Independent MP says Israeli president’s visit ‘risks igniting further division’
Josh Butler
Independent MP Sophie Scamps is the latest to voice concern over the impending visit of Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, claiming it “risks igniting further division at the very time when Australian leaders should be working to rebuild social cohesion and bring our nation together.”
Herzog is visiting Australia in early February, at the invitation of the federal Labor government, to meet with the Jewish community and survivors of the Bondi terror attack, in the wake of the shooting that left 15 people dead at a Hanukah festival last month.
Anthony Albanese will meet Herzog during his visit, the prime minister saying Herzog was welcome in Australia. But pro-Palestine groups, including the Labor Friends of Palestine lobby group, have opposed his visit and called on the government to rescind the invitation, over Israel’s military operation in Gaza which has left tens of thousands of civilians dead.
Scamps – the member for Mackellar – added her voice to those today. She said in a statement:
For all of us after Bondi the priority ought to be the safety and security of the Jewish community. Inviting a divisive figure, even a head of state, can only invite division and further risk.
Key events
Josh Taylor
Apple works to fix update that left old iPhones unable to call or text on Telstra network
iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X customers on Telstra’s network, including those who connect through third-party operators like Woolworths, discovered after a software update issued this week that they cannot call or text over the network.
Apple pulled back all software updates released this week for some older iPhone and iPad models while the issue was investigated, and has since re-issued all upstades except iOS 16.7.13 and iPadOS 16.7.13.
A timeline for those affected users to be able to make calls over the network remains uncertain but an Apple spokesperson said a fix had been identified and it “will be available in an upcoming software update.”
It is understood when the phone is in SOS mode – that is where it cannot connect to the user’s mobile network, it should still be able to make 000 calls on an alternative mobile network where one is available, but can take some time.
The issue is believed to only affect users on the Telstra network.
Telstra said it was working with Apple on the fix as a priority.
New public holiday floated to create April long weekend
AAP have news that will surely be welcome by many in NSW, as only other states and territories are in line for an Anzac Day long weekend this year.
With that fact dawning on people planning their 2026 escapes, a state premier today flagged his government is in talks to create a new public holiday, accounting for Anzac Day falling on a Saturday.
Remembrance services will be held nationwide on 25 April but only people in Western Australia and ACT will get an additional public holiday on the following Monday. NSW premier, Chris Minns, told Triple M:
It’s not just this year, it’s next year as well that you don’t get the day off.
And we (NSW) are underserved when it comes to public holidays, there’s a lot more in every other state.
We’re going to have a conversation about it for this year.
Talks with the RSL would be held to ensure the creation of a long weekend didn’t detract from the national day of remembrance. Minns said:
I’ve got to have confidence that it’s not going to – if we have a public holiday on the Monday – it doesn’t detract from the salience of the 25th. It’s got to be the 25th that’s hugely important.
Asked whether he thought there will be a new leader soon in the Liberal party, Bragg said “no.”
Bragg backs Morrison’s controversial call for national register and accreditation for imams
Liberal senator Andrew Bragg, the shadow minister for housing, has defended his endorsement of Scott Morrison’s speech in which the former prime minister called for a national register and accreditation for imams.
Bragg, appearing on ABC Radio this morning said his point is that while there is no individual responsibility, the community’s help is needed in tackling a “mutation of this religion”:
No one is tarring a whole community, but we’ve got to be honest and frank here. The fact is that these incidents have originated in these communities over the past decade, and we need more help to solve them. It’s a great community – 99.9% of the people are excellent Australians. But we owe it to the broader community, to be honest and frank, that these issues are originating from a mutation of a religion, and we need support.
This is the same thing that security agencies have said. This is the same thing the Imams have said before about vigilance. I just think we can’t have a situation now that we’ve had a massacre, that we’re going to be all overly politically correct and pretend these things aren’t coming from a particular community. It doesn’t mean that everyone is individually responsible, but we need more support and help.
Bragg agreed that the Imams Council have made public statements condemning the Bondi attack, but suggested more could be done such as to train imams in Australia rather than overseas:
I think that there’s always room for improvement across the board, and whether it is training more people in Australia as Imams, whether it is a closer working relationship with the security agencies, whether it is the recommendations that come out of the royal commission. The point is, I don’t think it’s particularly controversial, frankly, to say that we can’t solve this terrorism problem without a good relationship with the Australian Muslim community, which is a great part of our community here in Sydney. We need their support.
Melissa Davey
Hospital presentations climb after days of extreme heat in SA
As parts of South Australia experience consecutive days of extreme heat, data from SA Health show there were 99 heat-related hospital presentations between January 1-27. This compares to 32 at the same time in 2025.
But doctors say this vastly underestimates the impact extreme heat and climate is having on health.
