<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nSenate speeds through lock-up laws after child sex ringleader charged<\/h2>\n
The Senate has waved through tough new laws after a man who ran a child sex ring in Victoria has become the third former immigration detainee to face court on fresh charges.<\/p>\n
Emran Dad, 33 \u2013 who in 2012 pleaded guilty to child sex and procurement offences for paying teenage girls in state care for sex, and to have sex with other men \u2013 was arrested on Tuesday in the Melbourne suburb of Dandenong.<\/p>\n
He was charged with three counts of making contact with a child, using email, TikTok, Instagram and live-streaming, all without reporting the use to the police.<\/p>\n
Following his arrest, the Coalition moved a motion for the Senate to immediately vote on Labor\u2019s new preventative detention laws in the upper house as politicians feuded over the consequences of the landmark High Court decision overturning the legality of indefinite immigration detention.<\/p>\n
The new laws will allow the government to refer criminals freed from immigration detention to judges to decide if they still pose a risk to the community and should be locked up again.<\/p>\n
Find out more about the proposal here. <\/p>\n
Attorney-General asked to investigate undercover police safety<\/h2>\n
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has been asked to investigate the treatment of undercover police operatives by parliament\u2019s powerful joint committee on law enforcement, challenging the Albanese government\u2019s assertion that problems identified in a secret report had been fixed.<\/p>\n
This masthead and 60 Minutes <\/em>revealed on Monday the Australian Federal Police\u2019s top-secret undercover program had been compromised by systemic failures, including outdated technology, inadequate security and a box-ticking approach to psychological support.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.394%2C$multiply_0.7725%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/81b9d81767c02845bdefea3998185a8abe581ee4\")
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Law enforcement committee chair senator Helen Polley, right, made the referral to Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus\u2019 office.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Alex Ellinghausen<\/cite><\/p>\nLaw enforcement committee chair senator Helen Polley on Thursday wrote to lawyer Rebekah Giles, who is acting for three AFP officers and their families in a defective administration claim, to reveal she had made a referral to Dreyfus\u2019 office.<\/p>\n
A defective administration claim allows federal public servants to make a compensation claim against the Commonwealth for loss or damage, and for an ex gratia payment to be made.<\/p>\n
Australian Federal Police Association president Alex Caruana questioned whether the safety standards of the program were sufficient.<\/p>\n
Caruana said the police union had been dealing with the issue of undercover officers\u2019 safety for at least four years and \u201cwe are coming into our members\u2019 fourth Christmas where they are still looking over their shoulders\u201d.<\/p>\n
Continue reading about the issue here.<\/p>\n
Extremist West Bank settlers will be barred from US, Blinken announces<\/h2>\n
Turning overseas, the US State Department will impose visa bans against individuals involved in undermining peace, security or stability in the occupied West Bank.<\/p>\n
Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the new visa restriction policy in a statement on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The restrictions will target those who have committed acts of violence or taken other actions that restrict civilians\u2019 access to essential services and necessities and may also apply to those individuals\u2019 family members, Blinken said.<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.158%2C$multiply_0.7725%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_27%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/c642d0b2fc977267a28536ef7e99407c959f8ed0\")
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Israeli settlements sit behind a wire security fence along a road outside of Hebron during increased tensions between Palestinians and Israelis in Hebron, West Bank.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\nThe statement did not identify any individuals facing visa bans, or say how many would be targeted.<\/p>\n
President Joe Biden and other senior US officials have warned repeatedly that Israel must act to stop violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank, which has increased since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have underscored to the Israeli government the need to do more to hold accountable extremist settlers who have committed violent attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank,\u201d Blinken said.<\/p>\n
Read the full story here, from Reuters<\/strong>. <\/p>\nThis morning\u2019s headlines at a glance<\/h2>\n
Good morning, and thanks for your company.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s Wednesday, December 6. I\u2019m Caroline Schelle, <\/b>and I\u2019ll be anchoring our live coverage for the first half of the day.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what you need to know before we get started:<\/p>\n