Australia news live: minister refutes ‘troubling’ claim by Bragg that Muslims bear responsibility for Bondi shooting; bushfire smoke over Sydney

Pat Conroy says Muslim community are ‘incredibly valued Australians’. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe minister for defence industry, Pat Conroy, has refuted claims made by shadow frontbencher Andrew Bragg about the Muslim community.Earlier Bragg accused Australia’s Muslim community of needing to “take some responsibility” for the Bondi terror attack and for the federal government to make sure funding doesn’t go to “hate preachers”.We’ve been very clear these acts were committed by people who believed an extreme perversion of Islam and to try and hold the entire Islamic community responsible for these acts, I think, is anti to social cohesion. It’s incredibly unfair, and it’s not a recipe for taking this country forward.Some of the earliest people condemning the vile attacks in Bondi were leaders of our Muslim Australian community, and we’ll continue to support their right to practise in peace. Continue reading...