Nationals in close battle for safe Labor seat after string of victories
While the Liberals have been left counting their losses after a landslide defeat, one party has enjoyed a string of success, with a safe Labor seat currently within reach.
The National Party, along with the Queensland-based Liberal National Party, have secured 24 of the 150 seats in the House of Representatives as of Wednesday morning.
The National Party alone have secured nine lower house seats, losing just one – Calare in NSW – to Independent Andrew Gee, who quit the Nationals in late 2022.
But they could soon be gaining another.
Nationals candidate Andrew Lethlean is in a close contest to nab the Victorian seat of Bendigo from Labor's Lisa Chesters.
Labor has held the seat since 1998, with Ms Chesters heading into this year's election with a margin of 11.2 per cent.
But as of Wednesday morning, Ms Chesters leads with a slim 50.16 per cent of votes, with Mr Lethlean battling it out with 49.84 per cent. Over 85 per cent of votes have so far been counted.
A Nationals' victory for Bendigo would represent an over 10 per cent swing towards the party.
The Nationals have not confirmed how much money they have thrown at Mr Leathen's campaign but Ms Chesters has claimed he had access to a $1 million pot, the ABC reports.
During the campaign, Mr Lethlean came under scrutiny after it was reported a bar he owned sold alcohol while its licence was suspended. The licence has since been paid and reinstated.
Mr Lethlean said the suspension was the result of an 'administrative oversight' and said the annual licence fee was paid as soon as the issue was identified.
Push for more ministries
As of Wednesday morning, the Coalition has secured 40 seats in the lower house, while Labor has 88.
Nationals MP Michael McCormack told the ABC his party would be calling for more shadow ministries because the Nationals made up a larger percentage of the Coalition.
'It's worked out on a per capita basis with how many seats you hold as part of a joint number in the Coalition,' Mr McCormack said
As the Liberals come to term with their losses, the Riverina MP, who retained his seat with a 3.3 per cent swing, advised Liberals to keep their grievances to their party room.
'Anonymous Liberal people who so often background and brief journalists in Canberra, shut your bloody mouths,' he said.
'Don't share it with the rest of the world and if you do share it with the rest of the world, have the courage and conviction to put your name to it.'
Call for Coalition gender quotas
There is set to be a record number of women in Australia's parliament than ever before following Saturday's election. However minimal will be from within the Coalition.
In the House of Representative, Labor has increased its female representation to 47 MPs out of a confirmed 87, meaning the number of female MPs outnumbers male MPs (40).
New faces set to enter parliament this year include Barton's Ash Ambihaipahar, who retained the seat of former Indigenous minister Linda Burney for Labor, Claire Clutterham, who flipped the Adelaide seat of Sturt, and Ali France, who defeated Liberal leader Peter Dutton in Dickson.
Meanwhile, the Coalition has seven female MPs out 39, a decrease from its 2022 result of nine.
The drop in numbers is largely due to the election losses of former Hughes MP Jenny Ware and Bass MP Bridget Archer, and the retirements of McPherson MP Karen Andrews and Forrest MP Nola Marino.
Following the results, Liberal senator Maria Kovacic is calling for the Coalition to implement gender quotas – which the party has long resisted – to ensure more women are elected to parliament.
'We don't have as many women as we have men, and people want us to have more women representing our party in the parliament,' she told ABC Radio on Tuesday.
'We need to move back to the centre. It is very, very clear that the Australian public, the voting public, were not happy with the way that we were conducting ourselves as a potential government.'
However, Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has rejected the calls for quotas, labelling it a 'knee jerk reaction to the outcome of the election'.
'We have to make sure that we are reaching women for their support and putting forth an argument to demonstrate to them what we're going to do to improve their lives and a future for their children, but I don't believe we need to introduce quotas,' the Northern Territory Senator told Sky News.
'I would hate to think that I ever got to my position on the fact that I'm a woman or anything else for that matter, but what I do think we need to do is preselecting people with very strong values and we need to get out there and push harder and stronger.'
