Australia news live: Daily Telegraph says NSW police’s criticism ‘unfair’ after claims its report compromised caravan investigation
Daily Telegraph crime editor responds to criticism from NSW police commissioner
The Daily Telegraph crime editor, Mark Morri, has responded to accusations from the NSW police commissioner, Karen Webb, that the media compromised an investigation into antisemitic terror plot.
Morri told Sky News the Daily Telegraph, “would never compromise an investigation”, and the criticism from Webb was “unfair”.
They [the police] knew it was never going to be kept secret forever, because they were knocking on doors and issuing search warrants in the Dural area …
We didn’t just go bang, this is here we’re going to put this on the internet or put this in the paper and publish it without going to police and saying ‘are we going to cause any problems here?’”
Morri said the newspaper went to the police early yesterday with the story, and would have delayed publishing if they’d been asked.
He also said police had asked the newspaper to withhold parts of the story, which he says they did.
[Webb] could have picked up the phone at anytime, the premier could have picked up the phone, the prime minister could have picked up the phone and rang the editor of the Daily Telegraph and said ‘can you please hold off? This is a matter of national security’ and there’s no way we would run that.
Key events
Karen Webb has clarified there was “no detonator” in the van with the explosives when it was seized by police.
She says: “There was no immediate threat to the community, but certainly, we’re relieved to have it off the streets and it’s in our custody.”
Asked about what impact the investigation being made public by the media has, she said police have had to “rethink” their strategy.
Certainly I’m concerned about where a leak might have come from those people that have had access to this material. And it’s, it’s not just NSW, it’s much broader than that, and that will, you know, hopefully be revealed in time.
…it’s started with someone access with the information, who’s leaked it to the media, and the media [are] simply doing their job. They’ve got a job to do, and I understand that.
Webb says police have made more than ten arrests, and “there will be more arrests.”
She also says she intends to call an urgent meeting with to Jewish leaders, to “work through a strategy moving forward to make sure we’ve got the right resources at the right time so people do feel safe.”
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb is speaking to ABC Sydney, and has confirmed the man who owned the van found with explosives, was under police custody on “matters unrelated”.
Webb says they’re exploring all theories, on how the explosives, which are generally used in certain areas of mining, were found in that van.
We need to explore all possibilities how it might have been taken from a legitimate, purpose into the hands of these people. So much more work to be done in that area yet. And we don’t know whether it’s been taken from a mine in New South Wales or some other jurisdiction.
‘Horrific images’ from US plane crash, shadow foreign minister says
David Coleman, who has recently replaced Simon Birmingham as the shadow foreign minister, told ABC TV his “heart goes out” to those involved in the plane crash in Washington DC.
No doubt our consular officials in the United States will be seeking advice on were there any Australians have been involved in this.
Patricia Karvelas then moves to the recent antisemitism attacks and Coleman says the government hasn’t been doing enough to stop them.
I think it is self-evident that there has been a lack of national leadership on this issue. This is not a day-to-day crime that can be dealt with in the usual way just by the local police. This is a form of terror.
Australian shares hit high as interest rate cut hopes grow
The local share market has hit a new intraday record before moderating its gains to come within a whisper of its best-ever finish, amid the growing near certainty that the Reserve Bank will cut rates, AAP reports.
The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index on Thursday finished up 46.7 points, or 0.55%, to 8,493.7, just 1.5 points from its best-ever finish set on 3 December.
The index climbed as high as 8,515.7 in early afternoon trading, beating by 1.2 points its previous intraday high, also set on 3 December.
The Australian dollar was buying 62.22 US cents, from 62.44 US cents at close of business yesterday.
Daisy Dumas
‘We don’t take anything we hear off the Putin regime at face value,’ PM says
Looping back to Anthony Albanese’s appearance in Melbourne, where the prime minister answered questions about Oscar Jenkins.
The Australian has been found alive and is being held as a Russian prisoner of war after fears he had died after joining Ukrainian forces.
The prime minister said:
We continue to request the Russian authorities to provide more information. They have provided information at this point, but we don’t take anything we hear off the Putin regime at face value. So we have made it very clear that we think Mr Jenkins should be released.
