Australian news and politics live: Legislation introduced for childcare safety reforms and HECS debt changes
Indonesia will drop tariffs to zero on more than 99 per cent of its trade with the United States and will also eliminate all non-tariff barriers for American goods in a deal that cuts threatened US tariffs on Indonesian products to 19 per cent from an initial 32 per cent.
A senior Trump administration official said Indonesia will immediately drop its plans to levy tariffs on internet data flows and will support renewal of a longstanding World Trade Organization moratorium on e-commerce duties, the official told reporters on a conference call held a week after the deal was first announced on July 15.
Indonesia also will remove recently enacted pre-shipment inspection and verifications of US exports, which have posed problems for US agricultural exports and contributed to a growing U.S. farm trade deficit, the official said.
In a win for US automakers, the official said that Indonesia has agreed to accept US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for vehicles exported from the United States to the growing country of 280 million people.
Indonesia also has agreed to remove export restrictions on critical minerals and remove local content requirements products using these commodities shipped to the US.
- via Reuters
Students and graduates will soon see a reduction in their HECS debts and save hundreds of dollars a year.
Federal Education Minister Jason Clare will introduce legislation to slash student debt by 20 per cent and increase the income that graduates need to earn before minimum repayments kick in.
It's the first bill that the Albanese government will put before parliament at the start of its second term.
People earning between $60,000 and $180,000 will save hundreds of dollars each year under the changes.
Someone on $70,000 will save the most, $1300 a year, on minimum repayments due to an increase to the thresholds at which the debts must be paid back.
The US Justice Department has asked lawyers for Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell if she would be willing to speak with prosecutors, and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche says he expects to meet with her in the coming days.
The decision to request a meeting with Maxwell comes as Attorney General Pam Bondi has faced mounting pressure from US President Donald Trump's supporters to release additional materials related to Epstein, who died in a jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.
US President Donald Trump has now weighed in, after being asked about it in the Oval Office he said: 'I don't know about it, but I think it's something that would be, sounds appropriate.'
Read more.
The Federal Government is introducing legislation today to strip funding from childcare centres that fail to meet safety standards.
This move comes as Parliament resumes sitting and aims to fast-track child protection reforms amid growing concerns about the security of CCTV plans in centres nationwide.
It follows allegations that a 26-year-old Melbourne childcare worker has been charged with over 70 offenses, including sexual abuse.
'The work on this is being undertaken every day since these allegations emerged,' Housing minister Clare O'Neil told Sunrise on Wednesday morning.
'The working with children checks are of course a part of this and the Attorneys-General across the country are working together in a way that's actually really unusual for the states and the Commonwealth to make sure that we fast-track this. So that meeting next month will be to finalise some of that work.
'I've got a daughter who's in childcare at the moment. I'm desperately about, this not just as a politician but as a parent. I'm really pleased to see the Education Minister bringing forward some legislation today that is going to have incredibly harsh repercussions for childcare centres that do not properly protect our children.'
