Australian news and politics live: Albanese heckled about renewable energy plans

Anthony Albanese says the Australian Federal Police has joined the hunt for suspected gunman Dezi Freeman who fled into bushland after the Porepunkah shooting.

It’s alleged he fired at police officers who arrived at his property to serve a warrant, killing Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart.

“At this difficult time, the Australian Federal Police have joined the work that’s being undertaken to hunt down the perpetrator of this crime,” the Prime Minister told the Bush Summit on Friday.

“Because we do want to see this issue resolved so that people who are traumatised in that local community can, once again, feel as comfortable as they should be in their day-to-day lives.”

The 56-year-old, who has previously referred to himself as “sovereign citizen”, is believed to be armed and dangerous, with people in the vicinity of the town urged to stay indoors.

Anthony Albanese has given a heartfelt tribute to the late Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, who were killed in a Porepunkah shooting this week.

The Prime Minister said it was a tragedy for the force and the wider Victorian region.

“Victorians are mourning the loss of detective Thompson and Senior Constable DevArt,” Mr Albanese said at a Herald Sun Bush Summit session on Friday.

“This is a tragedy that has impacted particularly people in the local community, but it’s also, of course, impacted people in the police family as well.

“It’s a reminder that the men and women who put on the blue uniform to protect our local communities take a risk each and every day.

“We thank them for their service, and we pay our respect to them.”

A woman and a child have been arrested in relation to a fatal shooting in Porepunkah that killed two police officers.

Dezi Freeman, a self-described sovereign citizen, allegedly opened fire on three Victoria Police officers on Tuesday, before fleeing with a police gun and radio.

On Thursday night, Victoria Police arrested a 42-year-old woman, understood to be Mali Freeman, the accused cop killer’s wife, and a 15-year-old child at a Porepunkah address.

They were taken into custody and questioned as police investigate the deaths of Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart.

Read the full update.

The “unpredictable” US government is to blame for murkiness around Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles’ trip to Washington this week, a Labor heavyweight says.

Whether Mr Marles had a formal meeting with US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth came into question after a Pentagon spokesperson denied one took place and said they had a “happenstance encounter”.

The Pentagon later U-turned, saying they did meet at the White House and that it was “co-ordinated in advance”.

Former Labor deputy prime minister Wayne Swan on Friday dismissed the focus on the meeting as a “beat up”.

“He went there for a meeting and he met the (state secretary) and he met the vice president, and that’s what he went for,” Mr Swan said, adding he did not “understand a lot of the coverage of this issue”.

​Read the full story.​

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has slammed Independent Federal MP Bob Katter after footage emerged of him aggressively threatening a reporter at a Brisbane press conference on Thursday.

“Bob Katter I like, but Bob Katter needs to have a look at that footage. Have a look at himself, frankly, and recognise that that’s not what we expect of any Australian, let alone someone who’s in public office,” Mr Albanese told Nine.

Watch video here.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has brushed off the debate surrounding Defence Minister Richard Marles’ US visit, describing the controversy over his contact with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth as “rather bizarre”.

“He met the Vice President. He met the Defence Secretary. He met senior people in the Trump Administration. And that’s a good thing. And then he came home. That’s a good thing,” Mr Albanese told Nine on Friday morning.

The confusion stems from comments by the Pentagon yesterday, which initially described a photographed interaction between Marles and Hegseth as a mere “happenstance encounter.” That line was later walked back by US officials, who confirmed a meeting did actually occur.

“One of the things that we do is engage diplomatically right around the world. But there’s no country that’s more important than the United States,” Mr Albanese said.

A quiet street in Porepunkah was transformed into the centre of a dramatic police raid late Thursday, as heavily armed officers intensified the hunt for alleged double killer Dezi Freeman.

Neighbours described a sudden influx of unmarked police vehicles around 9pm, with convoys swarming Francis Street and detaining multiple residents.

At 9.24pm, an emergency alert was reportedly issued warning the public to avoid the area as police “searched for an armed and dangerous offender”.

According to the Herald Sun, officers used loudspeakers to order people out of their homes — instructing them to “come out with nothing in your hands” — while properties were methodically cleared.

Read the full story.

Russia has pounded Ukraine with deadly missiles and drone strikes in a sweeping attack that President Volodymyr Zelensky says is Moscow’s answer to diplomatic efforts to end its war.

At least 21 people including four children were killed in the capital early on Thursday, officials from the city administration said. As the sun rose, rescuers dug through a wrecked block on Kyiv’s left bank and pulled at least two bodies from the rubble.

The strikes damaged the European Union’s mission and British Council offices in the city, officials said. The European Union and London summoned Russian envoys to protest. There were no reports of casualties at either site.

“Russia chooses ballistics instead of the negotiating table,” Mr Zelensky said on X, calling for new sanctions on Russia. “It chooses to continue killing instead of ending the war.”

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Health Minister Mark Butler has strongly criticised veteran MP Bob Katter following his heated exchange with a journalist in Brisbane, describing the outburst as “completely unacceptable.”

“But watchers of Australian politics know that Bob Katter is a bit of a character, but that is completely unacceptable. The threat itself is unacceptable. And then the physical approach, frankly, to the journalist ... it’s just unacceptable in this day and age, particularly from a political leader,” Mr Butler told Sunrise.

The incident unfolded yesterday at a Brisbane press event promoting this weekend’s “March for Australia.” Mr Katter confronted Nine journalist Josh Bavas, raising his fist and shouting after being asked about his family’s Lebanese roots.

“Oh mate, don’t say that because that irritates me, and I punch blokes in the mouth for saying that,” Katter told the reporter.

Liberal Senator Jane Hume says there’s no excuse for treating a journalist like that.

“There has to be consequences for this, you should always be able to feel safe and respected at work, journalists and politicians, the idea of threatening violence is entirely unacceptable. There must be consequences,” Ms Hume told Sunrise.

WATCH VIDEO HERE.

Iran’s ambassador to Australia Ahmad Sadeghi was believed to be flying out of Sydney late on Thursday after waving “bye, bye” just hours before his mandatory expulsion from the country.

In the wake of explosive ASIO findings Iran orchestrated anti-Semitic attacks in Australia, Iran’s envoy was declared “persona non grata” — making him the first high-ranking diplomat to be expelled since World War II.

Mr Sadeghi braved the media pack at Sydney international airport on Thursday evening, denying his country was involved in the attacks, saying “No Iran. Of course not” when asked and claiming Iran was a “friendly country”.

Earlier in the afternoon Mr Sadeghi was photographed at his Canberra residence, telling reporters: “I love Australian people,” before adding: “Bye bye.”

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