Greens push to prevent US execution broadcast in Australia
The Greens are calling on the Albanese government to take steps ensuring that a firing squad execution scheduled in the United States cannot be viewed by Australian audiences. Last week, US secretary of defense Pete Hegseth announced that members of the public would be permitted to watch the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan on 3 December.
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young has contacted the eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant and communications minister Anika Wells, requesting confirmation that measures will be implemented to prevent the broadcast from reaching Australia. Hanson-Young has suggested that digital platforms could face substantial financial penalties if they permit the stream to be shown or fail to remove the video once it has been published.
I think this is incredibly shocking and barbaric, and Australians don't want this on our screens.
According to a national broadcaster's report, the Greens have formally asked the eSafety commissioner and communications minister to outline what action will prevent the US execution stream from becoming accessible in Australia.
NSW government moves to expand budget office scope ahead of election
The NSW government intends to amend legislation to grant the independent Parliamentary Budget Office authority to assess the policy commitments of all parties contesting the March 2027 election, not only the two major parties. The Minns government has stated that the upcoming election will feature three parties competing to form government, yet current legislation only permits the budget office to provide cost analysis for Labor and Coalition policies.
Treasurer Daniel Mookhey said he was
looking forwardto examining One Nation's proposals. He argued that
right now, voters will only get advice from the independent PBO on the costs of the Coalition and Labor's policies. They should get that same advice about One Nation's policies.
Mookhey noted that One Nation has openly expressed admiration for wage policies, healthcare arrangements and public service reductions implemented in the United States and Argentina. He contended that
no doubt they will want to import these ideas into NSW, but voters deserve to have independent advice about what they mean for them.
According to reporting from a major Australian newspaper, the NSW government is expected to introduce this legislative change this week. The Parliamentary Budget Office, established before the 2011 election, has traditionally provided budget reports for the two major parties ahead of state elections.
Flydubai co-pilot's Australian study period under investigation for extremism links
Opposition figures have described as
deeply disturbingreports that the FlyDubai co-pilot involved in an attempted hijacking became radicalised while undertaking studies in Australia. Over the weekend, the attorney-general of the United Arab Emirates stated that pilot Hamad Saif al-Shamsi experienced a
drift towards extremism and terrorismduring his time as a student in Melbourne.
According to reporting from a news agency, UAE investigators allege that the co-pilot planned to seize flight FZ1073 and crash it into Ben Gurion Airport's terminal on 30 September, though the captain successfully prevented the attempt. The UAE attorney-general indicated that the co-pilot's alleged extremist influences included online material celebrating terrorist organisations and suicide attacks, and that he drew inspiration from al-Qaeda's 11 September attacks.
The Australian Federal Police is currently investigating the co-pilot's period in Australia and any potential connections to extremism, according to a national broadcaster's investigation. Al-Shamsi obtained a student visa for Australian study in 2014 and departed in 2017, with his visa subsequently cancelled two years later. RMIT confirmed that the co-pilot studied at the institution but left before finishing an engineering qualification.
Shadow home affairs minister Jonno Duniam stated that Australia must have no tolerance for hate preachers or individuals promoting terror and violence. He said
that is why the Coalition will tighten visa laws to keep those who preach hatred out of Australia and deport non-citizens who promote violent extremism.Duniam added that
extremism has no place in Australia. We need to detect it early, confront it wherever it emerges and give our police and security agencies the resources they need to keep Australians safe.
Home affairs minister Tony Burke stated that the individual was radicalised through online channels, as extremist groups deliberately target young people, particularly males. Burke indicated that the government is focused on implementing thorough screening procedures for people entering the country and monitoring online environments.
The UAE attorney-general indicated that the co-pilot's alleged drift towards extremism commenced in 2017 while he was studying in Australia, marking a significant period in his trajectory towards the alleged extremist ideology.
