Australia news as it happened: Albanese defends bulk-billing; Ley, Liberal senators resist calling Gaza situation ‘starvation’; NSW Police plan legal action to block Sydney harbour bridge protest

Thanks for joining us, that’s a wrap for today. We’ll be back tomorrow with more live coverage. Here’s a quick rundown of the day:

• NSW Police plans to seek Supreme Court approval to block Sunday’s march across Sydney Harbour Bridge by pro-Palestine protesters. It comes as members of Premier Chris Minns’ government have accused the premier of overstepping his authority in declaring he would oppose the march.
• In question time in parliament today, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese brandished a Medicare card. The Coalition challenged him on the pre-election claim that 90 per cent of GP visits will be bulk-billed by 2030.
• Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and two senators have repeatedly refused to call the situation in Gaza – which remains besieged by Israel – a starvation. Earlier, Albanese said Israel’s claim that there is no starvation in Gaza was “beyond comprehension”.
• The government has also dismissed accusations that its relationship with the US is unravelling, after US President Donald Trump suggested that trading partners unable to negotiate deals could be subject to sweeping tariffs ranging from 15 to 20 per cent, larger than the 10 per cent tariff he initially proposed in April for Australian goods.
• Still in the US, a gunman wielding a semi-automatic rifle walked into a New York skyscraper, shooting dead four people, including a police officer before turning the gun on himself. The shooter has been identified as 27-year-old Shane Tamura from Las Vegas.
• And jewellery titan Michael Hill has passed away at the age of 86.

Disability workers are being underpaid $17 million every year, prompting the workplace investigator to focus on rogue providers and exploitation.

The Fair Work Ombudsman will examine what drives rule-breaking in the disability services sector to identify systematic ways of changing business behaviour.

Anna Booth, Fair Work OmbudsmanCredit: AFR

The ombudsman receives tens of thousands of inquiries, anonymous reports, requests for assistance and self-reported breaches each year.

Back-payments for workers were close to $68 million between 2020 and 2024.

Previous investigations have uncovered widespread and large-scale non-compliance in the sector, with ombudsman Anna Booth holding “serious” concerns.

The ombudsman aims to identify the root causes of non-compliance then work with industry and government to improve compliance.

Key themes of breaches are small and unregistered providers, higher labour costs, an uptick in digital gig-platform providers and financial pressures, Booth said.

AAP

A plan to reinstate controversial spit-hoods in youth detention centres has been defended in the crime-troubled territory.

The proposal is part of a suite of measures overhauling youth justice to be debated in the Northern Territory parliament within days.

The chief minister of the Northern Territory, Lia Finocchiaro.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

The Country Liberal Party government has vowed to table the legislation “on urgency” after a 15-year-old was stabbed and seriously injured in front of shocked onlookers at the Royal Darwin Show on Saturday.

A 15-year-old has been charged, with police alleging the teen knew the victim.

The NT Police Force confirmed in October that spit-hoods had been made available to use on youths in police watch houses and cells, with strict protocols in place.

Shackles and a spit hood: Dylan Voller at the Don Dale Youth Detention Centre. Credit: ABC

The proposed youth justice law changes would extend the use of the hoods to youth detention centres, reversing a ban imposed eight years ago.

Aboriginal Affairs Minister Steve Edgington defended anti-spit guards in youth centres, saying they were already being used in adult settings.

“When young people come into custody that are spitting, biting their tongue and spitting blood at correctional officers, we want to ensure that our frontline staff are protected,” he told reporters on Tuesday.

“We’re hoping that we will never need to use these.”

In 2016, an ABC Four Corners report into the NT’s Don Dale Youth Detention Centre prompted outrage over the use of spit-hoods and led to then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull announcing a royal commission into juvenile justice in the territory.

The NT government subsequently stopped the use of spit-hoods and restraint chairs in youth detention centres in 2017, following the federal government’s formal endorsement of a United Nations protocol against torture and inhumane punishments.

In 2022, the use of spit-hoods for youths in police custody was also banned by the then-NT Labor government.

NT Children’s Commissioner Shahleena Musk said the territory was the only Australian jurisdiction reverting to using spit-hoods on children.

