Former immigration official warns politicians ‘not to inflame the rhetoric’ to avoid encouraging people smugglers
A former senior immigration official has warned that people smugglers could seize on inflammatory language to bring more asylum seekers to Australia, AAP reports.
Former deputy secretary of the immigration department Abul Rizvi told ABC RN the language used by politicians could lead to more boat arrivals:
If people smugglers are able to convince potential people who may wish to come to Australia by boat, that the difference in the rhetoric is something they can take advantage of … we may, if that happens, see a rise in boats.
I would counsel politicians on either side not to inflame the rhetoric in this space.
Key events
Here are some more details on that severe thunderstorm warning for the Hunter in NSW:
The Bureau of Meteorology warns that, at 11.00am, a severe thunderstorm likely to produce heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding was detected near Williamtown.
This thunderstorm is slow moving.
Severe thunderstorm warnings along east coast
Severe thunderstorms are forecast over a large swathe of NSW, including metropolitan Sydney and the ACT, the Bureau of Meteorology says.
A severe thunderstorm warning for heavy rainfall has been issued for parts of the Hunter and Central Tablelands districts, which “may lead to flash flooding over the next several hours”.
#Thunderstorms are possible today .
Severe thunderstorms are a risk, with locally heavy rain & flash flooding. This risk includes the Sydney metro % ACT areas.
Over the northern inland there is also a slight chance of storms producing damaging wind gusts & large hail. pic.twitter.com/Ofo1nRk9vB— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) February 18, 2024
Meanwhile, severe thunderstorms with heavy rain are possible in south-east Queensland and to the south of Brisbane and Toowoomba, including the Gold Coast and Scenic Rim.
Flash flooding is a risk given the soil is already wet from recent rain, the Bureau said.
⛈️QLD Storm Forecast for Mon 19/2. Severe storms with heavy rain possible today in southern SEQ, to the south of Brisbane and Toowoomba, including the Gold Coast and Scenic Rim. Flash flooding a risk given soils are wet following recent rain. Warnings: https://t.co/FBmpsInT9o pic.twitter.com/SPZa1T4Xdf
— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) February 18, 2024
Josh Butler
Christopher Pyne announced as chair of ageing lobby group
Former Coalition minister Christopher Pyne has been announced as the new chair of the Council on the Ageing (Cota), the peak lobby group for older Australians.
Pyne – who served in the defence, education and industry portfolios, as well as being minister for ageing – quit parliament in 2019, but has stayed around politics after opening up his own lobbying firm, which has become prominent in the federal sphere.
Cota is an important voice on issues around aged care and older Australians. It announced Pyne as its new independent chair this morning. Patricia Sparrow, Cota’s CEO, said:
Christopher brings a wealth of experience to COTA Australia, extending across multiple federal governments and various sectors, including public, academic, and social spaces.
His expertise is an asset that aligns seamlessly with our focus on championing the concerns of ageing individuals and older Australians nationwide. We believe that his leadership will further elevate our mission to create positive change and advocate for policies that enhance the lives of older Australians.
The outgoing chair, Jane Halton, was hailed as “an incredible asset to our organisation” by Sparrow, who said she would “no doubt continue to be an incredible advocate for older Australians”.
Pyne said there were “many challenges facing older Australians” and said Cota had “a big task ahead of it in the coming years”, nominating ageism as his big priority.
Ageism is endemic in Australia and addressing it needs to be a key focus not just for COTA, but for governments, businesses and society broadly.
By addressing systemic ageism, we’ll help unlock the potential of older Australians. That’s not just important for older Australians themselves, but for people of every age.
Hundreds of homes in south-west WA without power
Thousands of people across Western Australia are currently without power, according to Western Power.
This comes as parts of the state neared 50C yesterday, and much of the west coast has an extreme fire danger rating today.
The biggest outage currently is in Dunsborough, affecting 1,715 customers. Western Power does not specify the cause of the unplanned outage, but points to the total fire ban. It says power is expected to be restored at 2:30pm local time.
It is forecast to reach 39C in Dunsborough today.
Claire Keenan
Taylor Swift mural unveiled ahead of Sydney Eras concerts
A mural of Taylor Swift has been unveiled on Sydney’s Crown St ahead of the pop star’s arrival in the city for her final Aussie Eras shows.
The mural of the singer dressed in red, situated in Surry Hills, was shared by the @sydney_explained Instagram account on Sunday night.
The enormous portrait was painted by Australian artist Scott Marsh (@scottie.marsh), whose works are famous across Sydney streets.
The Shake It Off singer is expected to touch down at Sydney airport around 1pm on Monday, according to the flightradar24 site, which is frequently followed by die-hard Swifties.
More than 260,000 fans attended the Eras shows in Melbourne over the weekend, with another 320,000 fans expected to descend on Sydney’s Olympic Park this weekend.
Melbourne’s Friday night concert was Swift’s biggest ever show of her career, after 96,000 fans danced and sang their hearts out at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Swift will be performing at Accor stadium on Friday 23, Saturday 24, Sunday 25 and Monday 26 February before heading to Singapore.
Perin Davey ‘made a mistake’ by drinking before Senate estimates, Dutton says
Circling back to Peter Dutton’s interview on Sunrise earlier today:
The opposition leader was asked for his thoughts on whether there should be an alcohol ban at Parliament.
