Australia news live: Israel and Hamas agree to extend their ceasefire in Gaza; Brittany Higgins to return to witness box as Lehrmann defamation trial continues

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Dutton doubles down on demand for apology

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton says he will wait to see if he gets an apology before considering legal actions after federal Labor ministers claimed he had voted to protect paedophiles rather than children.

Speaking on Nine’s Today program, Dutton said he had “thick skin” but believed the Labor party had crossed the line after Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil and Sports Minister Anika Wells both made the claim against Dutton as the federal government scrambles to secure support for new laws that would return to detention the worst criminal offenders released after the landmark High Court ruling.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during Question Time at Parliament House on Thursday.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

“I’ve got thick skin, I give as good as I can take but I think that the Labor Party and the Prime Minister crossed the line this week,” he said.

“I haven’t got an apology yet, I would have thought you know if [the Prime Minister’s] mad enough he’ll apologise but I’m not expecting one so that’s up to him.”

Asked if he would consider legal action, Dutton did not say he would rule it out but wanted to wait and see if he received an apology.

“I would wait to see whether there’s an apology forthcoming and then make a decision after that, but I think in the end, what it is, is a distraction away from what’s been a debacle for this government,” Dutton said.

Flood-hit eastern Australia bracing for more rain

Parts of eastern Australia drenched by rain are expected to be hit by more of the same as floodwaters threaten to cut off a coastal town.

Eastern Victoria and southern NSW are bracing for further downpours after some areas recorded more than 150mm of rain in a day.

Kameruka Estate near Bega copped 200mm in 24 hours to Thursday evening, while Mallacoota over the Victorian border – where a landslide earlier cut off the town – registered 112mm.

The Bureau of Meteorology warns a low-pressure system will begin moving inland but rain will continue to fall on waterlogged areas throughout Friday and into the weekend.

WATCH & ACT – RIVERINE FLOOD – Avoid the Flooded AreaIncident Location: GippslandIssue Date: Thursday 30 November 2023, 11:47 pmNext Update: Friday 01 December 2023, 11:30 am

The big wet is expected to hit soaked parts of Victoria for the next day or two, with some areas of the state’s east likely to record falls of 200mm.

Several flood warnings are in place in Victoria, with major alerts for the Thomson River, the Genoa River, the Buchan River, the Macalister River and the Bemm River.

The Bemm River is expected to peak by Friday afternoon and if it floods, access to the community will be cut, the SES said.

Moderate flood warnings are in place for the Cann River and Snowy River downstream of McKillops Bridge.

A severe weather warning was in effect for heavy rain and damaging winds for parts of East Gippsland, as well as the northeast, west and South Gippsland forecast districts as of Thursday.

Several advice-level flood warnings were in place for NSW, with some southeastern parts of the state expected to record up to 300mm of rain by the end of Friday.

A severe weather warning for heavy rainfall for people in parts of the south coast and Snowy Mountains remained in place on Thursday night before conditions were expected to ease.

The bureau warned flooding could persist after rain subsided in NSW and Victoria.

Government rejects mandate for households to buy EVs or greener appliances

Households will be spared a national mandate to change their energy appliances or embrace electric vehicles after the federal government dismissed a call from its own climate advisor to set the new targets, amid a Labor debate on the need to cut the cost of living.

Energy Minister Chris Bowen dismissed the proposals from the Climate Change Authority to set the goals for the sale of cleaner cars and impose bans on gas connections to homes, saying the government was focused on “reliable and affordable” power.

The federal government rejected a call for nationally consistent laws to move people off gas appliances.Credit: Louise Kennerley

The decision came as Labor MPs urged Treasurer Jim Chalmers to deliver new policies to put downward pressure on the cost of living, such as by making federal assistance more widely available to Australians who currently miss out on the help.

The moves are another sign of the pressure within the government for policies that deliver cost relief and avoid placing any new burden on households while Chalmers and other ministers devise new measures for the May budget.

Read the full story here.

Two Israeli hostages released

Israel and Hamas agreed at the last minute on Thursday (AEDT) to extend their ceasefire in Gaza by another day to allow more hostages and prisoners to be released.

But any further renewal of the truce, now in its seventh day, could prove more daunting since Hamas is expected to set a higher price for many of the remaining hostages.

Hamas freed two Israeli women on Thursday afternoon and more hostage releases were expected to follow, the Israeli military said. At least 10 Israelis a day, along with other nationals, have been released during the truce, in return for Israel’s release of at least 30 Palestinian prisoners.

Mia Schem, 21, who was released by Hamas after 55 days in captivity.Credit: AP

International pressure has mounted for the truce to continue as long as possible after weeks of Israeli bombardment and a ground campaign following Hamas’ deadly October 7 attack on Israel that triggered the war. Thousands of Palestinians in Gaza have been killed and more than three-quarters of the population of 2.3 million have been uprooted, leading to a humanitarian crisis.

Israel has vowed to resume the fighting – with the goal of dismantling Hamas – once the ceasefire ends.

Read the full story here.

Dutton demands apology over claim he voted to protect paedophiles

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton is demanding an apology from federal Labor ministers who claimed he had voted to protect paedophiles rather than children, even as the federal government scrambles to secure his support for new laws that would return to detention the worst criminal offenders released after the landmark High Court ruling.

Peter Dutton in parliament on Thursday.Credit: Andrew Ellinghausen

Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil and Sports Minister Anika Wells both made the claim against Dutton – a former Queensland police officer who had worked in the sex offenders squad – in parliament and during a television interview, prompting a fierce response from the federal opposition leader and his colleagues.

On Monday, the federal government announced new laws to wind back the High Court decision that ruled indefinite detention was illegal, which had obliged the government to release 142 people from indefinite detention, including killers and rapists.

The Coalition has also refused to confirm if they will help pass the government’s separate new citizenship cessation laws that would give judges the power to strip terrorists of their citizenship.

Read more from James Massola and Olivia Ireland here.

This morning’s headlines at a glance

Good morning, and thanks for joining us today.

It’s Friday, December 1. I’m Alex Crowe, and I’ll be anchoring our live coverage of today’s news developments this morning.

Here’s what you need to know before we get started:

• Israel and Hamas have agreed at the last minute to extend their ceasefire in Gaza by another day, after two hostages were freed on Thursday afternoon after 55 days in captivity.
• Staying overseas, the life of Henry Kissinger has been remembered by those who loved him and hated him, after the centenarian died in his Connecticut home this week.
• Brittany Higgins will continue her cross-examination today on day eight of Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation suit against Network Ten and journalist Lisa Wilkinson. Yesterday, Higgins gave a tearful account of her recollection of the night she alleges she was sexually assaulted in Parliament House.
• The states will push Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus to write an exemption for voluntary assisted dying after the Federal Court on Thursday ruled it was considered suicide under the Commonwealth’s criminal code.
• Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has condemned a protest at a Melbourne hotel where family members of some of the Israelis who were killed or taken hostage by Hamas were staying while on a visit to Australia.

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