Australia news live: Coalition in crisis as Nationals resign en masse; hot weather on the way for long weekend | Anthony Albanese

NSW premier glad hate speech and gun laws have passed

Minns said he’s glad the hate speech and gun control laws have passed, calling them “incredibly important” for the country.

He said:

We need to do everything we can to confront hate preachers and those that spread vile antisemitism and racism in our community and this law helps us do that. So I’m glad it’s in place, I think it’s important that it was supported.

Minns added that it is “unfortunate that in some ways there hasn’t been that kind of bipartisan support at the federal level to get major changes through”.

He said he wished the state itself had tougher gun laws before the attack, but said “they’re in place now”.

They’re really important in terms of keeping the public safe. We think we’ll get thousands and thousands of guns off the street, and I’m very grateful that most gun owners have said that they can participate in the buy back program, give their guns back and make Sydney safer.

Chris Minns says day of mourning will help ensure event like Bondi attack never happens again

New South Wales premier Chris Minns said today’s national day of mourning will help memorialise those who died in the Bondi terror attack, but also help people reflect so an incident like it never happens again on Australian soil.

The premier spoke to the ABC this morning, saying:

One of my fears is that six months, 12 months, two years after this horrible event we go back to normal and don’t learn the lessons from this horrible crime and don’t make the changes that are necessary to keep us safe …

This is an opportunity to not just remember the way these people died, but also what they contributed to Australia before they left and they were wonderful Australians that did incredible things.

Minns said he was inspired by the state’s Jewish community in the wake of the attack, urging others in NSW to take strength from the day and do a mitzvah in honour of the victims. He said:

The Jewish community in New South Wales have been an inspiration for the rest of the country because they have been so resilient, strong and focused on the future as well as supporting the families who have lost husbands and children and wives. I think in some ways, their response to this tragedy has helped the rest of us, or lifted us up during a horrible period.

Littleproud to speak this morning

David Littleproud, the leader of the Nationals, will speak later this morning after he and other frontbench colleagues agreed to resign their positions.

We’ll bring you live updates from that presser as it happens.

For now, read more here:

All beaches in Sydney’s northern beaches closed again today

All beaches in Sydney’s northern beaches council will be closed today due to ongoing water clarity issues, following a severe shark attack on a surfer at Manly earlier this week.

The council said the beaches would be closed for “at least” another 24 hours, or the whole of Thursday, adding officials would continue to review conditions on an ongoing bases. The decision was made in consultation with the state’s department of primary industries and Surf Lifesaving NSW.

“We will keep the community updated as we continue to review the water conditions,” the council said.

The surfer injured by a shark at Manly suffered critical injuries to his leg. The incident was one of four shark attacks in 48 hours across the Sydney region.

Purple tomatoes approved for sale

The novelty fruit, approved by regulators on Wednesday, gets its colour from added anthocyanin pigments – the same compounds found in blueberries and blackberries.

Daniel Tan, professor of agronomy at the University of Sydney, visited the laboratory at the John Innes Centre in 2010 and said the anthocyanins were inserted into the tomato from snapdragon genes.

“High levels of anthocyanins are associated with potential health benefits, including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects,” he said.

Joseph Pegler, a senior lecturer at the University of Newcastle and honorary treasurer of the Australian Society of Plant Scientists, said anthocyanins were shown to provide protective effects against a range of chronic diseases.

“The purple tomato is enriched in anthocyanins, thereby possessing the colour and beneficial compounds of popular fruits such as plums and blackberries,” Pegler said.

– AAP

Temperatures to climb to 40C in Melbourne and Adelaide

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