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From 1h ago ‘I am not corrupt’: Jean Nassif declares innocence Kat Wong Fugitive property developer Jean Nassif is fronting the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption to wrap up his evidence after an explosive appearance on Monday. Nassif told the commission he offered lobbyists Jeremy Greenwood and Christian Ellis $1m to help fast-track his developments. As counsel assisting Peggy Dwyer SC read texts between Greenwood and Ellis about Charles Perrottet not prioritising the developments, Nassif said he did not understand what this had to do with him.
Dialling in from his Beirut bedroom, Nassif said: double quotation mark This is an issue amongst them and between them. I was not involved at all. I am not involved with paying politicians to get my projects approved.
I employed consultants to solve my problems and unblock the way ... What they did, if they did any corrupt work, I am not involved with it. I was not aware of it ...
You need to understand. I am not corrupt. As part of its investigation into allegations against people associated with the NSW Liberals, Icac is examining the allegation that Liberal figures anticipated receiving $2m in prohibited donations from Nassif in exchange for political outcomes, including damage to the career of the NSW Liberal minister David Elliott, and the removal of the building commissioner David Chandler.
Nassif has denied wrongdoing. Key events 42m ago Gold Coast mayor tells journalist to ‘fuck off’ during press conference 1h ago Nassif threatens to pull out from Icac hearings mid-rant 1h ago ‘I am not corrupt’: Jean Nassif declares innocence 1h ago Immediate action taken against Labor staffer Muldoon ‘appropriate’, PM says 2h ago Not question time, but ‘smears’ time: Albanese 3h ago NDIA announces voluntary redundancies for first time since creation 3h ago ‘We never spoke about a gas reservation policy’: Hanson denies Guardian report 4h ago Hanson offers qualified apologies to Albanese and Indigenous Australians 4h ago Hanson denies migration plan will send country into recession 5h ago Taylor says One Nation’s comments fail ‘basic test on decency’ 5h ago Sydney Sweeney ad for US gambling company ‘pretty disgusting’, Steggall says 6h ago Queensland to ban ‘green groups’ from objecting to mining projects 6h ago Queensland to introduce new crackdown on parole 7h ago ‘Up to the Coalition’ to team up with Labor on immigration, Chris Bowen says 7h ago Campuses would shut down under One Nation plan, university peak body warns 8h ago Hanson should apologise for ‘deeply hurtful’ comments, says McCarthy 9h ago Malinauskas still optimistic about steel making in South Australia 9h ago O’Neil defends transport minister’s top-tier Qantas membership 9h ago Barnaby Joyce says One Nation will pursue immigration policy ‘no matter the cost’ 10h ago Andrew Hastie says Pauline Hanson hasn’t ‘had the courage’ to front media 10h ago Chris Bowen downplays reintroduction of fuel excise relief amid renewed surge in oil prices 10h ago Albanese speaks with King Charles 10h ago Welcome Two WA teens charged after alleged Perth Zoo break-in Western Australia Police have charged two teenage boys after an alleged break-in at Perth Zoo during which a crocodile was assaulted and property was damaged. Police allege the boys, aged 16 and 17, entered the zoo at about 7.15pm on Sunday.
It remains unclear how they gained entry. The teenagers allegedly cut the locks on a crocodile enclosure before entering and striking the animal with a metal pole. They are also accused of damaging CCTV equipment inside the enclosure by removing the cameras from the wall.
The incident was reported to authorities the following morning, before police arrested the teenagers at their separate homes. Both boys have been charged with two counts of criminal damage or destruction of property, one count of trespass and one count of animal cruelty. Andrew Messenger State politicians react to Guardian story about man Tasered in homeless clearance Queensland politicians have reacted to Guardian reporting that a man was Tasered in a homeless clearance earlier in the month.
The man attempted to kill himself after being ordered to leave a park north of Brisbane to make way for a kite festival. He was rushed to hospital, but discharged the next day. The opposition leader, Steven Miles, said the state government had “washed their hands of responsibility for the homelessness crisis that they’re contributing to”, blaming cuts to the state’s emergency fund for accommodation in hotels and motels .
