US tennis star ‘shocked’ at Nine’s Australian Open coverage
As mentioned in the intro, the American tennis player Ben Shelton has had a pop at Channel Nine’s Australian Open coverage.
He was at the end of a press conference after beating the Italian Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (4) when he opened up on the broadcaster for being disrespectful:
I’ve been a little bit shocked this week with how players have been treated by the broadcasters. I don’t think that the guy who mocked Novak [Djokovic], I don’t think that was just a single event. I’ve noticed it with different people, not just myself.
There are some comments that have been made to me in post-match interviews by a couple of different guys, whether it was, ‘Hey, [Gael] Monfils is old enough to be your dad. Maybe he is your dad’.
Here’s our report on his match and his comments.
“,”elementId”:”5bf1076d-5ba6-4a71-bfae-4273ca1372df”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement”,”html”:”
\n
During a debate on Racial Discrimination Act back in 2014 you famously said that ‘people do have a right to be bigots’, and that in a free country, people do have rights to say things that other people find offensive or insulting or bigoted. Do you still believe that to be the case?
\n
“,”elementId”:”ab1de102-0d2e-4344-9508-92c0f74e53b3″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Brandis responded:
“,”elementId”:”ac049649-8c87-4a91-a666-67773dcddd34″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement”,”html”:”
\n
I do believe that to be the case because that merely describes a set of social attitudes and let me hasten to add, in saying that, I didn’t for a moment approve of that. It was merely an observation about the state of Australian law and what goes into being a free society …
\n
We’re talking about threats of violence against Jewish people. We’re talking about the intimidation of Jewish people. We’re talking about causing fear among an important section of our population. And none of those social pathologies can be justified on the basis of freedom of speech.
\n
“,”elementId”:”202034c1-02c7-4450-830b-02389aa48f19″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Here is our article from 2014 on those comments he made:
“,”elementId”:”00491f92-bb50-4ba6-8ede-22fc4fd510e5″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement”,”prefix”:”Related: “,”text”:”George Brandis: ‘People have the right to be bigots’”,”elementId”:”95d0bd2c-5233-440d-baa0-dda6f145671c”,”role”:”thumbnail”,”url”:”https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/24/george-brandis-people-have-the-right-to-be-bigots”},{“displayCredit”:true,”_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement”,”role”:”inline”,”media”:{“allImages”:[{“index”:0,”fields”:{“height”:”2700″,”width”:”4500″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/4500.jpg”},{“index”:1,”fields”:{“isMaster”:”true”,”height”:”2700″,”width”:”4500″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg”},{“index”:2,”fields”:{“height”:”1200″,”width”:”2000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/2000.jpg”},{“index”:3,”fields”:{“height”:”600″,”width”:”1000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/1000.jpg”},{“index”:4,”fields”:{“height”:”300″,”width”:”500″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/500.jpg”},{“index”:5,”fields”:{“height”:”84″,”width”:”140″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/140.jpg”}]},”elementId”:”16bec938-fcb8-4635-a209-25cbf126c178″,”imageSources”:[{“weighting”:”inline”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=1fa33479d71cd6a6040ef72f26849345″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=ade5f677645df098752641ead617040b”,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=9335e1cc5c16b247839b338d35d4570d”,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=c062f2ac83eae36e71fec5f7166f110d”,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=ff79ed76a5dffff978591eccb7e0c9d3″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=614df4c751d60dc50635921dcc6b5c9c”,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”thumbnail”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=28878e58df71438c2bb97970278398c7″,”width”:140},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=140&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=ebda7ac06b87007ffce0825afeef2c25″,”width”:280},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=120&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=a0f9ed972988594676b1b27b49ad5915″,”width”:120},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=120&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=7dd6042811d95c9d046f23aed45f7360″,”width”:240}]},{“weighting”:”supporting”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=380&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=bc4e04eb3eb55816ddf0a811ada90263″,”width”:380},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=380&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=3ea562df6cf001dd802ff92f649ae064″,”width”:760},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=c2b97ed8e21940ef6fb276be5d0e4285″,”width”:300},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=300&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=69abd229d1d79eaa70940a9c7f942ef5″,”width”:600},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=1fa33479d71cd6a6040ef72f26849345″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=ade5f677645df098752641ead617040b”,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