Supporting UN ceasefire motion the ‘sensible thing to do’, Farrell says
Sarah Basford Canales
Trade minister Don Farrell has said Australia’s support for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza was the “sensible thing to do” after criticism from some within the Jewish community.
Farrell, appearing on Sky News’ Sunday Agenda, was asked whether the decision was “a bit naive” after the 7 October attack by Hamas against southern Israel and with hostages still being held by the militant group.
On Wednesday Australia joined 152 other nations in voting in favour of a United Nations resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire after earlier abstaining from a similar motion in late October.
The Albanese government’s move was a break from the US position, which voted against the motion with nine other nations, and garnered criticism from the opposition and the Israeli embassy in Australia.
The Israeli ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, criticised Canberra’s decision, saying he found it “difficult to understand how Australia can support Israel’s right to defend its people from terrorist aggression, while also voting in support of a ceasefire that will embolden Hamas and enable it to resume its attacks on Israelis”.
The death toll in Gaza now stands at more than 18,000 Palestinians, according to the Gazan health ministry.
The trade minister said he didn’t believe the shift was an “unreasonable” one given the circumstances:
Right from day one, Australia has condemned the murderous assault by Hamas terrorists in the south of Israel, we’ve continued to support Israel’s right to defend itself but, like most countries around the world, we are concerned about the number of civilian deaths in Gaza as Israel moves further and further into Gaza.
It’s an extremely difficult set of circumstances. There are no easy solutions here but the government believed that that was a sensible thing to do in the circumstances.
Key events
Melbourne rally
Images are coming through on social media from the pro-Palestine rally in Melbourne, at the State Library.
Today marks the the 10th consecutive week of pro-Palestine demonstrations in Melbourne:
Tens of thousands out in Naarm/Melbourne for the 10th week running demanding an end to Labor’s political and military support for Israel, and an end to Israel’s genocide in Gaza, apartheid in West Bank, and occupation of Palestine 🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/T8dWuuPAkw
— Chris Woods 🏳️⚧️ (@tophermwoods) December 17, 2023
Aid payments available to Jasper victims
More Queensland residents and local councils affected by ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper will be eligible for financial assistance under expanded eligibility criteria.
The payments are being jointly funded by the federal and Queensland governments to support people and councils with recovery and reconstruction costs.
Queensland’s deputy premier, Cameron Dick, says residents of Yarrabah can apply for grants of $180 for individuals and up to $900 for families of five or more to cover the costs of essentials such as food, clothing and medicine.
The councils of Mareeba, Tablelands and Yarrabah can now access funding for counter-disaster operations and the reconstruction of essential infrastructure such as roads, bridges and flood ways.
Dick said:
The extension of this assistance to Mareeba, Tablelands and Yarrabah follows previously announced support measures for Cairns, Cook, Douglas, Hope Vale and Wujal Wujal.
I ask all Queenslanders to continue following the advice of their local council and emergency authorities as we assess the ongoing damage in the aftermath of this cyclone.
The Bureau of Meteorology said this morning the cyclone had moved back over the Cape York Peninsula and was now weak, with only a low risk of it redeveloping before Friday.
But the bureau said there “remains uncertainty around the strength of the system next weekend” and there “is a moderate risk of redevelopment from Saturday”.
Day four of first Test begins
Today is day four of the first Test in Perth. Australia will resume on 84/2, giving them a commanding 300-run lead over Pakistan with six sessions of play remaining.
You can follow all the action live on our separate live blog with Jonathan Howcroft:
Major flood warning updates for far north Queensland
The Bureau of Meteorology said major flooding was likely at Cairns airport this afternoon. The Barron River is expected to reach the major flood level of 3.5m.
In the Barron River catchment, 513mm of rain was recorded in the 24 hours to 9am today, local time.
Rainfall totals of up to 500mm were recorded across the Johnstone River catchment, where the McAvoy Bridge peaked at 7.5m this morning.
