when it best contributes ‘momentum to peace. September is that time’
The foreign minister, Penny Wong, is speaking now, saying the Labor government had been talking with the Australian people about changing the country’s approach to the war in Gaza since April. She said:
We made clear we would recognise Palestine when it would best contribute momentum to peace.
September is that time.
When the world says this has gone on far too long. When the world says the heartbreak, death and destruction must end …
We have always said that Palestinian civilians cannot be made to pay the price of defeating Hamas. But a whole population has been shattered. So this September, the international community has the chance to forge hope from despair.
Albanese says recognition of Palestinian state also upholds commitment to the people of Israel
The prime minister said the decision will not undermine Australia’s support for Israel, reiterating his calls for the release of all remaining hostage held by Hamas. Albanese said:
When we recognise the long-held and legitimate aspirations of the people of Palestine, we are also upholding and strengthening our commitment to the people of Israel and their right to live in freedom, security and safety.
Because until Israeli and Palestinian statehood is permanent, peace can only be temporary. Ever since the atrocities perpetrated by Hamas on October 7, 2023, Australia has stood with the people of Israel and our partners and allies around the world in calling for the release of the hostages. For the sake of the loved ones and all who share in their pain, we repeat that call today.
‘Two-state solution is humanity’s best hope’ to break cycle of violence, PM says
Albanese says the decision will recognise the right of the Palestinian people “to a state of their own predicated on the commitments Australia has received from the Palestinian Authority”. He said:
A two-state solution is humanity’s best hope to break the cycle of violence in the Middle East and to bring an end to the conflict, suffering and starvation in Gaza.
The international community’s vision for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East always encompassed two states – living side-by-side with internationally recognised borders.
Anthony Albanese says Australia will recognise a Palestinian state at UN general assembly
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, says Australia will recognise a Palestinian state.
Albanese is speaking at Parliament House in Canberra after a cabinet meeting earlier today. He said:
Today I can confirm that at the 80th session of the United Nations general assembly in September, Australia will recognise the state of Palestine.
The decision comes after the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, chastised Australia and other European nations considering recognition of Palestine as “shameful”. Netanyahu said any such decisions would not change Israel’s position in Gaza.
Prime minister Anthony Albanese is expected to speak shortly after a meeting with his cabinet. Follow along for updates.
Universal childcare would raise women’s workforce participation rates, campaign group says
Tom McIlroy
Universal childcare won’t come cheap. In 2024, the Productivity Commission said removing the childcare subsidy and introducing a flat-fee model of $10 a day would cost an extra $8.3bn annually.
The Parenthood’s Georgia Dent pointed to ABS figures which show that of the 180,000 Australians who want a job but aren’t able to start work, 29% cited caring for children as the primary reason.
It was the most common reason for women, with 44% of women citing this as their main reason.
Australia has really high rates of women with tertiary qualifications, but compared to similar countries, women’s workforce participation in Australia drops off around the time they have children and never quite recovers.
The exorbitant cost of early childhood education and care is a huge driver of this. We need to fund early childhood education in a way that is simpler and more affordable for parents.
Universal childcare access would be a ‘productivity boon’, campaign group says
Tom McIlroy
Campaign group The Parenthood says possible moves by Labor to introduce universal access to childcare would give tens of thousands of parents a pathway back to paid work at the timing of their choice.
Labor has commissioned consulting giant Deloitte to help design a universal childcare system in Australia, launching a two-year study of demand and costs, as Anthony Albanese chases a political legacy to rival Medicare.
The government could redirect billions in spending on the childcare subsidy and introduce a daily flat fee for families.
It will spend $10.4m on the research, with Deloitte required to assess service demands and collect data across the early childhood education system, with a report due before the next federal election.
Parenthood chief executive Georgie Dent said the move would be “a productivity boon”.
Quality early childhood education is so important for giving children the best start in life and giving parents flexibility, but the current profit dominated system makes it too expensive for many.
