4h agoFri 6 Jun 2025 at 4:47am
That’s the end of our live coverage
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We’ll see you next week for another deep dive into Australian politics.
4h agoFri 6 Jun 2025 at 4:37am
Greens senator raises questions about corruption commissioner’s ties with defence
Greens defence spokesman David Shoebridge says National Anti-Corruption Commissioner (NACC) Paul Brereton’s position is “increasingly untenable”, after it was revealed he sought and received an age extension to remain a major general in the Army Reserve after he began his anti-corruption role.
Parliamentary responses to questions on notice confirm the first extension was granted by the chief of defence force in August 2022, and a second by the chief of army in June 2024.
It raises questions about Brereton’s independence from defence — an agency the NACC is tasked with investigating.
Brereton began his NACC role in July 2023, after the first extension but before the second was requested and approved.
“It’s such an obvious conflict of interest when the head of the NACC is seeking favours from defence leadership at the same time that he is meant to be fearlessly investigating serious corruption inside defence,” Shoebridge told the ABC.
In April, ABC News revealed Brereton had appeared in military attire at multiple events since becoming commissioner in July 2023.
Now, answers tabled in the Senate confirm he has attended at least 18 events in uniform.
“He wears uniform on appropriate occasions when performing his functions,” the Commission noted in its formal response.
Senator Shoebridge says it raises questions about impartiality.
“Playing military dress-up and seeking favours from defence, while being tasked with investigating them, breaks trust with the public and shows a serious lack of judgement,” Shoebridge says.
4h agoFri 6 Jun 2025 at 4:22am
Cattle Australia cautions govt against trading biosecurity for tariff exemptions
Cattle Australia has cautioned the federal government against using biosecurity as any part of trade negotiations with the United States.
The organisation’s chief executive, Chris Parker, has told the ABC that the Australian government has been carrying out a risk assessment for the importation of US beef for sometime and the report is “imminent”.
Before any restrictions are relaxed, Australian producers would need to be satisfied that the US has the ability to trace the origins of any cattle born in Mexico and Canada.
They would also need to be assured that the “disease status” of both countries had been properly assessed.
“Let me be really clear, we are in on-going communication with the federal government regarding this issue and the vital importance of our science based biosecurity system,” Parker says.
“We don’t want to see that compromised as part of any trade discussions with any country.
“It has been a long standing position that we do not want to see these sorts of things traded off for preferential access.”
5h agoFri 6 Jun 2025 at 3:41am
Littleproud says PM needs to stand up to Donald Trump on beef imports
Nationals leader David Littleproud says Prime Minister Anthony Albanese needs to stand up to US President Donald Trump on beef imports and refuse to make concessions on biosecurity.
The government is reviewing whether to permit the import of beef born and raised in Mexico and Canada but slaughtered in the US to Australia.
But Littleproud says those reports are a “worrying development” and that Australia should not concede biosecurity controls to cut a deal with Trump.
The Nationals leader says the United States must meet traceability and supply chain standards if it wants access to the Australian market.
He’s urged the the United States to adhere to the international rules based order of trade.
“I think it’s important that the federal government looks Australian farmers in the eyes and say to them that they won’t be collateral in trying to cut a deal with President Trump, that he’ll stand up against President Trump, they’ll get him backs to a rules based order,” Littleproud says.
5h agoFri 6 Jun 2025 at 3:10am
Analysis: Anthony Albanese faces a novel challenge in Sussan Ley
Michelle Grattan has taken a look at the defection of Western Australian senator Dorinda Cox to Labor this week and how it could pose a risk for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Here’s a snippet of Grattan’s analysis which was originally published in The Conversation:
“The prime minister’s embrace of Cox contradicts Labor’s argument when its Western Australian senator Fatima Payman defected to become an independent. It said then hers was a Labor seat and she should therefore resign. But this wouldn’t be the first time expediency trumped consistency in politics,” Grattan says.
She also examines how Albanese will likely approach politics differently with Opposition Leader Sussan Ley:
“After facing two alpha-male Liberal leaders, Scott Morrison and Peter Dutton, a new approach will obviously be necessary. As one Labor man succinctly puts it, ‘Labor can’t monster a woman.’ There can be no repeat of Albanese, a frontbencher a decade ago in the Shorten opposition, interjecting to urge a female colleague engaged in a stoush with Ley to ‘smash her,'” she says.
