Australian news and politics live: Health Minister Mark Butler vows to defends Australia’s PBS amid US threats

Labor MP Gordon Reid says an official investigation is underway after reports a visa was approved for a woman who allegedly praised the October 7 attack in Israel on social media.

Responding to public concern, Mr Reid confirmed that, “The Minister for Immigration’s office is currently reviewing and investigating this matter as we speak,” while speaking to Sky News.

Mr Reid added, “If you are here to incite violence, incite hate, spread hate, and are sympathetic to terrorist organisations and terrorist ideals, then you’re not welcome in Australia.”

Shadow Minister for Home Affairs, Andrew Hastie, has slammed the Labor Government for reportedly granting a visa to a Palestinian woman who openly praised the terrorist organisation Hamas and its attack on Israel.

After the October 7, 2023 attack, Ms Zahed wrote on social media: “Praise be to Allah who has kept us alive to see this day.”

Mona Zahed, along with her family, has been supported in relocating to Australia by Melbourne artist Matt Chun, according to the Herald Sun.

Mr Hastie told the publication that if Ms Zahed’s visa was approved, it would represent “another immigration failure by the Albanese Labor Government,” emphasising that “any person that shows support for a terrorist organisation should not be granted a visa to Australia.”

He further called on the Home Affairs Minister to provide an immediate explanation, stating, “If a visa has been granted, Tony Burke must immediately explain why, under his watch, an individual who celebrated the October 7 terrorist attack has been allowed to enter our country.”

Outback Wrangler host Matt Wright feared his mates would “start squealing” as investigators “put pressure on” them following the fatal chopper crash that killed his Netflix co-star Chris Wilson and left a pilot paraplegic, prosecutors say.

On day two of Mr Wright’s supreme court trial, crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci SC revealed what was allegedly captured in new secret police recordings from the celebrity croc-wrangler’s bugged Gold Coast home.

Mr Wright is on trial in the Northern Territory after pleading not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice in relation to the investigation into a fatal crash.

Read the full story.

US President Donald Trump’s higher tariffs on imports from dozens of countries have kicked in, raising the average US import duty to its highest in a century and leaving major trade partners such as Switzerland, Brazil and India hurriedly searching for a better deal.

The US Customs and Border Protection agency began collecting the higher tariffs of 10 per cent to 50 per cent on Thursday after weeks of suspense over Mr Trump’s final tariff rates and frantic negotiations with countries seeking to lower them.

The leaders of Brazil and India vowed not to be cowed by Mr Trump’s hardline bargaining position, even while their negotiators sought a reprieve from the highest tariff levels.

​​Read more.​​

Liberal Senator Jane Hume has reiterated her party’s strong support for the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) as Australia faces pressure from the US over drug pricing.

She has stressed the need for expedited PBS approvals to stay competitive.

“The Coalition is on a unity ticket with the government on the PBS. The PBS is sacrosanct. We must keep it. It’s delivered better health outcomes for Australians for decades,” Ms Hume told Sunrise.

“We want to make sure that our pharmaceutical industry thrives. It’s important that the government negotiations continue and we look at ways to expedite the process of approvals on the PBS as the Americans want, the Coalition want, and indeed, as the government wants.

While speaking alongside Health Minister Mark Butler who said the Albanese Government would “fight for our PBS and fight for jobs,” Ms Hume added: “My message to you on behalf of the Coalition is hustle your bustle. We want to support you in this. The Coalition are here to work with you, haven’t got any time to waste here. So let’s get on with the job.”

Housing Minister Clare O’Neil has defended the government’s ambitious plan to build 1.2 million new homes across Australia by 2029.

Acknowledging that only 2,000 social and affordable homes have been constructed against a five-year target of 55,000, Ms O’Neil says while meeting these goals will be challenging, they represent a “national aspiration” worth striving for.

“Our housing crisis has been cooking for 40 years because it is a very hard problem to solve,” O’Neil told ABC Radio National.

“I’m doing every single thing that I can as housing minister federally to make sure that we meet the target or get as close to it as we can. The target will depend on lots of different things … It will depend on what state governments do. It will depend on what interest rates look like.”

“What I can tell you is that having a big, difficult target is exactly the kind of thinking that is going to need to snap us out of what is a 40-year-old problem confronting our country.”

A young girl has passed away from influenza after being discharged twice from Sydney Children’s Hospital on the same day.

On Monday, the six-year-old first arrived at the emergency department at the Randwick facility, where she was evaluated and sent home.

Shortly after, she returned, was diagnosed with influenza, and once again discharged with instructions for care at home, according to a spokesperson from the Sydney Children’s Hospital Network.

Read more.

Erin Patterson is due back before court a month after being convicted of killing three members of her estranged husband’s family by serving a death cap mushroom-laced lunch.

The 50-year-old mother has a mention hearing scheduled on Friday at the Supreme Court in Melbourne, where she is set to appear remotely via video link from prison.

Dates for her pre-sentence hearing, known as a plea, are expected to be set during her court appearance.

Plea hearings allow victims and their families to deliver statements to the court about how the crime has impacted them.

Read the full story.

Health Minister Mark Butler says the Australian Government is committed to defending both the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and the jobs supported by local drug manufacturers.

With growing pressure from the US threatening tariffs as high as 250 per cent on pharmaceutical exports, Mr Butler insists Australia will fight to maintain its affordable medicines system while protecting its exporters.

“We’ll fight for our PBS and fight for the jobs that Australian manufacturers here, particularly in Melbourne, down in Melbourne CSL, have provided to Australian families for years,” he told Sunrise on Friday morning.

“Exporting great medicines, blood and plasma products to the United States under the US free trade agreement.

“The US exports more pharmaceuticals to Australia. We have zero tariffs on those imports that we take from American companies. We’re making the case that should continue in reverse.

“We should be able to continue to export our terrific blood and plasma products and medicines to Americans without what might be a 250 per cent tariff. Not just on Australia but on every country around the world seeking to export pharmaceuticals to the Americans.”