Importance Score: 30 / 100 🔵
Wong says Australia won’t ‘trade away’ healthcare as Trump tariffs loom
Foreign minister Penny Wong has told RN Breakfast says Labor is “realistic” on what outcomes the government could achieve on tariffs with the Trump administration.
We’ll keep working hard for the best outcome, but I think all of us are realistic. As the prime minister made it clear yesterday, we are not willing to trade away the things that make Australia the best country in the world, like our healthcare system. We don’t want the Americanisation of our healthcare system. We won’t be weakening our biosecurity laws, and we won’t be trading away our PBS.
Wong issues a challenge to Dutton on how he’ll respond to the tariffs tomorrow – asking whether he’ll “back Australia or is he going to back the imposition of tariffs?”.
Key events
Dutton won’t rule out cutting the ABC
Staying on Dutton’s interview with ABC radio Melbourne, Raf Epstein asks whether Dutton’s cuts to the public service include the ABC.
He won’t rule it out, and says where there is waste or ineffective spending, “we don’t support that”.
I think where we find waste and we find ineffective spending, then we don’t support that
I think there’s a lot of very good work that the ABC does, and if it’s being run efficiently, then you would keep the funding in place.
If it’s not being run efficiently and there is waste, then I think taxpayers, who pay for it, and who are working harder than ever just to get ahead, would expect us to, you know, to not support the waste.
Dutton faces ‘PM for Sydney’ accusations on Melbourne radio
Peter Dutton’s admission he’d move into Kirribilli House in Sydney is continuing to bite.
He’s on ABC radio Melbourne, and listeners have accused him of “wanting to be the prime minister of Sydney” and that he does more Sydney media that Melbourne media.
Dutton says that’s not true and says he’s spent time doing commercial Melbourne radio and national commercial media.
There are many I know this city, many other mediums I do know this city. I’ve been coming to this city for the last 25 years, and I love Melbourne. It’s a great, great city, and I have lots of friends and family here. I have lots of support here…
I want to make Victoria a safer place. I want to work with whoever is the premier in this state to make sure that we can address what I think is some pretty significant failings in the economic settings here in Victoria.
Josh Butler
Coalition nuclear scheme would shutter aluminium smelters around country, Labor says
Peter Dutton’s nuclear plan would see the closure of aluminium smelters in Tasmania, NSW, Victoria and Queensland, Labor has asserted, pointing to changes in electricity demand assumed under the Coalition’s energy modelling.
Smelters at Bell Bay, Tomago, Portland and Boyne would close before 2030, Labor claims, because the Coalition’s plan assumes lower electricity demand than Labor’s plan does – spelling trouble for the energy-intensive aluminium sector, the government has said today.
This is a complicated story – with lots of detail about modelling, assumptions and the power grid – but we’ve stepped it out in an article earlier this week:
Dutton visited Tomago earlier this week and denied this sort of claim, saying this argument was a “misinterpretation” of his plan, and claiming the shortfall in demand was because renewables required Labor to “overbuild” the system.
But Labor is continuing this argument today, and say the nuclear modelling doesn’t have enough power to keep energy-intensive industries running.
Dr Dylan McConnell, an energy systems expert at UNSW, told Guardian Australia earlier this week:
The version of the future that the Coalition is relying on is one that has aluminium smelters closing. It assumes a big reduction in large industrial loads.
PM ramps up campaigning in Melbourne battlegrounds
Dan Jervis-Bardy
With Labor needing to sandbag seats in Melbourne, Albanese starts today on the offensive, campaigning in the eastern suburbs electorate of Deakin, held by Liberal frontbencher Michael Sukkar on a razor-thin margin of 0.02%.
The latest YouGov poll published on Sunday showed Sukkar on track on lose the seat to the Labor candidate, Matt Gregg.
Albanese will visit a childcare centre in Croydon South with Gregg and the employment minister, Murray Watt, to talk up Labor’s push for a pay-rise for low-paid workers – including early childhood educators.
As we reported earlier, Labor’s submission to the Fair Work Commission’s annual wage review calls for an above-inflation pay rise for 2.9 million workers.