Read the full analysis in the link below:
6h agoFri 6 Jun 2025 at 2:20am
Palestinian Authority urges Australia to recognise Palestinian state
The Palestinian Authority’s foreign affairs minister, Varsen Aghabekian, has issued a renewed call for Australia to recognise the Palestinian state.
France has been lobbying Western nations — including Australia and the UK — before a UN-backed summit in New York this month designed to accelerate momentum for a two-state solution.
Speculation has been growing that France, which is co-chairing the conference with Saudi Arabia, will use the conference to recognise Palestine in an attempt to kickstart the peace process.
During an appearance on 7.30, Aghabekian said she would like Australia to support the push.
“I think Australia as a freedom loving country, as a country that respects international law and wants all to comply with international law, needs to seriously talk towards recognising Palestine,” she said.
“That is the right thing to do right now.”
She told 7.30 that she believed several countries would come forward at the conference to do so.
The federal government wants to recognise a Palestinian state, but doesn’t want Hamas to have a role.
Australia no longer sees recognition of a Palestinian state happening at the end of peace negotiations, but rather as a way of building momentum towards a two-state solution.
You can watch the full interview below:
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7h agoFri 6 Jun 2025 at 2:02am
NACC chief attended 18 defence events in uniform while leading coruption watchdog
Australia’s top integrity watchdog commissioner has attended at least 18 defence functions in uniform since taking the helm of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC).
Commissioner Paul Brereton, a major general in the Army Reserve, retains an honorary title as colonel commandant of the Royal New South Wales Regiment.
In that role, he continues to wear military uniform for ceremonial and official events, including visits to regimental units and formal functions at defence messes and military colleges.
Now, answers tabled in the Senate confirm he has attended at least 18 events in uniform since then, “to the best of his recollection”.
While the NACC insists he only acts in his honorary capacity and pays his own way, integrity experts remain concerned about the optics of such appearances, particularly while the NACC investigates conduct within the defence force.
“He wears uniform on appropriate occasions when performing his functions,” the department noted in its formal response.
Brereton has recused himself from six defence-related corruption referrals so far.
7h agoFri 6 Jun 2025 at 1:44am
NACC chief sought defence extension while leading watchdog
The head of Australia’s National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) personally sought and received special approval to remain in the Army Reserve past the standard retirement age while leading the federal body tasked with investigating corruption, including within the defence force.
Parliamentary responses to questions from Greens senator David Shoebridge confirm that Commissioner Paul Brereton, who holds the rank of major general in the reserves, received two age extensions.
One was from the chief of defence force in August 2022 to serve until age 67, and another from the chief of army in June 2024, extending his eligibility to age 69.
Brereton commenced his role as NACC commissioner in July 2023, after the first extension was granted but before the second was approved.
Since that time, he has remained active in his honorary role as colonel commandant of the Royal New South Wales Regiment.
While there is no suggestion of wrongdoing, the dual position — as both corruption watchdog and reserve officer — poses questions about institutional impartiality.
Earlier this month, ABC News revealed the NACC had mishandled an internal complaint, failing to follow its own legal reporting obligations.
Brereton has declared his honorary role and recused himself from six defence-related matters.
7h agoFri 6 Jun 2025 at 1:34amAustralian Robert Pether released from Iraqi prison after more than four years
Australian engineer Robert Pether has been released on bail after more than four years in an Iraqi prison.
Pether was arrested in April 2021, alongside his Egyptian colleague, and charged with deception, but he has always maintained his innocence.
He was sentenced to five years jail and a $16 million fine, but continued to be held after serving that term.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has welcomed his release and says Australia has consistently raised the case with Iraqi authorities.
“His case has been raised with Iraqi authorities over 200 times, including at the highest level by the prime minister and myself,” Senator Wong says.
“I want to thank Australian officials for their tireless work on Mr Pether’s case, including Australia’s special envoy who travelled to Iraq in recent weeks to negotiate for this outcome.”
Read the full story from Nicole Hegarty below:
7h agoFri 6 Jun 2025 at 1:28am
Reducing emissions and stable energy to underpin Coalition’s energy policy, Ley says
Sussan Ley says Coalition’s next energy policy will be underpinned by reducing emissions and delivering stable power supply.
