Australia politics live: police under fire for handling of Sydney protests; chief says speakers ‘incited’ crowd to march

Fallout begins after violent scenes in Sydney. Follow the latest news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGood morning, Krishani Dhanji here with you, thanks to Martin Farrer for getting us started.There will be significant reaction to protest scenes out of Sydney and Melbourne last night.A lawful and peaceful public assembly was set upon with state violence because arbitrary and excessive special powers were granted to the police, via a rushed regulation made on a Saturday, with no good cause and in defiance our implied constitutional rights to engage in political expression.I saw with my own eyes something I had hoped to never see, but the video footage that is spreading across social media is all the evidence that any of us need to see the descent of NSW into a Police State. We saw people of the Muslim faith who were praying set upon, dragged, assaulted and thrown to the ground. We saw dozens of armed police charging at peaceful members of our community. Continue reading...