Craig Kelly egged in Melbourne; Ukraine ambassador flags need for more support – as it happened | Australia news

With that, we’ll wrap up the weblog for the night.

Have a beautiful weekend, we’ll be again very first thing tomorrow.

Right here had been as we speak’s main developments:

• The excessive courtroom has refused to listen to an attraction in opposition to New South Wales preselections, clearing the prime minister’s hand-picked candidates to contest the Might federal election. Chief justice Susan Kiefel mentioned the attraction had “inadequate prospects of success”.
• The TGA has granted provisional approval for the Pfizer vaccine to be administered as a booster to 12 to 15-year-olds.
• Police have issued a press release following the egging of United Nations MP Craig Kelly, confirming they’re “investigating” the alleged assault.
• Flood warnings have eased in New South Wales with flooding not anticipated in hard-hit northern and southern Sydney, nor on the Parramatta river. Average flooding continues on the Hawkesbury and Nepean valley. It comes after greater than 2,000 NSW residents had been ordered to evacuate amid heavy rainfall.
• No less than three extra asylum seekers have been launched from Brisbane detention nevertheless Australian Border Pressure has not confirmed the variety of releases, saying they “don’t touch upon particular person instances”.
• And the prime minister nonetheless hasn’t referred to as the election. However by no means worry, he assured journalists as we speak that it will be referred to as “quickly”, no matter meaning.

Our reporter Eden Gillespie has been making an attempt to substantiate what number of medevac refugees are being launched nationally with the division of residence affairs.

Tweets are going viral claiming all Medevac refugees have been launched, nevertheless refugee organisations have rejected the claims.

The federal authorities has introduced $2.5m in the direction of meals safety in Sri Lanka by means of the World Meals Programme (WFP) and the Meals and Agriculture Group (FAO).

The overseas minister, Marise Payne, says the pandemic has affected meals safety across the globe which has impacted on provide and precipitated an escalation in meals costs.

This $2.5 million in focused improvement help will assist little one diet, strengthen productiveness for smallholder farmers and enhance livelihoods in rural areas.

The WFP and FAO will work to enhance agricultural practices, strengthen market linkages and supply social safety to weak communities, significantly households which can be female-headed; with youngsters beneath 5; or which have pregnant or nursing moms.

WFP may even tackle the instant dietary wants of college going youngsters although the supply of meals in school. FAO will assist a college backyard program.

You may learn the excessive courtroom’s full outcomes right here:

1h ago03:31

Ben Doherty

Yesterday, we reported on a gathering between the outgoing Australian ambassador to Myanmar, Andrea Faulkner, and the chief of that nation’s coup and alleged warfare prison, Senior Normal Min Aung Hlaing.

Australia was criticised for taking the assembly, with advocates for the democratically elected authorities arguing the junta would use the assembly as a PR increase, to assist legitimise its management of the nation.

“Australia’s continued engagement with the navy junta, a terrorist organisation, is an act of betrayal to its personal democracy and a failure to adjust to its worldwide human rights and humanitarian legislation obligations,” Yadanar Maung from Justice for Myanmar mentioned.

Min Aung Hlaing led the Myanmar military’s pogrom in opposition to the ethnic minority Rohingya in 2017, which killed more than 25,000 folks and compelled greater than 700,000 to flee the nation, and he engineered a navy coup in February 2021, later declaring himself prime minister.

Min Aung Hlaing has been really useful by the UN for investigation and prosecution for war crimes and genocide, and personally sanctioned by the US, EU, UK and Canada, however not by Australia.

Australian officers defended taking the assembly, arguing its “restricted” engagement with the junta “give us a chance to talk on to the regime”, together with to name for an finish to violence and grant humanitarian entry.

“We don’t think about that the engagement we’ve needed to date legitimises the present regime,” senate estimates heard.

Additional reportage has emerged from the Myanmar capital.

The ambassador, who leaves Myanmar later this month, has had a subsequent assembly on Thursday, with Myanmar’s minister for residence affairs, Lt Gen Soe Htut, once more reported within the junta-controlled press, which mentioned the assembly mentioned “additional cooperation between the 2 international locations”.