We don’t think that he should suffer from ongoing incarceration and will continue to make representation but we will also continue to work with Ukraine as well on ascertaining further information. What we want is for Mr Jenkins to be able to return home.
Speaking directly to Jenkins’ family, the PM said:
My heart goes out to you. This is a really difficult time for you and the fact that some information has been made available will be a difficult time. We stand with you and we continue to offer every assistance that we can to these families.
Jones says departure from Labor party ‘absolutely not’ due to lack of confidence in leadership
This morning Labor minister Stephen Jones announced he’s quitting politics at the next election.
He’s also on the ABC, and is asked about the sudden move, saying he “wants to move on to the next phase” of his life.
Asked whether his decision, which follows several other retirements from the Albanese frontbench, shows a lack of confidence in Albanese’s leadership, he says:
Absolutely not. I’m confident the prime minister will lead Labor to victory later this year. If you look at the ministers who have stepped down, all of them, how can I put this as kindly as possible, we are not in the first semester of our lives.
Jones has been an advocate for trans people during his career in politics, and is asked about whether he’s concerned about a growing backlash to the trans community:
I worry the pathway to government and the obsession of some in this place, not the majority, not all, but some seems to be around culture war issues which are not central to everyday Australians’ needs and concerns.
Labor MP urges unity ‘against hatred’ as antisemitic incidents escalate across Australia
Labor minister Anne Aly is also on Afternoon Briefing, and is asked about the escalation of antisemitic incidents across Australia.
Aly points to certain hate groups like “white supremacist groups” being more coordinated than they have in the past, but says there’s no evidence she knows of, that they’ve been involved in recent attacks.
She also says the fear expressed to her by her local community is “palpable”:
We need to be on a unity ticket, every single Australian, every single leader, regardless of your political stripes, needs to be coming out and unequivocally condemning these acts.
She’s also asked about whether politicians have been politicising the issue:
It is no secret that I absolutely abhor the politics of division and when I see it playing out in this way, it really does make me quite upset because we need to, all of us, be united against hatred.
‘People have a right to know’ about antisemitic investigations, shadow minister says
Patricia Karvelas has spoken to Labor MP Josh Burns, and Liberal MP Julian Leeser, who are both Jewish.
Burns said he understands people want to know information “as quickly as possible” while police officers need to conduct their work as “thoroughly as possible”.
He said while greater support and security for Jewish communities is being rolled out, more needs to be done.
Clearly more needs to be done and the security situation of our Jewish community but more broadly our Australian community is one where we cannot stop and rest on it.
Leeser, who is also shadow assistant foreign minister, says “people have a right to know” about police operations.
I represent the area with a caravan was found in northern Sydney. To ensure the local community is safe I think people have a right to know, but the judgement as to the timeliness of that is an operational matter for police.
NSW premier supports police decision to delay going public with Dural caravan investigation
Chris Minns has spoken to ABC radio Sydney on the investigation after a van was found in Sydney carrying explosives.
Minns confirmed the individual who is the registered owner of the van was in police custody.
He said he supported the decision of the police to delay going public with the investigation, before the media published it.
He said “inquiries are ongoing” and that “a massive police operation has taken place” to keep the community safe.
In addition to all the police resources, we’re looking at aggravating factors at sentencing. We’re also looking at new laws to punish those who are responsible for these horrific acts.
Daily Telegraph crime editor responds to criticism from NSW police commissioner
The Daily Telegraph crime editor, Mark Morri, has responded to accusations from the NSW police commissioner, Karen Webb, that the media compromised an investigation into antisemitic terror plot.
Morri told Sky News the Daily Telegraph, “would never compromise an investigation”, and the criticism from Webb was “unfair”.
They [the police] knew it was never going to be kept secret forever, because they were knocking on doors and issuing search warrants in the Dural area …
We didn’t just go bang, this is here we’re going to put this on the internet or put this in the paper and publish it without going to police and saying ‘are we going to cause any problems here?’”
