TRANSCRIPT
The Opposition leader says Australia should be united under one flag...
Labor MP calls for unity in addressing widely condemned attack on Melbourne synagogue...
Australia's women's side prepare for a busy campaign ahead of World Cup in England next year.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton has stirred controversy after saying Australia is a 'country united under one flag'.
Speaking on Sky News, Mr Dutton said he would continue to solely display the Australian Commonwealth flag, without the Australian Aboriginal flag beside it, during press conferences if elected as prime minister.
He told Sky News Australia should also celebrate their migrant story of those arriving with nothing from the post-world war period.
"We are a country united under one flag, and if we're asking people to identify with different flags, no other country does that, and we are dividing our country unnecessarily. Now, we should have respect for the indigenous flag and the Torres Strait Islander flag, but they are not our national flags, and I think the Prime Minister sends a very confusing message."
Opposition Home Affairs Minister James Patterson says the Labor government's adoption of a taskforce to investigate a rise in anti-Semitism in Australia does not go far enough.
He told ABC News Breakfast the Opposition and Jewish community are calling for a standing taskforce that incorporates not just the federal police and ASIO, but significant resources incorporating all other arms of law enforcement, security and intelligence at the federal level.
This comes as Opposition leader Peter Dutton reiterated calls for a multi-agency taskforce on Sky News and says the incident should have immediately been declared a terror attack.
Mr Patterson also criticised the Prime Minister's absence so far at the site of the Melbourne synagogue firebombing, which prompted the creation of a taskforce investigating antisemitism in the country.
He says the government has failed to call out the rise in antisemitism since October 7.
Meanwhile, Labor MP Josh Burns says politics should not divide the community on this issue.
This comes after he accused Opposition leader Peter Dutton of intervening last minute and prevent Liberal Senator James Patterson from reading a letter on behalf of Burns who could not attend the event after he lost his voice from being sick.
He told ABC News Breakfast that his electorate of Macnamara are hurting after what has widely been condemned as an anti-Semitic attack.
Syrians at home and millions of refugees abroad are hopeful yet deeply uncertain about their future, as ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's prime minister has agreed to hand power to the rebel-led Salvation Government.
It comes a day after the rebels seized the capital Damascus and al-Assad fled to Russia.
The imminent transfer of power follows 13 years of civil war and it marks an end to more than 50 years of rule by the al-Assad family.
One Syrian describes the situation they now confront.
“There’s been a change. You can now see people going out into the streets. Those who were trapped in fear inside their homes for a long time have started to go out, shop, and buy things. Things are much better than before, God willing. This is the situation. We don’t know anything anymore. We just want stability in the end—that’s all.”
The major supermarkets currently have the best value prices for a Christmas lamb, while Aldi remains the best value choice for other grocery staples.
This is the latest from consumer competition group Choice's third quarterly report, funded by the Albanese government.
Choice's latest report has once again found that Aldi is the cheapest supermarket, followed by Coles, Woolworths and IGA.
Between June and September 2024, the cost of Choice's basket of 14 items with specials increased at Woolworths by $0.80, prices dropped by $5.15 at IGA, cost $0.16 less at Aldi and was $0.04 cheaper at Coles.
Assistant Minister for Competition Andrew Leigh says the government has introduced a number of supermarket-related reforms, including multi-million dollar penalties for pricing breaches, as well as bolstering of the unit pricing code, which displays a breakdown of the cost of each item.
"It's important that we set up this supermarket price Olympics in order that Australians can see where to get the best deal at a time when Australians are feeling the cost of living pressure, it is vital that we put more competition into the supermarket industry."
And in rugby, Australia's Wallaroos are preparing for a busy international campaign ahead of next year's Women's Rugby World Cup in England.
After finishing this year on a high with victory in their tournament in South Africa, the Australian side are looking to again reach the play-off stage at the showpiece tournament.
The Wallaroos will play seven Tests leading into the World Cup in late August, with five on home turf.
They will open their Test season with a match against Fijiana in Fiji in May before competing in the Pacific Four series in Australia.
