Key events
Krishani Dhanji
Good morning, Krishani Dhanji here with you this morning, thanks to Martin Farrer for getting us started.
It’s going to be another busy day in Parliament House today, Penny Wong is doing the media rounds this morning as the first flight from Dubai to Australia returns and another three flights are scheduled for today.
And do you taste maple syrup in the air? Mark Carney, Canada’s prime minister is in Canberra today. He’s due to deliver a speech to parliament and host a press conference with Anthony Albanese.
We’ll bring you all this and much more, as it happens. Let’s get straight into it!
More from AAP on the people arriving back from the Middle East last night.
Mining executive Troy Barker landed in Dubai only for a day and was at a popular horse race on Saturday, where the Emirati ruler was also in attendance, when he saw drones and missiles across the city’s skyline.
“I saw a couple of missiles but I’ve worked in Africa for 20 years so I’ve seen many things,” he said.
He praised communications from Emirates airlines and the authorities on the ground, saying he was lucky to be home.
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, earlier said she was pleased the first plane carrying Australians from Dubai to Sydney was on its way, as more than 115,000 Australians remain stranded in the region.
“We know this is a very difficult time. We are conscious of how distressed many people are,” she told reporters in Canberra.
Douglas Smith
New inquiry into racism towards Indigenous Australians announced
The federal minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy, has announced there will be a parliamentary inquiry into racism, hate and violence directed at First Nations people.
McCarthy said it comes at an important time, after the alleged terror attack at Perth’s Invasion Day rally on 26 January, and the attack on Camp Sovereignty in Melbourne last year by white supremacists.
She said it also coincided with a reported increase in racism against First Nations Australians, especially online.
The inquiry, conducted by the joint standing committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs, is currently accepting submissions until 1 May, with findings to be tabled by 15 September.
McCarthy said:
First Nations people are feeling scared and angry in the wake of the alleged terrorist attack in Boorloo, Perth, and last year’s attack on Camp Sovereignty.
I know this has been a difficult time for families and communities. This inquiry ensures they can have their say and their experiences will be heard by the parliament.
I regularly hear from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people that they are facing increasing hate and racism, especially online. We must stand up against racism in all its forms.
Stranded Australians return from Middle East
Hugs and tears from anxious family members greeted tired and weary Australian evacuees who managed to get on the first flight out from Dubai, Australia Associated Press reports.
Landing in Sydney last night, an emotional Iman Krayem was surrounded by her son, Youssef, and husband, Nazih.
She was stuck in the United Arab Emirates for several nights, on her way to see her sick father in Lebanon, when Iranian missiles struck the gilded city in response to a barrage of US and Israeli attacks.
“I was crying non-stop,” she told AAP minutes after clearing customs. “It was so stressful, I didn’t have my luggage, I had no clothes but I am happy to be back home now.”
Among the more than 200 passengers who arrived were a group of high school students travelling to Istanbul for a robotics competition.
Charity worker Hawra Khalil was in Lebanon on a humanitarian trip feeding war-torn children in several cities.
Heeding the Australian government’s travel warning, Khalil managed to catch a flight to Dubai where she was grounded with a colleague of hers.
She said being caught in a conflict zone where she felt buildings shake for a few days in the relative comfort of the Gulf monarchy drove home how other citizens in Arab countries have been faring in recent years.
“I just got a glimpse of it in Dubai and I had seen what people in Lebanon go through on a daily basis tenfold,” she said.
“It is scary, you feel threatened but I have it so much easier because what I witnessed is innocent families and innocent children starving and in poverty.”
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live politics blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then Krishani Dhanji will pick up the slack.
Weary Australians trapped by the war in the Middle East arrived back to an emotional welcome at Sydney airport last night. More details coming up.
The Indigenous affairs minister, Malarndirri McCarthy, has announced there will be a parliamentary inquiry into racism, hate and violence directed at First Nations people. It follows the Invasion Day rally attack in Perth and the attack on Camp Sovereignty in Melbourne last year by white supremacists. More details coming up.