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Ben Roberts-Smith to remain in custody after not seeking bail
Penry Buckley
Ben Roberts-Smith has not applied for bail and will remain in custody after being charged with alleged war crimes.
The former SAS soldier and Victoria Cross-recipient was expected to make his first court appearance on Wednesday after being charged with five counts of the war crime of murder in relation to alleged offences in Afghanistan between April 2009 and October 2012.
Roberts-Smith did not appear. Instead, his legal representative, Jordan Portokalli, told the court that no application for bail would be made today, asking for the matter to be listed for mention at the Downing Centre local court in Sydney. He asked for the judge, Lucas Swan, to consider listing the matter today, but acknowledged this might be a “pipe dream”.
Swan ordered that the matter be listed before Downing Centre on 4 June. As no application was made for bail today, Roberts-Smith is required to attend his next appearance via videolink.
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Petrol prices start rising again as diesel jumps 20 cents a litre for wholesalers
Luca Ittimani
Petrol prices rose at service stations across Australia this morning, the first day of increase after more than a week of falls.
The resurgence marks the end of a reprieve in fuel prices, though the increase to date are tiny: Sydney’s average unleaded price rose from 224.9 cents a litre on Tuesday to 225 this morning, according to MotorMouth. Diesel had already been rising in price since Friday.
The retail prices at service stations mirror movements in wholesale prices, with unleaded wholesale costs stopping falling on Tuesday and jumping 4 cents a litre higher today, according to the Australian Institute of Petroleum.
Diesel wholesale prices have steadily risen since last Wednesday and jumped a massive 20 cents a litre higher today, AIP data shows, boding poorly for diesel prices to come.
The wholesale price rises reflect sustained increases in the price of crude oil, with the West Texas Intermediate spending most of the last week above US$110 a barrel.
Crude prices this morning fell to a two-week low and now sit at about US$96 in the wake of Donald Trump’s US-Iran ceasefire announcement. Even if the price fall persists, it will take time to flow on to prices at the pump.
Jonathan Barrett
ASX to rise after Trump suspends Iran bombing
The Australian share market is forecast to rise sharply this morning after Donald Trump said he would suspend bombing of Iran for two weeks.
The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 will open up about 1.5% to the 8,840 point mark, according to futures pricing, with the anticipated boost tied to what the US president has described as a “double sided ceasefire”.
Iran’s foreign minister has said cargo passage through the strait of Hormuz will be allowed for the next two weeks under Iranian military management.
Analysts at trading platform IG Markets said while a two-week opening of the strait would only allow for a modest resumption of global oil flows, it would be a “highly welcome development” if it paves the way for a broader reopening.
The ASX has been pulled around by sharp moves in the oil price, with rising energy prices fuelling global inflation, which has dragged down global equity markets.
Oil prices fell immediately in response to the announcements by the US and Iran.
Ben Roberts-Smith to remain in custody after not seeking bail
Penry Buckley
Ben Roberts-Smith has not applied for bail and will remain in custody after being charged with alleged war crimes.
The former SAS soldier and Victoria Cross-recipient was expected to make his first court appearance on Wednesday after being charged with five counts of the war crime of murder in relation to alleged offences in Afghanistan between April 2009 and October 2012.
Roberts-Smith did not appear. Instead, his legal representative, Jordan Portokalli, told the court that no application for bail would be made today, asking for the matter to be listed for mention at the Downing Centre local court in Sydney. He asked for the judge, Lucas Swan, to consider listing the matter today, but acknowledged this might be a “pipe dream”.
Swan ordered that the matter be listed before Downing Centre on 4 June. As no application was made for bail today, Roberts-Smith is required to attend his next appearance via videolink.
Man questioned by police for holding ‘sea to the river’ sign at Queensland court
Andrew Messenger
A man has been questioned by Queensland police for holding a piece of paper reading “sea to the river” at a small rally against a ban on pro-Palestinian expressions.
The law prohibits two expressions, one of them “from the river to the sea”, which is a common chant used by the pro-Palestine movement. A section banning similar expressions was included in the draft bill but removed from the final version.
Liam Parry, the first charged under the law, faces the Brisbane arrest court today. Dozens of protestors have turned up to protest the charge.
Mark Gillespie held a small piece of paper reading “from the sea to the river, Palestine will live forever free speech now!”.
He said he’d told police the expression was not banned under the law, but was told it was prohibited under a different section banning specific symbols.
“I think it’s an attack on free speech. That’s why I made the made the sign. It’s about, they’re trying to criminalise people,” Gillespie said.
Gina Rinehart says she doesn’t understand justification to prosecute former soldiers
Billionaire mining magnate Gina Rinehart said in a statement she doesn’t understand how it is “justified” to spend millions in taxpayer dollars to try and bring SAS veterans “towards criminal proceedings”, including the recent arrest of Ben Roberts-Smith.
