Australia news LIVE: Plibersek asked to reassure young women public life is still safe after Haines attack; Coalition vows to dismantle climate policies in bid to fight inflation

Hello and welcome back to our rolling coverage of national and world news this Tuesday, October 27. Here’s what you need to know today.

• MPs paused regular parliamentary debate yesterday to pay tribute to Helen Haines. In Haines’ empty seat inside the chamber, the crossbench placed an orange cockatoo, a symbol from the independent MP’s campaign.
• Discussions about safety and security for MPs was another prominent theme of the day in parliament. During question time, MP for Bradfield Nicolette Boele asked Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek how she would reassure young women that public life was safe for them following the attack on Haines.
• The Coalition has vowed to dismantle Australia’s climate policies in a bid to fight inflation, Opposition Leader Angus Taylor said, as he released early Coalition budget costings to demonstrate his commitment to bringing down inflation.
• Also on the agenda in Canberra this week is more debate on Labor’s Digital Duty of Care bill, which faces a Senate inquiry after the Coalition and the Greens both opposed the legislation in its current form.
• And abroad, Israelis are heading to the polls to vote in the country’s first election since October 7, 2023. Many Israelis have described this election as the most consequential in the nation’s history. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is being challenged by Gadi Eisenkot, a former head of the Israeli military.

Defence Minister Richard Marles says it is important businesses “harden” themselves against malicious AI actors following a report released today that found breakthroughs in AI have helped fuel an 80 per cent surge in attacks on Australian businesses and government agencies.

“It is a significant increase … Malicious actors are now able to use AI to find vulnerabilities in the systems of organisations and companies, and they’re doing that to exploit them,” he told News24.

Marles warned that businesses still using old systems must replace them to protect themselves from AI cyber threats.

“It’s really important that people are hardening themselves to that. Today, what we’re saying is that if you’ve got an old system in place, you’ve got to get rid of it. If you’ve got an old system which is attached to the internet, it is effectively a gateway to a malicious actor.”

Breakthroughs in AI have helped fuel an 80 per cent surge in attacks on the nation’s businesses and government agencies by criminals and countries such as China and Russia, with warnings the new technology could be used to wipe out the superannuation savings of ordinary Australians.

In its annual assessment of cyber threats, to be released today, the Australian Signals Directorate said the nature and speed of attacks had changed sharply since the emergence of so-called “frontier” AI this year, jeopardising businesses and the overall economy.

Frontier models, such as the latest and most advanced versions of artificial intelligence such as Anthropic’s Mythos, deliver complex problem-solving and advanced scientific modelling but has also been used to identify vulnerabilities in computer software.

The technology uncovered vulnerabilities in the computer programming language PHP that forced numerous websites offline for patching last week, including the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

But ASD Director-General Abigail Bradshaw said while AI enabled agencies such as hers to identify and take swift action against cyberattacks, it was also used by criminals and bad actors to mount more dangerous digital assaults.

The husband of a candidate in Victoria’s upcoming state election was allegedly assaulted on the weekend, as the nation grapples with the issue of violence against politicians.

Police and the Liberal Party have confirmed that the partner of Amanda Dow, the candidate for Yan Yean, approached another man who was removing Liberal campaign signage from a street in Mernda on Sunday afternoon.

The Liberal campaign said Dow’s husband was left in hospital with fractures to his face following the assault, and was discharged yesterday.

The 59-year-old accused has been charged with assault and criminal damage, and has been bailed ahead of facing court in February.

The incident came on the same weekend Victoria’s Emergency Services Minister Paul Edbrooke discovered a large bullet on his car – a “death threat” he blamed on the firefighters union – and in the same week that federal MP Helen Haines lost both her legs as a result of a car crash that police allege was a deliberate act.

In Israel, it is the eve of what many have labelled the most consequential election in the nation’s history.

It is the country’s first election since October 7, 2023, when Hamas killed 1200 people, most of them civilians. A subsequent Israeli military campaign has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians in Gaza.

The stakes are high for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has led Israel for 19 of the last 30 years, but now faces trial for corruption. If he loses his grip on power, he faces a greater risk of time behind bars.

US President Donald Trump has endorsed Netanyahu, and the two leaders have repeatedly suggested they will resume striking Iran if Netanyahu wins the election.

Netanyahu’s rival is Gadi Eisenkot, a former head of the Israeli military. His son and two nephews were killed fighting in Gaza in 2024.

Hello and welcome back to our rolling coverage of national and world news this Tuesday, October 27. Here’s what you need to know today.

• MPs paused regular parliamentary debate yesterday to pay tribute to Helen Haines. In Haines’ empty seat inside the chamber, the crossbench placed an orange cockatoo, a symbol from the independent MP’s campaign.
• Discussions about safety and security for MPs was another prominent theme of the day in parliament. During question time, MP for Bradfield Nicolette Boele asked Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek how she would reassure young women that public life was safe for them following the attack on Haines.
• The Coalition has vowed to dismantle Australia’s climate policies in a bid to fight inflation, Opposition Leader Angus Taylor said, as he released early Coalition budget costings to demonstrate his commitment to bringing down inflation.
• Also on the agenda in Canberra this week is more debate on Labor’s Digital Duty of Care bill, which faces a Senate inquiry after the Coalition and the Greens both opposed the legislation in its current form.
• And abroad, Israelis are heading to the polls to vote in the country’s first election since October 7, 2023. Many Israelis have described this election as the most consequential in the nation’s history. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is being challenged by Gadi Eisenkot, a former head of the Israeli military.