Unverified video appears to show Oscar Jenkins alive in Russian captivity
An unverified video appears to show Australian man Oscar Jenkins alive in Russian captivity, after he was feared dead at one point.
In the video, uploaded to YouTube, a man behind the camera says it is 17 January 2025, before Jenkins identifies himself:
My name is Oscar Jenkins … I am 32 years old … I come from Australia.
The man behind the camera says Jenkins is a prisoner of war from the 66th Mechanised Brigade of the armed forces of Ukraine. Jenkins said he feels weak and has lost a lot of weight, and also has a broken arm.
The man behind the camera puts to him, “The information about your death is not right?” to which Jenkins replies, “correct”. The man behind the camera then asks Jenkins to remove his beanie and says:
Everything is OK, he is alive, and I think he will [be] better.
Guardian Australia has not independently verified the video. You can view it in full below, but please be warned: it may be distressing to watch.
Key events
PM speaks ahead of Reserve Bank interest rate decision today
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has been speaking with ABC Sydney radio ahead of today’s interest rate decision from the Reserve Bank.
He said the RBA would “make a decision based upon the economics, not based upon any politics”, and defended his government’s economic track record:
This has been a global inflation spike and overseas, of course, [it] hit double digits in some places. Our neighbours in New Zealand [are] in a deep recession at the moment now, we’ve managed to avoid that. The economy has continued to grow.
We’ve created more jobs than any government since federation, and importantly, I think something I’m really proud of is that we have the lowest average unemployment rate of any government in the last 50 years.
Australian and Chinese officials meet after midair incident
Australian military officials have reportedly raised concerns with their Chinese counterparts about a midair incident over the South China Sea during senior official talks in Beijing, AAP reports.
On Monday, senior officials from both countries met in Beijing for the Australia-China Defence Strategic Dialogue – the first since 2019. The Australian defence department’s statement after the talks hinted at the midair incident being discussed:
Australia reiterated the importance of all countries in the region operating in a safe and professional manner at all times to avoid the risk of miscalculation or escalation. Both countries exchanged views on bilateral, global and regional security issues, as well as military transparency and communication.
Australia affirmed the importance of “all countries acting in a manner that respects sovereignty and upholds peace, security and stability”.
Meanwhile China’s defence ministry said in a statement that the two countries had an “in-depth” exchange of views on bilateral and military relations, regional security and other issues of common concern.
Both sides agreed to continue to strengthen strategic communication in defence, properly handle conflicts and differences, and carry out exchanges and cooperation, the statement said.
Cait Kelly
Burke declines to weigh in on Creative Australia decision
Continuing from our last post: Tony Burke was also asked about the turmoil on the board of Creative Australia after it dumped artist Khaled Sabsabi as the country’s representative to the 2026 Venice Biennale.
Burke would not weigh in on whether CA should reinstate Sabsabi:
They made a decision as to not [be] going ahead with that now. I think the worst thing could happen now would be for politicians to be adjudicating on it. It should be made at arm’s length from politicians, that’s so important.
Burke said he had spoken to the CA chief executive, Adrian Collette, after the artist’s work came up in Senate discussion.
At that point, he had already determined that they were going to have a board meeting that night. I was very clear. I made clear to Adrian Collette, who I have known for more than a decade. I said to him whatever you decide, I will support you and I will support Creative Australia.
Cait Kelly
Burke questioned on Nauru agreeing to take three violent offenders among NZYQ cohort
Appearing on ABC’s 7.30 program last night, the home affairs and creative arts minister, Tony Burke, was asked about Nauru agreeing to take three violent offenders who were among the so-called “NZYQ” cohort.
He said Nauru had approached the government, but would not say how much Australia had paid the small country in order to offload the refugees.
As you know, you know I’m not going to answer that one. I will explain just something on cost. The costs of an arrangement like this don’t get disclosed. That’s been the case for decades. It’s part of the arrangement with Nauru that is entered into, is that these issues also be kept confidential.
When asked how he would feel if they reoffended on Nauru, Burke said:
Sometimes we’re talking about individuals who have only lived in the community for a very, very short time … and sometimes you get people who the first time they were in the community was the same time they were committing a crime. The concept that Australia owes a particular obligation to these individuals, I really think is a stretch.
Unverified video appears to show Oscar Jenkins alive in Russian captivity
An unverified video appears to show Australian man Oscar Jenkins alive in Russian captivity, after he was feared dead at one point.
In the video, uploaded to YouTube, a man behind the camera says it is 17 January 2025, before Jenkins identifies himself:
My name is Oscar Jenkins … I am 32 years old … I come from Australia.
The man behind the camera says Jenkins is a prisoner of war from the 66th Mechanised Brigade of the armed forces of Ukraine. Jenkins said he feels weak and has lost a lot of weight, and also has a broken arm.
The man behind the camera puts to him, “The information about your death is not right?” to which Jenkins replies, “correct”. The man behind the camera then asks Jenkins to remove his beanie and says:
Everything is OK, he is alive, and I think he will [be] better.
Guardian Australia has not independently verified the video. You can view it in full below, but please be warned: it may be distressing to watch.
NSW government to introduce legislation strengthening racial hatred offences
People making racist remarks publicly could spend up to two years in jail and cop a fine of more than $10,000 under tough new laws in NSW, AAP reports.
Amid escalating antisemitic graffiti and vandalism incidents in Sydney, the Minns government is introducing a racial hatred incitement offence amendment to the Crimes Act in parliament today. The state’s attorney general, Michael Daley, said:
Racial hatred is unacceptable – and under this new legislation, it will be a crime to publicly and intentionally incite racial hatred. It is important for members of our community to be protected from conduct that causes them to fear for their safety, or to fear harassment, intimidation or violence.
The legislation will make it a crime to intentionally and publicly incite hatred towards another person, or group of people, on the grounds of race.
The amendment will establish a new section, 93ZAA of the Crimes Act, with a maximum penalty for an individual of two years behind bars, fines of up to $11,000, or both, while corporations can face fines of $55,000. The proposed offence stipulates that it must be a public act and that it intentionally incites hatred based on race.
The government maintains freedom of political speech will be protected and makes an exception “for directly referencing religious texts during religious teachings”.
Welcome
Emily Wind
Good morning, and welcome back to the Australia news live blog. I’m Emily Wind and I’ll be taking you through our rolling coverage for most of today.
The New South Wales government will today introduce a racial hatred incitement offence amendment to the Crimes Act, in response to a number of antisemitic attacks in the state. As AAP reports, people making racist remarks publicly could spend up to two years in jail and cop a fine of more than $10,000 under the tough new laws.
The Reserve Bank of Australia is expected to cut the official cash rate today, raising hopes among mortgage holders that the era of high interest repayments will finally start to unwind. The official announcement is due at 2.30pm AEDT – so stay tuned.
Also, an unverified video online appears to show Australian man Oscar Jenkins, who was captured in Russia and at one point feared dead. We’ll have more on this shortly.
As always, you can reach out with any tips, questions or feedback via email: emily.wind@theguardian.com. Let’s get started.