Counting continues on Wednesday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
The controversial changes the Greens will push on housing reform
When South Australian Greens senator Barbara Pocock walks through the stately Adelaide Park Lands that circle the CBD, she sees the human impacts of Australia's housing crisis. "The evidence is in front of our eyes," the newly appointed housing spokesperson for the Greens said of the rough sleepers and those who have pitched tents in the city. Once accessible, Adelaide is now second to Sydney as the most unaffordable city in Australia, and the sixth least affordable in the world, according to the Demographia International Housing Affordability report. But for Senator Pocock, the city of churches and her home state also has the model for housing abundance for the rest of Australia and how to get out of this crisis. In an interview with The Canberra Times, the first since the election, the former academic economist pointed to the model of housing development seen in Whyalla and north of Adelaide, providing worker housing to the steelworks and the homes for those who built Commodores and Monaros at the Holden factory in Elizabeth. In doing so, Senator Pocock acknowledges the collaboration of two former premiers at the opposing ends of the political spectrum. "I think Thomas Playford and Don Dunstan would be rolling in their collective graves at what we are seeing here now; the crisis in South Australia, where we are as a country, a city and a state that led on public investment in housing, and we are now right at the back of the pack with unaffordable housing." Citing two politicians working across the aisle on housing highlights where the federal housing agenda has become most challenging. There was no love lost between the Greens' former housing spokesperson, Max Chandler-Mather and the Prime Minister, with the first-term MP decrying Parliament after the election as a "sick place", while Anthony Albanese said the Queensland MP's conduct was "offensive". There is a different dynamic in the Senate, and Senator Pocock and Labor senator Deborah O'Neill worked together during the inquiries into PricewaterhouseCoopers, the duo a fearsome pair for corporate executives who wilted under parliamentary scrutiny. But it has also been clear when the pair disagreed, with Senator Pocock submitting additional comments that went beyond the committee's recommendations of the first PwC inquiry. Taking this approach into the contested waters of housing, Senator Pocock highlights working with former Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke on the right to disconnect, which she said was an evidence-based reform that depended upon cross-party agreement. "I'm hoping that evidence will be relevant as we look at change in the housing sector, and I expect to be in vigorous discussion with Labor on that front." Senator Pocock says the Greens have three priorities on housing. First, a cap on rent and increased security for tenants. Second, removing tax incentives for investors, including negative gearing and capital gains tax. Third, investing in public housing, but with a focus on quality, as well as quantity. These could put the parties on a collision course, with Labor previously ruling out changes to rent caps, as well as negative gearing and capital gains tax. Labor Housing Minister Clare O'Neil identified cutting red tape in the housing and construction sector, as a way for Labor to meet its ambitious 1.2 million homes target. Senator Pocock acknowledges that regulatory reform is part of the solution, but said this does not address the core of the issue. "I'm concerned that the regulation conversation is used as a smoke screen and distraction from the fundamentals which we need to change in relation to housing, and that is building more public housing, fixing the tax breaks and dealing with rent with rent caps," Senator Pocock said. In a post-election interview, Mr Chandler-Mather explained how the Greens and Labor came to an agreement on housing, despite their parties being intractably opposed publicly. "We made it very clear to Labor's Housing Minister in the negotiating room that we were willing to make concessions, and that we would settle for additional public housing funds." Senator Pocock said she was open to negotiation with Minister O'Neil. "[Minister O'Neil] said last week that she was keen to work with states and local government, with all the powers of persuasion and the many tools and levers available to the federal government in relation to housing, and she wanted to use those tools around regulation. "Well if we can do it on relegation, we can do it in relation to a public discussion and federal leadership on rent caps." As well as the housing portfolio, Senator Pocock retains her public service and employment roles. After the 2022 election, Labor came to power with ambitious reform programs in both areas: rebuilding the APS and introducing a raft of industrial relations changes after the Jobs and Skills Summit. This time around, Labor has been quieter on both fronts, signalling it believes the size of the public service is "about right" and mainly extending existing