Marree, in northern South Australia, has experienced six days in a row above 46C and is set to experience three more. Ceduna climbed above 49C this week, while temperatures rose above 48C in Port Augusta, Port Pirie and Tarcoola.
Dr Kimberly Humphrey, a public health medical consultant with SA Health, told Guardian Australia:
There has been a very real and visible increase in heat-related and heat-exacerbated presentations during recent periods of extreme heat.
Heat-related presentations do not necessarily account for all heat related events, as coding used in emergency departments only allows for identification of direct heat related illness, such as heatstroke and dehydration.
What we see in emergency departments is a broader, more complex picture: heart attacks, strokes, kidney injury, worsening heart failure, asthma and respiratory distress, delirium, mental health deterioration, and people whose chronic illnesses become unstable because their bodies simply can’t cope with sustained heat. It’s not possible to attribute these presentations to heat in real time, or even shortly after events.
Humphrey said it is only through retrospective analysis of hospital presentations and ambulance call outs “that we can identify the conditions patients have presented with and get the true picture”.
She said nights over 24C in particular don’t give people a chance to recover, “and by day three or four the cumulative impact is obvious”.
We see a surge of patients the 3-4 days after a heatwave starts, generally.
Josh Butler
Government priority should be fostering social cohesion, says Scamps
Continuing on from the last post, Scamps pointed to the United Nations commission’s conclusion in September 2025 that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza. That commission, which does not speak on behalf of the UN, stated that Herzog, Netanyahu and then defence minister Yoav Gallant “have incited the commission of genocide”.
Israel’s foreign ministry rejected the commission’s report, calling it “distorted and false” and claiming it “relies entirely on Hamas falsehoods”.
Herzog has called the genocide case against Israel in the international court of justice a “form of blood libel” and pushed back on criticism of his 2023 comments, claiming he had been taken out of context, and noting he had said in the same media appearance that Israel would respect international law and there was no excuse for the killing of innocent civilians. The ICJ is yet to issue its final ruling.
Scamps said:
Inviting a foreign head of state who has been found to have incited the commission of genocide risks deeply dividing the Australian community.
Now more than ever, we should be doing everything we can as a nation to come together.
In the aftermath of the Bondi attack, this visit risks heightening tensions and deepening divisions, at a time when the Government’s priority should be fostering social cohesion, security and safety for Jewish Australians and for all communities.
Independent MP says Israeli president’s visit ‘risks igniting further division’
Josh Butler
Independent MP Sophie Scamps is the latest to voice concern over the impending visit of Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, claiming it “risks igniting further division at the very time when Australian leaders should be working to rebuild social cohesion and bring our nation together.”
Herzog is visiting Australia in early February, at the invitation of the federal Labor government, to meet with the Jewish community and survivors of the Bondi terror attack, in the wake of the shooting that left 15 people dead at a Hanukah festival last month.
Anthony Albanese will meet Herzog during his visit, the prime minister saying Herzog was welcome in Australia. But pro-Palestine groups, including the Labor Friends of Palestine lobby group, have opposed his visit and called on the government to rescind the invitation, over Israel’s military operation in Gaza which has left tens of thousands of civilians dead.
Scamps – the member for Mackellar – added her voice to those today. She said in a statement:
For all of us after Bondi the priority ought to be the safety and security of the Jewish community. Inviting a divisive figure, even a head of state, can only invite division and further risk.
Police investigating Perth Invasion Day rally bomb incident as potential terrorist act
More on the potential terrorist act committed at the Perth Invasion Day rally, where a man allegedly threw a homemade bomb into the crowd.
Last night, a joint statement between WA police, Australian federal police and Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (Asio) confirmed authorities were investigating the incident as a potential terrorist act.
The Western Australia joint counter-terrorism team said the investigation is ongoing and further charges have not been ruled out.
A 31-year-old man has been charged by Western Australian police and will appear in court on 17 February.
You can read the full story here:
Lisa Cox
Gellibrand residents advised not to return as nearby fire burns out of control
A bushfire at Carlisle River in Victoria’s Otways continues to burn out of control, with VicEmergency advising residents of the town of Gellibrand it is not yet safe to return.
The fire has been downgraded from emergency level to a “watch and act” warning after an improvement in conditions. Other major blazes, including in the north-east of the state, are also at “watch and act” level.
Victoria remains in the grip of a severe heatwave, with temperatures forecast to reach the low to mid-40s in the state’s north. The heat has eased in other parts of the state with forecasts ranging from the mid-20s to mid-30s.
VicEmergency said a high fire danger rating was in place for most of the state, with the exception of West and South Gippsland and East Gippsland fire districts, which have a moderate fire danger rating.
Elsewhere, the New South Wales rural fire service has issued a total fire ban for the northern slopes region covering Gunnedah, Gwydir, Inverell, Liverpool Plains and Tamworth. There is extreme fire danger in the region due to hot and windy conditions. Large parts of western, north-western and south-western NSW continue to experience severe heat, with temperatures above 40C forecast again in many areas on Thursday.