Rinehart said she believes the money used to prosecute former soldiers would have been better served “straightening Australia’s security”, saying she hopes Roberts-Smith’s contributions to the nation are “never forgotten”. She went on:
Have we lost sight of the fact that in our inadequately defended country, facing uncertain times, the morale of our defence force has already been brought to its lowest ebb since inception, our defence personnel numbers are inadequate, and recruitment is suffering.
Surely, the more than $300 million of taxpayers’ money would have been far better spent strengthening Australia’s security and keeping Australians safe from terrorism, including removing terrorists and their supporters from our country.
Like many Australians, I hope that compassion and the Aussie spirit is extended to Ben and his family and his duty to our country in the hardship of war is never forgotten.
Melissa Davey
World held hostage by reliance on fossil fuels, Christiana Figueres warns
Countries are being “held hostage” by their reliance on fossil fuels, a former UN climate chief has warned, describing the health impacts of climate change as “the mother of all injustices”.
Christiana Figueres, an international climate negotiator who helped deliver the Paris agreement signed in 2016, made the comments as she was announced on Wednesday as co-chair of a Lancet Commission examining how sea-level rise is reshaping health, wellbeing and inequality.
Lancet Commissions are international collaborations that analyse major global health issues and influence policy. This commission will examine legal frameworks to hold countries accountable for the health harms of sea-level rise. It will report by September 2027.
Read more here:
Trump suspends Iran threat for two weeks after negotiations with Pakistan
US president Donald Trump has delayed his ultimatum to Iran after speaking with leaders in Pakistan. The delay will last for two weeks.
Trump said the country had requested he hold off on “the destructive force being sent tonight to Iran” amid an agreement for the “COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz”. He wrote on Truth Social:
This will be a double sided CEASEFIRE! The reason for doing so is that we have already met and exceeded all Military objectives, and are very far along with a definitive Agreement concerning Longterm PEACE with Iran, and PEACE in the Middle East. …
Almost all of the various points of past contention have been agreed to between the United States and Iran, but a two week period will allow the Agreement to be finalized and consummated.
Cyclone-hammered reefs can take many years to recover, study finds
Storm-ravaged coral reefs might never have the years required to recover if tropical cyclones become more intense and frequent due to climate change, marine researchers say.
AAP reports a study of coral reefs off Queensland’s Whitsunday Islands hammered by severe category four Cyclone Debbie in 2017 showed it could take many years for corals and their fish populations to recover.
“Even six years after Cyclone Debbie, we still found that coral cover remained up to 69% less than it was before,” lead researcher Maya Srinivasan said.
Debbie sat on the reefs for hours, snapping off robust, large boulder corals and leaving them upside down. Climate change models predict tropical cyclones will become more intense and frequent, which is bad news for the Great Barrier Reef and its lucrative tourist industry.
Coral reefs hard hit by severe cyclones might need 10 to 15 years to make a full recovery, Dr Srinivasan, of the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), told AAP.
Canavan expresses concern about using civilian court system to try soldier Ben Roberts-Smith
Canavan said the arrest of Ben Roberts-Smith yesterday has left him concerned about using a civilian court system to weigh accusations against a member of the military.
Roberts-Smith was yesterday charged with “five counts of war crime – murder” and will appear before court for the first time as a defendant today. He has denied any wrongdoing.
Canavan was asked about the former soldier. He told RN Breakfast:
I feel very uncomfortable passing any judgment on someone that put their life on the line for our country. I haven’t been in that circumstance. Clearly, though, we’re a country of high standards and they must be applied.
I’m not exactly sure about the wisdom of subjecting military personnel to a civilian court process. I mean, the basic English common law principle here is a judging of your peers. Who are Ben Roberts-Smith’s peers?
… I view his peers as his fellow soldiers and normally or previously we would have applied a military tribunal to these sort of cases. We have made decisions to apply the civilian court system to it. I worry about putting too much stress on that system in these cases.
Canavan says Trump’s threats have ‘gotten out of hand’
s leader Matt Canavan said Donald Trump’s threats towards Iran underscored the need for Australia to try to de-escalate the rhetoric coming out of the US.
He told RN Breakfast:
I think it’s incumbent on us to implore our friends in the United States to de-escalate this and de-escalate it fast. It’s gotten out of hand very quickly.
Now’s the time for Australia and the prime minister to make it very clear that we can’t support this type of approach to any kind of conflict … we’ve got to try and find an off ramp here, both for the people of the Middle East and also for the world that’s suffering the horrific consequences of this conflict.