Albanese has fronted press conferences with the popular WA and SA premiers in recent days but it doesn’t sound like Victorian leader Jacinta Allan will be present at this morning’s event.
That’s telling.
Gallagher says lowest paid should ‘get a good pay rise’
Finance minister Katy Gallagher is plugging Labor’s submission to the Fair Work Commission (as Dan Jervis-Bardy noted earlier, they’re submitting it as a party rather than as the government as they’re already in caretaker mode).
She’s told News Breakfast those on minimum wages have been hit hard by the cost of living crisis, and deserve a wage boost.
One of our [Labor’s] key economic priorities as been to get wages moving again after they had fallen so much under the Coalition, and we’re seeing that and there’s no reason why those lowest-paid shouldn’t get a good pay rise as well.
Gallagher is also asked about the tariffs due to be announced in the next 24 hours.
She says the government has been putting forward all its arguments through the diplomatic channels. When asked whether the government should go harder in criticising Trump, like Canadian PM Mark Carney has, she says:
I think we are being very strident. We are acting in the national interest, we’ve said these are policies we don’t support, we are arguing our case very strongly and we will continue to do so.
Bandt says Greens have worked before with a minority Labor government
Bandt has been saying this election is an opportunity (with the prospect of a Labor minority government) for the Greens to be able to push for stronger nature reforms.
But Sally Sara asks whether Labor might be more willing – if they are in a minority government position – to go to the teals, rather than the Greens.
Bandt says last time Labor was in minority with the Greens, back in 2010 under Julia Gillard, the Greens helped get dental into Medicare for kids. He also says the Greens have been working with Labor in this term of parliament.
Yes, there’s been areas where we’ve pushed the government to act on the environment, on housing, but we’ve also been able to negotiate passage of large amount of legislation through this parliament, and we’re heading to a situation in this country where less than a third of the country voted for the government at the last election.
What would the Greens be pushing for in the next term of parliament? Bandt says he wants further action on housing, and affordable housing, more action on the environment, and dental into Medicare for everyone.
Bob Brown to join Greens’ policy launch
The Greens are launching their Green Australia policy today, and will be joined by their former leader Bob Brown.
The minor party is pushing for 1% of the budget to be spent on nature – as Lisa Cox brought you earlier – and leader Adam Bandt says the spend on nature is currently half that.
Bandt is on RN Breakfast and says he doesn’t trust either Liberal or Labor to deliver on nature reforms.
This is something that’s been pushing for some time, sadly. Because of government’s broken promises, environment protections at the end of this government are now weaker than they were at the last election. And as a result, we’ve now got koalas are endangered, there’s an area the size of the MCG of bushland cleared every two minutes in this country.
Young Australians file UN human rights complaint over climate
Petra Stock
Nine young Australians have filed a complaint to the United Nations that argues the government breached their human rights by failing to act urgently enough on climate change.
Calling themselves “Generation Justice”, the diverse group – represented by a legal team at Environmental Justice Australia – said the federal government’s weak climate targets, fossil fuel expansion and subsidies breached their rights as children, people living with disabilities and First Nations people.
Maya Farmer, 19, who lives in Melbourne/Naarm, said:
While they drag their feet on climate action, we’re living through heat waves, bushfires, floods and rising seas – our childhoods and futures have been stolen by their inaction.
Chris Black, 18, from Sydney/Eora, said:
We lost the chance to just be kids, so we’re filing this complaint with the UN to make sure we don’t lose our future too.
Connor Wright, 27, a Larrakia man from Darwin living in Melbourne/Naarm, said:
Indigenous knowledge is tied to the land, the tides and the weather, but as the climate changes, so does our ability to pass down traditions. It feels like a second wave of colonisation – another force stripping Indigenous people of our way of life.
The young people say they have witnessed terrifying disasters such as bushfires, “supercell” hail storms and drought, and seen treasured natural places damaged by climate change.
The formal complaint was made through their lawyers to the UN’s special rapporteur on climate change.
Dan Jervis-Bardy
PM gets to work in Victoria as campaign hots up
Anthony Albanese flew into Victoria late yesterday and it feels like the real federal election contest is about to begin.
