Australian doctor joins largest convoy in history to travel to Gaza in humanitarian aid mission
An Australian doctor is among participants from 10 countries across the world sailing a motor-cruiser to Gaza in a bid to send humanitarian aid to starving Palestinians.
Bianca Webb-Pullman, a practicing family medic, has been assigned to Family, the lead vessel in the largest convoy in history to travel to Gaza.
The “Global Sumud Flotilla” is carrying hundreds of participants from more than 40 national delegations.
Last month, two Australian activists said they were “brutalised psychologically” and treated “like criminals” by the Israeli military after a boat they were on was intercepted and detained while attempting to transport aid to Gaza as part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition.
You can read more about the latest journey here:
Key events
Sydney man charged with possessing child abuse material and firearm offences
The New South Wales sex crimes squad have charged an 18-year-old eastern Sydney man with possessing child abuse material and firearm related offences as part of an investigation into child internet exploitation.
About 7.45am yesterday, strike force detectives executed a search warrant at a home in Matraville, eastern Sydney, where they allegedly found a phone containing child abuse material.
Police said they also discovered two gel blasters, two imitation firearms, a slingshot, two rounds of ammunition and some cannabis.
The 18-year-old man was arrested and taken to Maroubra Police Station, where he was charged with two counts of possess child abuse material, three counts of possess unauthorised pistol, possess unauthorised firearm, possess or use a prohibited weapon without permit, possess ammunition without holding licence/permit/authority and possess prohibited drug.
He was refused bail to appear in Bail Division Local Court 6 today.
Penny Wong tells UN AI’s potential use in nuclear weapons ‘challenges the future of humanity’
The rise of artificial intelligence could potentially endanger the world if the technology were used to control nuclear weapons, the foreign minister has warned.
In a speech to the United Nations Security Council, Penny Wong said that while AI has extraordinary potential, it also presents significant dangers if it isn’t kept in check.
Of particular concern was the use of AI in wartime settings, which she said posed a real risk of catastrophic consequences due to a lack of human oversight. She told the council on Friday AI’s potential use in nuclear weapons and unmanned systems “challenges the future of humanity”.
Nuclear warfare has so far been constrained by human judgment, by leaders who bear responsibility and by human conscience. AI has no such concern, nor can it be held accountable.
These weapons threaten to change war itself, and they risk escalation without warning.
Wong also used her speech to call for tougher standards to ensure the use of AI was safe and ethical.
– Australian Associated Press
Surf Life Saving patrol season kicks off in New South Wales as volunteers hit the beaches
It’s official, New South Wales: swimming season is here. The Surf Life Saving patrol season will begin this weekend with the symbolic raising of the red and yellow flags at Dixon Park Beach in Newcastle.
From Saturday until late April next year, Surf Life Saving volunteers will be patrolling on weekends and public holidays, helping to keep swimmers safe during the warmer months.
Over the past year, the state’s volunteer membership has risen by 5% to a record 83,000, while Nipper numbers grew by 4.5% to almost 30,000.
In a joint statement, the NSW premier, Chris Minns, said addressing coastal deaths in unpatrolled and isolated locations was a key priority.
There were 52 coastal drownings in 2024/25, slightly down from 61 fatalities the previous year.
Minns said there had been “too many tragedies” in remote beaches.
Every summer, the red and yellow flags become a symbol of safety and community across our state. The dedication of thousands of Surf Life Saving volunteers, alongside our professional lifeguards, gives families the confidence to enjoy our world-class beaches.
Andrew Messenger
Controversial Townsville mayor resigns
Controversial suspended Townsville mayor Troy Thompson has resigned.
Thompson has been under investigation from the Queensland Crime and Corruption Commission since he was elected to the role last year, for a range of issues including allegedly misleading the electorate about his service in the defence force.
The local government minister, Ann Leahy, issued Thompson a two-week show cause notice last week.
Thompson announced the decision to stand down in a three-minute video posted on Facebook on Friday. He said he will run in the byelection.
“Let me be absolutely clear, this resignation is not an admission of wrongdoing,” he said.
It is a deliberate and principled stand to protect the democratic rights of the people of Townsville.
