Australia news LIVE: Labor to introduce student debt cuts and childcare reform; Albanese urged to go greener; Ozzy Osbourne dead at 76
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6.50am
Ghislaine Maxwell to meet justice officials to discuss potential new evidence in Epstein saga
By Michael Koziol
Ghislaine Maxwell, the former socialite who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for conspiring with her friend Jeffrey Epstein to sexually exploit girls, is set to meet with the US Justice Department to discuss potential new evidence in the sex-trafficking saga.
Deputy Attorney-General Todd Blanche – formerly President Donald Trump's lawyer – said he had approached Maxwell's counsel to see if she would speak with prosecutors, and anticipated meeting her 'in the coming days'. Maxwell's lawyer David Oscar Markus confirmed the discussions.
The development instantly sparked speculation Trump could pardon Maxwell if she were to provide evidence that did not implicate the president, who is a former friend of Epstein, and whose presence in the so-called Epstein files has long been rumoured.
Trump has come under intense pressure over the Epstein case in the past fortnight, especially from his Make America Great Again base, after the Justice Department and FBI said they would not release any more records from the investigation and the case was effectively closed.
Trump's new submarine chief a critic of Australia
By Michael Koziol
The man leading Donald Trump's push to build more ships and submarines is a critic of Australia who has questioned whether Canberra can be trusted to stick with the AUKUS agreement, and whether it is ready to help the United States take on China.
Jerry Hendrix, a retired navy captain who holds a senior role in the president's Office of Management and Budget, said last year that 'the Australians have been noticeably fickle' about AUKUS and queried if the deal had true bipartisan support.
Meanwhile, with AUKUS under review by the Pentagon, the heads of a US congressional committee on China have written to the Trump administration to defend the agreement, arguing it would 'dramatically enhance' collective efforts to defend against Beijing's aggression.
The letter to Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth is the second time in as many months that members of the US Congress from both sides of politics have written to the former Fox News host to defend AUKUS, underlining fears a US review of the pact will recommend major changes.
6.41am
What's making news today
By Daniel Lo Surdo
Hello and welcome to the national news live blog. My name is Daniel Lo Surdo, and I'll be helming our live coverage this morning.
Here's what is making news today:
The Albanese government will set forth on executing the legislative agenda promised to voters when it introduces draft laws to reduce student debt and reform childcare on Wednesday. It follows a day of first speeches and ceremonial pomp in Parliament House as federal politicians convened in Canberra for the first time since Labor's crushing election victory in May.
Albanese is facing one of his first major policy tests after his historic re-election as a business group led by Andrew Forrest's Fortescue has demanded a 75 per cent cut to Australia's emissions, and Labor's hand-picked climate adviser prepares to tell the government what its 2035 target should be.
Ozzy Osbourne has died just weeks after his farewell show, aged 76. The death of the Black Sabbath lead singer has prompted an outpouring of grief from the music industry's biggest names, with Osbourne's family saying the musician was 'surrounded by love' at the time of his passing.
The Australian sharemarket is set to rise again after Wall Street was on track to edge to another all-time high in late trading. It comes as US President Donald Trump extended his verbal attack on Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell, who Trump thinks has kept interest rates too high, labelling Powell a 'numbskull' who will be 'out pretty soon'.
