Australian news and politics live: Donald Trump announces major China trade deal after Xi Jinping meet

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he has no concerns over US President Donald Trump granting approval to South Korea to build its own nuclear submarines in a US shipyard.

On social media the US President says he’s given permission so the Asian nation so it does not have to rely on “old fashioned, and far less nimble, diesel powered Submarines that they have now”.

Speaking from the APEC summit in South Korea, Mr Albanese has rejected suggestions Seoul is gaining a higher level of access to secret US technology than Australia which is an AUKUS partner.

“No. In a word. To put it clearly - these bilateral arrangements are a matter for the United States and Korea,” Mr Albanese told reporters.

“The arrangements Australia has entered into with United States and United Kingdom are in our national interest. They will provide for Australia to have access to that technology, and that is a very positive thing.”

US President Donald Trump says he has given South Korea approval to build a nuclear-powered submarine, a dramatic move that would admit Seoul to a small club of nations possessing such vessels.

The submarine will be built in a Philadelphia shipyard where South Korean firms have increased investment, Mr Trump wrote on social media on Thursday.

The US president, who has been meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and other regional leaders during his visit, also said Seoul had agreed to buy vast quantities of US oil and gas.

Mr Trump and Lee finalised details of a fraught trade deal at a summit in South Korea on Wednesday.

Mr Lee had also been seeking US permission for South Korea to reprocess nuclear fuel.

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A new inquiry has been launched into domestic, family, and sexual violence-related suicide in Australia.

It comes as Australia’s yearly report into the pervasive issue was tabled in Parliament on Thursday by Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek.

It her speech, Ms Plibersek described gender-based violence as “tragically common” and spoke about the need for a sharper focus by government.

The report showed “troubling patterns” of rising violence, including sexual assault reports to police and intimate partner homicides.

It revealed a “sudden and concerning” 35 per cent increase in the number of women killed by intimate partners in 2023–24, following a 31 per cent increase the previous year.

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A new powerful US-style parliamentary committee to oversee defence projects such as AUKUS, as well as sensitive military operations, is set to be established, with the Coalition indicating its support for Labor’s move.

In the last Parliament, former Liberal Leader Peter Dutton opposed setting up the new body based on the existing intelligence and security committee because of fears the Greens and crossbenchers would join it and receive classified briefings.

On Wednesday night, shadow defence minister Angus Taylor moved to amend the bill in Parliament to shut out the Greens by requiring that any future committee members also support higher military spending.

Coalition sources say they have received verbal assurances from Defence Minister Richard Marles that members of the new committee will only be from Labor and the Coalition.

Cabinet minister Tony Burke has introduced Australia’s long-awaited environmental law reform to Parliament, exactly five years after Graeme Samuel handed down his landmark review of the EPBC Act.

Because of constitutional rules, the bill couldn’t start in the Senate where Environment Minister Murray Watt sits, but Mr Watt watched closely from the galleries as Mr Burke delivered his speech.

“Five years later, where are we? With laws that are enabling the decline of our precious environment… they’re also not facilitating the important projects we need, the housing, renewable energy, critical minerals we need for Australia’s future,” he said.

“We need change. The law is broken, we need to fix it. And that’s a challenge for everyone in this place.”

Barnaby Joyce could face a parliamentary investigation after a formal complaint was lodged alleging misconduct in The Nationals’ offices.

Mr Joyce has been accused of raising his voice and standing in a female staff member’s close personal space during a dispute over a leave form, according to a Sky News report on Thursday morning.

It’s understood Mr Joyce requested the form to attend a funeral on Thursday rather than Parliament in Canberra.

The incident was reported to the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service.

It comes after questions remain over his political future after Mr Joyce cast himself into political limbo as Parliament returned this week.

He had snubbed the Nationals party room meeting on Monday but denied rumours he was joining One Nation.

A spokeswoman from David Littleproud’s office said the Nationals leader wouldn’t be commenting on the allegations.

“The Parliamentary Workplace Support Service has trusted confidential processes and support to deal with workplace issues in Parliament House,” she said.

“Therefore, it would not be appropriate to comment.”

Mr Joyce has been contacted for comment.

Environment Minister Murray Watt has also addressed criticisms from business groups around the expansive definition of “unacceptable impacts” on the environment, which will become a threshold issue for whether a proposal is assessed or not.

The legislation to be put to Parliament shortly contains 37 definitions, varying for particular circumstances such as whether wetlands, waterways or endangered species are involved.

The Environment Minister said this was because it related to each of the matters of national environmental significance that the Commonwealth regulates.

If a proponent could show up-front that they could avoid or minimise unacceptable impacts, their project would proceed through the assessment and approval system as usual.

“You may have heard a lot of business figures say that they want quick yeses and quick noes,” Senator Watt said.

“This allows business to know upfront what sort of projects are likely to get a quick no and they shouldn’t even bother racking up the millions of dollars and time that’s involved in making an application.”

Environment Minister Murray Watt says new powers in the environmental approvals overhaul that would allow a minister to override environmental rules in case of national interest are intended to be used very rarely.

Some on Labor’s side, including former frontbencher Ed Husic, have raised concerns internally that installing such such a power could end up being misused by ministers down the track from governments that were less concerned about environmental outcomes.

Senator Watt said it was an explicit recommendation from EPBC reviewer Graeme Samue to give governments the power to use “in very rare circumstances” but with transparency arrangements requiring the minister to explain why.

“What we’ve said in the bill is to try to give a flavour of the types of projects that we’re talking about (which) would be most likely defence or security projects, actions that may be undertaken in responding to a natural disaster,” he told ABC radio.

After Anthony Albanese secured the best seat in the house at a special APEC dinner for Donald Trump, the Prime Minister says he is getting “things done for Australia”.

“I’m working with leaders from across the globe to get things done for Australia,” he wrote on X.

“Here at APEC we have a seat at the table – and we use it to back Australian jobs, Australian businesses and to create new opportunities for our exporters and investors.

“Because what happens in the world matters to Australia. Thank you for the warm welcome to South Korea, President Lee Jae Myung.”

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had the best seat in the house next to Donald Trump at an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit dinner with the US President praising him for a “fantastic job” on the $13bn critical minerals deal struck last week.

The dinner hosted by South Korean president Lee Jae Myung as part of the APEC summit is the third time Mr Albanese has met Mr Trump in person in the past two months.

The meeting comes just a week after a landmark $13bn agreement between Australia and the US, pledging an immediate pipeline of critical minerals and rare earth elements – materials vital to modern technology.

During his opening remarks, Mr Trump talked up the critical minerals deal.

“We had a great meeting a week ago … You’ve done a fantastic job,” he said to Mr Albanese, patting him on the arm.

“We’re working together on rare earths, but we’re working on a lot of things together.”

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