Australian news and politics live: Penny Wong slams Coalition’s tariff politics, defends Labor’s US diplomacy

The Senate revolt on Monday was minor - little more than a skirmish - but it was fought over a question of such profound ideological, geographical and political potency that it risks consuming what is left of the federal Coalition.

Late afternoon Coalition senators Matthew Canavan and Alex Antic sided with One Nation founder Pauline Hanson to demand the Government drop the plan to eliminate Greenhouse gas emissions, on a net basis, by 2050.

Senator Hanson had decided to join a campaign by Coalition’s conservative wing - disenfranchised and emboldened by Sussan’s Ley elevation to leadership - against the policy.

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Health Minister Mark Butler has described the situation in Gaza as “indefensible” and “absolutely unacceptable”.

In recent days, the Labor government has intensified its criticism of the Netanyahu government, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese strongly suggesting Israel may be violating international law.

“The position there is indefensible. The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza has reached absolutely unacceptable levels and change needs to happen quickly,” he told ABC Radio National on Tuesday morning.

When asked whether he believed Israel was committing “genocide,” Mr Butler said: “I think the Prime Minister’s statements over the last several days, the fact that Australia joined a couple of dozen at least like-minded countries in really lifting our level of concern and demands on Israel to allow the resumption of aid into Gaza, I think reflects the views of ordinary Australians who have been watching these images and are deeply, deeply distressed.”

Health Minister Mark Butler has acknowledged uncertainty around the US position on Australian pharmaceuticals, as officials work to clarify the nature and timing of potential tariffs facing the sector.

US President Donald Trump has suggested that trading partners unable to negotiate individual deals could face sweeping tariffs between 15 and 20 per cent—the latest signal of a shift from the initial 10 per cent baseline tariff announced in April.

“We’re trying to make sure that we have a sense of what the US administration is planning,” Mr Butler told ABC Radio National.

“The position in relation to pharmaceuticals has changed a lot over the last couple of weeks – the nature, the timing, the scale of tariffs that might be imposed.

“We recognise this is a very significant challenge, including to pharmaceutical exports from Australia to the US, which by and large are blood and plasma products. We’re doing everything we can to prosecute our interests as Australians.”

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Liberal senator Dave Sharma has expressed support for NSW Premier Chris Minns’ decision to block a march by pro-Palestine activists across the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Sunday afternoon.

Mr Minns has refused appeals to facilitate the protest on the Harbour Bridge, instead directing police to assist organisers in finding an alternative route for the rally.

However, activists have pledged a legal challenge to secure permission to march across the bridge.

“They’re planning to disrupt Sydney’s major piece of infrastructure causing inconvenience to tens of thousands of people. Right time, right place, this is not appropriate,” Mr Sharma said.

“Taking over the Harbour Bridge to protest about a foreign conflict I think is incredibly disproportionate, and the premier is right to be opposed to it.”

US President Donald Trump says many people are starving in the Gaza Strip as he suggested Israel could do more on humanitarian access.

Describing starvation in the Gaza Strip as real, Mr Trump’s assessment put him at odds with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said on Sunday “there is no starvation in Gaza” and vowed to fight on against the terrorist group Hamas.

Mr Trump, speaking during a visit to Scotland, said Israel had a lot of responsibility for aid flows and that a lot of people could be saved.

“You have a lot of starving people,” he said.

He said “we’re going to set up food centres” with no fences or boundaries to ease access.

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US President Donald Trump has warned the minimum tariff the United States imposes on its trading partners, including Australia—could soon double.

Speaking at a press conference in Scotland, Mr Trump said he was planning a new universal tariff “for the world.”

Asked just how high it would go, he replied: “I would say it’ll be somewhere in the 15 to 20 per cent range. I just want to be nice. Probably one of those two numbers.”

Currently, most US trading partners, Australia included, face America’s 10 per cent “baseline” tariff.

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Nationals Senator Matt Canavan has criticised the Labor government over soaring electricity bills, accusing it of failing to deliver on promises to reduce energy costs after committing to the 2050 net zero emissions target.

Mr Canavan said the government had focused too much on attacking the Coalition instead of addressing energy policy.

“It seems like the Labor Party has only one thing to talk about the last fortnight, and that’s us, the Liberal and Nationals party,” he told Sky News, speaking alongside Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce in support of a bill to scrap the net zero goal.

“If they were actually doing a good job on energy policy, they’d be spruiking that, but the fact that they can’t do that speaks volumes.

“They promised when they signed up to net zero that they’d lower your energy bills. It hasn’t happened.”