Politics live updates: Massive taxpayer funded bill for Fiji climate talks revealed

Allegra Spender has shared Independent MP Helen Haines first words to her husband Phil after she woke up in hospital from a horrific allegedly deliberate attack.

“Phil told us about your first words since when you woke up after the attack, and said that your first concerns when you awoke were for your staff and gratitude to the first responders, nurses and bystanders,” the fellow crossbencher said.

“That exactly speaks to the character of who you are.

“People have spoken about your empathy and grace, and they deserve recognition.

“But I think it paints a sort of picture of you as a sort of benign force wandering through the parliament.

“What I will say is that you are also a force for change.”

She was among fellow MPs crying in the House on Monday, including fellow Independent MP Monique Ryan and Andrew Wilkie.

Ms Ryan said that the incident had “united the country in shock and grief” but expressed her concern that within days politicians had “reverted to partisan brawling”.

“That’s a poor example to our communities. If we can’t come together to act after the gentlest of us has been subjected to unthinkable violence.

“We can pledge to debate robustly with honesty, respect, and compassion. We can work together against rising inequality.”

She called for the parliament to legislate greater truth in political advertising and digital protections against “impulse farming and anonymous abuse”.

The Albanese government spent nearly $35m on supporting the Pre-COP31 meetings in Fiji earlier this month, with officials unable to confirm a final figure as they work to recoup some of the costs.

During senate estimates representatives from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water revealed $34.6m worth of “contracted commitments”, higher than the $20 million previously reported.

In a fiery committee hearing on Monday Liberal senator Sarah Henderson described the expenditure as “simply out of control”, particularly $700,000 for a hotel bill.

Under questioning the head of the international climate negotiations division in the department, Dr Sally Box, confirmed the contract with Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour was part of the $150 million budgeted for pre-COP.

“These are either mandated events under the UNFCCC that we were hosting in Australia, or they were workshops to support the facilitation of conversations between delegations on negotiations-related issues,” she said.

I’d never been to a synagogue before. Yesterday was my first time visiting a place of worship with a high fence and active security checking tickets.

It was the Melbourne book launch of Bondi Terror by Sharri Markson and Alex Rychin at the Caulfield Shule.

Once with the congregation I met Australians of heart, hope and yes fear of what Bondi meant, what the future held for not only Jews in Australia, but all Australians.

There was no chanting of trash slogans like “Globalise the Intifada”, but instead quite reflection on how we got here, what we need to do next. I was moved by the raw energy of quite resolve and determination that was stronger than any screaming chant.

Instead of slogans, it was a question asked in everyday voice – “How we didn’t heed the warning megaphone of October 7? That abject hate and intolerance could manifest on Bondi Beach? At Hanukka, 11 days before Christmas Day less than a year ago?”

The event was supposed to be a book launch and in form it was, but it was so, so much more.

READ CAMERON MILNER’S OPINION IN FULL

Opposition leader Angus Taylor says he’s open to working with the government on greater safety measures for parliamentarians and their staff.

Australian Federal Police have held several briefings for politicians in the wake of the allegedly deliberate attack on the Indi MP outside her Wangaratta electorate office last Monday afternoon.

“Well, can I say that we are always happy to work with the government on sensible measures that are going to keep Australians safe and that are going to prevent attacks like this,” Mr Taylor told reporters in Canberra on Monday.

“And it’s not just on politicians because it’s on all Australians who are (allegedly targeted by) extremism. We’ll always work with the government on that.

“We’ve already laid out some areas where we think there’s a real need for additional spending on national security and intelligence.

“In particular we are focused on the enhanced screening needed for people on visas or coming into the country.

“But no doubt there may be other areas too that are worthy of focus, and we’re always happy with the government on that.”

Allegra Spender has shared Independent MP Helen Haines’ first words to her husband, Phil, after she woke up in hospital following an horrific attack.

“Phil told us about your first words since when you woke up after the attack, and said that your first concerns when you awoke were for your staff and gratitude to the first responders, nurses and bystanders,” the fellow crossbencher said.

“That exactly speaks to the character of who you are.

“People have spoken about your empathy and grace, and they deserve recognition.

“But I think it paints a sort of picture of you as a sort of being a force wandering through the parliament.

“What I will say is that you are also a force for change.”

She was among fellow MPs crying in the House on Monday, alongside fellow Independent MP Monique Ryan and Andrew Wilkie.

Ms Ryan said that the incident had “united the country in shock and grief” but expressed her concern that within days politicians had “reverted to partisan brawling”.

“That’s a poor example to our communities. If we can’t come together to act after the gentlest of us has been subjected to unthinkable violence.

“We can pledge to debate robustly with honesty, respect, and compassion. We can work together against rising inequality.”

She called for the parliament to legislate greater truth in political advertising and digital protections against “impulse farming and anonymous abuse”.

In less than two weeks’ time, the verdict of the American people on Donald Trump’s second term will be in.

The sheer nastiness of the campaign — along with last week’s horror attack on Australian MP Helen Haines — should give us our own moment to pause and reflect on the direction of our new era of politics.