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The Advertiser
4 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
Russian, Ukrainian delegations to hold talks in Turkey
Russian and Ukrainian negotiators are set to meet in Istanbul for their first peace talks in more than seven weeks. The Kremlin played down expectations of any breakthrough at the Wednesday evening meeting, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said this week should focus in part on preparing a summit between himself and Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Naturally, no one expects an easy road. Naturally, this will be a very difficult conversation. The projects (of the two sides) are diametrically opposed," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. A Ukrainian diplomatic source said the country would view a Putin-Zelenskiy meeting as the key requirement for a breakthrough. "The Ukrainian delegation has come to Turkey prepared to take significant steps toward peace and a full ceasefire but everything will depend on whether the Russian side is willing to take a constructive approach," the source said. A Turkish foreign ministry source said the meeting at the Ciragan Palace was expected to start with opening remarks to the two delegations by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. Previous talks on May 16 and June 2 led to the exchange of thousands of prisoners of war and the remains of dead soldiers. But those meetings lasted less than three hours in total and made no breakthrough towards ending the war that started with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. US President Donald Trump has patched up relations with Zelenskiy after a public row with him at the White House in February, and has lately expressed growing frustration with Putin. Last week he threatened heavy new sanctions on Russia and countries that buy its exports unless a peace deal was reached within 50 days, although reaction on financial markets suggested investors were sceptical that he would follow through. On Wednesday, Russia said its forces had captured the settlement of Varachyne in Ukraine's Sumy region, where Putin has ordered his troops to create a buffer zone after Ukraine mounted a shock incursion into Russia last year and held onto a chunk of its territory for months. Reuters could not independently confirm the battlefield report. In recent weeks, Russian forces have launched some of their heaviest air attacks of the war, focusing especially on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. Ukraine has hit back with attacks of its own, and last month inflicted serious damage on Russia's nuclear-capable strategic bomber fleet by smuggling drones close to air bases deep inside the country. Zelenskiy said earlier this week that the agenda for talks was clear: the return of prisoners of war and of children abducted by Russian forces, and the preparation of a meeting between himself and Putin. Putin turned down a previous challenge from Zelenskiy to meet him in person and has said he does not see him as a legitimate leader because Ukraine, which is under martial law, did not hold new elections when Zelenskiy's five-year mandate expired last year. Russia also denies abducting children. The Kremlin said this week it was unrealistic to expect "miracles" from the talks. At the last meeting on June 2, Russia handed Ukraine a memorandum setting out its key demands, including: full withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from four regions of the country that Russia has claimed as its own; limits on the size of Ukraine's military; enhanced rights for Russian-speakers in Ukraine; and acceptance by Ukraine of neutral status, outside NATO or any other alliance. Ukraine sees those terms as tantamount to surrender, and Zelenskiy described the Russian stance as an ultimatum. Ukraine wants an immediate ceasefire, reparations, international security guarantees and no restrictions on its military strength. Russian and Ukrainian negotiators are set to meet in Istanbul for their first peace talks in more than seven weeks. The Kremlin played down expectations of any breakthrough at the Wednesday evening meeting, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said this week should focus in part on preparing a summit between himself and Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Naturally, no one expects an easy road. Naturally, this will be a very difficult conversation. The projects (of the two sides) are diametrically opposed," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. A Ukrainian diplomatic source said the country would view a Putin-Zelenskiy meeting as the key requirement for a breakthrough. "The Ukrainian delegation has come to Turkey prepared to take significant steps toward peace and a full ceasefire but everything will depend on whether the Russian side is willing to take a constructive approach," the source said. A Turkish foreign ministry source said the meeting at the Ciragan Palace was expected to start with opening remarks to the two delegations by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. Previous talks on May 16 and June 2 led to the exchange of thousands of prisoners of war and the remains of dead soldiers. But those meetings lasted less than three hours in total and made no breakthrough towards ending the war that started with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. US President Donald Trump has patched up relations with Zelenskiy after a public row with him at the White House in February, and has lately expressed growing frustration with Putin. Last week he threatened heavy new sanctions on Russia and countries that buy its exports unless a peace deal was reached within 50 days, although reaction on financial markets suggested investors were sceptical that he would follow through. On Wednesday, Russia said its forces had captured the settlement of Varachyne in Ukraine's Sumy region, where Putin has ordered his troops to create a buffer zone after Ukraine mounted a shock incursion into Russia last year and held onto a chunk of its territory for months. Reuters could not independently confirm the battlefield report. In recent weeks, Russian forces have launched some of their heaviest air attacks of the war, focusing especially on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. Ukraine has hit back with attacks of its own, and last month inflicted serious damage on Russia's nuclear-capable strategic bomber fleet by smuggling drones close to air bases deep inside the country. Zelenskiy said earlier this week