A personal view of Australian and International Politics
Contemporary politics,local and international current affairs, science, music and extracts from the Queensland Newspaper "THE WORKER" documenting the proud history of the Labour Movement.
MAHATMA GANDHI ~ Truth never damages a cause that is just.
The RACQ has released vision of near misses involving its crews as it calls for drivers to take care this road safety week. (Supplied: RACQ)
In short:
The RACQ says it has recorded a rise in near misses to its vehicles when responding to crashes and other incidents.
They say motorists are ignoring flashing warning lights and failing to slow down around tow trucks assisting vehicles.
What's next?
It comes during National Road Safety Week, with police saying they are targeting dangerous behaviour.
Motorists
across Queensland are being urged to slow down around emergency service
vehicles and tow trucks responding to incidents, after a reported rise
in near misses.
The calls come on the third day of National Road Safety Week, and amid another deadly year on the state's roads.
The
Royal Automobile Club of Queensland (RACQ) has warned roadside hits
could become more common — especially for their crews and emergency
services — unless motorists slow down around incidents.
A woman died earlier this week after she was hit by a ute when returning to her car on the side of the M1. (Supplied: Aussie Towing)
The
organisation said in the six months between November 2025 and April
2026 there were 29 near misses involving their tow trucks assisting
vehicles — more than triple the number during the same period the
previous year.
RACQ Deputy
Chief Executive Glenn Toms said Queensland law meant if drivers saw
flashing lights on the roadside they had to legally move over and slow
down.
"Roadside operators …
are there to help when you need it most — the least motorists can do is
move over and slow down," Mr Toms said.
"They
are out there saving Queenslanders every day from dangerous and
vulnerable situations — we can't have motorists making these situations
worse by not following their obligations to give them safe space.
"The law is simple — if you see flashing lights on the roadside, move over and slow down."
RACQ wants drivers to slow down. (ABC News)
Mr
Toms said it was "disappointing" to see road safety go backwards after
the organisation campaigned for those laws — dubbed the Move Over, Slow
Down laws — in 2017.
So far
this year, 125 people have died on Queensland roads — an increase of
almost 30 per cent on numbers to the same time last year.
On that trajectory, the RACQ has warned 330 people could die this year.
"Queensland
is on track for another one of its deadliest years in recent history,
and these incidents show the risks aren't limited to drivers and
passengers — they extend to the people working to keep our motorists
safe and our roads moving," Mr Toms said.
"Every
one of these close calls could have ended in tragedy. Slowing down and
moving over isn't just the law — it's about protecting lives."
Police targeting dangerous behaviour
The
Queensland Police Service said vulnerable road users, including
pedestrians, cyclists and motorcycle riders, continue to represent a
disproportionate number of lives lost on Queensland roads.
Chief
Superintendent of Road Policing Group Mark Wheeler said police
continued to enforce road safety and target high risk behaviours.
"First
responders feel this loss deeply, and it is a driving motivator as to
why we work so tirelessly to prevent these tragedies from happening,"
Chief Superintendent Wheeler said.
"Dangerous
behaviours displayed on our roads, such as speeding, distracted and
impaired driving, driving tired and not wearing a seatbelt ... are
leading to serious injury and death."
More than 1,000 individual pipes make up the St Luke's Anglican Church organ in Toowoomba. (ABC Southern Qld: Aisling Brennan)
In short:
St Luke's Anglican Church in Toowoomba has completed a three-and-a-half-year restoration project of its historic pipe organ.
The
119-year-old Norman and Beard instrument has had upgrades to its
electronics and electro-magnetics with protective felt also added to its
more than 1,000 pipes.
What's next?
Brisbane organist Phillip Gearing will play a recital for the Toowoomba community on May 30.
The sound of baritone to whistle-like notes resonates off the walls of a church in regional Queensland.
For
parishioner John Standley it is the sound of a completed musical
restoration and the first time a pipe organ has been heard inside
Toowoomba's St Luke's Anglican Church in almost four years.
"I was rather enthusiastic about this, and all it's accomplished," Dr Standley said.
