Australian news and politics live: Inflation hits low, Coalition grills Chalmers over grocery price pain

Anthony Albanese has reiterated Australia’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state will depend on “circumstances where recognition will advance the objective of the creation of two states” and will not be tied to a specific timeline.

The Prime Minister’s comments followed a statement overnight from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer that the UK would recognise Palestine in September if Israel did not make significant progress in ending the war in Gaza.

The Prime Minister said he had spoken with Sir Keir overnight and would continue that conversation over the next few days, but did not directly answer a question about whether the UK’s decision would influence his thinking.

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Treasurer Jim Chalmers is fronting the media on the most recent ABS figures, which show inflation has fallen to the lowest level since March 2022.

“These numbers represent remarkable, outstanding progress when you consider that when we came to office, headline inflation was three times higher than what it is in these numbers today, what we’ve seen today is quarterly inflation, monthly inflation, headline and trim mean goods and services inflation, all come down,” the Treasurer said.

“This is the lowest inflation in almost four years. These are very pleasing, very welcome, absolutely outstanding inflation numbers when you consider how far Australians have come together in this defining fight against inflation.

“When we came to office, inflation was much higher and it was absolutely galloping. And in the course of the last three years, we’ve been able to get headline inflation at the very bottom of the Reserve Bank’s target range. We’ve also got trim demand inflation in the Reserve Bank’s target range as well. Monthly inflation has come in below the Reserve Bank’s two to 3 per cent target range as well.”

The steady decline in inflation is expected to give the RBA plenty of confidence to safely cut rates when it meets in a few weeks.

Anthony Albanese has slammed the behaviour of people who threw balloons filled with fish oil at his electorate office last Friday.

The PM said the actions prompted the office to shut down and forced staff to evacuate.

“My office (had) to be shut down once again last Friday by (people) throwing balloons full of fish oil,” he said.

“That means my staff had to abandon it, a great cost to the Commonwealth, and means no constituents can get service.”

Anthony Albanese says news that the Pentagon has delayed its AUKUS review is not a surprise or a concern.

“It is not surprising that that would be the case and (it’s) something that we expected - something like that,” the Prime Minister said.

“We expected a review from an incoming Government, just like the Keir Starmer Government did.

“We expect that those things take longer than just 30 days.”

Anthony Albanese says he won’t be drawn into acting on the Middle East conflict by way of issuing sanctions just to “go for slogans”.

“What we haven’t done is go for slogans, frankly,” he said, before bizarrely asking a Canberra journalist what slogans she would like Australia to implement.

“What we have from some of the campaigns that have taken place is slogans,” he said.

“What we are about is meaningful action.”

He defended the sanctions imposed by Australia on Israeli ministers and noted that Israel is a democracy, unlike Putin’s Russia, which is an authoritarian regime.

He also argued that the sanctions imposed are appropriate and measured.

“Putin’s regime is not a democratic government. It is an authoritarian regime,” he said.

“We have, I think, taken appropriate action and it has been, as I say, sanctioning ministers in a democratic government.”

Communications Minister Anika Wells says providing sensitive ID documents won’t be mandatory under the new social media ban.

She said platforms will have to provide an alternative to users having to provide their own personal identification documents to confirm their age.

“The platforms know with deadly accuracy who we are, what we do and when we do it,” she said.

“They know you have had a Facebook account since 2009, so they know you are over 16.”

There are still unanswered questions about the precise method platforms will use to comply with new laws.

Anthony Albanese is calling for broad support for the under-16s ban, not because it’s “an ideological issue” but to “look after young people”.

He urged big tech firms to work with the Government on the social media rules, which will be tabled today.

“We want this to be cooperative. Social media does have a social responsibility and they also need a social license, so there will be demand from the community for social media companies to engage constructively,” he said.

“I want everyone to get on board because this is not an ideological issue. This is an issue about looking after young people.”

Anthony Albanese says he’s in talks with other world leaders on Australia’s under-16s ban, saying he’ll “continue to advocate”.

The PM was asked if he would be seeking to mobilise international support at the UN in September to strengthen their fight against big tech firms.

“We will continue to advocate. This is our position. It is up to other nations what they do,” he said.

“I know from the discussions I have had with other leaders, that they are looking at this and they are considering what impact social media is having on young people in their respective nations and it is a common experience.

“I have written to James Larsson, our representative at the UN. We will be holding an event in New York along with 36 Months and the Let Them Be Kids campaign.”

He said New Zealand PM Christopher Luxon was acting “along similar lines”.

Communications Minister Anika Wells has sent a stern message to big tech firms over Australia’s social media ban that the Government won’t be threatened.

“We will not be intimidated by legal threats when this is a genuine fight for the well-being of Australian kids,” she said.

The remarks come after YouTube’s parent company, Google, threatened the Government after their recent decision to axe the video-sharing platform’s previous exemption from the Under 16s ban.

“Today, we are prioritising parents ahead of platforms. We will not be intimidated by tech companies,” she said.

“The Albanese Government is pushing forward with our mission to keep Australian kids safe online.”

Anthony Albanese says the Government’s decision to include YouTube in the ban, after previously excluding it, came following eSafety Commissioner advice.

“Importantly, following advice from the eSafety Commissioner, young people under the age of 16 will not be able to have accounts on YouTube,” the PM said.

“They will also not be able to have accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X, amongst other platforms.

“We know this is not the only solution and there’s more to do. But it will make a difference.”