The South Johnstone River at Mourilyan Mill is likely to remain above the major flood level of 10m today.
Red Sea tensions pose ‘significant threat’ to oil and cargo
Paul Zalai, director of the Freight and Trade Alliance, spoke to ABC News about major shipping lines abandoning movements in the Red Sea, raising concerns about the cost of goods in Australia.
We had all the details on this earlier in the blog here.
Speaking to the ABC, Zalai said the FTA was hoping for a swift resolution because this was a “significant threat”, particularly for oil and cargo.
Q: Are there contingencies for this sort of threat?
Zalai said there was – if there was a prolonged period of closure, ships can go around the Cape of Good Hope at the bottom of Africa, adding an extra 10 days to voyages:
The full magnitude will probably be known pretty quickly. We are waiting to see what the maritime insurers do. If they declare the area a war zone, that means the cargo on those ships will not be insurable and commercially, the shipping lines will be left with no option but to abandon the Suez Canal and Red Sea as a shipping lane for that period of time.
Zalai said in the past shipping lines had added surcharges in these circumstances:
Our importers and exporters can expect higher costs again.
Newell Highway closed after fire breaks containment lines
The Duck Creek Pilliga forest fire in NSW broke containment lines yesterday and continued burning to the east and north overnight, the Rural Fire Service says.
Because of this, the Newell Highway has been closed this morning between Coonabarabran and Narrabri, with smoke reducing visibility on the road:
Yesterday the Duck Creek Pilliga Forest Fire broke containment lines on the eastern edge of the fireground & over night has continued to burn east & north. The Newell Hwy has been closed this morning between Coonabarabran & Narrabri as smoke has reduced visibility on the road. pic.twitter.com/DK7xYBFfmm
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) December 16, 2023
Two detainees on roof of WA detention centre ‘came down last night’
As we flagged earlier in the blog, prison guards at Banksia Hill juvenile detention centre were last night negotiating with two detainees who escaped on to the roof and were refusing to come down.
A spokesperson from the WA Department of Justice said that both people had voluntarily came down last night, and at the time, all the other young people were safe in their units:
The negotiations weren’t rushed as staff take their time to bring about a safe resolution.
Both young people voluntarily came down last night. There were no injuries.
Whilst some damage occurred the Centre has not experienced any issues that caused security concerns. Operations have returned to normal.
Supporting UN ceasefire motion the ‘sensible thing to do’, Farrell says
Sarah Basford Canales
Trade minister Don Farrell has said Australia’s support for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza was the “sensible thing to do” after criticism from some within the Jewish community.
Farrell, appearing on Sky News’ Sunday Agenda, was asked whether the decision was “a bit naive” after the 7 October attack by Hamas against southern Israel and with hostages still being held by the militant group.
On Wednesday Australia joined 152 other nations in voting in favour of a United Nations resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire after earlier abstaining from a similar motion in late October.
The Albanese government’s move was a break from the US position, which voted against the motion with nine other nations, and garnered criticism from the opposition and the Israeli embassy in Australia.
The Israeli ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, criticised Canberra’s decision, saying he found it “difficult to understand how Australia can support Israel’s right to defend its people from terrorist aggression, while also voting in support of a ceasefire that will embolden Hamas and enable it to resume its attacks on Israelis”.
The death toll in Gaza now stands at more than 18,000 Palestinians, according to the Gazan health ministry.
The trade minister said he didn’t believe the shift was an “unreasonable” one given the circumstances:
Right from day one, Australia has condemned the murderous assault by Hamas terrorists in the south of Israel, we’ve continued to support Israel’s right to defend itself but, like most countries around the world, we are concerned about the number of civilian deaths in Gaza as Israel moves further and further into Gaza.
It’s an extremely difficult set of circumstances. There are no easy solutions here but the government believed that that was a sensible thing to do in the circumstances.
