Key events
Good morning, and happy Tuesday. Nick Visser here to take over the blog. Let’s get to it.
Another Victorian Liberal MP to quit
The problems facing the party’s new leader, Jess Wilson, have deepened after another MP, Wendy Lovell, announced that she would be stepping down as well.
Sam Groth, the former tennis player and deputy leader of the party, said on Monday he will resign from parliament at the November state election, citing infighting within his party and after a defamation battle with News Corp.
Lovell had planned to stand down but had reportedly been asked by Wilson to delay her announcement. However, she went ahead with her statement on Monday.
“The Liberal party’s values embody the aspirations of all Victorians, and I am very thankful to have been given the opportunity to represent those values as a country Liberal MP,” Lovell said, an upper house MP for the Northern Victoria region since 2002.
Labor MPs and activists join calls for royal commission into antisemitism and Bondi attacks
A group of former Labor MPs and activists have written an open letter to Anthony Albanese calling on him to hold a royal commission into antisemitism and the Bondi terror attack.
They said democracy was “at stake” if the prime minister failed to heeds the calls.
We commend NSW premier Chris Minns for calling a NSW royal commission but such a commission cannot compel institutions and individuals beyond its jurisdiction to give evidence or provide commonwealth officers with the necessary legal protection to speak frankly.
Only a commonwealth royal commission can unpack the dynamics of Jew hatred including aspects such as the social media threat, how hate and incitement is weaponised in Australia and how we can come together across the nation to defeat it.
Read our full story here:
Rain would probably be welcome in south-eastern states, where extreme heat is expected to build and soar into the mid-40s this week.
Yesterday we talked to the BoM about the forecast:
PM to visit flood-hit areas of Queensland
Anthony Albanese will visit flood-hit areas of Queensland today as the state faces more heavy rain.
Some northern and western parts of the state received between 200-500mm of rain at the weekend to leave small towns such as Winton cut off for days. Though the main worry in Winton appears to be for uninformed tourists:
Bondi shooting suspect Naveed Akram moved to Goulburn Supermax
The surviving Bondi shooting suspect, Naveed Akram, has been moved to Goulburn Supermax prison as he awaits a court appearance.
Akram, who has been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder and one count of committing a terrorist act, will next face court again on 8 April.
Corrective Services NSW said:
Community safety remains this government’s top priority and Corrective Services NSW takes its responsibility to appropriately manage serious offenders incredibly seriously.
The high-risk management correctional centre is the most secure prison in the state and is equipped to accommodate inmates who pose the highest levels of risk.
We are not able to comment on the specific circumstances of individual inmates.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories before your morning blogger kicks into action.
Bondi terror suspect Naveed Akram has been moved to Goulburn Supermax prison, where he will remain until he faces court again in April. He faces 59 charges, including 15 murder counts.
Anthony Albanese will visit flood-hit areas of Queensland today as the state faces more heavy rain.