Political insiders and commentators believe the election could be won and lost in Melbourne, where the Liberals are hoping to capitalise on discontent with the state Labor government to snare half a dozen government seats.
Peter Dutton is also eyeing Goldstein, the bayside seat that teal independent Zoe Daniel won in 2022.
Albanese began the sand-bagging operation immediately on Tuesday afternoon, pledging millions for a sporting club upgrade in Corangamite outside Geelong before visiting an urgent care clinic in Lalor, in Melbourne’s outer western suburbs.
Littleproud says Trump tariffs will hit his ‘favourite food’ – the Big Mac
With just 24 hours before the Trump administration announces its latest tariffs, the issue will be dominating interviews and press conferences again today.
David Littleproud, the shadow agriculture minister and Nationals leader, says any move to put tariffs on Australian beef and agriculture will hurt the US more.
It’s language both sides have used – the government has called the tariffs an “act of economic self-harm”.
Littleproud told ABC News Breakfast:
If he looks at Australian beef and he wants to slap it on Australian beef, he, in fact, will be slapping it on his favourite food, a Big Mac, because most of the meat that goes into a Big Mac is lean beef and it comes from Australia. America doesn’t produce enough of it for themselves. So this will be a tax on Americans.
The opposition is yet to release its costings on how much the gas plan will cost Australian households, and what impact it will have on their bills.
Yesterday Dutton said he was happy the “anticipation” was building for the costings, but with just weeks before polling day, the opposition only says those numbers will be released soon.
Shadow energy minister Ted O’Brien follows Wong on RN Breakfast, and Sally Sara asks if he’s seen the modelling or just been briefed on it?
No, certainly we are very aware of it, as I have personally been involved, and that will be released in due course, and we are supremely confident that we can get the price of gas down.
He later clarifies he has seen the modelling.
Dutton says Australians shouldn’t be ‘beating ourselves up about our history’
Josh Butler
Dutton’s MMM interview also went to how he planned to “bring Australians together”. The opposition leader said he wanted to “restore national pride”.
I think we’ve been taught for too long to be ashamed of our history, where we live in the greatest country in the world. We’ve got parts of our history that we should recognise and that we should spend a lot of time talking about, but we can’t relive that.
And I firmly believe that if we’re dividing people into different groupings, it’s impossible to be the best that we can be…
I think we need to talk more about that, instead of beating ourselves up about our history and accept that we have a very proud Indigenous heritage, but that a part of, and a very important part of our story too, is our migrant story.
Josh Butler
Dutton talks up fuel excise cut as ‘best way’ to provide support
Peter Dutton starts the day in Melbourne, where we expect he’ll keep talking about his funding for the airport rail link.
We’re expecting to head to another city this afternoon – perhaps Perth, but TBA.
Dutton was on Triple M radio in Melbourne earlier, where he spoke about the Coalition’s $3m commitment to Maddie Riewoldt’s Vision, made yesterday. The Liberal leader also talked up his plans to halve the fuel excise.
So if you’re filling up a Ranger or a Hilux, it’s about 20 bucks a week. And if you’re in a two car family, or if you’ve got a bludging teenage child whose car you’re filling up as well, maybe three cars, we thought that was the best way that you could provide support.
An interesting note: in a few questions about Medicare, Dutton was asked about whether dental could go on the program, which he didn’t entirely rule out. He said:
Maybe there’s a way in which we can do it, but it does cost a lot of money.
Wong says ‘we have to diversify’ in face of Trump changes
Wong is also asked to respond to the US pausing or cutting funding to joint research programs at eight Australian universities.
She says, more broadly, the world is changing, and we can see that across research domains, economic domains and geo-strategic domains.
Wong – and trade minister Don Farrell – have been saying Australia should move its eggs into more diverse baskets, and Wong says it’s no different with our university sector.
What we have to do is make sure we are resilient in a time of change and what in the context of both trade and other engagements such as research, we have to work at diversifying our relationships… But right now, just as I say to our exporters, we have to diversify. We can’t have all our eggs in one market. So too, I would say in the context of universities and research, we have to recognise that we live in a different world.