AAP

One last titbit from Liberal senator James McGrath on the ABC this afternoon: he had a heated discussion with the host Patricia Karvelas when she asked him about net zero.

Yesterday, maverick Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce introduced a private member’s bill to remove Australia’s 2050 net-zero carbon emissions target, even as the Coalition is undertaking a post-election review of its policy.

Barnaby Joyce, the member for New England.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

“How helpful is this as you try to reconnect with middle Australia, with young people?,” asked Karvelas this afternoon.

“My party is a boisterous party. We’re a party of freedom. People are allowed to have different views. And no one should be surprised that Barnaby Joyce and Matt Canavan have different views to, say, Jane Hume and other people like that. We believe in freedom and, especially if you’re on the backbench, you can sort of say and do whatever you want. I don’t understand why this building is having … it’s almost like everyone has overdosed on caffeine or something like that.”

“No. Nah. Not fair,” Karvelas interjected. “I’ll tell you why – your argument is not fair and must be contested strenuously by me. You have a review process. They are trying to get ahead of your own review process. That’s very interesting.”

“But so what? They’re allowed to do that,” McGrath retorted.

“They’re on the backbench. We shouldn’t be surprised by this. The whole building is having a meltdown because some members of the National Party have a different view on net zero and want to push forward and advocate their views. Guess what? Good on them. So what? Are there any other issues out there? I want to focus on [Energy Minister] Chris Bowen and Labor [promising] to cut power bills by $275. Hands up everybody whose power bills have gone down by $275.”

Karvelas ended by asking McGrath if he personally supported the net-zero target.

“As a member of shadow cabinet, I’m bound by solidarity. But I’m one of those who thinks, yes, we should reduce our emissions. We’ve got to make sure we don’t crash the economy by doing so.”

Fresh from giving her maiden speech in parliament on Monday, Bradfield MP Nicolette Boele said she is ready to return to the campaign trenches if need be.

That’s because even though the teal defeated Liberal challenger Giselle Kapterian by 26 votes after a recount, Kapterian has launched a petition with the High Court to overturn the tight result.

Nicolette Boele delivers her maiden speech to parliament on Monday.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

On the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing today, Boele was asked if it was odd to be starting her parliamentary career with a legal dispute unfolding.

“It’s a great credit to the strength of our democracy that we have that relief valve, and I’ll be doing everything in my power to be a constructive part of getting a resolution,” she said.

“I do have every confidence in the process that had me elected as the MP, even though it was just by 26 votes. Now it’s [a case of] just getting on with the job of representing the people in Bradfield.

“There was a big backlog on visas to look at and people looking for respite from family and domestic violence and these types of things. So if anything, it’s sharpened my attention and made me work really, really hard.”

Host Patricia Karvelas then asked: “So you’re ready to roll if there’s a byelection?”

“Ready to roll.”

Sticking with Afternoon Briefing for a moment, and Coalition senator James McGrath was just pressed multiple times by host Patricia Karvelas as to whether starvation is occurring in the Israel-bombarded Gaza Strip.

McGrath evaded the question, reminiscent of his party leader Sussan Ley earlier today: Ley only said she was “incredibly distressed” by the images she had seen from Gaza when asked at a press conference.

James McGrath.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Karvelas: James McGrath, simple question – is this starvation?

McGrath: As Sussan Ley said, the images we’re seeing from Gaza, are distressing, but – and the Coalition is calling upon the Israeli government to do more – this all stops tomorrow, effectively, if Hamas release the remaining hostages so that they can be freed and that Hamas pull back from trying to interfere with the aid convoys going into Gaza.

Karvelas: It is starvation, though. Donald Trump said it is starvation. It is starvation, isn’t it, James?

McGrath: We’re saying that the images we are seeing from Gaza are distressing, and the Israeli government should be doing more to ensure that the aid is getting through to the people who need it.

Karvelas: Why is there reluctance, with respect, to call it starvation?

McGrath: I don’t think there’s reluctance at all. We are saying that the Israeli government should be and could be doing more to alleviate the situation in Gaza.

Earlier today, Liberal senator James Paterson said he didn’t believe Israel was using starvation as a weapon of war – which is illegal under international law – but also that it was important aid and food were provided to civilians.