It
has been a passion project for the St Luke's parishioner that included
multiple specialists and a widespread fundraising effort.
John Standley plays an organ pipe, removed from its resting place in the church. (ABC Southern Qld: Aisling Brennan)
"We
asked [an organ builder] from Brisbane what needed to be done to keep
the organ in good working order … and he gave us a list," he said.
The
more than century-old wind instrument was pulled apart pipe-by-pipe and
transported the 120 kilometres to Brisbane for repairs.
Its
three sections, its great, swell, and pedal organs, were repaired with
digital upgrades to its transmissions and electro-magnets.
Hear the 119-year-old pipe organ being played after its restoration.
Future-proofing work was also done, including added felt seals to prevent air leaks due to heat swelling and moisture.
"Imagine you have little felt seals in different shapes, 2,156 of them, two for each pipe," Dr Standley said.
"It was a really fiddly job."
Second generation organ repairer Imogen Pierce said instruments generally get health check-ups every six months.
But the St Luke's restoration project was a major undertaking.
"They're just a thing you don't see anymore and they are quite valued in their communities," Ms Pierce said.
"It's really nice to see that they have historic value."
Parishioners have documented each stage of the organ's restoration for visitors. (ABC Southern Queensland: Kemii Maguire)
She
said five repairers at a time were sent to St Luke's who used a disused
ambulance to transport the pipes to and from Brisbane.
"Purely for size. We can get six of our full-sized pipes in there," she said.
Pierce Pipe Organs repair worker Andy Granger ensures every pipe is carefully removed from St Luke's Anglican Church. (ABC Southern Qld: Aisling Brennan)
David Bailey from Pierce Pipe Organs said its sound was also affected in different climates.
"We
[made] some improvements to the slider action to make sure the organ
can continue to play well throughout the changing seasons," Mr Bailey
said.
History restored
Former
St Luke's music director Phillip Gearing said the instrument, which
arrived from England in 1907, was a significant example of a pipe organ
in Australia.
"There were two
other organs [made] at about the same time by Norman and Beard, who were
one of the most famous and well-respected organ builders in the world,"
Dr Gearing said.
"One sits at Newcastle Cathedral in New South Wales and the other at St John's Cathedral in Brisbane.
"This one is the smallest. But even though it's not a very large instrument the quality of the sound is absolutely magnificent."
The pipe organ is made of three seperate parts, and is played across the church floor from where the main pipes sit. (ABC Southern Queensland: Kemii Maguire)
When asked why it was worth the trouble to restore the instrument, Dr Standley was quick to answer.
"The original plans [for St Luke's] in about 1894 had this building almost like a cathedral," he said.
"If you have a very large civic building, you really need a powerful pipe organ to provide enough sound for a full church.
"It
is really a remarkable feat of engineering, and I keep thinking this
mechanism dates back to 1907 and it's still working really well."
The first notes played by Dr Phillip Gearing filled the large church in a practice session on Monday. (ABC Southern Queensland: Kemii Maguire)
The completed project will be recognised with a recital by Dr Gearing.
The now organist for Brisbane's Cathedral of St Stephen said it was a pleasure to return.
"When I was director of music here at St Luke's it was always a joy to play this organ," Dr Gearing said.
"It's a joy to play it again.
"A lot of the action work has made it a lot more responsive to play, and that makes music-making very, very satisfying."
Bill footed by community
Dr
Standley said the organ's reconstruction was a community effort and it
would serve the Toowoomba community for major choral and philharmonic
events.
The final cost for the restoration reached about $150,000.
"The parish was behind us, the community was behind us,"
he said.
The majority of the cost was raised from community donations and fundraising events.
St Luke's Church has been a popular stop for visitors and locals, situated in the Garden City's CBD. (ABC Southern Qld: Dan McCray)
"Two thirds of the community [donors] are actually not parishioners from St Luke's," he said.
"There's
one gentleman from Miles who heard about the organ, and then the Organ
Society of Queensland is backing us from Brisbane."
Dr Standley said the restored organ will serve the Toowoomba community for major choral and philharmonic events.
