Keep up to date on the day’s top stories with the national news blog.
Keep up to date on the day’s top stories with the national news blog.
Health Minister Mark Butler has jovially scolded the Coalition after they asked him why Australians have to endure a bulk billing crisis.
Grinning, Butler gets up and looks across at the opposition, saying: “why is there a bulk billing crisis in Australia?” while shaking his finger at the Coalition.
“Who said there are too many free Medicare services in this country” Butler calls as he continues to shake his finger.
“Who tried to abolish bulk billing altogether?
“And who, when he couldn’t get that GP tax through, froze the Medicare rebate?”
Back and forth it continued on whether Butler was being relevant to the question, before he finished his answer saying the government has revised bulk billing post-Morrison government.
“[There] has been an increase in bulk billing over the last 12 months in every single state and territory and last year [this] delivered 6 million free visits to the doctor,” he said.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has begun question time asking if Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will rule out making any changes to negative gearing and capital gains treatment on property.
The question ignites scoffs of surprise from Labor MPs, as negative gearing and capital gains tax reform has not been mentioned for months.
Albanese begins: “I mean really, they’ve had a long time to work out questions in this place. You know what our housing policy is, our housing policy is $32 billion of a home for Australia plan. That’s our plan.”
Dutton rises to argue that Albanese was not being relevant to the question: “We just ask for a straight answer. Will he rule out changes to negative gearing and capital gains treatment of property during his period as prime minister? Can he just say yes or no? Can he be honest with the Australian people?”
Speaker of the House Milton Dick said Albanese was being relevant, as the prime minister finished his answer.
“After three years in the job, this bloke has had three ideas. One – $10 billion to fund long lunches for business. Two – $600 billion to pay for nuclear reactions. Three – cuts to everything else to pay for them,” Albanese said.
“They’re the only three ideas that he has had, and then he comes along here and says, ‘tell us what you won’t do’.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has paid tribute to former Liberal and defence minister Kevin Andrews – who passed away after a year-long battle with cancer in December.
Speaking on indulgence before question time, Albanese said Andrews had served 31 years as a politician.
As a cabinet minister, his portfolios took him to the political front lines – immigration, social services, defence and most notably, the battle over WorkChoices during his time as employment and workplace relations minister.
“These were very high-stakes high-profile roles and that speaks for the great trust that former prime minister Howard and former prime minister Abbott – who I spoke with on Kevin’s passing – placed in him as a person of integrity and someone who was committed to getting his objectives achieved through this democratic institution.”
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton also rose to speak on Andrews’ legacy.
“As a backbencher, Kevin quickly revealed himself to be a parliamentarian of profound skill and a man of principle, driven by his Catholic faith,” Dutton said.
Andrews also campaigned to repeal an euthanasia law in the Northern Territory, and it was one of the few successful private members’ bills, the opposition leader said.
“In command of defence, Kevin oversaw the establishment of the single force structure, increased rotations with key partners, authorised the replacement of our naval fleet and commissioned troops to fight the evil ISIS death cult,” Dutton added.
Question time is scheduled to begin in the House of Representatives at 2pm.
Watch below:
Good afternoon, and thanks for joining our live coverage this afternoon. I’m Caroline Schelle, and I’ll be anchoring the national blog this afternoon.
Thanks to Josefine Ganko for keeping us all updated.
Here’s what you need to know this afternoon:
- Question time kicks off in the House of Representatives from 2pm, and my colleague Olivia Ireland will be tuning in and covering the key issues raised.
- Australia’s Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus labelled Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s claim that he apologised to the prime minister over a Question Time dispute with the Coalition a “complete fabrication”.
- US President Donald Trump is considering a steel tax exemption for Australia after speaking to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who he described as a “very fine man”.
- Treasurer Jim Chalmers says initial estimates show the Queensland floods will dampen the country’s economic growth and lead to spikes in some prices.
- In Victoria, frontbencher Mary-Anne Thomas says no federal Labor MPs have raised concerns about the state government’s flagship transport project, the Suburban Rail Loop (SRL).
- And in NSW, a senior NSW police inspector who downed 20 drinks before crashing his work car in Sydney’s NorthConnex tunnel and fleeing the scene has been handed a $1500 fine and a community corrections order.
A senior NSW police inspector who downed 20 drinks before crashing his work car in Sydney’s NorthConnex tunnel and fleeing the scene has been sentenced.
“Inspector AB”, as the courts have dubbed him after his name was suppressed, covered his face as he entered Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday, to face sentencing for one count of mid-range drink-driving.
Magistrate Rachael Wong said it was “too serious” to be dealt with through a non-conviction.
“This is an offender who is unlikely to reoffend,” Wong said.
She gave him a community corrections order for two years and fined AB $1500. His licence was disqualified for six months.
The court heard AB decided to get into his unmarked police and make the two-hour drive home despite having consumed 20 standard drinks during a night out in Sydney’s CBD in May 2023.
CCTV captured his white police-issued Kia swerving across lanes in the NorthConnex tunnel before crashing into a barrier just before 2am.
AB then drove the damaged car to a nearby street and abandoned the vehicle, calling his wife to come pick him up, the court heard.