=9335e1cc5c16b247839b338d35d4570d”,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=c062f2ac83eae36e71fec5f7166f110d”,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=ff79ed76a5dffff978591eccb7e0c9d3″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=614df4c751d60dc50635921dcc6b5c9c”,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”showcase”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=860&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=5627b232b949416c429b68ea366c6d30″,”width”:860},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=860&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=fd63a45284caf88d0db51898b988e500″,”width”:1720},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=780&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=b419aae0c97afcf45d95d3473ff85d05″,”width”:780},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=780&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=35202bfbe023c1332e5ae562b9688b24″,”width”:1560},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=1fa33479d71cd6a6040ef72f26849345″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=ade5f677645df098752641ead617040b”,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=9335e1cc5c16b247839b338d35d4570d”,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=c062f2ac83eae36e71fec5f7166f110d”,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=ff79ed76a5dffff978591eccb7e0c9d3″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=614df4c751d60dc50635921dcc6b5c9c”,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”halfwidth”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=1fa33479d71cd6a6040ef72f26849345″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=ade5f677645df098752641ead617040b”,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=9335e1cc5c16b247839b338d35d4570d”,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=c062f2ac83eae36e71fec5f7166f110d”,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=ff79ed76a5dffff978591eccb7e0c9d3″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=614df4c751d60dc50635921dcc6b5c9c”,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”immersive”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=1900&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=71719f94a11f6848b11175d71d9e2085″,”width”:1900},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=1900&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=4e2a7ba964c602f35e4216b41bdaf9cf”,”width”:3800},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=1300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=e5cd08ad2eafce232171bc8370842273″,”width”:1300},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=1300&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=f4adbe4e197e7f630dbb00736f3935c3″,”width”:2600},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=1140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=22e8961aba933ffdeecb047dd019999e”,”width”:1140},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=1140&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=4bde1e7d8abcf4ff08186608a2546404″,”width”:2280},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=980&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=944ed07025e218c927f2f529f7ef627d”,”width”:980},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=980&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=21f58d7d526da4fb7952da911a4be794″,”width”:1960},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=740&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=85c8eaa1948c931ca1d9e7261a89b5ee”,”width”:740},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=740&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=e89e275130bb6708f0f1ae52253eac7f”,”width”:1480},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=660&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=0cb273e7a02d182a3b15841163d9df9f”,”width”:660},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=660&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=f3c91765d921e085211252133320ab7c”,”width”:1320},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=480&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=e858987256c04786a422971ff93ba9fa”,”width”:480},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8e4e448ec847a675137d3b6e879d866ab21f3079/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=480&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=f768d596ecfcee1f97115a4e95a6f40d”,”width”:960}]}],”data”:{“alt”:”George Brandis in 2017″,”caption”:”George Brandis in 2017.”,”credit”:”Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian”}}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1737578925000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”15.48 EST”,”blockLastUpdated”:1737579400000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”15.56 EST”,”blockFirstPublished”:1737579236000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”15.53 EST”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”15.53″,”title”:”Brandis defends 2014 ‘right to be bigots’ comments amid NSW hate speech debate”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Wed 22 Jan 2025 15.56 EST”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Wed 22 Jan 2025 14.29 EST”},{“id”:”6791508c8f08ae5d91862fdc”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Emily Wind here, signing on for blogging duties. Thanks to Martin for kicking things off. I’ll be taking you through our rolling coverage for most of today.
