Australia news live: Victorian opposition calls premier ‘nasty’ during heated question time; Dutton urges PM ‘call for an end’ to Gaza campus protests

Victoria premier lashes opposition for calling her ‘nasty’ during heated question time

Benita Kolovos

The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, has lashed the opposition for calling her “nasty” during question time debate.

As she was answering a question about the upcoming state budget, the opposition’s manager of businesses in the lower house, James Newbury, raised a point of order on relevance, stating: “This was an important question, not [an opportunity] for the premier to be nasty again”.

Allan responded: “As if I needed any more evidence as [to] how out of touch the opposition is speaker.”

That point of order demonstrates it … For months now, women have been demanding a better conversation, a better culture, about respect for women, and that starts with all of us, speaker.

And when you only call women in this place nasty, when you only call women in this place tawdry, you are not demonstrating the sort of leadership we all need to be showing about what respect for women looks like and what happens when you don’t.

The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, today. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

Key events

Many thanks for joining me on the blog today, Nino Bucci will be with you for the next little while. Take care.

Returning to the vaping senate inquiry

Scott Weber, the CEO of the Police Federation of Australia, is telling the senate vaping inquiry that the sale of illegal vapes is a “huge issue” but police do not have the capability or numbers to tackle it.

Weber says vapes present a “health issue that has now turned into a criminal one.”

However, police “don’t know what to do.” Weber says a clearer national licensing scheme is needed so that police can enforce it in the same way they do liquor, which reverses the onus on the vendor to prove that they have the right to sell it.

Weber says police need more training, education and capability to be able to address illegal vapes - but at the moment police officers don’t have the time either.

The federal government would need to fund dedicated police officers to the issue as currently there are police shortages across the country whose priorities are issues like violence, he said.

Birmingham said government should plan to visit Solomon Islands soon

The shadow foreign minister, Simon Birmingham, says Penny Wong should visit the Solomon Islands “where appropriate” and he would be prepared to visit, too, following the election of its new prime minister, Jeremiah Manele.

Speaking to ABC Afternoon Briefing, he said:

Ultimately we would expect the Albanese government to want to, and to seek to, engage with a new government in the Solomon Islands as quickly as they reasonably can – respectful of the need for [a] new prime minister to get their feet under the table and respectful of the timelines they may have in mind … We will be willing as an opposition to cooperate in any engagements where appropriate.

Social services minister responds to data showing 50% of people applying for domestic violence payment are rejected

The social services minister, Amanda Rishworth, was asked about data published by Guardian Australia that half of people trying to access emergency financial support for domestic and family violence are having their claims rejected:

Speaking to Afternoon Briefing on the ABC, Rishworth said it was “not the only payment that’s available” and added:

… The eligibility is deliberately focused on people when they are leaving a violent circumstance.

Q: So are you concerned that 50% of people are still being knocked back?

Rishworth said the program will assess eligibility and “if someone is not eligible for the program, they will be diverted to other services and support”.

There are many reasons people [are not] eligible for the program. Some reasons are people withdraw their application, they no longer need the financial support. So – lots of reasons people may not progress. But this is an important part of the system, but not the only part of support in the system.

Andrew Wilkie wants ACCC to investigate Qantas ‘carrier charges’

The independent MP Andrew Wilkie has written to the ACCC calling on it to investigate Qantas “carrier charges” on frequent flyer tickets.

In a letter to the ACCC’s chair, Gina Cass-Gottlieb, Wilkie said he was concerned the charges are “an underhand[ed] means for the airline to actually charge for flights despite the customer’s understanding that such flights are paid for with points”.

He said carrier charges are “not itemised or explained” and “vary considerably with the route, class of travel and airport of origin”:

Customers can only find out how much they will be when making a booking as they are not listed anywhere. I would not be surprised if many loyal Qantas customers do not realise they are being charged by the airline for using their well-earned loyalty points.

Wilkie called for the ACCC to investigate the carrier charges “with the view to banning” them or “at least ensuring they are published and readily available to customers prior to booking flights”.

Faruqi agrees with commonwealth arguments that Hanson tweet not political communication

Continuing from our last post: Leneham finishes and Faruqi’s counsel, Saul Holt, is now making his arguments on these issues.

Holt mostly agrees with the commonwealth, arguing Hanson’s tweet was not political communication just because she is a senator. Holt:

It is an angry slur that could have been written by anyone regardless of their status as a senator or otherwise. And the way in which that was justified was by [Hanson’s counsel] Mr Smark was to make a rhetorical submission that politics … involve[s] a silencing of one’s opponents and assaulting one’s opponents or offending one’s opponents as part of the persuasive process.

And it might be accepted that Australian politics is no different from politics in many other parts of the world in that respect. But:

... Is there some inherent component of it which requires it to be racially abusive? And the answer is no.

Commonwealth wrapping up arguments at Faruqi v Hanson case

At the end of his submission to the federal court, the barrister representing the commonwealth attorney-general Craig Leneham has just finished his arguments on why the constitutional validity of section 18c or 18d of the racial discrimination act does not apply in this case.

What does it come down to according to the commonwealth? After going through all the precedents, Leneham says:

We say [it] would comfortably lead your honour to reject any suggestion that the very high threshold test is satisfied in this case by our friends [Hanson’s counsel]. They just haven’t met that significant burden.

The burden being, how Pauline Hanson’s tweet to Mehreen Faruqi telling her to ‘piss off back to Pakistan’ was protected political speech, or falling under the implied right of freedom of speech.

The commonwealth says, in our view, it’s not. And therefore Hanson’s argument that the legislation Faruqi brought this case with is a block to her freedom of speech, or political communication, should be rejected.

More to come in a moment.

Youth minister responds to pro-Palestine encampments

The minister for youth, Anne Aly, has responded to the growing number of pro-Palestine encampments being established at universities across the country. Speaking to ABC’s Afternoon Briefing just now, she said:

The right to protest is a cornerstone of our democracy and something that I support, however I draw the line at where protests become intimidating or violent and it concerns me that there are students on campuses that are feeling unsafe on-campus. It concerns me as a former academic who has worked at university campuses for much of my working life ...

The education minister, Jason Clare, has written to vice chancellors – all universities have a code of conduct for students and staff and it is important that the universities enforce the code of conduct. If these protests are becoming violent or are making people on-campus feel unsafe in any way, it is absolutely unacceptable and there has to be a line in the sand here.

The Bureau of Meteorology has published a weather update for the weekend, flagging widespread rain for NSW and thunderstorms spread across large parts of the state:

Bonza passengers in limbo as planes grounded for longer

Bonza passengers will be grounded for almost another week as the budget airline’s administrators talk with the lessor of its fleet, AAP reports.

Administrators Hall Chadwick confirmed today there would be no flights until at least Wednesday – five more days than previously expected.

The firm would continue to talk with the lessor of Bonza’s fleet and other parties about the “resumption of operations” into next week, a spokesman said.

Customers with bookings during this period are advised not to travel to the airport. Customers scheduled to travel during this time are requested to make alternative arrangements with other airline carriers.

Hall Chadwick was expected to give another update later today.