Australian news and politics live: Littleproud presses Collins on US beef import standards

Defence Minister Richard Marles has accused “various actors” of being unhelpful in trying to “manipulate” and “put out misinformation” around Australia’s role in the Gaza conflict.

“We have seen various actors seek to manipulate various information that they have derived which is in fact not evidence of any of that,” Mr Marles told Question Time.

“They tried to misconstrue this and tried to put out misinformation, which goes to suggest the opposite.

“I want to make the point that, to put that misinformation into the public domain, does not help one single person in Gaza. It just does not.

“What it does do is raise tensions in this country, which is deeply destabilising for Australia’s social cohesion.”

Independent MP for Indi Helen Haines has accused the Albanese Government of a “lack of transparency” around whether Australian-manufactured weapons are traded to Israel amid the Gaza conflict.

“Minister, can you guarantee Australia is not complicit in the war in Gaza?,” she asked Defence Minister Richard Marles.

Mr Marles rejected the proposition that Labor was not transparent.

“I can absolutely guarantee that Australia is not complicit in the way in which you describe. I can also say that Australia is not making weapons in this country and supplying them to Israel. We have made that clear on multiple occasions,” he said.

Anthony Albanese has brought up the Coalition’s previous pre-election support to sack or make public servants work from home while spruiking Labor’s penalty rates legislation during Question Time.

He accused the Coalition of trying to take Australian workers “back to the Dark Ages”.

“Today the Minister introduced legislation to put penalty rates into law, protecting weekend and overtime pay for around 2.6 million Australians. We want Australians to earn more and to keep more of what they earn.

“We do not know what the position of the Coalition will be when it comes to penalty rates, we know they tried to ban working from home, we know they want to sack 40,000 public servants, we know they oppose the right to disconnect and same job-same pay.

“They… will take us back to the Dark Ages.”

Sussan Ley has again asked the Prime Minister about his relationship with the US President Donald Trump.

The Opposition leader has questioned if Anthony Albanese has spoken with Mr Trump since his recent overseas trip to China.

“Members of this Parliament have a choice sometimes of whether they will back Australia or seek to undermine Australia,” Mr Albanese opened his response.

He didn’t directly answer the question, just spruiked that Australia has so far secured a better tariffs deal than other nations and he would “continue to put the case” to the US “in the full recognition that the America first policy”.

Leichhardt MP Matt Smith has asked the second question today, it’s a Dorathy Dixer for Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Amanda Rishworth.

He asks what the Albanese Government is doing to protect penalty rates.

She responded by spruiking Labor’s commitment to help people earn more and slammed the Coalition for having a “bob each way” on legislation to alter rates.

“It is disappointing the Coalition is not making their position clear. They seem to be having a bob each way on one hand supporting Australian workers,” she said.

Parliament question time has begun and Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has kicked off with a question about why the Prime Minister hasn’t met with US President Donald Trump yet.

Within her question, Ms Ley mentioned the AUKUS deal, saying “the Coalition is the proud architect of AUKUS” and “delivered” it.

Anthony Albanese swiftly hit back with a cheeky clarification on the wording of her questioning.

“Just to fact check, AUKUS was not actually delivered during the former government,” he said.

“The US President was elected and took office in January. Since then, we have had three conversations.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Sussan Ley have paid tribute to former federal minister Peter Nixon in a heartfelt condolence motion.

“He was re-elected eight times and extensive testimony to his qualities, qualities he carried into multiple ministries,” he said.

“He quickly gained a reputation as a tough, genuine and hard-working, a man who kept his feet on the ground and he had a sense of humour and often Chifley as an expense.”

Mr Nixon died on May 1 at the age of 97. He retired from politics in 1983 after serving as a National Country Party MP. In 1993, he was recognised with order of Australia.

Ms Ley labelled him as a “respected” parliamentarian who lived a “remarkable life”.

“Peter Nixon was a great Australian, he was a man who lived a good life, life matched by wide expanse of his slant electorate,” she said.

Nationals’ leader David Littleproud described him as: “A man of decency, a man of courage and a man of conviction”.

Mr Littleproud says the agriculture department has failed to provide the scientific evidence behind its decision to lift long-standing restrictions on US beef imports, raising suspicions about the timing of the announcement.

“Earlier today I was given a briefing… Unfortunately, that has raised more questions than provided answers,” he said.

“It has raised my suspicion about the speed and timing of this decision.”

While the department maintains the biosecurity review has been a decade in the making, the Nationals say the proximity to US criticism of Australia’s trade settings raises red flags.

Mr Littleproud is now calling for an independent scientific panel selected in consultation with industry to review the protocols and reassure the public that Australia’s biosecurity standards haven’t been compromised.

Mr Littleproud says public confidence in Australia’s biosecurity systems hinges on greater transparency from the federal government, following its decision to lift restrictions on US beef imports.

While not criticising Labor directly, Mr Littleproud said Australians deserve clarity around the protocols involved, particularly when the risks could affect not just livestock, but human health.

“We are talking about families’ wellbeing in this country,” he said.

“If you’re going to take your responsibilities seriously … and yet at the moment of announcement you cannot provide the details, it says to me there is a reasonable amount of doubt.”

Mr Littleproud called for reassurance that protections against diseases like TB and BSE remain strong and urged the government to demonstrate the decision was driven by rigorous scientific assessment, not political or trade pressure.

David Littleproud has urged the Albanese Government to establish an independent panel, selected by industry, to assess the scientific rigour behind the decision to lift biosecurity restrictions on US beef.

Speaking in Canberra, Mr Littleproud said the public deserves confidence that proper protocols have been followed, warning the government’s inability to substantiate those protocols raises serious concerns.

“This is about Australia’s welfare. This is about BSE and TB. We should not be taking risks that cannot be substantiated,” he said.

“Biosecurity should not be political.”

Mr Littleproud said the issue goes beyond the agricultural sector and called for transparency to restore faith in the decision-making process.