Ben Roberts-Smith granted bail after being charged with five counts of war crime murder Former SAS soldier to be released from Silverwater prison ahead of possible trial on charges relating to alleged killing of civilians in Afghanistan

Ben Roberts-Smith has been granted bail under strict conditions while he awaits a possible trial on five counts of war crime murder.

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Anthony Albanese urges Israel to stop Lebanon attacks that intensified during Middle East ceasefire PM tells Guardian Australia Hezbollah should cease reprisals and confirms Australia’s military surveillance aircraft will remain in region

Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese has urged Israel to stop attacks on Lebanon and again called for Lebanon's inclusion in the ceasefire

He also tells me Australia’s Wedgetail military aircraft would stay in the Middle East at least 4 more weeks
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

PM Albanese has extended Australia's deployment of a Wedgetail military plane and ADF staff

Asked if Israel’s escalating strikes on Lebanon were a threat to the ceasefire and reopening the strait of Hormuz, he would only say: “we want to see a ceasefire”
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Australia politics live: Anthony Albanese to address nation tonight to outline Australia’s response to Middle East crisis; Chalmers announces support package for businesses Follow live

new: PM Albanese will give an "address to the nation" tonight at 7pm across TV and radio. It'll be on fuel, and is said to be about encouraging Australians to help save fuel for areas that need it
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

despite Australia's under-16s social media ban, eSafety's survey of parents found 31.3% of children still had social media after the ban (down from 49.7% before)

Of those with social media before Dec 10, 70% were still on Instagram, Snapchat or TikTok
www.esafety.gov.au/newsroom/med...

breaking: PM Albanese announces a HALVING of the fuel excise for 3 months - cutting petrol prices by 26 cents a litre

Also encouraging people to take public transport where possible, to conserve fuel for those who need it

Farmers plead for tax breaks, diesel guarantees and help buying fertiliser as national cabinet meets on fuel crisis State and federal leaders due to discuss assistance for business sectors but petrol rationing not expected to find backing

Farmers hope national cabinet will help them with tax breaks and underwriting fertiliser purchases to survive the fuel crisis, with Monday’s meeting expected to discuss more assistance to businesses amid ballooning petrol prices
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Older Australians in ‘immediate danger’ as fuel crisis affects travel for aged care workers Unions and farmers call for government intervention as agriculture, construction and waste industries also at risk from higher prices

Some industry groups are urging the government to roll out assistance packages or even a jobkeeper-style wage assistance program amid the fuel crisis, to help businesses avoid laying off staff

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Albanese government could increase ethanol level in fuel as farmers warn about food prices Treasurer admits the end of the war ‘can’t come soon enough’ for Australia as small miners scale back operations

the Albanese government is looking at whether increased ethanol levels in Australian petrol could increase fuel supply. The NRMA says E10 fuel is safe, and countries overseas are doing E15 or even E20
www.theguardian.com/business/202...

‘A win for democracy’: Labor abandons freedom of information law changes that would have reduced transparency Katy Gallagher says Albanese government still committed to reform and flags new fixes to system ‘stuck in the 1980s’

while Labor dumped its own bill to cut back Freedom of Information requests and impose new charges, Katy Gallagher says the govt is still committed to changes to make the FOI system more "efficient" - flagging a new bill in future

www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Pauline Hanson expected to face censure motion in Senate over ‘inflammatory’ comments about Muslims Labor’s move expected to be supported by the Greens, making it Hanson’s second censure within four months

🚨Pauline Hanson censured again by the Senate

Senate has voted 36-17 to censure Hanson. The Coalition didn't support the motion - but Liberal mods Paul Scarr and Andrew McLachlan crossed the floor to back the censure

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It’s 978 days since Peta Murphy called for a ban on betting ads. What happened to Labor’s pledge to respect parliament? | Josh Butler From gambling to ‘jobs for mates’ and reports left to gather dust, the teals have a shopping list of thorny topics to talk about

Reports are delayed, then left waiting for responses. On thorny issues, there can be long silence.

News on "jobs for mates", gambling and a lack of response to parliamentary committee reports:

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Federal MPs accept free sport tickets from gambling companies amid calls to restrict wagering ads Tabcorp and Sportsbet provided tickets to at least six Liberal and Labor politicians, register of interests shows

At least six federal Labor and Liberal politicians, including an assistant minister and shadow ministers, have disclosed they accepted free tickets to lucrative sporting events from major gambling companies in the past six months

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full Angus Taylor shadow ministry list - promotions for Tim Wilson, Jacinta Price, Andrew Hastie, Tony Pasin, Claire Chandler

More: www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

PM tells Isaac Herzog Australia wants transparency over Zomi Frankcom’s death as pair meet in Canberra Israeli president’s visit met with protests outside Parliament House, with at least one independent MP boycotting question time

PM Albanese says he raised concerns w/ Israel's Isaac Herzog about aid worker Zomi Frankcom, killed by an IDF strike in Gaza - which Albanese called an "outrage"

