Australia news LIVE: Albanese to embark on new agenda as parliament returns; Australia and allies condemn Israel over Gaza deaths; Labor grilled on Xi meeting
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6.46am
Voters wary of surprise reform in Albanese's second term
By Shane Wright
Voters are lukewarm to any surprise reforms from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, clearly oppose change to the GST and want the Coalition to work more closely with the government to reach consensus on new policies rather than oppose them outright.
The exclusive survey of more than 2300 people also shows Australians want the government to address issues around health and housing, with two-in-five prepared to make some sort of personal sacrifice to improve the nation.
The poll, conducted by Resolve Strategic for this masthead, shows 36 per cent of those polled believe the government should use its record majority in the House of Representatives to undertake 'major reforms'. But 32 per cent are opposed to such a move and believe it should stick to its mandate while 32 per cent are unsure.
Albanese dismisses suggestion that Xi meeting should be explained to Trump
By Paul Sakkal
Anthony Albanese has dismissed a suggestion that his ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, should explain to the Trump administration the prime minister's intimate meeting with Xi Jinping, details of which were revealed in this masthead.
Host of the ABC's 7.30 program Sarah Ferguson spent the first portion of her interview with Albanese on Monday night asking about last week's lunch in Beijing.
This masthead reported on Monday that the pair discussed their upbringing and global outlook in a humour-filled discussion that Albanese said had fostered 'an element of trust'.
Asked if US officials had raised any questions about closer relations between Albanese and China's paramount leader, Albanese said 'No'.
Here's a section of the exchange:
Ferguson: 'Can I come back to that question of trust? Because I do think it's an unusual word that you've used and I want to know what you think that that word means, apart from having a slightly advanced, developed relationship with him. Would he, for example, take a phone call from you in the event of a crisis blowing up over Taiwan to discourage him from invading or blockading Taiwan?'
Albanese: 'Well, that's a hypothetical which I'm not going to go into. But I have said before that anything that he has said to me has been fulfilled. There hasn't been any breaches of personal commitments that he has given to me. That doesn't mean he's agreed with everything that I've put forward - far from it. But I'd rather that than someone on an international level saying, 'Yep, we can do all that', and then doing the opposite.'
Ferguson: 'So you trust him that, when he says something, he's going to keep his word?'
Albanese: 'I have no reason to point to any breach that has occurred up to this point.'
Ferguson: 'That's about the past, what about the future?'
Albanese: 'Well, all I can do is talk about the past. I can just talk about facts rather than going forward - we don't know what it will bring. We know there are significant differences. China and Australia have different political systems. We have different values. We have our alliance with the United States which is very important.'
6.35am
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:
Federal parliament will sit for the first time since Labor's thumping election victory in May. First speeches by new MPs and other ceremonial pomp is expected to dominate proceedings on Tuesday, while childcare reform and student debt cuts remain atop the government agenda for the first sitting week. It comes as Anthony Albanese warned his new caucus to maintain the same level of discipline it displayed in the previous parliamentary term amid concerns of hubris.
Australia has joined 24 other nations to condemn Israel over the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians seeking aid, calling on it to lift restrictions to food and medical supplies and urging an immediate end to the conflict. The joint statement, signed by Foreign Minister Penny Wong, accused Israel of an 'unacceptable' denial of humanitarian aid and warned they were prepared to take action to help bring about a ceasefire.
A Bangladesh Air Force training aircraft crashed into a school in the capital, Dhaka, shortly after takeoff on Monday afternoon, catching fire and killing the pilot and at least 19 other people, most of whom were students, officials said. Another 171 students were rescued after sustaining injuries from the crash, with some whisked away by helicopters and motorised rickshaws.
The Australian sharemarket is expected to rise on Tuesday after finishing 1 per cent lower on Monday. It comes as Wall Street grew ahead of a week full of profit updates that are expected to be positive despite pressure from President Donald Trump's tariff agenda. The ASX's financial sector lost 2.4 per cent on Monday, with Westpac, ANZ and Commonwealth Bank among the biggest losers.
