Australia news live: PM to consider visa application of Pakistani security guard injured in Bondi Junction stabbing; Sydney bishop forgives alleged attacker | Australia news

Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, who was stabbed during a service at the Assyrian Christ the Good Shepherd church in Wakeley on Monday night, has released a statement following the attack.

Speaking in a Youtube video uploaded this morning, the bishop said he was “doing fine [and] recovering very quickly”.

There is no need to be worried or concerned. And a piece of advice to all our beloved faithfuls – I need you to act Christlike. The Lord Jesus never taught us to fight, the Lord Jesus never taught us to retaliate, the Lord Jesus never said to us ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth’.

He called on people to abide by the law and cooperate with police directives. He also called on people to pray for the country and “never forget that we are very blessed to be Aussies”.

I forgive whoever has done this act and I say to him: you’re my son, I love you and I will always pray for you. And whoever sent you to do this, I forgive them too.

Caitlin Cassidy

More on new student debt modelling

Under the Parliamentary Library modelling, students with an average debt of $26,494 would have their loans rise by $1,113 in the best case scenario of 4.2% indexation come June.

In the worst case scenario – 4.8% indexation – their loans would rise by $1,272.

For students at the highest end of the spectrum, with debts of about $100,000, their loans would rise by between $4,200 and $4,800 unless Labor intervened to reform how Hecs/Help is indexed. Since 1 June 2022, debts for this bracket would have risen by more than $15,000.

The Universities Accord final report, made public earlier this year, recommended the commonwealth ensure loans didn’t outpace wage growth by setting the indexation rate to whatever was lower out of CPI and the wage price index.

It also recommended reducing student contribution amounts for low-income earners and changing the timing of indexation to deduct compulsory repayments first.

Caitlin Cassidy

Student debt to rise by $12bn unless government scraps indexation in upcoming budget, new data shows

Student debt will rise by around $12bn under Labor’s term unless the federal government scraps indexation on loans in the upcoming budget, new projections prepared for the Greens show.

The Parliamentary Library modelling suggests nearly 3 million people owing student debt will be hit with an increase in excess of 4% when loans are next indexed in June, the second highest Hecs/Help rise in more than a decade.

It follows a rise of 7.1% last year, totalling 16% since Labor came into office.

Deputy Greens leader and spokesperson for education, senator Mehreen Faruqi, said talking about the cost of living crisis while ignoring the “heavy burden” of student debt wasn’t enough:

In the May budget, Labor must scrap indexation on student debt. Labor refused demands from the Greens to protect students from huge debt increases last year, but there is still time to stop the massive indexation hit coming again this June.

Even the ‘best case’ scenario will see student debts increase by a whopping 4.2% this year alone, adding a thousand dollars to average debt which already takes years to pay off. A worst case scenario would see a student debt increase of almost 5% in June, for an almost 17% debt increase in Labor’s first term of government.

Albanese confirms residency for ‘bollard man’ and extension of offer to Pakistani guard

Paul Karp

Anthony Albanese has confirmed that “bollard man” Damien Guerot will be given permanent residency of Australia today and has also extended a similar offer to consider the circumstances of Pakistani security guard Muhammad Taha, who was seriously injured in the Bondi attack.

Albanese was asked to respond to a report that Taha had come forward seeking permanent residency on the same basis as Guerot – his bravery in responding to the Bondi stabbings by Joel Cauchi.

Albanese told FiveAA Radio that “we certainly will [consider it]”.

Albanese noted Guerot was praised overnight by Emmanuel Macron “who was very proud of him”. He said that Guerot was on a temporary visa seeking a permanent visa, not to change citizenship; a permanent visa would “be granted to him today”.

My understanding is that will be done.

Albanese spoke on the “tragedy” of security guard Faraz Tahir losing his life, and the brave actions of fellow security guard Taha:

He confronted this guy, the [alleged] perpetrator Joel Cauchi on Saturday. It just shows extraordinary courage, these are people who … not thinking of themselves, were putting themselves in danger protecting Australians they didn’t know, just people going about their shopping.

And that’s the sort of courage that we want to say thank you to, frankly. Those extraordinary stories of bravery in amongst the carnage and tragedy that we saw on Saturday … It’s a bit of light in amongst the darkness that you saw these extraordinary acts.

Eden Gillespie

Continued from last post:

Labor committee member Aaron Harper said he found “the behaviour of the LNP committee members downright appalling”.

