Australian news and politics live: Jacinta Allan launches Anti-Hate Taskforce after synagogue firebombing

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has met with leaders from the Australian-Chinese community as part of the Coalition’s post-election review, saying the hate

“We value our Chinese communities in this country,” Ms Ley said on Monday.

Ms Ley acknowledged the rich history of Chinese-Australians, which she said went back to the gold fields in the 1800s.

“Chinese-Australians have given so much. They have stood out in the fields of science, medicine, invocation and also, the caring communities.

“Today was a very frank discussion, it needed to be,” Ms Ley said.

“We didn’t get everything right at the last election.

“The relationship with our Chinese-Australian community, as it is with all of our multi-cultural communities, is also about protecting them from hate.

Ms Ley said hearing examples of racism and hatred in her meeting left her “angry and very distressed”, vowing to do more to protect multi-cultural communities from hate.

Coroner Elizabeth Armitage continues to hand down her findings into the death of Kumanjayi Walker, saying that such racist language was not isolated to Officer Zachary Rolfe.

“Having considered all the evidence including Mr Rolfe’s explanations and justifications, I found that Mr Rolfe was racist and that he worked in and was the beneficiary of an organisation with hallmarks of institutional racism,” she said.

“This was not a case of one bad apple. Racist behaviour or language although not uniform, was normalised within the Alice Springs Police Station during Mr Rolfe’s time there as a junior police officer,” she said.

“There was direct evidence of clearly racist comments made by Mr Rolfe and between Mr Rolfe and his superiors.

“In the lead-up to Kumanjayi’s death, the telephone text messages that were typed by Mr Rolfe and some of his colleagues contained extremely racist names and references to Aboriginal people. They are too hurtful to repeat now.”

The inquest examined the presence and impact of racist attitudes within the NT Police Force, particularly during Zachary Rolfe’s time as an officer. Coroner Elizabeth Armitage also acknowledged the immense stress Rolfe experienced after the shooting death of Kumanjayi Walker and throughout the court proceedings:

“I have no doubt that the court proceedings and surrounding events have been much more than tough on him and his family. I took into account the strain someone in his circumstances would be under and have carefully considered favourable evidence concerning his abilities and positive attributes,” she said.

“Repeated exposure to negative interactions may cause a police officer to develop a psychological bias which increases the likelihood that officers will anticipate a negative interaction when dealing with that group.”

Coroner Elisabeth Armitage is delivering findings into the death of Kumanjayi Walker, focusing not only on the circumstances of his passing but also on his life and legacy.

“In this community, Kumanjayi was a son, grandson, brother, cousin, nephew and partner. I am very sorry for your loss and condolences have been expressed by the agencies who were represented at the inquest and many individual witnesses who were deeply affected by his passing,” Ms Armitage said.

“I acknowledge your pain and sorrow and pay my respects to all those who grieve him. Evidence in this inquest has been distressing to hear, particularly for those who loved Kumanjayi. I appreciate the gracious way his family and all of you gave evidence, listened, bore witness, and patiently awaited these findings.

“While much of this inquest reviewed formal documents and policies, I never lost sight of the fact that I was inquiring into the death of a person who was loved, missed and mourned. His family urges me to remember him for his humanity and to acknowledge the whole person they have lost.”

After three years of investigation, Coroner Elisabeth Armitage is today handing down her findings into the death of Kumanjayi Walker, live to the Yuendumu community.

Walker, 19, was fatally shot by then-NT police constable Zachary Rolfe during an attempted arrest in 2019, after Walker stabbed Rolfe with a pair of scissors.

Rolfe was in 2022 acquitted of all charges by a jury, but the case has remained a flashpoint for debate over police conduct and Indigenous deaths in custody.

The coronial inquest, which spanned 66 hearing days and heard from 70 witnesses, has closely examined the circumstances surrounding Walker’s death and its impact on the community.

“This is just a brief summary of some of the findings and recommendations. Nothing in the findings should be taken to mean that I think that police are not entitled to lawfully defend themselves against serious attacks,” Coroner Elisabeth Armitage said.