Morri said the newspaper went to the police early yesterday with the story, and would have delayed publishing if they’d been asked.
He also said police had asked the newspaper to withhold parts of the story, which he says they did.
[Webb] could have picked up the phone at anytime, the premier could have picked up the phone, the prime minister could have picked up the phone and rang the editor of the Daily Telegraph and said ‘can you please hold off? This is a matter of national security’ and there’s no way we would run that.
Six arrested in South Australia over alleged attempted murder
South Australian police have arrested six people for an alleged murder on 16 December last year.
The incident involved an 18-year-old who was allegedly shot through their window at a home in Andrews Farm, north of Adelaide.
Police say the victim has made a full recovery.
Acting assistant commissioner, John DeCandia, says investigators “believe the attack was extensively planned” and they “searched seven addresses to gather further evidence.”
As a result of the searches several mobile phones have been seized and police located a firearm which is suspected to have been used in previous shootings. A large quantity of tablets suspected of containing MDMA were also located.
This morning police charged three 17-year-olds, two 19-year-olds and a 21-year-old for the incident, all have been refused bail and will appear in court this afternoon.
One 17-year-old from Munno Para was further charged with possession of the prescribed firearm and related ammunition offences. While a 21-year-old from Munno Para West was further charged with traffic a commercial quantity of a controlled drug.
Additional charges laid over alleged graffiti incident in Sydney
NSW detectives have laid an additional three charges as part of an investigation after a building was damaged multiple times in the inner west this month.
Inner west area command officers commenced an investigation after graffiti was located on an external wall of a building on Marrickville Road, Marrickville, on 25 January.
Detectives were patrolling the area when they saw a man allegedly spray painting the wall of the same building. They arrested a 58-year-old man and seized a spray can.
The man was taken to Newtown police station and charged with two counts of destroy or damage property, and two counts of intentionally mark premises etc without consent – aggravated.
He was refused bail to appear before Newtown local court today.
After further investigations, an additional three charges were laid in court today, including to knowingly display Nazi symbol without excuse, destroy or damage property, and intentionally mark premises without consent.
Police will allege in court the man graffitied a Nazi swastika on the same building on Wednesday 1 January.
Daisy Dumas
South Australia becomes first state to ban flavoured nicotine pouches
After Guardian Australian revealed Australian social media influencers were promoting controversial and likely harmful flavoured nicotine pouches in viral videos, South Australia has become the first state in the nation to ban the addictive pouches.
Under new legislation, the Malinauskas Labor government’s crackdown on the illegal tobacco and vape market will from today see the pouches subject to the same controls as illicit tobacco and e-cigarette products.
In a statement, the premier’s office said nicotine pouches “are now prohibited products and authorised officers can seize them and enforce fines of up to $1.5m against those selling them”.
The pouches are small, pre-filled bags containing various ingredients that are often not on the label, such as nicotine, sweeteners and flavouring, the SA government said. A pouch usually contains the same amount of nicotine as a single cigarette.
They are designed to be tucked under the lip and their packaging is often colourful.
Alarmingly, they are commonly marketed towards children and young people via social media and can also be promoted as quitting aids for smoking and vaping, despite a lack of evidence supporting their use.
The Malinauskas Labor Government has banned the novel devices under new tobacco and e-cigarette legislation. This authority allows the Government to issue a formal declaration that such a product is prohibited, and this is the first time a declaration has been used under this new legislation.
It follows legislative changes recently introduced against the illicit tobacco and vape market.
Big four banks predict rate cut next month
The big four banks are in consensus that the Reserve Bank will cut interest rates in February after NAB joined Westpac in moving forward its prediction from May, AAP reports.
They joined a rising chorus of economists and investors who believe a rate cut at the central bank board’s next meeting is all but assured.
After declaring their stance was under review after a surprisingly soft inflation print from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, NAB today said the confirmation of weaker than forecast price growth and a softer outlook for housing costs had caused them to change their tune.
“The fourth-quarter CPI confirms that inflation has moderated more quickly than the RBA expected and sets up a likely downward revision to the inflation profile in the February statement on monetary policy,” NAB chief economist Alan Oster said.