"Hopefully it will be used more as the city expands," he said.
The eruption has been seen from space in recent days. (Supplied: NASA Worldview)
In short:
A volcano is erupting in Papua New Guinea's Bismarck Sea.
The Titan Ridge Volcano is active across a 5 kilometre area and is visible from space.
What's next?
Authorities have warned of possible tsunamis and have advised seafarers to avoid the area.
A
volcano is erupting under the ocean in the Bismarck Sea, prompting
warnings of possible tsunamis from authorities as ash and smoke bellow
into the sky.
Papua New Guinea
authorities have warned of falling pumice, ash, unpredictable swells and
turbulent currents in the area near the eruption of the
provisionally-named Titan Ridge Volcano.
Satellites have captured the event unfold from space, while seafarers in the area have seen it unfold.
Kennedy Masis took in the spectacle from the fishing boat he was working on. (Supplied)
One fisherman, Kennedy Masis, was searching for tuna when he "saw smoke coming out of the sea", he told the ABC.
"Twelve years as a fisherman I've never seen anything like that … it's scary.
"It sounds like thunder and the sea smells like metal burning."
He said the next day he saw plenty of dead fish near the reef which was like a "boiling spring".
He warned other fishermen in the region to be cautious in the area as the eruption continued.
Steve
Saunders, the principal geodetic surveyor at the Rabaul Volcano
Observatory, told ABC's Pacific Beat localised tsunami activity was
possible.
"We could have some more intense explosive activity, in which case we may get just small tsunamis," Mr Saunders said.
"That would cause just small tsunamis because it's 100 kilometres at least to the nearest land."
He added that the ocean in the area is about 500 to 800 metres deep.
Experts were watching the eruption closely despite its remote location. (Supplied: Kennedy Masis)
He said that while undersea eruptions had happened before, this one was showing some unique characteristics.
"What's unusual about this is that it's much more energetic, it looks as though ... a cone is probably building underneath,"
he said.
"We are getting pumice actually reaching the surface ... so it looks as though we may have a vent at, or very near the surface."
PNG's
Mineral Resources Authority (MRA) said that the volcano was active
along a 5km stretch of ocean, but regular satellite monitoring had been
hampered by cloud cover in recent days.
A magnitude-5.4 earthquake was recorded near the site on Monday.
Before the eruption authorities recorded a number of quakes in the area, including six on May 8.
Mr Saunders said that any toxic fumes from the eruption were not blowing toward populated areas.
Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich says ICC prosecutors are requesting to issue an arrest warrant against him. (Reuters: Ronen Zvulun)
In short:
Reports
have been circulating that the ICC is preparing to issue warrants
against Israel's far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, and
national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Mr
Smotrich says he would not be intimidated by such a move, labelling it a
"clumsy attempt" to force Israel to change its policy positions.
The ICC has denied those initial reports and not commented since.
Israel's
far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich says prosecutors at the
International Criminal Court (ICC) have made a "secret" request for an
arrest warrant to be issued against him, but insisted he would not be
intimidated by the move.
Over
the weekend, reports emerged that the ICC was preparing to issue
warrants against Mr Smotrich and his cabinet colleague, national
security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, because of their statements and
policies relating to Palestinians in the West Bank.
The
pair, who live in settlements in the West Bank considered illegal under
international law, have been accused of fuelling violence against
Palestinians and promoting mass displacement.
The ICC denied the initial reports, and has not commented on Mr Smotrich's claims since.
The finance minister did not specify who had told him about the arrest warrant or the grounds for it being issued.
Bezalel Smotrich is a prominent and outspoken figure of the Netanyahu government. (Reuters: Ronen Zvulun)
But
he has remained defiant and criticised the court, which has issued
arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and
former defence minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes
against humanity during the war in Gaza.
"The
clumsy attempt to force upon us a policy of security suicide through
sanctions and arrest warrants will not succeed," Mr Smotrich said in a
press conference.
"On a
personal level, they do not intimidate me. I am willing to pay personal
prices in order to serve my people. If I am required to pay such a
price, I do so proudly and with my head held high.
