As it happened: Fatima Payman launches ‘Australia’s Voice’ political party; PM in hot water over Tourette’s comment

Thanks for reading the national news blog. This is where we’ll end today’s coverage.

To conclude, here’s a look back at the day’s major stories:

• Fatima Payman says her new party will give members a conscience vote and be run for “all Australians”, although she has not yet worked out key policies, chosen any candidates or secured donors.
• Disability advocates have said Prime Minister Albanese set the wrong example by using Tourette syndrome as a punchline and Greens senator Jordon Steele-John said it indicated there was a long way to go before the parliament was truly inclusive.
• The national union representing the country’s public school teachers has slapped a work ban on their members from implementing measures designed to lift academic outcomes, as they demand billions of extra dollars in federal funding for public schools.
• Albanese insists new laws to keep the NBN publicly owned will ensure high-speed broadband remains affordable for all Australians.
• In business news, airlines that block competition at Sydney airport by strategically cancelling flights could face civil penalties as the government looks to crack down on the duopoly held by Qantas and Virgin.
• A new-look Breakfast show will headline a revamped Radio National in 2025, with fill-in hosts Sally Sara and Steve Cannane early front-runners to replace the departing Patricia Karvelas.
• In world news, fearful Florida residents have streamed out of the Tampa Bay region ahead of what could be a once-in-a-century direct hit from Hurricane Milton.
• Hezbollah’s acting leader has vowed to keep up pressure that has forced tens of thousands of Israelis from their homes near the Lebanese border, after hinting at support for a ceasefire.

Thanks again for joining us. This is Cassandra Morgan, signing off.

The NSW premier has rejected suggestions he is stoking division among Middle Eastern communities and denied wanting to charge protesters for police at pro-Palestinian rallies.

Chris Minns has faced accusations of “dog-whistling” and “anti-Palestinian racism” after floating law tweaks to strengthen the hand of NSW Police to halt street marches.

The legal change was mooted based on policing costs, and followed a heavy law-enforcement presence at Sunday’s 52nd consecutive, weekly pro-Palestine protest in Sydney.

A senior adviser to Australia’s Muslim faith leaders labelled the premier’s language around the pro-Palestine rallies as divisive, but Minns rejected that claim on Wednesday.

“In the circumstances, I’ve been completely consultative – my door has always been open,” the premier said.

He would not always agree with faith and community leaders, Minns added, again citing an anti-Israel march on the Opera House steps in 2023 as reason to remain vigilant on community safety.

His suggestion that police should be allowed to deny demonstration permits due to stretched resources has drawn ire from several quarters.

Any move to add a financial hurdle would undermine the very freedom to protest, Unions NSW secretary Mark Morey warned.

“Democracy should not be monetised,” he said.

“We might not like every protest but we should uphold the right to conduct them in a safe and co-ordinated fashion.”

The overwhelming majority of protests over the past year had been peaceful expressions of solidarity and justice, the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network said.

“By dog-whistling about policing these protests, Premier Minns obscures this reality and tries to criminalise those who are advocating for human rights,” president Nasser Mashni said, dubbing the conduct “anti-Palestinian racism”.

The Labor premier hosed down suggestions of a user-pays policing scheme for protests, an idea pushed by the NSW opposition.

AAP

In a blockbuster acquisition announced just after the market closed, Rio Tinto has agreed to pay $9.9 billion for US-based, ASX-listed lithium giant Arcadium in an all-cash transaction at a 90 per cent premium.

The deal was a significant step forward in the company’s long-term strategy that would create a world-class lithium business alongside its aluminium and copper operations to supply materials needed for the energy transition, chief executive Jakob Stausholm said.

It’s the biggest deal made by Rio since its $38 billion acquisition of Alcan in 2007.

The company is betting lithium will help it spur a new leg of growth in battery metals, with the takeover approach coming amid a slump in prices which dragged down lithium stocks, including Arcadium.