He said. double quotation mark We’re seeing this situation get even worse. It’s pretty much every park across Moreton Bay, whether that’s Pelican Park in Redcliffe, all the way through to Fernie Grove, there’s more and more people popping up in those parks. Miles said it wasn’t appropriate for a hospital to discharge a patient back into homelessness.
Greens MP Michael Berkman said the case was “the end result of both major parties treating housing as a profitable commodity rather than a human right”. He said: double quotation mark Our Government has created this vicious merry-go-round by underfunding housing, healthcare and community services. If this is how the system treats a homeless man with terminal illness, it makes you wonder how they’re treating other people who we just haven’t heard about.
The minister for correctional services, Laura Gerber , said she wasn’t familiar with the case but said the government prioritised community safety. Gold Coast mayor tells journalist to ‘fuck off’ during press conference Andrew Messenger Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate has sworn at an ABC journalist before storming out of a press conference. ABC reporter Liam Walsh asked Tate a series of questions about his trip to Mar-a-Lago to spruik an ultimately doomed $1.5bn plan for a Trump hotel on the Gold Coast .
Tate claimed to have met with the US president at his golf estate at the invitation of the Trump organisation – but no record of the invitation exists, the ABC said. Walsh asked Tate on Tuesday how much the trip cost. The mayor responded that “it’s private” and denied he got “mate’s rates”.
Then the mayor asked the reporter why he was so aggressive and if he was with the ABC, which the reporter confirmed. “Fuck off,” Tate said, and walked out of the press conference. The hotel plan fell over in May, with the developer claiming the Trump brand was too “toxic” to work with .
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate pictured in 2023. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP Achol Arok Good afternoon! I’ll be here to guide you through the rest of the afternoon’s news.
Krishani Dhanji Thank you all so much for joining me on the blog today! I’ll leave you with the fabulous Achol Arok and see you here bright and early tomorrow. Tl;dr here’s what happened in question time The opposition picked a broad bunch of questions (and was perhaps a bit all over the place) to target Labor with today, from the Whyalla steelworks, to a fundraising dinner attended by Albanese, to green hydrogen, to private health insurance rebates for over-65s.
Albanese defended Australia’s democracy and his government’s transparency , in response to a question from Allegra Spender . His answer was essentially: well, at least it’s not as bad as it is overseas. The prime minister also said it was appropriate that a Labor staffer, and ex-Play School host, was stood down after old tweets disparaging Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and others were revealed.
The opposition then tried and failed to table photographs of the staffer in question with Albanese. And Jim Chalmers defended Australia’s debt to GDP ratio with a line that boiled down to: well, it’s not as bad as it is overseas (... sound familiar?). Angus Taylor didn’t get a question in today, and no MPs were kicked out despite a somewhat loud and at times rowdy 75 minutes.
Nassif threatens to pull out from Icac hearings mid-rant Fugitive property developer Jean Nassif has threatened to withdraw from the Independent Commission Against Corruption’s inquiries as the counsel assisting attempted to interrupt a rant about corrupt politicians. Counsel assisting Peggy Dwyer SC asked him to calm down, but Nassif quickly snapped back. Dialling into the inquiry from Lebanon, he said: “I want to prove my point.
If you don’t want me to prove myself I’ll withdraw from all this nonsense.” Showing his handwritten notes to the camera, Nassif said: double quotation mark I’m taking notes ... So stop fucking putting words in my mouth. This is a public hearing, and I know what you’re doing.
You want to show the public that I am corrupt. I’m not corrupt. You guys are not attacking the corrupt officials in the government.
You want the country to be ruled by crooks. Assistant commissioner Fabian Gleeson SC told Nassif to take a breath: “The purpose of this inquiry is to get to the truth of certain allegations. It’s not for you to attack other people.
You can be passionate about that, but this is not the forum for those complaints.” ‘I am not corrupt’: Jean Nassif declares innocence Kat Wong Fugitive property developer Jean Nassif is fronting the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption to wrap up his evidence after an explosive appearance on Monday. Nassif told the commission he offered lobbyists Jeremy Greenwood and Christian Ellis $1m to help fast-track his developments. As counsel assisting Peggy Dwyer SC read texts between Greenwood and Ellis about Charles Perrottet not prioritising the developments, Nassif said he did not understand what this had to do with him.
