Australian news and politics live: Travel chaos as power outage forces Heathrow to shut down

Former home affairs secretary Mike Pezzullo says protesters heckling a string of politicians at recent media events was part and parcel of a campaign and unlikely to be a serious threat of violence.

Speeches delivered by Treasurer Jim Chalmers, opposition leader Peter Dutton and a press conference held by shadow treasurer Angus Taylor and Senator Jane Hume have been gatecrashed by protestors from climate group Rising Tide this week.

Vandals also attacked the Victorian office of Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, spraying graffiti across numerous windows and smashing the glass entrance.

Asked on Friday if increasing threats to politicians was a security concern, Mr Pezzullo said he was confident the Australian authorities would act on serious matters.

“We shouldn’t get too concerned. I know they’ve placed a lot of emphasis on close personal protection and doing the risk assessments,” he said.

“I think people just need to relax and just allow a democratic discourse to occur.

“Going back to the 1920s and 30s, when politicians were egged on soap boxes and people like Bob Menzies, famously used to have these brilliant retorts to hecklers in the crowd - I think this has been part of democratic politics for a very, very long time.

“I think that it’s disrespectful. But as to threats of violence and threats of physical intimidation, I know the AFP take that very, very seriously.”

The Liberal party has tied with the Nationals on six seats each after WA’s recent election, throwing the State opposition into limbo.

The West Australian’s state polictical editor Jess Page reports media personality and former Perth Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas is firming as favourite to take over from Libby Mettam as Liberal leader.

Mr Zempilas is widely expected to be endorsed as Liberal leader next week but might not become the Opposition Leader after the Nationals officially clinched the seat of Albany late on Thursday night.

The two opposition parties are now locked in a race for main opposition status.

Mr Zempilas is the sole contender for the Liberal party’s top job, a day after Ms Mettam announced she would step down in the wake of the March 8 election defeat.

The Australian government has released an unclassified independent review of its national intelligence agencies, signaling strong confidence in the country’s intelligence capabilities.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers on Friday morning revealed Tuesday’s budget would include a $44.6 million package for the Office of National Intelligence over four years to drive initial implementation of the review’s recommendations.

Dr Chalmers said the review highlighted positive assessments of Australia’s intelligence community, which he said the nation was “blessed” to have.

“We are blessed with outstanding agencies and people, and this is about supporting their crucial work,” he said.

He said investment in national security was critical as the country navigated a complex geopolitical environment and emerging economic uncertainties.

“This is part of a big 20 per cent increase in funding for national security that we’ve seen under the life of this government,” Dr Chalmers said.

US President Donald Trump could be pressured by tech giants to target Australian social media and digital content laws after they submitted a list of grievances to the administration.

In a ditch to leverage Trump’s known stance on international trade, major tech companies, including Elon Musk’s X, alleged Australia’s laws are unfair trade practices.

It comes after the government moved to mandate tech platforms pay Australian media outlets for content usage and to restrict social media access for under-16s.

Speaking on Sky News on Friday, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the reaction from the US companies was “not surprising”.

“It’s not surprising. Our job is to make decisions in Australia’s national interest, to protect kids online, for example, or to make sure that there’s a level playing field in our media with our media organisations,” he said.

The calls coincide with Australia being slapped with 25 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminium exports by the Trump administration.

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Treasurer Jim Chalmers says he’s “putting the finishing touches on the Budget” ahead of next Tuesday with a focus on cost of living pressures and economic uncertainty.

In response to questions about the upcoming budget in an ABC interview on Friday, Dr Chalmers signalled a strategic approach that balances immediate relief with long-term economic stability.

“We’re putting the finishing touches on the Budget today. We’ll send it off to the printers on the weekend,” he said.

“It will reflect the progress that Australians are making together. But it will also recognise that Australians are under pressure still. There’s a lot of global economic uncertainty.

“Hopefully it will be a good day next Tuesday.”

This budget will mark the Albanese Government’s fourth and hadn’t been expected until after an election.

Labor and the coalition have drawn level with voters as the prime minister prepares to call the federal election.

The latest YouGov poll provided to AAP shows the opposition clawing back ground on the government, with the major parties tied 50-50 on a two-party preferred basis.

While the coalition gained ground in the lead-up to the election, Anthony Albanese is still ahead of Peter Dutton as preferred prime minister.

The poll showed 45 per cent of those surveyed backed Mr Albanese as preferred leader compared to 40 per cent for Mr Dutton.

YouGov’s director of public data Paul Smith said the election would be tight.

“It is a very close race but the prime minister has now consolidated his lead as preferred leader and that is significant,” he told AAP.

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Supermarket giant Coles was the first to respond to the ACCC’s report, saying it is only 30 per cent of the industry’s market share and claimed it is “competitive”.

“Coles believes Australia’s grocery sector is highly competitive, is evolving rapidly, and offers consumers greater choice than ever before,” the statement said.

“Over recent years, Coles has not only been competing with traditional supermarkets like Woolworths and IGA but also now with major multinational players like ALDI, Costco, and Amazon, who have all established significant businesses in Australia and are expanding their market share.

“We also fiercely compete with thousands of specialty retailers and independent supermarkets, as well as major retail chains like Bunnings, Chemist Warehouse, and Priceline who are all now selling products found in supermarket aisles.

“Even among supermarket players alone, Coles holds less than 30 percent of the market share.

“Customers are increasingly cross-shopping and splitting their grocery spend across a range of retailers — both in store and online — which means Coles must compete vigorously for a share of consumers’ grocery baskets.”

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has warned Coles and Woolworths of ‘more scrutiny’ after an ACCC report into Australian supermarkets was handed down, adding the Government is ‘already acting’.

Dr Chalmers said the report didn’t conclude that supermarket giants were price gouging but has shown that there are things to do to crack down.

“The ACCC does say that there’s a lot of market dominance, and what we need here, and what we’re delivering here as a government is more scrutiny, more information and more competition,” he said on ABC.

“We’re all about a fair go for families at the checkout and for farmers at the farmgate and this will help us put in place the right protections for people.

“Now, the government is already acting on a number of recommendations of this report. We made the food and grocery code mandatory, we funded the ACCC and empowered them to crack down on dodgy practices in the supermarkets, we’re reforming the unit pricing code which is all about that sneaky shrink-flation that drives people crazy.