Australia news live: ‘we are deeply concerned by escalation’ in Lebanon, Wong says; Tony Armstrong announces departure from ABC breakfast show

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Victoria’s opposition leader, John Pesutto, is expected to testify today in the defamation trial brought against him by ousted Liberal MP Moira Deeming.

The ex-Liberal MP is suing Pesutto for allegedly falsely portraying her as a Nazi sympathiser after she spoke at the March 2023 “Let Women Speak” rally that was gatecrashed by neo-Nazis. Pesutto rejects this allegation.

Last week, the court heard a secretly recorded meeting between Deming and members of the Liberal party’s leadership team, held the day after the rally.

In the recording, Deeming tells Pesutto and his colleagues she is “obviously not a Nazi.” Pesutto is heard telling Deeming her attendance at the rally would be “toxic” for the Victorian Liberal party as they tried to win the 2026 election. Deeming was initially suspended and later expelled from the parliamentary party.

The trial, which began last week, is expected to run for three weeks.

Albanese says supermarkets may face ‘more than a slap on the wrist’ over alleged conduct

Staying with that ABC Perth interview, Albanese was again scathing of allegations against Coles and Woolworths, levelled by the ACCC yesterday, about advertised discounts. He called the claims “red-hot”, and the alleged conduct “an outrage”.

“Australians who go to the supermarket have been concerned for some time, you would have heard anecdotally, people telling stories about this,” Albanese said.

The PM said the supermarket giants may face “more than a slap on the wrist”.

“I think the implications for their brand has been damaged by this, because it confirms what many shoppers think and what they’ve been saying to me, which is why we have determined to take strong action,” he said:

When shoppers go to the supermarket, they expect to get goods at a fair price. I understand supermarkets have got to make a profit. They’ve got to make a profit so they can employ people, but what they shouldn’t do is abuse that power.

PM questions if gambling ad ban would solve problem gambling issues

Prime minister Anthony Albanese has admitted sports betting ads on TV were “annoying”, but again downplayed the prospects of his government legislating a total ban on the advertising – questioning whether such a move would solve problem gambling issues.

The PM is back in Perth for what seems like a biweekly trip at this point in the election cycle, where he joined ABC radio. Asked about the long-awaited reforms to sports betting ads, Albanese said a complete ban on them “has been an option” – which sounded very much like a past-tense proposition, as in an idea the government wasn’t really entertaining any more.

“What we want to do is to reduce the impact that gambling advertising is causing, and we’re taking action to do that ... whether the complete banning has been an option, whether that will solve the problem,” he said:

The problem here, of course, is that sport gambling represents under 5% of the problem gambling issue. Overwhelmingly, it’s about poker machines, then it’s followed by lotteries and lotto tickets and those issues as well. So I know that as much as anything else, it can be annoying, the breaking up of beds, but we’re looking at a range of options.

Asked about a story in the ABC today, about how a Sydney man was able to get around the government’s BetStop self-exclusion register by giving a new name and email address, Albanese said “we’ll examine it”:

When someone tries to get around a regulation, what you do is you make sure you tighten it in a way in order to shut that down. And that certainly is what the authorities will do. But whenever you have some form of regulation, it is the case that people will try and get around it.

The PM didn’t go into how the government might “tighten” those regulations.

Greens reiterate calls to expel Israeli ambassador after strikes on Lebanon

The deputy leader of the Greens, Mehreen Faruqi, has reiterated calls to sanction Israel and expel the Israeli ambassador after a recent wave of Israeli strikes in Lebanon. In a video posted to Instagram, Faruqi said:

First, 42,000 Palestinians massacred in Gaza, then the West Bank, and now hundreds more murdered in Lebanon. And all the Australian Labor government and the Australian foreign minister can do is express grave concerns. Well that is unacceptable and it is disgraceful.

The Greens will keep fighting for justice. We will keep calling for sanctions on Israel. And for the Israeli ambassador to be expelled from this country.

Red Cross says push for declaration on aid workers ‘can only be a good thing’ but wants to see practical steps

An Australian Red Cross spokesperson is speaking to ABC News Mornings about foreign minister Penny Wong announcing a push for a new declaration on the protection of humanitarian personnel. They say:

Any initiative that states choose to help that will help reinforce and remind people of their obligations under international humanitarian law can only be a good thing.

The Australian Red Cross hopes to see practical steps follow the announcement:

Something that expands the whole sphere of how we can put together an ecosystem that protects humanitarian workers, not just when they land in a conflict zone.

Training of militaries, of aid workers themselves, declarations such as these and diplomatic efforts that states can take to remind each other and themselves of the responsibilities and obligations that they’ve signed up to.

Wong reiterates calls for ceasefire

Asked about reports of “senior Biden administration officials … essentially given up hope on getting to a ceasefire before the US election,” Wong said:

The UN security council has unanimously, or without opposition, adopted a position in relation to ceasefire, that is what the international community seek. We support that call. We need to see a ceasefire. We need to see the release of hostages. We need to see aid delivered. We need to see an end to the humanitarian catastrophe we see in Gaza.

Wong says number of Australians in Lebanon ‘beyond capacity of government’ to provide assistance

Asked about her concerns for Australians, foreign minister Penny Wong says the numbers of Australians in Lebanon are “beyond the capacity of the government to provide assistance to all”.

There are very large numbers of Australians in Lebanon, which is why we again say to any Australian who is in Lebanon, what we’ve been saying for months, which is you should return home as soon as you are able to, whilst commercial options are still available, if they are.”

