Australia news LIVE: Albanese to introduce cheaper medication bill; European Union reach 15 per cent trade deal with Trump
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6.43am
Britain warns on China, backs Australia
By David Crowe
Britain has vowed to 'fight together' with Australia if needed in flashpoints such as the Taiwan Strait, as it steps up its warnings about threats from China, including repression, espionage and hybrid attacks.
UK Defence Minister John Healey said Britain and Australia would deter enemies together by being more ready to fight, in some of his most assertive remarks about the risks to global security.
The declaration to the British media came days after Healey signed a $41 billion defence treaty with Australia to accelerate the construction of the AUKUS nuclear submarines, seen as essential to countering future trade and military threats.
6.37am
Australians 'frosty' on Trump and want distance from US: new polling
By Matthew Knott
Australians are voicing a strong desire for the country to assert more independence from the United States amid Donald Trump's turbulent presidency, with most voters saying they do not blame Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for failing to secure a meeting with the US president.
The latest Resolve Political Monitor survey of more than 2300 people, conducted for this masthead, found that most Australians continue to have strongly negative views of Trump six months after he re-entered the White House.
Fewer than one in five Australian voters believe Trump's election was a good outcome for Australia.
6.33am
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 continue work to execute its election promises this week, with legislation to cap the cost of Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme medicines at $25 on the agenda in the sitting second week of the new parliamentary term. Labor also plans to pass legislation to reduce student debts and enact childcare reform this week, after the respective draft laws were introduced in the first sitting week since the government's thumping election victory in May.
The European Union have accepted a trade deal with US President Donald Trump that will impose a 15 per cent tariff on billions of dollars in exports, in an agreement that appears set to lift prices for American consumers and hurt sales for European exporters. The deal will also see the EU purchase $US750 billion worth of energy from US in the years ahead, in a move to reduce its reliance on Russian gas.
Israel's military carried out airdrops of aid in Gaza on Sunday after Israel said it would establish humanitarian corridors for United Nations aid convoys amid international pressure over mounting reports of starvation-related deaths in Gaza. The Israeli Foreign Ministry said it would introduce 'tactical pauses' to allow for aid to be distributed, and halt activity in Muwasi, Deir al-Balah and Gaza City from 10am to 8pm every day until further notice.
Australian Oscar Piastri has extended his F1 championship lead after winning the Belgian Grand Prix in a rain-interrupted race at Spa-Francorchamps overnight. Piastri started second on the grid but overtook McLaren teammate Lando Norris early in the race and held his nerve to finish atop the podium. Norris and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc joined Piastri on the dais in Belgium.
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Sydney Morning Herald
12 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Labor dumps tradition to knock Coalition MPs from key parliamentary posts
Coalition MPs face being dumped from the top spots of key parliamentary committees that scrutinise legislation after Labor broke from tradition and ended a bipartisan practice guaranteeing balanced leadership. The move opens the deputy chair position on three key committees – climate change, the environment and energy; healthcare, aged care and disability; and economics – to crossbench MPs, reflecting the Coalition's diminished numbers in parliament after the May election. But manager for opposition business Alex Hawke accused the government of introducing the change without notice and using it to avoid scrutiny. 'The Albanese Labor government has the worst track record for blocking freedom of information requests and orders for the production of documents,' Hawke said. 'Now, the prime minister has barred Coalition MPs from being deputy chairs on three important committees. Labor's plan to stop Coalition MPs from being deputy chairs was kept secret and sprung on the opposition at the moment.' Traditionally, the government of the day picks who chairs lower house committees and the deputy chair positions are automatically designated to the opposition, which decides internally who gets the roles. However, the government used its numbers in parliament to change the rules last week, meaning a committee vote will decide who gets to be deputy chair. Loading Former deputy chair of the standing committee on economics, Liberal MP Garth Hamilton, said he would be unlikely to get the role again because he will not have as many backers as some independents. 'The clear alignment of voting behaviour between the teals and Labor will render these committees mere echo chambers under these changes,' he said.