The opposition leader says the policy will commit to providing affordable energy for homes and businesses.
She says the Coalition will seek to remove the moratorium on nuclear power in Australia as a first step, and has hinted that nuclear will remain a feature of their energy policy going forward.
“If you look at countries around the world that are bringing their emissions down, they are going nuclear and we will consider that, of course, and it may well look different from what we took to the last election,” she says.
7h agoFri 6 Jun 2025 at 1:20am
Sussan Ley says housing policy is key to winning back young voters
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley says young people won’t support the Liberals if the party can’t articulate a policy that will get them into housing.
Speaking to Melbourne’s 3AW, Ley says the Coalition will review the housing policies it took to the last election.
She says while she’s frustrated some state governments aren’t doing enough to address housing, there are things the federal government can do to increase housing supply.
“If we can’t find a pathway or articulate a pathway into housing for young people, then they’re not going to support our political party,” Ley says.
She says planning laws are too restrictive, and that Australia need to skill workers to build more homes.
8h agoFri 6 Jun 2025 at 12:38amLittleproud says importing beef that has been raised in Mexico, Canada is ‘dangerous’
The Nationals leader and shadow trade minister say the Albanese government shouldn’t trade away Australia’s biosecurity to secure an exemption from US tariffs.
The government is reviewing whether to permit the import of beef born and raised in Mexico and Canada but slaughtered in the US to Australia.
Nationals leader David Littleproud says Australia’s strong biosecurity must remain a priority and shouldn’t be used as a bargaining tool.
He says cattle from Mexico and Canada pose a potentially “dangerous” risk to Australia’s beef industry.
Littleproud has suggested leveraging critical minerals and AUKUS to obtain a deal with the US.
“Rather than jeopardise our beef industry, Australia should be leveraging off our strong historical ties and areas such as critical minerals and AUKUS, using real leadership to obtain a fair deal,” he says.
Shadow Trade Minister Kevin Hogan says the federal government must not “slacken” biosecurity laws for any country, and that any decision to expand market access must be based on rigorous science-based assessments.
He says the US must meet the same traceability standards if it wants to access the Australian market.
“The principle of equivalency must apply. Just as our exporters meet the US’s traceability and certification requirements, we should expect the same level of transparency and assurance in return,” he says.
8h agoFri 6 Jun 2025 at 12:15am
Tim Ayres says AI legislation could help drive investment
Industry, Innovation and Science Minister Tim Ayres says artificial intelligence (AI) legislation could help drive economic and productivity growth in Australia.
Speaking to ABC Radio National Breakfast, Ayres says it would be an important contribution to the productivity agenda.
However, the minister says the government has to consider managing the potential risks and harms of AI.
“The government is going to be thoughtful and deliberate about how we approach that,” Ayres says.
“There’s no part of the government really that isn’t touched by the set of issues around artificial intelligence,” he says.
He says it will take time to get the regulations right to ensure that the government properly regulates against potential harms.
Ayres says AI is an “enormous opportunity” for Australia to attract investment for elsewhere.
Big tech companies would be attracted to Australia’s stability, geography and skilled population, the minister says.
9h agoThu 5 Jun 2025 at 11:54pm
Australian beef exports to the US increase despite Donald Trump’s tariffs
There’s no question that Australian exporters are very keen to see Donald Trump’s tariffs removed and that is exactly what the Albanese government is working, behind the scenes, to achieve.
But if farmers were worried the trade sanctions would hurt their bottom lines, the latest figures from the red meat industry suggest otherwise.
Australia’s beef exports to the United States have actually increased, despite the blanket 10 per cent tariff introduced on April 5.
According to Meat and Livestock Australia’s latest figures, Australia has sent 167,722 tonnes of beef to the United States since January, a 32 per cent increase year-on-year.
For what it’s worth, we export around 70 per cent of the beef we produce.
While Australia allows imports from dozens of countries, we only import beef from Japan and New Zealand which we’re told are “niche” products.
9h agoThu 5 Jun 2025 at 11:40pm
Decision to allow US beef needs to be based on science and evidence, Collins says
We’ve just received a statement from Agriculture Minister Julie Collins about the government’s review of biosecurity rules.