Extreme temperatures are also expected to continue in south-western Queensland and return to northern South Australia.
Deputy Liberal leader Ted O’Brien reaffirms support for Ley
Meanwhile in the Liberal camp – where no official challenge has been launched but rumours of a Liberal leadership mutiny swirl – deputy leader, Ted O’Brien, has quashed the notion of internal dissent and says Sussan Ley has his support.
He told ABC TV this morning:
I haven’t spoken to any colleague who believes that Sussan didn’t make the right calls last week. She demonstrated enormous strength and dignity in a very difficult situation with the National party. To answer the latter part – Sussan absolutely has my support. She was elected leader, I believe she’s doing a good job and I’ll continue to support her.
McKenzie says Nationals party room supports Littleproud ‘all the way’
Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie has backed David Littleproud amid the challenge to his leadership launched yesterday by Colin Boyce.
Appearing this morning on the Today Show, McKenzie said Littleproud would “absolutely” be the leader on Monday and she supported him “absolutely.”
Colin Boyce is a terrific local member in Gladstone. Your viewers might not know who he is, but everybody knows who he is in Flynn. He got a 6% swing to him at the last election. I cannot see the spill motion getting up on Monday. Usually, you would talk to your colleagues. So no, the room and myself, we support David all the way.
East coast power prices drop as solar and wind power more than half of total electricity for first time
Adam Morton
Wholesale electricity prices in the east coast power grid fell sharply in the last three months of 2025 due to a record influx of renewable energy.
Solar and wind provided more than half of total energy in the national electricity market for the first time, pushing wholesale prices 44% lower than the same period in 2024.
Wholesale costs make up about a third of what households and businesses are charged for electricity.
Wind generation increased 29% and large-scale solar power was up 15%. Rooftop solar leapt nearly 9% to reach an all-time high.
The amount of energy from batteries nearly tripled. Coal-fired power generation fell 4.6%, while gas power was down 27%.
Violette Mouchaileh, from the Australian Energy Market Operator, said it was a “landmark moment” for the power grid.
For the first time, renewables and storage supplied more than half of the system’s energy needs for a full quarter.
It reflects years of sustained investment and demonstrates that more wind, solar and battery capacity in the system reduces reliance on higher cost coal and gas generation, placing sustained downward pressure on wholesale electricity prices.
Continuing on from that last post about Chinese investigators to help search for the man who burnt a baby in a Brisbane park.
Speaking in Canberra on Wednesday, the Chinese ambassador said a “working group” would travel to Brisbane to investigate the incident. Xiao said:
I’m not sure if I should announce this at this moment, but there’s going to be a working group from China coming to Brisbane.
We’re now preparing for the working group to come, so we are serious in addressing this concern, and we’re serious in taking the necessary actions.
Xiao said the team will work with Australian police to “see what exactly happened, how it happened, and how both sides can work together as a follow-up”.
Australian federal police have been working with Chinese authorities since the alleged attacker left the country on 31 August 2024.
There is no extradition treaty between Australia and China.
Queensland police service and Australian federal police said they are supportive of the delegation visiting Brisbane.
– AAP
Chinese investigators to search for man who burnt baby
A Chinese team will visit Australia to help search for a man who randomly attacked a baby with hot coffee before fleeing the country, AAP reports.
China’s ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, announced on Wednesday that investigators will travel to Queensland to work with police to investigate the 33-year-old accused attacker.
The stranger allegedly dumped a Thermos of coffee on nine-month-old boy Luka at a Brisbane park on 27 August 2024, before fleeing to his home country.
Luka suffered horrific burns to his chest, neck and face and endured eight surgeries, including grafts and laser treatments.
Minutes after police discovered the man’s identity and released CCTV images of him, they learned he had flown to China 12 hours earlier.
Aly says Morrison’s remarks on Islam ‘absolutely abhorrent’
Anne Aly was also asked for her response to former prime minister Scott Morrison using a speech in Israel to call for intervention in Islamic preaching and education, including a national register, in the wake of the Bondi beach terror attack.
I think it’s incredibly irresponsible, and I also think it’s incredibly disappointing because it draws on historical stereotypes and a historical trope that continually puts the blame and responsibility and the burden on Muslim communities whenever there is any form of a terrorist attack … This consistent seeking to blame the entire community, an entire faith community for the actions of two radicalised individuals to take advantage of something like the Bondi attack to sow seeds of discourse is absolutely abhorrent and should be rejected.
You can read more about Morrison’s comments, which have also been condemned by leading Islamic groups as “ill-infomed and “dangerous”, here:
The Australian National Imams Council yesterday also condemned comments from current Liberal senator and shadow minister Andrew Bragg, who endorsed Morrison’s comments on ABC radio.