Fiji Airways in Tuvalu to restart services tomorrow
Fiji Airways has just provided an update on its Tuvalu services.
As we reported earlier, a number of Australians have been stranded in Tuvalu after Fiji Airways cancelled all flights to and from the Pacific Island nation, citing damage to the airport’s runway.
A statement from the airline reads:
Further to initial repairs having been conducted on the runway at the Funafuti International Airport in Tuvalu, Fiji Airways intends to operate its scheduled Nadi – Funafuti and return services (FJ289/288) on Monday 18th December, 2023.
Because of the nature of the damage and the restricted repairs, these services will operate at a reduced weight. As a consequence some booked guests will be unable to travel as intended.
Fiji Airways is in the process of contacting guests booked on these services to explain the options available.
We once again apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank our guests for their patience and understanding. The airline reiterates that the safety of our guests and staff will always remain paramount.
The statement did not mention flights to Australia but we have asked the airline for any updates.
Don Farrell expects China to lift all $20bn in trade sanctions by next year
Sarah Basford Canales
Don Farrell said he expects China will lift all of the $20bn in trade sanctions the Albanese government came into by next year, with lobster and wine next on the list.
Beijing slapped trade sanctions on $20bn worth of Australian products at the height of a diplomatic feud in 2020, including tariffs of between 107% and 212% on Australian wine.
Wine exports to China were valued at more than $1bn before the tariffs were put in place but that figure has plunged to a little more than $10m.
In October Australia agreed to suspend its World Trade Organization dispute with China over its wine sanctions while Beijing undertakes an “expedited review” of duties, which is expected to take five months. Australia will resume the WTO dispute if the sanctions are not removed by the review’s end.
The trade minister told Sky News he was “very confident” there would be a “favourable result” from the Chinese authorities early next year allowing Australian wine back into the country.
Farrell on Tuesday announced China had lifted suspensions on three Australian meat exporters but others still remain suspended.
Lobsters were now the last major product on his list, Farrell said:
We started, when we came to office, with something like $20bn worth of trade impediments with China. Bit by bit, we’ve whittled that down and really the major product now that has not been let back into China is lobster, and I’ve raised this issue now five times with my Chinese counterpart, and I’m hoping that sometime in the near future that final product will be allowed back in and that that $20bn worth of trade will be resumed.
‘I have never seen rain like this,’ Port Douglas resident says
Port Douglas blog reader Sara Mulcahy says the weather her community is seeing post-Tropical Cyclone Jasper is unlike anything she has been before:
I have never seen rain like this.
Some reports [are] saying more than a metre [of rain has fallen] since Wednesday. Roads are flooded, we are cut off from Cairns, Mossman and the interior.
People are having to leave their homes in the low lying parts.
As we flagged earlier, an emergency alert was issued for Mossman this morning amid fears of dangerous localised floods. People were told to take shelter or evacuate to the local high school.
Severe thunderstorm warning for Cairns region
A severe thunderstorm warning for intense rainfall has been issued in the Cairns region.
The Bureau of Meteorology said this could lead to dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding around Cairns, Yarrabah and Redlynch.
[Already] 146mm has fallen in under three hours at Myola, according to the BoM.
Sarah Basford Canales
Marles will ‘make right decision in Australia’s interest’ over deploying navy vessels to Red Sea
Earlier this morning, trade minister Don Farrell left open the possibility Australia could deploy navy vessels to the Red Sea amid ongoing attacks against commercial shipping from Iran-backed militia.
This week the US asked Australia to send a warship to the region as part of its duties as a member of the international naval security taskforce, the combined maritime forces.
It comes as the Yemen-based and Iran-backed Houthis warned they would target all ships heading to Israel through the sea, which lies between the Horn of Africa and the Arabian peninsula, regardless of their nationality.