This comes as Nationals senator Perin Davey admitted to drinking before an estimates hearing, and a week earlier, Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce was filmed lying on the street in Canberra after a sitting day.
Speaking to Sky News, Davey said she only had two glasses of red wine at a Nationals staff function before taking her chair at the committee last Tuesday, and also said, “I don’t think I was drunk”.
Dutton told Sunrise that “people have to take responsibility for their own actions”.
The public holds those of us in public life to a higher standard, and that’s appropriately so.
I know Perin well. She’s a decent person. She has a burning desire to help people, particularly in regional areas. She’s made a mistake in this instance. She’s owned up to it and her other colleagues should learn from it as well.
People can have a drink in moderation. You can catch up with friends, you can attend social functions and that happens in workplaces and across society everyday. You need to take responsibility particularly if you’re in the public eye. I think a lot of people will learn a lesson from it.
Australia known for ‘not abiding by its word’, former French ambassador to US says
In the story that never dies – France has taken yet another dig at Australia after its president Emmanuel Macron accused former PM Scott Morrison of lying to him over the Aukus deal back in 2021.
When asked whether he thought Morrison had lied to him, Macron replied with: “I don’t think, I know.”
Fast forward to today, the former French ambassador to the United States, Gérard Araud, has responded to an innocent question on X/Twitter with a pointed reply.
The question:
What comes to mind when you think of Australia?
Araud’s reply:
Breaking a contract, not abiding by its word ?
Labor making ‘significant errors’ by abolishing temporary protection visas: Dutton
Peter Dutton also appeared on Sunrise to speak about the boat arrivals in WA. Asked whether the opposition is politicising this issue, Dutton rejected this and said:
Nobody’s politicising the issue. I think we’re pointing out the fact the government is making significant errors here.
Q: Don’t you think that’s politicising it, going against the government?
Dutton disagreed, and argued that Labor has shut down “one of the important legs of Operation Sovereign Borders” – that being the temporary protection visas.
This is a core difference between the government and opposition when it comes to asylum seeker policy. The Rudd government abolished temporary protection visas in 2008 but they were reintroduced by the Coalition in 2014, designed to deter asylum seekers arriving by boat.
This time last year, Labor abolished temporary protection visas (and the temporary “safe haven enterprise visas”) for more than 19,000 people, which was the fulfilment of an election pledge.
You can read more on this from Amy Remeikis and Ben Doherty in February 2023 below:
Dutton says Albanese ‘not telling the truth’ on border policy
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, spoke to Ben Fordham on 2GB Sydney radio earlier this morning, speaking about the more than 40 asylum seekers who arrived by boat in remote WA last week.
The asylum seekers have been taken to Nauru, and the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, told reporters yesterday that Operation Sovereign Borders was being implemented.
Weighing in on the matter, Dutton argued it shows a “catastrophic failure” of Australia’s border policy that Albanese first learned of the boat arrival when the media asked him about it.
The trouble is that the prime minister wants Australians to believe … there’s no difference in the two policies [between the current and former government’s] but he’s not telling the truth … If you’re taking money out of Operation Sovereign Borders [and] stopping the temporary protection visa side and turning it into a permanent protection visa, these are all messages the people smugglers will push.
Dutton pointed to the NZYQ case and argued people smugglers would use this to convince asylum seekers to come to Australia. Yesterday, Albanese noted the commander of Operation Sovereign Borders had warned against politicising national security.
Victorian regional trains resuming after industrial action
V/Line trains in Victoria are now resuming after industrial action by the Rail, Tram and Bus Union earlier this morning.
Public Transport Victoria said:
Some delays and cancellations are expected throughout the day as the normal timetables resume. We apologise for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience.
@VLine trains are now resuming after earlier industrial action this morning.
Some delays and cancellations are expected throughout the day as the normal timetables resume.
We apologise for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience. pic.twitter.com/bKgZvIQxJg
— PTV (@ptv_official) February 18, 2024
More industrial action is planned for this Friday.
Former immigration official warns politicians ‘not to inflame the rhetoric’ to avoid encouraging people smugglers
A former senior immigration official has warned that people smugglers could seize on inflammatory language to bring more asylum seekers to Australia, AAP reports.
Former deputy secretary of the immigration department Abul Rizvi told ABC RN the language used by politicians could lead to more boat arrivals:
If people smugglers are able to convince potential people who may wish to come to Australia by boat, that the difference in the rhetoric is something they can take advantage of … we may, if that happens, see a rise in boats.
I would counsel politicians on either side not to inflame the rhetoric in this space.
Rangers investigating two weekend dingo incidents on K’gari
The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Services (QPWS) are investigating two separate dingo incidents on K’gari island over the weekend.
According to a statement, around 3pm on Saturday an 18-year-old woman was walking to Lake Wabby as part of a tour group when a tagged dingo bit her on the back of her left leg.
Just a few hours later, around 8pm the same day, a person was reportedly mouthed or nipped by a dingo on the beachfront near Dilli Village.
On Sunday morning, QPWS rangers said they would attempt to make contact with people involved in the incidents and “attempt to identify both dingoes involved.”
Dangerous dingo signs have been installed this morning at Lake Wabby entrance, and rangers will increase patrols in the areas.
Visitors and residents on K’gari are reminded to remain vigilant at all times as we move into the dingo breeding season, and children must be kept under constant supervision.