Australia news as it happened: First sitting fortnight of parliament ends with HECS triumph for Albanese; Wong dodges question on Israeli claims of no starvation; Australian Muslims face Islamophobia surge

On the other side of the house, much of the opposition’s schedule this past two weeks has been dictated by in-fighting, instigated by a handful of Nationals MPs who have brought forward a private member’s bill to repeal Australia’s commitment to net zero emissions by 2050.

In other news today:

• Labor and the Greens opposed a Coalition attempt to take US beef imports to an inquiry. It comes as US President Donald Trump weighs up the level of tariffs on Australian exports to the US before his August 1 deadline.
• Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Treasurer Jim Chalmers both said Australia would recognise Palestinian statehood at its own pace, after Canada said it would join France and Britain in doing this at a September meeting of the UN.
• And Energy Minister Chris Bowen claimed Liberal MP for Canning Andrew Hastie planned to make an attempt on Sussan Ley’s federal Coalition leadership within the next year.

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VNI West, a second 240 kilometre transmission line between Victoria and NSW, had its delivery date delayed earlier this month by two years, to late 2030, as Transmission Company Victoria sought more time to engage with affected landholders such as farmers.

A construction timeline for the 190 kilometre Western Renewables Link from Victoria’s west to Sydenham in Melbourne’s north-west has also been pushed back.

The Victorian opposition has vowed to repeal the new legislation if it becomes law and it is elected in November 2026.
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About 1200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage when Hamas, a designated terrorist group in Australia, attacked Israel. Israel’s subsequent war in Gaza has killed more than 60,000 people, according to Palestinian health authorities.

The conflict has led to increases in both Islamophobic and antisemitic incidents across Australia, including arson and graffiti attacks on places of worship.

But the federal government’s response to the two issues had been unbalanced, Ms Attai said.

“The government is taking the issue of antisemitism seriously, and rightly so,” she said.

“The issue is that Islamophobia has not been treated with the same level of concern by government and by the media.”

The register’s latest report warned against the use of definitions of racism like the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism, due to concerns it could be used to stymie criticism of the Israeli government and its actions.

Australia’s special envoy to combat antisemitism, Jillian Segal, has recommended the definition be adopted across all levels of government and by public institutions.

The Islamophobia report found increasing levels of systemic issues targeting both Muslim and non-Muslim Australians who face reputational damage and professional exclusion for supporting Palestinian rights.

These include being uninvited from speaking engagements or being reprimanded or investigated for social media posts, such as wrongfully dismissed radio host Antoinette Lattouf.

Meanwhile, tough anti-protest laws in NSW and similar legislation under consideration in Victoria were a worry for all Australians, independent researcher Dr Naser Alziyadat said.

“What is truly alarming is the systemic erosion of the democratic values that Australia has long cherished,” Alziyadat said.
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Police pored over 142,000 files and allegedly concluded some were child abuse material, Acting Commissioner Brett James said on Thursday.

David James was arrested a month later, and a non-publication order was made on his name to give police time to identify and contact his alleged victims.

He is facing 13 offences with nine counts of aggravated use of a child to make child abuse material, one count of using a child to make abuse material, two counts of possessing abuse material and one count of refusing officers access to his phone.

The AFP said in a statement today that parents and carers could access Operation Arctile information for the time periods of his employment, advice on appropriate support services, as well as whom to contact if they need more help.

Today’s revelations come one month after it emerged that a male childcare worker employed at centres across Melbourne and Geelong was charged with 70 offences, including rape.

Our Melbourne-based reporters continue to follow this story. Today, reporters Sherryn Groch and Carla Jaeger report on a trove of leaked internal documents showing the reputation-focused policies of the two large childcare chains that employed the worker, Joshua Brown.

Wong did not give a yes or no answer, but said she welcomed the UK and Canada’s moves.

Echoing Treasurer Jim Chalmers, Wong also reiterated that Australia’s recognition of Palestine was a matter of “when, not if”.

“We welcome the momentum towards a pathway to peace, and that is what two states is about, and we’ve seen this momentum build internationally,” Wong told host Patricia Karvelas.

When asked what further conditions the government needed before recognising a Palestinian state, Wong said “the great weight of the international community has to come together”.