The Age
12 minutes ago
- The Age
Labor dumps tradition to knock Coalition MPs from key parliamentary posts
Coalition MPs face being dumped from the top spots of key parliamentary committees that scrutinise legislation after Labor broke from tradition and ended a bipartisan practice guaranteeing balanced leadership. The move opens the deputy chair position on three key committees – climate change, the environment and energy; healthcare, aged care and disability; and economics – to crossbench MPs, reflecting the Coalition's diminished numbers in parliament after the May election. But manager for opposition business Alex Hawke accused the government of introducing the change without notice and using it to avoid scrutiny. 'The Albanese Labor government has the worst track record for blocking freedom of information requests and orders for the production of documents,' Hawke said. 'Now, the prime minister has barred Coalition MPs from being deputy chairs on three important committees. Labor's plan to stop Coalition MPs from being deputy chairs was kept secret and sprung on the opposition at the moment.' Traditionally, the government of the day picks who chairs lower house committees and the deputy chair positions are automatically designated to the opposition, which decides internally who gets the roles. However, the government used its numbers in parliament to change the rules last week, meaning a committee vote will decide who gets to be deputy chair. Loading Former deputy chair of the standing committee on economics, Liberal MP Garth Hamilton, said he would be unlikely to get the role again because he will not have as many backers as some independents. 'The clear alignment of voting behaviour between the teals and Labor will render these committees mere echo chambers under these changes,' he said.
Perth Now
12 minutes ago
- Perth Now
‘Genocide:' Ex-Premier lashes Israel
Former Labor foreign minister Bob Carr has likened Israel's actions in Gaza to war crimes and humanitarian crisis committed by the Nazis, Joseph Stalin and People's Republic of China chairman Mao Zedong, urging tougher action on from the Australian government. Speaking to Radio National, the former NSW premier and Labor heavyweight said Israel was using 'mass starvation against the civilian population as a weapon of war'. 'There's a pattern of behaviour here that really demands comparison with the worst of the last 100 years, of Stalin's Ukraine, of the Warsaw Ghetto, of Mao's Great Leap Forward,' he said. 'Unspeakable cruelty is being visited against babies and children in the enforcement of something not seen in the modern world, that is an advanced state using mass starvation as a weapon of war and giving effect to a genocide.' Israel has started a 'tactical pause' to allow aid agerncies to tackle the hunger crisis in Gaza, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government was not to blame for the situation, adding there were 'secure routes' for aid. The former NSW premier Bob Carr weaponisation of starvation was 'giving effect to a genocide'. NewsWire / Dylan Coker Credit: News Corp Australia While he welcomed stronger comments from Anthony Albanese that Israel had 'quite clearly' breached international law by withholding aid to civilians in Gaza, Mr Carr called for further action. He urged the Prime Minister to follow French President Emmanuel Macron to recognise Palestinian statehood when he attends the United Nations General Assembly in September. On Sunday, the Labor leader watered down the action, stating there needed to be more detail on how a Palestinian state would function, plus assurances there would be no involvement from Hamas. 'How do you exclude Hamas from any involvement there? How do you ensure that a Palestinian State operates in an appropriate way which does not threaten the existence of Israel?' Mr Albanese told the ABC. 'And so we won't do any decision as a gesture. We will do it as a way forward, if the circumstances are met.' However Mr Carr said Australia was 'giving the impression that we need the comfort of Britain' before recognising Palestine, and urged Mr Albanese to show leadership and act sooner. 'I just think Australians are ready to see our country to show a flash of independence, strength and maturity by moving with the French and not huddling and waiting for the sanction that Britain would give us when Downing Street finally gets round to it,' he said. Mr Carr said Anthony Albanese should not wait for Britain before publicly stating Australia will recognise Palestinian statehood at the United Nations General Assembly. NewsWire/ Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia Mr Carr's comments have been criticised internally, with Labor Friends of Israel co-convener Nick Dyrenfurth calling on Mr Carr to 'promptly apologise' for the overly provocative comments. Dr Dyrenfurth said that while he was 'gravely concerned with the Netanyahu government's actions in Gaza,' there is 'no genocide taking place'. 'Mr Carr is wilfully lying and deliberately stoking community tensions with extremist language and deliberately provoking his former friends in Australia's Jewish community with Nazi slurs,' he said.
