Australian news and politics live updates: Sam Kerr speaks out after being found not guilty of racial abuse

The Prime Minister has weighed in on the video of two Bankstown health workers threatening to ‘kill’ Israeli patients that has caused widespread outrage.

Mr Albanese labelled the footage as “sickening and shameful”, reports Ellen Ransley.

“These anti-Semitic comments, driven by hate, have no place in our health system and no place anywhere in Australia.

“These individuals have been stood down by NSW Authorities.

“They have rightly been referred to the NSW Police for criminal investigation.

The PM said anyone could to have committed criminal anti-Semitic acts “will face the full force of our laws”.

The Coalition has also condemened the video, describing it as “utterly disgraceful and deeply disturbing”.

Health spokeswoman Anne Ruston said the country’s healthcare system “must be a place of safety, respect and dignity for all”.

“It is not good enough to merely stand these healthcare workers down. The relevant authorities must also assess whether they should continue to practise in the health field ever again,” she said.

“The broader culture of this hospital must be examined to ensure that this is nothing more than an isolated incident from rogue individuals.”

Home affairs spokesman James Paterson said the video was “sickening” but was just the latest “disturbing incident in Australia’s out-of-control anti-Semitism crisis”.

“Such behaviour cannot be tolerated. The AFP and NSW police must immediately investigate whether this conduct meets a criminal threshold, including under the Criminal Code Amendment passed last week,” he said.

The Associated Press says the White House barred one of its reporters from entering an executive order signing after the news organization did not update its editorial standards renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”

“It is alarming that the Trump administration would punish AP for its independent journalism,” AP’s executive editor Julie Pace said.

“Limiting our access to the Oval Office based on the content of AP’s speech not only severely impedes the public’s access to independent news, it plainly violates the First Amendment.”

The Federal Government has “utterly condemened the appalling video” of the two Bankstown Hospital health workers.

In a statement, Health Minister Mark Butler and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the video was “as chilling as it is vile”, and the comments made are “sickening and totally unacceptable”.

“We welcome the news that those responsible for the video have been stood down from their jobs and the incident has been referred to police. We fully endorse the swift and decisive action taken by the NSW Government,” the pair said.

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They said Australians “have a right to feel safe wherever they go, and nowhere should be safer than a hospital”.

“Health workers have a solemn duty to treat and heal everyone who comes before them needing help. The vast majority hold to that oath,” the ministers said.

“The idea that you would single out a particular group in our community and indicate you wouldn’t care for them runs against every single principle in our health care system.

“These sort of comments – and the hatred that underpins them – have no place in our health system and no place anywhere in Australia.”

Video of two NSW Health workers making disgusting anti-Semitic threats has caused a storm of outrage this morning.

Watch it here:

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Alex Ryvchin, Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive, has expressed his disgust over the video depcting two nurses spewing anti-Semitic threats.

“This is utterly sickening to watch. Their unrepentant, gleeful hatred is the precursor to the violence we are experiencing in our country and it must be stamped out,” he wrote in a post to X.

“These two medical professionals employed by NSW Health must be identified and immediately removed from any scenario in which they could give effect to their threats and their murderous intent.”

Two Bankstown nurses stood down after bragging on video that they would refuse to treat Israeli people at their hospital and would “kill them” will never work for NSW Health again.

Health Minister Ryan Park made the vow while confirming NSW Health and NSW Police were both investigating.

“I say to the people of New South Wales, but in particular, to the Jewish community – I, as the New South Wales health minister, am so very sorry that you are having to deal with this.

“There is no place in our hospital and health system for this sort of view to ever, ever take place. There is no place for this sort of perspective in our society.

“Hospitals are different in the fact that every single Australian, and every single resident of this state, should be able to go to their local hospital when they need care and attention, and get high-quality care that is safe and effective.”

Federal Health Minister has also expressed his disgust over the video.

“It makes me sick to my stomach,” he said.

“The idea that you would single out a particular group in our community and indicate you wouldn’t care for them, runs against every single principle in our healthcare system.

“At a time of unprecedented antisemitism in our country, this is a particularly sickening video.”

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Labor is facing a fresh hurdle to secure an exemption on aluminium and steel tariffs after a senior adviser to Donald Trump accused Australia of “killing the aluminium market.”

Anthony Albanese on Tuesday secured a commitment from Mr Trump that he would consider excluding Australia from an executive order that will see 25 per cent taxes placed on imports of the metals to the US from March 12.

The US president praised Mr Albanese as a “very fine man” and acknowledged that the US had a trade surplus with Australia, raising hopes Australian industry would be spared the pain of tariffs.

But in a fresh blow to the Government’s efforts, Peter Navarro, Mr Trump’s senior counsellor for trade and manufacturing, later dampened expectations of an Australian exemption.

“Australia is just killing our aluminium market,” he told CNN. “President Trump says no, no, we’re not, we’re not doing that anymore.”

Two NSW health workers depicted in a video saying they would not treat Israeli patients and would ‘kill them’ instead, have been stood down, NSW Premier Chris Minns says.

“The two individuals have been identified. They’re NSW health workers from Bankstown hospital,” he said on 2GB.

“I can inform you and your listeners that both have been immediately stood down pending a full investigation, of course, but they will not be back in the NSW Health system.

“We need to make sure that this is an iron clad investigation and there’s not a glimmer of hope of some kind of administrative turnback.”

An urgent investigation is underway after a sickening video of two people who claim to be health workers spouting sickening anti-Semitic hate emerged on social media.

In the video a man, who is wearing NSW Health scrubs and identifies himself as a doctor, says: “I’m a doctor my man, in a hospital. You’re going to get killed and you’re going to go to hell (jahannam), inshallah (god willing).”

A woman says “It (Israel) is Palestine’s country, not your country you piece of s..t”.

“One day your time will come. One day you’ll die the most ...”

She goes on to say that they “won’t treat” Israeli people, “I’ll kill them”.

The man tells the man interviewing him that he was going to “get killed” and go to “hell”.

NSW Health Minister Ryan Park says he is aware of the “appalling” video circulating on social media.

“The comments are vile, dehumanising and unacceptable. They made me sick to my stomach. I have asked NSW Health to launch an urgent investigation to identify the individuals, and they have also referred the matter to NSW Police.

“If the investigation concludes that this behaviour has occurred, these individuals will no longer be working for NSW Health. These comments do not reflect the values of NSW Health or the broader NSW community.”