“,”elementId”:”b9ecc22d-4475-4fd9-a8e0-89312976c2ce”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
See something that needs attention? You can always can in touch via email – emily.wind@theguardian.com – with any tips, feedback or questions.
“,”elementId”:”25249b75-6ddf-42d7-8bbc-70fdd284183a”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Let’s go.
“,”elementId”:”cf9a6fc4-21c3-4589-bc54-5a26826a0518″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1737576588000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”15.09 EST”,”blockLastUpdated”:1737576649000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”15.10 EST”,”blockFirstPublished”:1737576650000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”15.10 EST”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”15.10″,”title”:”Good morning”,”contributors”:[{“name”:”Emily Wind”,”imageUrl”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2022/08/23/Emily_Wind,_L.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=3f9b3d5899644d064c306afad3beee3c”,”largeImageUrl”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2022/08/23/Emily_Wind,_L.png?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=81923e28b0832fbb40212c001c6f3974″}],”primaryDateLine”:”Wed 22 Jan 2025 15.56 EST”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Wed 22 Jan 2025 14.29 EST”},{“id”:”6790efa38f08b666bd4e5261″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Foreign actors suspected of paying Australians to commit antisemitic acts for money could be lurking on the dark web and difficult to bring to justice, experts say.
“,”elementId”:”968ac5f1-dab0-4613-9e8d-2e2e787b308f”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Authorities are investigating whether overseas actors or individuals paid local criminals to carry out crimes including attacks on synagogues, the Australian federal police commissioner, Reece Kershaw, has revealed.
“,”elementId”:”4721a02d-0586-45e8-929f-ea8e790d5d61″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Cybersecurity expert Alastair MacGibbon told AAP it was no surprise the internet could be a breeding ground for criminals but catching perpetrators was complex, particularly if they were hiding out on the dark web. The former head of the Australian Cyber Security Centre said:
“,”elementId”:”5106809f-5f16-4182-93c3-0c574f305c1c”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement”,”html”:”
\n
It is unfathomably big and dark out there … the equivalent of shining a torch in pitch blackness.
\n
“,”elementId”:”1cfe9c35-bef9-4a2e-bc10-d97297492d08″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Payments were often made in cryptocurrency and conversations took place on encrypted platforms, making the job difficult for detectives. MacGibbon said:
“,”elementId”:”92bc3ba4-5d4d-48b0-a219-727a8e8e6394″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement”,”html”:”
\n
If you and I could establish a place to communicate on the internet that only you and I know about, how does the third party then go and discover where those people are holding their illicit conversation and communication?
\n
“,”elementId”:”343aa983-6acf-4c82-872d-d5a180879d9c”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Read our explainer on what we know about the AFP investigation so far:
“,”elementId”:”9db02dde-6710-49be-a859-f060755baf06″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement”,”prefix”:”Related: “,”text”:”Could ‘criminals for hire’ be behind some antisemitic attacks in Australia? Here’s what we know”,”elementId”:”fe9e4656-c2f9-41b6-9532-ae796602c3c8″,”role”:”thumbnail”,”url”:”https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/jan/23/could-criminals-for-hire-be-behind-some-antisemitic-attacks-in-australia-what-we-know-ntwnfb”}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1737574185000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”14.29 EST”,”blockLastUpdated”:1737576638000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”15.10 EST”,”blockFirstPublished”:1737575356000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”14.49 EST”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”14.49″,”title”:”Speculation over dark web role in antisemitic attacks”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Wed 22 Jan 2025 15.56 EST”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Wed 22 Jan 2025 14.29 EST”},{“id”:”6790efa68f086c922149e1b4″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
As mentioned in the intro, the American tennis player Ben Shelton has had a pop at Channel Nine’s Australian Open coverage.