Canavan is due to speak before the Press Club later today.
Trump’s deadline on Iran expires at 10am
Donald Trump has given Iran a deadline of 8pm EDT, or 10am AEST, to comply with his demands or risk an entire civilisation dying “tonight”.
The declaration has prompted condemnation from Democrats in the US, concern from a small cadre of Republicans and left many waiting with bated breath.
We’ll bring you updates on any Australian reactions here as the day unfolds, but you can follow along with our Middle East liveblog below:
Minister says Australia has received assurances from foreign trading partners over fuel supplies
Matt Thistlethwaite, the assistant minister for foreign affairs and trade, spoke about a signed statement of understanding between Australia and Singapore over fuel deliveries this morning, saying the government had been receiving assurances from other countries as well.
Thistlethwaite was asked if the government would like to see agreements with other fuel suppliers, including those in South Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan and Japan, as Anthony Albanese prepares to fly to Singapore this week.
Thistlethwaite told RN that while Australia remained confident that fuel would continue to be delivered, the turmoil in the Middle East could undercut that faith, prompting the outreach to foreign trading partners. He said:
Obviously, the potential of the conflict to destabilise the deliveries is a concern. So we’re seeking assurances from nations regarding supply. And thankfully, we’ve been receiving those assurances.
Those assurances do give us confidence. And obviously, those nations that we’re meeting with want to know from Australia’s perspective that many of our exports will continue to get through as well.
Good morning, Nick Visser here to take over the blog. Let’s get to it.
Canavan calls for tariff-led ‘manufacturing renaissance’
Tom McIlroy
The new s leader, Matt Canavan, is speaking at the Press Club in Canberra today. He will outline what he calls “a Patriot Agenda for an Australian Economic Revival”.
The plan involves five areas of focus, including an Australian “manufacturing renaissance”.
Canavan says that would be delivered “through the protection of key industries against unfair competition” and calls for all available tools be used, including the reintroduction of tariffs.
He says Australia’s border should be closed to “mass migration” and net zero by 2050 policies for carbon emissions should be scrapped, and calls for a new national works program, construction of new cities and a new baby boom.
“I don’t agree with Donald Trump that ‘tariff’ is the most beautiful word in the English language, but it’s not a dirty word either,” Canavan will say.
“A tariff is just a tool – a tool we already use when we apply anti-dumping actions, albeit in an ad hoc way.
“Other countries are trying to steal our jobs and our industries. We must respond with a more permanent approach to protecting the industries that are crucial to our sovereign capability.”
Albanese and Chinese premier discuss energy security in phone call
Krishani Dhanji
The prime minister has spoken to Chinese premier Li Qiang over the phone to discuss energy security, as the government moves to secure fuel supplies with nations across Asia.
Anthony Albanese confirmed on Tuesday he would be flying to Singapore this week to lock in fuel imports.
The PM’s office said the two leaders spoke on Tuesday and agreed to increase communication and ensure Australia and China are “both working in support of regional energy security”. China is a key exporter of jet fuel to Australia.
The government says engagement with china are “central to a mature, stable and constructive relationship”.
Ben Roberts-Smith to appear in court this morning
Kelly Burke
Australia’s most decorated living soldier will appear in a Sydney local court today.
The former SAS corporal and Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith was arrested by the Australian federal police on Tuesday. He has been charged with unlawful killings during Australia’s military campaign in Afghanistan.
He was held at Silverwater correctional centre overnight and designated as a high-profile detainee, so was allotted a single cell, although he was technically not in solitary confinement.
He is expected to apply for bail at the hearing. Roberts-Smith has always denied any wrongdoing in Afghanistan.
The charges against Roberts-Smith, 47, comes after a landmark civil ruling in 2023.
In that defamation case, which Roberts-Smith himself initiated against the Sydney Morning Herald, the Age, and the Canberra Times, a federal court judge found to the civil standard of substantial truth that the soldier had been involved in four murders while deployed in Afghanistan.
However, that defamation trial is irrelevant to the criminal proceedings. The standard of proof required for a criminal conviction (beyond reasonable doubt) is far higher than that needed in a civil case (balance of probabilities).
Those findings included the 2009 killing of a handicapped man at a compound known as Whiskey 108 and the 2012 kicking of a handcuffed prisoner, Ali Jan, off a cliff in Darwan.
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.
Anthony Albanese spoke to Chinese premier Li Qiang over the phone last night to discuss energy security, as the prime minister prepares to travel to Singapore as part of efforts to secure fuel supplies with nations across Asia. More coming up.
Ben Roberts-Smith, Australia’s most decorated living soldier, will appear at a Sydney local court today charged with five war crime murders. We have more details coming up, and will bring you updates as the story unfolds today.