"But
on the national level, they are not harming Benjamin Netanyahu or
Bezalel Smotrich personally. They are trying to harm us as the prime
minister and finance minister of the State of Israel."
The
chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan KC, is
accused by Israel of targeting senior members of the Netanyahu
government.
Mr Smotrich described the warrant as a "declaration of war" and promised to "respond with war".
"The
Palestinian Authority has started a war, and it will get a war. From
today onward, every economic or other target within my power to harm,
under my authority as finance minister and as a minister in the defence
ministry, will be targeted. Not talk and gimmicks — actions."
He
then issued a declaration ordering the destruction of a Palestinian
Bedouin community east of Jerusalem, called Khan al-Ahmar. It is close
to one of the largest illegal Jewish settlement in the West Bank, called
Ma'ale Adumim.
Settler violence surges
Mr
Smotrich and Mr Ben-Gvir are two of the most outspoken and
controversial members of the Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition government,
and have been sanctioned by countries including Australia on allegations of inciting violence against the Palestinian population and promoting their displacement.
Australia is a member of the ICC, while Israel is not.
The
pair have promoted their desire for the expansion of settlements in the
West Bank, and Mr Smotrich has even spoken about seizing territory in
places such as Lebanon.
In
recent weeks, Mr Ben-Gvir has successfully pushed for a new law imposing
the death penalty on Palestinians tried and convicted in the Israeli
military justice system.
Organisations
including the United Nations have reported settler violence against
Palestinians has surged to unprecedented levels, with many residents of
West Bank communities fearing the Israelis have become emboldened by the
hard-line of the Netanyahu coalition ministers.
The
situation has deteriorated to such a point that senior members of the
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have sounded alarm over the situation.
ICC head under investigation
The
Israeli government has labelled the court antisemitic in its pursuit of
senior Israeli officials, and accused it of overlooking crimes by Hamas
committed against Israel on October 7 2023.
That is despite Israel claiming it had already killed Deif. Hamas confirmed the death months later.
The United States has also criticised the ICC, and has issued sanctions against some of its judges and key staff.
That
response from the Trump administration may explain the secrecy around
the latest arrest warrant process, with prosecutors not wanting to draw
immediate attention to the situation.
The chief prosecutor of the ICC, Karim Khan KC, has been accused of sexual misconduct and is under investigation.
Earlier
this month he told Middle East Eye the allegations were unfounded, and
said he had been subjected to an intense intimidation campaign as a
result of his decision to pursue warrants against people like Mr
Netanyahu.
The pope’s encyclical will address ‘the protection of the human person in the age of AI’, the Vatican says
The Chicago-born pontiff will present the document, known as an encyclical, at the Vatican
next week during an event attended by Christopher Olah, the co-founder
of Anthropic – a US-based AI firm that has clashed with Donald Trump’s
administration.
The
encyclical will address “the protection of the human person in the age
of artificial intelligence”, the Vatican said on Monday.
Encyclicals
are one of the highest forms of teaching from a pope to the Catholic
church’s 1.4 billion members, and typically outline his priorities while
highlighting the major issues in society.
Leo is expected to consider how AI is affecting workers’ rights while lamenting its use in warfare.
“His
encyclical is going to be a response to the dazzlingly rapid
technological revolution that is happening right now,” said Andrea
Vreede, a Vatican correspondent for the Dutch public radio and TV
network NOS. “So he will say things like AI shouldn’t be used in
warfare, that is obvious. But he will also try to be positive and offer
workable answers to modern challenges.”
The
Vatican said Leo signed the document, which is entitled Magnifica
Humanitas, or Magnificent Humanity, on 15 May – 135 years after his
namesake, Pope Leo XIII, signed his most significant encyclical, which
focused on the Industrial Revolution that was under way at the time
while addressing workers’ rights and capitalism.
“The
fact that Leo signed the document on the same date as Leo XIII signed
his encyclical is significant,” said Vreede. “The 1891 document was a
response to the Industrial Revolution, when there were immediate and
practical consequences to society, and this one addresses the
technological revolution.”