Wong was also asked: “how can you avoid pinning some blame for Israel when it’s ramping up hostilities?”

She said:

We are deeply concerned by this escalation and the losses, loss of civilian lives.

Wong on Israeli strikes on Lebanon: ‘we wish to see deescalation’

The foreign minister, Penny Wong, has been asked about the recent wave of Israeli strikes in Lebanon. She says:

We are deeply concerned. We’re alarmed by the escalation and the loss of civilian life, both in Lebanon and also the attacks into Israel. We have consistently said we wish to see deescalation. We believe a wider regional conflict is not in the interests of any of the peoples of the region.

Wong announces push for a new declaration on the protection of humanitarian personnel

More from the foreign minister, Penny Wong, speaking from New York:

This group of ministers and governments represented have determined to pursue a new declaration on the protection of humanitarian personnel, a declaration which we will prepare and develop over the coming months, in which will seek to demonstrate the unity of the international community’s commitment to protect humanitarian personnel and to channel that commitment into action in all current and future conflicts. All countries will be invited to join the declaration.

Penny Wong speaks live from New York

Foreign minister Penny Wong is speaking live from New York.

A ministerial group has been formed for the protection of humanitarian personnel, “dedicated to upholding and championing international humanitarian law and driving action to protect aid workers in conflict zones,” she has announced.

Switzerland, Jordan, Indonesia, Sierra Leone, the United Kingdom, Japan, Brazil, Colombia, the Committee of the Red Cross and the UN were part of discussions.

Read more from foreign affairs and defence correspondent Daniel Hurst, here:

Investigation underway after fatal stabbing in Marrickville

More details on the earlier reported stabbing death in Sydney. A man was fatally stabbed in Sydney’s inner west last night, according to NSW police. Emergency services responded to reports of a man being stabbed on Marrickville Rd, Marrickville, at around 7:40pm.

Officers located an unconscious 32-year-old man on the footpath. NSW Ambulance paramedics treated him, but he died at the scene.

Strike Force Nogales has been established to investigate circumstances surrounding the death. Detectives from State Crime Command’s homicide squad are assisting.

Police will address the media today at 10am as the investigation is underway.

Anyone with information, CCTV footage, dashcam vision or mobile phone footage are urged to contact Marrickville police station or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Rallies across NSW as nurses and midwives strike for better pay

The NSW Nurses and Midwives Association action started at 7am in the union’s second major stop-work action since Labor came to power in March 2023. The strike is part of a union push for a 15%, one-year pay rise, a demand the premier, Chris Minns, has said is unaffordable.

“I just can’t agree to [it],” Minns said yesterday:

As a result of the nurses claim and demands at the last election for ratios, or safe-staffing levels, in NSW hospitals, which the government agreed to, we’ve had to recruit 2,000 nurses.

Other workers would be lining up for pay rises too if the nurses got the 15% they sought, he said.

All NSW public sector workers, including nurses, have been offered a three-year 10.5% pay increase factoring in a mandatory rise in superannuation payments.

The opposition leader, Mark Speakman, said the government needed to make sure the strike did not compromise patient safety. “It’s also incumbent from the nurses union to cooperate to the same extent,” he said.

Public rallies are planned outside Parliament House in Sydney as well as in Tweed Heads and Albury near the Queensland and Victorian borders, two states the union says nurses are moving to in order to secure better pay.

Minimal, life-preserving staff levels will remain in public hospitals and health services during the strike, the union said.

- Australian Associated Press

More on NSW nurses rallying for improved pay offer

The 24-hour stop-work action by nurses and midwives today is not expected to impact support for life-saving care, but will affect elective surgery and cause delays for some patients.

The government had not made a genuine attempt to negotiate on pay and conditions, the general secretary of NSW Nurses and Midwives, Shaye Candish, said. “The state government could have stopped this industrial action from occurring by coming to the table with an improved offer, but it has chosen to ignore us repeatedly,” Candish said in a statement today.

Nurses and midwives are outraged by the government’s unwillingness to negotiate beyond its insulting 3% offer, especially since we found the savings to fund the pay rise.

The Industrial Relations Commission’s president, Ingmar Taylor, had not yet examined the union’s argument for pay rises, but recommended an interim deal and four weeks of “intensive discussions” in a bid to broker a deal.

The health minister, Ryan Park, said officials had sought to contact patients with surgery scheduled to make alternative arrangements due to the industrial action.

“I acknowledge the dispute between the government and the association has a way to go,” he said on Monday.

- Australian Associated Press

More to come.

Alleged copper thief caught red handed

Three men were caught red handed allegedly stealing copper in Kilsyth after a call to police from a passerby, Victoria police said.

A good Samaritan called about the suspicious behaviour of three men on Mount Dandenong Road around midday yesterday, according to a statement. The men appeared to be working in a cordorned-off telecommuncations pit, wearing hi vis vests. They were allegedly using their vehicles to extract copper wiring out of the pit.

When the police arrived, two of them allegedly fled in a dark-coloured SUV with a trailer attached, east of Canterbury Road. One man was detained and resisted arrest and officers “were forced to deploy OC spray,” the statement said.

The 44-year-old Watsonia North man has been charged with theft, resist emergency worker, possess drug of dependence, drive whilse disqualified and use fraudulent registration label. He has been bailed to appear at Ringwood magistrates court on 11 December. The other two men have not yet been located.

Police ask anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.