“This now makes February the most likely starting point for a gradual easing in interest rates.”
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, called Wednesday’s numbers “really encouraging” in showing that Australia had made substantial and sustained progress in the fight against inflation.
Underworld figure mourned in Melbourne
Sam “The Punisher” Abdulrahim has been farewelled by mourners in Melbourne as detectives plead for his family and friends to cooperate with their murder investigation.
Abdulrahim, 32, previously survived several attempts on his life, but on Monday he was killed in a daytime shooting in Melbourne’s northeast in front of his girlfriend.
“Taken too soon, Sam was a man full of life, he was loved by all, and his smile would always light up the room,” his funeral notice read.
After the service, the coffin was draped in a green cloth and placed back in a hearse to be driven to Northern Memorial Park for burial.
The road near the service was closed for a procession led by a portrait of Abdulrahim, while police were parked across the road, keeping watch.
Australia’s terror threat should not be raised, says spy agency
Sarah Basford Canales
Australia’s domestic spy agency says it’s investigating multiple antisemitic incidents but does not believe the terrorism threat level should be raised just yet.
In a statement on Thursday, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation’s (Asio) director-general, Mike Burgess, said the security situation evolved as predicted after a spike in politically motivated violence in the past year.
Burgess said the current threat level – probable – meant there was a greater than 50% chance of a domestic terrorist attack or attack being planned in the next 12 months.
We have seen a disturbing escalation in the targeting of Jewish interests, and a disturbing escalation in the severity and recklessness of the targeting, with general harassment and intimidation moving to the targeting of people and places. These incidents are appalling, and particularly distressing for the Jewish community.
The agency said while the caravan matter was still being investigated, it did not believe there was an ongoing threat to public safety.
The threat level was raised from “possible” to “probable” in August 2024 with Asio advising there had been an “increase in extremism, fuelled by conspiracy theories and anti-authority ideologies”.
Burgess had warned in October 2023 that inflamed language about the conflict in the Middle East could inflame tensions in Australia.
However, in August 2024, Burgess said Gaza was “not the cause” of the threat level rising but was “a significant driver”.
PM defends response to antisemitism surge
Responding to suggestions of the “delegitimisation” of Israel, Anthony Albanese said:
Of course, I agree that antisemitism has to stop. Full stop.
People need to be hunted down, as is occurring. People are being arrested, they are being charged, and they are in the clink without release, without bail. That is occurring.
If you go back to the resolution that was passed with the support of both major parties in the parliament after the 7 October terrorist atrocities that spoke about Israel’s right to defend itself, I spoke about that on the Sunday as well. Israel has the right to defend itself. I support what has been Australia’s longstanding bipartisan position.
The UN decision in 1947 and 1948 wasn’t for the creation of one state, it was for the creation of two. The state of Israel and the state of Palestine. I support a two-state solution where both Israelis and Palestinians are able to live in peace and security.
To do that, in order to achieve that, clearly there needs to [be], as well, some reform of the Palestinian side. Hamas can play no role in any future state.
I go back to that resolution, which I looked at the other day. Quite frankly, history treats it well, the fact that the parliament came together at that time and overwhelmingly, with the exception of the Greens, who can speak for themselves, overwhelmingly, the parliament passed that resolution. That was a good thing.
Dural caravan discovery not time to make ‘political points’, PM says
When asked whether the Dural discovery was “predictable”, as per Peter Dutton’s comments, Anthony Albanese said: “This is a time for unity and for the country to come together against these atrocities and this appalling act, not a time to look for political partisanship or to make political points. I don’t intend to do so. ”
The prime minister said:
I intend to do my job, which is to work with the police and national security agencies. I must say, they do an extraordinary job.
We want people hunted down and put in the clink. That is what we want. There have been a range of arrests made, some of those have been made public, or were made public, on the 21st.
I take the advice of the police and national security agencies for when those matters become public so that we ensure that ongoing investigations are not undermined. There is a commonsense approach to this and I note that the New South Wales Police Commissioner has made comments on that this morning as well.