“,”elementId”:”66cecdf9-2ad5-424e-a8a9-b5e5d2cb6351″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
He was at the end of a press conference after beating the Italian Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (4) when he opened up on the broadcaster for being disrespectful:
“,”elementId”:”aec2bb05-cf04-4017-9129-727105a630a7″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement”,”html”:”
\n
I’ve been a little bit shocked this week with how players have been treated by the broadcasters. I don’t think that the guy who mocked Novak [Djokovic], I don’t think that was just a single event. I’ve noticed it with different people, not just myself.
\n
There are some comments that have been made to me in post-match interviews by a couple of different guys, whether it was, ‘Hey, [Gael] Monfils is old enough to be your dad. Maybe he is your dad’.
\n
“,”elementId”:”b1ffeb5a-3679-42c2-bfe9-3fb40abd1bb9″},{“displayCredit”:true,”_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement”,”role”:”inline”,”media”:{“allImages”:[{“index”:0,”fields”:{“height”:”3788″,”width”:”5681″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/5681.jpg”},{“index”:1,”fields”:{“isMaster”:”true”,”height”:”3788″,”width”:”5681″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg”},{“index”:2,”fields”:{“height”:”1334″,”width”:”2000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/2000.jpg”},{“index”:3,”fields”:{“height”:”667″,”width”:”1000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/1000.jpg”},{“index”:4,”fields”:{“height”:”333″,”width”:”500″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/500.jpg”},{“index”:5,”fields”:{“height”:”93″,”width”:”140″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/140.jpg”}]},”elementId”:”28226bcd-8de9-4937-a78f-1bcfd8a712d3″,”imageSources”:[{“weighting”:”inline”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=29b225e68c1fcfa5a88b7fc33d5064dd”,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=3ddf334755505ff36856004334a62e59″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=645d522054d6c60ef357196d5beee495″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=7da474479bedb5c01dc6c599a24effaf”,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=a8418c5d141642878aa1edaf4181f9f0″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=98fbcf6f145a7cf2bbb1e92f5e7125de”,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”thumbnail”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=37dcfaca9bba8e6d2a449ed999ee15b7″,”width”:140},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=140&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=2b3e86d6bbafd4776dab44bd4f2fdf25″,”width”:280},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=120&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=261af8f68d54ae63a273e3bd81ffc6e9″,”width”:120},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=120&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=e07cd3341edd51df1d4ff42ab49182fb”,”width”:240}]},{“weighting”:”supporting”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=380&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=a8b56c491b47fa508976ff75491c9473″,”width”:380},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=380&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=6a60e3fc96cd7654ab5767dffdb8b060″,”width”:760},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=6c51b53bafa398f2548984ca29b30c87″,”width”:300},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=300&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=61eae6b1a7a1e52d1058e627a9d502e3″,”width”:600},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=29b225e68c1fcfa5a88b7fc33d5064dd”,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=3ddf334755505ff36856004334a62e59″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=645d522054d6c60ef357196d5beee495″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=7da474479bedb5c01dc6c599a24effaf”,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=a8418c5d141642878aa1edaf4181f9f0″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=98fbcf6f145a7cf2bbb1e92f5e7125de”,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”showcase”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=860&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=d8f18ca2f2cdf4b81cd68c76d7d48c05″,”width”:860},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=860&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=44e6e1c749a737a35de66cf046177654″,”width”:1720},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=780&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=fce9e5e7566542bfaf87144bbf93765f”,”width”:780},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=780&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=697968963b2aab548858b82802726686″,”width”:1560},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=29b225e68c1fcfa5a88b7fc33d5064dd”,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=3ddf334755505ff36856004334a62e59″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=645d522054d6c60ef357196d5beee495″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=7da474479bedb5c01dc6c599a24effaf”,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=a8418c5d141642878aa1edaf4181f9f0″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=98fbcf6f145a7cf2bbb1e92f5e7125de”,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”halfwidth”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=29b225e68c1fcfa5a88b7fc33d5064dd”,