His choice to abandon the car meant police could not breath test him.
“Some people simply get caught and say ‘you got me, I had a crash’,” prosecutors said.
“That didn’t happen… There must have been an awareness of intoxication.”
AB had his name suppressed by a Local Court magistrate shortly after his arrest, because of secret evidence which the media and public were forbidden from hearing.
But the Herald can reveal the inspector was posting selfies, family photos and personal details openly on social media – just months before his lawyers told the courts any publication of his identity could put his life at risk.
The account included selfies, names and photographs of family members and readily identifiable locations.
The suppression order has caused significant disquiet among both senior and rank-and-file officers who have complained it gives the appearance of special treatment to a senior member of the force.
AB remains in the police force, his $180,000 salary reduced to about $130,000, the court heard, and he had kept his licence throughout the lengthy court case.
He did not disclose any alcohol use in the crash and said he “fell asleep” in an insurance claim submitted through official NSW Police systems.
Last July the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission, which oversees investigations into allegations of police misconduct, concluded AB was “deliberately dishonest” in the claim and deliberately left the crash scene
Victorian frontbencher Mary-Anne Thomas says no federal Labor MPs have raised concerns about the state government’s flagship transport project, the Suburban Rail Loop (SRL).
The Age reported this morning that Canberra is pushing Victoria to agree to a raft of transport projects instead of the SRL, particularly in the wake of the weekend’s Werribee by-election result.
Stage one of the SRL is estimated to cost around $30 billion, with future stages to connect Melbourne Airport to the city’s train network.
Thomas had a blunt response when asked whether the state was “blackmailing” federal Labor for extra SRL funding.
“No, absolutely not,” he said.
“The SRL project is one that is supported by the Albanese Labor government. This is a multi-generational investment that is needed in order to deliver the infrastructure that our growing state needs. Now we hear a lot about the need to continue to invest in infrastructure and ensure that we can meet the needs of our growing population. We want to work with the Commonwealth to ensure that Victoria gets its fair share of infrastructure funding for the projects that matter to Victorians.”
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has labelled Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s claim that he apologised to the prime minister over a Question Time dispute with the Coalition a “complete fabrication”.
Earlier today, Dutton told reporters that after Dreyfus accused the Coalition of politicising antisemitism yesterday during Question Time, the attorney-general apologised to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the frontbench.
After Dreyfus’ accusation in response to a question, manager of opposition business Michael Sukkar moved a motion that Dreyfus no longer be heard – drawing shocked expressions from the government.
In a statement, Dreyfus emphatically denied Dutton’s apology claims:
I never thought I’d see the day when a Liberal leader would try to silence a Jew for speaking about antisemitism in the Australian parliament.
I stand by everything I said yesterday.
We need to put an end to the wave of antisemitism in this country which is exactly what the government I am a part of has worked tirelessly to do. The only way that will happen is if there is unity and bipartisanship.”
Opposition leader Peter Dutton says he is hopeful the Reserve Bank will cut interest rates at its meeting next week, but then warned there was a danger in cutting rates too early.
Financial markets expect the RBA board to use its February 17-18 meeting to slice the official cash rate by a quarter percentage point to 4.1 per cent, the first cut to rates since November 2020.
Expectations of a rate cut are high after better-than-expected inflation figures last month suggested price pressures are easing. This week, Westpac economists forecast inflation to ease even more rapidly, suggesting overall prices could have fallen in January.
Dutton told a press conference that he believed Australian mortgage holders deserved a rate cut, but then noted the risk that any relief may be short term.
“On interest rate cuts, my hope, for the sake of families, the small businesses, that there is an interest rate cut,” he said.
“That’s a decision for the Reserve Bank governor, and she shouldn’t feel pressured one way or the other, because you can cut rates and then find that they’ve been cut too early, then the Reserve Bank will have to increase rates later on, and that’s obviously a real concern to economists and to families as well.”
Dutton said ultimately bank governor Michele Bullock would make a decision in the country’s best interest.
However, the decision is left to the board rather than the governor. Reforms to the bank, introduced over the past year and including the creation of an interest rate setting committee, have been aimed at ensuring the entire board decides on interest rate settings.
Australia was singled out for criticism by White House officials during a briefing on steel and aluminium tariffs in Washington, DC, with aluminium exporters accused of flooding the US market through Australia and Canada.
In an apparent reference to multinational firms such as Rio Tinto, officials said Australia was a big player in aluminium, with companies that operated in both Australia and Canada going back and forth between the two countries to hit the American market with aluminium exports.
The effect was devastating to US industry, the officials said. They also indicated the new tariffs aimed to eliminate alternative agreements and preferential treatment for any foreign nations.
Peter Navarro, a senior trade adviser to the president, said the new tariffs “would put an end to foreign dumping, boost domestic production and secure our steel and aluminium industries”.
The comments were made as Trump was about to sign a proclamation declaring 25 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminium imports, which he said were “without exception or exemption”, and would appear to dampen expectations for a broad Australian carve-out.
However, Trump did indicate he was giving “great consideration” to an exemption for Australia after his phone call with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Further clarification has been sought from the White House.
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