Dialling in from his Beirut bedroom, Nassif said: double quotation mark This is an issue amongst them and between them. I was not involved at all. I am not involved with paying politicians to get my projects approved.
I employed consultants to solve my problems and unblock the way ... What they did, if they did any corrupt work, I am not involved with it. I was not aware of it ...
You need to understand. I am not corrupt. As part of its investigation into allegations against people associated with the NSW Liberals, Icac is examining the allegation that Liberal figures anticipated receiving $2m in prohibited donations from Nassif in exchange for political outcomes, including damage to the career of the NSW Liberal minister David Elliott, and the removal of the building commissioner David Chandler.
Nassif has denied wrongdoing. QT ends without question from opposition leader After a final dixer, the prime minister calls time on QT for the day. We’re halfway through folks.
Interestingly, Angus Taylor didn’t ask a single question today. Opposition leader Angus Taylor seated during question time. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP Australia’s gross debt-to-GDP ratio lower than any major advanced economy, Chalmers says One Nation MP David Farley is next from the crossbench and asks if the treasurer will accept “commonwealth debt has reached a point beyond which it becomes unsustainable?
Yes, or no? If yes – what gross debt-to-GDP ratio or what gross debt level would trigger that concern with you?” Jim Chalmers says Australia’s debt-to-GDP ratio isn’t that bad compared with other countries, and that much of the debt was accrued during the Coalition government. double quotation mark We have lower gross debt-to-GDP than any major advanced economy – in fact, much lower. Less than half the US, UK, less than a quarter of Japan.
That’s really important because, to go to the core of his question, there are other countries where debt is approaching unsustainable levels, but not in Australia. Farley tries to make a point of order, saying Chalmers isn’t answering the question about what debt level would cause concern. Chalmers continues: double quotation mark If you look at US bond yields, Treasury yields, for 10 years, they’ve breached 5% again today.
That is a source of considerable concern for policymakers and decision-makers, governments, and the private sector right around the world. And it reflects a number of things. It reflects the fact that the war in Iran is dragging on longer than anyone would like from an economic point of view.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers. Photograph: Hilary Wardhaugh/Getty Images Immediate action taken against Labor staffer Muldoon ‘appropriate’, PM says Anthony Albanese says it is “appropriate” that Labor senator Richard Dowling has stood down ex-Play School host Rhys Muldoon as his staffer. Tweets by Muldoon about Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and Peta Credlin were unearthed today, leading to the “immediate action” – as Albanese put it – taken against him.
Nationals MP Anne Webster asked Albanese when he first became aware of Muldoon’s “vile tweets”. Albanese won’t give a timeline. double quotation mark When they became public debate today – I wasn’t aware of those comments until they were raised in the media – and neither was Senator Dowling. The comments are completely unacceptable, and Senator Dowling has taken immediate action – and that’s appropriate.
Liberal frontbencher Aaron Violi tries to table a series of documents including: “the Prime Minister, on election night, with his close personal friend Rhys Muldoon. The Prime Minister being kissed on the cheek by his close political ally Rhys Muldoon. And disgraced Labor adviser Rhys Muldoon with the Prime Minister.” Milton Dick is absolutely not having that, and warns Violi “don’t take advantage of my goodwill or the House’s goodwill by using props to try and table things.” ‘I’ll meet with leaders who have never held a press conference’: Albanese defends his government’s transparency Will the government commit to publishing ministerial diaries, or lists of who ministers have met, so Australians can see who really is in the room, asks Allegra Spender .
She quotes a survey conducted by McKinnon which found “72% of Australians think politicians serve ourselves and vested interests first, before we serve them”. Albanese says that his diary is regularly published via FOI requests – but what Spender is suggesting is the proactive publishing of all ministerial diaries. He then defends the current system and says at least Australia is, like, better than other countries. double quotation mark When I go to the UN next week, I’ll meet with leaders who have never answered a question in parliament.
I’ll meet with leaders. I’ll meet with leaders who have never held a press conference and answered questions from journalists. In most parts of the world, leaders do not go through the transparency that we have in this country.
So I’m proud of our democracy. Albanese mentions the national anti-corruption commission which has never held a public hearing and the independent parliamentary standards commission ( whose work is also shielded from public scrutiny ). Prime minister Anthony Albanese.
Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP
Source: The Guardian