With AAP

Earlier today, the prime minister said claims from Israeli diplomats that starvation is not occurring in Gaza were “beyond comprehension”.

But on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing today, independent senator David Pocock said strong words such as this weren’t enough.

Independent senator David Pocock.Credit: Martin Ollman

“The time for just words is over,” he said. “We’ve even got President Trump now saying that clearly starvation is happening. It’s time to start with more targeted sanctions, starting with Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu, ratcheting them up.

“Israelis are not Benjamin Netanyahu, so I think you start by sanctioning the people who are making these decisions.”

Pocock said he supported calls from the Greens earlier today for Australia to apply the same sanctions regime to Israel as it does to Russia.

“Australia has also imposed some 1400 sanctions on individuals and entities in Russia, while there are only a dozen concerning Israel,” the Greens said in a statement this afternoon.

“Australia has also failed to match sanctions in 17 instances where the US, Canada and the European Union have implemented sanctions on Israeli individuals and entities.

“[People] want our government to act,” said Pocock.

“They can’t end the war, but we know that Australia has a very proud history of punching above our weight when it comes to international diplomacy and they want our government to do that.”

The Trump administration has blocked Taiwan’s president from stopping over in the US on a trip to South America because it might derail trade talks with China, the UK’s Financial Times reports.

The paper says China raised objections with Washington about the visit before US officials denied President Lai Ching-te permission to transit through New York, raising concerns President Donald Trump may concede too much to China as he seeks a meeting with President Xi Jinping.

President Lai Ching-te.Credit: AP

Though the trip had not been publicly confirmed, sources say officials in Paraguay and Guatemala had been expecting Lai to arrive next month before Taiwanese officials couldn’t get their American counterparts to give the go-ahead to land in New York.

The move will fan concerns that Washington’s position on the self-ruled democracy, which Beijing considers a part of its territory, is becoming a trade war bargaining chip.

Taipei’s Presidential Office says the country’s leader isn’t planning any overseas travel in the near future, while the White House did not respond to a request for comment.
With Bloomberg

Earlier today, this masthead broke the story that the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) wants employers to guarantee workers’ job security before introducing artificial intelligence (AI) into their businesses.

Science and Industry Minister Tim Ayres was just asked about this on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing, and specifically about the speech by the council’s assistant secretary, Joseph Mitchell.

“I haven’t read Mr Mitchell’s speech. The way that you’ve described it is not something that the government is contemplating, but I just say there is a Fair Work Act framework, there are industrial awards, there is a role for trade unions at the policy level, but also in Australian workplaces,” he said.

“You know, I want to focus on making sure that there’s cooperation around those issues.”

ACTU’s stand comes ahead of the Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ much-vaunted roundtable next month, aimed at devising solutions to boost Australia’s productivity.

Minister for Industry and Innovation and Minister for Science Tim Ayres at Parliament House.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Host Patricia Karvelas also asked Ayres about US President Donald Trump’s follow-through on his plan to impose sweeping tariffs of up to 20 per cent on Australian goods. Ayres denied the accusation from Liberal senator James Paterson that the country’s bilateral relationship with the US had broken down.

“Let’s focus on the facts as they emerge,” he said.

“It’s a baseline tariff. Australia’s competitive position has not been fundamentally altered. We are continuing to trade strongly with our partners in the United States but, of course, it underscores what the trade minister [Don Farrell] has been saying all the way through the last term. It’s in Australia’s interests to diversify not just the countries with whom we trade, particularly in our region, in South-East Asia.”

NSW Police will seek Supreme Court approval to block Sunday’s march across Sydney Harbour Bridge by pro-Palestine protesters, claiming it would block emergency services from attending emergencies and put lives at risk.

Police claim the march would block firefighters, police and ambulances from crossing the bridge for up to six hours.

“After careful deliberations we’ve made the decision … that we cannot facilitate that protest, that public assembly this Sunday,” Acting Deputy Commissioner Peter McKenna said.

“We understand there is some angst at the moment about what’s happening overseas. We understand and are sympathetic to that, but the NSW Police decision around this has to be first and foremost about public and police safety.”