Christopher
White, the author of Pope Leo XIV: Inside the Conclave and the Dawn of a
New Papacy and a senior fellow at Georgetown University’s Initiative on
Catholic Social Thought and Public Life, said the Vatican had been
seriously engaged on questions surrounding AI for several years now,
pointing to regular dialogues with Microsoft, Google and other major
technology firms.
“Leo’s
new encyclical is likely to build on that tradition – not from a
perspective of doomerism but one of caution that as technology advances,
the human person should be kept at the centre of the discussion,” said
White. “Like Pope Francis, Leo will likely raise concern about the
dignity of work and the need to ensure that technological advancements
don’t override the dignity of workers and their rights. And he’ll likely
insist on the need for stringent regulation and a ban on lethal
autonomous weapons.”
Traditionally, a pope’s
encyclical is presented by cardinals. While the main presenters will be
the Vatican’s top cardinals, doctrine chief Cardinal VÃctor Manuel
Fernández and development chief Cardinal Michael Czerny, the fact that
lay speakers have been invited – along with Leo’s attendance – is also
significant.
Vreede said: “That’s a very
clever strategic communication move, because if the cardinals do it,
nobody really listens, but if the pope is there, all the cameras will be
there, and we will all listen.”
Hussam
Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza, was repeatedly
warned to evacuate during the war between Israel and Hamas, but chose to
remain with his patients. In December 2024, he was arrested by the
Israel Defence Forces. Seventeen months later, Amnesty International
alleges that Dr. Abu Safiya has been tortured in detention, while the
United Nations has called for his release. The IDF, meanwhile, says the
doctor has ties to Hamas.
Organisers of a Gaza-bound flotilla say they have been intercepted by the Israeli navy.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been pictured watching the interception operation.
One international law expert says the blockade of Gaza should concern countries like Australia.
The
organisers of a flotilla of ships trying to break Israel's maritime
blockade of Gaza say Israel's navy has intercepted the vessels off the
coast of Cyprus.
There are more than 50 ships in the flotilla and 11 Australians are said to be among the crews.
The
Global Sumud Flotilla's organisers say their names are Anny Mokotow, Dr
Bianca Pullman-Webb, Neve O'Connor, Violet Coco, Gemma O'Toole, Sam
Woripa Watson, Zack Schofield, Helen O'Sullivan, Juliet Lamont, Isla
Lamont and Surya McEwan.
Live tracking data provided by the flotilla showed at least 27 ships had been intercepted by late on Monday afternoon.
Australians Sam Woripa Watson (left) and Anny Mokotow (middle) who are crew members of the flotilla. (Supplied: Global Sumud Flotilla)
One of the Australians on board, Juliet Lamont, was a member of the group who tried to breach the blockade in October last year.
She said it had been a quiet night of sailing before the Israeli navy approach on Monday morning, local time.
"It's all on now," Ms Lamont said in a video distributed by flotilla supporters in Australia.
"You
never know the minute when the Israelis decide that 'yeah, let's f***
over some ordinary people,' 500 of them, who have got a whole load of
baby food in boats trying to break their illegal siege in international
waters.
"Here we are in international waters, and our governments are completely failing us. Do everything that you can to keep us safe.
"If
we get put in that f***ing hellhole in Ketziot [prison] again, make
sure our governments advocate on our behalf and get us out of there and
end this genocide and free Palestine."
Israeli
public broadcaster KAN reported lawyers for Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu asked to cancel a scheduled appearance in court for his
long-running corruption trial on Monday for security reasons, which the
network said was to watch the flotilla interceptions from the Israeli
Defense Forces's (IDF's) headquarters in Tel Aviv.
Mr
Netanyahu's office later released a video of him watching the
operation, and speaking to the commander of the Israeli forces leading
the interceptions.
He said they
were "essentially thwarting a malicious plan designed to break through
the isolation we are imposing on the Hamas terrorists in Gaza".