This robs families of choice, which is not only bad for families but also bad for the economy.
Coalition frontbencher demands Labor explain Hamas role in Palestinian state
The federal shadow energy minister, Dan Tehan, has called on the prime minister, Anthony Albanese and foreign minister, Penny Wong, to explain what role they see for Hamas in recognising a Palestinian state, following expectations Australia could move to recognise Palestine within days.
Tehan told Sky News:
I hope the prime minister and the foreign minister can clearly articulate what role they see for Hamas in recognising a Palestinian state, and what are they doing to make sure that Hamas will have no role in governing a future Palestinian state, because everything seems to be about a recognition of a Palestinian state. They seem to have forgotten that an internationally listed terrorist organisation, at the moment, is governing parts of Gaza.
In a joint foreign ministers’ statement with eight other nations on Saturday, Wong had reiterated Australia’s position that Hamas cannot play any role:
A political resolution based on a negotiated two-state solution requires the total demilitarisation of Hamas and its complete exclusion from any form of governance in the Gaza Strip, where the Palestinian Authority must have a central role.
Tasmanian crossbencher says premier’s call to phase out greyhound racing ‘our line in the sand’
Tasmanian crossbencher MP Carlo Di Falco said Liberal premier Jeremy Rockliff’s plan to wind back greyhound racing by mid-2029 in an attempt to woo independents and form a minority government is his “line in the sand”.
Di Falco, a member of Tasmania’s Shooters, Fishers & Farmers Party, would be a key ally as Rockliff’s 14-strong Liberal cohort in parliament seeks the 18 seats necessary to form government. Labor holds 10 seats, the Greens 5 and others 6, leaving the state with a hung parliament.
Rockliff announced the greyhounds decision on Sunday in an attempt to garner support from some of those crossbenchers. But Di Falco said it would not support Rockliff at all if he moves forward with the plan, writing on Facebook:
This is our line in the sand. SFF will not support the premier in forming government unless he announces a full reversal of this decision. No ifs, no buts.
Large meteor streaks across Victorian sky
Many Victorians reported seeing a large meteor streak across the night sky on Sunday evening.
Dwayne Rollings shared footage with Guardian Australia from his property in Cobden, in southwestern Victoria, taken just after 7.30pm on Sunday. The clip shows a large fireball streaming over a paddock before disappearing in the distance.
Prof Andy Tomkins, who works at Melbourne’s Monash University, said the phenomenon appears to be a meteor and it is likely there is at least one meteorite on the ground:
That was a large meteor that likely ended up with at least one meteorite on the ground. We’re trying to find enough footage today to triangulate the location.
There were dozens of other clips shared in the Facebook group Australian Meteor Reports, with some people describing an extremely bright fireball and a loud sound as the object passed overhead.
JB Hi-Fi chief to step down in October
Luca Ittimani
JB Hi-Fi’s CEO has announced he’ll resign from the company for a second time, after handing down a big payout for investors.
Terry Smart said this morning he will retire in October and be replaced by Nick Wells, who is currently chief operating officer of the group. Wells will be paid $1.65m annually, plus bonuses.
Smart was COO at JB Hi-Fi from 2000 to 2010 then stepped up as CEO until leaving in 2014. He returned in 2017 to lead group-owned homewares retailer The Good Guys and returned as CEO in 2021.
Smart said the decision to leave was “a difficult one to make” but he was leaving on a high:
I am proud of what we have achieved over the years.
It has been pleasing to see the positive momentum continue in July supported by new product launches and an improved stock position. As always, the retail market remains uncertain, but … our brands remain top of mind with shoppers.
Handing down his final annual report as chief executive, Smart said the business would pay investors final and special dividends of $2.75 and $100 per share, and said the business was committed to pay investors even more, up to 70% or more of net profit after tax in the coming year.
But nearly $400m has been wiped from the company’s market capitalisation this morning as investors digest the company’s results, with share prices slipping 3%.
