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Paterson says definition of antisemitism a ‘helpful tool’
Paterson was asked about the federal antisemitism envoy, Jillian Segal, and her recommendations the government adopt a working definition of antisemitism from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). He told RN Breakfast the definition would be a “helpful tool”, but would not be used to limit free speech, despite concerns from some sectors it would do so.
Jillian Segal, the federal antisemitism envoy. Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/AP
Paterson said:
I think the IHRA definition of antisemitism is important because what constitutes antisemitism is a highly contested thing. So people don’t naturally accept what constitutes antisemitism and, in many ways, maliciously seek to downplay or seek to avoid attributing things to antisemitism. So I think it has been a very helpful tool and it’s a helpful guideline.
No one in Australia, though, is proposing that IHRA should be legislated or that there should be consequences under the law for transgressing IHRA. And I don’t think anyone should propose that. I don’t think that would be consistent with Australia’s approach to free speech.
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James Paterson says housing targets need to be ‘realistic’, not ‘delusional’
James Paterson, the shadow minister for finance, said housing targets needed to be “realistic” and “not delusional” after the Treasury warned the federal Labor government its policies were not ambitious enough to meet a promise to build 1.2m new homes by 2030. Patterson spoke to RN Breakfast, a day after the government accidentally shared details of the advice with the ABC under freedom of information rules.
Paterson said:
It’s certainly a good thing to have targets and it is a good thing to be ambitious, but the ambition has to be realistic and achievable and not delusional and I think we’re now getting into that level of delusion because a target of 1.2m homes by 2029 would require the government to be building about 250,000 homes a year when only about 170,000 are being constructed.
James Patterson, the shadow minister for finance, said housing targets needed to be ‘realistic’. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP
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Updated at 22.49 BST
Caitlin Cassidy
Burke says media monitoring recommendations likely not more than simply watching and observing
The minister for home affairs, Tony Burke, also took little issue last night with a recommendation in the report for the antisemitism envoy to “monitor media organisations to encourage accurate, fair and responsible reporting and … to avoid accepting false or distorted narratives”.
He said the envoy was already monitoring what happened in the media “all the time”.
Tony Burke said the antisemitism envoy was already monitoring what happened in the media “all the time”. Photograph: James Ross/AAP
Questioned over whether this was more than just watching and observing what was happening in the media and instead playing an “active role”, Burke said: “I’m not sure it is more than that”.
If you’re talking about monitoring, these are public broadcasters where what they do is public … in the same way any free-to-air TV is public and monitored and is watched. If there are examples where envoys believe there’s antisemitism, that’s something they would report on to the different networks and you try to make sure these things stop.
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Mitchell Starc delivers one of the all-time great spells of fast bowling
Mitchell Starc has produced one of the all-time great spells of fast bowling, with five wickets in 15 balls putting Australia on course to sweep the Frank Worrell Trophy, AAP reports.
With West Indies chasing 204 for victory in the third Test in Jamaica, Starc took three wickets in the first over alone as the hosts fell to 6-22 at tea on day three.
Australia’s Mitchell Starc, right, talks to captain Pat Cummins. Photograph: Ricardo Mazalán/AP
Playing in his 100th Test, Starc also became the fourth Australian to reach the 400-wicket milestone and joined greats Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Nathan Lyon.
And the left-armer did it in style, ripping the heart out of West Indies with a record-breaking spell at Sabina Park of 5-6 from five overs at Sabina Park.
Starc’s 15-ball five-wicket haul marked the fastest by any bowler in Test history, beating Ernie Toshack from 1947, Stuart Broad’s 2015 Trent Bridge effort and Scott Boland’s MCG heroics of 2021.
Each of those took 19 balls.
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Good morning, Nick Visser here to take you through the day’s news. Let’s get to it.
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Updated at 22.11 BST
Check out the Full Story – on Segal’s antisemitism plans
As chance would have it, today’s edition of the Full Story podcast is about Jillian Segal and whether her recommendations have the potential to silence debate and dissent.
Political reporter and chief of staff Josh Butler and education reporter Caitlin Cassidy speak to Reged Ahmad about why the proposed antisemitism plan has some people worried.
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Burke says objective of antisemitism measures not ‘cancelling people’
Burke was unwilling to weigh in on whether the federal government would take up a recommendation in the report for new powers to strip funding from universities who failed to tackle antisemitism, or if the issue had become “normalised” in higher education.
He said the objective was not to be “cancelling people” but “to never fall foul of the need to make sure that we’re combatting antisemitism”.
This is where a lot of the discussion – and I respect why – has gone straight to the edges of what would the punishment and the penalty be? The objective here is that you don’t end up in that world … We want to make sure that students can go to university and study without being harassed.
Asked if antisemitism was normalised at Australian universities, Burke said he was sure Segal “wouldn’t have put it in the report unless there were some Jewish students where that has been their experience”.
And as long as that’s been the experience of any students, that’s unacceptable.
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Burke on Segal family’s Advance donations: Australia not a place where ‘you would blame a woman for decisions of her husband’
The minister for home affairs, Tony Burke, has defended the antisemitism envoy, Jillian Segal, after it was revealed her husband had funded the right wing lobby group Advance Australia. Segal said she had no involvement in it.
Burke told ABC’s 7.30 on Monday, said he was only made aware of the donations when the reports came out but Segal wasn’t answerable for her husband’s decisions.
Advance is an appalling organisation. And that organisation does the opposite of pursuing social cohesion … [but] it’s a long time since we’ve been a country where you would blame a woman for decisions of her husband. And so with that in mind, I don’t think she’s answerable for her husband. She said she didn’t know about it. And I’ve got no reason to do anything other than believe her.
On the substance of Segal’s plan to address antisemitism and how comprehensively it would be adopted, Burke said she was independent of the government and had provided a report “to the government, not a report of the government”.
The prime minister made clear … that some aspects of the report can be implemented immediately, there’s some where you work through it slowly and there’s a whole lot where you hope that you can find pathways to avoid antisemitism where some of the recommendations never need to be considered because you found other pathways.
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Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with some of the stories that will make the news today and then it’ll be Nick Visser to take you through the day.
Tony Burke, the minister for home affairs, went on ABC’s 7.30 last night to defend the antisemitism envoy, Jillian Segal, after it was revealed her husband had funded the rightwing lobby group Advance Australia. Segal said she had no involvement in it. More details on his comments soon.
Anthony Albanese will meet China’s president, Xi Jinping, the premier, Li Qiang, and Communist party chair Zhao Leji today – the three highest-ranking members of China’s ruling committee – in what will be the centrepiece of the prime minister’s six-day tour of the country. We’ll have more on this shortly as well.
And Hannah Thomas, the former Greens candidate who sustained a serious eye injury during her arrest at a protest in Sydney, will face court in Bankstown today. She is charged with hindering or resisting police and not following a move-on direction in an anti-Israel protest that police say was unauthorised. More coming up.
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