Australian news and politics live: ‘No starvation in Gaza’, Israel’s Canberra embassy says

There’s been a fiery exchange over the recent news that Australia would lift a ban on US beef imports in Question Time.

Nationals Leader David Littleproud asked Agriculture Minister Julie Collins if she could: “Confirm if the Inspector-General of biosecurity’s recommendations that import risk assessments should include the oversight of a scientific advisory panel were implemented in the decision to overturn US beef import bans? If not, why not?”

Ms Collins said the risk based assessment was done by the department on scientific evidence and claimed that “department officials have gone through the process”.

“What I would say to the member opposite is that he should not be undermining Australia’s biosecurity system”.

After a yelling match ensued, Speaker Milton Dick told the parties to stop “throwing loud interjections” and to “cool it down”.

Federal MP Josh Burns has been congratulated in the House of Representatives Question Time today after sharing his baby news this morning.

The Labor party member for the Melbourne seat of Macnamara announced he and partner Animal Justice Party member Georgie Purcell are expecting a baby girl.

“I’d like to thank the member for Macnamara for his question, and congratulate him only on his big personal news,” Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Amanda Rishworth said after receiving a question from Mr Burns.

Shortly after asking Treasurer Jim Chalmers a question, Shadow treasurer Ted O’Brien was called out by Speaker Milton Dick in Question Time.

“We can’t have that sort of interjection member for Fairfax. Fourteen times you’ve interjected,” Mr Dick said.

“I know it’s your question but we’re going to cool it for the remainder of this answer to assist the House.”

Shadow treasurer Ted O’Brien has asked Treasurer Jim Chalmers about unemployment rates spiking to its highest level in almost three years.

Dr Chalmers gave a stern response: “If you compare every single government of the last half century, Mr Speaker, the government led by this guy has overseen the lowest average unemployment of any of those governments for half a century.”

“I invite the Shadow Treasurer, I invite the House, to cast their mind back to the day that we were elected in 2022. Interest rates were already going up. He forgot to mention that.

“Inflation was much higher and galloping. It had a six in front of it. It now has two in front of it.

“Living standards have turned around and are starting to grow again, recovering some of the losses that they made under those opposite.”

Education Minister Jason Clare has had a cheeky dig at the Coalition’s disastrous election loss while spruiking Labor’s new legislation to cut student debts by 20 per cent.

“Thank you for your support for the legislation to cut student debt by 20 per cent. 20 per cent is a big cut. It’s not as big as 33 per cent, that’s how much the Australian people cut the number of Liberal MPs in the chamber at the election,” he said.

“But 20 per cent is still a big cut. It’s gonna help a lot of Australians.

“Three million Australians will get their student debt cut when this legislation passes the Parliament.”

Only a couple questions in and already we’ve heard the first attack lines from the government over Barnaby Joyce’s net zero repeal bill delivered in the House of Representatives today.

The slap down came from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese: “They’ve got a private members’ bill to wipe out every bit of emissions policy going back to John Howard in the year 2000”.

“Will they introduce a private members’ bill to increase the income tax for all 14 million Australians?

“I await for one of their backbenchers to do that. Cause that’s what they all went to the election on 3 May promising”.

A political row has erupted about taxes in Question Time, after Opposition leader Sussan Ley asked if the Prime Minister would guarantee his government will not raise taxes on hard-working Australians to repair their ballooning budget.

“We have just been through an election with two alternative propositions. One on this side of the House, giving tax cuts to every single Australian taxpayer and pair, all 14 million of them,” Anthony Albanese said.

“Less debt and lower taxes on this side of the House. More debt and higher taxes on that side of the House.”

Speaker Milton Dick had to interject to tell Treasurer Jim Chalmers to “cease interjecting”: “We’re just gonna make sure everyone’s getting a good dose of respect today”.

Health Minister Mark Butler says a PBS bill introduced to Parliament this week, forms part of Labor’s Medicare strengthening plan.

He said cutting the PBS co-payment even further to $25 per script, makes it the lowest it’s been since 2004.

“More than five million patients will benefit from this fifth wave of cheaper medicines,” he said in response to a Dorthy Dixer by Gorton MP Alice Jordan-Baird.

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Opposition leader Sussan Ley has delivered a fiery first question at the start of Monday’s Question Time.

She accused the trade minister Don Farrell of “hallucinating on national TV” after claiming that US president Donald Trump and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had spoken directly on beef imports.

“Yesterday the trade minister seemed to be hallucinating on national TV when he invented a conversation between the US President and the Prime Minister about beef,” she said.

“How can Labor be trusted to secure tariff exemptions when the trade minister confuses a public statement from the President with a leader to leader phone call that never happened?”

The PM responded by citing the US President after Labor’s May 3 election win, when he claimed he had no idea who Peter Dutton was.

“During the campaign when it came to tariffs, the former Leader of the Opposition said that he would be able to fix it and that there would be no problem. The truth is that no country in the world has a lower tariff than Australia has right now of 10 per cent,” he said.

“Those opposite will continue to argue against Australia’s interests.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Sussan Ley have spoken on the death of Pope Francis.

Mr Albanese extended condolences to “Australians of faith” and “all Australians who heard Pope Francis and chose to heed his message of love”.

“May his example positive a just and loving way to live on among us always,” he said.

Sussan Ley said the loss of Pope Francis was “felt by millions of Australians”.

“That feeling was an expression of the resonance between the fundamentals of the Catholic faith and our Australian way of life,” Ms Ley said.