2h ago03:22

Christopher Knaus

Wallabies nice and unbiased candidate for the ACT, David Pocock, has lodged a criticism about advertisements from conservative foyer group Advance Australia, which falsely painting him as a Greens candidate in disguise.

The advertisements appeared on Fb and are focused to voters in Canberra, the place Pocock is making an attempt to unseat one of many territory’s two senators, Liberal Zed Seselja, a number one conservative.

Advance Australia has paid Fb to focus on 10 advertisements attacking Pocock to Canberra voters, labelling him an “excessive inexperienced local weather activist” and falsely suggesting he’s secretly working for the Greens celebration.

Fb information suggests the advertisements had been activated on 7 April, have had an estimated viewers dimension of as much as 100,000 folks , and value lower than $100 every.

Pocock mentioned in a press release such ways had been “damaging to our democracy, taking consideration away from what it’s we’re all working in the direction of – higher illustration in authorities”.

He has complained to the AEC, although the watchdog has little energy to intervene to cease false or deceptive promoting.

Pocock mentioned:

I’m calling on my fellow candidates within the ACT and past to run their campaigns by means of a lens of integrity.The folks of Canberra, and certainly the nation, are bored with lies, finger-pointing and blame for political achieve. They need leaders who’re sincere, reliable and clear.

Smear campaigning in opposition to different candidates, the unfold of deceptive info and lies, pointless intimidation, ambush and bullying ways are seen all too usually come election time. These strategies are damaging to our democracy, taking consideration away from what it’s we’re all working in the direction of – higher illustration in authorities.

My workforce and I’ve been working onerous to have conversations with as many Canberrans as we will to make sure the voices of the neighborhood and the problems they’re dealing with are informing my coverage positions.

2h ago03:10

Cait Kelly

The federal authorities is beneath fireplace for providing extra monetary assist to the residents of Lismore whereas excluding different flood-affected areas resembling Ballina, Byron and Tweed.

On Friday the federal authorities introduced the Catastrophe Restoration High-Up funds, which shall be given to those that dwell or work in Lismore for simply over three months.

The announcement mentioned:

You don’t must submit a declare for this cost. We’ll pay it into your nominated checking account.

… This cost is $350 and you may get it every week for as much as 13 weeks.

However the transfer has been criticised for leaving out surrounding areas, which had been additionally hit badly by the current floods.

Justine Elliot, the Labor MP for Richmond, wrote on Twitter:

Scott Morrison, you’re really a shame.

It’s quietly been introduced that top-up catastrophe allowance funds are coming – however once more, just for Lismore.

Don’t get me mistaken – Lismore wants it. However Tweed, Byron, Ballina & elsewhere had been affected by floods too. We gained’t overlook.

Final month, Scott Morrison was pressured to develop the federal authorities’s flood funding after receiving backlash for under providing further funding to Lismore, Clarence Valley and Richmond Valley.

After every week of criticism, the identical funding was expanded to incorporate Byron, Ballina and Tweed.

Average flooding continues to happen at North Richmond and Windsor regardless of the relative easing of circumstances throughout the New South Wales coast.

Right here’s the most recent from the Bureau:

River degree rises had been noticed throughout the Hawkesbury Nepean Valley attributable to heavy rainfall Wednesday night time and Thursday. Heavy rainfall has eased in a single day Thursday. Additional showers are forecast for the rest of Friday and through Saturday which aren’t anticipated to supply renewed river degree rises.

A reasonable flood peak beneath the extent of the March 2022 flood occurred alongside the Higher Nepean River at Wallacia later Friday morning.

Warragamba dam is spilling. Average flooding is happening alongside the Hawkesbury River at North Richmond and Windsor.

River degree rises have been noticed alongside the Higher Colo River, and minor flooding is peaking at Putty Highway Friday afternoon. River degree rises are occurring alongside the Macdonald River and a few areas could expertise flooding impacts.

2h ago02:46

Excessive courtroom refuses to listen to attraction in opposition to NSW preselections

Paul Karp

Scott Morrison’s hand-picked New South Wales Liberal candidates have been cleared to contest the Might federal election, after the excessive courtroom refused to listen to an attraction in opposition to their preselection.