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=3ddf334755505ff36856004334a62e59″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=645d522054d6c60ef357196d5beee495″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=7da474479bedb5c01dc6c599a24effaf”,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=a8418c5d141642878aa1edaf4181f9f0″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=98fbcf6f145a7cf2bbb1e92f5e7125de”,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”immersive”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=1900&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=02dc4768b1d62321e0081fb92d0470de”,”width”:1900},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=1900&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=b2af0d1a8a8b16a22e7178aff5755f64″,”width”:3800},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=1300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=5973518727ded1f32314916e178cac95″,”width”:1300},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=1300&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=ae377d4c86bd259cee21e203d3e5577c”,”width”:2600},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=1140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=86127086d8aa55f1f2475a33db6e09ec”,”width”:1140},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=1140&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=bef00d802509af458afea0c7ab626530″,”width”:2280},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=980&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=713483deec7054c5f979cb4cc529eac6″,”width”:980},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=980&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=47b41ba8d78a9e0cabcf92ecda76be8c”,”width”:1960},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=740&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=08087c9e9413ce003d5cfa53cf03a061″,”width”:740},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=740&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=a9d9f3607b7ad55b8483a8fdf4b45cd4″,”width”:1480},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=660&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=613c8337321b909bea54c63a64d9824e”,”width”:660},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=660&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=8a3f47632b2fd3c02b2619f6f99fe177″,”width”:1320},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=480&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=dbcd2c8a7c20a8a3f32d7dd7a6afc110″,”width”:480},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0756c9aa6c468efe1fc89fd6783d658a03ea8885/0_0_5681_3788/master/5681.jpg?width=480&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=a0a16299f6d6a01ab11bc8a307d126d3″,”width”:960}]}],”data”:{“alt”:”Gael Monfils and Ben Shelton after their fourth round match at the Australian Open.”,”caption”:”Gael Monfils and Ben Shelton after their fourth round match at the Australian Open.”,”credit”:”Photograph: Manish Swarup/AP”}},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Here’s our report on his match and his comments.
“,”elementId”:”6c392726-0881-47ad-a7aa-c6fe8f51af46″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement”,”prefix”:”Related: “,”text”:”Shelton reaches Australian Open semi-final and blasts ‘disrespectful’ broadcasters”,”elementId”:”de1973b8-e400-446e-b1b3-bc315b39e788″,”role”:”thumbnail”,”url”:”https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/jan/22/ben-shelton-really-happy-after-making-first-australian-open-semi-final-tennis”}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:true,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1737574185000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”14.29 EST”,”blockLastUpdated”:1737576399000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”15.06 EST”,”blockFirstPublished”:1737574830000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”14.40 EST”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”14.40″,”title”:”US tennis star ‘shocked’ at Nine’s Australian Open coverage”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Wed 22 Jan 2025 15.56 EST”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Wed 22 Jan 2025 14.29 EST”},{“id”:”6790e2bc8f08b977fd67e618″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with some of the stories making headlines this morning and then Emily Wind will take charge.
“,”elementId”:”96716824-9c88-4352-b5f9-63c9141dbfda”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
The independent MPs David Pocock and Kate Chaney have urged the government to act immediately on deepfakes and disinformation, writing to the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and the special minister of state, Don Farrell, to call for “truth in political advertising” reform. The letter, seen by the Guardian, criticises Labor for excluding the crossbench on negotiations to cap political donations. That bill was being negotiated between Labor and the Coalition but was pulled by the government in the final sitting days of 2024.
“,”elementId”:”68e518ae-ff8e-474c-bce3-fc34e7add755″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Could overseas actors really be paying local criminals to carry out antisemitic attacks in Australia? The AFP certainly thinks it’s a possibility and an expert on cybersecurity has said the overseas actors could be lurking on the dark web to make contact with criminals. More coming up.