“An important aim of these findings, however, is to make recommendations that reduce the risk of attacks upon police who perform a vital role in our community.”

An anti-hate taskforce will assemble in Melbourne this week in the wake of the latest violent anti-Semitic incidents.

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has pulled together the taskforce after a synagogue was firebombed, a Jewish-owned restaurant was stormed while people ate inside, and another business was vandalised; all across this past weekend.

Ms Allan made a private visit to the targeted synagogue on Monday morning before the taskforce meets later in the week.

“I’ll continue to stand with a strong, proud Jewish community here in Victoria every single day,” she said.

“They are a big, important part of our community. They demand our support at this most difficult time.

“They demand our action, which is why, alongside strengthening laws and the response of Victoria Police, we will continue to work to build a stronger place where everyone can be who they are and practise their faith safe and free from hate.”

Read full story here.

The last moments of a man later found brutally murdered have been captured on CCTV, released by police investigating a ‘contract crew’ believed to be behind six-days of violent carnage.

Rich ‘Dylan’ Choup, whose body was found with a gunshot wound and his ear severed by trail bikers in August 2024, can be seen being slapped in the face in a chilling confrontation with an unknown man.

Police believe the father is one of at least three victims of a violent gang of offenders with links to a Victorian drug trafficking syndicate whose reign of terror spanned two states.

Strike Force Hallet, set up to investigate Mr Choup’s death, is also investigating the kidnapping and torture of a man in Canley Vale, and the attempted murder of another man in Queensland.

​Read more.​

As Prime Minister Anthony Albanese prepares to visit Beijing for talks with President Xi Jinping, Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce has sounded the alarm over Australia’s deepening ties with China, cautioning that the nation’s defence relationship with the United States must remain the top priority.

“The Prime Minister must have a great hand of cards because he has really got the chips on the table on this one. This is very dangerous,” Mr Joyce said on Sunrise.

“You need to understand the United States is the cornerstone of our defence relationship. It is not going well, this is the fourth meeting he has had with the leader of China but that is a totalitarian regime. Mr Trump has not had a meeting with the Prime Minister yet. I’m truly concerned about that.”

Mr Joyce argued that strengthening economic ties with China should not come at the expense of Australia’s security alliance with the US. “We should (make friends with China) but not at the expense of the US.

“You need to understand the realm of the Western Pacific, if things go pear-shaped, we are in trouble, real trouble. If we don’t have a defence policy that includes the United States, we need to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on defence. We are way, way behind where we need to be.

“If we can’t extract the meeting between the Prime Minister and the President of the United States, we are on background. We look like the odd ones out, we are pushed off to the side, you don’t get any room.”

Australia’s political leaders are under renewed pressure to tackle the scourge of anti-Semitism as police continue to probe a spate of fresh attacks.

There were at least four anti-Semitic attacks in Melbourne at the weekend, including the alleged firebombing of a synagogue on Friday night.

Angelo Loras, a 34-year-old man from Sydney’s west, faced court on Sunday, accused of setting the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation’s front doors alight while 20 people were inside.

Israeli restaurant Miznon was targeted by masked pro-Palestinian protesters not long after the alleged arson, with a window smashed, tables flipped and chairs thrown as the group chanted “death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)“.

Three cars were set alight and a wall spray-painted with anti-Semitic “inferences” at a Greensborough business in the city’s northeast in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Police said overnight they were releasing CCTV of five people they want to speak to.

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Australia looks set to avoid a fresh US tariff hike next week, after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed that only countries failing to reach new deals with Washington will “boomerang” back to their April 2 tariff rates by August 1.

“We’re going to be very busy over the next 72 hours,” Mr Bessent told CNN, as the Trump administration’s 90-day pause on new reciprocal tariffs nears its July 9 conclusion.

Australia was not subject to the higher reciprocal tariffs and instead faces a flat 10 per cent tariff on its exports to the US—the lowest rate imposed by the Trump administration on any nation.

“President Trump is going to be sending letters to some of our trading partners saying that, if you don’t move things along, then on August 1st, you will boomerang back to your April 2nd tariff level,” Bessent said. “So, I think we’re going to see a lot of deals very quickly.”

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