Read more here:
Investigation underway after woman dies in Melbourne CBD incident
Detectives are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a woman after an incident at an apartment in the Melbourne CBD earlier this week.
Emergency services were called to a property on Berkeley Street after it was alleged a woman, armed with a knife, gained entry to an apartment on Tuesday just before 2am.
The woman allegedly made demands for items before the two residents, a man, 28, and a woman, 24, restrained her and called police.
Officers arrived and found the woman unconscious before performing CPR. The 20-year-old Point Cook woman was transported to hospital in a critical condition.
She later died in hospital on Wednesday evening. Both residents of the apartment have been interviewed by police and released pending further enquiries.
Penry Buckley
Police allege attempted copper wire theft behind Sydney commuter outage
Returning to the western Sydney trains outage, NSW police has provided an update.
In a statement, a spokesperson said police were called to Penrith train station about 5.50am today after reports of a person in the rail corridor (earlier the Sydney Trains chief executive, Matt Longland, said there were multiple alleged perpetrators).
The spokesperson for NSW police said:
Officers attached to Nepean police area command were told a man had allegedly gone on to the tracks just past the platform, damaged rail equipment and attempted to steal copper wiring.
They have begun an investigation into the incident.
PM to meet with former UK prime minister Tony Blair before global progress summit in London
Anthony Albanese is preparing to school progressive leaders from around the globe in political success after touching down in London for the next leg of his three-country visit.
The prime minister arrived in London alongside fiancee Jodie Haydon on Friday morning (Aest), before a conference of leftwing leaders.
Albanese will receive a reception at the Global Progress Action Summit, a gathering of some of the world’s progressive leaders and policy experts after his election win in May.
He will join the Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, Iceland’s Kristrun Frostadottir and the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, whose plummeting political favourability is in stark contrast with the Australian leader.
Albanese arrives in the UK fresh from topping a Labor-dominated AFR Magazine Power List for another year, which included no members of the federal opposition for the first time in 25 years, revealing a command over the political landscape not seen since John Howard.
A contemporary of Howard, the former UK Labour prime minister Tony Blair, will meet with Albanese before the summit.
Gaza will likely be a key topic of discussion, with Blair reportedly top of a list to head a temporary authority as it transitions to Palestinian rule.
Melbourne gets ready for AFL grand final parade
Melbourne Park is just an hour away from hosting the AFL grand final parade and cloudy, windy skies aren’t likely to keep away mad Cats and Lions fans.
Tomorrow’s big game will be the first time Brisbane and Geelong go head-to-head in an AFL grand final.
This blogger is coming to you from Sydney, where we do not have a public holiday, and is also a Collingwood supporter, so this post was hard to write.
Officers investigating alleged home invasion in Sydney
A police investigation is under way after an alleged home invasion in Sydney’s south-west overnight.
NSW police said at about 12.15am today officers were called to a home at St Johns Park after a triple-zero call of an alleged home invasion.
They were told two men in their 20s and two women aged 56 and 27 were at home when a group of unknown men forced entry into the house and allegedly stole jewellery and cash before leaving the scene.
Inquiries alleged the 21-year-old man was assaulted by the unknown men. While there were no serious injuries reported due to the incident, the 56-year-old woman was taken to hospital as precaution.
A crime scene has been established and an investigation is under way.
Sculpture by the Sea saved after ‘extraordinary’ outpour of support
Sculpture by the Sea has stopped accepting donations and will go ahead after launching a crowdfunding campaign to cover a $200,000 shortfall to run the Bondi event.
On Wednesday, a campaign was launched after organisers learned they hadn’t secured government funding to reach their budget, leaving them 7% short.
Organisers had two weeks to raise the funds in order for the cultural event to go ahead on 17 October but have met their target in just two days after acquiring a major partnership with NRMA Insurance.
Founder David Handley told ABC Radio Sydney the response had been “extraordinary”. He said, in addition to the partnership, the event received more than $125,000 in public donations within the 30 hours of launching its appeal.
We went right down to the wire, that’s why we had to do this desperate plea. We are not an organisation with cash reserves. We’re going to be able to take time to reflect on how we try to set up Sculpture from the Sea as a more sustainable operation with a future fund.