Back to our earlier story, the NSW Teachers Federation has backed a national work ban for public school teachers and explained how it might play out.

The Australian Education Union has slapped a ban on teachers from carrying out new classroom requirements set out in a funding agreement, to which the Northern Territory, Tasmania and Western Australia have all signed up.

NSW Teachers Federation president Henry Rajendra.Credit: Rhett Wyman

The union is demanding billions more in funding from the federal government.

NSW Teachers Federation president Henry Rajendra said his union fully supported the ban for the state’s public school teachers.

“If the funding offer did not increase, it would just mean more work for an already overworked workforce that would refuse to implement the initiatives,” he said.

While NSW has refused to sign on to the agreement, Rajendra said the ban meant teachers would refuse to implement the initiatives within the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement.

“It would be completely unfair, we wouldn’t have the resources to meet the aims of those initiatives. The federal government’s offer denies our schools 100 per cent of the schooling resource standard.”

Two students have been arrested after allegedly assaulting campus security at Western Sydney University (WSU) during a pro-Palestine protest on Wednesday.

Students had gathered at the Parramatta campus, calling for the university to cut ties with Israeli companies and end its partnership with the University of Tel Aviv.

Footage of the arrests posted on the Instagram account of the WSU 4 Palestine Collective, the group that organised the protest, shows a police officer approaching a protester before saying, “you’re under arrest for assault”.

Several officers then arrested him. A second protester can be seen being carried out of the building by six police officers.

In a separate video, police surround one of the men while he is on the ground as plain-clothes officers tell observers to calm down.

The men were taken to Gladesville Police Station, where they are expected to be charged.

Professor Alana Lentin, who said she did not see any students assault security officers, said the arrests were “really shocking”.

“The students organised a peaceful demonstration,” she said.

In a statement, the university said it was “aware of an incident at our Parramatta South campus earlier today during a rally”.

“We are committed to free speech, and respectful and civil debate. Our priority is always the safety, wellbeing and security of every single person across our university community,” the university said.

NSW Police have been contacted for comment.

Sir Keir Starmer has all but dumped plans for his first visit to Australia as British prime minister as he tries to arrest his political fortunes against a backdrop of plunging approval ratings and a damaging “freebies” scandal.

Advanced preparations were underway in Canberra to host Starmer after the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Tonga in two weeks’ time, but several diplomatic sources have told this masthead the visit was unlikely to go ahead because of his government’s domestic pressures.

Keir Starmer and Anthony Albanese chat during the Australian prime minister’s visit to London in May 2023.Credit: Instagram

Since gaining power after 14 years in opposition, Labour has faced numerous headaches, including over cuts to winter fuel payments for pensioners and a row over donations.

Starmer, attempting to restore order to his administration in the week he marks 100 days in office, was forced into a massive shake-up of his troubled team at the weekend, sacking Sue Gray, his controversial chief of staff, following weeks of internal criticism of her performance and a power struggle behind the scenes.

Read the exclusive story from Rob Harris here. 

Back to world news, and fearful Florida residents have streamed out of the Tampa Bay region before what could be a once-in-a-century direct hit from Hurricane Milton.

Crews have worked furiously to prevent furniture, appliances and other waterlogged wreckage from the last big storm from becoming deadly projectiles in this one.

The preparations have marked the last chance for millions of people in the Tampa metro area to prepare for lethal storm surges, ferocious winds and possible tornadoes in a place that has narrowly avoided a head-on blow from a major storm for generations.

One of South Florida’s longest-running meteorologists, John Morales, broke down while delivering his forecast for Miami TV station WTVJ/NBC6.

“It’s just an incredible, incredible, incredible hurricane,” Morales said of Milton, closing his eyes and slightly shaking his head. “It has dropped …”

Morales’s voice cracked and faltered as he continued, “it has dropped 50 millibars in 10 hours”.

He then added: “I apologise. This is just horrific.”