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The Age
37 minutes ago
- The Age
Penny Wong: Israel condemnation channels Australians' ‘distress' over Gaza
Asked about Huckabee's criticism of the statement, Wong told Sky News: 'President Trump has been a very strong advocate for a ceasefire and hostage deal, and so are we.' She noted that several other US allies had signed the statement. A group of about 15 pro-Palestine protesters were detained inside Parliament House on Tuesday afternoon following a larger protest where hundreds gathered on the lawns of Federation Mall outside the building. Police collected details from the protesters, who were shouting chants as Governor-General Sam Mostyn addressed the Senate, before removing them from the building. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke described Israel's behaviour in Gaza as 'indefensible' and called for 'the slaughter to end' in a stark escalation of the government's language on the conflict. 'We're all hoping that there'll be something that'll break this. We've seen too many images of children being killed, of horrific slaughter, of churches being bombed. The images that we've seen have been pretty clear that so much of this is indefensible,' Burke said on ABC News Breakfast on Tuesday. Loading 'None of this changes the fact that the hostages need to be released.' Israel's ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, attacked the joint statement, arguing it is 'disconnected from reality and sends the wrong message to Hamas'. Opposition leader Sussan Ley said the return of hostages still held by Hamas was a priority. 'There are still hostages hidden in tunnels, and a way to end the situation is for those hostages to be released by the terrorists, Hamas, who control so much of the activity there,' Ley said. Opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Michaelia Cash called the statement 'disappointing', and said the 'Albanese government's decision to blame Israel for Hamas's disruption of the flow of aid is appalling'. Greens leader Larissa Waters called for the government to sanction the Netanyahu government. 'The Israel regime isn't listening to stern words,' she said. Zionist Federation of Australia president Jeremy Leibler said ending the war unilaterally would fail to achieve the return of the remaining Israeli hostages or the surrender of Hamas. 'The Australian government, and international community, must come together to put maximum pressure on Hamas to surrender, and to ensure aid deliveries are not misused to embolden Hamas' grip on Gaza,' he said. Australia Palestine Advocacy Network president Nasser Mashni called for extensive sanctions on Israel and an end to any military co-operation. 'The time for these statements has long passed,' he said. 'People are starving to death because Israel refuses to allow aid into the hellscape it has created in Gaza. Families are being bombed and gunned down while trying to access water.' The international community has criticised the replacement of established NGOs with the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. According to UN Human Rights Council figures published last week, almost 900 people were killed in Gaza while trying to get food, including 674 near aid delivery sites. Earlier on Monday, Israeli tanks pushed into southern and eastern districts of the Gazan city of Deir al-Balah, an area of Gaza that had been largely untouched by the conflict and where tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians had sought refuge. The incursion has led to speculation that Hamas is holding large numbers of hostages there. The statement from the 28 nations also called out soaring settler violence against Palestinians on the West Bank, and hit out against the Israeli proposal to build a 'humanitarian city' in Gaza, which former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert recently condemned as a 'concentration camp'. Loading 'Permanent forced displacement is a violation of international humanitarian law,' the joint statement said. In a fiery response posted on X, Israel's foreign ministry rejected the joint statement, saying it 'fails to focus the pressure on Hamas and fails to recognise Hamas' role and responsibility for the situation'. The joint international statement reaffirmed the nations' support for those involved in brokering a ceasefire deal, including the US and Qatar.
Sky News AU
3 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Labor's election ‘Mediscare' campaign ‘stunt' promise lashed
Sky News host Steve Price discusses Labor's 'stupid' Mediscare campaign against the Opposition. 'The election Mediscare campaign, ten weeks ago, that saw millions of Australians fall for a stunt so blatantly false that we should all now feel pretty stupid,' Mr Price said. 'Time and time again … anyone who has been to the doctor in many places around Australia knows that finding a bulk-billing practice that does not have a gap payment … is about as hard as the prime minister getting a meeting with Donald Trump.'
Sydney Morning Herald
4 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Australian superannuation: What does the average person with a $3 million total look like?
Of the 80,000 Australians with super balances eclipsing $3 million, about 55 per cent are male, one-quarter have at least one investment property and about a third are still earning wage or salary income, according to the association. Of those still working, most are in managerial or professional roles. Older Australians comprise an overwhelming majority of those with super balances above $3 million, with 65 per cent classed as retirees. About 90 per cent of those with super balances above that threshold are aged over 60 and just under half are aged over 70. While some individuals report little-to-no taxable income, the average taxable income of people with super balances over $3 million is $240,000 a year, while the median is $110,000 a year. These figures do not include income from superannuation in retirement phase, which can be withdrawn tax-free if an individual is aged over 60. About one in 20 reported income from farming or agricultural sources, but the Association of Superannuation Funds noted that often this was not the primary source of income, bringing into question claims that many farmers could be unfairly hit with unaffordable bills under the new super tax. National Farmers Federation president David Jochinke has taken aim at Labor's decision to tax unrealised capital gains, saying many farmers would not be able to pay the higher tax bill if the value of their land increased but their earnings did not, especially amid seasonal volatility. 'Taxing something that has only paper value, and no relation to your ability to pay that tax, is flawed,' he said previously. 'Farms will be sold and generations of farming discontinued purely on this decision.' But the data shows about 7 per cent of the Australians likely to be affected by the change – roughly 5600 people – live in rural areas, with only some of those ever having been involved in farming – and even fewer reporting self-managed super fund balances over $3 million. Most of those with more than $3 million in super live in affluent regions within the major capital cities, with very few in rural or remote areas. Areas with the highest shares of these people include the eastern suburbs, north shore and northern beaches in Sydney, inner areas of Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula, and inner suburbs of Perth and Brisbane. The Association of Superannuation Funds also found there were significant numbers of these individuals in retirement areas such as the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast. Loading Meanwhile, areas with the lowest proportions of people with super balances over $3 million include rural Tasmania, the Hunter Valley, the Central West of NSW, Murray, outer south-west Sydney, Hume, Darling Downs, Darwin, Logan in Queensland, and Mandurah in Western Australia. Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter.