"You
are doing it with great success, and I must say also quietly, and
certainly less conspicuously than our enemies expected, and therefore
congratulations from the bottom of my heart," he said.
"Keep going until the end. The water looks simply wonderful."
An Israeli vessel approaches the flotilla. (Supplied: Global Sumud Flotilla)
Last month the Israeli military intercepted another flotilla of ships in international waters off
the Greek island of Crete, detained the crews and damaged some of the
ships, which the flotilla organisers described as an act of piracy on
the high seas.
Most were later dropped off in Greece, including three of the Australians who have since joined this latest flotilla.
But
two of the most prominent crew members were taken to Israel on
allegations of being involved in a terrorist organisation and illegal
activity.
Brazilian Thiago
Avila and Spaniard Saif Abu Keshek were later released from prison, and
their lawyers accused Israel of abuse while in custody — claims Israeli
authorities denied.
Israel 'will not allow breach of blockade'
In
a post on social media earlier in the day, Israel's foreign ministry
said the country would "not allow any breach of the lawful naval
blockade on Gaza" and described the actions of the flotilla as "a
provocation for the sake of provocation".
The
flotilla movement has insisted the measures are vital to highlight the
humanitarian crisis facing the population in Gaza and Israel's cruel
policies against Palestinians.
Israel
has repeatedly criticised efforts to break the blockade as being more
about garnering global attention for the activists on board than
delivering meaningful aid to the people of Gaza.
An Israeli warship photographed by a crew member of the flotilla. (Supplied: Global Sumud Flotilla)
This is the fourth group in recent months to try to sail to Gaza.
Those
activists were forced to watch videos of Hamas's horrific attacks on
Israel on October 7, 2023, when they arrived in Israel, and they were
later taken to a prison near the Israel–Egypt border.
The maritime blockade of Gaza has been in place for almost two decades, well before the current conflict in the strip began.
One United Nations inquiry found the measures were unlawful, while another found it was legal to protect Israel's security.
A
screenshot of a video shared by the Global Sumud Flotilla, which
organisers say shows Israeli military preparing to intercept the fleet. (X: Global Sumud Flotilla)
Don
Rothwell, professor of international law at the Australian National
University, said a blockade was a "legitimate act of naval warfare", and
cited the current US operation in the Strait of Hormuz against Iran as
an example of that.
But he said the decision by many countries, including Australia, to recognise Palestinian statehood changed the equation.
"Absent
an armed conflict, Israel's previous position was that the blockade was
a legitimate security measure against Gaza due to the threat posed by
Hamas," Professor Rothwell said.
"An
exception to the imposition of a blockade exists for the provision of
humanitarian aid to the civilian population of the blockaded state.
"There
is no international armed conflict between Israel and the independent
State of Palestine — though of course Israel refuses to recognise such
an independent state.
"As such, any attempt to enforce the blockade off the coast of Cyprus has no legal basis under international law."
He
said the incident should be of concern for a country like Australia,
given its public positions demanding freedom of navigation in places
like the South China Sea and the Strait of Hormuz.
"The
IDF conduct is an example of extraterritorial law enforcement of
Israel's blockade within the maritime zone of Cyprus or on the high
seas, which is a violation of the freedom of navigation which the
vessels that make up the Global Sumud Flotilla enjoy," Professor
Rothwell said.
Flotilla participant calls on prime minister
Ethan
Floyd, a Global Sumud Flotilla participant who has returned to
Australia after last month's interception, called on the Albanese
government to condemn these acts.
"This
is now the second time Israel has illegally abducted Australian
citizens in international waters, and our government has said nothing,"
he said.
"It
is not a radical act to attempt to deliver food, water and medicine to a
starving population. In fact, it is a desperately reasonable act.
"The Albanese government must condemn the kidnapping of its citizens by a foreign country.
"And it must follow that condemnation with real sanctions, political and economic, on the rogue state of Israel."
The
ABC has asked Foreign Minister Penny Wong and the Department of Foreign
Affairs and Trade for comment about the developing situation.
The IDF is refusing to comment about the interception mission, directing all enquiries to the country's foreign ministry.
