Australia news and politics live: Anthony Albanese hints at Donald Trump meeting on Quad sidelines
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Key Events
Bupa fined $35M for misleading thousands of Aussies
Private health insurer Bupa has been fined $35m after conceding it engaged in misleading or deceptive conduct to talk more than 4000 Australians out of claiming hospital treatments.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said in a statement on Monday that Bupa admitted to the breaches after telling customers they were not entitled to private health insurance benefits for their claims, even though they were entitled to make a claim.
This left some customers thousands of dollars out of pocket for medical treatments they had to pay for when Bupa should have paid at least part of the bill.
Watchdog: Home Affairs executive acted corruptly to benefit relatives
The public sector corruption watchdog has found a Home Affairs senior executive misused her position to benefit her sister and her sister’s fiancé.
According to the National Anti-Corruption Commission, the public servant engaged in corruption on multiple occasions to help them acquire positions in the department.
While taking several actions, including forged signatures, to aid her sister’s fiancé secure a transfer, she deliberately concealed the family relationship from others.
The woman, who hasn’t been named publicly by the Commission, has resigned from the Australian Public Service.
However, the Commission said, had she not left, it would have “recommended that her employment be terminated”.
AUKUS ‘critical’ to counter Indo-Pacific threats from China: US Senators
AUKUS is critical to US and global security, Democratic Senators Chris Coons and Jeanne Shaheen have said.
The comments, made exclusively to The Nightly on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague, came as the Pentagon said in new budget documents that it was “demanding regional allies and partners to significantly increase their own level of defence effort” as part of its strategy to deter the Chinese from “seizing control of the Indo Pacific”.
Senator Coons said AUKUS was to be embraced, not scrapped.
“Any time we have a close and trusted ally willing to step forward and spend billions of additional dollars on our shared defence and to work with us on a critical cutting-edge defence technology, I think we should embrace it,” Senator Coons said.
“But especially in one of our Five Eyes Partners like Australia, I plan to travel to Australia later this year to meet with and visit several of the Australian bases and leaders who are critical to this effort.
“Like Senator Shaheen, I can’t imagine that a review would conclude anything other than this is a key to our security and to the future of our partnership in the Indo-Pacific.”
Albanese pushing case for AUKUS with ‘everyone’ in US
Anthony Albanese says his government is engaging “with everyone in the United States” in its bid to keep the AUKUS defence pact on track amid a snap review by the Pentagon.
There are fears in some quarters the 30-day AUKUS review, being run by Pentagon official Elbridge Colby, will give the administration leverage to lean even more heavily on Australia to lift spending.
“At every opportunity, Australia raises our points that we have … AUKUS benefits three countries, Australia, the UK and the US, but it does something more than that as well. It benefits the world, because it makes our region and the world more secure,” he said at press conference this morning.
Asked whether that included directly engaging with Mr Colby, the Prime Minister said repeatedly: “We engage with everyone in the United States.”
Australia still putting its ‘case forward’ on tariffs: Albo
As the deadline looms for Donald Trump to lift his pause on the US trade tariffs, Anthony Albanese is saying Australia is still lobbying for a carve-out.
“We’ll continue to put our case forward that it shouldn’t be 10 [per cent]. It should be zero. That is what a reciprocal tariff will be,” he said.
“We have a US free trade agreement … and we’re put forward, very clearly, our arguments will continue to do so.”
Albanese not backing down after China defence warning
Responding to a warning from the Chinese Ambassador over the risks of Australia complying with US demands to increase defence spending, the PM said it is in Australia’s national interest to “invest in our capability and invest in our relationships”.
“The Chinese ambassador speaks for China,” Mr Albanese said.
“My job is to speak for Australia and it’s in Australia’s national interest for us to invest in our capability and to invest in our relationships and we’re doing just that.”
China hits out after Australia pressured to ramp up defence spending
China has warned Australia against folding to demands to increase defence spending, with its top diplomat flagging it as a “heavy fiscal burden”.
While not mentioning the US directly, Chinese ambassador Xiao Qian has attacked the push led by President Donald Trump, who has exerted pressure on allies to ramp up spending.
Chinese ambassador Xiao Qian said other countries had “hyped up the so-called China threat narrative” at recent international gatherings, including at the Shangri-La Dialogue, G7 summit and NATO summit.
Describing this as “slander”, Mr Qian said such rhetoric fuelled the global arms race and was a threat to global peace and stability.
He said China’s military build-up was “normal” and only represented “just 1.5 per cent” of GDP — “far below the global average and paling in comparison to certain hegemons or their allies and partners”.
Wong to meet Rubio to talk defence spend, tariff carve-out
Foreign Minister Penny Wong is set to meet with her US counterpart for crucial talks as America ramps up pressure on Australia to increase defence spending.
She will fly out to Washington today ahead of a meeting of Quad foreign ministers, which includes US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, along with ministers from India and Japan.
The trip to the US will also see Senator Wong hold one-on-one talks with Mr Rubio, as Australia tries to carve out an exemption to tariffs imposed on exports to America.
“This will be the second Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting within six months, reflecting the importance of our partnership and the strategic circumstances confronting our region and the world,” Senator Wong said.
“The United States is our closest ally and principal strategic partner. Our alliance contributes to the peace, prosperity and stability of our countries and the region we share.
“We will continue to work together to further our important economic and security partnership and advance our mutual interests.”
Former Greens candidate injured in protest charged
Former Greens candidate Hannah Thomas has been charged after being injured during a pro-Palestine protest.
Ms Thomas, who was a candidate for Grayndler in the recent Federal election, suffered facial injuries after clashing with police during the protest outside a business in Belmore on Friday.
Protesters targeted the business over concerns it was providing components for jets used by the Israeli Defence Force, a Greens statement confirmed.
NSW Police said officers issued a move on direction to a group of about 60 protesters, who allegedly attempted to block pedestrian access to the business.
Ms Thomas was among a number of people arrested after allegeldy failing to comply with that direction.
“During the 35-year-old woman’s arrest, she sustained facial injuries and was taken to Bankstown Hospital for treatment, where she remains,” a police statement read.