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Donald Trump news: US President speaks as he arrives in Scotland to open new golf course, discuss trade
US President Donald Trump has arrived in Scotland as his family's business prepares for the upcoming opening of a new golf course in Aberdeenshire billed as 'the greatest 36 holes in golf'. Air Force One - the presidential plane - touched down at Prestwick Airport in Ayrshire on Friday just before 8.30pm (local time). Mr Trump was met by Scottish Secretary Ian Murray as he disembarked, before heading to the waiting presidential helicopter Marine One, bound for his nearby Turnberry golf course. His presence is expected to spark protests across the country, with Scottish Police being forced to request aid from other forces to help increase manpower for the trip. Mr Trump is set to spend time at his golf resort in Turnberry on Scotland's west coast, before heading to his sprawling golf property 320 kilometres away near Aberdeen in the east. But it won't be all play and no work. He will meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen who both want to talk about trade. Mr Trump said Washington was also working hard on a possible trade deal with the EU, which he said was very keen to make a deal. EU diplomats say a deal could result in a broad 15 per cent tariff on EU goods, mirroring a framework agreement with Japan and half of the 30 per cent tariff Trump is threatening to impose by August 1. Speaking to reporters on the tarmac, Mr Trump said he'd be with his son and 'he's gonna cut a ribbon' for the second Trump golf course opening soon near Aberdeen. Eric Trump, who now helps run the Trump Organisation, previously joined his father for the groundbreaking in 2023. Although Eric did not travel with Donald on Air Force One, a Trump private plane was seen landing near Glasgow earlier in the day. Mr Trump also used the opportunity to send a blunt message to Europe, saying, 'This immigration is killing Europe. And the other thing, stop the windmills.' He added: 'Wind power generation is killing the beauty of your country.' His opposition to wind farms is longstanding, including previous legal efforts to protect views from his golf courses in Scotland. On immigration, Mr Trump warned, 'On immigration, you better get your act together. You're not going to have Europe anymore.' He contrasted this with his administration's tough US-Mexico border policies, suggesting Europe needs to act decisively on immigration controls. As part of the visit, he will open a second 18-hole course on the Aberdeen property named in honour of his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, who was born and raised on a Scottish island before emigrating to America. The White House has described the trip as 'private'. Mr Trump's visit to Scotland is in the 'public interest', UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves insisted, pointing out a recent trade deal. 'That has a tangible benefit for people here in Scotland, whether it is people working in the Scotch whisky industry or people working in the defence sector, like here at Rolls-Royce, that trade deal means lower tariffs than any country in the world on things that we send to the US,' she said. While in the UK, he will also meet Scotland's First Minister John Swinney, who had publicly backed Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in the 2024 US presidential election. 'The Scottish leader is a good man, so I look forward to meeting him,' Mr Trump said. Swinney flagged in an interview with PA that he intended to raise 'the awfulness of the situation in Gaza and the unbearable human suffering' with Trump. 'I intend to take that opportunity to make sure that Scotland's voice is heard,' he said. The trip shows how the president has become increasingly comfortable intermingling his governing pursuits with promoting his family's business interests. Mr Trump has described Scotland as a 'very special place' and made a similar trip there in 2016 during his first run for the presidency, but he will not necessarily get a warm welcome. About 70 per cent of Scots have an unfavourable opinion of Trump, while 18 per cent have a favourable opinion, an Ipsos poll in March found. His visit requires a major police operation that will cost Scottish taxpayers millions of pounds as protests are planned over the weekend. The union representing officers is concerned that they are already overworked and will be diverted from their normal duties. The overseas travel comes as Trump faces the biggest domestic political crisis of his second term in office. Allies and opponents alike have criticised his administration's handling of investigative files related to disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's criminal charges and the circumstances of his 2019 death in prison. The issue has caused a rare breach with some of Trump's most loyal Make America Great Again supporters, and majorities of Americans and Trump's Republicans say they believe the government is hiding details on the case, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling. White House officials, frustrated by the ongoing focus on the Epstein saga, are hoping the controversy dies down while Trump is abroad, one person familiar with the matter said. with PA and Reuters
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5 minutes ago
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Australia and the UK push for a two-state solution
Australia and the UK have stopped short of following France's lead to recognise Palestinian statehood, instead reaffirming their commitment to a two-state solution. The Albanese government has given its strongest rebuke of Israel yet, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese calling the situation in Gaza a 'humanitarian catastrophe'. France is the first major Western country to acknowledge Palestinian statehood.
Sky News AU
5 minutes ago
- Sky News AU
Trump arrives in Scotland for trade talks
US President Donald Trump has arrived in Scotland ahead of trade talks and to tour his Scottish golf courses. President Trump answered questions regarding the dire situation in Gaza. 'I think it's terrible what happened with Hamas, they tapped everybody along … we'll see what response Israel has to that,' Mr trump told reporters.