savings measures in consultancy spending and non-wage expenses. While in industrial relations, Labor has initially focused on protecting existing penalty rates. But Senator Pocock said she would be pushing for Labor to increase its ambition in both areas. In the public service, Senator Pocock said there was still work to do to respond to the revelations of the robodebt royal commission, including instituting merit-based appointments at the highest levels in the public sector to tackle issues of culture and leadership. Another challenge the public service is yet to fully grapple with, Senator Pocock says, is the adoption of artificial intelligence. Senator Pocock said there were positives from the technology, but questions about risks. "We did a small inquiry in relation to the federal public sector and AI late last year, and it just surfaced that we aren't governing it. We don't know its reach." On workplace reform, Senator Pocock said the Treasurer's productivity agenda shouldn't stop at tax and regulatory reform, but also look at whether workers were receiving the benefit of productivity gains. "I think the election saw Australians vote for a more flexible workplace. It saw Australians vote for work from home, not for everybody, not all the time, but it certainly was a vote to say our workplaces have changed. Our lives have changed, and workplace relations law needs to reflect that better." When South Australian Greens senator Barbara Pocock walks through the stately Adelaide Park Lands that circle the CBD, she sees the human impacts of Australia's housing crisis. "The evidence is in front of our eyes," the newly appointed housing spokesperson for the Greens said of the rough sleepers and those who have pitched tents in the city. Once accessible, Adelaide is now second to Sydney as the most unaffordable city in Australia, and the sixth least affordable in the world, according to the Demographia International Housing Affordability report. But for Senator Pocock, the city of churches and her home state also has the model for housing abundance for the rest of Australia and how to get out of this crisis. In an interview with The Canberra Times, the first since the election, the former academic economist pointed to the model of housing development seen in Whyalla and north of Adelaide, providing worker housing to the steelworks and the homes for those who built Commodores and Monaros at the Holden factory in Elizabeth. In doing so, Senator Pocock acknowledges the collaboration of two former premiers at the opposing ends of the political spectrum. "I think Thomas Playford and Don Dunstan would be rolling in their collective graves at what we are seeing here now; the crisis in South Australia, where we are as a country, a city and a state that led on public investment in housing, and we are now right at the back of the pack with unaffordable housing." Citing two politicians working across the aisle on housing highlights where the federal housing agenda has become most challenging. There was no love lost between the Greens' former housing spokesperson, Max Chandler-Mather and the Prime Minister, with the first-term MP decrying Parliament after the election as a "sick place", while Anthony Albanese said the Queensland MP's conduct was "offensive". There is a different dynamic in the Senate, and Senator Pocock and Labor senator Deborah O'Neill worked together during the inquiries into PricewaterhouseCoopers, the duo a fearsome pair for corporate executives who wilted under parliamentary scrutiny. But it has also been clear when the pair disagreed, with Senator Pocock submitting additional comments that went beyond the committee's recommendations of the first PwC inquiry. Taking this approach into the contested waters of housing, Senator Pocock highlights working with former Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke on the right to disconnect, which she said was an evidence-based reform that depended upon cross-party agreement. "I'm hoping that evidence will be relevant as we look at change in the housing sector, and I expect to be in vigorous discussion with Labor on that front." Senator Pocock says the Greens have three priorities on housing. First, a cap on rent and increased security for tenants. Second, removing tax incentives for investors, including negative gearing and capital gains tax. Third, investing in public housing, but with a focus on quality, as well as quantity. These could put the parties on a collision course, with Labor previously ruling out changes to rent caps, as well as negative gearing and capital gains tax. Labor Housing Minister Clare O'Neil identified cutting red tape in the housing and construction sector, as a way for Labor to meet its ambitious 1.2 million homes target. Senator Pocock acknowledges that regulatory reform is part of the solution, but said this does not address the core of the issue. "I'm concerned that the regulation conversation is used as a smoke screen and distraction from the fundamentals which we need to change in relation to housing, and that is building more public housing, fixing the tax breaks and dealing with rent with rent caps," Senator Pocock said. In a