If the midterm results are bad for the Republicans, Mr Trump will no doubt attempt to spin his way out of them. But for now the record shows him having it both ways. He says he is not on the ballot, but he has poured enormous energy into rallying the MAGA faithful to turn out to vote, staging rallies in swing states and for key candidates.

Back in Australia, well before Helen Haines’ attacker was identified in the media, and his social media posts, which show an assortment of far-left and pro-climate change leanings, were exposed, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson rushed to News 24 airwaves to concede an error.

This related to a cartoon she had published on social media mocking independent Senator Jacqui Lambie for a health condition. She said she now believed the cartoon was not appropriate, that she had not seen it herself and that it would be taken down. Originally, she had told Senator Lambie to “lighten up,” despite now claiming she had not seen it before it went out.

This has zero to do with cancelling or censoring. And it certainly does not mean letting our political leaders off the hook when they are performing badly.

You don’t need an intelligence officer to tell you that in our hyper-connected world, the path to online radicalisation is now so swift and silent that it can be easy to miss.

Australians have always been able to biff with vigour and do it well. The nation hardly has a reputation for being shrinking violets. So as Americans prepare to have their say on President Trump’s methods, so too can we.

Read more.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has joined several other MPs to raise concern about big tech platforms allowing hatred to spread in the wake of Helen Haines attack last Monday.

While politicians have cautioned against speculation on the motive while authorities continue their investigations, many have called for the temperature of debate to be turned down.

Dr Chalmers said while the investigation was underway, he believed a “pattern had formed even before the madness of last week”.

“There was an inevitability of this tragedy that makes it shocking but not surprising,” he said.

“It is not free of a threatening context, politics has taken a perilous turn.

“Public life is more dangerous now, the rhetoric is more violent, threats are more frequent.

“There’s more than one cause of this, but monetised violence online is not helping that.

“Algorithmic rage bait that’s all about preying on the nation’s challenges and not solving them.”

He said unfortunately the more a politician was out engaging in the community, the more vulnerable they were and urged Australians not to import the violent politics other nations grappled with.

“It is up to all of us. It is up to every single Australian to decide whether this dangerous fraying becomes an unravelling or an awakening,” he told the House.

“And whether this moment makes Helen’s grace more or less peculiar.”

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has described the allegedly targeted attack on Helen Haines as “cruel” and shared personal moments she had brought “positivity and optimism” to his day.

Dr Haines had been collecting items from the boot of her politically-branded car parked in front of her Wangaratta electorate office when Tarrawingee man Brendan Nugent, 43, allegedly twice rammed her.

The 65-year-old Independent MP is in a serious but stable condition in Melbourne’s Alfred Hospital after her left leg was amputated on Monday followed by her right on Wednesday.

Dr Chalmers, like many politicians speaking on the attack in Parliament on Monday, appeared emotional as he expressed his well wishes for her recovery and support of her family.

The Labor frontbencher shared how Dr Haines’ “positivity and optimism” when she would “come around for a cup of tea” or always greet him when they bumped into each other on the way to work would “sustain me for the rest of the day”.

“Such was her impact on all of us. There is so much of this that is cruel,” he said.

He said it wasn’t lost on fellow parliamentarians that “the most rational member” in a “very imperfect place” was subject to the most irrational violence.

Housing Minister Clare O’Neil has thanked political staffers in the wake of Helen Haines allegedly targeted attack outside her Wangaratta electorate office last Monday afternoon.

During her tribute to Helen Haines in the House, the Labor frontbencher shared how her staff had shielded her from abuse, death and rape threats during her time as the Hotham MP.

She labelled staffers as “the best and most loyal servants of our democracy”.

“The things that my staff — the things they have to do to protect me,” Ms O’Neil said.

“The abusive phone calls. They need to deal with the people who trawl through my social media. Trying to find the the difference between a vitriolic message and something that’s got a death threat or a rape threat that needs to be reported.

“I say to every staffer — if you’re a ministerial staffer, a shadow ministerial staffer, working on the front line of an electorate office — we thank you.

“We acknowledge the deep difficulty of the work that you are having to do.”

A donation page in the name of independent MP Helen Haines after she was allegedly mowed down in a deliberate attack last Monday has raised almost $1.3 million.

Dr Haines’ husband Phil had last week thanked the community for their flowers, gifts and cards left at her Wangaratta electorate office but urged people who wanted to offer support to donate to Save the Children.

As of Monday morning, the fundraising page in her name had received $1,291,267 in donations and hundreds of messages of support.

While Dr Haines recovers in hospital after the amputation of her two legs, the flowers placed outside her office will be dried and the cards collected so she can view them when she’s recovered.

“The appreciation you showed to those helping you in such a terrifying time, shows the beauty within you,” one person wrote.

Another penned “Though I have not followed Helen’s political career closely, she has always seemed to me to be looking for ways to make our society, our laws and our country better”.

“Helen always came across as a woman with positive, interesting and creative ideas to solve problems which are missing from so much of our political discussion.”

Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek on Monday urged people asking what they could do to help, to continue to donate to the charity.