“,”elementId”:”96c456a0-c38e-4039-b29a-74c6d027584a”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Alex de Minaur’s crushing defeat at the hands of Jannik Sinner has killed home interest in the Australian Open but it’s the performance of the nation’s lead broadcaster, Channel Nine, that will be the focus of scrutiny now. Following on from Novak Djokovic’s spray at Tony Jones, the American Ben Shelton joined in the criticism of Nine’s tennis coverage in a news conference rant after his quarter-final win that accused the broadcaster of being “disrespectful” and “negative”. More coming up.
“,”elementId”:”369c81e1-acc6-453a-aeec-95f77871efc1″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1737574185000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”14.29 EST”,”blockLastUpdated”:1737576560000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”15.09 EST”,”blockFirstPublished”:1737574185000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”14.29 EST”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”14.29″,”title”:”Welcome”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Wed 22 Jan 2025 15.56 EST”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Wed 22 Jan 2025 14.29 EST”}],”filterKeyEvents”:false,”id”:”key-events-carousel-mobile”,”absoluteServerTimes”:false,”renderingTarget”:”Web”}”>
Key events
Brandis defends 2014 ‘right to be bigots’ comments amid NSW hate speech debate
George Brandis was asked about his infamous comments from 2014 amid a debate on the Racial Discrimination Act, with the host asking:
During a debate on Racial Discrimination Act back in 2014 you famously said that ‘people do have a right to be bigots’, and that in a free country, people do have rights to say things that other people find offensive or insulting or bigoted. Do you still believe that to be the case?
Brandis responded:
I do believe that to be the case because that merely describes a set of social attitudes and let me hasten to add, in saying that, I didn’t for a moment approve of that. It was merely an observation about the state of Australian law and what goes into being a free society …
We’re talking about threats of violence against Jewish people. We’re talking about the intimidation of Jewish people. We’re talking about causing fear among an important section of our population. And none of those social pathologies can be justified on the basis of freedom of speech.
Here is our article from 2014 on those comments he made:
George Brandis on NSW hate speech law changes – ‘where do you draw the line?’
Former Liberal attorney general George Brandis has weighed in on the legislation changes flagged in New South Wales to respond to the recent spate of antisemitic attacks.
Speaking on ABC RN, he said the question was whether the current hate speech legislation is sufficient to deal with it – “and I think plainly it’s not … because the sanctions are not sufficient.”
I know, in NSW in particular, the Law Reform Commission has been looking at the NSW Crimes Act, particularly section 93Z which deals with this issue. Now, that is the section that criminalises [incitement] to violence on the basis of political or religious grounds, but there is a view – this is the view, evidently taken by the premier – that that needs to go further.
And the question, as always with law reform, is where you draw the line? How much further do you go?
Chalmers defends government response to antisemitism
Jim Chalmers also defended Labor’s response to antisemitism while speaking on the Today Show.
The treasurer said the government has been trying to respond “in a way that brings people together rather than makes these divisions in our community”.
Host Karl Stefanovic said some of the measures announced this week, could have happened months ago. Chalmers said “we have been acting for some months now”.
[The measures this week] were additional measures. They were on top of some of the steps that we’ve already taken, the resources that we have been pouring into this challenge. And that’s because antisemitism is a disgrace. It is abhorrent.
Chalmers continues breakfast TV rounds to defend Labor’s position in polls
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has been making the rounds on breakfast programs this morning – also appearing on Sunrise.
Asked if he is concerned Australians aren’t confident in Labor’s leadership, Chalmers again defended the party’s position in the polls and said:
There are a couple of opinion polls out this week, they said very different things about some of these sorts of questions. But frankly, we don’t need opinion polls to tell us that people are feeling very real and genuine pressure in their household budgets …
We know that people are still under that pressure, even though we’re making quite remarkable progress together as Australians when it comes to the economy overall. Inflation is down. Wages are up. Unemployment is low. So we’re making that progress, but it doesn’t always translate into how people are feeling and faring in the economy.
