Australia news LIVE: Hanson, Canavan clash at summit; Albanese jeered over renewable energy; Tributes for Tim Curry, Yayoi Kusama
Updated ,first published
Hello and welcome to our national news live blog for Thursday, August 27. Here’s what you need to know today.
- Thirty-four Australians are among hundreds missing after deadly flash floods hit Nepal and Tibet. Nepal police said 157 bodies have so far been recovered, while China has reported at least three people killed and 265 missing in Tibet. More than 400 tourists are unaccounted for, from Australia, India, the US, UK and Canada. Follow our live coverage of the Nepal floods here.
- Only Australian citizens will be allowed to hold firearms licences, under changes agreed to during a meeting of National Cabinet yesterday.
- Inflation came in stronger than expected in July, figures released yesterday by the ABS showed.
- And Meta has reached a $24 billion settlement to add child safety measures to its Facebook and Instagram platforms, to end a landmark trial over teen social media addiction and settle claims filed by 47 states in the US.
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has highlighted the difficulties in getting information out of Nepal as his government scrambles to confirm the whereabouts of missing Australians.
“There are 34 Australians who are missing,” Albanese has confirmed, speaking at the Bush Summit in Dubbo.
“Nepal, you know, is a developing country. It doesn’t have the resources that an event like that would have in Australia, so information is difficult,” he said.
“Our thoughts are with all those who’ll be concerned about their loved ones today.”
Anthony Albanese has denied One Nation is driving his migration policy as he says his government wants to crack down on visitors to Australia who “game the system”.
“There is a current spike in the support for One Nation, quite clearly. But we’ve responded. We started lowering the numbers well before that occurred because we recognise that we want to get that right to assist the Australian economy,” the prime minister told the Bush Summit in Dubbo.
“We’re worried about trying to get the numbers right. Our priority and what we’re really looking at as well is people who game the system. So people who can come in and they can put in an appeal and continue to put in another appeal and go through … That’s what we’re working on, and I’m not here to make that announcement today.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been jeered by the audience at the Bush Summit in Dubbo, after he said he understood why Australians living in the regions were opposed to disruptive renewable projects.
Gemma Jones, the editor of Adelaide’s The Advertiser, asked Albanese about a woman whose property was being sandwiched on three sides by five-metre-high solar panels.
“They’re foreign-owned projects here. They’re built mostly by foreign workers. There are work camps, she says, so that people aren’t even coming into town to spend money. What message do you have for people here whose lives and livelihoods are being upended, and they can’t understand why?” Jones said.
“I get it,” Albanese said, to jeers from the crowd.
“We need to do better than that … You need social licence in order to operate. There needs to be much better community consultation and engagement on all of those issues.”
Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has released a statement on the disaster in Nepal and China.
“Our thoughts are with all those affected by the devastating flooding in Nepal and Tibet, including the families who have lost loved ones and those still waiting for news,” he wrote on X.
“We are also thinking of the Australians caught up in this disaster and their families here at home.
“Australians in the region should follow the advice of local authorities and contact DFAT’s Consular Emergency Centre if they need urgent assistance on 1300 555 135, or +61 2 6261 3305 from overseas.”
Regional and remote Australians will start shifting off NBN Co’s ageing Sky Muster satellites from the middle of next year.
The government-owned company today finalised the first plans for NBN Leo, its low Earth orbit service powered by Amazon technology. It picked Amazon as Sky Muster’s successor a year ago, and the two satellites are approaching the end of their operational life.
Customers will get uncapped data, with download speeds of up to 100 megabits per second.
Eligible customers will get a standard installation and a Wi-Fi router at no upfront charge, and prices will not vary by location.
The product will rival Elon Musk’s Starlink, which has sold low Earth orbit broadband at speeds beyond what NBN’s satellites will offer at launch, directly to Australian households for years.
Testing begins later this year, followed by customer trials, before the rollout starts progressively from about mid-2027.
Agriculture Minister Julie Collins has dismissed concerns that eggs could become a luxury product in Australian households as H5 bird flu continues to spread.
She said there remains no evidence of bird flu in Australia’s poultry or agricultural system, and said the government was continuing to work closely with industries to prevent a spillover event.
“We’ve been working really, really closely with the industry to do everything we can do to improve biosecurity measures to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to keep it out … And we’ve learnt from two H7 bird flu incursions in the last few years, so our industry is as prepared as it possibly can be,” Collins told the ABC this morning.
Plibersek was also asked this morning about reports out of Sydney last night that NSW Police were investigating the death of a 16-year-old girl after a suspected choking act during sex.
The teenager died in hospital two days after emergency services responded to a concern for welfare at an Elanora Heights home on Sydney’s northern beaches on Sunday night. They found the girl unresponsive.
“I’m sure I’ve said it to you in the past that almost 60 per cent of young people report that they’ve experienced choking in a recent sexual encounter. So I can’t say anything, obviously, about this tragic situation in New South Wales. But in general terms, figures like that just concern me so deeply,” Plibersek told Radio National.
“There is no safe way of choking someone. Parents have to use this opportunity to talk to their young people.”
Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek says it is “too early to say” whether Australia will be providing any assistance to flood-affected zones in Nepal and China.
“The images are very disturbing indeed. We do know that there are Australians in the area. We don’t know exactly how many,” she told ABC Radio National.
Plibersek said it was too early to say whether the government would send assistance to the regions affected by the flash flooding.
“I don’t have any information about that at this stage. We will be speaking to the Nepalese embassy after eight this morning to get some information.”
She said the government was “very concerned” by the unfolding situation, and encouraged Australians with family members in the region to contact DFAT’s consular assistance line.
Minister for Agriculture Julie Collins says the vision coming out of Nepal and Tibet following destructive flash flooding is “extremely concerning”.
“Our sympathies, of course, go out to those people who’ve been impacted in Nepal, Tibet and China,” Collins told ABC’s News Breakfast.
“DFAT officials are working around the clock urgently to ascertain the welfare of Australians that are known to be in the area. And obviously the 24-hour DFAT consular assistance line is up and running. So if people have family members there, they should contact that.”
It remains unclear whether DFAT will dispatch officials to the affected region, Collins said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has released a statement on the catastrophic flash flooding through Nepal and China that has resulted in at least 160 deaths and has left hundreds more missing:
We extend our deepest sympathies to those affected by the significant flooding in Nepal and Tibet, China.
Australians in the affected area should follow the advice of local authorities.
We are aware of a number of Australians in the area and Australian officials are urgently working to confirm their welfare. We are liaising with local authorities as well as tour operators.
We stand ready to provide consular assistance.
Australians in need of emergency consular assistance should contact the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on 1300 555 135, or +61 2 6261 3305 (if calling from overseas).
Thirty-four Australians have been reported missing. More than 400 tourists are unaccounted for.
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