The annual sculpture walk is free to the public and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.
Nationals deputy leader says Coalition backs UN security council bid
The deputy leader of the Nationals, Kevin Hogan, says the Coalition is supportive of Australia’s bid for a seat on the UN security council.
Speaking on ABC Radio National earlier, Hogan said the opposition was in favour of “anything where we can increase our international presence”.
“Yes, we personally support that,” he said.
Hogan was also asked about noisy rumblings from Liberal MP Andrew Hastie, who is putting himself within striking distance of the party’s leadership.
Asked if these conversations should be aired publicly, he replied “yes and no”.
I think they should happen internally. But then should all of these issues be internal discussions? I don’t think so … People have different opinions on these subjects, so for him to have the conversation publicly I don’t think is necessarily damaging … What we do need to get government back is a clear, articulate position on things that are important to the Australian public.
Penry Buckley
Key Sydney commuter service affected after alleged vandalism
No trains are running between two key stations linking western Sydney commuters to the CBD, after vandals allegedly cut and took down a section of wire.
Buses are now replacing trains between St Marys and Penrith on the T1 line, due to vandalism of equipment at Penrith.
The Sydney Trains chief executive, Matt Longland, told 2GB the alleged perpetrators had cut a number of cables and rolled them up before fleeing the scene.
He said:
Once the cables are cut, it does take time to rejoin them, to test them, to make sure those signals are operating safely.
Transport for NSW has advised passengers to allow extra travel time and check announcements and information displays for updates. Trains are still running on the Blue Mountains line.
Australia ‘confident’ about UN Security Council bid, acting PM says
Circling back to Richard Marles, the acting prime minister was up on ABC News Breakfast earlier, still buzzing on Geelong.
Marles discussed Australia’s bid for a seat on the UN Security Council, which he said was a “really important exercise” the nation had done periodically since the aftermath of the Second World War, most recently in 2012 to 2014.
He said:
It’s important to understand where there are economic opportunities for Australia that we mightn’t have otherwise have seen. Obviously important to understand what security anxieties there are beyond those that we obviously face each and every day.
As to whether Australia’s diplomatic footprint would have to be expanded as part of the bid, Marles said he didn’t have a ballpark figure on what type of budget would be allocated but it wouldn’t be a “particularly expensive exercise”.
We will, of course, have to go around the world and present our credentials, but we do so with a sense of confidence and that will be a really important exercise for Australia to undertake as a middle power and it will be an incredible opportunity if we get the opportunity.
More images of Anthony Albanese’s arrival in London
As we brought you earlier, the prime minister has touched down in London for the next leg of his international tour.
Albanese and his fiancee, Jodie Haydon, were greeted by the Australian high commissioner to the United Kingdom, Stephen Smith, on arrival at Stansted airport.
It is looking decidedly cold there, if the coats are anything to go on.
Penry Buckley
Anti-Palestinian racism widespread in Australian schools, says report
A new report says anti-Palestinian racism has become widespread in Australian schools and is being used to “prevent and silence” the discussion of the war in Gaza.
The findings, which have been released today by the Australian Palestinian Advocacy Network (Apan), define anti-Palestinian racism as practices which “any practice which denies, denigrates … or vilifies the people of Palestine or their supporters”.
Its authors examined more than 80 testimonies of alleged racism and vilification in schools since October 2023, primarily in NSW and Victoria. Students and staff spoke about being verbally abused for participating in pro-Palestinian rallies or discussing the conflict on social media, while others said discussion in class had been limited.
One staff member alleged they were “screamed at” by their principal for wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh and called a “terrorist” and “antisemitic” in front of other staff.
The Apan president, Nasser Mashni, says the report highlights a “climate of fear, censorship, intimidation and punishment”.
Part of our obligation to stand against genocide, and to teach our kids the difference between right and wrong, is to encourage people to criticise systems of oppression and to help them understand what’s happening in the world.
The report makes several recommendations, including the recognition of the existence of anti-Palestinian racism in Australian schools and lessons about the significance of Palestinian cultural symbols and clothing.