Here is the latest Guardian Essential poll, from earlier in the week:
Pro-Palestine protests should continue, McCarthy says: ‘they are part of our democratic way’
Asked about the future of the weekly pro-Palestinian protests across Australia, Malarndirri McCarthy said as long as they are respectful and peaceful, “they are part of our democratic way”.
It’s interesting, isn’t it? I mean, we are a democracy. Whatever the rally or protest is, we enable that. We allow that so long as it’s peaceful and respectful.
Police across every jurisdiction in the country know they have to be prepared. Rally organisers, whoever they may be, also know they need to consult to be able to have access to those streets. Come on, let’s be mindful that these rallies, so long as they are held in a respectful manner, in a peaceful manner, they are part of our democratic way.
She also denied the government had been slow to crack down on antisemitism – pointing to a number of measures Labor had legislated – and said host Karl Stefanovic was “only repeating what the Coalition is asking”.
Malarndirri McCarthy says only poll that counts is election day, referencing 2019 election loss
The minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy, spoke with the Today Show earlier – where she also fielded questions on the government’s measures to combat cost-of-living pressures ahead of this year’s election.
McCarthy said “I know it’s going to be tough” when asked about inflation, but said “Australians can see we are doing everything we can to bring it down”.
Host Karl Stefanovic said “I just don’t think they believe you”. McCarthy said the only poll that counts is the one on election day:
I think when I look at the polls, Karl – and I think I’ve talked to you about this over the years, you know, when we went into the 2019 election – every poll said we were going to win. The reality is, you have to work every single day right up – and the only poll that does really count, and I believe that especially after that loss, is the one on election day.
Treasurer says Coalition tax-deductible staff lunches policy ‘a complete farce’
Jim Chalmers was asked to respond to the Coalition’s policy, allowing small businesses to have tax-deductible staff lunches, and whether this is good use of taxpayer money at the moment?
The treasurer responded, “of course not”. He described the policy as “a complete farce” and said:
After three years of opposition, this is the best they can come up with when it comes to economic policy … Peter Dutton and [the shadow treasurer] Angus Taylor want to provide taxpayer-funded long lunches and golf days for bosses, and I think that speaks to the difference between the two parties and the choice at the election.
Chalmers confident in ability to navigate US policy changes with new administration
Jim Chalmers was also asked if he would push back against the US leaving the Paris climate agreement and the World Health Organization, when meeting his counterparts?
He said Australia’s American counterparts “understand the position that we take” and “that position is well known.”
We play an active role in the international community in multinational forums to advance these sorts of issues.
The treasurer said he wasn’t going to “engage in a sort of running commentary of the decisions that the new American administration takes”.
We expect changes in policy from this change in administration, we’re confident in our ability to navigate those changes. We’re well placed and prepared to work closely with the Americans because the partnership that we have is close.
Chalmers said Australia had done a lot of work to be “well placed and well prepared” to respond to the tariffs placed on Canada, Mexico, and potentially China – which could have flow-on effects to Australia.
We did a lot of work before the election on these sorts of scenarios. But again, you know, we’re confident in our ability to navigate these sorts of policy changes.
Chalmers expects tight election, acknowledges ‘genuine pressure’ Australians are under
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, just discussed the government’s economic record while on ABC News Breakfast. He said it had been a year since Labor scrapped the stage-three tax cuts and that without this, “Australians would be much worse off”.
He was asked about the next budget, scheduled for March, and the fact opinion polls are not in Labor’s favour right now – could this be because the government hasn’t done enough on the cost of living?
Chalmers said the “whole government is completely focused on cost of living.”
It beggars belief that our opponents are focused on picking culture wars about all kinds of issues. The government, the Albanese government, the Labor government, has been very focused on the cost of living throughout. That’s why we have made substantial progress on inflation.
So why do you think the opinion poll trend is not your friend at the moment?
Chalmers said the polls reflect the “genuine pressures that people are under” and that when it comes to the “economy in aggregate”, progress “doesn’t always immediately translate to how people are feeling and faring in the economy and there’s a political element to that.”