post-election interview, Mr Chandler-Mather explained how the Greens and Labor came to an agreement on housing, despite their parties being intractably opposed publicly. "We made it very clear to Labor's Housing Minister in the negotiating room that we were willing to make concessions, and that we would settle for additional public housing funds." Senator Pocock said she was open to negotiation with Minister O'Neil. "[Minister O'Neil] said last week that she was keen to work with states and local government, with all the powers of persuasion and the many tools and levers available to the federal government in relation to housing, and she wanted to use those tools around regulation. "Well if we can do it on relegation, we can do it in relation to a public discussion and federal leadership on rent caps." As well as the housing portfolio, Senator Pocock retains her public service and employment roles. After the 2022 election, Labor came to power with ambitious reform programs in both areas: rebuilding the APS and introducing a raft of industrial relations changes after the Jobs and Skills Summit. This time around, Labor has been quieter on both fronts, signalling it believes the size of the public service is "about right" and mainly extending existing savings measures in consultancy spending and non-wage expenses. While in industrial relations, Labor has initially focused on protecting existing penalty rates. But Senator Pocock said she would be pushing for Labor to increase its ambition in both areas. In the public service, Senator Pocock said there was still work to do to respond to the revelations of the robodebt royal commission, including instituting merit-based appointments at the highest levels in the public sector to tackle issues of culture and leadership. Another challenge the public service is yet to fully grapple with, Senator Pocock says, is the adoption of artificial intelligence. Senator Pocock said there were positives from the technology, but questions about risks. "We did a small inquiry in relation to the federal public sector and AI late last year, and it just surfaced that we aren't governing it. We don't know its reach." On workplace reform, Senator Pocock said the Treasurer's productivity agenda shouldn't stop at tax and regulatory reform, but also look at whether workers were receiving the benefit of productivity gains. "I think the election saw Australians vote for a more flexible workplace. It saw Australians vote for work from home, not for everybody, not all the time, but it certainly was a vote to say our workplaces have changed. Our lives have changed, and workplace relations law needs to reflect that better." When South Australian Greens senator Barbara Pocock walks through the stately Adelaide Park Lands that circle the CBD, she sees the human impacts of Australia's housing crisis. "The evidence is in front of our eyes," the newly appointed housing spokesperson for the Greens said of the rough sleepers and those who have pitched tents in the city. Once accessible, Adelaide is now second to Sydney as the most unaffordable city in Australia, and the sixth least affordable in the world, according to the Demographia International Housing Affordability report. But for Senator Pocock, the city of churches and her home state also has the model for housing abundance for the rest of Australia and how to get out of this crisis. In an interview with The Canberra Times, the first since the election, the former academic economist pointed to the model of housing development seen in Whyalla and north of Adelaide, providing worker housing to the steelworks and the homes for those who built Commodores and Monaros at the Holden factory in Elizabeth. In doing so, Senator Pocock acknowledges the collaboration of two former premiers at the opposing ends of the political spectrum. "I think Thomas Playford and Don Dunstan would be rolling in their collective graves at what we are seeing here now; the crisis in South Australia, where we are as a country, a city and a state that led on public investment in housing, and we are now right at the back of the pack with unaffordable housing." Citing two politicians working across the aisle on housing highlights where the federal housing agenda has become most challenging. There was no love lost between the Greens' former housing spokesperson, Max Chandler-Mather and the Prime Minister, with the first-term MP decrying Parliament after the election as a "sick place", while Anthony Albanese said the Queensland MP's conduct was "offensive". There is a different dynamic in the Senate, and Senator Pocock and Labor senator Deborah O'Neill worked together during the inquiries into PricewaterhouseCoopers, the duo a fearsome pair for corporate executives who wilted under parliamentary scrutiny. But it has also been clear when the pair disagreed, with Senator Pocock submitting additional comments that went beyond the committee's recommendations of the first PwC inquiry. Taking this approach into the contested waters of housing, Senator Pocock highlights working with former Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke on the right to disconnect, which she said was an