Australia's foreign minister Penny Wong has come out swinging at Israel after its national security minister posted a video mocking detained Gaza flotilla activists, calling the stunt "shocking and unacceptable" in unusually blunt language for a country that still has a functioning diplomatic relationship with Israel.
According to reporting from The Guardian, Wong's rebuke was directed squarely at the video posted by Israel's national security minister, which appeared to taunt activists who had been detained after the flotilla was intercepted. The move drew condemnation not just from Canberra but from other governments watching what many described as a needlessly provocative act against civilian humanitarian activists.
Wong has been one of the more outspoken Western foreign ministers on the Gaza conflict, and this latest broadside fits a pattern of Australia nudging further away from its traditionally cautious stance on Israel. Whether this translates into any concrete diplomatic consequences remains, as always, the big question nobody wants to answer out loud.
Meanwhile, in unrelated news about rich people's feelings...
On the domestic front, shadow treasurer Tim Wilson used the occasion of NSW premier Chris Minns floating the idea of cutting Australia's top marginal tax rate to agree very enthusiastically that yes, rich people should keep more of their money. The top marginal rate currently sits at 47%, and Wilson argued Australians should be able to "keep the reward of their work" - a framing that will no doubt resonate deeply with the portion of the population that earns enough to pay it.
Minns, a Labor premier, had raised the idea in what political observers noted was a somewhat eyebrow-raising position for someone on the left flank of Australian politics. Wilson, a Liberal, had absolutely no objections whatsoever, which tracks.
The timing is notable given the post-election budget environment, with cost-of-living pressures still front of mind for most Australians - many of whom are considerably more concerned about grocery bills than the top marginal rate on income that starts well north of $180,000.
Both stories are covered in The Guardian's Australia live blog from May 21, 2026, which is running rolling updates across foreign policy and domestic economic debates.