Says Aust Govt wants transparency in investigation & pressing for "any appropriate criminal charges"
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Political parties receive more than $138m in ‘dark money’ before new donation rules begin Labor, Liberals and the Greens given tens of millions of dollars each from undisclosed sources, analysis shows

The source of more than $138m in donations to Australian political parties remains unknown, thanks to contributions that fall below the disclosure threshold in the federal electoral system that are known as “dark money”

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Albanese defends Isaac Herzog’s Australia visit as federal MP joins calls to rescind invitation Independent MP Sophie Scamps joins Labor’s Friends of Palestine group and Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi in objecting to Israeli president’s visit

Anthony Albanese has defended the government’s invitation to Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, to visit, after another federal MP joined calls to cancel the visit after the Bondi terror attack.
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Albanese defends Isaac Herzog’s Australia visit as federal MP joins calls to rescind invitation Independent MP Sophie Scamps joins Labor’s Friends of Palestine group and Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi in objecting to Israeli president’s visit

Anthony Albanese has defended the government’s invitation to Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, to visit, after another federal MP joined calls to cancel the visit after the Bondi terror attack.
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

🚨Nationals MP Colin Boyce says he'll move a spill motion for the Nats leadership on Monday - he will run, critical of David Littleproud

Boyce on Sky: "David has made some bad decisions recently, he's upset just about everybody"

Calls to reunite the Coalition with the Libs

This is bloody entertaining cricket but ripping through these Test matches so quickly is really ruining one of the most reliably comforting parts of summer (knowing you can fall asleep on the couch, full of ham and carbs, then wake up without having missed too much) #Ashes

🚨 PM Albanese announces new Australian gun buyback scheme for "surplus, newly banned and illegal firearms - the largest buyback since the Howard government in 1996" after Bondi massacre

Expecting "hundreds of thousands of firearms will be collected and destroyed"

Bondi: National cabinet has agreed to look at gun control options in Australia including potential changes to:

- licensing
- limiting the number of guns able to be held by one person
- further restrictions to guns permitted
- limiting firearms licenses to Australian citizens

Anthony Albanese sidesteps calls for reform amid growing community anger over MP travel perks The federal opposition and crossbenchers have backed a review of expenses spending rules

Anthony Albanese sidesteps calls for reform amid growing community anger over MP travel perks

PM declines multiple times to answer whether his Labor government would now change rules, saying “I’m not the finance minister
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Guardian Essential poll: One Nation records highest-ever primary vote after burqa stunt and Joyce defection speculation Minor party reaches primary vote of 17% as majority of respondents remain pessimistic about housing affordability and the rising cost of living

One Nation up to 17% primary vote in latest Essential poll - half that of Labor’s primary (34%) and approaching the Coalition (26%)

comes after scrutiny on Hanson's burqa stunt, and Barnaby Joyce's defection from the Nationals
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

‘Between a rock and a hard place’: Bill Shorten defends Anika Wells travel expenses Former Labor leader says critics won’t be happy until politicians are ‘hitch-hiking up the Hume and sleeping in a tent’

Former Labor leader defends Bill Shorten defends Anika Wells travel expenses

“Who’d want to be a sports minister? If you don’t go to the events, you’re a sport hating, un-Australian nerd – and if you do, somehow you’re getting an unfair benefit"
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Labor minister Don Farrell claimed $9,000 for family travel during sports events and theatre showings Minister says family travel expenses, including those claimed around the time of AFL grand final and a sunset dinner at Uluru, are ‘in line with relevant rules’

New: trade minister Don Farrell charged taxpayers $9000 over three years for his family’s travel costs around Australia after being invited to football games, tennis matches, a sunset dinner at Uluru and a wine event, parliamentary records show
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Australian children moving to new social app Lemon8 but owner expected to restrict users to over-16s Australia’s under-16s social media ban might take weeks to work but all platforms are on notice, government says

Social media app Lemon8 is expected to restrict users to 16+ from December 10

It experienced a recent surge in interest as it isn't included in the under-16 ban

eSafety Commission warned it was closely monitoring the app for possible inclusion in the ban
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

AI companies could be forced to invest in renewable energy amid warning tech will use 12% of Australia’s power Australian government wants artificial intelligence industry to help expand power grid to supply their energy-intensive data centres

The Australian government could force AI companies to boost our power grid and build new wind and solar projects to help supply their energy-intensive data centres, amid concerns the booming industry could suck up vast amounts of electricity and water
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Australia politics live: Senate passes censure motion against Pauline Hanson over burqa stunt Follow live

breaking: Pauline Hanson suspended from the Senate for 7 days after refusing to apologise for burqa stunt yesterday (as compelled by Senate order and censure motion)
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

the Senate has overwhelmingly voted to censure Pauline Hanson for her burqa stunt

Motion passed 55 to 5 - only One Nation and Ralph Babet voted against

Hanson will be barred from overseas parliamentary delegations
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...