Australian news and politics live: Albanese confronts Chinese Premier Li over RAAF incident in South China Sea

Business representatives are urging the Coalition to drop its demand the Government split up an overhaul of environmental law reforms, saying keeping everything on the table at once will deliver the best outcome.

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley wrote to Anthony Albanese on Sunday calling for the legislation – which is yet to be revealed in full – to be split in two and separate the measures to streamline approvals from stronger environmental protections.

Environment Minister Murray Watt on Monday morning dismissed this as a “silly idea”.

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is today expected to meet Chinese Premier Li Qiang on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Malaysia, just over a week after a People’s Liberation Army warplane “dangerously” intercepted an RAAF aircraft in the South China Sea.

The high-level talks also follow Mr Albanese’s meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House last week, which was focused on discussions over countering Beijing’s dominance on critical minerals and its rising regional military dominance.

At the ASEAN summit, and at the APEC meeting later this week, Mr Albanese will urge his regional counterparts to embrace the benefits of free trade and economic openness amid rising tensions between China and the US over tariffs and export controls.

In a speech to the ASEAN Indo-Pacific Forum on Monday, Mr Albanese will argue that the best way to enhance the security and resilience of the global economy is “not to turn inwards, it is to look outwards”.

Curtin MP Kate Chaney has been heckled by Barnaby Joyce in Parliament after speaking out against his private member’s bill to repeal net zero.

The Independent had told the House of Representatives on Monday morning that “it’s not a burden; it’s a blueprint for the future”.

After her short address, Speaker and Lingiari MP Marion Scrymgour was forced to issue a warning to Mr Joyce about his interjections.

Shortly after the row on the floor, Mr Joyce appeared on a Sky News interview where he expressed his frustration over sitting next to “Teal MPs”.

“It’s very annoying sitting next to the Teals. It’s almost like a sense of entitlement that they can inflict on regional people,” Mr Joyce said.

“Net Zero is devastating for regional people”

He then monologued about net zero supporters trying to appease “the millennials, the millennials, the millennials in North Sydney”.

Liberal MP Tony Pasin has broken ranks and spoken in Parliament to support Barnaby Joyce’s private member’s bill to repeal net zero.

Addressing the bill in the House of Representatives on Monday, the South Australian MP described the 2050 pledge to reduce emissions as a “reckless commitment”.

“It sounds neat, even noble. But in practice, net zero’s a costly illusion, a political slogan masquerading as science. Imposed without honesty and absent realism,” the Barker MP said.

“Australia’s commitment to net zero has delivered nothing but pain to the Australian people.

“It’s driven up the cost of power, destroyed manufacturing and gutted regional communities. While doing nothing to change the globe’s climate.”

Maverick MP Barnaby Joyce has snubbed his usual Nationals party room meeting on Monday, instead appearing on a live Sky News interview in Canberra.

The long-time Nationals member has placed himself in political limbo as Parliament returns on Monday morning after declaring himself “a free agent”.

While his leader, David Little proud and colleagues had welcomed him in the party room, Mr Joyce declared that he wouldn’t attend but would continue to sit with the Nationals in the House of Representatives.

“What I’m doing is really focusing on the policy agenda,” he told Sky News as the Nationals held their meeting.

“Net Zero is devastating for regional people. I want to get rid of net zero. Get rid of it. It’s all rubbish.

“I know I don’t need to be part of a discussion.

“In fact, it’s probably better that I’m not there that is so that the room can have the confidence of what they say stays in the room.”

Health Minister Mark Butler says he expects almost a thousand Australian general practices will become fully bulk-billed on Saturday under a new incentives scheme.

The scheme is part of Anthony Albanese’s $8.5 billion Medicare election promise to make nine out of 10 GP visits bulk billed by 2030.

Speaking in Parliament on Monday, Mr Butler confirmed that already 900 clinics had indicated to the Government that they would take up the incentives.

“We think about 900 practices as of Friday have already indicated to Government that this week, they’re charging gap fees and next week, they’ll be a fully bulk billing practice.

“So, every GP in their practice will bulk bill every single patient that comes through their door.

“Now we expect that number to increase, of course, this week.

“We’re very confident there’s going to be a big expansion of bulk billing.”

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Health Minister Mark Butler says the Australian Government will continue to “engage very closely” with the Trump Administration about the impacts of its America first agenda.

His vow comes after Anthony Albanese didn’t raise the impacts of Donald Trump’s pharmaceutical tariffs and the “Most Favoured Nation” executive order on Australians during their White House talks.

Australia’s peak pharmaceutical industry body Medicines Australia last week said the executive order signed earlier this year to reduce high prescription drug prices had already prompted a “slow down” in the flow of new medicines Down Under.

“We’ve been working very hard at engaging with the US administration about the announcements that the administration has made about the pharmaceutical industry,” Mr Butler said.

“It’s not just tariffs, which are one thing, but it’s also their Most Favoured Nation announcements about medicine prices in the US that are going to impact every other country.

“Ambassador Rudd is meeting very regularly with the administration to understand what the administration intends in this area. But people should be very clear, we will utterly defend the PBS. It’s not on the negotiating table.

“And if there are impacts on global pricing for medicines generally that flow from the administration’s announcement, we’re going to make sure Australia’s patients are protected from that.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has met with Japan’s first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi.

After profusely apologising for being a few minutes late, Ms Takaichi said: “We would like to promote strategic cooperation with Australia, in addition to the existing Quad collaboration.”

Reflecting on the meeting, which occurred on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Malaysia, Mr Albanese said Australia was working with Japan to strengthen a “special strategic partnership”.

“Democratic values. Free trade. A free and open Indo-Pacific. That’s the vision Japan and Australia share for our region,” Mr Albanese wrote in a social media post.

“Today Prime Minister Takaichi and I sat down for our first meeting, working to make our special strategic partnership even stronger.”

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Controversial environment reforms and hot air from the backbench are set to steal the spotlight as MPs return to Canberra for Parliament.

• Revamped environment laws to establish a Federal Environmental Protection Agency and force stiffer penalties on companies that breach climate laws, including fines up to $825 million, are set to be introduced.
• Labor faces an uphill battle in the Senate, with neither the Coalition or the Greens - one of which the Government will need to pass the legislation - onboard with the reforms.
• The Coalition is likely to go on the attack over Labor’s handling of Optus’ deadly triple-zero outage.
• Communications Minister Anika Wells is spearheading urgent legislation to create a Triple Zero Custodian to oversee emergency call networks, which the opposition and crossbench argue should have already been done.
• Debate will continue on reforms that would allow the Federal Government to list foreign state entities as a terrorist organisations,with the amendments spurred by allegations Iran was involved in anti-Semitic attacks in Australia.
• Once passed, it paves the way for the listing of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, which would attach penalties for dealing or being involved with the entity.

​Read the full list here. ​

Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce has confirmed he will not attend the Nationals party room meeting on Monday as he cements his status as an outsider in the Party.

Speaking in Canberra on Monday, Mr Joyce said: “No, as I’ve said all along, there has been a breakdown in the relationship.”

“I’ll be sitting with the National Party during Question Time because I haven’t joined another party.”

Mr refused to put a timeline on a potential move to another party, however, he confirmed he would not sit as an independent.

“That’s one thing I will rule out. I will not sit as an independent.”

“I haven’t joined One Nation. I’m still in the National Party. Talk to me in the future about that.”