Read the latest on Hurricane Milton here.

AP

Senator Fatima Payman says she does not see the need to apologise for using the word “voice” in her new party’s name, after the choice reportedly surprised Indigenous leaders.

Speaking on ABC Afternoon Briefing, Payman dodged questions on whether the decision to name her party Australia’s Voice was linked to the campaign for a First Nations Voice.

She said she would not change the party’s name.

“The word ‘voice’ isn’t trademarked, per se,” Payman said.

“It’s important to see that Australia’s Voice, as a political party, will be prioritising and looking into Indigenous issues as much as it will be for all Australians, and all the concerns.”

Payman would not say whether she consulted the architects of the Uluru Statement from the Heart about the party’s name, citing privacy.

However, she said she consulted whom she was able to in a short period of time, “being short-staffed and [with] the PM not giving me a full staffing allocation”.

Journalist David Speers put to Payman that statement architect Pat Anderson was surprised by the party’s name.

“People are going to have objections, that is just the nature of the political landscape and political world we live in. At the end of the day, it comes down to the intentions and what this party stands for,” Payman said.

“I don’t see why I should apologise.

“It’s out there and people are loving it. I am getting so much support already.”

The senator suggested the party’s policies would be in lockstep with her previous positions on negative gearing and capital gains, and recognising a Palestinian state.

Earlier today, she told a press conference the party’s platform would be revealed in time.

Circling back to news from earlier today, and while Fatima Payman says her new party will give members a conscience vote and be run for “all Australians”, she has not yet worked out key policies, chosen any candidates or secured donors.

In announcing the party’s name, Australia’s Voice, Payman gave scant detail today when pressed on any specific policy focus, saying the party’s platform would “come with time” and that previous speeches she had made could give hints on what it might look like.

Senator Fatima Payman during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra today.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

The former Labor senator grabbed the political spotlight earlier this year when she crossed the Senate floor to vote against Labor on a Greens motion about Palestinian recognition. The action was in breach of Labor Party rules, and she subsequently resigned in July to sit on the crossbench as an independent.

Payman said her party’s candidate selection process would be done “in due course” and would be based on merit and value alignment, but also insisted it would not rule anyone out. She says she has not yet had conversations with potential donors.

Read the full story from Millie Muroi here.

The national union representing the country’s public school teachers has slapped a work ban on their members from implementing measures designed to lift academic outcomes, as they demand billions of extra dollars in federal funding for public schools.

The Australian Education Union said the initiatives contained in the next school funding agreement were “unfunded” and would increase the workload of teachers.

Australian Education Union president Correna Haythorpe says initiatives in the next school funding agreement are “unfunded”.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

They include a numeracy check as well as a phonics check.

The union said the ban applied to NSW teachers however it was unclear how it would affect public schools in that state as NSW, alongside Victoria, has so far refused to sign on to the new funding deal. Only states which have signed on so far must implement the reforms.

Tasmania, Western Australia and the Northern Territory have already signed on to the funding agreement.

Australian Education Union federal president Correna Haythorpe said: “The AEU Federal Executive has placed an immediate nationwide ban on the implementation of the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement, particularly initiatives which are unfunded and that will increase the workload of the overstretched and under-resourced teaching profession.

“The union is demanding the federal government step up its promise and fund 100 per cent of the Schooling Resource Standard.”

Federal Education Minister Jason Clare said he had put $16 billion of additional investment for public schools on the table.

“This isn’t a blank cheque. I make no apologies for tying this additional money to reforms that will support teachers and help students catch up, keep up and finish school,” he said.

“If delivered, this would represent the biggest extra investment in public education by the Australian government in this country’s history.”

If a state or territory does not sign on to the government’s public school funding offer, the current funding arrangements will continue for another 12 months.

The current federal government offer is an extra $400 million for the state’s public schools each year, which would lift the Commonwealth’s funding share to 22.5 per cent of the schooling resource standard.