Collins says any decision to allow expanded access for US beef to Australia would be based on science and evidence.
“We will always work in Australia’s national interest,” Collins says in a statement.
“We do not compromise on biosecurity.
“All products entering Australia have to meet rigorous biosecurity standards.”
9h agoThu 5 Jun 2025 at 11:14pm
PM says North West Shelf decision is interim and not final
The prime minister has taken a question from caller Lucy who has asked about the government’s decision to extend the life of the North West Shelf gas plant to 2070.
Anthony Albanese points out that the environment minister’s decision is an interim one and not final.
He says Murray Watt had to assess the application based on the current Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.
Albanese says Western Australia needs the firming capacity of gas as it transitions to renewable energy.
He says the plant is obliged to reduce its emissions.
“The facility has to have, with the safeguard mechanism, a reduction of a percentage each and every year as it goes forward. That is legislation that was passed … to make sure we transition to net zero and this facility, like other major facilities, is included in that,” Albanese says.
10h agoThu 5 Jun 2025 at 10:58pmAlbanese looks forward to face-to-face meeting with Donald Trump
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he’s looking forward to having a face-to-face meeting with US President Donald Trump.
He says the tariffs imposed by the United States on every country, including Australia, are an act of economic self-harm for the US.
The prime minister says conversations with the US administration on tariffs have been respectful and polite, and that he’ll deal with Trump in the national interest.
“The United States is an important ally for Australia,” Albanese says.
“The fact the US has a trade surplus to Australia, this is an act of economic self-harm, and we’ll continue to advocate for Australia’s interests,” he says.
Albanese says Australia doesn’t have a “subservient relationship” with any nation.
Raf Epstein points out that Trump prefers “subservient relationships” to which the prime minister says his relationship with Trump will be based on mutual respect.
10h agoThu 5 Jun 2025 at 10:50pmPrime Minister Anthony Albanese says he won’t loosen biosecurity rules
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Australia will not loosen or compromise biosecurity rules to secure an exemption from US tariffs.
The federal government is reviewing whether beef, which has been born and raised in Canada or Mexico and slaughtered in the US, should be allowed into Australia.
The PM says Australia will not compromise on biosecurity.
“We’ll never loosen any rules regarding our biosecurity,” Albanese has told ABC Radio Melbourne.
“If things can be sorted out in a way that protects our biosecurity, of course we don’t just say no … but our first priority is biosecurity,” he says.
Pressed by Raf Epstein specifically on whether the PM will allow beef raised in Mexico or Canada, and slaughtered in the US, into Australia, the PM again repeated the line that he won’t compromise on biosecurity.
“Full stop. Exclamation mark. It’s simply not worth it,” the PM says.
10h agoThu 5 Jun 2025 at 10:32pmBridget McKenzie says beef industry shouldn’t be used as a ‘pawn’ in trade negotiations
Nationals Senate Leader Bridget McKenzie says the government shouldn’t use Australia’s beef industry as a “pawn” in trade negotiations with the United States.
McKenzie says the government needs to make decisions on importing beef from other countries based on science and biosecurity risk.
The Nationals senator says while beef born and raised in the US is allowed into Australia, this review is looking at extending that to cattle raised in Canada or Mexico.
“We need to be making decisions about importing beef based on science and the biosecurity risk posed by those imports, not in some sort of compromise deal or no deal trade off with the United States,” McKenzie says.
“It seems this is again one of the most anti-farming government if these reports are true,” she says.
10h agoThu 5 Jun 2025 at 10:19pmJane Hume ‘concerned’ about review of biosecurity laws
Liberal senator Jane Hume says Australia should be “very concerned” about any attempt to water down biosecurity laws.
Hume says while the Coalition supports free trade agreements, the Coalition doesn’t want to see changes that would “put our beef industry in danger”.
She says the rules are in place to protect the integrity of the Australian beef industry.
“We certainly don’t want to see a watering down of our biosecurity laws that would potentially put our beef industry in danger,” Hume says.
“This isn’t about protecting an industry’s prosperity, it’s about protecting an industry’s integrity.
“If you are tweaking biosecurity laws by watering them down, that’s something I think we would be very concerned about.”