evidence-based reform that depended upon cross-party agreement. "I'm hoping that evidence will be relevant as we look at change in the housing sector, and I expect to be in vigorous discussion with Labor on that front." Senator Pocock says the Greens have three priorities on housing. First, a cap on rent and increased security for tenants. Second, removing tax incentives for investors, including negative gearing and capital gains tax. Third, investing in public housing, but with a focus on quality, as well as quantity. These could put the parties on a collision course, with Labor previously ruling out changes to rent caps, as well as negative gearing and capital gains tax. Labor Housing Minister Clare O'Neil identified cutting red tape in the housing and construction sector, as a way for Labor to meet its ambitious 1.2 million homes target. Senator Pocock acknowledges that regulatory reform is part of the solution, but said this does not address the core of the issue. "I'm concerned that the regulation conversation is used as a smoke screen and distraction from the fundamentals which we need to change in relation to housing, and that is building more public housing, fixing the tax breaks and dealing with rent with rent caps," Senator Pocock said. In a post-election interview, Mr Chandler-Mather explained how the Greens and Labor came to an agreement on housing, despite their parties being intractably opposed publicly. "We made it very clear to Labor's Housing Minister in the negotiating room that we were willing to make concessions, and that we would settle for additional public housing funds." Senator Pocock said she was open to negotiation with Minister O'Neil. "[Minister O'Neil] said last week that she was keen to work with states and local government, with all the powers of persuasion and the many tools and levers available to the federal government in relation to housing, and she wanted to use those tools around regulation. "Well if we can do it on relegation, we can do it in relation to a public discussion and federal leadership on rent caps." As well as the housing portfolio, Senator Pocock retains her public service and employment roles. After the 2022 election, Labor came to power with ambitious reform programs in both areas: rebuilding the APS and introducing a raft of industrial relations changes after the Jobs and Skills Summit. This time around, Labor has been quieter on both fronts, signalling it believes the size of the public service is "about right" and mainly extending existing savings measures in consultancy spending and non-wage expenses. While in industrial relations, Labor has initially focused on protecting existing penalty rates. But Senator Pocock said she would be pushing for Labor to increase its ambition in both areas. In the public service, Senator Pocock said there was still work to do to respond to the revelations of the robodebt royal commission, including instituting merit-based appointments at the highest levels in the public sector to tackle issues of culture and leadership. Another challenge the public service is yet to fully grapple with, Senator Pocock says, is the adoption of artificial intelligence. Senator Pocock said there were positives from the technology, but questions about risks. "We did a small inquiry in relation to the federal public sector and AI late last year, and it just surfaced that we aren't governing it. We don't know its reach." On workplace reform, Senator Pocock said the Treasurer's productivity agenda shouldn't stop at tax and regulatory reform, but also look at whether workers were receiving the benefit of productivity gains. "I think the election saw Australians vote for a more flexible workplace. It saw Australians vote for work from home, not for everybody, not all the time, but it certainly was a vote to say our workplaces have changed. Our lives have changed, and workplace relations law needs to reflect that better." When South Australian Greens senator Barbara Pocock walks through the stately Adelaide Park Lands that circle the CBD, she sees the human impacts of Australia's housing crisis. "The evidence is in front of our eyes," the newly appointed housing spokesperson for the Greens said of the rough sleepers and those who have pitched tents in the city. Once accessible, Adelaide is now second to Sydney as the most unaffordable city in Australia, and the sixth least affordable in the world, according to the Demographia International Housing Affordability report. But for Senator Pocock, the city of churches and her home state also has the model for housing abundance for the rest of Australia and how to get out of this crisis. In an interview with The Canberra Times, the first since the election, the former academic economist pointed to the model of housing development seen in Whyalla and north of Adelaide, providing worker housing to the steelworks and the homes for those who built Commodores and Monaros at the Holden factory in Elizabeth. In doing so, Senator Pocock acknowledges the collaboration of two former premiers at the opposing ends of the political spectrum. "I think Thomas Playford and Don Dunstan would be rolling in their collective graves at what