‘She’s been transparent’ O’Neil defends colleague’s top tier Qantas membership
Clare O’Neil has defended her colleague, transport minister Catherine King, after it was revealed the latter had accepted a lifetime membership to Qantas’ top-tier membership, the platinum frequent flyer rewards.
The status means free entry to Qantas’ first and business class lounges, access to the airline’s VIP team, upgrade priority, extra Qantas Points and more. King listed the status on her register of interests on Monday afternoon.
Quizzed on whether the move passes the pub test, O’Neil said “federal politicians … travel an unbelievable amount”.
double quotation markCatherine King has probably been away from her family for a third of the last 25 years. And that’s kind of the extent of this. The important thing is … she made a declaration of it, and she’s been transparent about it.
King attracted scrutiny in 2022 over her decision to reject Qatar’s request to bring extra flights into Australia in a move widely seen as benefitting Qantas.
Barnaby Joyce says One Nation will pursue immigration policy ‘no matter the cost’
One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce has been unable to confirm how his party’s sweeping new immigration policy would impact the budget or jobs while declaring they would “deal with it no matter the cost”.
The former deputy leader appeared on the ABC’s second National Forum on Monday evening, which focused on immigration and multiculturalism. He faced backlash from panelists, with journalist and political commentator, George Megalogenis, claiming One Nation’s plan to cut migration in net terms over three years had never happened in Australian public policy and would “tank the economy” on the scale of the “depression of the 1890s”.
Joyce said “the issue of what it’s going to cost … is contentious” and rejected questioning over why One Nation didn’t consult the parliamentary budget office.
“The Australian people are sort of tired of the fact that you have to go to an economist to come up with policy to help us all better understand what it costs to us,” he claimed, adding it “has to be dealt with it” and “we will deal with it no matter the cost”.
Asked if he was worried about what the parliamentary budget office might produce, he replied: “No, I’m not really because they’re not elected, I am.”
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!
Updated at 17.02 EDT
‘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”.
double quotation markThat’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.
Updated at 17.05 EDT
Andrew Hastie says Pauline Hanson hasn’t ‘had the courage’ to front media
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:
double quotation markWe 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”.
Updated at 16.55 EDT
Chris Bowen downplays reintroduction of fuel excise relief amid renewed surge in oil prices
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:
double quotation markIt’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”.
Updated at 17.07 EDT
Albanese speaks with King Charles
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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Updated at 16.53 EDT
Welcome
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.
Let’s begin.