that the agenda for talks was clear: the return of prisoners of war and of children abducted by Russian forces, and the preparation of a meeting between himself and Putin. Putin turned down a previous challenge from Zelenskiy to meet him in person and has said he does not see him as a legitimate leader because Ukraine, which is under martial law, did not hold new elections when Zelenskiy's five-year mandate expired last year. Russia also denies abducting children. The Kremlin said this week it was unrealistic to expect "miracles" from the talks. At the last meeting on June 2, Russia handed Ukraine a memorandum setting out its key demands, including: full withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from four regions of the country that Russia has claimed as its own; limits on the size of Ukraine's military; enhanced rights for Russian-speakers in Ukraine; and acceptance by Ukraine of neutral status, outside NATO or any other alliance. Ukraine sees those terms as tantamount to surrender, and Zelenskiy described the Russian stance as an ultimatum. Ukraine wants an immediate ceasefire, reparations, international security guarantees and no restrictions on its military strength. Russian and Ukrainian negotiators are set to meet in Istanbul for their first peace talks in more than seven weeks. The Kremlin played down expectations of any breakthrough at the Wednesday evening meeting, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said this week should focus in part on preparing a summit between himself and Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Naturally, no one expects an easy road. Naturally, this will be a very difficult conversation. The projects (of the two sides) are diametrically opposed," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. A Ukrainian diplomatic source said the country would view a Putin-Zelenskiy meeting as the key requirement for a breakthrough. "The Ukrainian delegation has come to Turkey prepared to take significant steps toward peace and a full ceasefire but everything will depend on whether the Russian side is willing to take a constructive approach," the source said. A Turkish foreign ministry source said the meeting at the Ciragan Palace was expected to start with opening remarks to the two delegations by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. Previous talks on May 16 and June 2 led to the exchange of thousands of prisoners of war and the remains of dead soldiers. But those meetings lasted less than three hours in total and made no breakthrough towards ending the war that started with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. US President Donald Trump has patched up relations with Zelenskiy after a public row with him at the White House in February, and has lately expressed growing frustration with Putin. Last week he threatened heavy new sanctions on Russia and countries that buy its exports unless a peace deal was reached within 50 days, although reaction on financial markets suggested investors were sceptical that he would follow through. On Wednesday, Russia said its forces had captured the settlement of Varachyne in Ukraine's Sumy region, where Putin has ordered his troops to create a buffer zone after Ukraine mounted a shock incursion into Russia last year and held onto a chunk of its territory for months. Reuters could not independently confirm the battlefield report. In recent weeks, Russian forces have launched some of their heaviest air attacks of the war, focusing especially on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. Ukraine has hit back with attacks of its own, and last month inflicted serious damage on Russia's nuclear-capable strategic bomber fleet by smuggling drones close to air bases deep inside the country. Zelenskiy said earlier this week that the agenda for talks was clear: the return of prisoners of war and of children abducted by Russian forces, and the preparation of a meeting between himself and Putin. Putin turned down a previous challenge from Zelenskiy to meet him in person and has said he does not see him as a legitimate leader because Ukraine, which is under martial law, did not hold new elections when Zelenskiy's five-year mandate expired last year. Russia also denies abducting children. The Kremlin said this week it was unrealistic to expect "miracles" from the talks. At the last meeting on June 2, Russia handed Ukraine a memorandum setting out its key demands, including: full withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from four regions of the country that Russia has claimed as its own; limits on the size of Ukraine's military; enhanced rights for Russian-speakers in Ukraine; and acceptance by Ukraine of neutral status, outside NATO or any other alliance. Ukraine sees those terms as tantamount to surrender, and Zelenskiy described the Russian stance as an ultimatum. Ukraine wants an immediate ceasefire, reparations, international security guarantees and no restrictions on its military strength. Russian and Ukrainian negotiators are set to meet in Istanbul for their first peace talks in more than seven weeks. The Kremlin played down expectations of any breakthrough at the Wednesday evening meeting, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said this week should focus in part on preparing a summit between himself and Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Naturally, no one expects an easy road. Naturally, this will be a very difficult conversation. The projects (of the two sides) are diametrically opposed," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. A Ukrainian diplomatic source said the country would view a Putin-Zelenskiy meeting as the key requirement for a breakthrough. "The Ukrainian delegation has come to Turkey prepared to take significant steps toward peace and a full ceasefire but everything will depend on whether the Russian side is willing to take a constructive approach," the source said. A Turkish foreign ministry source said the meeting at the Ciragan Palace was expected to start with opening remarks to the two delegations by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. Previous talks on May 16 and June 2 led to the exchange of thousands of prisoners of war and the remains of dead soldiers. But those meetings lasted less than three hours in total and made no breakthrough towards ending the war that started with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. US President Donald Trump has patched up relations with Zelenskiy after a public row with him at the White House in February, and has lately