Australian news and politics live: Pesutto pays out $2.3m Deeming defamation debt

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley promised alternative policies voters can believe in as her shadow cabinet gathered for the first time since the Coalition’s bruising election loss.

Senior Liberals and Nationals met in Canberra today at Parliament House for their first formal talks after the landslide defeat and subsequent brief split between the coalition parties.

Ms Ley told colleagues the loss was “sobering” but vowed to help rebuild the party.

“It’s not just about holding the government to account, it’s about offering our alternatives, and offering alternatives to Australians that are something they can believe in,” she said.

“Our job is to present that alternative narrative for Australians so they look at us and know that we’re a party that respects, reflects and will represent modern Australia and we can restore their faith and trust in us.”

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There’s encouraging news for job seeekers, with the Australian Bureau of Statistics showing a turnaround in job vacancies after three months of decline.

According to the ABS, job vacancies rose by 2.9 per cent to 339,400 in May, with growth in eight of the 18 surveyed industries.

The largest percentage rises for the month were in construction (up 21 per cent) and professional, scientific and technical services (up 13 per cent). The highest percentage growth in job vacancies over the year was in transport, postal and warehousing (up 23 per cent) and manufacturing (up 20 per cent).

“Over the year, the number of unemployed people for each job vacancy grew from 1.7 to 1.8. This is well below the pre-pandemic level of 3.1 in February 2020, indicating there is still high labour demand,” the ABS’ Sean Crick said.

Compared to the same time last year when job vacancies were at a 20-year high, vacancies are down slightly, but recorded the smallest annual fall in the last two years.

The private sector is driving employment demand, up 3.2 per cent, while vacancies are growing fastest in the Australian Capital Territory ( up 12 per cent) and South Australia (up 9 per cent). The largest percentage drops were in the Northern Territory (down 12 per cent) and Western Australia (down 6 per cent).

Former Victorian opposition leader John Pesutto has paid out the $2.3 million debt he owed to Moira Deeming after she successfully sued him for defamation.

Liberal Party entity Vapold paid Deeming $1.55 million on Thursday morning, the ​Sydney Morning Herald​ reports.

It comes after the Victorian Liberals’ administrative committee agreed to lend Mr Pesutto $1.55 million to settle his debt to first-term MP Ms Deeming.

Mr Pesutto was ordered to pay $2.3 million in legal costs to Mrs Deeming after the Federal Court found he defamed her by implying she was associated with neo-nazis.

Without the loan from the Liberal Party Mr Pesutto was facing bankruptcy.

He had already coughed up $315,000 in damages, but had had only raised about $750,000 through wealthy backers and a GoFundMe campaign.

Nationals leader David Littleproud is convinced Australians will turn their backs on Anthony Albanese.

In an address to his shadow cabinet colleagues, he said “The mob will turn and turn big time against the Albanese government And when they do, we’ll be ready for it.”

“While it’s humbling and disappointing, the election result, you can do one of two things. You can get in the fetal position and give up, or you can come out swinging.

“Being from western Queensland, we always take the latter. So let’s come out swinging.”

After US President Donald Trump came swinging at ‘Fake News’ media and singled out CNN journalist Natasha Bertrand for her reporting on an early intel assessment of the Iran bombings, the network has responded by saying it stands “100% behind” her.

CNN was the first outlet to report on an early intelligence assessment that the US strike on Iran likely set the country’s nuclear program back only by a few months.

“We stand 100% behind Natasha Bertrand’s journalism and specifically her and her colleagues’ reporting of the early intelligence assessment of the US attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities,” the network said in a statement.

“CNN’s reporting made clear that this was an initial finding that could change with additional intelligence. We have extensively covered President Trump’s own deep scepticism about it.

“However, we do not believe it is reasonable to criticise CNN reporters for accurately reporting on the existence of the assessment and accurately characterising its findings, which are in the public interest.”

Earlier, Mr Trump demanded via his Truth Social account that Ms Bertrand be fired.

US President Donald Trump is still fuming over “fake” reports that suggested Iran’s nuclear facilities were not destroyed.

Taking to his Truth Social account on Wednesday evening (local time), the US President said the pilots who were involved in the mission are “very upset”.

“After 36 hours of dangerously flying through Enemy Territory, they landed, they knew the success was LEGENDARY, and then, two days later, they started reading Fake News by CNN and The Failing New York Times. They felt terribly!” Mr Trump wrote.

“Fortunately for them and, as usual, solely for the purpose of demeaning PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP, the Fake News (Times and CNN) lied and totally misrepresented the Facts, none of which they had (because it was too soon, there were no Facts out there yet!)”

Earlier, the US President also called for CNN reporter, Natasha Bertrand, to be fired from the network and thrown out “like a dog” after reporting on the early intelligence assessment that suggested Iran’s nuclear facilities were not destroyed.

“It’s people like her who destroyed the reputation of a once great Network. Her slant was so obviously negative...FIRE NATASHA!”, he wrote on Truth Social.

The CIA claims it has obtained a body of credible intelligence that proves Iran’s nuclear facilities have been “severely damaged” by the recent US strikes.

“This includes new intelligence from a historically reliable and accurate source/method that several key Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed and would have to be rebuilt over the course of years,” Director of the CIA, John Ratcliffe, said.

Mr Ratcliffe says the agency would continue to collect additional, reliably sourced information to keep appropriate decision-makers and oversight bodies fully informed.

The update comes after the White House unleashed on CNN and the New York Times for reporting on an early intelligence assessment that suggested Iran’s nuclear facilities were not destroyed.

Penny Wong has announced a wave of new sanctions on Russia over its illegal invasion of Ukraine. They target 44 individuals and entities across Russia’s defence, energy, transport, insurance, electronics and finance sectors.

Of those slapped with the sanctions, 37 face financial sanctions and travel bans and seven entities have been slapped with financial penalties.

The Foreign Affairs Minister said Australia remained “steadfast” in its support for Ukraine

“Our targeted sanctions reflect our close coordination with key NATO partners, including the UK, Canada and the European Union,” she said.

“Australia has now imposed more than 1500 sanctions in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

“We will continue to work with partners to disrupt Russia’s ability to fund its illegal and immoral war.”

Australia will deploy 100 soldiers and a military aircraft to Europe to help Ukraine in its war against an illegal Russian invasion.

Defence Minister Richard Marles made the pledge at the NATO summit in The Hague in the Netherlands where almost all leaders announced heightened commitments.

The plane, a Royal Australian Air Force E-7A Wedgetail aircraft, will be based in Poland from August and is expected to end the deployment by November.

“Australia is proud of its longstanding operational partnership with NATO,” Mr Marles said.

“The deployment of an E-7A Wedgetail aircraft will again showcase our ability to operate from Europe, alongside NATO and partners, in support of Ukraine and international peace and security.”

Australia is standing firm on defence spending targets despite European nations vowing to rapidly ratchet up expenditure under pressure from US President Donald Trump.

On the sidelines of the NATO summit in the Netherlands, Defence Minister Richard Marles said Australia would decide its own spending levels to meet its own military needs.

That risks drawing a rebuke from Mr Trump, who made clear he expects allies to drastically step up to reduce their reliance on the US.

NATO countries, of which Australia is not a member, agreed to increase defence spending targets to five per cent of GDP.

However, Spain refused, prompting Mr Trump to threaten to punish the Iberian nation with a tougher trade deal.

“You know what we’re going to do? We’re negotiating with Spain on a trade deal and we’re going to make them pay twice as much,” he said.

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