Australian news and politics live: Marles attacks Russia for ‘sham trial’ of Aussie POW Oscar Jenkins

A senior Liberal frontbencher has urged the party not to abandon its net zero target as divides over climate and nuclear energy policies threaten the coalition’s election rebuild.

Liberal leader Sussan Ley and Nationals counterpart David Littleproud continue to hammer out a power-sharing agreement, with the number of ministers assigned to each party central to negotiations.

But outspoken groups within each party are urging their leaders to ditch the coalition’s support of reaching net zero emissions by 2050, while some Nationals want a commitment from the Liberals to keep their nuclear power policy before signing a new agreement.

Liberal senator Jane Hume said policies were a matter for each party room, but her personal opinion was to keep net zero.

“The electorate has sent us a very clear message what it is that they want in their government,” she told Sky News on Monday.

“Abandoning net zero, I don’t necessarily think is consistent with that.”

Read the full story here.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been holding formal and informal meetings with other world leaders during the Pope’s inauguration ceremony celebrations in Vatican City.

Mr Albanese took time to grab a selfie after meeting the newly elected Canadian prime Minister Mark Carney before the two hold more formal talks.

“Great to meet with Prime Minister Mark Carney at the inauguration of the Holy Father,” Mr Albanese said

“Our two countries have a strong history of cooperation on global issues. And we will work together on closer trade and a more secure Indo-Pacific.”

Mr Carney replied on X that the conversation swung from the global economy to Vegemite.

“Great to meet @AlboMP: the only world leader who can discuss spirituality, the global economy, Vegemite hygiene & how Go-Jo was robbed @ Eurovision in one go. With the same values & ambitions Canada and Australia can help shape a fairer, more prosperous world.”

David Littleproud has appeared on Sunrise and explained the Nationals’ ideals toward net zero and nuclear energy post the Federal election.

“I think you can’t get to zero without nuclear energy,” Mr Littleproud said.

“Whether it’s specifically the policy that we took around government-owned or whether it’s simply removing the moratorium, I think you have to be pragmatic. You cannot do an all- renewables approach and keep the economy going.

“We were promised three years ago, a $275 reduction in our energy bills. They’ve gone up by over $1300.

“Unfortunately, physics and economics will catch up with us at some point.

“I think what Anthony Albanese was able to do in a masterful way was to perpetrate a lie around a $600 billion cost.

“The costings actually were $263 billion cheaper than an all-renewables approach of having a mixed grid, not just renewables but renewables and gas in it.”

A trial over whether a poisoned beef Wellington was deliberately served to four people with murderous intent is entering its final weeks as it continues to make international headlines.

Erin Patterson, 50, will face her fourth week of a Supreme Court trial on Monday, which is being held in the town of Morwell about two hours’ drive from Melbourne.

Fifteen jurors had been initially selected for the trial but this was cut down to 14 on Thursday after Justice Christopher Beale dismissed a juror for potentially discussing the case with family or friends.

The jury will be further whittled down to 12 by the end of the trial, who will be sequestered to decide whether Patterson is guilty of three murders and one attempted murder, or it was all a terrible accident.

​Read the full story here.​

Nationals leader David Littleproud has appeared on Sunrise and spoken about Anthony Albanese’s crucial trade talks with EU leaders.

“I think it’s back on the table in President Trump’s trade war around the globe. What the world is doing is trading around the United States where they can,” Littleproud said.

“We should take opportunity, but we also need to be careful.

“It’s not just about making sure we secure this. What the EU also wants Australian farmers to do is to produce your food and fibre in the same way that they do in Europe and not understand we’re on a different continent with a different climate and different environmental conditions.

“So we’ll be looking very closely at what the government can pen with the EU and we need to make sure what they impose on the side to the environmental standards that we need here in Australia because we’re a very different continent.

“It’s very encouraging and we should take advantage of this as quickly as we can as we get this opportunity.”

Labor Minister Tanya Plibersek has appeared on Sunrise and shed some light on the prosecco and feta affair facing the PM in Rome.

“We’ve been pursuing a free trade agreement with the European Union for many years now, in fact, before we came to government, this was already being negotiated,” Ms Plibersek told host David Woiwod.

“We already have about $156 million of two-way trade with the European Union but we’d like to see that increase.

“That’s good for Australia, it’s good for the European Union as well but there are a few sticking points,’ Ms Plibersek added.

‘Prosecco and fetta!” Woiwod exclaimed.

“Yes. There’s about a thousand names that the European Union wants to restrict the use of, and they are parmesan, fetta, prosecco, a whole lot of names of food that are related to the place where they come from,” Ms Plibersek confirmed.

“But we would say that the parmesan made in Australia is world’s best and we want to make sure that any free trade agreement with the European Union is a clear advantage for Australia.

“This is obviously one of the sticking points and we’ll continue to work through it.”

Speaking at the end of a monumental weekend in the Italian capital, where he attended the inaugural mass of Pope Leo XIV, the Prime Minister, just re-elected in a landslide, turned sentimental.

On a tiled rooftop, as the Roman sun burned down, Anthony Albanese told reporters what he had said to the pontiff just hours prior, when they shook hands insides St Peter’s Basilica.

“I spoke to him about my mother,” he revealed.

“[She] would be,” he began before correcting the tense. “Is, I’m sure, looking down from heaven with the biggest smile she’s ever had.”

“The fact that her son was at the inaugural mass of a Pope in the Vatican.”

Read Latika Bourke’s report from Rome here.

European Commission Chief Ursula von der Leyen has proposed a defence and security agreement that would potentially enable Australian access to Europe’s massive remarmament build-up.

President von der Leyen made the offer during her one-on-one meeting with Anthony Albanese in Rome.

But Prime Minister Anthony Albanese instantly downplayed the idea as an “assertion” and “suggestion” and expressed stronger support for a standard trade deal between Australia and the EU which previously collapsed over a fight on beef quotas.

President von der Leyen told Mr Albanese that she wanted a “new era” in ties and urged the two jurisdictions to contemplate a broader partnership than just selling goods to one another.

The pair met on the sidelines of Pope Leo XIV’s inaugurationation in Rome on Sunday.

“We meet here in Rome to celebrate the new era in the Vatican,” President von der Leyen said.

“So perhaps you could say we also are looking forward to a new era between Europe and Australia.

​Check out Latika Bourke’s full story here.​

The Prime Minister has met Ukraine’s President Volodmyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the Pope Leo XIV’s inaugural mass on the steps of St Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican in Rome.

“During our campaign I made it clear that the Australian government position that I lead is very supportive of your struggle,” Mr Albanese told President Zelensky.

“The Russian illegal aggression needs to be resisted and we stand with UKraine very clearly and unequivocally.

“Ukraine has to be able to determine your future enough to have something imposed on you.”

He said Australian tanks were on their way to Ukraine and repeated that he was willing to join the Coalition of the Willing being formed by French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Read Latika Bourke’s full story here.

Anthony Albanese is in Rome and has been meeting with world leaders after the Pope’s inauguration.

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