expressed growing frustration with Putin. Last week he threatened heavy new sanctions on Russia and countries that buy its exports unless a peace deal was reached within 50 days, although reaction on financial markets suggested investors were sceptical that he would follow through. On Wednesday, Russia said its forces had captured the settlement of Varachyne in Ukraine's Sumy region, where Putin has ordered his troops to create a buffer zone after Ukraine mounted a shock incursion into Russia last year and held onto a chunk of its territory for months. Reuters could not independently confirm the battlefield report. In recent weeks, Russian forces have launched some of their heaviest air attacks of the war, focusing especially on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. Ukraine has hit back with attacks of its own, and last month inflicted serious damage on Russia's nuclear-capable strategic bomber fleet by smuggling drones close to air bases deep inside the country. Zelenskiy said earlier this week that the agenda for talks was clear: the return of prisoners of war and of children abducted by Russian forces, and the preparation of a meeting between himself and Putin. Putin turned down a previous challenge from Zelenskiy to meet him in person and has said he does not see him as a legitimate leader because Ukraine, which is under martial law, did not hold new elections when Zelenskiy's five-year mandate expired last year. Russia also denies abducting children. The Kremlin said this week it was unrealistic to expect "miracles" from the talks. At the last meeting on June 2, Russia handed Ukraine a memorandum setting out its key demands, including: full withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from four regions of the country that Russia has claimed as its own; limits on the size of Ukraine's military; enhanced rights for Russian-speakers in Ukraine; and acceptance by Ukraine of neutral status, outside NATO or any other alliance. Ukraine sees those terms as tantamount to surrender, and Zelenskiy described the Russian stance as an ultimatum. Ukraine wants an immediate ceasefire, reparations, international security guarantees and no restrictions on its military strength.
The Age
an hour ago
- The Age
AUKUS agreement: Trump official questions Australia's commitment amid Pentagon review
'That's still a jump ball as far as I'm concerned. Because the Australians have been noticeably fickle. We need to understand, Australia has a population of around 30 million people. It's a remarkably small tax base, and they are making a significant tax investment in this over the next 10 years.' A jump ball in basketball is similar to a ball-up in Australian Rules Football, where either team has a chance of gaining control of the play. Both Labor and the Coalition have expressed consistent commitment to AUKUS. Hendrix has also argued AUKUS does not provide enough capacity for Australian shipyards to repair American and British submarines, as well as Australian ones, and the US should 'more heavily leverage' the agreement. He has said of Australia and the Philippines: 'We're going to need them and their assistance and their basing rights and infrastructure, and I don't think they're ready to host Americans in the way that we're going to need to be hosted to do a counter-campaign to the Chinese invasion.' Hendrix appears to have deleted a number of posts on X about Australia and AUKUS. In one that is still online, from April 2024, he said there were two key questions – 'whether the Australian government will sustain their commitment across the coming years and change of governments', and 'whether the US will actually be willing to give up Virginia-class boats'. Loading Last week, Hendrix welcomed a news story that reported the Pentagon was asking Australia and Japan to make clear commitments about what they would do in a conflict between the US and China over Taiwan. 'Given these nations [are] critical [to] the task of logistically supporting US forces should we come to the aid of Taiwan, this inquiry is legitimate,' he said. 'I would be shocked to find that the previous administration hadn't asked the partners.' Reached by text, Hendrix declined to comment and referred questions to the White House. Spokeswoman Anna Kelly supplied a statement that said US shipbuilding had been neglected for decades and would be boosted by a $US43 billion ($66 billion) investment in the president's One Big Beautiful Bill. 'No president has done more to bolster American maritime power, and his White House Office of Shipbuilding will operate under the Office of Management and Budget,' she said. In their letter to Hegseth, Republican committee chair John Moolenaar and Democratic representative Raja Krishnamoorthi said AUKUS had bipartisan support in Congress for a reason, and that it would strengthen US security as well as that of Australia and the United Kingdom. They noted Beijing's 'unprecedented' live-fire exercises in the Tasman Sea in February. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth watches a display of drone technology at the Pentagon on Wednesday. Credit: AP 'This attempt to project power as far south as New Zealand's front door highlights the importance of AUKUS in cementing ties to longstanding allies like Australia, as well as advancing vital undersea capabilities that will be central to deterrence,' they wrote. 'We are stronger together under the AUKUS framework.' The committee will hold a hearing on Wednesday in Washington on strategies to counter economic coercion by the Chinese Communist Party against democracies. Former Australian prime minister Scott Morrison, who brokered the AUKUS deal, is scheduled to appear, as is former US senator and ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel. Undersecretary of defence for policy Elbridge Colby, who is heading the Pentagon's AUKUS review, has posted actively on social media over the past fortnight, doubling down on his calls for American allies to 'step up'. Loading 'No one at the Pentagon is asking for a blank cheque from our allies. Rather, the United States and our allies all benefit from a reasonable expectation of what contributions we can anticipate each other to make,' he said on Monday, US time. 'That is why we are working closely with our allies to align expectations, an approach akin to what we have with NATO and South Korea. This will make our alliances sturdier and more equitable. That's just common sense.' Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what's making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter.
Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
Wall Street rises after US-Japan trade deal announced
Wall Street has climbed after US President Donald Trump secured a trade deal with Japan, sparking optimism for a flurry of new agreements as the August 1 deadline looms. The pact will slash tariffs on the Japanese car sector to 15 per cent from 27.5 per cent, with duties on other goods also dropping to 15 per cent from 25 per cent. In early trading on Wednesday, the S&P 500 gained 20.11 points, or 0.31 per cent, to 6,329.73, the Nasdaq Composite gained 39.71 points, or 0.19 per cent, to 20,932.40 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 215.38 points, or 0.48 per cent, to 44,717.82 - closing in on its all-time high. Meanwhile, Wall Street's "fear gauge," the CBOE Volatility Index, dipped to its lowest level in nearly two weeks. As United States and European Union officials head into crucial trade talks, hopes are high for a breakthrough agreement. However, the European Commission signalled it is ready to play hardball, preparing to seek approval for 93 billion euros ($A166 billion) in counter-tariffs on US goods. "The United States has been working very hard on trying to get a lot of trade deals in time before the August 1st deadline, and it seems like they're starting to get some momentum. So I do think this is a very positive sign," said Chris Zaccarelli, chief investment officer at Northlight Asset Management. Investors are now laser-focused on earnings from the "Magnificent Seven" - the market's star performers who have powered stocks to record highs. Tesla and Alphabet are set to report after the bell on Wednesday. With AI optimism running high and valuations stretched, expectations for these tech giants are sky-high, leaving little margin for disappointment. In earnings-focused moves, GE Vernova's shares climbed 13.7 per cent to an all-time high, as the power equipment maker raised its current-year revenue and free cash flow forecasts after beating Wall Street estimates for second-quarter profit. Texas Instruments tumbled 12.7 per cent after its quarterly profit forecast failed to impress investors as it pointed to weaker-than-expected demand for its analogue chips from some customers and underscored tariff-related uncertainty. The earnings also weighed on its peer analogue chipmakers, with NXP Semiconductors, Analog Devices and ON Semiconductor falling between 3.5 per cent and 5.6 per cent. Toymaker Hasbro slipped 2.4 per cent even after raising its annual revenue forecast. A 1.7 per cent drop in AT&T kept the communications sector in the red, with all other sectors in positive territory. The company's stock dropped despite beating quarterly profit estimates. In US economic data, existing home sales numbers for June are due on the day. Thursday's weekly jobless claims numbers and S&P Global's flash PMI data will be closely assessed to gauge economic health in the wake of tariff uncertainties. Following a mixed set of economic data last week, traders have ruled out an interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve next week. Odds for a September reduction stand at 58 per cent, according to the CME FedWatch tool. The Fed's July meeting will follow on the heels of mounting concerns about its independence amid Trump's persistent attacks on chair Jerome Powell for his reluctance to cut rates. Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by a 2.22-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and by a 1.76-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq. The S&P 500 posted 30 new 52-week highs and two new low while the Nasdaq Composite recorded 48 new highs and eight new lows.