Speaking to Sky News, Farrell said:
We generally focus our activities in our own region and as we know we’ve got the ships in the South China Sea at the moment. My understanding is that the, our defence minister, Richard Marles, has received the request and we will give due consideration in the days and the weeks ahead … [Marles] will make the right decision in Australia’s interest as to whether we do or we don’t deploy in the Red Sea.
‘Majority’ of taxi drivers doing right thing, NSW Taxi Council says
Earlier, NSW Taxi Council chief executive Nick Abrahim spoke to ABC News Breakfast about allegations that taxi drivers are price gouging.
This comes after a Guardian Australia investigation, in which transport reporter Elias Visontay found that a new taxi fare hotline has been flooded with thousands of complaints in its first six months.
The investigation revealed more than 520 taxi drivers in NSW have been disciplined for refusing to use their meters or overcharging:
Abrahim said “majority” of taxi drivers were doing the right thing but there were a number of “rogue drivers” who thought they could “flout the law” and set their own prices:
That’s not on.
We want to give members of the public certainty that whenever they are using the taxi, particularly from a rank-and-hail perspective, that the meter must be used giving them the certainty of what they will pay at the end of that trip.
The NSW Taxi Council is calling on the state government to return to a centralised accreditation system:
Over the last 12 months, we’ve seen over 500 disciplinary actions taken by taxi service providers whenever these complaints have been reported and about 30-odd cases we’ve seen drivers [being] removed from the network. However, I cannot honestly tell you that those drivers aren’t behind a wheel again driving taxis or ride-share because there is not enough regulation.
Drummer and original member of AC/DC Colin Burgess dies at 77
The Australian drummer Colin Burgess, an original member of the hard-rock band AC/DC in the early 1970s, has died, the band confirmed on its social media accounts. He was 77.
An unsigned post on the band’s official Facebook page late Friday said:
Very sad to hear of the passing of Colin Burgess. He was our first drummer and a very respected musician. Happy memories, rock in peace Colin.
No cause of death was given.
Worldwide pro-Palestine protests continue calling for ceasefire in Gaza
Pro-Palestine protests are continuing across capital cities this weekend.
The Palestine Action Group Sydney and Free Palestine Melbourne have indicated that protests will continue over the Christmas and new year period.
Today’s Sydney protest will begin at 1pm in Hyde Park. Melbourne pro-Palestine protesters will meet at the State Library from 12pm.
You can follow our Israel-Gaza war live blog below:
Protests are continuing right across the world, as a growing number of people demand a ceasefire in Gaza. Nearly 19,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli airstrikes in the last two months. A study published by an Israeli newspaper found the aerial bombing campaign by Israel in Gaza is the most indiscriminate in terms of civilian casualties in recent years.
Sydney rally held for victims of alleged sexual violence during 7 October attacks by Hamas
Earlier this morning a rally kicked off in Sydney’s Prince Alfred Park, bringing awareness to alleged sexual violence against women during the 7 October attacks by Hamas.
Organised by United With Israel, the organisation said:
There’s been silence in the face of violence against Israeli women and it’s unacceptable. This rally’s purpose is to stand up for the Israeli women who were killed, raped, abused and kidnapped by Hamas terrorists.
This is off the back of what UN critics called a “shameful silence” amid mounting proof, including videos, eyewitness testimony and forensic evidence, of sexual violence that Hamas terrorists carried out for hours on Oct 7.
Speakers at the Sydney rally today will include Liberal senator Hollie Hughes and Woollahra deputy mayor Sarah Swan.
Staff negotiate with detainees who escaped on to roof at juvenile detention centre
Prison guards at Banksia Hill juvenile detention centre were negotiating with two detainees who escaped on to the roof and were refusing to come down, according to the West Australian.
According to the West, a Department of Justice spokesperson said yesterday:
Staff at Banksia Hill are managing a behavioural issue with two young people at the centre.
Staff are negotiating with the pair and all other young people are safe inside.
The negotiations aren’t rushed, staff take their time to bring about a safe resolution.
We have contacted the Department of Justice for the latest update on this situation.