The excessive courtroom refused businessman Matthew Camenzuli’s software for particular go away to attraction from the NSW Court of Appeal’s decision upholding the preselections. Chief Justice Susan Kiefel mentioned the attraction had “inadequate prospects of success”.

The choice ensures that immigration minister, Alex Hawke, setting minister, Sussan Ley, MP Trent Zimmerman and 9 different candidates shall be endorsed to contest the election. These candidates had been chosen by a three-person committee together with Morrison and NSW premier, Dominic Perrottet.

Camenzuli had requested the courtroom for an order restraining Liberal celebration officers from sending the candidates’ names to the electoral commissioner.

Earlier within the week Camenzuli was expelled from the Liberal Party utilizing particular campaigning powers, after he was charged with imperilling the celebration’s election probabilities.

The Therapeutic Items Administration has provisionally accepted the usage of the Pfizer vaccine as a booster shot for 12 to 15-year-olds.

Pfizer was provisionally accepted to be administered as a booster for folks 18 and over on 26 October, and for 16 and 17-year-olds on 27 January.

The TGA has suggested a booster dose could be administered a minimum of six months after completion of two doses within the age group.

The TGA says:

Regulatory approval of the booster dose for this age group has additionally been granted in Israel, the UK and the US. The TGA continues to work very intently with worldwide regulators to align regulatory approaches, share info and, the place it hastens analysis, collaboratively overview Covid-19 vaccines and coverings …

The Australian Public Evaluation Report for this choice shall be revealed within the coming days. The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) will present recommendation shortly on whether or not this vaccine must be included within the Covid-19 vaccine program as the ultimate step within the two inexperienced gentle approval course of.

Comfortable Easter!

Victoria police have issued a press release following an “incident” in Fawkner Park the place Craig Kelly was egged earlier this afternoon.

Police are investigating stories a 58-year-old man was assaulted in South Yarra on Friday, 8 April.

It was understood two girls had been concerned in an incident the place eggs had been smashed onto the person’s head at Fawkner Park about 1.25pm, earlier than working to a automobile which was believed to be ready close by.

The person, from NSW, was not injured.

A witness on a pushbike adopted the ladies, parking his bike in entrance of the automotive. It’s alleged the male driver ran over the bicycle owner’s foot. He sustained minor accidents.

The bicycle owner then adopted the automobile, which stopped close by on Toorak Highway. The motive force gave his particulars to the bicycle owner. The motive force and two girls then left the scene within the automobile.

Investigations into the id of these concerned stay ongoing.

An evacuation warning has been issued for Leets Vale on the Hawkesbury River.

Residents and companies on Chaseling Highway South subsequent to the river have to be ready to evacuate within the subsequent few hours.

Um?

O’Connor was additionally requested if he could be defence minister within the subsequent authorities if Labor wins the election.

He mentioned that was “totally as much as the Labor chief”.

I used to be requested to undertake this function in January final yr, I’ve been within the portfolio longer than Peter Dutton, a minimum of within the shadow portfolio and I’ve loved it. I include some nationwide safety expertise, I sat on the Nationwide Safety Committee of cupboard and I used to be as you say Residence Affairs minister and Immigration minister. I feel they’ve the expertise and experience to work on this space. It’s totally as much as Anthony.

O’Connor mentioned Labor additionally backed the event of hypersonic weapons as flagged by the federal authorities this week as an extension of the Aukus pact.

We have to have enough firepower to discourage potential battle. We do must, and in addition we have to enhance the firepower … now, not simply in 2038. Something that may be accomplished to extend our capability and which can act as a deterrent to battle we’d need to do.

Shadow defence minister Brendan O’Connor was simply up on ABC Afternoon Briefing.

Requested whether or not he supported the federal authorities’s pledge to assist Ukraine within the submit warfare rebuild, he replied: “I do”.

We assist the deadly and nonlethal help that’s been offered and any subsequent assist and I feel the reconstruction of that metropolis that’s been beneath siege, clearly will need assistance from not simply its European pals however pals around the globe.