Every election is tight in Australia. We expect this one to be very tight and you see that reflected in the polls.
Good morning
Emily Wind
Emily Wind here, signing on for blogging duties. Thanks to Martin for kicking things off. I’ll be taking you through our rolling coverage for most of today.
See something that needs attention? You can always can in touch via email – emily.wind@theguardian.com – with any tips, feedback or questions.
Let’s go.
Cybersecurity expert says ads for criminal behaviour on dark web ‘marketplace’
Alastair MacGibbon told AAP that once agencies knew where to look, tracking down culprits could be straightforward:
Can you get into those things though? Yes. Once you’re in and you’re watching these conversations and seeing these ads on these various forums, it can be easy.
As chief strategy officer at CyberCX, MacGibbon said he came across advertisements for criminal behaviours on the dark web “marketplace”.
We see people advertising for login credentials – even child sexual abuse for cash. So why couldn’t it be people interested in finding people who want to commit an act of violence for cash?
Speculation over dark web role in antisemitic attacks
Foreign actors suspected of paying Australians to commit antisemitic acts for money could be lurking on the dark web and difficult to bring to justice, experts say.
Authorities are investigating whether overseas actors or individuals paid local criminals to carry out crimes including attacks on synagogues, the Australian federal police commissioner, Reece Kershaw, has revealed.
Cybersecurity expert Alastair MacGibbon told AAP it was no surprise the internet could be a breeding ground for criminals but catching perpetrators was complex, particularly if they were hiding out on the dark web. The former head of the Australian Cyber Security Centre said:
It is unfathomably big and dark out there … the equivalent of shining a torch in pitch blackness.
Payments were often made in cryptocurrency and conversations took place on encrypted platforms, making the job difficult for detectives. MacGibbon said:
If you and I could establish a place to communicate on the internet that only you and I know about, how does the third party then go and discover where those people are holding their illicit conversation and communication?
Read our explainer on what we know about the AFP investigation so far:
US tennis star ‘shocked’ at Nine’s Australian Open coverage
As mentioned in the intro, the American tennis player Ben Shelton has had a pop at Channel Nine’s Australian Open coverage.
He was at the end of a press conference after beating the Italian Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (4) when he opened up on the broadcaster for being disrespectful:
I’ve been a little bit shocked this week with how players have been treated by the broadcasters. I don’t think that the guy who mocked Novak [Djokovic], I don’t think that was just a single event. I’ve noticed it with different people, not just myself.
There are some comments that have been made to me in post-match interviews by a couple of different guys, whether it was, ‘Hey, [Gael] Monfils is old enough to be your dad. Maybe he is your dad’.
Here’s our report on his match and his comments.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with some of the stories making headlines this morning and then Emily Wind will take charge.
The independent MPs David Pocock and Kate Chaney have urged the government to act immediately on deepfakes and disinformation, writing to the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and the special minister of state, Don Farrell, to call for “truth in political advertising” reform. The letter, seen by the Guardian, criticises Labor for excluding the crossbench on negotiations to cap political donations. That bill was being negotiated between Labor and the Coalition but was pulled by the government in the final sitting days of 2024.
Could overseas actors really be paying local criminals to carry out antisemitic attacks in Australia? The AFP certainly thinks it’s a possibility and an expert on cybersecurity has said the overseas actors could be lurking on the dark web to make contact with criminals. More coming up.
Alex de Minaur’s crushing defeat at the hands of Jannik Sinner has killed home interest in the Australian Open but it’s the performance of the nation’s lead broadcaster, Channel Nine, that will be the focus of scrutiny now. Following on from Novak Djokovic’s spray at Tony Jones, the American Ben Shelton joined in the criticism of Nine’s tennis coverage in a news conference rant after his quarter-final win that accused the broadcaster of being “disrespectful” and “negative”. More coming up.