The government should not have to drag a report of this importance out of a committee – it should be agreed upon and delivered to the house, in the best interest of all Queenslanders.

LNP committee member Laura Gerber said her party could not support a report that “gagged the media”. She said Labor had attempted to do so by recommending the government look into the impacts of media and social media reporting on crime.

Gerber said Labor members of the committee also voted down its policy to remove detention as a last resort from the Youth Justice Act.

The committee report is expected to be released today before the committee is dissolved.

Eden Gillespie

Bipartisan Queensland youth justice committee dissolves after Labor and LNP fail to reach agreement

A bipartisan Queensland youth justice committee has collapsed after its independent chair told parliament her position had become “untenable” in the “incredibly difficult” and politically charged environment.

The parliamentary select committee was set up by the former premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and tasked with coming up with solutions on youth crime. It was the first committee of its kind to be independently chaired in more than two decades.

The chair, independent MP Sandy Bolton, said she was “deeply disappointed” that a bipartisan agreement could not be reached by Labor and LNP members.

I have endeavoured every step of the way to work patiently, impartially, respectfully and collaboratively with both sides of this chamber to get a balanced, nonpartisan report on the many contentious issues that we have heard about.

This has been an incredibly difficult environment, heightened by the media and the politicking with the upcoming election. This has not been easy and has come at great cost.

The Labor government moved to compel the committee to release the report last night while accusing the LNP of seeking to block its release. The deputy chair of the committee, Labor MP Jonty Bush, also said she was deeply disappointed an agreement could not be reached:

Our committee has met more than 25 times, received over 220 submissions and generated thousands of pages of work from public servants, and those working at the frontline with young people and victims.

Peter Hannam

March quarter power demand picked up, nudging prices up in some states

The Australian Energy Regulator has released its quarterly wholesale markets report for the first three months of 2024 this morning, noting that the country’s third-hottest summer on record had – not surprisingly – pushed average electricity demand up 9% from the previous three months.

Wholesale power prices – which make up about a third of your retail bill – rose 20% in Queensland and 9% in Victoria compared with the same quarter a year ago. Other states in the national electricity market posted falls of 5%-16%.

The AER, though, says the uptick in some wholesale prices will not likely make much difference to its draft default market offers that will see some lower retail prices kick in from 1 July, as we noted last month.

There were a few interesting trends in the March quarter – if not particularly good ones for Australia’s emissions reduction efforts. Coal power increased for the first time in a few years even taking into account the closure of NSW’s Liddell power station compared with the March quarter of 2023. (The plant closed in April last year.)

Part of the coal increase seems to have been the result of fewer units going off line in the first quarter than a year earlier. (The increased reliability might be in part because the Liddell plant was finally shut down).

Another feature was the key role played by Victoria in helping to keep the lights on – even with its own challenges (recall the power lines going down and AGL’s Loy Yang A plant being forced to shut down).

Queensland’s maximum daily demand broke its previous record three times during the quarter – hence the state not being a net-exporter for a change, and the jump in wholesale prices.

The spread of solar energy, particularly on rooftops, meanwhile, meant that Victoria and South Australia both set minimum demand records for the quarter.

The PM previously has offered permanency to “bollard man”, the French construction worker Damien Guerot who was captured on video footage attempted to stop Joel Cauchi during the Bondi Junction stabbing.

Richard Marles was asked whether the government would do the same for Pakistani man Muhammad Taha, who was stabbed during the attack while trying to defend himself in a “confrontation” with Cauchi. Taha’s visa expires next month.

Marles told ABC RN:

Certainly the actions of Mr Taha were enormously brave, there’s no doubt about that … I’m not aware of the particular applications that Mr Taha has on book, but I’ve got no doubt that his circumstances will be worked through.

But the PM went further with Guerot, host Patricia Karvelas noted. Taha himself is quoted by her as saying: “As a direct victim of the incident I believe I deserve recognition and consideration for citizenship.” Karvelas reiterates the question of whether the government will give it to him.

Marles:

Obviously the circumstances of Mr Taha will be worked through but the notion that the sort of bravery that Mr Taha exhibited is what we want to see in this country is of course right.

Chris Minns said there would be extra police and extra security around Bondi, and around the state, for “as long as necessary”.

Not just for the immediate security needs, but so that people feel confident and safe in their community. And I completely understand why there would be a reticence or a reluctance in those areas to return to normal.