TRANSCRIPT
Shadow Home Affairs Minister James Patterson has labeled the Labor Party's actions surrounding the resignation of Senator Fatima Payman "mafia-style behaviour".
Reports made in The Australian say some senior Labor Party members have raised concerns about Western Australian Senator Fatima Payman's citizenship.
Senator Payman was born in Afghanistan and made proper efforts to renounce her Afghan citizenship, facing complications because of rules imposed by the Taliban.
After joining parliament in 2022, assurances were made that the A-L-P had received legal advice assuring them Ms Payman was eligible to sit in the Australian Parliament.
Mr Patterson says the Labor Party has dealt with the matter poorly.
"The Labor Party is obviously very happy to keep someone's secrets while they're in the caucus. But the moment you leave the Labor Party caucus, they descend on you and frankly that is mafia style behavior. When it comes to Senator Fatima Payman's citizenship, there are only two possibilities. One the Labor Party is admitting that they are shockingly incompetent and have accidentally put a foreign citizen into the parliament or two that they were willing to lie for two years about the fact that they knew she may not be eligible to sit in the Parliament, and they just chose to only reveal this after she left the Labor Party. "
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The Albanese Government says it is taking significant steps to protect citizens from foreign interference.
The Director General of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation [[ASIO]] says the current threat level of terrorism in Australia sits at 'possible', while the threat level of foreign interference is certain.
The Albanese Government is now launching a package of reforms designed to strengthen Australia's foreign interference settings and protect both Australians and sensitive technologies.
Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil says the changes are essential upgrades to Australia's defences.
"We are taking some really significant steps today to make sure that we can protect our citizens from this problem, we're making the countering foreign interference Task Force permanent and making sure that we add additional agencies to support the government's efforts. We've got a particular focus in this policy initiative on protecting Australian technologies, we want this wonderful sector in our country to generate jobs, but we have to do better protecting intellectual property from theft, and we're going to work with industry to make sure that we do that."
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Opposition leader Peter Dutton says the Prime Minister can't provide Australians with details on how Labor will make things better for Australians.
Speaking at the annual Liberal National Party state conference, Mr Dutton has detailed the party's ambitions if elected and ridiculed the Prime Minister's promise of better times ahead.
Mr Dutton says the Albanese government has broken a series of core election promises.
"Whether it comes sooner or later, doesn't matter. But we do know that an election, needs to be held so that Australians can pass their judgment on the Albanese government. Prime Minister's in the paper today saying that better times ahead. After two years in government, he has no positive message to convey to the Australian public."
There are 173 items on the cards for discussion at the annual conference, including motions for the state L-N-P to provide unwavering support for Israel and whether the next federal coalition government will sell or privatise the A-B-C.
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Police say a homicide investigation is now underway after a woman's body was found at a waste management facility in Melbourne's north.
Workers found the body while moving green waste at the site in Epping on Wednesday.
Police believe the body was originally inside a bin that was picked up from outside a property in the nearby suburb of Coolaroo , they are now looking at CCTV and dash cam footage from the area.
The death is being treated as suspicious and detectives are awaiting results of a post-mortem examination before they formally identify the woman.
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Hurricane Beryl has moved over Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and is emerging into the Gulf of Mexico where wind speeds could increase to 150 kilometres an hour.
Officials in Texas are warning coastal residents in the state to prepare as the storm heads their way.
People in the Mexican tourist hotspot of Playa del Carmen have begun the clean-up operation after the storm passed over, bringing strong winds and heavy rain but no major damage.
Local resident Maddalena Boomsma says she's expecting more storm action this year
“I’ve been here for seven years, I own a business here as well so it's hard to estimate what’s really gonna happen this year but seems like it’s gonna be a heavy hurricane year.”
Many in the area have lost electricity.
Beryl is the earliest storm to develop into a Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic.
At least 11 people died as it passed through the Caribbean islands earlier in the week.
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To football now...
Canada have made it through to the semi-finals of Copa America for the first time after defeating Venezuela in a 4-3 penalty shootout.
Both sides finished 1-1 on Friday before Venezuela's Wilker Angel saw his suddenb death shot saved by Canada's Maxime Crepeau.
Canada's Ismael Kone then secured the winning penalty.
Canada will face Argentina in New Jersey on Tuesday for a chance to play in the final.
