Australia politics live: Labor defends Catherine King’s top-tier Qantas membership gift; Hanson accused of ‘Americanising’ politics
Andrew Hastie says Pauline Hanson hasn’t ‘had the courage’ to front media
Chris Bowen downplays reintroduction of fuel excise relief amid renewed surge in oil prices
Albanese speaks with King Charles
Welcome
Good morning, Krishani Dhanji here with you. Thanks to Martin Farrer for getting us started.
Migration will dominate parliament again today, after One Nation yesterday announced its policy to cut 750,000 temporary visas over three years – which the major parties said would send the country into a recession.
There’ll also be more reaction to the Whyalla steelworks shutting down a major operation, cutting more than 500 jobs.
It’s going to be a busy one, let’s get stuck in!
‘Multiculturalism is who we are’: Anne Aly
The multicultural affairs minister, Anne Aly, was also on the ABC’s National Forum panel. She said Labor was committed to bringing immigration numbers down in a “manageable way” while ensuring the system both met the needs of Australia and was “fair for those who come here”.
She pushed back at claims immigrants were harming social cohesion, pointing to an Australia she grew up in where “nobody cared what language your mum spoke”.
That’s the Australia that I know. And I fear that that is the Australia that we’re losing … Every time we talk about immigration, multiculturalism, it comes from a deficit point of view.
Social cohesion becomes the burden of people from different countries who have come here and it is their fault, it is their responsibility to socially cohere. The fact is that multiculturalism is who we are. It is part of our identity. It’s who we are as Australia.
Liberal frontbencher Andrew Hastie has questioned why Pauline Hanson announced One Nation’s immigration policy via a prerecorded video on social media instead of fronting the media.
Appearing alongside Barnaby Joyce on the ABC’s National Forum, he said he backed parts of One Nation’s immigration plan but was concerned about the lack of detail and Hanson’s silence:
We haven’t seen her at all today. And this is someone who wants to be the prime minister of Australia. And she hasn’t had the courage to front the media today and explain the budgetary, the economic and the human impact of these policy changes that she’s suggesting.
His ongoing battle with One Nation appeared to be tempered, however, with him and Joyce largely exchanging niceties, including Joyce claiming in jest, at one point, that they were “back in bed together”.
Chris Bowen has watered down any expectations that a renewed rise in oil prices will lead to the reintroduction of the federal government’s fuel excise relief.
He said Labor was continuing to look “very closely” at the spike, which was prompted after a series of drone attacks forced Saudi Arabia to close its east-west crude pipeline. But he said the federal government had been “very clear” that cutting the fuel excise was a temporary measure.
Bowen said:
It’s not the only cost of living measure that we put in place … At the same time, I’m very much focused on ensuring our ongoing fuel supply in this very difficult international circumstance … We’re not going to respond to every daily movement on the world oil price.
Bowen said the situation in the Middle East was “deeply concerning” and confirmed he would be travelling to Saudi Arabia next week to meet with his counterpart, Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud.
He was also asked about the appointment of the former opposition leader Sussan Ley to the board of Snowy Hydro, given the Coalition abandoned its commitment to net zero under her leadership and she had blamed Labor’s renewable energy rollout on high energy prices.
Bowen said when he saw an Australian who was “well credentialled, I don’t care how they vote”, and described her as a person of “talent and ability”.
Anthony Albanese spoke to King Charles last night, the prime minister revealed.
Albanese last saw the monarch during a visit to Britain in September last year.
“A privilege to speak with His Majesty King Charles III this evening,” Albanese wrote on social media.
“His affection for the Australian people remains strong. I extended Australia’s best wishes to His Majesty and the Royal Family.”
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Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Krishani Dhanji with the main action.
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