we are seeing here now; the crisis in South Australia, where we are as a country, a city and a state that led on public investment in housing, and we are now right at the back of the pack with unaffordable housing." Citing two politicians working across the aisle on housing highlights where the federal housing agenda has become most challenging. There was no love lost between the Greens' former housing spokesperson, Max Chandler-Mather and the Prime Minister, with the first-term MP decrying Parliament after the election as a "sick place", while Anthony Albanese said the Queensland MP's conduct was "offensive". There is a different dynamic in the Senate, and Senator Pocock and Labor senator Deborah O'Neill worked together during the inquiries into PricewaterhouseCoopers, the duo a fearsome pair for corporate executives who wilted under parliamentary scrutiny. But it has also been clear when the pair disagreed, with Senator Pocock submitting additional comments that went beyond the committee's recommendations of the first PwC inquiry. Taking this approach into the contested waters of housing, Senator Pocock highlights working with former Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke on the right to disconnect, which she said was an evidence-based reform that depended upon cross-party agreement. "I'm hoping that evidence will be relevant as we look at change in the housing sector, and I expect to be in vigorous discussion with Labor on that front." Senator Pocock says the Greens have three priorities on housing. First, a cap on rent and increased security for tenants. Second, removing tax incentives for investors, including negative gearing and capital gains tax. Third, investing in public housing, but with a focus on quality, as well as quantity. These could put the parties on a collision course, with Labor previously ruling out changes to rent caps, as well as negative gearing and capital gains tax. Labor Housing Minister Clare O'Neil identified cutting red tape in the housing and construction sector, as a way for Labor to meet its ambitious 1.2 million homes target. Senator Pocock acknowledges that regulatory reform is part of the solution, but said this does not address the core of the issue. "I'm concerned that the regulation conversation is used as a smoke screen and distraction from the fundamentals which we need to change in relation to housing, and that is building more public housing, fixing the tax breaks and dealing with rent with rent caps," Senator Pocock said. In a post-election interview, Mr Chandler-Mather explained how the Greens and Labor came to an agreement on housing, despite their parties being intractably opposed publicly. "We made it very clear to Labor's Housing Minister in the negotiating room that we were willing to make concessions, and that we would settle for additional public housing funds." Senator Pocock said she was open to negotiation with Minister O'Neil. "[Minister O'Neil] said last week that she was keen to work with states and local government, with all the powers of persuasion and the many tools and levers available to the federal government in relation to housing, and she wanted to use those tools around regulation. "Well if we can do it on relegation, we can do it in relation to a public discussion and federal leadership on rent caps." As well as the housing portfolio, Senator Pocock retains her public service and employment roles. After the 2022 election, Labor came to power with ambitious reform programs in both areas: rebuilding the APS and introducing a raft of industrial relations changes after the Jobs and Skills Summit. This time around, Labor has been quieter on both fronts, signalling it believes the size of the public service is "about right" and mainly extending existing savings measures in consultancy spending and non-wage expenses. While in industrial relations, Labor has initially focused on protecting existing penalty rates. But Senator Pocock said she would be pushing for Labor to increase its ambition in both areas. In the public service, Senator Pocock said there was still work to do to respond to the revelations of the robodebt royal commission, including instituting merit-based appointments at the highest levels in the public sector to tackle issues of culture and leadership. Another challenge the public service is yet to fully grapple with, Senator Pocock says, is the adoption of artificial intelligence. Senator Pocock said there were positives from the technology, but questions about risks. "We did a small inquiry in relation to the federal public sector and AI late last year, and it just surfaced that we aren't governing it. We don't know its reach." On workplace reform, Senator Pocock said the Treasurer's productivity agenda shouldn't stop at tax and regulatory reform, but also look at whether workers were receiving the benefit of productivity gains. "I think the election saw Australians vote for a more flexible workplace. It saw Australians vote for work from home, not for everybody, not all the time, but it certainly was a vote to say our workplaces have changed. Our lives have changed, and workplace relations law needs to reflect that better."
Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
Most voters want AFL stadium deal redo, poll shows
Both major parties are out of step with state voters in their unwavering support to build a $945 million stadium in a deal for an AFL team, a pre-election poll suggests. With a snap election weeks away, Tasmanian voters were surveyed on their attitude to the deal struck with the AFL to build a roofed stadium at Macquarie Point. The Hobart stadium is a condition of the licence for the Devils' inclusion in the competition in 2028. The online poll of 842 voters, conducted by YouGov on behalf of progressive think tank The Australia Institute from July 12 to 16, indicates most Tasmanians believe the stadium deal is unfair. More than two out of three (69 per cent) support Tasmanian parliament renegotiating with the AFL to avoid constructing a new stadium. Support to renegotiate was strongest among independent (81 per cent) and Greens voters (78 per cent). The idea was only mildly less popular with Labor supporters (71 per cent). Liberal voters were the most likely to disagree with the proposition (38 per cent) but a majority (56 per cent) still wanted parliamentarians to return to the negotiating table. More than two in three also believe the AFL is treating Tasmania unfairly in its requirements for granting Tasmania a license to join the national competition. Perhaps surprisingly, more men (72 per cent) than women (65 per cent) agreed with the statement. Over 65s were particularly scathing, with four out of five miffed with the AFL's treatment. Some analysts have described the Tasmanian election as a referendum on the stadium, but both Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff and Labor leader Dean Winters have been unwilling to budge on their support. The AFL has been staunch in its refusal to renegotiate the deal, declaring the stadium remains a non-negotiable for the Devils' licence. The Australia Institute's strategy director Leanne Minshull described the stadium deal as a "dud" and one of the most one-sided in Australian sport. She said residents of the Apple Isle were rightly appalled by the AFL's treatment, which effectively amounted to putting a "gun to the head of Tasmanians". "Whoever wins the state election on July 19 must stand up to the AFL and stand up for Tasmanians," she said. "This state deserves to have a team in the AFL, but Tassie taxpayers don't want to be on the hook for a billion-dollar indoor stadium they don't want." Final approval of the stadium is expected to come down to a vote of parliament.
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Hanson demands visa ban, protest crackdown after US strikes on Iran
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has called on the federal government to stop offering resettlement visas to Iranian nationals and prevent further public protests in response to recent US strikes on Iran. Senator Hanson voiced strong support for the US military action, describing its strikes against Iran over the weekend as necessary for global security. 'The world is a safer place without nuclear weapons in the hands of the Islamic Republic of Iran – a radical Islamic dictatorship,' Senator Hanson said in a statement. 'Safety of Australians should remain paramount and that is why One Nation supports the strike conducted by the United States to destroy Iran's nuclear enrichment facilities.' Her comments come after US President Donald Trump confirmed the United States had carried out an attack on three nuclear sites in Iran on Sunday. The attack follows Israel launching a surprise attack targeting Iran's nuclear program on June 13, prompting the countries to trade deadly strikes. Foreign Minister Penny Wong confirmed the government's support for the US's action on Monday morning. 'We support action to prevent Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon. And that is what this is,' she told Nine. Senator Hanson accused the federal government of being 'weak' in response to 'terrorism against Israel', calling for an end to domestic protests and a stop to resettlement visas for Iranian citizens. Protests calling for an end to Israel's blockade of Gaza have been ongoing across Australia, with recent protests also calling for Australia to pull out of AUKUS, its defence deal with the US and the UK. 'Since the Iranian regime-backed Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7 2023, Australia has faced anti-Semitic protests at the Sydney Opera House, our government-funded universities, parliamentary offices, and in our suburbs,' Senator Hanson said. 'This must not be tolerated following US strikes and I request that you work with state and territory governments to prevent these protests from recommencing, 'One Nation seeks confirmation from you and your government that you will prosecute radical Islamic preachers who inspire terrorism and hatred in Australia, 'And we seek your assurance that your government will not offer additional visas to Iranians seeking resettlement in Australia.' Protesters descended on the US consulate in Melbourne and Hyde Park in Sydney on Sunday to denounce the bombing of Iran. Students for Palestine Iranian socialist Bella Beiraghi called out the Israeli and US governments for 'recycling 20-year-old lies' about Iran's nuclear weapons program at Melbourne's rally. 'They say that Iran is a mortal threat to the region, but if you just look over the past 20 months of genocide in Gaza, you can see who the real threat to the region is; it's Israel and America,' she said. Right-wing commentator Kobie Thatcher echoed Senator Hanson's call, posting a video of the gathering on 'x', labelling them 'absolutely disgraceful scenes' and calling for 'mass deportations'.