Zionist Federation says recognition of Palestinian state will only place ‘more strain’ on longstanding alliance
The Zionist Federation of Australia said this morning reports Australia could soon firm up plans to recognise a Palestinian state would only place “more strain on the longstanding alliance between Australia and Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East”.
Jeremy Leibler, the president of the group, said in a statement:
Following reports the Australian government is set to recognise a Palestinian state today, we are deeply concerned that the timing and substance of this policy reversal will embolden Hamas, further jeopardise the lives of Israeli hostages, prolong the war and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and place more strain on the longstanding alliance between Australia and Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East.
Luca Ittimani
Nintendo Switch 2 helped overall Australian sales surge by $500m, JB Hi-Fi says
The Nintendo Switch 2 keeps getting credit for the emerging recover in consumer spending, with first the government’s statistics agency and now JB Hi-Fi giving it shout-outs for sales surging in June.
The electronics retailer said games hardware was a key contributor to its overall Australian sales rising nearly $500m annually in 2024-25 compared to the previous financial year: “particularly in [the June quarter] with the launch of Nintendo Switch 2”.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics said two weeks ago the device’s “much-anticipated launch [and] record sales” helped a surge in spending on electrical and household goods which saw retail trade in June rise $500m a month, the biggest jump since lockdowns lifted in late 2021.
Higher consumer spending on mobile phones, small appliances and computers in the year to June also contributed to JB Hi-Fi’s earnings growth, its annual report this morning showed.
The company noted those products once were considered “discretionary” purchases but are now seen as “essential,” making JB less vulnerable to cost-of-living consumer cutbacks.
Enduring customer demand helped JB Hi-Fi Australia record a 7.5% lift in sales, with online sales rocketing up 16.4%, though its gross profit margin was shaved down to 22% as consumers swapped to cheaper goods and retail competition ramped up.
Higher consumer spending on floor care, portable appliances and cooking gear drove sales up last financial year at homewares retailer The Good Guys, also owned by the JB group, after sales fell in 2023-24.
Netanyahu labels ‘shameful’ reports Australia plans to recognise Palestinian statehood – video
Here’s footage of Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, labelling debate around the possibility of recognising Palestinian statehood as ‘shameful’.
Kathleen Folbigg says Minns’ suggestion she sue NSW a ‘slap in the face’
Kathleen Folbigg says NSW premier Chris Minns’ suggestions she sue the state for more compensation are a “slap in the face” in a new interview with The Daily Telegraph.
Minns said last week Folbigg was “free to take the NSW government to court” if she wants more than the $2m for the two decades she spent in prison after she was wrongfully convicted of killing her four children. Her name was cleared in 2023 by the appeals court, just months after she was granted an unconditional pardon and released from prison. NSW attorney general Michael Daley granted the ex-gratia payment earlier this month.
Folbigg told the Telegraph the $2m sum was “disappointing” and that the figure would limit her ability to live comfortably “without having a fear that I won’t have superannuation that’s enough to support me or I won’t be able to go to the dentist”.
She added returning to the courtroom to seek more compensation would be traumatising.
It’s pretty much off the cards. For them to turn around and offer what they did … for them to turn around and say you can sue the government like everybody else was quite a slap in the face.
Watt apologises to South Australia over slow algal bloom response
Petra Stock
Environment minister Murray Watt apologised to South Australians who felt the government was too slow to act on the algal bloom. Speaking on ABC News Breakfast this morning, Watt said:
I accept that South Australians think that governments were too slow to respond to this event, and for that, I apologise.
The harmful algal bloom has been devastating the state’s coastline since March, affecting more than 450 marine species. Watt first visited Adelaide on 21 July to pledge $14m to assist the state in dealing with the crisis.
What we were doing, though, in the run-up to that was working very closely with the South Australian government for weeks. First of all, to try to understand this event, because it is unprecedented.
We are in uncharted waters as to how to deal with it and what support is needed.
A Senate inquiry into the bloom has begun accepting submissions.
